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More Mighty Minis!

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Walt

Out of my last 11 "blind bag" purchases, I’ve gotten 10 characters I specifically wanted…and no more duplicates! (like the 4 or so Lex Luthors I wound up with from the Justice League Action Mighty Minis line…)

It seems that some brands of these have codes on the packaging, and there are discussion threads online that list the codes. As such, the following:

mighty_minis_batman_villains

Several cool-ish villains. Chemo and Mr. Freeze (well, a mutated version…must be from the Batman Unlimited continuity?). A little less appealing to me with all that orange in place of brown is Clayface.

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Then we have Bane, who was introduced to comics early in my time, and thus a key character for me…especially growing up in the ’90s!

I went ahead and snagged Wonder Woman and Aquaman to round up my group of characters…even though these are movie versions and not comic versions. I’ll make do with them until more comic-style ones are available.

jla_firestorm_teen_titans_go_robin

Rounded out the Justice League Action with Firestorm, the key remaining character from series 1 that I actively wanted. And then just because I found the codes, snagged a Robin from a Teen Titans Go set.  (Not like I have enough Robins yet…)

imaginext_dc_series_2_kingdom_come_superman_brainiac

And then, having had them brought to my attention, I’d bought several Imaginext blind bags and wound up with multiple Brainiacs. Once I "discovered" there were "codes" I was able to get my Kingdom Come Superman. (also don’t have enough Supermen yet).

mighty_minis_bus1_batman

Finally, at a Toys R Us, I stumbled across several packs of the original/first series of Batman Unlimited and was able to get a blue-and-grey Batman himself…a figure that’s eluded me since these first appeared.

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Comics and Valentines

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Walt

Being sick over the past weekend significantly drained time that I’d intended to spend reading and writing, and getting a bit ahead with this blog. I’d had several thoughts for stuff to post for February 14th, but along with the aforementioned being sick, I face the day as I have every year–Han style.

han_style_solo

So, I’ll let that negativity out a bit. There’s a quote that a friend shared with me many years ago that just epitomized my feelings on the matter of love at the time…and actually inspired me to pull the trigger on finally seeking out Gaiman‘s The Sandman series.

gaiman_quote_love

Then there’s John Constantine, the Hellblazer. When I first "met" the character–the first time I’d read any full story of the character–he was coming off losing a major love of his life. And his dealing with that was something I could identify with at the time (or at least so I thought, but that’s a different story).

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Then there are two comic marriages that probably have meant the most to me over the years: Clark Kent (Superman) and Lois…and Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and MJ.

superman_lois_marriage

In Superman, there was a hero figure, as well as the ease of identifying with someone (Clark Kent) who was from some town somewhere, not comfortable with a world’s attention, just trying to be the best he could be, as his parents raised him. And by just being himself, NOT some flashy super-figure, Clark Kent "got the girl" despite the "shadow of Superman." (Though he could not in good conscience hold the secret, so Lois knew long before the wedding…but again, more stuff for other times).

spidermanmarriage

And then in Peter Parker, there was that notion that hey…if he can get the girl, get that happy STEP in life (NOT necessarily ENDING)…perhaps something like that’d be a reality, right? People grow and change, mature, stuff happens that they never expect, yadda yadda yadda… I actually grew up on a married Peter & MJ. And to this day, I hold that I have no interest in reading an adult single Peter/Spider-Man story. Yet again, though…more for another post.

cyclopsphoenixmarriage

Then, of course, there’s Cyclops and Phoenix…Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Though they’ve been split up longer than not in my conscious awareness of the characters…theirs is a relationship I still prefer (and miss).

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Finally, perhaps semi-forgotten by more contemporary creators and stories…Rogue and Gambit. As with the above…I could do an entire post just on them, but I’ll leave it that they’re–to me–a "classic comics couple," that I’d long rooted for eventually getting a happy/good ending.

I’m not even truly sure where I was going with this post. I guess just showcasing some examples of my favorite comics couples; that comics have touched on a number of different facets of my feelings on love, couples, and all that.

Call this a token cheesey post. Whatever.

Lately, I’m back to largely feeling Gaiman‘s quote quite close to home.

And other than composing this post the night before…I’ve every conscious intention of going head-in-the-sand for "the day," after which will mean we’re finally past "the holidays" for awhile (and heck, into epic-movie-season or such again).

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Justice League Dark and Constantine

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Walt

Justice League Dark finally made it to stores in its physical form (as opposed to digital-only crap) and one version includes a John Constantine figurine!

justice_league_dark_with_constantine_figurine

When this line of DC animated moves started, many of the releases had a Best Buy exclusive version, packed with a little figurine of one of the main characters. Eventually, that sort of release expanded to a non-chain-exclusive thing, and the figurines changed, matching a line of figurines one could buy separate as well.

Now we seem to be back to the rectangle-base "generic" figurine…only significantly larger than the early ones.

And while I wouldn’t have necessarily been all that interested in yet another Batman…and wouldn’t really care for a Zatanna…John Constantine was an on-site no-brainer for me (not having actually known ahead of time which character would get a figurine this time around). Granted, a Deadman or Swamp Thing would be very cool…but with a 12-year-old Keanu Reeves film, a one-season tv series, a guest-starring role on Arrow and apparently an upcoming animated series of his own…Constantine would seem an obvious choice.

And frankly…I really like this figure…it’s easily one of the most impressive to me, particularly in size.

Perhaps I’ll actually get to watch this film this weekend!

constantine_figurine_hellblazer_library

Meanwhile…Constantine’s got a whole shelf of books to hang out with…

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Recent Infinity Acquisitions: Jim Starlin Collection Expanding

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Walt

I recently listened to an episode of Comic Geek Speak about the Silver Surfer, Captain Marvel, and Adam Warlock. While I at least knew of a lot of the stuff, it was quite cool hearing stuff again, all in one chunk (well, across 2-3 listenings). But I hadn’t really consciously connected just how truly important Starlin‘s work has been to the Marvel universe (particularly cinematically). Though I already had most (if not all) of his Marvel work that I own shelved in its own section.

But the podcast got me really anxious to “finish” the Thanos “Infinity Trilogy” of OGNs, as well as get The Infinity Entity since I’d been aware that was a sort of “between books” story. And then the inside-cover ads for related volumes reminded me of the Thanos vs. Hulk volume.

starlin_infinity_trilogy_OGNs

So all told, I added three new volumes to my collection in short order (having already acquired the first two a couple/several months ago at a significant bargain). And for the moment I believe the only real, major piece that I’m missing now is the new-ish Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin volume, much like the Warlock by Jim Starlin volume. Though I’m pretty sure that volume is likely mostly a re-branded packaging of The Life and Death of Captain Marvel. (EDIT: same contents, with the addition of “material from DAREDEVIL (1964) #105 and LIFE OF CAPTAIN MARVEL #1-5.”)

I’m really not interested in the non–Starlin stuff with Infinity and Thanos and such. And while some stuff in this particular subcollection isn’t all Starlin (latter issues of The Infinity Watch, for example) this is a key subcollection for me, with a shelf all its own.

Helped out by a large plastic bank I got a couple years ago that makes for a rather awesome shelf, in my mind!

starlin_collection_january_2017

(Guess this post would also qualify for my “Showing off the Shelves” stuff, too…)

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Newest DC Omnibus: Brave and the Bold Bronze Age vol. 1

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Walt

There’s a danger with seeing something available for pre-order well in advance, at a massively-discounted price.

Case in point? Batman: The Brave and the Bold – Bronze Age Omnibus vol. 1.

brave_and_the_bold_bronze_age_omnibus_vol_1

I apparently pre-ordered this some time back, for a great price…but completely, totally forgot about it.

And then I received a notification from Amazon. My “order” had shipped.

…Oops.

I would not have preordered it if I wasn’t interested…but I had not consciously planned for the book, nor even remembered it was due out…and did not note it in any stores.

I’ve been increasingly interested in the _____: The Golden Age and _____: The Silver Age volumes in paperback…but hadn’t really figured to snag any of the hardback Omnibus volumes.

Guess there’s a first time for everything, though!

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Toys in the Wild: Avengers 2017

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Walt

One thing that tends to keep me from "buying in" on a toy line is perceived longevity. I "bought into" a line of DC toys that never took off, despite my thinking it would. I attribute that to inconsistent availability as well as inconsistent (over)pricing.

Similar with other movie-based lines for the Marvel films…they seem to be dumped by stores not long after the films, to make way for the next. Alternatively, there also seems to be a shuffle of "generic" lines meant to bridge the films–tying in without being solely for only one film.

I attribute this new Avengers line as being another of those. Thus far I’ve not seen a Thor figure, though I’ve seen the four others. (Come to think of it, no Hawkeye or Vision or Scarlet Witch, for that matter).

I’ve been seeing these, offhand, for about $8…making them a full $5 cheaper than their slightly smaller counterparts in the 3.75" figure line, whatever Marvel wants to call it this year.

I’d almost be tempted to snag these (hey! female representation via Black Widow!) but I’ll wait and see if we get any villains for the line.

Assuming, that is, that Marvel remembers that there are villains for heroes to oppose, rather than relying primarily on hero-versus-hero for major stories. But then, these are toys, not the comics.

I’d far prefer a line of X-Men toys like this, though…

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avengers_ironman

avengers_hulk

avengers_blackwidow

Perhaps we’ll get some other figures later this year for this line.

Heck, I’d be curious to see what we’d get for the Infinity War stuff next year, and what sort of representation we’ll get of Thanos. And thinking on films…why are we getting these now, instead of, say, Guardians of the Galaxy figures?

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The Weekly Haul: Week of February 1st, 2017

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Walt

This week proved to be one of the largest "cheaper" weeks for me in terms of new comics.

weeklyhaul_02012017a

The usual Superman issue, and The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom. And of course, not gonna pass on 25-cent new issues…even something like Vampirella that I’d normally avoid (except the Vampirella/Aliens crossover not too far back).

As part of a store promotion, snagged Jupiter’s Legacy (and hoping I don’t actually already have it!). Saw the low $1.25 price point on the Toy Chest thing and decided I wouldn’t mind looking through it…especially with now being on the hunt for a certain Robin statue.

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As a combination of Image-promotion and the Image graphic novel, got these issues and the book "free" (at least a $13 value at cover price).

weeklyhaul_02012017winston

And perhaps the highlight of the day, got to see Winston briefly, having expected him to not be around with all the foot traffic of a Wednesday/New Comic Day. He was watching for potential customers, and doing an excellent job of it!

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Toys in the Wild – Tales of the TMNT: Super Shredder

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Walt

talesoftmnt_logo2

Several weeks ago, noticed some new TMNT toys at a local Target. They did not have all of the toys for the wave, but enough to inform me that 1. this seems to be "the" wave/theme for the year (the way the Dimension X wave had been previously) and 2. There’s a new DVD "movie" coming later this year.

While I appreciate the notion of a "movie" and some figures to tie in, I’m not all that keen on it providing for basically "just" another variant for all the turtles, along with an uglier-than-the-others Shredder.

I’m also increasingly discouraged at the absolute "love" for the ’80s animated series and seeming complete snubbing of the 2003 animated series…plus the complete lack of figures based on the IDW comic series. Or in this case, "borrowing" the "Super Shredder" concept from the TMNT II: Secret of the Ooze film (the one I associate as swerving more to the cartoon after the first’s close comic-basis).

As such, I probably won’t be buying any of these…though I could change my mind, especially once I’ve seen the movie.

Final thought before the "gallery" of figures: they all have the same card-back. There’s no "profile" for individual characters or such…nothing from the cards themselves to distinguish which character they’re from. This is something that to me takes away from the "production quality" or "presentation quality" of the line as a whole…like they’re just making generic figures, with a generic card, and tossing them out there. But I guess that’s also a topic for some other post, perhaps.

talesoftmnt_raphael

talesoftmnt_leonardo

talesoftmnt_donatello

talesoftmnt_michelangelo

talesoftmnt_supershredder

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Still, though I don’t plan to buy any of these, I certainly applaud the use of the Tales of the TMNT phrasing/title as homage to the original comics. And for changing things up a bit.

talesoftmnt_logo

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Token Monday Post

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Walt

I don’t even know what I truly want to say at the moment. I’m frustrated. I’m getting so incredibly sick and [redacted] tired of politics and demonization and just simply the flat-out Hate I’m seeing.

I tried pulling up Bleeding Cool Sunday evening, and half the stories at the top of the comics sub-section of the site were protests and such.

If I wanted to see "news" and "coverage" of stuff like that, I’d go to a "news" site.

NOT a comics specific site.

I want some escape from all this crap…not to see it racing into my "comics life!"

Maybe it’s time for a personal "blackout" or something soon.

Maybe I’m just venting and will keep up the usual posts.

But for today, this is my token post, to have a post for the day.

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

JLDark and Early Digital: Really?!?

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Walt

I saw this ad this week, for the new Justice League Dark animated movie. And at first glance, I thought I had missed its release–despite being in a Walmart on Tuesday and actually looking at the movie section and new-release endcap without anything jumping out at me.

jldark_ad_digi_early

But no…I didn’t actually miss it. I realized the ad says on digital January 24.

I swear, every time I see ads like this, they just make me more and more angry, and less and less likely to buy anything new in the way of movies.

Bad enough the high price and shrinking "first week discounts" (if any) the last several years.

But this "digital-only" "window" just bugs the crap out of me.

Is there anyone who is REALLY just so desperate to see something like this, that they’d rather pay the $20ish for digital ONLY when a "mere" TWO WEEKS later for that SAME PRICE they can add blu-ray AND dvd to their stock?

Maybe if the digital version was say, $10, I’d consider it. I’d wait this one out on principle if I didn’t know myself and OCD on these. With the voice cast, content, and having all the previous such animated releases since the line started back in 2008, I’d kick myself for "missing" the thing.

But I’ve already gotten to where–despite loving them in the theater–I refuse to buy Marvel MCU movies; the way they screw around with "formats" and "combo packs" shut me out years ago.

Filed under: 2017 Non-Review Posts, 2017 Posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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