Mattel adds Poison Ivy to Infinite Earths sub (& why I’m still not biting)

August 2, 2011 | Poe

Why oh why oh WHY did I mention the idea of Batman figures in a subscription? Mattel announced another figure for the Infinite Earths subscription:

Hey DC Universe fans, you asked for it, you got it! Here is the reveal of another 6″ character in the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription program…Poison Ivy!

What’s more, they’ve made it clear we will not see these characters as figures (or at least, not next year):

To clarify the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription, If the sub does not move forward, the figures announced will not be a part of the 2012 retail line. The only way we will create these DC Universe figures in 2012 is through the subscription program. To get Starman, Atrocitus, Flash 1, and Poison Ivy, sign up for the sub.

I had to think it over. The sub is more tempting now, but I was mildly surprised to find I still didn’t want to sign up–not for Poison Ivy alone. (Probably the only single figure who could get me to sign up for an entire sub is Red Robin.)
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Pic of the Day > Two-Pack Batman (Mattel, 2003) by Poe Ghostal

August 2, 2011 | Poe

Two-Pack Batman (Mattel, 2003)

Poe’s note: While the 2003 comic-based Batman figures were painfully under-articulated, there’s no denying they were excellently sculpted–to this day, I think a fully-articulated figure with the Zipline Batman sculpt would perhaps be the perfect Batman figure.

This particular version of Batman came from a two-pack with a forgettable Mattel-sculpted Superman. However, I find it interesting because, with the yellow symbol, lack of briefs and lines on the cowl, it presages elements of both the Batman, Incorporated design, as well as the “Brand New DC” look.

Review > Catra (Masters of the Universe)

July 29, 2011 | Poe

Though mostly forgotten now, there was some mild controversy around MOTUC Catra. At the time she was shown, fans weren’t sure whether Mattel had the rights to do her “Filmation” look. It turned out they did, owing to a depiction of the character in a Mattel-created style guide from the 1980s. And thank heaven, because otherwise we might have had a figure based on her vintage look. (“Cobie Smulders is Demeter in Cirque du Soleil’s Cats!“)

Unlike the sausage-fest that was the Evil Warriors (Evil-lyn excepted), the Evil Horde was a more equal-opportunity organization. In addition to Catra, there was Shadow Weaver, Scorpia, Entrapta and Octavia. And while Hordak was the boss, most of the other male characters were dumb grunts while the women were smarter and often held positions of authority. After Adora’s defection to the Great Rebellion, Catra became the Force Captain of the Horde. Like Shadow Weaver, Catra once teamed up with Skeletor in an attempt to overthrow Hordak. [Source] (more…)

Power-Con/ThunderCon Update

July 29, 2011 | Poe

The folks behind Power-Con/ThunderCon send along this press release. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it–thus is the price of living on the other side of the continent. But it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

July 18, 2011 – Three of the 1980s most blockbuster properties are joining forces for their first ever fan convention. Power-Con, LLC is proud to present POWER-CON / THUNDERCON — a celebration of Masters of the Universe, Princess of Power, and ThunderCats all together for one great fan convention.

The convention is being presented at the Four Points LAX in Los Angeles, California, on September 24th and 25th 2011. Reduced ticket pricing is available through September 1st 2011 (1-day pass: $20/person, 2-day pass: $30/person) and kids 12 and under get in free with paying adult. For fans wanting more, a Power Package bundle is available that includes exclusive convention memorabilia. There is also a Roast Gooble Dinner Package which offers a limited number of fans the rare opportunity to dine with celebrity guests from the show.

Guests include Larry DiTillio, writer of numerous He-Man and She-Ra episodes and developer of She-Ra; Don Glut, writer of the original He-Man mini comics; Michael Halperin, writer of the original Masters of the Universe series bible; Larry Kenney, the original voice actor for ThunderCat’s Lion-O; Roger Lay Jr., filmmaker of the upcoming Toy Masters documentary; Ted Mayer, one of the original designers of the Masters of the Universe toy line; Mattel, creators of the original He-Man and She-Ra toy lines and current producer of MattyCollector.com’s Masters of the Universe Classics; Earl Norem, painter of the iconic He-Man magazine; and Dean Stefan, lead story editor of the 2002 He-Man series on Cartoon Network. But, that’s not all! Our complete guest list can be found online at: http://www.thepower-con.com/guest-list/

For more information on Power-Con / ThunderCon 2011 and all of its offerings, please visit http://www.thepower-con.com


 

Thoughts on the MOTUC Reveals

July 29, 2011 | Poe

The Four Horsemen were kind enough to provide some glorious high-res studio shots of the MOTUC reveals from SDCC, so here’s my figure-for-figure thoughts on each one.

Demo-Man > Easily my favorite reveal among a lot of awesome reveals. Not only does he have a highly detailed, almost entirely original sculpt that’s dead-on to the artwork, but he comes with a bad-ass scimitar, a huge flail, and two extra heads, including an Alfredo Alcala-style Skeletor head, which will placed on my “default” Skeletor as soon as Demo-Man arrives. I’m not sure what the deal is with the other skull, though it reminds me of the Evilution Demon. (more…)

Poe’s Point > Obligatory Club Infinite Earths Post

July 28, 2011 | Poe

A few fellow collectors have asked me to promote Club Infinite Earths. I recommend you read NoisyDvL5’s thoughts on the matter, as he’s much more passionate about it than I am.

Thing is, the Club isn’t doing so well. As of this writing it hasn’t even hit 20% of the subscriptions needed to put it into production. And as I imagine the majority of these subscriptions are sold in the first day or two of the sale, I have to say this seems like a lost cause already.
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Odds ‘n Ends > July 26, 2011

July 26, 2011 | Poe

  • Saw Captain America with Dr. Mrs. Ghostal and Red Kryptonite this past weekend. I enjoyed it–more than Thor, and probably more than any Marvel flick since X-Men 2. We knew Joe Johnston could direct period pieces, and this was sort of a sideways sequel to The Rocketeer anyway. Chris Evans was great, Tommy Lee Jones did a great job being Tommy Lee Jones, and the Red Skull was Red Hulk to Jim Carrey’s The Mask. (I did find the Red Skull make-up a bit too cartoony, but I realize that–as well as the German-accented English among the foreign bad guys–was done to make the film accessible to kids, and that’s fine.) Did I think it was better than Batman Begins or The Dark Knight? No, but it was unquestionably more fun than those movies, and a nice set-up for The Avengers.
  • Speaking of Nick Fury & the Avengers, this spoof is cute. Love the slow clap.
  • As you may know, Mattel is bringing the DC Retro Action line to a close soon. Some fans have a petition up to save it. I wish ’em luck!
  • I received an email from a company called Geek Design, who create high-end furniture for storing and displaying collectibles.
  • Looks like I’ll be attending NYCC this year. I keep hoping more of SDCC’s hype will spill over into NYCC as SDCC becomes more crowded; maybe that will start this year, with the show moving back to October. The Tuesday after the show, incidentally, is the release date for Batman: Arkham City, the Arkham City trade paperback, and the Blu-Ray of Batman: Year One. Busy day for Bats.
  • In case you missed it, there were a couple small MOTUC news bits out of SDCC. First off, the Wind Raider will have real box art, painted by the same artist who did it thirty years ago.
  • Also, here are all the new bios that were revealed. Battleground Evil-Lyn’s is a doozy; Demo-Man’s disappointingly contains nothing about Demo-Man himself, nor explains what happened when Keldor merged with him (i.e., did any of Demo-Man’s mind merge as well, etc.).
  • Finally, it looks like there very well may be an exclusive at PowerCon: a pedestal for King Grayskull’s Orb of Sparkle Crest Toothpaste. The PowerCon part is speculation but seems likely.