Currently Reading...

Having as good a time reading comics as ever, currently working through a Marvel Masterworks Ant-Man/Giant-Man Vol.1 hardback. These are reprints of the famed Avenger's original stories from Tales To Astonish, which are simple but fun! There's something inherently fascinating about the idea of being shrunk down to the size of an insect, and seeing the Marvel bullpen's first explorations of the concept is charming and entertaining. Though Hank Pym's duties were taken over by Scott Lang, I thoroughly enjoyed Ant-Man's role in the recent Marvel NOW! FF title, and look forward to the forthcoming Ant-Man Motion picture set for a 2015 theatrical release. 

As I enjoyed Michael Allred's work FF so much in the past year or so, it's little surprise I'd get into the new Silver Surfer, all the same great whimsy present within each page. Sure, Dan Slott's writing it, but Allred's influence is plainly evident. Earth girl Dawn Greenwood gets caught in the middle of Norrin Radd's cosmic adventures, who soon becomes her champion- I'm unsure if a romantic relationship will bloom, but it's a possibility.

This new title by Grant Morrison furthers the legendary & polarizing author's exploration of the Multiverse, famously confusing everyone in Final Crisis. While I enjoyed that book, I'm unsure how closely I'll follow Multiversity. In this 8-part series of one-shots,  heroes from across dimensions must band together against demonic forces that threaten to destroy the Multiverse. It's gonna get weird...

I was excited to see Spider-Man 2099 make a return to comic store shelves, having thrilled to his appearance in Superior Spider-Man! This Spider-Man from the future, Miguel O'Hara, was pulled back in time in Superior Spider-Man #17-19 to monitor the development of Alchemex, the mega-corporation for which O'Hara worked for in 2099. Trapped in the early 21st century, Miguel gets a job working inside Alchemex for ... his grandfather!

Yes, I'm curious as to how it will all play out- DC's insistence on resurrecting another Robin they've killed off... what can I say? This was an exciting issue, and while I haven't picked up everything DC released after Damian Wayne's death, what I've read has been good enough to keep me interested, even if peripherally. 

I just finished up the Earth-X trade paperback, and while it's a long read, the dystopian tale of mankind's mutation following Black Bolt's release of the Terrigen Mists upon Earth to save his Inhuman family from persecution. A lot of familiar, yet oddly transformed characters appear throughout the plot, making this "what-if" story an interesting read. This deluxe edition features author Alex Ross' appendix pages that grew mildly laborious to stop and read, but John Paul Leon's artwork is edgy and dark, fitting the disturbing subject matter quite well. 

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Series 3 Imaginext Blind Bags

It was almost no time within finding the Imaginext Series 2 blind bag figures that I found Series 3! Fisher-Price is knockin' it outta the park on the random characters that make up this line, full of imaginative and well designed figures. If you are looking for one of these specifically, I've included the character's numbers, embossed at the very top end of each package. I picked up five from this latest series...

Finding Dracula in Series 3 (#39) made having Frankenstein's Monster from Series 2 all the better, Fisher-Price delivering a pretty much classic, Universal Pictures inspired vampire. The high-collared cape is removable, cast in red plastic like the winged bat that clamps onto Dracula's hand. So great...!

Though I'm not a skater, I could not pass on this fun skate boarder (#37), donning a sock hat and earphones. The colors are happy and the wheels on his board roll! It seems Fisher Price has taken to tamping an Imaginext badge on the ankle of all their figures with this wave of blind bags...

This Cossack (#36) is an unusual and fun choice for an Imaginext figure, and seemingly random among the more pop-culture oriented characters. His removable vest/hat piece has clamps on back to sheath his great swords- a wonderful toy!

Like Dracula, the Gill Man (#34) was high on the priority list! If you have any other aquatic or alien  Imaginext figures, he'll fit right in. I love the triton and atmosphere helmet accessories Fisher-Price included- really fun!

And last but certainly not least, the Punk Rocker (#38) was also of great interest to myself, being a life-long musician- the guitar and amplifier accessories are wonderful! This figure got a lot of attention from his designers in the leather jacket sculpt, and the red mohawk was a nice touch- that rocks!

My Series 2 and 3 Imaginext figures all together...

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Series 2 Imaginext Blind Bag Figures

I waited a long time for these, suddenly stumbling onto them in the Wal-Mart across the street a couple weeks ago! I was so happy with the Series 1 blind bags I got, that I knew I'd be watching closely for future releases of these seemingly random Imaginext figures...

I really enjoy that Fisher Price gave Frankenstein's Monster (#28) the shoulder mounted shock helmet! Franky has lots of great detail in his sculpt, including stitches in his wrists, and an exposed brain- a nice twist on a classic character...

The base jumper appeals to my love of winged action figures, and his colors are happy and fun! #32 in the series, he was unusual enough to fit in with my DC Imaginext characters, and could easily be a hero himself...

Steampunk Stilts here was not to be missed for his mechanical boots accessory alone- wonderful! There's a ton of great detail throughout the figure, with all his buckles, straps, and goggles on the brim of his top hat. Fisher-Price went all out on #30 here...!

It would be difficult to pick a favorite from all these, but the Sasquatch (#31) is hard to deny. A child of the '70s, Bigfoot seemed plausible to me as a child, the myth at a fever pitch among the popular culture of the day. Removing the mask, a man winks his eye at you, the hoax revealed in a cheeky fashion that's really amusing!

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