Currently Reading: BATMAN

As I said in my last comics haul post, I've been reading a lot of Batman recently, brought on partly by the death of Damian Wayne in Batman Incorporated. I don't need a speech about cheap stunts from comic companies either- I'm an intelligent adult, and this isn't a post on the morality of the issue. For the last year I've been obsessed with several Marvel NOW! titles, but knew interesting things were happening in Gotham, and DC's marketing stunt made me look. The renewed interest in Batman was further invigorated by the new Batman: Black & White, Batman '66 , and Batman: Zero Year titles among others. I picked up the director's cut first issue of  the latter, the new storyline by author Scott Snyder & artist Greg Capullo, which reimagines the genesis of Batman's career in vigilantism for the New 52 universe. I was hooked by Capullo's excellent pencilling, the raw format accentuating the hero's rough & tumble beginnings. I've yet to read the duo's initial on the Court of Owls story, but I'll likely get the TPBs soon.

Batman Annual #2

This was a really great story, in which the Dark Knight is taken into Arkham Asylum to test it's security, and has a run-in with the Anchoress! The issue's cover claims a tie to Zero Year, but I couldn't make the connection, this story referring to Damian's death in flashback. Regardless, this annual, narrated by a new orderly during his eventful first night at the asylum, is excellent and a must read. The artwork by penciller Wes Craig is finished off clean & tight by the inking & color team, wowing me with the highly effective splash page where an imposing Batman is taken into custody at the facility...

Batman #24, Dark City: Part One (Zero Year)

I most recently read this month's big, fat issue of Batman, continuing on with the Zero Year storyline. So big in fact, that it appears Snyder and Capullo needed help finishing up at the end, but it was still pretty great. Rafael Albuquerque had a tough act to follow, but the shift in action and tone during the hand-off help things out. I love Batman's new outfit in the issue, which Capullo graphically pays homage to the character's first appearance in the opening two-page splash. Capullo's fight scenes with the Red Hood gang have great flow- I'm a big fan now, and as I said, must read go back and read that Court of Owls stuff...

Batman and Robin Annual #1

A great little issue where Damien dons the cowl while father is trotting the globe. It's light-hearted, funny, and a little sentimental, especially in hindsight of Robin's death in Batman Inc. #8 just a month later. Damien was a great character, nearly unrecognizable as the psycho-child we were introduced to by Grant Morrison years ago- this issue is a must read in my humble opinion. The art is great, pencilled by Ardian Syaf, finished expertly by inker Vicente Cifuentes and colorist John Kalisz- that great cover that hooked me is an Andy Kubert drawing however...

Batman & Red Robin #19

I bought all those requiem issues of Batman and Robin issues with each member of the Bat-Family dealing with a mourning Bruce Wayne, including this issue #19 with a foldout cover of Batman & Carrie Kelley as Robin! We do see Carrie in the familiar sidekick's outfit, but it's merely an homage to Frank Miller's Batman Returns (1986), her character retconned as Damien's drama coach looking for her suddenly absent pupil. Frankenstein's Monster goes under the knife against his will, and Red Robin shows up to stop his stark-raving mad mentor from dissecting the creature. Thrilling and emotional!

Batman Incorporated Special #1 and Batman Incorporated # 11

I continued picking up the remaining issues of Batman Inc. after Damien was killed- not like someone who can't look away from a car accident, but genuinely interested in some of the unique characters who form the international ring of Batman Inc., funded by Wayne Industries. El Gaucho from Argentina and the Batman of Japan are two of my favorites, the latter of which shares a harrowing adventure with sidekick Canary against Dr. Insideout in Batman Inc. Special #1...!

Batman: Black and White

The Dark Knight just seems to lend himself well to this neutral color scheme, the nature of his character noir and shadowy. I'm also a fan of tidy short stories told in a few pages. The art in these varies greatly in style, unity provided by the restricted palette, and all very enjoyable! 

As I'm a fan of the kind of retro-illustrating technique Darwyn Cooke employs (Justice League: The New Frontier), I decided to share panels from similarly styled artists- Michael Cho's atomic-age, lost line technique from issue #1, and Dave Bullock's Max Fleischer homage from issue #2...

"Don't Know Where, Don't Know When", Batman: Black & White #1

"Silent Knight... Unholy Knight!", Batman: Black & White #2

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ToyBiz 5" Cable Figures, 1995

I recently scored these two ToyBiz 5" Cable action figures on eBay, my enthusiasm reinvigorated by reading the Cable/Hope books, in which our man-out-of-time time-slides ever further into a post-apocalyptic future to rescue the infant from Bishop during the Messiah Wars. Riveting! 

I became fascinated with Cable after reading the first forty issues of X-Force a couple years ago, and the soldier from the future, son of the X-Men's Cyclops, became somewhat an obsession of mine. A young musician and art student at the time of Cable's introduction in Marvel Comics, my mind was elsewhere, having shed my childhood interests and became a man. I'm oddly fascinated with pop culture of the 90's now, for all it's good and bad highlights, much as I am with the '70s and '80s. Perhaps Cable is a symbol of my recently rekindled love for comics and action figures- myself a visitor from the future, in a manner of speaking, visiting a time now gone through my adventures here on the Super-DuperToyBox!

Released in the middle of the decade, these practically scream '90s! I hadn't really intended on opening them- the colorful packaging is part of their appeal, and they will look great pinned on the wall with some of my other carded Marvel figures. Urban Assault Cable features a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, and Cable Cyborg has a giant rifle and removable face and arm plates that expose the ravages of our hero's techno-organic virus. Rad! These are simple in their articulation like the 10" Marvel Universe line released around the same time, ToyBiz just a few short years away from producing the much lauded and superior articulated Marvel Legends line in 2002, indelibly changing the action figure as we knew it before. Still, I have a great appreciation for simplicity, a trait not likely associated with these two figures in their time with their paint detailing and multiple accessories. There were a few other variations of the character released by ToyBiz in this scale, but I like Cable dressed in his 90's X-Men blue & yellow. The back of the packaging is covered with photos of other action figures/toys from the X-Men & X-Force lines, including a fun looking Blackbird Jet and Sentinel!  Enjoy...

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Hasbro & ToyBiz Deluxe Marvel Figures

Occasionally I get so wrapped up in what the hot new action figures are, that I neglect to share some some of the great stuff in my collection here at the Super-DuperToyBox. I have twenty five or so of these 10" Deluxe Marvel Universe figures ToyBiz produced at the end of the 90's, several still factory sealed with the price tag intact. ToyBiz produced the Marvel Legends line prior to Hasbro, who got the license after Marvel absorbed ToyBiz to pull out of bankruptcy in 1998. These are big, dumb action figures with limited articulation, and though I wasn't paying much attention to action figures during that decade, I am inextricably drawn to them. The large, four color window boxes are splashy and fun, too! I keep several of these out on display, both in and out of package, and was reminded of them when buying some of the new Titan Hero series figures by Hasbro- similarly oversized figures with limited articulation and paint application. The Black Panther (1999) and civilian dress Ben Grimm (1998) are a couple favorites I found online when I started this blog 3 yrs ago...

And lest we not forget Ben's Fantastic Four team mate, the Human Torch with his fireball accessory (2000)! Actually, the "Marvels" series stamp below the window may or may not differentiate him as the original Golden Age Human Torch...

At one time I had a 9" ToyBiz Storm dolly in this white outfit, but never opened this 10" Marvel Universe Storm (1997) who also came with a cloth cape. She's in pristine condition...

Speaking of the X-Men, ToyBiz also released these under the Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, Spider-Man Iron Man, Ghost Rider, and Fantastic Four banners as well. Pictured below is the Deluxe Wolverine from '96 with the 2013 Titan Hero Wolverine...

Pictured below: ToyBiz Marvel Universe Capt. Marvel with Hasbro Titan Hero series Capt. America (left), and ToyBiz Marvel Universe Spider-Man 2099 with Hasbro Titan Hero series Ultimate Spider-Man. The Titan Hero figures are about 1 1/2" taller than the old ToyBiz figures, but take up a smaller footprint with their more erect stance. Most of the ToyBiz had elbow and knee articulation, but the Titan Heroes have ball-jointed heads, and swivel forearms or boot tops.

Below: Hasbro Titan Hero series Iron Patriot with ToyBiz Dr. Doom. See more of my posts on these 10" ToyBiz figures: Polaris with Cable, Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, Gambit, Heroes Unmasked Spider-Man, and Moon Knight!

And finally, a couple from these two lines in larger buck, the ToyBiz X-Men series Beast with Hasbro Titan Hero series Hulk. For the record, the earlier ToyBiz figures seem heftier and more solid than the new Hasbro Titan Heroes. Both were produced to wow the consumer with size to promote value, but they're just big, dumb action figures, and I like that about them...    :)

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Invincible Iron Man #152, 1981

I found the issue that inspired all those blue Iron Man action figures I'm obsessed with, Invincible Iron Man #152, from November of 1981. Among my action figure collection are many subsets of varying style, size & manufacture of particular characters, and within a few of those are a few which share particular decoration. There are examples that are mere army building, such as Sinestro Corps members, and some just multiples of an outfit styling or color, New 52 Supermen or black or Silver Age Batmen for example. My fascination with blue Iron Men falls in the latter category, but is made more special by his less frequent appearance on the pegs. They aren't rare by any means, just not as available as the millions of red & gold Iron Men shipped to the U.S. when Robert Downey Jr. starred in the hugely successful movie franchise. Marvel announced Tony's new armor in '81 with a stamp on the cover by artists Eliot Brown & Bob Layton, which is kinda neat- a comic rendering of the Armored Avenger in his new stealth armor over a colored photograph of a city.

This is a Cold War comic, so the KGB is involved, nestled in scenic East Germany, where Tony Stark takes his new armor for a test reconnaissance run at the Heaven's Hand compound. Not as heavily outfitted for an offensive as in his Mark V, Tony is forced to retreat, returning later under the cover of Rhodey's radar-bending stealth craft, the VTOL. After penetrating the stronghold from the mountain's underwater nuclear base, our hero disguises himself as a KGB agent, and he finds his kidnapped lover, Bethany Cabe. Discovering her "late" husband's death was merely a ruse the KGB planted to draw Bethany out, she could not longer be with Tony. The KGB had intended to gain psychological leverage on the once West German Ambassador, who had info on N.A.T.O. sleeper agents, but the Missus was wise and planned an escape beforehand! Tony was shocked that she had not anticipated him in the mix, but still need him to rise above his feelings and save the day as Iron Man! Tony really bares it all when Bethany confides her knowledge of his alter ego, and plays dress-up under her watchful eye. Hilarious!

   

Anyway, Tony succeeds in seeing everyone off in the VTOL with Rhodey, but gets zapped by the Living Laser at the end like the fool in love he is! I lucked out finding issue #153 at the same time, so I could see the continuing drama unfold. I had a great time reading this issue, and enjoyed a glimpse at John Romita Jr.'s earlier drawing, for more conventional in it's Marvel "house style" aesthetic than his later work on Amazing Spider-Man in the 2000s, Thor Vol.2 , Heroic Age: Avengers, and the recent Marvel NOW! Capt. America title, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed reading this year. Finding this issue was of personal interest for me regarding the art, the character's tie to my action figure interests, and fond memories of  reading comics in the 70s & 80's. Read more about this issue at MarvelWikia.Com!

Some of my blue Iron Men: 7 5/8" Iron Man 3 Iron Monger BAF, 4" Stealth Operations Iron Man, 6" Stealth Strike Iron Man, 4" Fusion Armor Iron Man, and 7" Marvel Select Stealth Iron Man...

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Aug-Sept.Figure Acquisitions!

What can I say? I love toys! LOL! A few things I found at retail this past couple months...

*Marvel Universe 3 3/4" Iron Fist, Elektra, Mysterio, Nova, & Iron Man

Any new Hasbro Marvel Universe figures have come far & few between in local retail locations I was finding them a couple years ago- some waves we just never saw here on the street. Needless to say, I was really enthusiastic about finding some of these spread throughout the county in the past month. I'd probably save time & gas money just ordering online, but it's nice to get out & about, and the thrill of the hunt in undeniable.

*Iron Man 3 2-packs, Strange Tales box set, & Hulk/Iron Man 2-pack MiniMates.
My God- I'll never be done with the MiniMates! I've building up my  6" & 3 3/4" Iron Man Armory this year, and more recently within my MiniMates collection. I've finally gathered all the Iron Man 3 wave, as well as the recent Hulk/Iron Man 2-pack featuring ol' Shellhead in his Marvel NOW! black & gold. Sweet. And I could not pass on that Strange Tales 4-pack with Morbius the Vampire, Blade, Werewolf  By Night, and Dr. Strange himself, the latter two I'm currently reading Marvel Essential volumes of... too much fun, Kids...    :D

*Funko POP! Heroes Batman Beyond Vinyl Figure

I guess this is like my fifth one of these little vinyl Funkos, two of which are bobbleheads. I am still a big fan of Batman Beyond, both in concept & character, so I went crazy when I saw this! I also spotted a Nightwing, Harley-Quinn, and Darkseid, but I got bills to pay. I am mad for these!  

*Batman Unlimited 6" Beware the Batman & Vampire Batman
I have mad love for Mattel's variety of 6" Batman figures, of which they've delivered several the last few years. I've waited anxiously to see these in person, the only two I've found yet went straight into the basket. I knew I'd take the Beware the Batman home when I found him, but seeing the Vampire Batman in person convinced me instantly to buy him as well. Just in time for Halloween! I've passed over the Mattel '66 Batman figures several times because I was really waiting to see these...

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TPB Haul & More Comics!

Packed my bag at Project Comic Con last weekend: Marvel Masterworks: Tales To Astonish Vol.1, Captain America: Bicentennial Battles, Superman: Kryptonite, The Avengers-Kang: Time & Time Again, The Avengers: The Serpent Crown, two Crisis On Multiple Earths volumes, and perhaps my favorite- Marvel Essential: Werewolf By Night Vol.2...

Later that Saturday night (under a full moon, no less) found me picking up a five dollar copy of Marvel Essential: Dr. Strange Vol.1 and Daredevil: Yellow, also marked for clearance at eight bucks at V-Stock. I'm thoroughly enjoying those first, crude drawings of the good Doctor by artist Steve Ditko, his first adventures and origins told by Stan Lee within the '63- '68 issues of Strange Tales. I've heard good things about Yellow, and the art looked appealing to me- nice cover...

 I've been slightly less faithful to DC, but still pick up some of the Superman Unchained and Batman & Robin titles, including catching up with all the end of that Batman Inc. stuff around when Damien/Robin is killed, and the more recent Zero Year issues, Batman: Black & White, Batman '66, and Batman Beyond Universe. Even picked up a couple of those holographic cover issues from DC Villain month, Darkseid #1 and Man-Bat #1...

I also recently read the Cable/Hope books- all five, including the Cable/X-Force volume that runs through the middle of the story arc. I picked up most all these 1/2 price + BOGO several months ago, so I didn't have to invest a lot. Watching Bishop hunt down Cable & Hope through a postapocalyptic future to the end of time and back was really interesting, and I blew right through the series with great enthusiasm!

My reading doesn't stop there however, as I've still been following  the monthly Marvel NOW!  titles Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Superior Spider-Man, Iron Man, and FF. though  thoroughly enjoyable, I dropped Thor: God of Thunder, Indestructible Hulk, A+X, & Nova recently, in an attempt to cut back on some titles and devote time to the Cable/Hope books, other TPBs, and collected editions I want to read.  I'd read it all if I had the time and money, but this has kept me busy at night    :D

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