Marvel Legends Sentry, Quasar, Nova, Binary

 Sentry, Quasar, Nova, and Binary were all Walgreens Marvel Legends exclusives- I may have found Nova through a third party seller a while back at a decent price, but most recently acquired the single Sentry figure I've seen in the wild so far- I saw far mor Quasar figures, and one Nova. Pretty sure I found Binary at her exclusive retailer. These characters all mostly fit in Marvel's "cosmic" canon, and though none are necessarily my A-List, I do like the figures. Check out the video:

I'm not a fan of the retailer exclusive Marvel Legends, though I often stumble onto what I'm looking for. Hasbro won't stop doing this anytime soon however, so get used to it- if your timing is right and you are in the know, you can sometimes get these at Walgreen's website, and over time I've noticed BBTS will later carry exclusives, months after the exclusive retailer has had their turn with a figure.

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Marvel Legends Titus BAF & Kid Nova

I didn't need every figure in the wave necessary, so I cut to the chase and got the remaining parts of him on eBay, most of which came in one slightly incomplete listing, supplementing with an arm I got from Drax, and the head from another seller. I was reading Marvel NOW! Nova in the summer of 2013, and seem to be in the minority regarding enthusiasm to Titus, as an action figure at least. I didn't stick with the title only in an effort to scale back my weekly purchases, but I liked the premise of Titus and the title character himself. This BAF measures in at approximately 7.75", and has some admirable heft.

The paint is nearly flawless if sparse, and most of the best articulation from modern Hasbro present. The bulk of the head is restrictive and Titus' elbows are single-hinged, but their range is useful enough. I thought he'd have a shin swivel, but that incised line appears to be immobile, perhaps a sculpted boot line from a reused part- this suits me fine as I've mixed feelings on shin swivels.

I enjoy pairings or small groupings when collecting, and found Kid Nova from the same series at an extremely discounted price w/o his BAF piece on eBay to go along with Titus. I liked their corresponding Nova Corps design elements, and contrasting size difference.

Sam Alexander Nova, son of Richard Rider Nova really was a great update to the Nova story, the character represented well here on a Marvel Legends youth buck. Again, a simple but effective outfit design I admire, and ample articulation. We did receive his A.I. bot accessory, which I love, but some blast extensions may have offered more- Sam can hardly hold it with his closed fists, and it won't stand upright alone.

This was a cool wave of Marvel Legends, but I'm cherry picking as usual. I'm in the midst of selling off a large portion of my collection anyway, and just don't need more to get rid of. I've acquired a few BAFs recently on eBay that I'll eventually show, preferring to spend money on what I really want rather than dozens of figures I have to sell later. If you have a mailing address in the continental U.S., be sure to check out my eBay clearance sale and see if there's something that interests you- new items going up every week!

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Nova/Venom MiniMates 2-pack

I read the first six issues of  the relaunched Marvel NOW! Nova title last year, which I enjoyed immensely, only stopping to sample some other titles while sticking to the monthly comics budget. While I wasn't into that type of cosmic comics as a child, I've grown to love them as an adult, my interest in the character growing due to his tie-in with the Guardians of the Galaxy, War of Kings, and Annihilation books published in the last few years. Venom, on the other hand, caught my attention as an older teen, through Amazing Spider-Man, around 1990.

This set came with a lot of extra accessories, some for Venom to be stripped down to his human form, Eddie Brock. The Venom head is fantastic on this, his trademark, gnarly teeth and giant tongue wagging out in front! He also came with a snaking arm to use in place of one of his huge hands. These larger MiniMates have somewhat clunky articulation due to their girth, but I do love them. Diamond released a Venom Through the Ages box set recently that includes a Venom much like this one, as well as an Agent Venom/Flash Thompson

Nova's helmet can be removed to reveal Sam Alexander's face, the latest member of the Nova Corps, son to a former Nova Centurion. Diamond did a nice job on Sam's hair sculpt, emulating the style of artist Ed McGuiness, of whose work I'm a big fan of. 

Sam also comes with two helmets, one an alternate gold- Fun! Diamond didn't have to do that, but I'm glad they did. He also came with a a translucent blue flight base, true to Sam's depiction in the Marvel NOW! Nova title. Another, more traditional Nova Centurion in blue was recently released with Baron Zemo in a 2-pack, but I sure do live the glossy black on Sam here...

Since I now have a Venom MiniMate, what a perfect opportunity to have my Superior Spider-Man do battle...!

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Currently Reading: Marvel NOW! Nova

Another Marvel NOW! title I began reading a few months ago is the new Nova book. While I did read Annihilation: Conquest hardback, this character appears mostly in the middle portion of the story arc- my only real exposure to Nova. In the Marvel NOW! relaunch, we see the passing of the mantle to fifteen year old Sam Alexander, whose father tells his kids stories of his past glories as a Nova Centurion when not embarrassing his son as the alcoholic high school janitor.

Sam clearly bears a huge chip on his shoulder, aggravated by a school bully, and in constant conflict with the authority figures in his life. I thought of Marty McFly in Back To the Future, and so did the creators of this book, direct physical homage drawn after the tough, bald high school principal and relentless bully, Sam even riding a skateboard. Idealistic youth resents his father, and through trial finally relates to him by walking in his footsteps- that's where this is going. No, the beleaguered teen isn't really anything new, but I like that Marvel is telling the story of another Nova Corps member, and exploring a new angle. And there is always a fresh batch of misunderstood teen demographic they are always looking to appeal to...

I liked Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man with Miles Morales as the teen-aged hero, and the cosmic backdrop of Nova appeals to my more recent interest in that setting/genre within comics. As a Green Lantern fan, I like the whole intergalactic police force premise, and am a big fan of penciler Ed McGuinness' work, beautifully finished here by inker Dexter Vines and colorist Marte Gracia. Check out this flashback spread from Sam's father Jesse, retelling tales from his Nova days to daughter Kaelynn...

 But his defense mechanisms and reckless behavior will come in handy when Sam comes to realize the stories his father told were all true, and the teenager must face his father's past enemies as a member of Nova Corps. Upon returning home one night after a frustrating bout with the school bully, Sam discovers his father gone, mistakenly accusing him of leaving the family. Racing off on his skateboard to stop him, Sam hits a rock, flipping him over an knocking him unconscious. When he awakes, Sam realizes in an instant that his father was not lying about his Centurion rank in the Corps, two members of the oft recalled Guardians of the Galaxy standing at the foot of his hospital bed...! I'm reading the Marvel NOW! Guardians of the Galaxy now as well, so it's fun to see one of my new favorite Marvel hero teams show up. So great...

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