Little Joker!

Now how did HE get in here? Just when I thought it was safe... 

Hey, Mr. Postman!

Yes Friends, it's time to examine the goods on another exhilarating episode of Hey, Mr. Postman! here on Super-DuperToyBox... Hooray! This package DID in fact arrive this very afternoon, prior to a triumphant day at work:

*Marvel Select Mark VI Iron Man 2 by Diamond Select Toys! While I've yet to see Iron Man 2, I DID see the first Iron Man just two weeks ago and LOVED IT! Naturally, the search for the coolest modern Iron Man figure my meager earnings could procure followed soon after. I plucked this FUN toy off Amazon for $18.92 with free shipping- I thought that was okay. I can hardly wait to open him!

*D.C. Universe Classics Wave 7 Iron... yes, D.C.'s own "Iron Man". I knew nothing about this character, and bought him because a.) he was on sale for $7.00 which pushed my Amazon order just over $25.00 to earn my free shipping, & b.) I just plain liked him. I liked him as art... his monochromatic paint job looks killer! Additionally, this action figure has die cast parts and a collector button- FUN!! I'm four figures away from having all the parts to assemble the BAF Darkseid in this wave! I preordered Mercury (also from the Metal Men) in November, as well... I just liked the look of him...

Well, I've had a kickass day Kids- what can I say? I gotta open up this Marvel Select Iron Man and inspect before some bedtime reading- Marvel Essential Silver Surfer, Vol.1!
Excelsior!

AnImagination at West County Center

I was THRILLED to see a business like AnImagination open up in West County Center! I'm not a gamer, but gamers and comic book fans are cut from the same coth in my mind- fun loving, unique individuals who haven't lost their sense of imagination. I want to see this place succeed because it's locally owned and operated, they host events events, and they offer a haven of sorts for us rare types.

World of WarCraft, Settlers of Catan, and A LOT more...

Gaming figures and accessories...

Unique art and decor....

All kinds of board games and some beautiful chess boards....

 Manager Samuel Bromet working hard getting out new merchandise for the busy holiday season...

Get in to see this GREAT local establishment- join them on Facebook! Tell them you heard about it on Super-DuperToyBox!

AnImagination

102 West County Center Center

Des Peres, MO  63131

314-821-5757

on the second level, near Macy's

Hey, Mr. Postman!

How many toys have come in the mail since I started this blog two months ago, you ask? ALOT! Ha Ha! This haul actually came on Nov. 23rd, but I want to give you posts with some actual content, so I try to spread out installments of Hey, Mr. Postman! Enough blahblahblah, let's dive right in...

*Marvel Select Captain Marvel by Diamond Select Toys. I had a Captain Marvel comic as a kid and remember nothing about it, but I was impressed by this figure... I just bought it 'cause I liked it (the best reason)!

*D.C. Universe Classics Dr. Mid-Nite by Mattel... He comes with an OWL, okay?! No seriously, ever since I won my DCUC Starman on the Action Figure Blues comment contest, I've been hot for these toys! As some of you may have begun to suspect, I kinda have a thing for retro-styled heroes, and hailing from 1941, Dr. Mid-Nite is my kinda action figure... they come with a collector button, dammit! It says "adult collector" in the bottom corner?? Do I qualify?

*Marvel Legends Hulk Series Doc Sampson by Hasbro. This character is important because I was reading about him recently in Marvel Essential Hulk, Vol.6. Hulk was preparing t stomp his ass at the end of the book- guess I'll have to get Vol.7 if I want to know the outcome... *sigh*

*Watchmen Nite-Owl T-Shirt. I have a growing collection of superhero t-shirts, and this one is pretty high quality. On the back it says: "It's all crap. Who needs all this hardware to catch hookers and purse-snatchers?" Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl (1986)

SURPRISE DOUBLE BONUS ROUND of Hey, Mr. Postman!

That's right just a few short days later, I recieved ANOTHER box in the mail! If you get toys in the mail twice in one week, one or more of these things might be happening:

A.) You have recently experienced a life-changing event.

B.) You are addicted to toys.

C.) You are having a GREAT WEEK!

All of the above are true of course, so let's get on with it...

*D.C. Universe Classics Killer Moth by Mattel! Hooray!! Perhaps the most ridiculous looking action figure I have ever seen... this appeals to me. What does a criminal do when everyone makes fun of his costume? Make a deal with a demon to become the deadly half-man/half-insect, all-mad Charaxes! This is one of those "collect & connect" series figures- if you collect all of Wave 6 you have all the parts to make Kalibak. I would love to have Kalibak, but am unsure if I have the wherewithal to reach this goal anytime soon. In fact, I have an assortment of "collect & connect" parts that I'm unsure what to do with, the others consisting of mostly Marvel character parts...

Today is two months for this blog- I've somehow managed to write over 50 posts & get over 3,500 views during this time. I won't lie: I spend a lot of time photographing, researching, & writing, and I certainly enjoy it. I work on it almost every night, and I have more planned. Imagine if your high school teachers said, "We would like you to spend the entire semester writing about [insert your favorite subject], and don't worry about the other stuff." It is has been that much fun.

Everyone has been really accepting and supportive of my endeavor, in spite of my newbie status. I came into this new hobby at the time of a very serious lifestyle change, and also a time of great need- need for companionship & understanding. What I found was a group of the most wonderfully fun people, people that shared my love and enthusiasm for toys, people like you! Though some of you are far, far away geographically, it felt as though several arms were around my shoulders, "We are here, We've got you, You are safe here with us". I found this both comforting and empowering. So you see, these toys mean a great deal to me, these toys may very well have saved my life in a way- and you have played a part in that. Thank you... Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

9" Signature Series Cyclops by Hasbro

This Cyclops was the tenth Signature Series action figure released by Hasbro after acquiring the licence to produce Marvel characters. ToyBiz had already released the Marvel Famous Covers line before Hasbro produced a similar line of 9" cloth costumed action figures under the "Spiderman Origins" line, featuring heroes related, sometimes loosely, to ol' WebHead. With Cyclops however, the packaging no longer mentioned Spiderman, instead labeled "Marvel Icons".

I scored this 2006 Cyclops back in October on E-Bay for a very reasonable $11.58 (price included shipping). Some might prefer the costume ToyBiz chose for the Marvel Famous Covers Cyclops, but I'm somewhat partial to Hasbro's design- they did a swell job on the yellow pinstipe lines running from the shoulders down the front and back of the costume to the inner thighs, meeting very cleanly at the various seams. His articulation is okay, and of course his hands feature Hasbro's nifty hinge-grip feature.

Scott Summers was the first young mutant recruited by Professor Xavier for tutelage of his special powers, away from growing persecution of the general public. The unknown "X-Gene" that caused Scott's mutant evolution is extremely dangerous, revealing itself in the form of powerful concussive beams that shoot from his eyes. This "optic blast" can only be controlled by ruby quartz, fused into either his special visor or sunglasses. While unable to turn this beam off, Summers' gifted sense of spacial geometry has allowed him to focus the optic blast with great accuracy in it's intensity and width, as well as bounce it between shiny surfaced objects to achieve target.  I must admit that I've read very little about Cyclops, field commander of The X-Men, though I did read The Uncanny X-Men (1984) as a teenager- so that's not so bad. This compilation of issues #128-138 was probably one of the first graphic novels in comics history, and a great read (Chris Claremont/John Byrne). The epic storytelling blew my young mind!

*Thomas Wheeler's review of this toy at MasterCollector.Com
*Cyclops' lengthy bio at Wikipedia!

9" Hasbro Martian Manunter

According to Chunky B-Licious, this 9" Martian Manhunter dolly is Hasbro JLU KB Toys Exclusive, like the Superman Blue around 1998 (who looks even crazier than Martian Manhunter). The Hasbro 9" line filled a need for dolly lovers who were left wanting the D.C. characters in this format, as ToyBiz's 9" Famous Covers line was limited to Marvel characters.

I scored this very clean figure without his box on E-Bay back in October for only $10.90 (price included shipping)- not bad at all. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him! He has a luxuriously thick cape, very comic-bookish colors, and excellent articulation. And as with all the Hasbro dollies I have, J'onn's hands have that nifty hinge-grip feature in the hands. In a word, he's Bitchin'... if I could only keep one toy, it may very well be him, I swear!

In the D.C. Universe, J'onn J'onzz is a Martian who was inadvertently brought to Earth by an experimental teleportation beam originally meant as a communication device. When scientist Dr. Erdel encounters the accidental alien, sudden shock sends him into cardiac arrest, leaving the alien with no way to get home. For awhile, J'onzz successfully assimilates into society as a police detective, but eventually goes public with his superhero persona, joining the Justice League.

I'm unsure why Matian Munhunter decided to come into my life so suddenly, but I now have three action figures of this otherworldly character. Although with the way my life has changed in such a dramatic way recently (getting sober, getting back into shape, collecting toys/reading comics, and starting this blog), I wouldn't be surprised if J'onn J'onzz flew in my window tomorrow! Reading the D.C. New Frontier saga recently, I was fascinated with this alien who came to Earth, finding it's tragic inhabitants endearing and worth protecting, even if from themselves.

Just a few short months ago, right before I started this blog, I had been reading some of my old comics. One of these comics was a D.C. Annual Superman from 1991 (part 2 of the Armageddon 2001 series), in which a character named WaveRider "merges into Superman's timeline" to get a better look at his future. Waverider was looking to see if Superman becomes the terrible, all-powerful Monarch. In this story, Superman dismantles the defenses of the world superpowers after an accidental atomic detonation kills all his loved ones in Metropolis. Aggresively taking the law into his own hands, Superman forces Batman to assemble J'onn J'onzz, Booster Gold, and Fire to help bring the Man of Steel in. In the melee, J'onn J'onzz is killed, forcing Batman to take Superman out for good. Helluva story...

*Read more about Hasbro's short-lived D.C. line of 9" action figures at ActionFigureInsider.Com
*Read about Martian Manhunter at Wikipedia.Com!
*DCUC Series 15 Martian Manunter review at ToyNewsi.Com.
*Wave 4 of Mattel's D.C. Retro-Action hits stores in Jan. 2011, including Martian Manthunter!

Marvel Legends Scarlet Spider

I scored this 6" Marvel Legends Scarlet Spider by Hasbro just a couple weeks ago on E-Bay for ten bucks- he came loose, but I wasn't going to pay for one in the box this time since I planned on opening him anyway. I always liked this version of the outfit worn by Ben Reilly, a clone of Peter Parker, first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975)... it's a long story, folks.

This toy was a fun addition to my other two Marvel Legends Spidey figures- a must have! He has many points of articulation, though no hinged fingers like my other two Spideys, a stationary clenched fist and "web-shoot" positioned hand instead- it works. One problem all three of the Spideys share is the inability to pull their legs/thighs into a 90 degree angle in front of their body- the way the ball-hinge assembly is connected to the pelvis only allows movement to the sides.

I like the way his head swivels on a ball joint and the incised weblines detailing his mask and eyes. The rest of the paint is okay, and the body sculpt is to my liking enough. His nice coloring made him a joy to photograph!

I had no knowledge of this alternate Spiderman until 1996 however, when I picked up Spiderman Team-Up #5, which featured Gambit and Howard The Duck- a FUN comic! I still have it....

*Read a VERY detailed review of this Marvel Legends Scarlet Spider at ArticulatedDiscussion.Com.
*Scarlet Spider at MarvelWikia.Com!

http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/reviews/spiderman_teamup/005.html

9" Hasbro Joker, Clown Prince of Crime

By the time Hasbro released this 9" Joker action figure in 2001 the character had undergone so many reincarnations, both in appearance and chronicle, that it seemed every possible angle had been explored. Perhaps that's why they went back to the old tried and true styling for the Harlequin of Hate- he's the classic Joker in purple and green. I've seen asking prices as high as $65.00 for this toy, but I got him for $24.95 (price included shipping) and you probably shouldn't pay more- just sayin'...

My favorite Joker stories include Death In the Family (Starlin/Apparo) & The Killing Joke (Moore/Bolland), 1988,  Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, 1986, and Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth,1989. And Jack Nicholson's role in the 1989 Batman motion picture was of course a dream come true for teenage comic dorks the world over, myself included. As a child I'd watched the heavily syndicated Batman television show that featured an expertly cast Cesar Romero, but the late eighties were the most intense years of my Bat-Mania, so the Joker depicted in these stories were branded on my coming of age.

There aren't any surprises here, save the "surprise" package he comes with, one of three accessories included in this fun little package. Pressing Joker's cane on a button at the gift box's base opens the package to reveal a tiny crouched jester holding a bomb in one hand and bundle of dynamite in the other- double jeopardy! I've found this device to be somewhat cranky, though an interesting, if only half-successful gimmick. Joker's cane has a great jester's head at the top, but the soft plastic cane shaft is warped (FAIL!). Another minor annoyance is the gag pistol- it's handle doesn't fit in Joker's hand well at all, and in spite of Hasbro's nifty hinge-grip feature,  the weapon is too heavy for him to hold securely.

Accessory snafus aside, Hasbro did a good job on this dolly... errr, I mean action figure. His suit is relatively well tailored, with neat little buttons on his yellow vest, bow tie, and pink carnation on his left jacket lapel.  He's brawnier than my old Mego Joker, but quite reminiscent in appearance. And the head sculpt is magnificent on this toy! Bravo!

-Mego's 8" Joker at MegoMuseum.Com, 1974!
-1:6 scale Hot Toys Joker (Heath Ledger) at ToyHaven!
-Joker's Wikipedia page