Mego 50th Anniversary WGSH (Wave 18)

I was super-excited about getting these Mego Wave 18 World's Greatest Super-Heroes, which included some bonafide B-Tier DC heroes and villains like Red Tornado and Dr. Fate! None of these were produced during Mego's halcyon days in the '70s, but they really capture the spirit! Check out the video:

There was also a Bizarro included in this wave that I could have pitted against my Mego 50th Anniversary Superman, but I just never cared about that character. I'm much more a fan of Brainiac!

As much as I loved Mattel's DC Retro-Action figures back in 2010, the quality of the figure construction can't match the new Mego figures. That said, the Retro-Action Two-Face is still a treasured item in my collection...

Below, Nightwing joins my modern Mego Batman and Robin for an evening patrol!

Below, Deadman, Firestorm, Dr. Fate, and Red Tornado team up with Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Shazam- what a great time to be a Mego fan!

Follow the Super-DuperToyBox on Instagram!

More Later- Make It FUN! 

Imaginext Brainiac, Martian Manhunter & Plastic Man

I'd been on  the lookout for the Imaginext Martian Manhunter & Plastic Man 2-pack, when I unexpectedly found this cute little Brainiac with tentacles- I'm unsure if he's new with so much older stock reappearing in the last month, but he's new to me. The tentacles are pliable, a wire inside holding the position they are bent into- Fun! The pack from which they extend is removeable, and fits snugly over his shoulders & around the waist, a mechanical spinal column extending to the back of the head.

While the color scheme varies, somewhat in reverse, Imaginext Brainiac is very similar in design to the Mattel JLU Brainiac in several ways- the conical, collared head, studded belt & armbands, and striped boots...

I now have a trio of Superman's enemies, including Lex Luthor & Darkseid- I'm sure the Man of Steel will be fine...     :)

While on the subject of orphaned aliens, I was surprised & delighted to see an Imaginext Martian Manhunter this year, a favorite character of mine! Decked out in his New 52 gear, this 3" J'onn J'onzz has a torso piece that can be removed, revealing an alien torso, the sculpt in keeping with his bumpy/spiny forearms. I have a lot of Imaginext figures that seem like there's a joint at the neck, but the head doesn't move. J'onn shares this trait unfortunately, but this uncommon choice of hero is a delight to see. For a character so seemingly unknown to the general public, Martian Manhunter has had a surprisingly large number of action figures made in his likeness over the years.

Imaginext Martian Manhunter with my other New 52 styled Martian Manhunter by DC Collectibles, two wildly variant types of action figure...

Imaginext Martian Manhunter with Mattel DC Action League Martian Manhunter, another mini-action figure line I've collected- both simple, but dynamic and fun like a toy should be...

BubbaShelby informed me the Imaginext Plastic Man was a rubber figure, which makes sense and adds a unique novelty to this line of mini-figures, my only suggestion that he'd been more fun with wire in the limbs to hold bending poses.

Imaginext Plastic Man with Brave & The Bold Trap Hand Plastic Man and Happy Meal Plastic Man...

I'm a big fan of these cute mini-figures, and have a hard time resisting some of the other themes among the Imaginext line, that all have their own, extensive vehicles & playsets. I've passed on the new Justice League  Blue Beetle buggy set two or three times, but am unsure if I can again- too cool! Martian Manhunter & Plastic Man fit in nicely with this second bunch of DC Imaginext I've collected, don't you think? 

More Later-Make It FUN!

My Fan Art: The Rescue of Kandor

The Rescue of Kandor, 2012

acrylic, colored pencil, pen on 140 lbs. watercolor paper

14 x 20"

I've been pecking at this one for over a year, having to put it aside to work on a large collection of over twenty canvases for a big art show this past spring in the city. I stopped work on these in December to whip out a Captain America painting for my nephew, but then went right back to work on the show. As I've said before, I'm not really a comic book artist- these are merely fun distractions from my usual body of work. When I was a kid in school, I dreamt of being a comic book artist, but those guys are just in a league above and beyond me- lightning fast and super-talented! Still, I occasionally crank out an illustration of a favorite hero, and starting this blog in 2010 renewed interest in that. This one may have been a tad overambitious for my level of ability, but it was a good effort- time to move to the next one!

The idea for The Rescue of Kandor came from two action figures I reviewed here on the Super-DuperToyBox recently: DC Direct History of the DC Universe Superman (as Nightwing) and Brainiac. For those of you not familiar with the origin of Nightwing: before Dick Grayson assumed the alias, Superman (his favorite superhero) used the moniker as a vigilante in the Kyptonian city of Kandor. The former capital city had been miniaturized and bottled by the supervillain Brainiac. Rescued by Superman, it has been traditionally kept and monitored in the Fortress of Solitude. In the more recent New Krypton storyline, Superman finds Kandor on Brainiac's ship, recovering the bottled city after their confrontation. But without Brainiac's control, the field surrounding the city that keeps it miniaturized becomes unstable. Superman takes Kandor to the North Pole where it expands to its original size, freeing all of Kandor's citizens, all of whom gain powers just like Superman upon release from the bottle and exposure to Earth's yellow sun.

More Later-Make It FUN!

History of the DC Universe Superman as Nightwing & Brainiac by DC Direct

This Series 4 Superman as Nightwing and Series 3 Brainiac conclude the reviews of  DC Direct History of the DC Universe action figures I got from Mike's Comics'N Stuff last year. While I photographed the two previous parings recently, these photos were shot around the time I got these, so it was fun to look at them again. This Golden Age pairing may be my favorite of the six I have, for both their history & novelty.

 

If you aren't familiar with the origin of Nightwing: before Dick Grayson (aka Robin the Boy Wonder) assumed the alias, Superman (his favorite superhero) used the moniker as a vigilante in the Kyptonian city of Kandor. Shrunken down & stored in a bottle by Brainiac, Superman fought crime alongside Jimmy Olsen, who assumed the persona of Flamebird. Without the superpowers our yellow sun provide Superman, the duo used jet belts to get around. No, I'm not kidding... I've not yet read this far out adventure, but it's hallowed classic.

Nightwing Superman wasn't even mentioned in History of the DC Universe, but he is the kind of footnote that's quirky enough to deserve reference. Let's face it though, the existence of this obscure character in plastic form proves we live in The Golden Age of Action Figures. And DC Direct nailed it, as you can plainly see, right down to the arrangement of nodules on his jet belt. The inside of Nightwing's cape is black, and like the Superman from this line, the weight of it causes upright issues. You must either lean him against something to support his weight, or hunch him over with his non-descript, black disc base pegged to the hole in his right heel.

Yes, this Silver Age version of Brainiac is dressed like he's on his way to a tennis match at the country club with his boyfriend, but he looks very much like Curt Swan's version which debuted in 1958. His raygun also looks comic accurate; he holds it well enough, though his hand isn't sculpted particularly well for the task like some action figures are now. He looks pretty hilarious by today's super villain standards, but makes a great pairing with Nightwing. Brainiac is most often depicted as an extraterrestrial android, and is the longtime nemesis of Superman. Possessing a "12th-level intellect", his advanced understanding of mechanical and bio-engineering, physics, and sciences, as well as knowledge of countless alien technologies are a few of the powers attributed to him. 

Brainiac is an interesting character who has gone through a lot of transformation since his introduction. The character was in his robot incarnation during Crisis on Infinite Earths, but a year ago I also read Geoff Johns' Superman: Brainiac (DC, 2008). While I still have not read any of the other New Krypton related books,  this book tells the story of  the citizens of Kyrptonian city of Kandor freed, Brainiac having shrunk it many years ago. The artwork, featuring a very Chris Reeve-looking Superman was totally awesome! See the suggested reading order of the New Krypton series by Saranga over at New readers... start here! Definitely on my list of things to read  :)

History Brainiac with Robot Brainac and New Krypton Brainiac:

* See my post on History of the DC Universe Captain Atom & Black Lightning!

* See my post on History of the DC Universe Superman & Martian Manhunter!

* Visit the DC Direct Action Figure Archive!

More Later- Make It FUN!

Justice League Unlimited Figures

As promised a couple days ago, I'll now give you a better look at the 4 3/4" Justice League Unlimited action figures I picked up on my Tuesday toy hunt last week...

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Sinestro
What's that you say, Sinestro wasn't in that group? True. I won him on eBay later for less than the figures found on my toy hunt. I just love Sinestro in the black & yellow Corps outfit!

*JLU Fan Collection Green Lantern/Manhunter Robot  Fan Collection 3 Pack

As I said before- this set sealed the deal on this line of action figures for me- it was love at first sight! A solid value at $15.99 retail, and the best 3 pack from this line!

A closer look at the Manhunter Robots from this package- big, chunky, and FUN!

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Power Ring

As it turns out the evil Green Lantern from Earth 3 has a rather unwieldy hand construct- he can't hold it well, even rested on the surface before him. I'm a tenacious professional however, and was able to get him to hold it above his head :D

Pressing the small button on the hand construct releases the spring inside, snapping the grip closed... trapping Green Lantern John Stewart in this case!

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Brainiac

While I'm glad Mattel included it, Brainiac doesn't like to hold his accessory either. I like this goofy/cute version of Superman's nemesis, outfitted similarly to my DC Direct New Krypton Brainiac...

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Parasite

I just read about Parasite in Alex Ross' Justice (DC, Oct. 2005- Aug.2007) l- he absorbs the powers from different heroes, making him a very dangerous adversary especially if he absorbs the powers of several of his enemies at once! I admire the way they designed this guy, though he looks a lot different from the sinewy, almost faceless,  pink creature in the comics. His big frown on this figure is simple and delightful- you know he's a villain!

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Martian Manhunter

There are several variant of DC's beloved J'onn J'onzz in this action figure line, and while there was a more conventional variant of J'onn on the peg,  I fell in love with this one at first sight! He is able to balance his

shape-shift hand accessory better than Power Ring, likely due to the weight of his cape. J'onn is a little bigger than the other figures, too, as he should be!

In closing, I wish these toys had come with small figure stands- they don't like to stand on their own, on account of their tiny feet! I'll be on the lookout for an alternative to the very expensive box of stands Mattel released for these -if you have a suggestion please lemmie know!

At $8.99 retail per single figure (Target), these can add up quickly- and personally, I feel that's a little steep. They are cute and fun, but the Brave & The Bold figures I'd been buying for $7.99 at Wal-Mart are a better VALUE- they stand up on their own easier, and have more useful accessories.

Tuesday Toy Haul!

Getting toys in the mail is fun, but more enjoyable is a good, old fashioned, street-level action figure hunt! I had seen some of these Mattel Justice League Unlimited toys before, but was on the look out for Brave & The Bold figures at the time, so I refrained from buying any. I usually have Tuesday off, and so this week I ran around to see what I could find. I was coming up empty at the Wal-Mart and K-Mart stores in the county, which had other Mattel figures, but none of these. Toys 'R Us didn't offer much in the way of Justice League Unlimited either, but Target did. Mattel's toy distribution is all over the place- I can't figure it out! Annoying! To add insult to injury, if Wal-Mart, Target, or anyone else runs out, they don't seem to restock anything- at least not DC/Mattel toys. Meanwhile there is usually an abundance of Spider-Man, Thor, and other Marvel in every darned Retail Big Box in town! Again, annoying! In all fairness, I am usually behind on everything, being a newbie and all. All these packages have (laughs) 2008 or 2009 on the back- I'm buying all the peg warmers! Well it takes all kinds, Folks... even those late for the dance :D  I did well this past sunny Tuesday, though- check it out:

*Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern/Manhunter Robot  Fan Collection 3 Pack

This set sealed the deal for me! Of the 3-packs I saw in the wild, this was hands-down the coolest. I couldn't believe it when I saw one on the peg! So happy together! I'm more of a Hal Jordan kinda guy, but I like the John Stewart Green Lantern, too. And I love the idea of Manhunter Robot- well intentioned technology gone awry. Been digging on some GL lately, Kids- in fact I'm wearing a power ring, and a Green Lantern shirt as I write this :D

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Power Ring

Don't be fooled! Power Ring is the evil Green Lantern from Earth 3 on a parallel universe! Dig on the giant, green hand-construct accessory... nice...

 *Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Parasite

I been reading about Parasite in Alex Ross' Justice (DC, Oct. 2005- Aug.2007) lately- he absorbs the powers from different heroes, making him a deadly adversary...

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Brainiac

I have three other Brainiac figures, this one sharing the design/color scheme of my DC Direct New Krypton Brainiac... I just read Superman: Brainiac (DC, 2008) and loved it!

*Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection Martian Manhunter

You didn't think I'd leave John Stewart GL alone with these baddies, did ya? Fear not- J'onn J'onzz, most powerful hero in the DC Universe is here! There was a more conventional variant of J'onn on the peg, but I fell in love with this one at first sight- so great with the shape-shift hand accessory. Fun!

In closing, I know Matty Collector was having their big April Sale today, but I didn't buy The Retro-Action Sinestro Corps Sinestro I wanted. Shipping was nine dollars, and $30.00 was past my tolerance for one toy, as much as I love those dollies action figures. I definitely consider shipping as part of a real cost for the toy. My international friends would probably love to have that low of a cost and the kind of availability we have here in the states, but we all have a threshold and that passed mine. If they would have offered the upcoming John Stewart simaltaneously, maybe.  And I already bought fun toys this week anyway, so I tried to (laughs) show some restraint!

Also- sorry about these pictures! These turned out not-so-great, LOL! I'll show some good shots of these fun toys very soon! Seeing these on Alex and Bubba's blogs recently really got me interested- Bubba compared us to the Justice League International recently- take a look on my Blogs of Note on the sidebar here at the Super-DuperToyBox sometime to see some great toy blogs from across the globe!

More Later! Keep Having Fun!