JLU Lanterns

I found some loose Justice League Unlimited Green Lanterns at V-Stock on Tuesday. V-Stock sells new & used CDs, movies, comics, video games, & toys, and has an ever-changing stock of the latter sold in little baggies for as low as $1.99. Pretty cool!

Arkkis Chummuck, Katma Tui, & Kyle Rayner were originally packed together in the orange DC Superheroes: Justice League Unlimited  in 2006. I posted about the Katma DCUC figure not long ago: the Korugarian chosen as Sinestro’s replacement as Green Lantern of Sector 1417 upon his banishment to Qward. Katma looks very different from her DCUC couterpart, most noticeably her change of skin tone, Korugarian's usually being red (like Sinestro). This was likely a result of artistic liscense taken by creators of the Justice League Unlimited show, for reasons I do not know- perhaps her coupling with John Stewart. It seems that her appearance in the earlier Justice League animated show was different than in the relaunched Justice League Unlimited, as well. She originally was packed with a figure stand, the females in this line even harder to stand upright than the males due to their tiny feet- I was challenged by this trait throughout the entire photo session.

Lantern Chummuck had had an unusual introduction to the Corps, accidentally killing a Green Lantern in defense of his homeworld, the ring choosing him as a replacement! From DC Wikia: As was the custom of his people, he ate Lantern Reever's remains to honor him as a worthy opponent. Then, in an effort to bring the senseless war in his region to an end, he established himself non-violently in a position of power on both planets. For these actions, Arkkis was brought to trial at a tribunal by fellow Corps member Malet Dasim. He was tried for devouring his "victim" and his unorthodox methods of bringing peace to his sector. Ultimately, it was decided that Arkkis wasn't a bad Green Lantern, just a strange one, and not used to the standard customs. He was put on probationary status, and Malet Dasim was appointed to advise him in how better to integrate himself with the regular practices of the Green Lantern.

And finally, my favorite of the three: Kyle Rayner. Lantern Rayner was chosen by the last surviving Guardian after Hal Jordan was possessed by Parallax and murdered most all the  Green Lantern Corps, destroying the planet Oa as well. Just a month ago I posted about DC's New 52 Green Lantern: New Guardians  #1, which retells the story of Ganthet's appointment of Kyle Rayner as the last Green Lantern.

Together with John Stewart, my new JLU Green Lantern Corps is a force to be reckoned with!

I've only seen John Stewart in any of the JLU episodes I've been lucky to catch on YouTube; the show was under my radar in it's heyday, having only returned to my childhood love of comics & action figures in the last 19 months. It's my understanding that that Lantern Rayner "adopted" Hal Jordan's origin story for the show, inheriting his ring from the dying Abin Sur, and that use of John Stewart as the shows main Green Lantern was somewhat hotly debated at the time, the least favorite of DC fandom. While liberties were taken with DC Universe continuity, John Stewart turned out to be a great character on the show, bringing ethic diversity and interesting edge to the group dynamic with his no-nonsense personality.

Aside from the reasonable price on these Lanterns, I wanted them to shoot some scenes with my Manhunter Robots, Power Ring, and Sinestro JLU figures! Toys are made to be played with!   :D

I love this group of villains! I'm a HUGE fan of Sinestro, and am pleased with his role in the New 52 Green Lantern title- it's been great! Power Ring is a member of the Crime Syndicate, alternate universe evil versions of the Justice League- he came with a fun clamping-hand construct (pictured above). And those Manhunter Robots I got in a 3-pack with my John Stewart figure almost exactly a year ago- they are rare among this line of toys having feet big enough that they don't fall down all the time.

The Manhunters appeared in the Justice League episode "In Blackest Night". Like their comic counterparts, they were the first before the Green Lantern Corps. However according to the Guardians, "they couldn't understand the subtle gradations between good and evil" and as such were reprogrammed for other tasks such as hunting and guarding. The Manhunters began secretly plotting their revenge against the Guardians for their perceived betrayal, bringing Green Lantern John Stewart to trial for accidentally destroying the planet Ajuris 4. Unknown to the masses, the planet's destruction was faked with the help of Kanjar Ro as part of the Manhunters' plan to overthrow the Oans and take the Corps' power source. Their gambit successfully draws five of the Guardians away from Oa to testify for John, as well as several unassigned Green Lanterns, leaving Oa severely weakened when the Manhunters attack in force. The Justice League clears John's name and then aids in defeating the Manhunters, assisted by the Corps. This was based on the comics story "No Man Escapes The Manhunters," which appeared in Justice League of America #140-141 (1977). (Wikipedia)

*Visit The Watchtower, "fan site dedicated to Cartoon Network’s animated, non-Superfriends adventures of DC Comics’ legendary superhero team!" ...not updated since 2007, but it has some insightful thoughts & information on the Justice League show and it's characters.

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!

Hey, Mr.Postman!

Ran into the beautiful doll who brings me my toys again on this sunny Saturday afternoon- so pleasant, always somethin' nice to say- what a blessing! Makes my life better, I swear! Enough with the Tom Jones lyrics, let's get on with it:

*Marvel Select Stealth Iron Man by Diamond Select Toys- Now I'd been eyeing this guy for months, and finally found him for so low that I couldn't pass him up... $13.44 (price included shipping). I have a few of these Diamond Select toys and they are just beautiful- some articulation is sacrificed for aesthetics, but they sure are purdy!

*Blackest Night Series 8 Orange Lantern Lex Luthor by DC Direct! I know Mattel is gonna release a version & I don't care- this one looks superior to me. DC Direct lacks a lot of the articulation that Mattel provides, but they make some of the most artful action figures in the world. Three cheers for this Bad Ass! Hip Hip Hooray! I have seven of these Blackest Night series, and I am thrilled with them...

*Series 1 Justice League Sinestro by DC Direct. One of the best looking Sinestro action figures I've seen, I caved and bought him when I found him for $10.55 (price included shipping). I'll admit that I want a Sinestro in the yellow corps outfit, but I resent the inflated price he's going for currently. No way! He comes with a personal massager mega-rod (tee hee hee) that I'm unsure Sinestro ever used in the comics! Funny stuff...

*Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 Manhunter Robot by Mattel. Never saw any of this wave at any of the many retail establishments I haunt locally- Thanks Mattel! Nevermind, I got him loose for ten bucks- so there. Often described as a "Plain Jane", I thought this one was great! I am absolutely thrilled to have him- all kinds of toys for all kinds of folks I suppose...

And finally some new reading material....
*Green Lantern: Blackest Night & Blackest Night (DC, 2010). I would bought these in paperback, but I wasn't gonna wait until July (Damn!). Luckily, these hardback graphic novels were only about sixteen & a half bucks each w/free shipping at Amazon (only three bucks more than the tardy paperbacks). I have been dyin' to get these, and am very interested!

This post turned out kinda Green Lantern heavy, as my collection has become as well lately, huh? I realize I'm being fed images of more GL merchandise as the hoopla surrounding the yet to be released motion picture gets deeper by the day, but I first became interested in the character before they painted the uniform on Ryan Reynolds chest for the movie (gimmie a break!). I got into Green Lantern when I read Darwyn Cooke' DC: New Frontier (DC, 2004) a couple months ago. I loved the back story & evolution of Hal Jordan's journey from war-traumatized test pilot with a death wish to  heroic, galactic policeman. Well done, I say!