Marvel Phase 3

These are great times.

Nearly three decades ago, I picked up an issue of Secret Wars, and I was instantly a fan. Many kids of my generation grew up reading the comics with the Marvel superheroes. And sure, we dreamed of watching movies with our heroes, but as we aged, we realized that they very well could be similar to Street Fighter the Movie, or the TMNT movies. With this kind of quality as an alternative, I'd say it was a better option to not have superhero movies at all

Back in the late 90s, we actually started getting the superhero movies. Blade, Spider-Man, X-Men, followed by Hulk, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider and sequels to the first wave. Some of these were good, a few of them were great, most of them were just awful.

Hindered by technology, but even more so a lack of scope and ambition.
You see, one of the reasons I fell in love with the Marvel universe was that any and all hero and villain could have some sort of link to the others. After all, the first comic I consciously read was a massive team-up between the heroes and villains.

And up until Marvel Studios, we just haven't seen this. They managed to team up four superheroes that easily could be the sole superhero franchise at any other movie studio. And they're building the story lines towards a goal.

Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men - maybe the most popular Marvel characters at one point - are locked at other studios. But that kind of doesn't matter.

You see, another impressive feat with Marvel is that they're not afraid to take chances with lesser known characters. Iron Man? Sure, every comic book reader knows Iron Man, but at the time the first movie came out, he wasn't the most popular Marvel character, probably not even top ten. Guardians of the Galaxy? Popular in the comics the last few years, but in the mainstream? Not even remotely.

Now, look at that line-up of movies. Captain Marvel. Black Panther. Doctor Strange. Inhumans. This is sick. This is insane. These are ridiculously awesome times to be a fan. I'm so glad I grew up with these comics to build the enthusiasm, and I'm so glad I'm around now to see them come alive like never before.

Hot Toys Black Widow from Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Just a year ago, I argued that I preferred quantity over quality, when it came to my superhero toys. Of course, today, things are very different. With a dozen of Hot Toys figures from Marvel's cinematic universe, I can admit to being hooked.

I've been talking about Hot Toys Black Widow for a few years now. Ever since she was announced as part of the Aveners wave, she had my attention, and I still regret not picking her up from Forbidden Planet in New York. But that was then, and I'm actually glad I waited. First of all, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was an impressive movie, and honestly, better than The Avengers. Secondly, this is a better toy than the previous version. Yes, the head sculpt may be just as reminiscent of Natalie Portman as it is Scarlett Johansson, but the details on this figure is out of this world. The fabric in the clothing, the incredible details on her belt. It's all very subtle, and all extremely impressive.

Anyway. Pictures.

SDCC 2014 Infinity Gauntlet Set

Once again I'm not heading to San Diego for the annual comic convention. Of course, at this point it's pretty much pointless attending SDCC, as it has grown too big for it's own audience. And it's certainly not worth my time travelling to the states just to stand in lines, endless lines. I don't have patience for that.

At the very least from an outsider's point of view, SDCC has gone from being a pure comic convention - where like-minded came and celebrated comics - to being a showcase for movie and media. There's nothing wrong in that, but watching panels with movie stars, and hearing the latest toy news, I can really do that just as comfortable from my chair at home.   

That said, there is something special about attending conventions, the atmosphere, meeting other fans, watching cosplayers. If you've ever been to a con, you know what I'm talking about. 

I'm sure you can still get all this at SDCC - it's just that you have to stand and walk in line at all times. 

This very weekend, I'm heading to a small, local games-con. I'm excited, and hope to get that "con-feeling". 

For the bigger cons, there's always the allure of goodie-bags, con exclusives and freebies. 

Hasbro has had a monstrous streak of incredible exclusives, ranging from their back-to-back Transformers cassette players (2009-2010), to their Star Wars Death Star set (2011), their Transformers/G.I. Joe collaboration 2011-2013) and the simple, yet excellent 6" Boba Fett with Han Solo in carbonite (2013). 

This year, they hit a home run for me with the Infinity Gauntlet set, within their 3 3/4 Marvel Infinite line.

I'm a sucker for everything from Marvel's cosmic heroes, and I've been reading their epic space comics ever since Secret Wars. Naturally the Infinity Gauntlet series is one of my all time favorites. Author/artist Jim Starlin and artist Ron Lim had an insane run where they, among other stories, told the tales of Thanos, the mad titan, in his quest for scoring with Lady Death. 

And now, this weird relationship is being captured in toy form. The set includes Thanos, his brother Starfox and Lady Death (whom I think is a first-timer in toy form). 

In addition, we see Thanos' on/off associate, Nebula. She will be a major character in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but in this set they all have their comic appearances. 

And finally, the set comes with a wearable Infinity Gauntlet - complete with all six infinity gems, that will let its wearer control everything in the universe. Except lust for something you cannot have - lust that will eventually make you screw up, and let yourself be defeated. Again. 

This set would have been truly monumental had they included a vintage-appearance Adam Warlock. I'm not saying the asking price of $75 is too high for just four figures and a rubber gauntlet - but standing hours in line, you'd hoped to get at least one more figure. 

I want one. 

Yup, it's clear that Marvel is really taking it's cosmic "universe" seriously. Their six inch SDCC set is also cosmic related, with Black Bolt, Gladiator, Star Lord in the mix. Pair these sets with the Guardians movie this summer, and we almost have our dose of superheroes in space. Almost. 

Hot Toys Captain America Comparison

Well, with the new Captain America movie coming out, titled "The Winter Soldier", we are getting new action figures from Hot Toys. They already showed their new Black Widow, which caused somewhat of a discussion on the internet. People are surprised how life-like it looks.

No shit! Hot Toys have been doing this for a couple of years, and they're just getting better and better at it. They have already done three Black Widow figures, the first one from Iron Man 2, then the Avengers version, and now for the upcoming Cap movie. I still prefer the Avengers one.

Today, at Hot Toys facebook page, we were shown the pre-release pictures of their new Captain America - Golden Age costume. Apparently, Steve Rogers wears his vintage outfit in the last battle in the movie. It looks as fantastic as you could expect.

Of course, Hot Toys already did the golden age costume, from the first Captain America movie. Which one is better? You tell me.

Here are the two side by side.

Toys are fun. I collect toys. I play with toys. Article number 300.

Would you know, I've written three hundred articles in this blog. Some of them are pure nonsense, some of them are well thought out, and some of them are extremely personal. This leans towards the latter, but I suspect any collector can find some meaning here. It's about stepping out of the comfort zone and finding something that re-ignites the passion. 

How do you use action figures? 

Pictured: Story line.

Well, there are many ways, and I've talked about this before. Of course the most common way to use an action figure is to play with it like a child would. Well, I'm not a child, so you will probably not find me clashing my toys together and make explosion sounds. But what is the child really doing while playing? 

The child is creating a story line, interacting with the toys, taking part in the story. It's entertainment and creation at the same time. 

If I had a new years resolution this year, it would be to not collect stuff just to collect. The last few years I feel like I have been doing just that. Most of the toys I collect, I really like. That goes for my other collections as well. But I also found my self buying action figures and toys I simply didn't use. 

Now, my action figures are being played with, but not exactly like I describe above. You see, I also consider it playing with toys just to pick them up, and hold them, look at them, pose them. And in some way, I do the same as the child. It's a combination of appreciation of the toy itself and the creation of story lines. The story lines are probably not as strong and as lively as when I was a kid, but they're still there in some way. I look at some of the pictures I take, and there's definitely story lines.  

In storage...

Far too many of my toys see little to no play time. And that's not how it should be. Sure, some of them I have stored away for a specific purpose, and for good reasons. Some of my toys are appreciating just by sitting in storage, like a few sealed vintage pieces. Some of them I simply have no room for in my current apartment, like the bigger Lego sets. And some of them are valued treasures from my childhood, that I couldn't possibly get rid of, even though I don't necessarily use them any more - my entire G.I. Joe collection for instance. 

But I own toys that doesn't fall in any of these categories. What's really the point of these? I don't play with them, and I don't really need them. It's just stuff that's clogging up my closets. 

So since Christmas, I have been getting rid of - selling a lot of toys. We're talking a significant amount, both in numbers of action figures, and in money. 

Some of this money obviously goes right back into collecting, but this time more focused. I have been drooling over the Hot Toys Marvel superheroes ever since the Hong Kong company made toys for the first Iron Man movie. And naturally, I too start with Iron Man - more specifically the Iron Man 3 Tony Stark Suit Test. 

Now, this isn't about this specific Tony Stark toy, and I have only half-assed taken a few pictures of it. These pictures doesn't do the toy justice, and it's easy to find better pictures online. This is about what these figures are bringing to the table. These are the ultimate superhero action figures. 

In the past, my reasoning for not picking up Hot Toys figures have been: "These doesn't feel like toys". It's a common critique. They're extremely expensive, they're 1/6 scale, they're not intended for children. 

Tony Stark plays with toys as well. 

But when I display them in my cabinet, are they not toys that I play with? When I can't even leave them alone in said cabinet, am I not playing with them? 

I'm having more fun playing with the Hot Toys superheroes than I have had in a long time. The last time I had this much fun playing with toys was when me and Runar built a G.I. Joe diorama for a museum. 

The details on Tony Stark are amazing, his head sculpt is so realistic it's almost creepy. He has great articulation and comes with tons of cool accessories. Light up functions. I mean, apart from the high price, there aren't any reasons this couldn't be the perfect toy for anyone even remotely interested in action figures, comic books and the likes. 

When I think about it, I actually understand why it has been difficult for me to make this jump, and that may also be the reason I enjoy these toys more than I had thought. These aren't rooted in my nostalgia in the same way as say G.I. Joe, Transformers and Masters of the Universe. These are only indirectly connected to my childhood. I have always collected action figures, and I have always read the superheroes. But as a child I never had superhero action figures, and I was never into 1/6 scale. 

In that way, my Hot Toys Superheroes are something new, something exciting. Fear not, I'll still be into all the other stuff, Joes, Lego, robots and so on. But this is deliciously refreshing. 

Current collection consists of Tony Stark, one of his suits, one of his super powered colleagues, one of his adversaries, and two members of the espionage agency. All are obtained by simply getting rid of stuff I didn't use. 

Fun.

Guardians of the Galaxy Promo Poster remade with Marvel Legends

Yes, this is exactly what the title says. We've known about the upcoming Marvel Legends versions of the Guardians of the Galaxy for a while. These characters have already been done by Hasbro in their comic book versions, but that was in the 4 inch line. This time it's for the 6 inch Marvel Legends, and in the style of the upcoming movie. And they look awesome!

The pose we see here is meant to resemble the promo poster we saw a little while ago. And they have nailed it. A little more detail on Peter Quill's costume, but other than that I think they are amazing representations of the movie designs.

As a long time reader of Guardians - and almost anything in Marvel's "cosmic" catalog, I'm excited. Obviously for the movie, but I have to be honest, I'm also tempted by these action figures. Marvel Legends is an awesome toy line these days.

Marvel Legends Dr. Strange

Another video. This is Dr. Strange from Toy Biz' Marvel Legends line. This particular wave of figures came packed with parts you could use to build a giant sized Galactus. I showed Galactus here a while back. He's still my favorite Marvel Legend figure, but when I started playing a bit with my old collection, I notice that I actually like these toys. Yesterday I opened Dr. Strange, and he's an excellent figure in some ways, and not so excellent in other ways.

Thor 2: A review, of some sort...

If you read this, chances are you plan on seeing Thor regardless of your connection to the Marvel universe or superheroes in general. That's a good thing, because with superheroes being mainstream, it's generally easier to be an enthusiast. And the latest movie from Marvel Studios, Thor: The Dark World, is as mainstream as movies get.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time, not long ago, when we were losing our shit just to get any sort of superheroes beyond Batman and Superman in theaters. Remember when X-Men came out? If you were into comics back in the late 90s, it was huge. It was monumental. It was something new. There was a time, not long ago, when the idea of several Marvel movies all being connected was just that: Ideas and fantasies among fans.

Now, we have one well made superhero movie after the other, the last one leading up to the next one. And it's so much fun. These are good times to be comic book enthusiasts.

Marvel has it figured out. They know what the fans want, and they know how to deal with the general audience. It's a perfect mix between action, romance, easily comprehensible stories and humor. Mix this with sweet special effects, solid soundtrack and generally great choices of actors, and it's not difficult to understand why these movies are a delight.

These movies stick true to the source material most of the time, and when they deviate, it's usually purposeful. But Marvel Studios has gone beyond just being true to the comics. They are loving it, they are passionate about it. Just think about this: We have seen Robert Downey Jr. dressed up in an Iron Man suit made by Stan Winston studios. We have seen Nick Fury - as played by Samuel L. Jackson, shoot a bazooka at Loki. We have seen Hulk and Thor do battle on the Helicarrier. Thanos, the Mad Titan is in a mainstream movie!

Thor: The Dark World isn't a masterpiece. But no one was expecting it to be. What it is, is extremely fun and entertaining, both for me, and for people who haven't read a single issue of Thor.

Review? Well... You can read reviews elsewhere. I'll share various thoughts though.

For the first time in 5000 years, the nine realms are aligning, being closer to each other than normal. This causes rifts in the worlds, where it's possible to portal from one realm to another.

The Dark Elves, once defeated, are back to seek vengeance over the nine realms, and plan on using the alignment to their advantage. Their leader, Malekith, seeks the essence of evil: The Aether. With it, he plans on sending the universe back into darkness. He doesn't succeed, but there's a lot of collateral damage going on before he's stopped. Both in Asgard and in London.

This time around, we get to see a lot of Asgard, which is really cool. We see tons of cool tech and magic, and it's just amazing. Their boats are shaped like viking ships, and their buildings have laser turrets. It's all very true to the idea of a mix between sci-fi and magic. We also see a lot more to Heimdall, played by Idris Elba. He's become a staple in these kinds of movies now, and I think he likes it.

Loki is locked up in the Asgardian prison early in the movie, but still plays a major role throughout. I like that, I really like Tom Hiddelston playing Loki - and I know I'm not the only one. He looks so fresh in his prison cell, all clean and in his usual outfit, but when Thor tells him to drop the spells, we see him as a wounded and broken man. Of course, Loki never ceases his tricks. I suspect he will play an important role in future Marvel movies as well.

The villains were ok, Malekith is played by Christopher Eccleston, but I'd liked to see a bit more passion from him. His lackey is almost more interesting, a regular Dark Elf that sacrifices himself to become basically the Dark Elf variant of The Hulk.

An important part of the movie is its humor, and it's at times seriously funny. The entire audience is laughing-funny. The funniest moments revolve around the misadventures of Dr. Erik Selvig, the scientist played by Stellan Skarsgård, but several back and forth comments between Thor and his various allies are also great fun.

I'd actually liked a bit more romance, or rather that the romance of Thor and Jane Foster were put on serious trials. But I guess they're saving that for another time. And for those in the audience who are into that kind of stuff: sadly, that first scene of shirtless Thor is the only one in the entire movie.

When all is said and done, I got what I expected. A great superhero movie, excellent entertainment, and I got my daily dose of Marvel. How much Marvel, you say?

Well, skip the break to find out (spoilers)...


.

The LEGO Movie Trailer

Yup. I like this.

A public service announcement from Lego Batman

Enjoy your weekend, people!

"Toys shouldn't be sexy"

New York Comic Con this weekend, Hasbro showed off some toys on the preview night. One of their 6" Marvel lines featured a Black Cat figure. Complete, with whip, skin tight body suit and exposed cleavage.

I see many are complaining. They may articulate themselves in different ways, but their opinions can usually be summed up like this:

Toys should't be sexy.

And I find that to be a weird opinion. Why should toys not be allowed to be sexy? Sex isn't dangerous. I guess part of the problem is combining sexuality and toys intended for kids. But sexuality is a vital part of being human. No kid has ever been hurt by exposion to breasts. In fact, you could argue that boobs have saved significantly more lives that guns. Yet military toys are less controversial than "sexy" toys.

If anything, a toy like this will simply cause a kid to grow up faster, and he or she will quite possibly develop certain kinks a few years later. But we all know it's not just kids that will buy the 6" Black Cat. I suspect this will be popular among collectors.

Arguments against this toy, and similar figures revolve around the fact that the sculpt is too detailed, that she has an unnatural body.
But.. Doesn't that go for any heroic toy figure? Tell me, do the Masters of the Universe Classics figures look like regular humans? Isn't Marvel Legends Nick Fury simlpy the male version of Black Cat, when it comes to costume, and visible muscles? Of course, Black Cat also has that ass and boobs thing going on. That's her thing.

Whether or not you find this toy sexy, that's a different matter. When it comes to sexuality, people are truly unique. What works for me, might not work at all for you. There are people out there being turned on by the weirdest things, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that people are turned on by a beautiful, fit woman in a costume that shows almost everything - even if she's a comic book character. Black Cat is a character that's been deliberately drawn sexy, and seing it in 3D absolutely doesn't change that.

I think this toy looks fantastic, and perfectly captures how I remember the character. Teasing, mischievous, incredibly sexy. Yes, I have fond memories of reading Spider-Man as a kid, exclusively for Black Cat. And you know I love the female action figures. I have cut seriously back on collecting 6" superheroes, but for obvious reasons, I may pick up this toy.

The Top 10 Greatest Toy Lines Ever!

This is a list I've been thinking of for a good while, and now is as good a time as ever. If you read my stuff, you would think this list could be named "Top ten action figure lines", but that would actually not work. Sure, it's mostly dominated by action figures, but there may be a few entries that just happens to fall in a different category.

I have collected, played with - and ultimately considered a huge selection of toys for this list. Some of the toy lines were rather difficult to leave out, and I feel like mentioning a few of them (but not all, because that would ruin eventual surprises).

 I did consider the original, 1/6 scaled G.I. Joe, for historical reasons, and the great variety of accessories. They were before my time, but I enjoy them whenever I see them today. In the opposite category, when talking about toys that predate the 80s, are the Mego dolls. I just can't see understand attraction. 

A powerful contender was the Real Ghostbusters line. Creative monsters, solid build quality, all over fun toys. There have also been many great superhero lines, like Toy Biz' X-Men, and the various DC Direct lines. I'm also impressed with many of the contemporary toys, whether they're based on movies, like the Avengers figures, or the toys from the smaller, more independent toy companies, like Four Horsemen.

Japanese toys I considered included the various Valkyries based off the Macross shows (like the Bandai VF-25 in my banner), and the range of anime robots in the mighty Soul of Chogokin line.

While the top ten may be familiar to most of you, and in many ways be "obvious" choices, they were the toys that has impressed me the most and given me the most joy.  Essentially, these are my top ten toy lines. 

Agree, disagree, want to share your own list? Leave a comment below!

Marvel Legends Nick Fury

I'm almost to the point where I think that the coolest Marvel characters are those that lack super powers. I've written about Hawkeye in the past,and this time, it's the spy above all spies, Nick Fury's turn.

Read on!

What's DC doing, really?

I just got around to watching Man of Steel, DC/Warner Bros' latest attempt at making a Superman movie. For all the explosions, and impressive destruction, the lasting impression is not of the movie itself, but the lack of direction from DC. It just doesn't seem like they care.
I will try to explain, but first let me just say that while I am a Marvel fanboy, I also enjoy the comics from the Distinquished Competition. Titles like JSA, Green Arrow and Teen Titans have usually kept me interested. But it doesn't stop with "interesting". Some of the best comics I have read have had the label "DC". In fact, one of my top ten favorite storylines was a Superman comic.

So I always enter the theater with somewhat of an expectation. You can then imagine the result when I was watching movies like Green Lantern or Superman Returns. There was preciously little positive about either of them. The new Batman trilogy is ok for what it is: Action movies with cool tech, crazy villains and needlessly complicated storylines. But it's not Batman to me. There's a point where they forgot to sit back and realize that they were making a superhero movie, not an action movie set in the real world. Why is that a problem? Well, picture a Superman in the Dark Knight-trilogy universe. Certainly not superpowered. And this is the problem for me. The times WB have managed to stay true to the comics (for instance Superman Returns), they have made awful movies, and the times they have made good movies (Batman Begins) they steered so far off track from the source material that the movies barely have anything in common with the comics. And in either of the cases there is certainly no room for building towards a team-up.

Maybe it's unfair to expect a Justice League movie, and it's definitely unfair to compare single-hero movies like Iron Man and Thor to Batman and Superman. After all, Batman is more recognizeable than the entire Avengers roster put together. But it's not unreasonable to expect more from WB, and it's not unfair to compare the dedication from Marvel Studios to the lack of a plan from DC/WB. You have to marvel at the way Marvel Studios seamlessly combined the different themes of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America to build towards The Avengers, and then seriously push all the right buttons. The single-hero movies felt different, but similar. They were different because they obvously had different plots, took place in different times/worlds. But you still got a sense that it all took place in the same universe. Obviously reinforced by characters appearing in all the movies, but it was more than that too. It was the feeling that these were superhero comics, just translated to movies.

I will be honest, Man of Steel had its good moments (And some embarrasingly bad ones, like the forced relation between Lois Lane and Superman). We finally saw an all out brawl between Superman and a villain of equal physical strength, which was cool. The Krypton tech was neat and the costumes were nice. But the plot was bland, and you just didn't feel for any of the characters. Why spend that much time telling background stories when you still don't get any sympathy for the characters? Look to the two new Star trek movies. Both had villains similar to General Zod. All were exiles simply trying to get even, but were you you feel for Nero and Khan both good and bad, you end up feeling nothing for Zod. He's just there as something for Superman to hit. Same can be said about the main character. Where is the adversity he has to face, for us to see him as the deserving hero? Here it is easy to compare him to the Thor movie, which really got that part right, a hero who has to prove him self trough a series of trials, and ultimately make the right choices regardless of his powers. And this is not just about writing, but about movie making. Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers (and Star Trek, since I mentioned it) go out of their way with the right combination of camera angles, music, choices of actors, and so on, and the results are epic.

All in all Man of Steel just wasn't as epic as it should have been. And you didn't leave the theater anticipating the next move/movie from DC. Keep in mind, movies like Iron Man 2 or Captain America are not masterpieces by any measurment, and as individual films they are quite possibly surpassed by Man of Steel. But they felt like parts of something more, and that made them not only better, but also more true to the comic. A key word here is "continuity". I said it before: It was deliciously apparent that Marvel were in control of their own characters. It doesn't feel like DC is in full control over theirs. And when corporate people and executives think they can do better than actual comic book people, all we will get is re-make after re-make.

There are Toys in New York

But it's not a Mecca for toy collectors.

And that may actually be a bit strange, because New York had literally everything you could imagine, and lots of it. Shopping in NYC was an amazing experience, and if you were looking for shoes, clothes, jewelry, food. I hoped the toy stores would match the quality of the other stores. I guess they did, it's just that my expectations to the toy stores were significantly higher than those towards clothing stores. There's also the fact that I know where to find toys in abundance: online. The online toy stores and forums are the best places to buy toys, and that's not even a secret. I assume this "new" market has more or less destroyed the potential for having truly great toy stores in New York.

But when completing my excursion of the toy stores on Manhattan, I may have discovered what the point of toy stores today should be. It's about presenting a selection so great, and in such a way that you'll want to want something. It's about giving an experience greater than the price reduction you'd get from buying online.

I had a blast visiting these stores, so much in fact that I decided to take a couple of pictures and write a few words on the various stores. I guess you can see this as a review of the toy stores in New York, but it's definitely not complete. I know I missed out on a couple of stores (like Midtown Comics), and I'm sure there were some I don't even know about. And we were only sticking to mid/lower Manhattan. But for the stores we actually did visit, you can look at this article as somewhat of a guide.

So come in for more, and leave comments if you want!

Caution: This is a long article with many pictures, and the gravy is all the way at the bottom.

Lego Avengers

At Lego's 55 year anniversary, I'm delivering a big one. An article on the Lego Avengers sets. Not all of them, but a solid majority of them. And this was a big deal to me. I grew up reading Marvel comics, I grew up absolutely loving The Avengers. Simultaneously, I built Lego (and I continue to do both these activities). Never did I consider a future where I would get to build official Marvel Lego sets. But there is a another aspect of this that makes the whole experience so much better: The fact that Marvel succeeded in making solid, entertaining movies out of their Avengers heroes. Scratch that. They're not just entertaining. For their genre, they're at the very pinnacle. I've written about Avengers before, I've had a Figure Friday on Hawkeye, and I've teased the Lego sets. So here's the big one, and it's basically just tons of pictures of three of the four sets, with added commentary. I'm still missing the Quinjet, with Black Widow. The Quinjet is cool, but I may just pick up a single Natasha on ebay. But so far, the Avengers line up is looking good.

Anyway, hop on in for the Earth's Mightiest Brick-heroes.

And then this almost happened...

I almost feel the need to make another lengthy rant, but this isn't really news any longer. I'll make it short: Marvel would have dared to take this risk. Hell, they have even done so in the past... Even when Transformers was a new, unproven concept, they threw in their most beloved character, Spider-Man. I don't even see why there's a risk? Would nerds not buy the shit out of a Transformers/JLA comic? This would be the most hyped comic in recent memory. Is that where the risk is? That the comic would not live up to the hype? Plenty of comics have failed to live up to their hype. Heard about Batman: Hush? DC's Identity Crisis? Every single one of Marvel's company-wide crossovers since Secret Wars?

For all I know, we may still see the Transformers/Justice League crossover, but the rumor right now is that we won't. I'm not too bothered. Sure, it would be beyond epic, but what can you do when their creative forces are held down by company executives. Just like with the live action movies, DC should start looking at their competition for a blueprint how to please their fans.

Figure Friday: Expensive announcements

I'm on the road, and unable to write something major. But take comfort in Wednesday's article on Top 10 Minifigures.

Yes, Takara announced Masterpiece Soundwave. The upcoming MP versions of Sideswipe, Red Alert (and hopefully Sunstreaker) already has Transformers fans - me included - drooling. Admittedly, I have passed on several of the Masterpiece robots, for various reasons. I do have the MP04, which is Optimus Prime with trailer, and I have a couple of the Seekers - Thundercracker and Skywarp. Why I never got Starscream, I couldn't tell you. Maybe I'm just not into repaints costing $100-200. MP Megatron has a rumor for being extremely difficult to transform, and very fragile, so I have passed. MP Rodimus/Hot Rod looks amazing, but it never was a favorite character of mine.

Soundwave on the other hand. I'm sold. The prototype pictures show us an extremely detailed sculpt, yet it's remarkably close to the G1 design. Obviously he's bigger, has more articulation, and looks a lot closer to his cartoon/comic version in robot mode. There are already pictures floating around the internet of a painted version shown in a Japanese toy show. But the high resolution pictures of the prototype can be seen on Seibertron.

He looks to be coming with Lazerbeak. Expect more cassettes in the future. We can also assume there will be a Soundblaster repaint.

In other news, we also saw Hot Toys release an images of their stunning Black Widow. We have already seen Loki, Thor, Iron Man, Nick Fury and Hawkeye. For those of you who don't know, these are extremely detailed 12" action figures. Hot Toys is famous for getting the face sculpts right, and for being expensive. But most fanboys out there would say they are more than worth their price at around $200.
What do you think?

Masterpiece Sideswipe/Red Alert/Sunstreaker, Masterpiece Soundwave.
Hot Toys Avengers.

It will be an expensive fall for a toy collector.

Figure Friday: Avengers will be Assembled

The first two sets arrived today by mail. It's the smallest of the Marvel Superheroes sets, featuring Captain America on a bike, and Iron Man chasing Loki and Hawkeye. And I'm very excited. In fact, I'm saving these for a special occasion: my summer holiday which starts in two weeks.

If you saw the latest Avengers movie, you obviously see that these sets are based (if somewhat loosely) on the movie. I'm ok with this. When I first heard about Lego doing Marvel, I was a bit annoyed that they would be based on the movie - because what if the movie sucked? It would have been a minor problem, because it's still Lego after all. But there's a reason I prefer Original Trilogy Lego over Prequel Lego.

You know how it is though, the movie was amazing, definitely better than most Avengers comics ever made (which I talk a bit about here), and almost to the point where I consider the movie to be canon for anything Avengers. And the result today, this last Friday in May, is that I have to restrain myself from opening these boxes. And it's really no point in doing so. I can probably build Lego and do my real work at the same time. But I like to save them for that moment when I have no other distractions.

And distractions I have, which is why this Figure Friday article will be slightly shorter than what you are used to. I will leave you with a few impressions based on the unopened boxes of these Lego Superheroes sets:

• Iron Man wasn't chasing Loki, it was Maria Hill and Nick Fury. Would you be excited for minifigures of the SHIELD directors? I would.

• Loki is featured in three of the five Avengers sets. I don't mind, he looks to be a fantastic figure. Cape, helmet, staff, great detailed print.

• There are two versions of Iron Man, this is the Mk.6 he had in the first half of the movie.

• The Cosmic Cube is a standard, translucent 1x1. I like that. Iron man's repulsors are round, flat 1x1 in translucent blue.

• TLG (The Lego Group) have gone with stickers for the vehicles. AFOLs (Adult fans of Lego) seems to be torn on this matter. I'm in the camp that would prefer printed bricks instead of stickers, but I can see how it's convenient if you plan on using the bricks for something else.

• "Comic Adventure Included". Interesting. Makes me wonder if we'll also see a Marvel Lego videogame.

• The two aliens chasing Captain America have different faces, and are actually kinda creepy for minifigures. Well creepy in a cute way of course. They are still minifigures after all.

• Captain America has maroon colors, just like in the movie. But here, with his maroon bike, maroon shield, maroon gloves. It's all very obvious how red it should have been, and how very maroon it actually is.

• And regarding the motorcycle... Doesn't it vaguely look like a scooter? Something that teenagers or old men would drive? Technically, Capt. Steve Rogers could fall into both those categories, so I guess it makes sense. But I'd liked to have seen him on something like this instead:

Enjoy your weekend people.

Lego Hawkeye

I had initially planned for an exciting recipe today, but since we're actually celebrating the 80th anniversary of Lego (the 22nd), I felt it was more appropriate to do an article on Lego.

Most of my readers know I really like the superheroes. Even if I don't collect that many superhero action figures, they're my main interest. It also goes without saying that I like the bricks. So when Lego decided to start the Superheroes theme, you can imagine how excited I was.
I have a few of the bigger sets on their way from Lego's online shop, so I can't show those yet. But I managed to get hold of a promotional sample of Hawkeye. I felt this was very adequate, as Hawkeye has been featured a few times before here in this blog, and he's probably my favorite Avengers character.

Read on for a few more pictures.