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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 14

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Walt

This is another page that most of the characters didn’t mean much to me at the time, though several have come to mean quite a bit in the years since I was exposed to them here.

I’m probably least-familiar with the Ovoids and the Rigellians. I know of the Brood and their history with the X-Men; the Titans and their history with Thanos; the Badoon I know of from issues of Warlock/Warlock and the Infinity Watch and their role in Gamora’s past, I believe.

The Asgardians I came to “know” more during the Heroes Return run of Dan Jurgens‘ Thor, the Skrulls I now most associate with Secret Invasion (though remember their significance to some X-Men stuff in the later-’90s/early-2000s). THe Kree and Shi’ar I most associate with Operation: Galactic Storm, which is one of the earlier “major stories” I was familiar with when my grandfather and uncle collected it as it came out.

Considering this rather “busy” image, this page works pretty well for me, and reminds me how much I’ve missed some of the “classic” cosmic Marvel stuff.

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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 13

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Walt

This is EASILY my favorite “page” of the entire set. Between the comics and the animated series, I’m quite familiar with all nine of these characters.

It’s kind of amazing to consider how far they’ve all come in the past 20 years; through multiple solo titles and mini-series, and their various developments in the “main” X-Men titles.

Storm’s card is probably the only one I’m not particularly thrilled with here; all the others look quite good to me individually as well as put together for the single image. Archangel benefits the most, I think, from the larger whole of the cards put together…and Magneto’s card looks fantastic even taken by itself…that energy burst blocks out most of the context of the image for his part, making it work especially well taken on its own. Wolverine’s also works well, with the bottom border being the main thing really indicating it’s even part of a larger image.

Because of the X-Men cartoon, I know I would have been quite aware of these characters from that alone, and with these costumes. I may not have been as familiar with Archangel at the time, though even he had appeared in a couple episodes of the cartoon by the time this card set was out.

While the X-Men “posing” doesn’t make much sense with Magneto (then an arch-nemesis) powered-up behind them doesn’t make much sense, on the whole I would absolutely QUITE enjoy having a poster of this image.

Perhaps it’s that I like these characters, at this time so much, but I think this is also some of my favorite artwork in this entire set, as well as the page makeup on its own.

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Classic Collection Leonardo – Out of His Shell

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Walt

While it seems lately I have waaaaay too many figures that have remained in their packaging (I need to work on a shelving system to display ’em), the Classic Collection Leonardo is one that I almost immediately opened up (He’s currently on display at work above my cube).

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One of the first things I noticed–and the MAJOR disappointment–is the shoulder joints on mine are STUCK, and do NOT move up and down–though they look like they’re supposed to. So the arms are stuck being held outward at a rather awkward pose, rather than being able to have them down closer to the character’s sides. I felt like I was going to break the arms off trying to get either joint to move, before giving up and settling (for now).

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I do like the stand the figure comes with, as well as the hands’ ability to actually grip the swords. Not the best grip ever, but satisfactory, especially in the face of the shoulder-joints’ issue.

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I like the coloring and shaping of the figure overall. While not a huge fan of the mask’s rigidity on some of the figures, the shaping on this figure is much more to my liking. This image also shows that shoulder-joint: it’ll swivel, but won’t actually move up/down.

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I like the detail on the scabbards, though I don’t remember the character ever having the blue strap in the cartoon. It works well enough with the general color scheme here, though, emphasizing that this is indeed Leonardo. The scabbards are one piece, but “plug in” to the shell, and the piece is easily removed, though thankfully doesn’t seem QUITE “fall-out” easy to remove.

The shoulder issue really limits the playability and posability of the figure; I very quickly lost interest in playing with posing due to that, as the character is quite limited with arms stuck straight out perpendicular! I intend to “research” the issue before I’ll buy any more of these–if it’s a common issue, I probably will hold off. If it’s just a glitch on the figure I got, I might try to work it loose and see what I can do with it from there.

all_leonardos

While–again–I’m not a fan of variants on the figure within the same “line,” here are the “main” Leonardo figures from four different lines.

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Letter 44 #1 [Review]

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Walt

letter44001Written by: Charles Soule
Illustrated by: Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque
Colored by: Guy Major
Lettered by: Shawn DePasquale
Edited by: Jill Beaton
Designed by: Jason Storey
Published by: Oni Press
Cover Price: $1.00

I have a “standing order” at my comic shop: in addition to my “regular” pull-list titles, pretty much anything priced at $1 or less (single-issues) also get pulled. Whether it’s “just” a reprint like the IDW Hundred-Penny Press books, or the Image Firsts or DC What’s Next or a genuine premiere or special issue.

So along with my usual stuff, got a handful of $1 issues today…including this Letter 44 #1. Looking at the cover, and it being from Oni Press (where I stick with DC, Marvel, Image, IDW, Dark Horse, and Valiant, typically) means this almost certainly would not have come to my attention, except that $1 price point.

Only once home and having already read my Valiants for the week, did I look with any interest at the $1 issues…and noticed Soule‘s name on this…a name that came to my attention during DC‘s Villains Month. So I figured this’d be a good issue to “start with”…and it pulled me in.

There’s a new president, who–upon taking office–learns that there’s a LOT going on that renders Earth-bound politics pointless except as a cover for actually preparing the country–if not the world–for potential disaster. Not one day into his presidency, this new president begins to see the tip of the proverbial iceberg as his life–and the way he sees the world around him–is irrevocably changed. The title itself comes from the letter–left from the 43rd president to the incoming 44th–letting him in on the Big Secret..

This very concept plays very well with thoughts I’ve (personally) had in the past, reconciling reality with “comic book reality.” Namely, that while we read about all these huge world-wide/universal threats in (primarily super-hero) comics, since the world has NOT been destroyed and the universe has NOT (that we know of) ended, there’s untold potential of what’s gone on to maintain that. For lack of better phrasing and explanation…this comic immediately fits into what is probably the core “conspiracy theory” I’ll buy into (conceptually, if not the specific situation).

In short…the story grabbed me, kept me reading, anticipating the final page reveal, and I’m very interested to learn what comes next. I was actually so impressed by this issue that–for something I hadn’t even known about seven hours ago–I emailed the comic shop to request it for my pulls, to make sure I don’t miss out on the next issue.

Visually, I’m not blown away by the art, but I’m by no means let down…as this is something I’d not heard of and had no frame of reference for, and is a new property, I have nothing to compare it to, so it just simply looks like it looks; it’s about humans, and they look human, if slightly stylistic and they’re obviously drawings (as opposed to some ultra-realistic/photographic-looking paintings or such, a la Alex Ross).

In short…this surprise issue does what any great #1 issue should do: introduced me to characters and concept, the premise of the series…gave me questions, built anticipation, reveals something of what’s hinted at throughout…and leaves me interested in continuing with the story. Not because it’s some cheesey cliffhanger but because I’m genuinely curious at further development of the characters and the world they live in. It also lets one clearly know the reasoning for the title itself…in this series’ case, the letter left for the new president that changes his perception of the world.

For only $1…I definitely recommend checking this out, if you like non-superhero stories, or want a change of pace. Worst case, you’re out 1/4 of the cost of another full-size issue; best case, you find a new title to follow, having experienced an issue itself and not just some hype.

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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 12

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Walt

This has to be one of my least-favorite pages of this series. I’m also not all that familiar with most of the characters. Deathwatch, Lilith, Heart Attack, Basilisk, Darkhold Redeemers I don’t even recall ever reading. I’m aware of the Nightstalkers from the Midnight Sons Unlimited stuff or whatever that crossover/event was.

I’m loosely familiar with Blaze and Ghost Rider; knowing that Blaze WAS Ghost Rider before Danny Ketch. I’m also a bit familiar with Morbius, though have probably seen more of him in the ’90s Spider-Man animated series than comics.

While this image is fairly dark and generic, I think seeing the cards together digitally is the first I ever really recognized the flaming skull in the background.

Most of these characters seem firmly rooted in the ’90s, and I can’t think of any I’ve actually seen lately outside of knowing Morbius had a short-lived Marvel Now series.

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Baxter’s TMNT-Lego Robot Rampage

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Walt

I recently found the TMNT Baxter Robot Rampage set on sale for a good discount, so went ahead and bought it. Ended up with it sitting around for a bit over a week until I finally got it put together, but finally did, and while it normally wouldn’t be my favorite Lego ‘mech, its awesomeness is increased by the mini-fig TMNT…

BaxterRobotRampage

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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 11

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Walt

This is another kinda weird image to me…though the top six cards work quite well together, with the characters all charging forth. Can’t quite place Bloodaxe, Red Skull, and Proctor so calmly facing forward while the heroes charge ’em from behind, though!

I’m sorta familiar with all these characters except Proctor…though somehow I feel like even he is one I’ve encountered beyond just these cards. Hercules looks significantly different than I’m used to seeing…but hey, this WAS the early-90s!

Other than knowing Black Knight spent some time in the Ultraverse after Black September (1995-1996ish) , haven’t seen much with him, Crystal, or Sersi. I know Bloodaxe goes on to be a major character in Thunderstrike’s life/series prior to what befell at the end of the run.

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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 10

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Walt

This is another fairly generic image that doesn’t really do much for me. I can’t recall ever being “familiar’ with Hardcore, though I recognize “Marvel‘s Scarecrow” from an action figure or such, and the name Terror, Inc from somewhere through the years.

I can’t even begin to think of how She-Hulk got a car up to a rooftop or who she’s actually planning to throw it at. Punisher seems ready to attack Falcon, and Scarecrow doesn’t seem all that concerned about all these anti-heroes and such behind him.

I definitely would not have been familiar with Cage and Iron Fist at the time, though I’ve seen a lot with them in the years since; Cage being through the largest changes visually between Alias and the Marvel Max Cage mini around 2001/2002.

Not much else to say about these characters as they appear here, unfortunately; though Hardcore bugs me for some reason–probably looking so generic and being such a clear product of the early ’90s, at least in name and my own lack of further exposure to the character.

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Newest TMNT Toys: Ninjas in Training and Classic Leo

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Walt

Last weekend I FINALLY tracked down the Ninjas-in-Training Raphael & Michelangelo 2-pack. I’ve come across the Leonardo & Donatello one several times since first seeing it, but this was the first (and so far, only) time seeing this one.

raph_mikey_front

I also–after deciding that $60 is just WAY TOO MUCH to spend for the “classic” Party Wagon–opted instead to buy the larger-size “inspired by the 1988 cartoon” Leonardo figure.

classic_collection_leo_front

I don’t like the premium pricing on this line…much like the other “Classic Collection” “reprint” figures, these seem to ONLY be available at Toys R Us, so there’s no “competition” and such from Walmart and Target to keep the prices lower.  But over the past year of seeing these, the idea of them has grown on me, especially for there only being four figures so far that I know of…with Bebop and Rocksteady coming sometime in the near-ish future.

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Here’s the profile from the card back for Raph & Mikey…

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Though the packaging takes a bit of the color scheme and such of the original 1988 figures, the card back for the larger Classic Collection figures definitely makes no pretense of being classic itself…just “retro.”

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And here are the four turtles. I really like the look of Michelangelo…especially for the realistic weapons–actually dangling while not in motion, as opposed to the rigidness of other toys’ iteration.

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And of course, the card back in its entirety…

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Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 9

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Walt

This is another “busy” image, though a bit brighter. Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, and Lyja certainly sport the ’90s “look,” with the jacket, giant shoulder pads, and…needless “cleavage hole” for Sue.

Though I can’t remember the last time I saw Molecule Man show up, it’s Occulus who I’m least familiar with here.

The FF themselves as well as Doom, Lyja, and Klaw I’m fairly familiar with to varying degrees…though I associate Klaw moreso with Black Panther than I do the FF.

Outside of these cards, I’d nearly forgotten the “scarred Thing” phase, where Wolverine carved up Ben’s face a bit. I don’t recall how that subplot ever resolved, but obviously it did as Thing didn’t sport the fully-covered face bit for all that long.

I have a vague memory of an issue from the late-’90s where Ben and Wolverine actually meet in a bar to talk stuff over and bury the past. I find it interesting, though, to recall the enmity between the characters for awhile, and the lasting effects of stuff, rather than being a one-off event lasting a single issue and then being forgotten.

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