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Classic TMNT Toys: Multiple Leos and Random Mutants

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Walt

Back in the early ’90s, I was often “suckered” by the many “variants” on the main turtles. While I don’t believe I did many “sets” of all 4, my favorite of the four turtles was Leonardo, so I wound up with a lot of those.

I recently came across some of the old figures, which provided a bit of a trip down memory lane, so to speak.

multiple_leonardos

 

The Leo with the tall neck comes plugged in to a gun/trigger thing to make the legs kick…sort of a rock ’em sock ’em TMNT. Then we had Hockey Leo and TD Tossin’ Leo. There was some sort of Talkin’ Leo that used to have some kind of strip that fed through a speaker/mechanism on the back to spout a copule phrases. Then there’s Sword Slicin’ Leo from the Wacky Action set. And in front, my favorite: Storage Shell Leo. Not so much for the ridiculousness of opening the turtle’s back and stuffing weapons, but because if you didn’t really know any better, the figure looks normal, just a different (and I think superior) sculpt from the original.

Then we have a couple random mutants-du-jour…Muckman and Pizzaface:

muckman_and_pizzaface

Muckman originally came with a trashcan that attached to the back, and a miniature “sidekick” figure Joe Eyeball. The banana peel on top of his head comes off like a lid and you can squish some “ooze” in to have it drool out the mouth and gut, I believe.

Pizzaface is just…I don’t know, absolutely ridiculous, stupid, and there’s no way in heck I’d ever choose to buy such a character now.

Finally, we have Panda Khan:

panda_khan

I recently learned that Panda Khan was an actual character in his own comic that I suppose must have been licensed for a toy. I originally took him as simply another random mutant made up to sell a toy. [ Panda Khan info ]

Fool me once, shame on you: all those many, many figures back in the day. Fool me twice, shame on me: refusing to buy variants within the same line of figures.

storage_shell_leo

…and a closeup on the Storage Shell Leonardo, just cuz I really, really dig the sculpt.

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Marvel Universe Series IV Revisited, Part 0

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Walt

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It’s kind of hard to believe it’s been 20 years, but 20 years it’s been! Back in 1993, Skybox released their FOURTH annual trading card set based on Marvel Comics properties–Marvel Universe Series IV.

Of course, having been out of comics for a couple years, not really getting back in til mid/late 1992 with the then-pending Death of Superman, I was a stranger to trading cards, outside of baseball cards.

A friend and I spent much of the summer of 1993 collecting these, trading back and forth to see both of us get as close as possible to a complete set. I still have my original binder and cards from that summer, that original nearly-complete set (missing just a handful of cards).

I was able to buy a complete set awhile back off a bargain table at my local comic shop, finally having a definite full set. And partially through that, partially recognizing the 20th anniversary, I’ve decided to present a look through the entire set, with my present-day thoughts on these artifacts of the past.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting my thoughts on the entire set, based around the 9-card clusters that most of the set was grouped into–with 9 cards fitting together in a 3×3 grid to form a larger image (tailored to the 9-pocket binder pages many such cards get stored in).

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Even the original box the cards’ packs came in references the 9-card groupings.

20 years later, I still have an (empty) original box that I think I got from my then-local comic shop. I also have several of the original wrappers, from making a “cover” for the binder I kept my set in:

marvelseriesivpack01

marvelseriesivpack02

marvelseriesivpack03

marvelseriesivpack04

So, over the coming weeks, I’ll be posting my thoughts on the cards, as well as low-res images of the cards themselves. Just in scanning all of these, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the cards that wasn’t there 20 years ago, and noticed things in the art that I never really noticed in all the years since!

box01

Filed under: Marvel Series IV Revisited, The '90s Revisited | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Another Look: Cyborg Superman (Action Comics #23.2)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Walt

foreverevilcyborgsuperman001One of the things I love about comics is the community around them–the comic shop, the conventions, the podcasts and discussion forums and blogs (and why I keep this blog myself).

As I haven’t the patience or real inclination to give the “full review treatment” to the Villains Month issues from DC, I’m touching on each issue I get, briefly, which–for a glimpse at my behind the scenes thought–can mean a bit of laziness on my part, as I’m just putting my initial, casual thoughts out there without really analyzing an issue the way I would for a full review.

A couple days ago, I listened to Sean Whalen‘s thoughts on the Cyborg Superman issue on Raging Bullets, and he gave things a whole different “spin” on it for me. Jim (Sean’s cohost) also had a bit to say on the subject contextually–both speaking of the events of Supergirl #23 and speculating where things will go with Supergirl #24 and beyond.

I also read Michael Bailey‘s review of the issue (which is far more in-depth and insightful than my own!).

And much to my chagrin, I’m now actually interested in checking out Supergirl. I passed on the first issue back in 2011–had zero interest in yet another new version of the character even then–but now, given the Cyborg is one of my favorite Superman villains, coming out of one of my favorite, most defining Superman stories ever….well, I might actually be “hooked.”

Of course, I’m most likely to wait a bit and buy the digital issue(s)…barring a spur of the moment impulse buy, I still don’t have any real interest in following Supergirl long-term…but with the $1 “discount” by reading a month or two “behind” the current issue…I’d get to read the story, get a bit of context myself, and go from there.

I really don’t like that some of my favorite characters have been so drastically overhauled–Superboy, Steel, Cyborg Superman (no sign of the Eradicator that I know of, as yet)–but returning to Whalen‘s analysis…his excitement’s a bit infectious, and he indicated similar trepidation at the complete, drastic change (that the Cyborg’s not even the same underlying character as pre-New 52). But if he can look past that…perhaps I should, too. And perhaps all the moreso, with Bailey‘s history with Superman being very similar to my own…same deal. If he can read the same issue, same story, and–with a history much like my own with the character–enjoy it?

I’ve gotta give things more of a chance. I’m not saying that this reverses my initial thoughts or that I’m gonna suddenly go gung-ho on DC stuff again, but I’d like to think this shows that I’m open-minded, given the proper influencers. Sure, I’ll have my take on something…but I’m WILLING to be argued with, provided the arguer has sound reason to their argument. (And that they’re not just throwing some snide remark at me or putting me down for my thoughts/take/context). (Such as someone suggesting that there is homework to be done before reading any given comic, that one has to have read up on multiple sites’ interviews and wikipedia analysis, etc. in order to have an opinion about a spur of the moment purchase).

Goes to show…context is important…but I’m consciously and mostly intentionally context-less on most of the villains issues, using these as a random month of indulgence into new takes on old favorites.

Of course, budget permitting…more and more I begin to wonder if I’d actually be interested in pursuing what seems to be an annual “omnibus” of all 52 September issues…I believe DC has done one for the #1 issues two years ago and for the #0 issues last year. It looks like I’ll be buying about 18-20 of the issues this month, leaving 32 “on the table,” that at cover price would still be about $96 for the 2-D editions and $128 for the 3-D). Assuming the hardback’s $125 and I get it for a significant discount (say, 45% off) I’d still come out well ahead price-wise, even WITH all the issues I’m buying this month.

Time, of course, will tell!

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

TMNT Toys 2013: Leatherhead and Ninjas in Training (Leo & Don)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Walt

I finally managed to find Leatherhead the other day. I think I might’ve been happier if I’d found him weeks ago, before learning of the existence of several other figures I actually do want, though.

Still, he’s a rather ugly (yet cool) figure…and makes me wish I had the original so I’d have all 3 versions.

leatherhead_front

The card back is much like other recent ones…nothing ‘new’ to this that I haven’t already shown on other posts, except of course the profile:

leatherhead_profile

I also came acrros the Ninjas in Trainin: Leonardo & Donatello, but due to budget didn’t feel comfortable picking them up at the time. I did, however, take a couple photos…if only as “proof” to myself that I’d actually found the things once, should they prove to be a massive pain in the butt to find later (much as Leatherhead did).

NinjasInTrainingLeoAndDon_front

Also, I wasn’t entirely enamored with the figures…they’re “cute,” but not nearly as much as the 2003 line’s version of the young TMNT (and that line crammed all 4 into one package!).

I don’t like the idea of splurging only to have 2 of the 4 turtles, so IDEALLY I’d like to find both 2-packs at the same time or have time/money to hunt several stores to find ’em in the same day.

NinjasInTrainingLeoAndDon_profile

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

DC Villains Month, Week Two (Part 2)

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Walt

BRAINIAC (Superman #23.2)

foreverevilbrainiac001I was surprised at this issue. I’m not a huge fan of the Brainiac character, especially the comics version–there have been so many interpretations that it might as well–to me–be outright inconsistency. Geoff Johns attempted to bridge that a few years ago, positing that we’d only essentially seen “avatars” of the one, TRUE Brainiac…but that story came rather late in the pre-New-52 era, and did not really seem to get time to develop. This is my first exposure to the New 52 version of the character, and we get a bit of a blend of past versions. That this version of the character strongly resembles Johns‘ take works well for me; we also see that there are other emissaries out there working for Brainiac. This issue worked QUITE well for me as an origin story, as we see where Brainiac came from and how he got to be what he is and what set him off on his quest to shrink and preserve alien cities. That we get a mix of the 5th dimension (I don’t believe Mxyzptlk has shown up in the New 52 as yet?) and a DC version of the Annihilation Wave (a nice nod to Marvel) tied in to Brainiac gives an interesting depth and motivation to the character. As with all the other villains issues so far, I’m hardly inspired to go seeking OTHER issues beyond this one…but like the Zod issue, my interest is piqued, and I wouldn’t be oppose to reading a full story in collected edition should the occasion arise.

MR. FREEZE (Batman: The Dark Knight #23.2)

foreverevilmrfreeze001I seem to be quite a sucker for this character. Like many people, one of my favorite episodes of the 1990s’ Batman: The Animated Series is the one that introduces a new version of Mr. Freeze and gives him a tragic backstory and plausible motivation. I don’t remember the character really appearing in any form in most of the Batman comics I read throughout the ’90s and early 2000s…but when the first New 52 Batman Annual focused on Mr. Freeze amidst the Court of Owls stuff last year, I went ahead and bought it, and quite enjoyed it. It was the memory of that annual that led me to include this issue with the villains issues I’d get, and I wasn’t really let down. This one does less exploration of an origin and more “where the character is now,” actually taking place after the events of Forever Evil #1 and leaves Mr. Freeze “out there” for whatever story he gets involved in next. This was an enjoyable one-shot, and while I wasn’t blwon away by the art, I actually enjoyed the interior more than the cover.

RIDDLER (Batman #23.2)

foreverevilriddler001I’m no great fan of the Riddler, even though I do rather appreciate some of his riddles as written by whoever’s used the character at the time. I actually can’t remember ever particularly enjoying any of the Riddler-centric stories in the comics. I had not planned on buying this issue–I intentionally did not include it in the list of requested issues I submitted to my comic shop last week–but when I found myself filling an unexpected gap in what I’d planned on spending, I pulled this from the shelf and added it to the week’s buy. And surprisingly enough, despite really expecting to dislike the issue, I found myself enjoying it. While the story is set somewhere between the ongoing Zero Year stuff I’ve not been reading and whatever comes next in Zero Year, this seemed more like a “timeless” story, and a (morbid as it sounds) “fun” one-shot focused on the Riddler. We see how dangerous he can actually be, yet a hint of depth beyond simply a gimmick…and this, quite frankly, stands out as probably my favorite Riddler issue at this point.

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON WEEK 2

At least this week being a “big week” was somewhat planned…though it still proved to be a bit larger than I’d intended. All six of these Villains Month issues are ones that–two weeks ago–I’d had no intention of buying.

foreverevilweek02

It’s extremely dismaying to realize that I bought TEN new comics this week (at least DOUBLE what I usually buy in a week!) and they were all $3.99 books. At least these DC Villains issues with the 3-D plastic-ish covers FEEL like they’re actually WORTH the price, physically. They’re regular-sized issues content-wise, but the covers are certainly sturdy, high quality.

I’m continuing to enjoy that these are by and large truly one-shot issues. Even though they carry the “point whatever” numbers on the covers tying them to series I’m not actively following, FUNCTIONALLY they remain single-issue stories focused on the titular villain. Some of the issues do say the story continues into a series/issue, but as far as I’m concerned–for what I’m buying these for–I’m rather satisfied with what I’ve got and nothing’s led me to chomp at the bit for another issue or the next appearance…though some have got my interest such that I’ll at least read about issues they might appear in and perhaps pick up a collected volume that I probably wouldn’t otherwise have any interest in prior to all these issues.

Filed under: DC, New 52, The, Villains Month (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

TMNT Villains Micro-Series #6: Hun [Review]

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Walt


Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

DC Villains Month, Week Two (Part 1)

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Walt

ZOD (Action Comics #23.2)

foreverevilzod001Zod’s story is definitely a new one for me; a new take on the character that definitely humanizes him a lot more than previous versions. Adding a fairly defining (if clichéd) episode to his youth goes quite a way in fleshing out the character…and even leaves a lot of room for some future stories, should anyone wish to revisit that period of the character’s life. We get a little bit of insight into his motivation as well as just how far the character will go…both to survive, himself as well as to push his people to survive (a bit of a hint at the influence of the Man of Steel film version of the character, perhaps?).. All in all, the story seemed rather short, and though I have no particular intention of following things into any of the ongoing Superman books at present, taking this as a totally new version of the character, I might check out a Zod-focused story arc in collected edition format sometime down the line..

MONGUL (Green Lantern #23.2)

foreverevilmongul001My first exposure to Mongul was at the dawn of my comics-reading life, in the infamous Alan Moore tale For the Man Who Has Everything. I think my next exposure to the character was in Reign of the Supermen, and then another version of the character in 1999 when the alien Imperiex was introduced…and most recently his involvement after the Sinestro Corps War in the Green Lantern books. While I still most associate the character with Superman, it’s kinda cool to see that he’s really become a Green Lantern villain, where he certainly fits! As to this issue…it felt too short for the events it contains. Other than Mongul himself, the other characters are pretty much inconsequential and of no real significance.  Though what Mongul does in this issue comes off as throw-away, had it involved Earth or Oa this’d be a half-year Event crossover. Still…it’s a “cosmic” story by Jim Starlin, which was a pleasant surprise to me!

LOBO (Justice league #23.2)

foreverevillobo001The cover is quite deceiving to the story within…yet, I’m quite glad the cover has “my” Lobo rather than this new “Goth” Lobo. However, while getting to see this new take on Lobo, I’m actually sorta interested in where things are going to go for the character, and even somewhat see where some of the online controversy over the new design falls. At the very least, this gives a different perspective on the character, and an intriguing new interpretation of past Lobo stories.  I’ll be interested–thanks to this issue–in learning what fate befalls Lobo moving forward…though I don’t think I actually care enough to seek the issues out for the story itself.  I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from this issue and its story…I definitely got a mix of familiar and new. Lobo has never been my favorite character, though I have to admit to a certain grudging interest in the character due to some of his appearances in Superman comics back in the late-’80s/early-’90s.

Filed under: DC, New 52, The, Villains Month (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

This Week’s Huge Haul

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Walt

This week was THE single largest week for me that I can remember in ages, for new comics.

My “usual” haul would have been Archer & Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, Astro City, and TMNT.

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But I’d opted to buy into the DC Villains Month shenanigans since they’re all functionally one-shots. I was going to skip the Riddler issue. But I was quite disappointed to learn that a cheap Marvel Masterworks volume I’d requested was sold out before the order could be placed, so I filled that volume’s “price gap” with the East of West vol. 1 (for only $9.99 I’ll give even Hickman‘s work a shot!) and the Riddler issue.

I can honestly say that this is probably going to be my largest DC-month since the very first month of the New 52.

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Sucked Into Saga

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Walt

I remember hearing about Saga around the time it came out. The “buzz” and “word of mouth” were enough that I pre-ordered the first paperback (at $9.99 I have no problem paying full price to get it at the comic shop).

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I read the first chapter, and wasn’t all that impressed. Apparently I had started into the 2nd chapter before losing interest (based on where I found my page-marker) and the book sat for months.

Last Friday, after hearing podcaster Chris Marshall (of Collected Comics Library) talk about a similar experience–not having cared for the first issue, but making a conscious decision to go ahead and give the first two volumes a shot–I figured what the heck, I could do the same.

Snagged vol. 2 at full cover price for the “immediate gratification” of having the thing; dug out vol. 1….and ended up reading chapters 2-10 in one go. When I left vol. 2 at work I bought the digital issue 12 just so I wouldn’t have to wait til I got BACK to work to finish the contents of vol. 2.

And surprise, surprise…

I’m hooked. Quite enjoyed both volumes, and I’m seriously thinking of jumping onboard with the single issues (digitally) and keep with the paperbacks as my “hard copy” of these.

Time will certainly tell…

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

TMNT (2013) Toys – M.O.U.S.E.R.s and Rat King

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Walt

Whenever I’m in a Target or Walmart, I almost always “have to” check out the toys section. Over recent months, I’ve dwindled to a cursory glance at the Marvel/DC figures, and these last several weeks my increase has greatly increased with the TMNT toys.

Tonight I decided to take a peek in case the Target I was in had Leatherhead…but while they did NOT, I found what–for me–is possibly one of THE most awesome of all the new TMNT toys: a pack of MOUSERS!

mousers02mousers01

While I vaguely recall the 2003 TMNT line packing a couple Mousers with the April O’Neil figure, the only way I would have to get more than 2 was to buy multiples of April–not a truly viable option for so small a figurine! I think several may have come with some sort of playset…but again, far too expensive for so small a return on what I actually wanted.

This pack comes with SEVEN of the little robots…and I will happily purchase a couple more to have a small army of the things!

I also came across a Rat King figure…and actually put it in my cart where it traveled part of the store with me. Though I’ll PROBABLY come to regret it, I opted NOT to purchase it tonight: too many other recent expenditures and upcoming; so I’ll have to hope that he proves fairly common in the coming months.

Despite that, I made a point of photographing the carded figure:

ratking_front

ratking_back

The Mousers, of course, were just way too cool to NOT buy. I don’t much care for the look of this new Rat King (another factor in putting it back)…but I’ve wanted numerous little Mousers since my earliest days collecting TMNT toys!

mousers_front

mousers_back

While I’d love to see more inclusive galleries of the figures on the back of the cards, I am quite glad they’ve kept the profiles!

The Mousers:

mousers_profile

…and the Rat King:

ratking_profile

I’m also rather encouraged (so to speak) that these galleries do NOT include the turtle variants (ooze-flinging or stealth). Those don’t really–to me–“fit” with the general line, whereas these others do. Even the Ninjas-in-Training fit as they’re not just “costumed” variants.

mousers_assortment_goodguys

And though I’m not a fan of the random mutations, it’s still cool to see the expanding line of villain characters. To me, that often seems to be the downfall of a single “line” of figures…endless versions of the main hero(es) but virtually no villains to offset. And in the Kraang and the Foot Soldiers, we have two generics that truly warrant several duplicate purchases. (I believe I have 3 Kraang and 5 Foot Soldiers at the moment).

mousers_assortment_badguys

I like the bulk of Dogpound, but am not at all a fan of Fishface…and the more I think of it, the more I think I’d prefer a new take on Bebop and Rocksteady to these two.

Still…with only recently discovering the new figures in Baxter Stockman and Snakeweed, it’s very cool to see all these others making it to the local stores’ pegs, not having TOO hard a time finding SOME new figures.

…even if that darned Leatherhead STILL eludes me!

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

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