Gripes about action figures

I collect action figures. There, I've said it. You can laugh if you want, but I do it and I don't care what you think. If there's a cool looking action figure based on a comic character, then chances are, I'll pick it up and set it up in my office. With that said, Marvel Legends is a high quality action figure series and I usually pick up at least one figure from every lineup they come up with. However, for series 9 and 10, each figure came packaged with a piece to make a huge (16") Galactus or Sentinal figure respectively. Here are images of the two figures:




I think you'd all agree that they both look pretty friggin' cool. So what pisses my off, is that I would have to buy 7 other figures that I don't want (well, maybe Dr. Strange) in order to get the pieces to make the bigger figures. I would much prefer if the figure came assembled and was like $40-50 instead of the $100+ is is now. So shame on Marvel Legends for trying to coerce the action figure buying public into buying crappy figures (ie. Professor X and Grey Hulk) in order to get a good figure. Shenanigans I say!

New Comic Day April 27

Hello all,
So finally I am keeping up to date and posting stuff I bought April 27 the day after instead of three weeks after. Joy.

I had gone through my recently bought comics the other day and decided that I needed a new comic box. Much to my dissapointment, Elfsar didn't have any, so now I still have a huge stack sitting on my other boxes. Hopefully they get some in next week.

Besides the fact that I can't store my comics, something else also got my goat. Last week I missed picking up the O.M.A.C Project so I planned to pick it up today, but to my shock Elfsar has it bagged and boarded with a $9.95 sticker on it! WTF!? It came out LAST WEEK for petesakes. Needless to say, I didn't buy it and will have to do without this particular piece of the Infinite Crisis puzzle (until of course the 2nd printing comes out).

Anyways, here are the comics/magazines I purchased April 27th:

Invincible #0

Wow, two doses of Invincible this month. I'm absolutely giddy. This issue takes place immediately after #22 and is supposed to lead into #23. It acts as an origin issue as well for new readers by having Mark tell Amber all about his powers. It was a really good read (as always) except Amber seemed like kind of a bitch as Mark was explaining things to her, but hey that just my opinion. I'm really glad that Lightning Bolt comics still had the first five issues available after 6 months of the series' creation, otherwise I might not have gotten into what has become my favorite comic.

Ultimate Secret #2

This issue shows that Captain Marvel saved the zero-point energy drive from last issue and then passed out. In typical American fashion, they restrain him and beat the crap out of him before realizing he's a defector and there to help. The Ultimate FF are called into help and there's some interesting dialouge from Reed about the Drake equation. Although this series is supposed to have "lasting ramifications throughout the Ultimate Universe", it must take place before Ultimates #5 where Thor is locked up for being a nutjob. So it will be interesting to see how the continuity unfolds as the series progresses. I am looking forward to seeing Ultimate Ga-Lak-Tus though.

Superman #215

Finally this year long run is over. I will read the entire run over the weekend in one sitting and then pass final judgement on it, but don't expect any high praises for the story. As far as I can tell, nothing really happened and the story seemed like it was all over the place. I looked at several other reviews and I haven't seen any that really enjoyed this arc. One reviewer claimed that it was "the best Superman story in years, which shows how crappy the rest of the stories were." So check back Sunday/Monday for an overview.

Ultimate Spider-man #76

Man, Bendis pumps these suckers out like there was no tomorrow! It was only two weeks ago that issue 75 hit the stands. Even thought the quanity is high, the quality doesn't seem to suffer. This issue sees the Hobgoblin revealed in all his catty glory (basically an orange version of the Green Goblin, except with a face like a puma) and a big fight scene ensues. The issue was over a bit soon for my tastes, but thats due to the increased level of action. Should be interesting to see how the story ends. My prediction: it will begin after everything is resolved and then told in flashback.

Wizard #164

I just flipped through this issue and haven't had a chance to read much of it. Usually when I do so, some of the articles catch my eye and seem interesting, but this didn't happen with this issue. Check back for an update to this post that will have more comments.

Superman Movie Woes

Hi folks. The following picture is a comparison between the actual suit that will be used in the Superman movie and one redone by someone in photoshop. I'll let you look at them and decide which is which.


If you were thinking that the one on the left is the movie one, then you would be WRONG, even though it looks 1000 times better than the one on the right! I can't beleive that Brian Singer who brought us the two amazing X-men movies could have a part in this fashion faux-paus. I mean COME ON!! What's with the small "S" shield, the dark red and the speedo swim trunks? They should have went with a brighter red and a darker blue like the pic on the left. Many fans have expressed the same opinion as mine and some of them have defended the outfit saying its a bad angle or whatnot. A big raspberry to that says I. Oh yeah, who else thinks Brandon Routh in this get up looks a little like Gerard Christopher from the late 80's Superboy TV series



Except he has a better costume.

Well hopefully with digital effects, they can make that piece of crap look good so the film industry doesn't ruin another comic franchise.

New Comic Day April 20

Once again I apologize for the lack of updates folks, but school was hitting me pretty hard the last little while. Anyways, that's all done with now so I can focus on more important things: Pam and comics. As well, posts for the previous two weeks have been added for your reading pleasure.

Since my comic shop sets aside comics for me every week, sometimes I miss out on stuff they put on the rack. This usually doesn't happen because I skim the rack anyways, but this time I didn't and missed out on the OMAC project #1 and the conclusion to the "God-awful-fall" Superman arc. So you may be in for a weekend treat if I head down to Elfsar and pick them up tomorrow.

These are the comics that I bought today:
Invincible #22

Once again this series exceeds my expectations. This is a very chatty issue with lots going on and it comes close to being my favorite of the series. Words just can't really describe how good this comic is, so go out, order the new Ultimate Collection Volume 1 and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Ex Machina #10

This is also another book that I highly recommend. It seems like the arcs will be five issues long as this ends the 2nd of the series' storylines. Vaughn mixes sci-fi with politics in a great way and never makes you sick of either. Tony Harris and Tom Feister have a very defined artistic style that beautifully expresses Vaughn's script. There's a trade paperback out now called: The First Hundred Days that collects the first 5 issues, so if you want to try it, pick that up or wait until next month for a new storyline.

Teen Titans #23

This is the conclusion to the Dr. Light storyline and he takes on two dozen Teen Titans in one of the best fight sequences since Deathstroke vs. the JLA in Identity Crisis. The whole mess ties in with DC's Countdown to Infinite Crisis spectacular $$$ grab this fall.

We see the titans get a wake up call with regards to the "heroes" they've looked up to all there lives which might cause a rift between the two generations.

The only real negative things about this issue is the end when it's shown Batman is Deathstroke. I don't follow the Batman regular titles so I have no frigging clue how/when this took place so I'm a bit lost. I don't want to have to buy more comics just to figure this out. As well, issue 24 next month sparks a crossover between the Outsiders and the Titans which blows for the same reason. More comics = more $$$ that I don't have. I should join a support group.

New Comic Day April 13

Here are the comics that I bought today:

Ultimate Spider-man #75

Wow, this series has come a long way. 75 issues already. It seems like only yesterday that Dylan of Lighning Bolt Comic in Charlottetown P.E.I. handed me a gorgeous white cover copy...ah memories. Surprisingly enough, there was no extras regarding this as a milestone of any kind. It's even in the middle of an arc. Oh well, good for Marvel for not selling us crap circa early 90's. This issue continues the Hobgoblin storyline which seems to be heading down the predictable path (see March 16 post). But it did offer something interesting regarding Norman's go-to guy that tried to run down Peter way back in issue #1. But alas, due to $ constraints, Ultimate Spider-man may have to stay on the shelf. That is, until I start actually making money and buy all the back issues.

Ultimates 2 #5

This is probably my favorite issue of the series so far. It features a good old fashion brawl between Thor and the rest of the Ultimates. After that though, some interesting story developments arise regarding Thor's sanity. I'm looking forward to the remainder of the series and more of Ultimate Loki. Hopefully Millar and Hitch will stay on for more than 12 issues.

Ultimate X-men #58

Normally I wouldn't have got this issue because I said last month was my last issue, but I picked it up and was happily surprised to see Steve Dillon's (of Preacher fame) artwork grace the pages. The story was a great stand-alone issue and coupled with Dillon's art made for a great read. Speaking of the story, we get to see Xavier be a bit of a bad-ass as he's present in a bank during a robbery. Not only does he save the day, but we get a glimse into his psyche and see that he's the kind of guy that will do whatever it takes to see his dream realized.


Fables #36

We finally get to see some Homeland action (and no, not the 1995 (horrible) Magic set). This new storyline re-introduces us to Boy Blue and see where he went after the mayoral election and what he's been up to (mainly cutting goblins up). I for one am glad a series like this is out there which makes characters we've all known for years original and exciting in the modern day world. I'll be getting this one for a long while.

New Comic Day April 6

The following are comics that I purchased today:

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #2

This is one of those books that (forgive the buzzwords) actually does take a refreshing spin on an old villain. We get to see Luthor's perspective on the world and begin to understand why he truly hates Superman so much: the fact that people look up to him and aspire to be like him, even though he isn't one of them. However, although we may come to sympathize with Lex, we also see his dark side when it comes to business practices. All in all though I've liked the first two issues of this series and look forward to the next three.

Superman/Batman #18

Finally and end to this goofy storyline! This will be my final issue of Superman/Batman unless there's another arc that sounds interesting. No more of this stick with it and hope it gets better BS for this series. I'll only get it if I know its good. The worst thing about situations when someone alters time is YOU KNOW THAT IT WILL BE UNDONE AND IN THE END IT'S LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. Zero progression or lasting effects (other than the memories Bats and Supes have, which I'm sure in a month, will never be talked about again).

Green Lantern: Rebirth #5

I've said it before, I was never much of a Green Lantern fan but this series has piqued my interest in Hal. This issue has the throwdown between Jordan and Sinestro and it's a pretty good one too, made all the better by Ethan Van Scriver's gorgeous pencils. He's fast becoming one of my favorite artists. I'll have to reread the first few issues to see if the question of why Sinestro's neck isn't broken is answered. That was the last time I saw Sinestro in fact: when Hal went nuts (or possessed by Parallax: you decide) and took a rampage through the Corps. Regardless, the issue was good and ended with Batman ruining everyone's fun.

Strange #5

Just looking at this cover makes you want to go out and buy it, doesn't it? Man, this is probably one of my favorite covers of all time. It's just so damn exciting. This issue sees Steven Strange coming to grips with the fact he's been manipulated most of his life and the training he receives from the ancient one. Baron Mordo also makes and appearance and summons Dormamuu. No biggie. Not a fabulous issue, but the cover is amazing. Should be interesting to see how things wrap up next month.

Y: The Last Man #32

The gang finally leaves North America on their way to Japan. This obviously begins a new arc and it's entitled: "Girl on Girl" And yes there is girls kissing in this issue. I really enjoy this series but it would be nice for a change if Yorrick could actually set out to do something WITHOUT running into trouble (ie. the end of this issue, I won't ruin it for you). I know it would make for a boring situation, but come on, there's only so much that can happen to a person.