Hey, Mr. Postman!

Gosh I sure love gettin' toys in the mail  :D  My postman is actually slender blonde beauty with sunny personality, but since I work 9 to 5 with the new job, I never see her anymore. Bummer. Well, at least she brought me these last week...

I told myself I wasn't gonna buy these from MattyCollector, and I didn't the first time around. When they recently re-released them all together, the bulk shipping was easier to swallow. Some of the first toys posted on the Super-DuperToyBox when I started 21 months ago were these Retro-Action DC Superheroes, which are so much like my childhood Mego World's Greatest Superheroes.

The Green Lantern franchise hot after Geoff Johns' Blackest Night saga, just before the Green Lantern motion picture premiere last summer, Mattel was all things Green Lantern so we got these. I've waited a long time! I have Hal Jordan and the classic Sinestro already, making a good portion of my Retro-Action collection GL Corps... What can I say? I'm a big Green Lantern fan! I love that Mattel gave John Stewart an Afro and Guy Gardner the bowl cut. I've read a couple Kyle Rayner books recently, too, along with the first six GL New Guardian issues released with DCs New 52 relaunch- I'm a big fan of Tyler Kirkham's pencilling! I love how these are packed old-school, no twisty ties, a simple backing card- just like when I was a kid!

More Later-Make It FUN!

War of the Green Lanterns

I've been reading A LOT of back issues of pre-New 52 Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Emerald Warriors, including issues from the "War of the Green Lanterns" crossover event. Krona had released the dreaded Parallax into the main power battery on Oa, taking control of the Corps' collective mind and turning them against Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Kilowog, and Ganthet. Unable to use their polluted rings, Hal convinced the team to use different colored rings left behind when Lyssa Drak trapped other Lanterns of the Emotional Spectrum in the Book of the Black. Krona is an Oan scientist who became obsessed with observing the origins of the universe itself, constructing a machine that pierces the temporal barrier to view the beginnings of time itself. Krona catches a glimpse of the hand of creation depositing the speck that would become the entire cosmos. His machine explodes at that instant, and the universe is shattered causing the creation of the Multiverse as the universe replicates into an infinite number of parallel universes. As punishment for this act, Krona is transformed into pure energy by his fellow Oans and is sent to forever wander the cosmos. Krona's actions are what caused the Oans to become the Guardians of the Universe. (from Wikipedia)

I've really enjoyed Geoff John's stories, and am a HUGE fan of Doug Mahke & Tyler Kirkham's drawing in Green Lantern & Green Lantern Corps respectively- EPIC work, People! The images above are from Green Lantern #65, and below is from Green Lantern Corps #59...

More Later- Make It FUN!

DC Action League: Low Vs.Tomar-Re/John Stewart Vs. Actrocitus

In keeping with current trend of all-things-Green-Lantern, due to this summer's upcoming movie and Geoff John's transformation of the comic book title in the last few years, Mattel was sure to include some in the DC Action League line. The first wave included White Lantern Sinestro Vs. Green Lantern, and this second wave included two GL two-packs...

Low Vs.Tomar-Re is a nice pairing that was well done.  Tomar-Re is a member of the Green Lantern Corps, one of the first to guide Hal Jordan as a rookie Lantern. He also had attempted to help save the unstable planet of Krypton with stellarium, a substance that would stabilize the planet's radiation. He was blinded by a star gone nova in the mining of the said stellarium, and Krypton perished, save the infant Kal-El who had been sent from the planet in a life-pod by his parents. The ring of this fallen Lantern of  space sector 2813 went to John Stewart upon his passing, fulfilling his dying wish. Stewart's ring went back to it's previous owner, Hal Jordan, who then came out of retirement- another of Tomar-Re's other dying wishes.

Low is very dangerous parasite and member of the Sinestro Corps, recently created by Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis for the Green Lantern title. He can suck all the blood from a victim's body within seconds, simultaneously laying eggs within the carcass that can produce up to a thousand offspring- pretty nasty! Along with Atrocitius, this is one of the chunkier figures in the line and I just love him! Mattel also released a 6" DCUC figure of this newer character, as they did with Tomar-Re.

The Low Vs.Tomar-Re set was matched by this equally cool John Stewart Vs. Actrocitus pairing...  I had seen this several months ago at Target, but wasn't there for that specifically so I passed on it. Luckily, all four pairs from this wave were on auction at eBay for a very reasonable price.

John Stewart first appeared in 1972, created by Denny O'Neil & Neal Adams. An architect & ex-Marine, Stewart was selected by the Guardians as Hal Jordan's backup when Guy Gardner was recovering from serious injury. He later inherits Tomar-Re's ring to become a full-fledged member of the Green Lantern Corps, and later an Honor Guard member of the Corps along with Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Sodam Yat.

Atrocitus really captured my imagination in the Blackest Night books! One of the few survivors of the Manhunter Robot's slaughter of space sector 666, this Red Lantern's rage is fueled by his hatred for the Guardians who created the flawed Manhunters and their Green Lantern Corps. Read more about this interesting character at his Green Lantern wikia page.

Now a couple comparison shots:
My DCUC John Stewart with DC Action League John Stewart...

My DC Direct Blackest Night Atrocitus (still in the clamshell) with DC Action League Atrocitus...  I never did open any of those Blackest Night DCDs! LOL! Some rainy day, Friends... on some rainy day  :)

Be a Good Kid, Go Play With Your TOYS!

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!

DCUC Grouping

Let's take another look at three of these DC Universe Classics I got in the mail yesterday, m'kay? From left to right:
*DCUC Wave 7 Blue Beetle/Ted Kord:  I wasn't so keen on this figure at first sight, but he grew on me- and for $6.05, it was a good choice. He is the best out of these 3 DCUCs that I won together- what a FUN TOY! I have two Jaimie Reis Blue Beetle III action figures, but Ted Kord first appeared in 1964, a student of the original Dan Garrett Blue Beetle (Charlton Comics). Mattel did a great job on him- I love his raygun that actually fits and clasps securely! He's a lefty by the way, in spite of his holster position on the right...??
*DCUC Wave 10 Robotman. Somewhat collectible, I won the auction at $8.39. I knew nothing of this character, yet he seemed oddly familiar... from childhood? Cliff Steele (ha ha) appeared in DC Comics in 1964, a car accident victim whose brain was transferred to a robot body- a source of great despair for the accidental hero. Anyway, he fun because you case remove the plate atop his head to reveal his BRAIN! He has a slight looseness in the left ankle, but nothing disabling.
*DCUC Wave 11 John Stewart Green Lantern. This character was in DC Final Crisis, which I (laughs) just read again in attempt to understand. The Wave 11 John Stewart is different than the one included in the DCUC Green lantern Corps 5-pack- I like this outfit better. I won him for $9.50 loose, and he's a sturdy figure with lots of accessories, but annoyingly lacks an open hand to carry his lantern. I would have passed on one of his two constructs for this. I like him. Green Lantern 2814.2 appeared in the early seventies, taking over for Hal Jordan after he resigned from the Corps, originally drafted as a backup for Jordan's backup, Guy Gardner. Take a peek at my two Hal Jordan Green Lantern figures here.

 "Jeez, Cliff- leave the brain under the cap!"

*Ted Kord Blue Beetle at Wikipedia
*Robotman at Wikipedia
*John Stewart Green Lantern at Wikipedia

Hey, Mr. Postman!

Imagine having an entire rainy Tuesday off work and receiving a parcel of toys & comics in the mail... that's what it was like being ME today! Hooray! More loose DCUC captured at E-Bay...

*DCUC Wave 7 Blue Beetle/Ted Kord

*DCUC Wave 10 Robotman

*DCUC Wave 11 John Stewart Green Lantern

AND... I also got a package of comics today, which is a good thing as I am going through them like a kid goes through a bag of licorice:
*All Star Squadron Vol.3, No.28 (DC, Dec. 1983) The Spectre Vs. The Justice Society- Bitchin'!
*The Spectre Annual No.1, "Lost in Memory" (DC, 1995) Team up w/Dr. Fate!
*The Spectre, No.38 (DC, Feb. 1996) Check out that cover! Brilliant!
*Moon Knight Special Edition, Vol.1, (Marvel, Nov. 1983)

 

SURPRISE! Double Bonus Edition of Hey, Mr. Postman!

As if life wasn't good enough today, the UPS guy dropped off ANOTHER action figure! Gets better over here by the minute, Folks- I swear!

*DCUC Wave 11 Superman!

More pics of these guys later- gotta go for now!

* Visual checklist & reviews of the DCUC line at DCClassics.Com!