Marvel Vs. Capcom Minimates: Wolverine/Viewtiful Joe & Magneto/Zero

These MiniMates are based on a series of video games created by Capcom in which characters created by Marvel Comics and Capcom's own characters appear together, Series 3 based on the third version, Fate of Two Worlds. While I'm not a gamer, these two sets had some colorful characters that looked fun to me.

A MiniMate version of blue/yellow Astonishing Wolvie was definitely something I was into, and while I knew nothing of Viewtiful Joe, his fun factor was not lost on me...

Viewtiful Joe is a movie enthusiast whose girlfriend Silvia is kidnapped during a film starring Joe's favorite superhero, Captain Blue. Pulled into Movieland, where Silvia was taken by the villainous group known as Jadow, Joe receives a special V-Watch from Captain Blue, transforming him into the tokusatsu-style persona "Viewtiful Joe", where after he sets out to rescue her. Joe's got great color, a honking, bulbous Kamen Rider inspired helmet, and a mischievous grin on his masked face. The scarf/cape is an odd, bubblegum pink- but it works somehow against the red and white. He brings a smile to face  :D   And the included flight stand is perfect for a jubilant hero like Joe!

Equally hilarious is this impossibly cute Wolverine- I guess there are five or six other blue/yellow Wolverines floating around in the Super-DuperToyBox, and it's because I like that color scheme on him, whether it's classic tiger stripe, Astonishing version, or blue and gold training uniform from 1991. Don't get me wrong: I still love the old brown/yellow, and the X-Force silver/black rocks too, but the blue/yellow works so well that it's undergone the most reinterpretations. See Logan's costume history at IGN!

Perhaps even more interesting was this Magneto/Zero set, full of both personality and great accessories, including to bases, one a flight stand!

According to Wikipedia, Zero is a video game character present throughout the Mega Man franchise, first appearing in the 1993 game Mega Man X for the Super Nintendo. His Z-saber, Z-buster cannon mounted at the end of his right arm, and chunky red and white armor and anime eye treatment give Zero a classic manga feel. Finned ponytail end and Z-saber are echoed in the stylization of his helmet, which give this guy great unity throughout his design. The heft of his arm cannon and shoulder overlay restrict his articulation a little, but the oversized boots add to his stability. Zero has a ton of detail packed into his tiny 2 1/4" frame- Awesome!

Partnered with Zero in this killer 2-pack is classic Magneto, the universally loved Marvel supervillain. As the conflicted mutant, at odds with the X-Men and human race which fears them both, Magneto represents some sort archetypal antihero gone bad that's makes his psychology more interesting than your average comics scoundrel.

Magneto has a lot of great detail in his shoulder overlay and helmet, but I was equally impressed with Diamond Select having painted the inside of his cape a dark red- and understated yet thoughtful touch of artistry. Nice! Along with purple energy orbs that fit over his fists, Mags comes with a great looking hairpiece for days off his evildoer day job. He has the same great helmet as the First Class Magneto I just reviewed, the back of which sports an incised/painted M... I can't pick a favorite.

If you are into MiniMates, I'd wholeheartedly recommend these really fun 2-packs, Capcom fan or not- the colors, unique characters, and great accessories make them well worth the eight to ten bucks you'll likely find them for. So Great!

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First Class Magneto & Mystique MiniMates

I got these on clearance for about five bucks, and looking at this particular series, I can understand why. There is a sameness about them that may not excite like the aesthetic variety throughout the regular Marvel MiniMates series. But I loved the flightsuits worn by the fledgling X-Men team in the 2011 X-Men: First Class movie, which was one of the best superhero movies I'd seen in awhile. If I'd seen the Beast/Azazel set, I would have picked them up too, but I'm not surprised there were none left. Magneto & Mystique are the other interesting set in this series, for his accessory, and her coloring.

Young Raven Darkholme (later known as Mystique) felt rejected by childhood friend Charles Xavier, but Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) told her she was perfect the way she was- a magnificent specimen. "If I looked like you, I wouldn't change a thing." This psychological foreshadowing was well played in the movie, uniquely reimagining her roots in the Brotherhood of Mutants under the leadership of Magneto. Mystique's dark blue skin and red hair make her visually interesting, and her long history at odds with the X-Men make her an interesting character.

Michael Fassbender did some excellent acting as Magneto- a wonderful performance! Diamond Select did a good job in his angular chin and clean-cut looks within the MiniMates style. He has a slightly different paint scheme on the arms and torso. But it's the helmet that makes this figure rock! It protects him against psionic attacks by telepaths such as Xavier- made by the Soviet Union for Sebastian Shaw, Erik took the helmet after killing him in revenge of his mother's murder in a Nazi concentration camp. Xavier and Lehnsherr's complex relationship, at odds with the those who misunderstand them, was dramatically told in the movie. Weaved within the Cuban Missile Crisis and their fight against Sebastian Shaw, the fellow mutants are ultimately estranged on grounds of their tolerance toward the human race.

I love these two MiniMates, but the other other 2-packs in the X-Men: First Class series available on the pegs didn't reach out & grab me- even at $5. Check out Lemonjuice McGee's review on this set at MTV Geek!

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Marvel MiniMates X-Force 2-Packs

It's no secret I love 90's comics- last fall I started reading Rob Liefeld's X-Force, and was surprisingly quite entertained. So much so that I hunted down nearly all the first 40 issues, along with several crossover issues, in order to read more about the group. I'd only bought a couple 2-packs of MiniMates to date, but seeing these X-Force sets further cemented my obsession over these tiny action figures.

Cannonball & Shatterstar were perhaps the most important characters from the 90's X-Force, and Diamond Select knocked it out of the park here. The folds/puckers in their headgear and Shatterstar's belt are wonderful, as is the hair sculpt in both these. Though somewhat limited to the overall MiniMates design, the right elements that make these characters unique were executed perfectly within. These guys received color treatment referencing their initial appearance in X-Force, the blond hair, leather headgear, and white in their outfits, making them a great pair visually. There's definitely a 90's influence in the sartorial expression of these two fierce warriors that amuses me  :D

The accessories rock here as well: Shatterstar gets his trademark double-bladed swords with spiked hand guards, which fit into slots on his back when not in use. Very cool! A slave from the planet Mojoworld, one hundred years in the future, Shatterstar was genetically engineered to have the enhanced strength and abilities of an arena gladiator. Sent back in time to Earth in search of the X-Men's assistance in defeating and overthrowing Mojo, he instead found Cable and the New Mutants, and the weirdness began!

Equally cool is Cannonball's blast-off accessory base made of translucent plastic. I mean how do you think he got a name like Cannonball?? Killer! Sam Guthrie was a founding member of the X-Men's junior team the New Mutants and their later incarnation X-Force, serving as first lieutenant) under Cable.

Sam's ski jacket is removable, comprised of a softer plastic with slits down the sides. He has a little paint slop, a yellow dot of paint on the back of his headgear, but at least it's on back.

The Boomer/Rictor 2-pack was no disappointment either, sporting the neon side of the 90's with some really wild coloring. Boomer is particularly outrageous in her pink and yellow outfit acquired in issue #19 of X-Force, when she dressed the whole team to look even more like the Village People!  Hilarious!  :D  The details are great on Boomer, from her detailed shoulder and utility gear to her name printed upside her left leg. She has two translucent orange blast accessories which fit snugly over her fists. What a rocker! If C.C. DeVille lost his job in Poison, Boomer would be perfect- she looks like a freak and can't play guitar either  :D  Tabitha Smith Tabitha develops a relationship with Cannonball while the New Mutants are transitioning into X-Force, rechristening herself as Boomer before battling the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with her teammates. 

Rictor has wild getup to compliment teammate Boomer in this great 2-pack.  With enough bandannas & shoulder pads to rival anything on MTV at the time, Rictor also has hair that Richard Marx would be proud of. And his goalie shin pads fit right in with Cable's dress code, making him a great mate to Boomer! Julio Esteban Richter was introduced in in X-Factor during the late 80s, was later part of the New Mutants, and rejoined them later as X-Force. The team was captured by the X-Men and X-Factor, who sought Cable for the attempted murder of Professor X during the X-Cutioner's Song, a ruse by Cable's evil doppelganger Stryfe, whom young Julio was forced to watch kill his arms merchant father. I sense a little angst!  He's basically a walking earthquake, so I guess an accessory was tough to come up with.

So yeah, I'm totally hooked on MiniMates now, these of particular interest as I only recently first read about them. There are a lot of people outwardly resentful toward this era of comics, but it gives me a certain nostalgia for that period- a more carefree time that was kinda... zany! Bill Clinton, anyone?  :D

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Marvel Legends Modern Thor

I passed on this guy when Hasbro relaunched the 6" Marvel Legends in early 2012, and have been kicking myself for it ever since. Lo and behold, as I strode through Wal-Mart this morning, I stumbled upon Thor hanging from the pegs. Oh Glorious Day!  :D   Adding to the victory, and to my surprise, he scanned in at eleven bucks- not bad, not bad...

The packaging is splashy & fun looking, and I liked the artwork on Thor's better than the Captain Rogers and Hope Summers for whatever reason- it looks like the same artist to me. I'm still not a huge fan of the Legends logo. Inside the package is a killer Thor action figure!

Thor has the great articulation Marvel Legends is known for: ball and hinge shoulders & hips with a swivel at the top of the thigh, bicep swivel, double jointed knees, hinge-swivel elbows, a generous abdominal swivel, and swivel/hinge ankles & wrists. Thor has a ball-jointed neck with almost no range, but long hair usually limits the movement here anyway.

This is the costume designed by Oliver Coipel for Thor's title in 2007. Redefining the look of such an iconic character has been done with mixed results the past, but I really dig the scaled armor & toned-down colors on this outfit. The cape is really well sculpted with a lightly shadowed paint app- it hinders his shoulder movement somewhat, but it's manageable. The paint throughout is simple but pretty good- gold piping running down this dark blue chest armor and around the boot tops and ankle is neatly done, and the black wash in his scaled armor looks good. His enchanted hammer, Mjolnir also has a nice black wash, revealing the worn texture in it's metal head. He holds Mjolnir securely in his hand, but also has a slender strap built into his belt to carry it.

The sculpt on Thor's Nordic mug is excellent- there's a somewhat plastic sheen to it, but the color isn't bad. And whoever got under his furrowed brow with a tiny brush to paint those eyes is a master artist. His eyebrows are thick, subtly painted to match his golden locks which are sculpted in a wind-tossed fray, clamped under his winged silver helmet. So great!

Thor poses sturdily in a variety of heroic positions as he should, his shorter cape more easily accommodating crouched positions. Mine has sufficiently tight joints, and is a little less top heavy than my Lord of Asgard Thor. I would have appreciated a base, as he does have holes for a peg drilled into his heels, but he stands well enough. He's a hefty, fun action figure! He totally rocks!

Legends Thor with 6" Avengers Thor and Lord of Asgard Thor...

Legends Thor with Hasbro 3 3/4" Marvel Universe Thor...

I'd passed on the Marvel Select version of this Thor several times, hoping I'd get another chance at him when more stock was put out. I like Marvel Select, but couldn't get this Legends Thor off my mind after he slipped through my fingers. I think it's easy to see why.

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DC New 52: Earth 2, #1

I was really excited by the prospect of an parallel universe in DC's second wave of the New 52 relaunch, the possibility of yet more new costumes and reimagined origins for all my favorite superheroes, and was surprised/shocked by this first issue.

We are introduced to "the Trinity", already developed, revered heroes in this Earth 2 universe, in the thick of a worldwide war against the forces of Apokolips, Parademons flying everywhere! Superman and Wonder Woman are barely holding them off, buying time for the Batman to plant a virus chip deep into one of the enemies beacon towers in attempt to bring them down. I absolutely loved the new outfits, and that's kind of a shame as it's the end for these three right here in the first issue. That's right, fans- while holding off the Parademons, a besieged, Superman lives only long enough to see Steppenwolf run Wonder Woman through the back with his staff! Batman says his last goodbyes to daughter Helena (Robin) flying above, and then inserts the chip, setting off a huge explosion, saving the Earth. I didn't expect that! 

 We are then introduced to business mogul Alan Scott, recalling the late heroes sacrifice to bring peace on Earth, and a young, shiftless Jay Garrick, fresh out of college with no direction in life. While lamenting his situation under the stars one night, the herald of the gods Mercury falls from the sky to seal Jay's fate, the world in need of a hero for the impending peril of an even greater evil...!

Look not unto me for sympathy though, Kids- I'm all for change. It's good to shake things up, and often times necessary. I rarely understand when some fan up in arms about a writer killing off a favorite character or changing their backstory/continuity, though as an artist see it as a success if a strong reaction, positive or negative, is evoked. It's been going on at Marvel and DC for years. In fact, I somewhat enjoy it- The Dark Night Returns, anyone?? Just let go and try to enjoy yourself   :)  I'm on issue three of this title already, and will stick around for awhile to see what happens.

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