A half-black, half-Hispanic, possibly gay Spider-Man?

Ultimate Spider-Man has been my favorite title for the 10+ years it’s been going. So when I heard on the news that the new Spider-Man was going to be half black and Hispanic and saw all of the reactions on the internet, I had to chime in.

First, I’m going to remind everyone that the Ultimate Universe isn’t the Marvel Universe. The Spider-Man you’ve known and loved since the 60’s is still alive and well. The Ultimate Universe is a unique universe where the characters and situations are familiar but there are a lot of twists and turns. It’s a universe where Reed Richards can turn out to be a villain, Colossus can be gay, Wasp can be eaten by Blob, and Hank Pym can avenge her by (literally) biting Blob’s head off.

The Ultimate Universe has been the place where creators can make bold, shocking choices. It’s a universe where I’ve gotten to see Kitty Pryde date Peter Parker and Wolverine drop Cyclops into a deep hole in the Savage Land so he can have Jean Grey all to himself. And how great is the relationship between Peter, Johnny, and Bobby?

Marvel let a bunch of creators use their characters to create a different universe and allowed Brian Michael Bendis to write Ultimate Spider-Man for the entire run. And we almost got Mark Bagley to draw the entire run.

Killing off Peter Parker is a subject that I’m split on. On one hand, I was nowhere near done spending time with him. On the other hand, the guy who created the series and gave me such a consistently great read month after month has decided to end it. There is something amazing about the guy who created Ultimate Peter Parker being the guy who writes his death. I read the death and the fallout issues and they were amazing.

So what do I think a half-black, half-Hispanic teen (who may or may not be gay) named Miles Morales being the title character in the new Ultimate Spider-Man series? I’M IN.

Brian Michael Bendis has written a ton of things I’ve liked and there’s no reason to believe that this won’t be one of them. I liked his debut in Ultimate Fallout #4 and look forward to seeing him interact with Peter’s supporting cast while running into other heroes who will compare him to the original.

I’m looking forward to watching Miles Morales try to do the right thing while trying to get out from under Peter Parker’s shadow. And I’m sure Nick Fury will be right there to remind the kid how big a shadow that is.

I kind of like the fact that Peter Parker’s story is a finite series. If it had gone on longer than Bendis would have liked or turned it over to someone else, the title might suck and we might not care about Peter’s death. Having Miles Morales doesn’t take away from how much I enjoyed Peter Parker. If I want to visit Peter, I can check the regular Marvel Universe or read back issues of Ultimate Spider-Man.

 Welcome to the Ultimate Universe Miles Morales, hope you survive the experience!

Marvel Universe action figure wish lists

I’ve mentioned that I’m a huge 3 ¾  action figure fan. Specifically I’m a big Marvel Universe fan. A friend and I were debating which figures should come out. Some were practical (the standard and John Byrne version of Susan Storm and the John Byrne version of Reed Richards) and some are never ever going to see the light of day (the western version of Ghost Rider complete with horse).

I sat down and wrote down a lot of my favorite characters and figures I’d like to add to my collection. Recently, entertainmentearth.com (WEBSITE LINK) added wave 15 & 16 (no pictures but I can’t wait to see what they look like). Wave 15 has Darkhawk – a character I who I thought would never get a figure.

TOP 10 ALTERNATE VERSIONS I WANT

Of the figures that have already been released, here are 10 alternate versions of figures I’d like to see in no particular order.

Angel (with wings, from early X-Factor) – Angel’s worn various costumes with the real wings so I suggest the red and white costume from X-Factor #15, his last appearance before becoming Archangel.

Kitty Pryde (as Shadowcat) – The blue outfit was Kitty’s main costume in the 80s and some of the 90s.

Cosmic Spider-Man – From Amazing Spider-Man #326-329, Spectacular Spider-Man #158-159, and Web of Spider-Man #59 (1989): Acts of Vengeance was an event in many Marvel titles where villains trade heroes and try to take them out. Spidey found himself imbued with Captain Universe’s powers in time to take on Gravitron, The Hulk, Magneto, and a Tri-Sentinel. Although he didn’t wear the Captain Universe costume much, Spidey in full cosmic garb is a playable character in “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.”

Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) – In 1990, Marvel introduced Danny Ketch, a new Ghost Rider who wore a leather jacket, spiked gloves and gauntlets.

Ultimate X-Men – There has already been a lot of X-Men characters released but none have been given the “Ultimate” treatment yet.

Joe Fixit (Grey Hulk in a suit) – In the 90’s, Peter David gave the Hulk a few different personalities but, as Joe Fixit, Hulk wore a nice suit and worked as a casino enforcer.

 Joe Fixit and the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider would make my New Fantastic Four collection complete

Punisher (in Captain America costume) – From Punisher: War Journal #6-11 (2007): When someone is disgracing the memory of the recently killed Captain America, Frank dons a version of Cap’s costume and goes after them. 

Storm & Black Panther as Queen and King of Wakanda – They married in 2006, Black Panther #18 and while I don’t have a specific costume in mind, they have both made appearances in more ceremonial type outfits. This would make a great comic pack.

Nightcrawler (in Pirate outfit) – From Nightcrawler #1 (1985): While the costume is in the Nightcrawler mini-series, it isn’t the first time he appears in a pirate outfit. Plus, Kurt Wagner is a HUGE fan of Errol Flynn and dreams of being a swashbuckling hero.

Daredevil (in armor) – From Daredevil starting in 1993: Scott McDaniel was a hot artist who drew a lot of people to Daredevil with his stunning artwork and Daredevil’s new armored look.

TOP 10 FIGURES I WANT

Here is a list of 10 heroes I want them to come out with in no particular order.

Scorpion (Carmilla Black): This ex-SHEILD agent isn’t just a cool character but may also be the biological daughter of Bruce Banner. And she has a cool costume.

Scarlet Witch: C’mon…there’s already a Vision figure and she was responsible for several major events in the Marvel Universe.

American Dream: A female Captain America in the M2 universe. Would be cool to see the Spider-Girl from that universe too.

Rachel Grey: She’s descended from two of the most experienced and battle-hardened X-Men and possesses the Phoenix Force? Only thing better might be a Hope figure since it looks like she’s carrying it now.

Black Cat: What started out as a Spidey villain and supporting character has become a Marvel Universe staple and has appeared in many other titles.

Dazzler: I’ve always liked the character and her blue costume and New Excalibur costume are both cool.

Longshot: His mini-series was drawn by my favorite artist, Art Adams and he’s always been one of my favorites.

Cloak and Dagger: They are popular Marvel staples that found a way to make a big contribution during Civil War. This would be great as a two pack.

Ares: I know he’s dead but he was a serious bad-ass and he’d make a really cool looking figure.

Deathlok: He’s never been popular enough for a regular series but if I know he’s in an issue, I usually pick it up. Deathlok is one of the most interesting looking characters in the Marvel Universe.

TOP 10 VILLAINS

Here is a list of 10 villains I want them to come out with in no particular order.

Mysterio: Visually there is no cooler looking character on the list and I don’t think this character has even gotten a decent action figure.

Lady Bullseye: Kingpin’s main assassin these days.

Kingpin: He’s the reason Daredevil has a mental breakdown every few years.

Flag-Smasher: This Captain America villain once used his organization, ULTIMATUM, to take a group of Americans hostage. In order to save them, Cap has to do the unthinkable. Wondering what the ‘unthinkable’ is - check out the cover of Captain America #321. If you have no idea who Flag-Smasher is, check out Captain America #348.

The Hood: The Hood has a kick-ass origin story and has been a huge villain lately, especially during the Dark Reign.

Dr. Octopus: There is a 3 ¾ figure in the Spider-Man series but I want Doc Ock to look like the comic book version.

The Marauders: These villains kicked off the Mutant Massacre and Arclight, Blockbuster, Harpoon, Riptide, Scalphunter, and Vertigo would make a great six pack (like the Giant-Sized X-Men set).

Omega Red: Another great X-villain.

Jack O’Lantern: While there’s been a few to wear the pumpkin, the one in the new Venom mini-series isn’t just cool looking but deadly too.

Ghost: Before he was a Thunderbolt, Ghost was an Iron Man villain in the 80’s. I want the version in the white armor (not the weird Thunderbolts version).

TOP 5 TEAMS

While I was making this list, there were a lot of characters that appeared that are considered groups. So here are the top five teams that I hope will get the Marvel Universe treatment.

The New Mutants (original and modern): Cannonball, Mirage, Karma, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Magma, Cypher, and Warlock

One of my all-time favorites and not one character has been given a figure. Kitty Pryde did get a figure but she’s not a founding member or a long-standing member. I don’t know how you would pull of a Sunspot (maybe a variant where he’s all black?) or a Wolfsbane (would it be human and wolf in the package or the werewolf state she sometimes takes on).

Lady Liberators: She-Hulk, Valkyrie, Thundra, Hellcat, and Tigra

The Lady Liberators were a concept that isn’t new to the Marvel Universe, they first appeared in Avengers #83 in 1970. A few years ago, She-Hulk brought together her own team to fight the Red Hulk. I left characters off the roster above that have already gotten figures (Spider-Woman, Invisible Woman, Black Widow, and Storm). Plus, Hulk #9 had a great cover shot of them courtesy of the always amazing Arthur Adams.

I should mention that Mirage has a Pegasus named Brightwind and Valkyrie has a Pegasus named Aragorn. It would be awesome for Hasbro to release ‘Mirage with Brightwind’ and ‘Valkyrie with Aragorn’ packs – they could use the same mold for both mounts. They would even make great convention exclusives.

Exiles: Blink, Mimic, Morph, Nocturne, Sunfire, Sasquatch, and Magik

Exiles was one of the best books on the stands and introduced us to a lot of alternate worlds and versions of the characters we know and love. Other members of the team included Magnus, Thunderbird, Namora, Sabertooth, Longshot, Spider-Man 2099, Shadowcat, and more. There are a lot of possible characters from this series that can be created.

New Warriors: Night Thrasher, Nova (not Kid Nova), Justice (not Marvel Boy), and Namorita

Firestar has already been released as a Toys ‘R Us exclusive figure (the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends three pack) and there’s an upcoming two-pack with Speedball in it. I can’t believe Nova isn’t already a figure in the Marvel Universe line but the rest of the characters are obscure. Justice and Firestar dated for a long time and did a brief stint on The Avengers together. Namorita is the Sub-Mariner’s cousin.

Young Allies: Nomad, Gravity, Spider-Girl, and Toro

Again, Firestar has already been released. The Spider-Girl on this team is the former Arana and has a costume that hasn’t been released. Nomad is from the Heroes Reborn universe. Gravity is a newer character who has already helped the Fantastic Four save the universe and come back from the grave.

TOP 5 LINES HASBRO SHOULD MAKE 3 ¾

Since Hasbro makes such kick ass figures, here is my list of other lines that should get the Marvel Universe/GI Joe treatment.

DC Universe:  How great would it be to have the Avengers and Justice League stand in a display side by side? Think of all the great characters you wish would have adventures in the comics together can stage your own crossovers. You can own the Justice League, Teen Titan, or even The Wildcats. It would be great to also have Smallville versions of Clark, Superman, Black Canary, Impulse, Green Arrow, etc.

Wouldn't it be great to make this crossover?

Every Joss Whedon show: Okay, technically we’re getting an Avengers action figure line next year but how great would it be to have the Scooby Gang mixing with the crew of Serenity? You could have a Faith figure standing next to your Echo figure or a Wash figure standing next to an Alpha figure (I can go on and on with that kind of example). Imagine a 9 pack of Firefly figures with a variant edition of them in Serenity uniforms. There would certainly be a Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Amends” 2 pack with Buffy and Angel in packaging that makes it look like it’s snowing. How about a Dollhouse action play-set with the imprinting chair and Topher? Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my all-time favorite show and I have the MAC figures but I would have a hard time not spending every last dime on quality 3 ¾ figures.

Image Comics: Think of all the great properties that Image has or has had. It’s where Invincible and Cassie Hack live. It’s where Savage Dragon, Spawn, and Witchblade have enjoyed 10+ years of success. And don’t forget The Walking Dead and all of the success it’s enjoying on TV right now. Image is also home to J. Scott Campbell’s Danger Girl which have already gotten the McFarlane toys treatment but would be a great addition to any 3 ¾ GI Joe mission.

M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand): When Matt Tracker, the leader of MASK was released as a figure in the GI Joe 25^th Anniversary line – I was excited. Three years later he’s the only figure that’s been released and there’s no sign of any other characters. Of course the original figures each came with vehicles which would be great. This would be a fantastic addition to the GI Joe line but it’s strong enough to stand on its own. And at the 3 ¾ scale, the GI Joe’s can also use the vehicles – hell, even Marvel Universe figures can too. Now that the Shout Factory is releasing the original animated series, maybe a new generation of fans will find this forgotten gem.

The A-Team: I know that no one but me is aching for these figures, but it’s one of my favorite shows and my list…so there. The movie had 3 ¾ figures but there was only one wave (No Jessica Biel figure? Are you nuts?). I would like multiple versions of Hannibal, BA, Face, and Murdock from the movie and TV show. I would also like the television versions of Frankie Santana, Amy Allen, Tawnia Baker, Colonel Lynch, Colonel Decker, General Fullbright, General Stockwell and Hulk Hogan (he guest starred in one episode but how cool would a 3 ¾ Hulkster be?).

Those are my lists, I’d love to hear from you guys what figures you’d like to see in the Marvel Universe line.

Quantum Mechanix - Convention Menace

You’re a nerd so you already know Quantum Mechanix (or QMX) makes awesome stuff from hyper-detailed replicas to animated maquettes. Online, their transactions are painless but the last two times I’ve dealt with them at conventions I’ve been disappointed.

Back in November of 2010 I went to Creation’s Salute to Firefly, Buffy/Angel, and Dollhouse and laid eyes on the awesome River and Wash from their Little Damn Heroes line. I asked if they were for sale at the convention – they weren’t but they were available for pre-order so I preordered both figurines and paid for them. A few weeks later I got an email that asked for payment.

Panicked, I found the receipt and emailed back that I’d already paid for the items. Then I got an email back that explained that they had received payment for the figurines but not for shipping. At the show, the person who sold the figurines to me never told me that shipping would be handled later so that I’d be prepared for the email. I thought that was thoughtless and irritated me but I considered it a lesson on pre-ordering items in the future.

Then, last week at Comic-Con, I saw the Kaylee Big Damn Heroes Animated Maquette. Kaylee’s my favorite character and I knew it wasn’t available online yet but they had the figure at the show. The price tag in the case read $59.95 and the salesman warned me that Kaylee didn’t have a peg or anything that connected her to the engine part so he suggested gluing her down. Cool – good advice.

Once I got Kaylee for the register the amount was about $75 and I told the lady working the register that Kaylee was $59.95. She said Kaylee was listed for $69.95 not $59.95. I paid and thought I saw the price wrong. It was possible – I was excited to get the maquette. But before leaving, I went back to the display case and was right – it was listed for $59.95. I told the lady I was right about the price and she told me that the price in the display case was wrong. The salesman told her that it had said $59.95 all convention and she started arguing that it was the wrong price according to what she had.

At the least I expected one of them to turn to me and apologize for the misunderstanding. At the most I thought they’d refund $10 for the confusion. I walked away pissed while they were arguing and ignoring me. Over the last week I haven’t given it much thought. If the maquette is $69.95, that’s just the way it is.

But I got an email today about Kaylee’s maquette going on sale and clicked the link. The price on the website is $59.95. They squeezed an extra $10 out of me at the convention and I didn’t even get an apology.

QMX – great products, crappy customer service. I’ll deal with them online for the Little Damn Heroes (I want to finish the set) but I’m not investing in anything new from them (even if I’m excited about them doing Guild maquettes) and I’m definitely not dealing with them at conventions anymore. When the Little Damn Heroes set is done, so am I. I don’t normally do business with companies who treat me poorly.

 Kaylee - Big Damn Heroes animated maquette is awesome...except for gluing her down and paying $10 extra...

Comic Con 2011 – The Finale for Speedball?

I’ve been going to Comic Con for over 25 years and I’ve seen a lot of things change and I admit I’ve gotten pretty jaded. While I once had the patience to stand in a line for three hours to get Jim Lee’s autograph, I won’t stand in lines for more than an hour. I was planning on getting a four day pass for next year at the show as I do every year but people were camped out overnight to get each day’s allotment of tickets. Online I’ve heard the ‘waiting room’ horror stories when it came to getting the tickets online this year. If the tickets go on sale during the weekend I’ll try to get the tickets online but if they go on sale during the work week, I may not be able to sit in front of the computer and hit refresh until I get in.

            Given all of that, it occurred to me that I might not be able to attend next year.

            That said, I think missing next year’s Con will be good in two ways: 1) it will allow me to appreciate what I’m missing instead of complaining about things and 2) not going will allow someone else to go – maybe for the first time.

            Now that that’s out of the way, here are some of my Con highlights.

            NERD HQ & ZACHARY LEVI: Zachary Levi set up Nerd HQ to benefit ‘Operation: Smile’ which gives children oral surgery to correct facial deformities. Nerd HQ took over Jolt ‘n Joes Restaurant in the Gaslamp, a short walk from the convention center and it hosted a variety of panels that people attended for $20 per person, per panel.

            I bought tickets for three of the panels and when I went to pick them up on preview night, there was Zachary Levi welcoming us to Nerd HQ, talking about the charity, telling us that every penny of profit is for charity and encouraging us to “buy more” (he didn’t say it like that but I couldn’t pass up the pun), and telling us to be nice to all of the volunteers who were good enough to work the HQ all five days. And I got a quick picture with him and when he asked if I was doing any of the panels I told him I was doing three and he gave me a high five (on a side note – I LOVE high fives). When he left he came down the line and gave us more high fives.

Speedball & Zachary Levi

            PALM RESTAURANT: I read something online about Marvel doing art for the restaurant and it was close to Nerd HQ so I went over. The man who greeted us at the door was very nice and gave us a tour of the Marvel art. There is a staircase where the art originated  before they gave Marvel a larger place to put art up. It has been a yearly Comic Con tradition for Marvel to send one artist to the restaurant to draw one character for the last five years. If you can go to the Palm Restaurant and see it, I recommend it.

 Humberto Ramos added the Hawkeye this year

            KEVIN SMITH & JASON MEWES: This was one of the panels that Nerd HQ was offering. I always like seeing the two of them. I’ve seen them a few times and I have most all of Kevin’s films including his “Evening With” series. It was a fun panel but he said some things that inspired me. He’s always very candid and coming to the end of his film career (he’s retiring after “Hit Somebody”) so he’s been more introspective.

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes with Nerd HQ's host, Zachary Levi

FRIENDS OF THE NERDOLUTION: This was another panel at Nerd HQ and included a Q&A and signing with Zachary Levi, Danny Pudi, Jorge Garcia, Olivia Munn, Alessandra Torresani, Alison Haislip, and Joshua Gomez. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it until Olivia pointed out a guy in the audience who had fallen asleep. The panel woke him up and when the rested man decided to ask the panel a question, Jorge pretended to fall asleep. The signing went great – Alison and Olivia had to leave (the signing was scheduled for an hour but took about two hours) but came down the line and signed everything. Olivia even took pictures with the fans. Zachary was the last person to sign and recognized me from the night before and thanked me again for supporting the charity.

 Friends of the Nerdolution is all it's awesome glory!

            FELICIA DAY PRESENTS DRAGON AGE: This was the third and last of my panels at Nerd HQ. Felicia came out and showed us a trailer that was awesome. I’m looking forward to her newest web series. Before she showed it to us she asked us not to tape it and put it on the internet or she’d be in trouble – hopefully everyone obeyed. Zachary Levi (as he did with all the panels) introduced Felicia Day and came up at the end to say a little something about the people on that panel and pose for pictures with them.

Felicia Day during her Q&A

            HASBRO: One of the hardest pills to swallow at the Con is the tradition of standing in line for an hour to get a ticket that allows you to stand in another line for almost three hours. Luckily I had a friend who called me from the Hasbro line as I was in line for a ticket to get into that line. She was after the Star Wars Death Star Collector’s Set and I was able to get to the line to give her money for both versions of the GI Joe Zarana figure and the Sky Striker decorated up to look like Starscream with Cobra Commander and the gun that Generation 1 Megatron used to transform into. I missed out on Sgt Slaughter last year and I can’t touch a pair of those for less than $80 on eBay or on the Con floor (they retailed for $32 after tax – speculators have always made collecting difficult by buying up the supply and jacking up the prices).

Cobra with Megatron and Starscream

 

            TEAM UNICORN: When I saw ‘Team Unicorn’ was doing a signing at Nerd HQ the first thing I thought was “Who?” A quick internet search brought me to the “Geek andGamer Girls Song” video and I was hooked. I love the Team Unicorn videos. I asked one of them if I’d ever be able to get it on DVD and she said to look on their website in a matter of weeks. It was awesome.

Team Unicorn in the Geek & Gamer Girlz video

            DARK HORSE GREEN SCREEN: During the Con, Dark Horse took green screen shots with fans on a variety of backgrounds. For a few hours it would be Conan then Star Wars, etc. I took a picture on a Star Wars and on a Buffy/Angel & Faith background. As soon as they’re up, Dark Horse will email me so I can go to their website and download the shot.

            BREA GRANT: Brea Grant was at the IDW Publishing booth. She and her brother wrote the Suicide Girls comic book (the signing panel was Brea Grant, Zane Grant, MissySuicide, David Hahn, and Cameron Stewart). I was able to get Suicide Girls #1 & 2 signed by the panel and a Heroes 8x10 by Brea Grant. I can’t say enough nice stuff about her – she was really sweet. The 8x10 was of her and Masi Oka and she told me that he joins the cast on the next season of Hawaii 5-0.

            HEATHER FAGAN: Heather Fagan from Browncoats: Redemption was working the Browncoats fan table at Comic Con and I was able to get the 8x10 I ordered from the website signed. That’s one crew member down – the rest to go. I reviewed the movie here and recently bought the Blu Ray (actually I bought 2 and each of the 8x10s they had). The only change between the DVD and Blu Ray version is better sound but it's still the same awesome film.

            SPIDER-MAN AND THE AVENGERS FIGURES: Hasbro had postcards advertising next year’s Spider-Man and Avengers movie-inspired 3 ¾” action figure lines. To say I’m a 3 ¾” fan where Marvel is concerned is an understatement. Check out some of the other photos I took of upcoming figures.

The Avengers and Spider-Man movie figure lines

            FREEBIE TABLE: Every year I visit websites and watch videos that I didn’t know existed. Maythefourthbewithyou.us is the fan-run website that is trying to stage a convention May 4-6 of next year to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of Star Wars. I signed up for the mailing list and I’ll wait and see what happens.

I also checked out the trailer for NYPDM at nypdm.com and the trailer looks interesting. Here is what it’s about from the website “NYPDM is an introduction to a world of supernatural mystery as seen by a unique group of New York City cops. This special unit possesses insight into a dark world where monsters are real and answers often lead to more questions.”

Asuperherostory.com also looks promising. There is only a trailer up but this action-comedy series looks great and I’ll keep an eye on it. I wish A Superhero Story and NYPDM had actual episodes made they look interesting.

 Check it out

DAN DIDIO ON MANY DC UNIVERSE RELAUNCH PANELS: The most exciting comic-book event was also one of the most consistently well-attended panels all weekend. DC had two or three panels focusing on the relaunch and Dan wanted to answer as many fan questions as possible. I already covered my excitement about the relaunch and dcbservice.com had a great deal on all 52 #1 issues ($80). I found out that there will still be parts of the character’s past that will still be cannon in the relaunch. For example, although Barbara Gordon is Batgirl again, the events of “The Killing Joke” happened. Gail Simone promised that there is a compelling story behind Barbara’s ability to walk again. We’ll see. 

 

Dan DiDio at one of the panels

Other interesting pictures

The police have questions about the Iron Man monster truck parked in front of Marvel's Monster Truck exhibit on 6th - it was blocking a lane

 

A small part of a kick ass Marvel Universe display

GI Joe display - the USS Flag is not coming out but everything on it either is out or is coming out

Bobarine? WolverFett?

Me having fun with the inflatable monster truck in front of Marvel's exhibit

I have Buffy, Willow, and I've ordered Faith and Spike. Awesome.

Quick Review: Green Lantern

I was looking forward to Green Lantern. Even bad reviews couldn’t kill my excitement. Unfortunately, seeing the film did kill the excitement. Hal Jordan is a test pilot still fixated on his own father’s death at the stick. When Green Lantern Abin Sur is close to death, his ring selects Jordan as a ring-bearer. From there we see him train on Oa, get the cold shoulder from Sinestro, argue, bond, argue, bond with Carol Ferris, and save the world.

Good: Some of the only good scenes are when Hal is on Oa hanging out with other Green Lanterns. In the comics, Sinestro was a Green Lantern at one time and the movie did a great job making him both commanding and likeable but adding a little foreshadowing to the story where you can see him being the evil villain he was destined to become. In the comic, the ring is useless on anything yellow. I’m glad the movie didn’t mention it and the ring worked fine on yellow things.

Bad: Geez. Where do I start? The main villain in this film is Parallax, a yellow blob that destroys planets and manages to kill several powerful Green Lanterns including the one who was able to imprison him at one time, Abin Sur. Hal is able to kill the villain in what has to be the most uninspired final battle since the ‘strobe-light-battle’ in Ang Lee’s “The Hulk.” My thought is that if you start the franchise with Parallax, battling against someone weaker (Sinestro) in the sequel is pretty lame.

I also hated Carol Ferris and the Hal/Carol story. She’s mad at him, she’s disappointed in him, she’s worried about him, she’s disappointed in him again, she’s mad again, she’s supportive – PICK ONE. Less would have been more. I thought one of the cooler things was when Hal when to her house has Green Lantern and I thought he was going to reveal his secret, instead Carol quickly figures out who he is (the tiny mask makes for a lousy disguise from a childhood friend). I was disappointed because I thought it would be the first time I saw any emotional depth from the characters in the film. The heartfelt conversation afterward was unnecessary because 20 minutes later she repeats part of it in his apartment.

See It/Skip It/Buy It: There was so much I hated about this film. I haven’t even scratched the surface. SKIP IT. Don’t give Warner Bros a reason to make a sequel. Make them start over like they’re doing with Superman. In the future (if there are any  Warner Bros reps watching) watch Marvel movies to see how to create characters that the audience roots for (Tony Stark is a womanizing alcoholic with a HUGE ego and we still like him so writing a likeable Hal Jordan is possible). So far I’ve hated Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern, Deadpool, and he was pretty good as Hannibal in Blade Trinity. I don’t know if I should blame him, the script, or the director (Chris Evans has done a lot of comic book movies and been great in all of them – I can’t wait until Captain America comes out).

What I would have done differently: I would have made the movie more about Hal and Sinestro. Hal is a successful test pilot (not a dude still suffering some kind of PTSD over his father’s death) who is selected for the Corps after being suspended for destroying a test jet (not for incompetence but because it will take the company a while to get another jet up and running for Hal to test). On Oa, he will train, bond, and go on missions with Kilowog and Sinestro while returning to earth every so often.

Carol Ferris, a pilot and the daughter of the owner of Hal’s company, comes to check up on him and hang out – they have enjoyed a close friendship since childhood. Hal’s training on Oa is making him less glib as he has seen a lot of other cultures and saved lives. Carol is attracted to Hal’s newfound sense of responsibility even if she doesn’t know where it comes from and the two start dating. While out on a date, something happens and Hal is forced to use the ring to save Carol or save someone right in front of her. Eventually Sinestro would meet Carol either on Earth or because Hal takes her to Oa. When the Yellow Lantern Corps threatens either Earth or Oa, Carol is there to see it – Hal and Sinestro side-by-side, friends.

At some point in the battle, Sinestro puts a yellow ring on with his green ring still on and is able to wield them both, tipping the scales so Hal can get the upper hand and help to defeat the remaining Yellow Lanterns. At the end, Hal thanks his friend Sinestro for helping to either keep Earth or (if they’re on Oa) Carol safe. Sinestro is still wearing both rings and Hal jokes that he’s going to have to take one of those rings off eventually (as the yellow one seemed painful to use during the fight). At the end, Hal and Carol fly off into the sunset and have some meaningful conversation or other.

At the very end (maybe after the credits), Sinestro is looking down on Oa, the planet is so small to him from where he is in space. He looks down at the two rings on his finger. You then see him from the chest up, he looks like he’s taking a ring off and lifts a green ring into view – he’s taken it off! Slowly his costume changes from Green to Yellow Lantern and he glares at the green ring as he releases it, allowing it to float away from him. As he flies off, the green ring pulses and zips off through space where it goes to Earth to land in the hand of John Stewart, Guy Gardner, or Kyle Rayner.

This would set up a second movie where Hal, Carol, and the Corps are conflicted about Sinestro being a Yellow Lantern and Hal spends the movie fighting him but trying to convince him to take the yellow ring off until deciding that Sinestro has to be stopped even if it means killing him, setting Sinestro up as Hal’s arch-enemy. Hal also has to train the new Green Lantern chosen by Sinestro’s ring. And Sinestro goes after his old ring’s new bearer, taking it personal that someone dares to wield it.

DC Relaunches Their Entire Superhero Line

DC Comics announced they were canceling their entire line and relaunching with 53 titles that are a mix of old titles (Superman) and new titles (Fury of Firestorm). This isn’t just a ploy or some weak ‘jumping on’ point for new readers – they are actually erasing decades of muddled continuity and starting over with a new universe. And this new universe will work WildStorm characters in (DC is offering The Grifter, StormWatch, and Voodoo ongoing series). I looked around the internet for articles and read as much as I could.

I’ve been reading comics for almost thirty years and I’ve always been a fan of both DC and Marvel titles. I was there for most of DC’s milestones. I was there for The Killing Joke, the Death of Superman, A Death in the Family, 52, Countdown, Identity Crisis, Final Crisis, etc. I had a lot of fun in this DC Universe but the problem with all that continuity is that it takes a lot of effort to triple check all of your stories to make sure they don’t conflict with established continuity unless you’re changing a character’s back story (like in Byrnes’ “Man of Steel” mini) and it handcuffs the writers’ creativity.

I currently enjoy a few DC titles and like checking in on others from time to time but I’m excited that the DCU is starting over fresh. From everything I’ve read, origins and costumes may be tweaked or changed all together to make them more current. For example, Batman may still lose his parents and dedicate his life to fighting crime but his parents might die in a drive-by shooting or a disgruntled employee might plant a car bomb – or his origin will stay the same.

Bob Wayne at DC Comics stresses, “[This] is the launch ofthe New DCU.  It is not a 'reboot.'” I’ll be ordering all 52 titles to see if I like them. All 52? Yes. I don’t think I’ll ever see another universe-wide relaunch like this again in my lifetime. This is a really exciting time to be a comic book fan.

I’ve read a lot of negative stuff from the fans but DC isn’t relaunching with new writers and artists. All of the great writers and artists at DC will be working on the books and I’m sure they’ve been cooking this up for a year or more. Before Justice League #1 (the first book of the relaunch) is released, you can bet that there is plenty of foundation laid out to ensure that there are great stories to tell for years to come. 

CHECK OUT THE LIST OF TITLES AND CREATIVE TEAMS HERE. 

Teen Titans #1 cover by Brett Booth

Toy Reviews: GI Joe, Marvel Universe, and Vintage Star Wars

I was never a big toy collector. I always dabbled, getting a figure here or there, but not collecting an entire series of anything. Then I saw advertising (I’m not sure where) for the GI Joe 25^th Anniversary box set and I couldn’t wait.

As a kid I was a huge GI Joe fan and had a lot of the figures. As I got older I didn’t know what to do with the figures so I sold them to a friend. Over the years I’ve seen the vintage figures at comic stores, yard sales, and on eBay but haven’t wanted to reacquire them. But the 25^th Anniversary figures were different – the sculpts were light years better than the originals. I have all of the figures (not variants except the Wraith variant) from each basic wave.

That was the start of my addiction to 3 ¾ figures.

I’m not as big a collector of the Pursuit of Cobra line of figures but I now have every figure of every basic wave of Marvel Universe figures (with the exception of some variants) and I get a few figures from each 3 ¾ series so I thought I’d review a few of those toy lines.

In the pictures are (from left to right): Cobra Shock Trooper (from GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra), Dial-Tone (from GI Joe 25^th Anniversary (GI Joe Collector’s Club Exclusive)), Hal Jordan: Green Lantern (from Green Lantern movie), Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), and Battlefield Captain America (from Captain America: The First Avenger)

GI Joe 25^th Anniversary

This is the series that started the 3 ¾ revolution for me. When I was a kid I collected the figures, comic books, and eagerly watched the cartoons. As an adult, I don’t like the cartoons too much, the comic books aren’t that great, but the characters themselves have made an indelible mark on my life that these figures perfectly embody.

Good: A good portion of the figures I had as a kid were redone with new sculpts but the same great accessories and even greater articulation. Matt Tracker as a GI Joe figure rocks! Bring back MASK!

Bad: There were a few lousy characters – anything from “Tiger Force” sucked. Matt Tracker seemed to sell really well so why not release more GI Joe-style MASK figures?

Available: The availability really depended on the wave. There were waves I never saw so I had to get them from entertainmentearth.com or smalljoes.com.

Dabble/Collect: At the time I would have said “Collect” but it’s been a while and prices are high and they aren’t sold in stores anymore. Still, if you had a chance to get any of these great figures, congratulations.

GI Joe Pursuit of Cobra

After the success of the “25^th Anniversary” and “Rise of Cobra” lines, Hasbro gives us the most accessorized and detailed GI Joe figures I’ve ever seen.

Good: From these figures’ all-new sculpts, their jackets, to the assortment of gear stuffed in the bubble, these figures are incredible.

Bad: Only 5 waves have come out and we already have 3 different versions of Snake Eyes. There are characters in here that are obscure or have never had a figure before while I want characters like Roadblock and Scarlett to get the “Pursuit” treatment.

Available: I have had to get almost all my figures through entertainmentearth.com. Stores continually have 3 or 4 sad figures hanging (most of them the Arctic Destro).

Dabble/Collect: I dabble. I only have the first Snake Eyes they came out with and all of the Storm Shadow figures have sucked. Figures like Firefly, Lowlight, and Beachhead are my favorite action figure versions of those characters. But figures like Croc Master and Blowtorch look just like their 25^th Anniversary counterparts.

Green Lantern movie

This is DC’s first foray into 3 ¾ territory (I think their other figure lines were 3” and I don’t count the animated style figures) and they’ve based the figures on the upcoming Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds. I got swept up in Green Lantern fever and purchased the Toys ‘R Us Early Bird figure.

Good: It’s Green Lantern along with other members of the Green Lantern Corp. The figures have cool “construct” accessories like Green Lantern has a huge green fist and Sinestro has two green swords.

Bad: The sculpts are a little thin and figures like Kilowag don’t tower over the other figures like he should. There is limited articulation and they’re just as expensive as much better figure lines like GI Joe: Pursuit of Cobra and any of the Marvel lines.

Available: All of the figures have been very available and no figures seem to be more popular than others.

Dabble/Collect: I only have Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Kilowog, Sinestro, and Abin Sur. If a figure comes out based on Blake Lively, I’ll pick that one up and then I’ll have all of the main cast.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

PotC is here again and with it, a new slew of toys. I don’t know if this is the first time Jack has been 3 ¾ because I wouldn’t have been paying attention back then.

Good: Great detailing and no glut of Jack Sparrow in different uniforms. Even Gibbs gets a figure in this series. The accessories are a cool rubber material which makes their hats go on easily but help them to stay put. The swords have scabbards attached to the figures and are easy to get in and out.

Bad: Lack of articulation and they’re just as expensive as much better figure lines like GI Joe: Pursuit of Cobra and any of the Marvel lines. I haven’t seen any indication that they’re going to come out with a Philip and Syrena figure (they were a major part of the movie).

Available: I haven’t noticed a shortage of any one figure.

Dabble/Collect: I dabble very little in this collection. I bought a Toys ‘R Us exclusive three pack with Jack Sparrow, Angelina, and Blackbeard because it was $20 for three figures and I wanted all three figures. I will also get Philip and Syrena figures if they become available as they were the best part of the movie for me (aside from Jack’s antics of course).

Captain America: The First Avenger

The Avengers film is less than a year away but Captain America is coming to a theatre near you next month. Marvel has a tradition with its X-Men Origins and Iron Man 2 figures of giving you three categories of figures: Movie, Comic Book, and Concept. Captain America: The First Avenger action figure series is no different.

Good: Captain America costumes from the movie to the Heroic Age of comics along with villains like the movie version of Red Skull and the comic book version of Crossbones make this line diverse enough for movie and comic book lovers.

Bad: In the tradition of X-Men Origins and Iron Man 2 figures, the women in the film and in the comic book have been ignored. I don’t know who the girl is shooting at Cap in the trailer of the film but it’s a good bet she won’t have a figure. Also, I hate some of the bladed and separating shields - I want the figures to have the regular shield (I have to get a figure with a regular shield to replace the stupid looking ones that come with the Heroic Age or Ultimates version).

Available: My guess is that this series will follow in Iron Man 2’s footsteps. There will always be three or four figures only released one to a case in one wave while six of the various Captain America figures will always haunt the toy shelves, never moving until there is a sale that frees up some space. That shelf space will be taken by another 5 cases of figures that collectors have already cherry picked which will leave the same six various Captain America figures clogging the shelves. Ugh.

Dabble/Collect: Collect…eventually. I only bought the Battlefield Captain America and I’m waiting until the movie is released to see if I can find a Red Skull figure to see how much trouble finding figures is going to be. If I can’t find Red Skull, I might have to spring for a case of figures on entertainmentearth.com. If I spring for a case, I’ll be assured that all I have is one figure that I might end up with more than one of.

In the pictures are (from left to right): Stormtrooper (from Vintage Star Wars), The Hulk (from Marvel Universe), Logan (from X-Men Origins: Wolverine), War Machine (from Iron Man 2), and Black Guard (from Tron Legacy)

Vintage Star Wars

I liked the vintage announcement that said we were celebrating Empire Strikes Back’s anniversary with action figures on vintage-looking cards. With the vintage figures came a mail away offer for a vintage Boba Fett with the rocket-firing accessory he was supposed to have when he first came out in the 80’s. It also came with the largest AT-AT in the history of the toy.

I’m not a Star Wars collector but I wanted the AT-AT badly. I didn’t get to have one as a kid and have been eyeballing it whenever it has come out in the past. I couldn’t resist it. I also couldn’t resist the mail away Boba Fett figure so I had to get five figures and ended up with about 10.

Good: Great articulation, the figures are detailed with great paint jobs, and the accessories were movie/character specific.

Bad: The price: $9-$10 per figure. There are characters in the vintage line that no one wants (the no-name aliens and things like Senate Guard) and no one is paying for. The figures look great in the packages but they’re basically figures you’ve gotten in other series (except the R2-D2 on Jabba’s Skiff – I’ve never seen that one before and I collect R2-D2s).

Available: All of the figures are available – I do look through them still looking for anything new and flip to the back to see what other figures are out and can find all the figures at different times. But that first wave with Boba Fett and Luke in Bespin outfit is gone and I haven’t seen that in a while.

Dabble/Collect: If you’re a Star Wars fan, you already are collecting these in some form or another. I just dabble in the figures that I thought I’d need to stage a scene with the super-huge AT-AT.

Marvel Universe

When I found out there were 3 ¾ Marvel figures that were just as detailed and articulated as the Legends line, I thought that sounded awesome. At first I was hesitant to get any because the good Legends figures were always really difficult to get and showed up on eBay for 2 – 3 times retail. The first time I saw the first wave at Toys ‘R Us was the first and the last time I was able to grab every figure in a wave. I was hooked. I loved the figures.

Good: Great diversity in the line from Avengers to X-Men to street-level heroes, no corner of the Marvel Universe is untouched. The detailing is great, the paint is great, and I like that the figures come with a stand like the GI Joe figures do. I like that figures like Juggernaut and Hulk are enormous while Spider-Man is appropriately thin in comparison.

Bad: Some of the figures have been…stupid. Wolverine in the Jim Lee blue & yellow costume without his mask on? Some two packs have a figure you already have (Deadpool) with a new figure you don’t (Taskmaster). And the upcoming three packs have a Fantastic Four pack with two figures we already have and one figure we don’t (Invisible Girl). There is an X-Force silver & black Wolverine, Warpath, and Deadpool but the only way to get the Archangel version is to pay $100 because it was an exclusive at the New York Convention. Speaking of X-Force, female characters are virtually ignored in this line as well – no Psylocke or X-23.

Available: Most figures are tough to get here in San Diego. The racks currently have three versions of Iron Man, AIM soldier, Winter Soldier, Iron Spider-Man, and Jim Lee Wolverine. I order most of my figures from entertainmentearth.com but I have never seen a Cable, Thanos, Archangel, Mystique, etc. in all of my Target/Walmart/Toys ‘R Us toy searches.

Dabble/Collect: Collect them all! This line will probably end before it gives us all the awesomeness it can and I’ve been able to make some diverse teams with the figures (like the New Fantastic Four with Spider-Man, the Gray Hulk, Wolverine (classic yellow & blue (not Jim Lee uniform)), and Ghost Rider (I know it’s the wrong version but it’s the only one they’ve come out with).

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The movie was garbage. In the cannon of X-movies, I pretend this one doesn’t exist (X-Men First Class is much better if you do the same thing).

Good: The toy line was amazing – movie and comic book versions of the Wolverine cast and various X-Men. There was a Toys ‘R Us exclusive Wolverine with a motorcycle and the comic book version of Sabertooth, there was comic book versions of Maverick, Gambit, Deadpool, and Iceman. The tan and brown version of Wolverine was awesome.

Bad: No movie version of Blob. There was no comic book or movie version of Wraith, Silverfox, Agent Zero, or Emma Frost. The movie had the Hudsons and, although Marvel Universe put out Guardian, could have put out a comic book version of Heather as Vindicator. It also would have been a good reason to put out the comic book version of the original Alpha Flight.

Available: Everything was available until the later waves. I found out after all the figures had disappeared off the shelves that Colossus was available in one of the waves and is the only figure I didn’t see.

Dabble/Collect: For Marvel Universe figure collectors, this line is a gold mine of X-Men characters and just about every version of Wolverine is presented here. Whether you dabble or collect you can’t go wrong.

Iron Man 2

Whether you liked the movie or thought it was a 2 hour advertisement for the Avengers, the toy line had a lot of variety. I was pretty sick of Iron Man figures because the Marvel Universe line already had Iron Man in a variety of armors. The Iron Man 2 line brought a lot of great Comic Book version movie armors and some cool Concept armors too.

Good: There is no stone left unturned as just about every comic book version of Iron Man’s armor is offered in this collection. The Mark 1 from the first movie and the original armor from the comic book is a great touch. A Toys ‘R Us exclusive set gives us the movie version of Nick Fury. And the movie and comic book versions of War Machine are awesome.

Bad: The Ultimate armor is a concept armor but it would have been awesome to have the Ultimates version of Iron Man. I also would have liked movie and comic book versions of Petter Potts and Happy Hogan and Tony and Rhodey as civilians.

Available: The later waves are hard to find. I have only one of each drone because I’ve only laid eyes on them once.

Dabble/Collect: Dabble only. There are some armors that are beyond stupid (I’m looking at you Inferno armor).

Tron Legacy

How cool were the uniforms in this movie? There wasn’t an enormous amount of characters in this film so there wasn’t a lot of depth to the movie line. And because of the light-up features of each figure, they were expensive.

Good: The light-up features were cool. The figures all had stands and could actually hold their identity disks.

Bad: They were expensive. While the Tron Legacy figures were cool, there was an opportunity to do figures from the first movie. I wish the light on the light-up feature would stay on – that would make it cool to display. The areas where the figures light up are dark and make it look like the suits are all black when not lit up. It would have been cool to have figures without the feature so the suits could have bright colors like in the movies (and they would have been cheaper).

Available: I’ve seen all the figures and right now most places are only charging about $5 per figure to get rid of them.

Dabble/Collect: Dabble for me. If you’re a huge Tron fan, pick them all up because there aren’t that many of them.