Action Figure Update - July 2010 - Marvel, Simpsons & Much More

Since I last wrote about my action figure collection, it has grown considerably. Excessively, as my wife might say. For a while, I was sticking soley to the Marvel Legends line from Hasbro, but I've since branched out into new territory. I have also started buying up a good load of carded figures as well - some of which I intend to offer up for sale (Did I mention I'll be selling stuff as Rebel Alliance Canada at the Winnipeg Comic Con this Halloween weekend?), and some I'll want to keep for a while; maybe forever. As of this moment, I've got Simpsons, Star Wars, Avatar: the Last Airbender, D.C., G.I. Joe and even a sweet Muppets figure. I can't possibly list them all here, but I'll get to some of the highlights.

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DC (series unknown) - Wonder Woman

I'm not sure of which series this figure belongs to, but WW was my first (and so far only) female superhero figure. She's not nearly as flexible as the Marvel Legends figures at the same 6' scale (yet another reason why Marvel is better than DC), but she's still pretty cool. I got her loose from a local seller, and she came with her famous Golden Lasso of Truth as well as a small plastic base, without which she can't stand on her own, or at least not easily. I think I've already lost the Lasso, but not until after getting a nice shot of it in action:

I think Spidey needed to be taken down a peg. He's been hogging most of the photo glory for a while now.

Wonder Woman has never been one of my favorite characters, but some of her animated appearances show her kicking ass like only an Amazon Princess can. Overall, a great figure (pardon the lame pun) and a milestone addition to my collection - being the first female and the first DC.  Some of the DC figures are actually not bad, and other series of them are fully poseable like Marvel Legends. I'm looking into getting a Green Arrow or maybe an Aquaman. If only they made a figure of Ambush Bug....

Marvel Legends - Moon Knight

Speaking of Marvel, here's a good one. A longtime favorite of mine, Moon Knight is a very cool-looking character, and his persona is pretty interesting, if not somewhat bizarre. He's kind of a Bat-Man type hero - millionaire who fights crime with his own secret arsenal of weapons, trained himself to be a creature of the night.....you know, that old story. He has at least 4 distinct secret identities and thus has often suffered from multiple personality disorder. Add to that a case of recurring vivid hallucinations of a dead enemy and a government license to take the law in his own hands (thanks to the Registration Act), and you've got one messed up dude. For a while, he was getting his butt handed to him by thugs and villains nearly every issue of his own comic. He has recently cleaned up his act quite a bit, and is now a member of the brand new Secret Avengers.

He comes with a cool set of Nunchuks - at least that's all mine came with. Got him loose from Ebay. Probably keep this one.

The Simpsons - World of Springfield - Cletus

Probably my favorite Simpsons character ever. I mean, what's not to like? Of all of the walking stereotypes that you'll find on that show, he's got to be the funniest.  A peripheral character at best, he always produced a good laugh every time he was part of a joke....most often, he was the joke...a shining example of ignorance among hillbillies. Here's my favorite Cletus quote:

"If'n anybody e'er tell you a hawg won't et a finger - dey's a lyin'."

He comes with a jug of moonshine, a juicy piece of roadkill, an old pair of boots and a picture of his lovely wife, Brandine.

For some reason, I can picture him sharing that jug of XXX with Power Man (a photo favorite of mine). Stay tuned for exclusive pics!

 

Star Wars - Wampa w/ Hoth Cave

You probably won't see this figure in any of my toy photography, because I have just one and he's still in the package. He comes with the stuff you see in the bigger picture. Put it together with the Luke Skywalker figure and you can create the scene you see in the inset. This version is presumably based on the DVD or Special Edition version of  The Empire Strikes Back (a.k.a. - The Greatest Movie Ever Made). I don't belive that they showed the Wampa chewing on the tauntaun leg in the original release. What I also don't believe is that I've now featured two action figures in a row that come equipped with a nice meaty snack (see Cletus, above).

Star Wars - Yoda, Jedi Master

Continuing in the Star Wars vein, of course, I have to feature a Yoda. How can you sell Star Wars figures and not have a Yoda? Actually, I have several...

This one is from the Attack of the Clones series. I also have the orange carded Power of the Force version, as well as the one that came inside the mini Planet Dagobah diorama (this last one was a gift however, and it's not for sale). I guess it just goes to show you can't have enough of the most kick-ass Muppet who ever lived. Yeah, I know he's technically not a true Muppet and he didn't really do anything all that exciting until he was digital, but still...

Speaking of Muppets......

 

The Muppets (Series 5) - Pepe the King Prawn

(On Vacation)

Of all of the 'True' Muppets out there, this guy has got to be my hands-down fave. The buggy eyes, the crazy hair (do prawns have hair?) and the Spanish accent are just too much. He will always be seen putting the moves on any female co-star, especially the human ones. You have to admit, this shrimp's got style. He's a newer Muppet, introduced in the late 90's, and he's only been in a few of the movies, but he steals the show every time he's on screen.

I never thought anyone would make an action figure of him, but I'm sure glad they did. Turns out that his figure is worth considerably more money than most other Muppets from the same line, and he is pretty hard to find.

This picture is not mine. My apologies to whoever took it - I am far too lazy to try look up your name to give you proper credit. My Pepe is still absolutely M.O.C. (mint on card). In addition to what you see in the photo, he also comes with a lunchbox, a hairdryer and a pair of binoculars. "Need to get a closer look at de Ladies, Okay?"

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In an effort to keep people from falling asleep when reading this, I'm going to sign off here and get back to you soon. I know I've got you all clinging to the edge of your seat with anticipation, but I've got to go to sleep myself.

Of course there will be more. More action figures? More comics? More movies? Who knows? Next post might be about something totally different, but that's how it is. Random and ridiculous. Enjoy.

May the Force be with you...

More Awesome Comics!

Some people would say they've had enough of my comic booky weirdness...to them I say: "Nay! Have at thee, non-believer! Thou shalt know the full wrath of the Mighty TH......ANDY!"

Seriously...I take my comics seriously, and you should too. I truly feel sorry for the people who don't know what Adamantium is, how Spider-man really got the black suit, or what Green Lantern's (lame) weakness is. If you can't answer any of these, then we have a problem. You need to be edjumacated...

So then, my job here appears to be be to teach you what good comics to buy (preferrably from me - did I mention I'm a seller at the Comic Con?) and what crappy comics to avoid (ie: ones that are not sold by me). Once again, here are some juicy examples of the sweet, sweet comic crack that I can get for ya.

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Tales to Astonish # 93

I believe this is the first Hulk/Silver Surfer meeting in Marvel history. Certainly an excellent example of why I love comics. You take a monster with unlimited strength (the Hulk - who gets stronger as he gets madder) and make him fight a being (the Silver Surfer) with infinite Cosmic Power, make them butt heads and see what happens. The whole second half of the comic (Tales to Astonish was a double feature) is basically all action - Green on Silver ass-kicking - lots of slam bangin', 'FWOOM!' 'POW!' 'ZING!' 'F-TANG!' kind of stuff - straight out of 1967 (literally). The first half of the comic is a Sub-Mariner tale, and although he's cool, he's no Hulk or Silver Surfer....

Anyway, it's an excellent mid-60's comic from the Mighty Marvel. I'd like to think at least a few dudes back then were sitting in a fox hole in 'Nam reading this stuff....or at least a few freaked out hippies. Definitely a classic comic in my opinion.

Where Monsters Dwell # 6

If you look at my past blogs, you might notice that I have a thing for giant monsters. To me, nothing is cooler than some gargantuan beast dealing death and destruction upon heavily populated metropolitan areas. That probably says a lot about me as a person, be we won't worry about that for now. I think it was the cover of this comic that really grabbed me when I got it. Not only does it feature a gigantic tree-beast destroying the city, but he also has an awesome name - GROOT!! Plus the voice bubbles pretty much spell out the plot of this one. It's a great read if you like ridiculous monster stories like I do. This comic is actually a reprint of a tale originally told in Tales to Astonish # 13. (Weird how it all comes full circle, eh?) Originally published in 1960, Marvel thought it was a good idea to reprint it for the late 60's/early 70's crowd. I for one think it was a great idea, since I probably can't afford a good copy of the original. Groot is probably a rip-off of Treebeard the Ent from Lord of the Rings or the apple-throwing trees from the Wizard of Oz, but I like to think of him as a far more destructive living tree than has ever been seen before. Oh, and he's from Outer Space, so that's gotta count for something...

Fantastic Four # 73

Not the first time I've mentioned FF on this blog, and certainly not the last. I'd have to say that, next to the Siver Surfer appearances in this series, this issue has to be one of my favorites. Why, you ask? Well, DUH! Look at the cover! Daredevil, Spider-Man and The Mighty Thor! All fighting the Fantastic Four! What you see on the cover is exactly what you get, and that's what I love about Silver Age comics (60's comics, for the laymen).  What I find most amusing about this issue is that it's all about one big misunderstanding - kind of like an old Three's Company episode - but all the good guys don't really figure it out until near the end; after they've all beat the crap out of each other and fully flexed their super-heroic muscles. There's no alien mind-controlling or doppleganger robots going on here - just a bunch of good guys trying to figure out who the other good guys are. As far as I know, this is probably the first Marvel Comics battle royale (to coin a wrestling phrase), far predating Marvel Superheroes Contest of Champions (1982) or Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars 1 & 2 (1984 & 1985 respectively).

BTW, in this appearance, Thor is supposed to have had his powers and most of his strength taken away. If this weren't the case, he would have totally annihilated the lot of them, IMO.

Alpha Flight # 1

This comic here is not really considered to be a "classic", per se, but it is one of my favorite comics - ever! Alpha Flight started out in the classic John Byrne era of Uncanny X-Men, first appearing in issue # 120. Eventually, they were given their own book and finally, I had a comic book series that I could collect and really get into. AF is Canada's answer to the Avengers - government sponsored super types. In a way, to me they are a lot more 'real' than the Avengers, in that they all have their own quirks and differences, and they're constantly fighting amongst themselves - kind of like all of the Canadian provinces. There's a pair of super-fast Quebecois,  a living Innuit Spirit, a Fish-Lady from Newfoundland, a Dwarf from Toronto, a Sarcee Medicine Man from Alberta and a Bigfoot from B.C.  I doubt the Avengers (or even the Defenders) were ever that multicultural. John Byrne's stories and artwork stand out to me as being among the best of the 80's. He worked on Alpha Flight from issues 1 to 28, and I love every one of them. After he quit work on it, the comic was pretty much all downhill. John Byrne had a way of making his characters seem very deep and very human - even in the face of the superhuman.

This particular comic is not worth a lot of money, but I got all caught up in the moment talking about comics, and I couldn't end this article without at least mentioning Canada's official Superhero Team. You should pick up a copy - I have several!

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You may notice that this time around I didn't mention the conditions of these comics. Rest assured that they aren't totally shredded and unreadable, but with the exception of Alpha Flight # 1, they aren't really Near Mint either.

I'm sure I'll be featuring a lot more awesome comics on this blog. Some of them will be for sale, and some will not. Some comics are just too awesome to ever think about parting with. I am, however, open to offers......

Until next time:

May the Force be with you...

The Real Life of Action Figures

It's been far too long since I put any toy photos on here. I was looking for a bunch of web sized shots for something else, and I came across a whole bunch of great action figure shots that I don't think I've ever posted here. I think I was saving some of them for some special reason, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was...

Here's another peek into the lives of your favorite heroes & villains - not just the world-shattering battles that you read about, but all the regular day-to-day stuff that the comics books won't show you.

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"Think you can cut me off and get away with it, Goldilocks?"

Kong voices his anger at the lack of hot water

Spidey checks his Facebook

Foxy visits the Blue Fairy

"Bad dog!"

Spider- booty call

Power Man should have never touched that time machine...

Loki's insidious 'poison corn pops' plan was working...

Nobody saw that one coming...

Spidey & Sasquatch on moving day

"Yeah - being evil is awesome! "

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There will be more of this to follow...oh yes, there will be so much more......

May the Force be with you...

Hot-Tubbing, Airbending Toys in Zombieland

OK. That's a really stupid title for this post. Please forgive me. At least it's better than the same old, same old "More Movies" or "Latest Movie Reviews". I know that movie reviews aren't always the most exciting things to read anyway, but they contain (or at least mine do) something that is sacred to each and every one of us - our own opinion. We're all entitled to it, right? Even though you might think mine is wrong, it's a reflection of who I am. I believe that by examining the likes and dislikes of others as compared to my own, I can decipher and try to understand the differences between us. (You see! Not only do you get to read about movies here, but you also get a little philosophy on the side....)

Anyway, it seems as though I've watched quite a few movies lately, and I'd like to make some comments before I completely forget about them. Hopefully, you can glean some worthwhile information from my reviews, such as whether they're actually worth seeing or not. At the very least, you can get an insight on what kind of person I am, and whether or not you think I'm an idiot.

Here goes - read on, and enjoy!

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Hot Tub Time Machine

A surprisingly awesome movie! My wife wanted to see this in the theatre, and I turned it down. Four guys get in a hot tub and go back in time? Come on. How good could that be? Answer: way good.

After finally seeing it on DVD, I am now a believer. Okay, it's not iconically funny like Beerfest or The Big Lebowski, but it was pretty damn funny. Basically, the plot is this: three down on their luck middle-aged guys (and a twenty something nephew) go up to a ski resort to try to have a good time after one of them fails a suicide attempt.  Upon arrival, they realize that the place has just gone downhill and things are not the same as they were when they used to go there, back in 1986. In fact, their entire lives have been pretty much downhill since then. Suddenly, the hot tub on the deck outside their room (which was broken a few hours earlier) springs to life and they all get in. They are transported back to that pivotal year and get to do it all over again - the good and the bad. It's not like the use of time travel hasn't been exploited in comedy movies before, but it was done well here. There was an undertone of melancholy and inevitability to the main characters that made me want them to change stuff for the better, even if they were a bunch of idiots. I am a middle-aged man myself, so I can relate to these guys. And, of course, I recognized every single song on the soundtrack.

It was nice to see John Cusack do a ridiculous comedy so soon after witnessing the end of civilization in 2012. Actually, all of the cast is at their best - Craig Robinson is hilarious, Clarke Duke is pretty low key but worthy and Rob Corddry is totally insane - a likeable asshole, if you will.

Rent this film - especially if you're old enough to remember the mid 80's as a teenager like me.

Overall Grade : A

Story : B+

Acting : A-

Direction : A

Visuals : B

  

The Last Airbender

Unfortunately, I read a TON of negative reviews for this film before actually seeing it, even though I saw it on opening day (the late show). It's amazing how a movie can only be out for only one day, and it's already doomed. I was looking forward to seeing it, and I've been a huge fan of the show for the last few years, having seen it all on DVD and not as it was broadcast. I knew that it couldn't be as good as the show, and I knew there would be a lot of stuff that had to be altered or cut out entirely. It wasn't going to be the greatest movie ever, even if Avatar the series was the best show ever. I still wanted to see it, and I'm glad that I did.

There were however, a lot of things that put me off about this film, and most of those things have already been pointed out in other reviews. Overall, I'd have to say that I wasn't really expecting it to be awesome, but I guess I hoped that it would be. It turns out it's just another case of the director trying to be faithful to his source material, but focusing too much on the details and somehow forgetting about the 'heart and soul' of the original. There's some neat stuff to look at in this film (even though the bending was tediously slow at times) and the acting wasn't nearly as bad as everyone says. It was just lifeless, humorless and poorly directed - like Star Wars Episodes I-III. It was the strength of the characters in the TV show that made Avatar what it was - or more accurately, it was the interactions between those characters that made it great.

To be fair to M. Night, I respect this movie as one director's INTERPRETATION of a great TV show. I wasn't so upset about the changes, and I'm forgiving of the things that were left out. The whole "Aang ain't white" and other race-related arguments are completely irrelevant and stupid. Grow up, people. A story is just that. A story. This isn't an historical documentary, and even if it were, you'd be more forgiving. I love Avatar:The Last Airbender more than anyone else I know, but I would hardly call this 'an abomination'. I found it kind of boring and lacking in many parts, but I would like to see more sequels. A story that great deserves another chance. I can't say that they should have hired another director, because as I understand it, without M. Night, there wouldn't have been a movie or series of movies.

One question, though: Why the odd and pointless change in the pronunciation of names? Didn't any of the actors or screen writers actually WATCH the TV show? Aang may or may not have been white, but one thing is for certain - his name rhymes with 'bang'. Not 'bong'....

Overall Grade : B-

Story : B

Acting : B-

Direction : D+

Visuals : B

Toy Story 3

I don't know what I could possibly say about this movie that you haven't already heard or seen for yourself already. The characters are almost as legendary as those in Star Wars or The Godfather. Contains an amazing ensemble cast of voices as usual, with a few noteable additions as well - Michael Keaton as Ken is just downright HI-larious! Part 3 of the story compliments the series well, and in some places surpasses the previous two films. It's pretty sappy in a lot of parts, but isn't that one of the reasons Disney is what it is today? As a grown man and father of two young kids, I couldn't ask for a better movie for us to see together.

A frequent complaint of mine about CG animated movies is that they are chock full of jokes that I feel are inappropriate for the younger audiences. I can't really think of any jokes in Toy Story 3 that stood out in this regard. Maybe all of us parents are so used to these things now that we just assume that anything in a cartoon must be okay for our kids to watch....  That being said, there are some hugely comedic moments in the film, such as the Mission Impossible- style plan to escape from the day care centre or the Mr. Tortilla Head scene. The scenes with Ken are just plain funny if you ever played with Barbie dolls as a kid or have young daughters who do. (I for one fall into the latter category, so keep the comments to yourself on this.)

The sad parts are I think what makes movies like this most memorable and make the comedic moments really sparkle in sharp contrast. I liked the way the characters have developed since the last movie. They seem almost like real people in that they have a sense of growing older and having been through so many trials and tribulations. One of my favorite scenes was at the very beginning when all the toys are trying to trick Andy (now a high school grad) into playing with them by hiding his cell phone in their toybox and making it ring. Of course it doesn't really work and yet another sad Disney movie moment is born. Of course, as a Disney movie, everything works out in the end and everyone lives happily ever after. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Go see it! Better yet, take your kids to see it! Make sure they watch the other two first. Overall, I'd say that # 3 was as good or better than the previous two films, but they're all great. Definitely the best movie I've seen in the theatre so far this year.

Go Disney!


Overall Grade : A+

Story : A
Acting : A
Direction : A+
Visuals : A+

Zombieland

I don't care for zombie movies. That's not to say that I've never seen a good one, but there are just so many out there that it's hard to distinguish one from another. 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, Land of the Dead, etc, etc. For the most part, I didn't dislike these movies, but I wouldn't call myself a Zombie Movie Fan. When I first heard about this movie, I immediately thought of an American version of  Shaun of the Dead - what some have called the 'Zom-Com'. Turns out it's just as funny, but somehow very different in the delivery. For some reason, I actually found it a little more 'believeable'. It's really less about Zombies and more about people. I know that's probably exactly what the producers used as a buzz-line for the film, but hey - it's true. And it's good because of that.

Jesse Eisenberg is Columbus, a quirky, anal retentive teenager who has managed to survive the zombie apocalypse by being extremely paranoid and sticking to his list of 30 or so Rules of Zombieland. His performance isn't stellar, but the part seems custom tailored for his neo-Woody Allen style delivery. And speaking of Woody, Mr. Harrelson plays the role of Talllahassee, a likeable redneck turned pro zombie hunter. The chemistry between the two leads is quite good, even though it takes the end of the world to bring these two polar opposites together. The two actresses that round out the cast are perfect as well. It was sort of amusing to see the little girl from Little Miss Sunshine blasting away at the living dead with a 12 guage shotgun. Is there anything this 12 year-old can't do?

Although I wasn't expecting a lot, Zombieland turned out to be a fun diversion with more than a few genuine laughs. I highly recommend it to zombie movie fans everywhere. Even normal people might actually like it too.

Overall Grade : B+

Story : B+

Acting : A-

Direction : B+ 

Visuals : B 

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There are a few other movies I'd like to review very soon - I'll have to get back to you when I've got a little more time on my hands, when I don't have a million other things to write about.

Did I mention my photography website,  Rebel Alliance Photo ? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did mention it, but I'm doing so again. I'll keep beating you over the head with it until you actually visit the site....and maybe hire me for a job.

Tune in next time for some more random weirdness. Until then...

May the Force be with you...