Cullen Bunn Signing at The Fantasy Shop!

It was a pleasant crowd down at The Fantasy Shop last night for Cullen Bunn's book signing, celebrating his new work in the Batman/Superman title, "Sorcerer Kings" (#81-84). Cullen has done work for Marvel before, and graciously answered my questions about what it was like to work for a big machine like DC Comics, a gig he landed through publisher of his work on The Sixth Gun and The Damned, Oni Press. Working for DC went pretty smoothly the first time, Cullen said, and he even pitched them some other ideas for the Batman/Superman title in the future. The humble, young author is so optimistic about the way things are going, as well he should be, that he recently announced the resignation of his day job in order to focus full-time on his writing career. I'm rooting for you Mr. Bunn!

Cullen with Fantasy Shop manager Scott Samson...

Mr. Bunn signing comics for the fans...

I had to break my 28 Day Challenge vows of buying no toys or comics for the month of February to pick up a copy of Cullen's first job at DC Comics, folks- it was official Super-DuperToyBox business, and I hope you'll give me a "pass" on this indiscretion. I was not going to go to the signing and (laughs) not buy a copy of the man's hard-earned accomplishment! Without choice, I also paid ahead for the guys at Fantasy to pull a copy of the other three continuing issues of "Sorcerer Kings"- don't look at me like that, I need to read the whole story! 

I was genuinely intrigued the opening to Cullen's mystery, and the artwork was great too. The Batman/Superman title is fun , Cullen explained, because of the stand alone stories that only span a few issues, allowing a fan to step in without having to know any of the past past issues' continuities. There are a host of other DC characters involved with Batman & Superman costarring the title as well, making it a fun romp through the DC Universe. Visit DC Comics page on issue #81 of Batman/Superman...  I highly reccomend you pick this up! I will surely be grabbing some more of Cullen's work in the near future.

My autographed copy of Superman/Batman #81...

The Fantasy Shop 

10560 Baptist Church Rd

Saint Louis, MO 63128 

DC Direct JSA Kingdom Come Superman

Like Sinestro in my last post, this is another action figure based on the artwork of Alex Ross. In the Kingdom Come story arc, this older Superman (from Earth 22) is a much stronger yet alienated version of the big blue boyscout, unable to find any decency in a future world of lawlessness. I have this book on the list to read in the coming months- sounds very interesting. As I've said before, coming back into reading comics after being away for almost two decades, I'm really behind on some reading that many of you might feel is old news. I hope I'm not boring you too much, because to me it's all very exciting!

There is another DC Direct Reactivated Series version of this guy, but he's not nearly as cool as this one- this Alex Ross Justice Society of America version is the one to buy. His body proprortions look more natural, the face sculpt is superior, and as limited as DCD's articulation is- he's got more.  This one can be more expensive- I got him brand new for under ten bucks, plus shipping, which was about as good a deal as I could find. A reader recently commented on my ability to find a good deal, asking how I do it. The answer is simple: a lot of time trolling the internet combined with a lot of patience. Additionally, on a figure like this I searched on eBay using keywords like "JSA" (Justice Society of America), and "Kingdom Come Superman". I look for the lowest price, and keep an eye on it, not bidding until the last few seconds- sometimes using ESnipe to automatically do the work for me. There is no magic, and I don't always get what I'm looking for. Research what you are looking for, too- it's nothing for me to spend a couple evenings scouring the internet to both find the best price and learn all I can about the product. That's part of the fun!

Kingdom Come Superman is 7" tall, bigger than your Mattel DCUCs, and even some DC Direct figures.  As I've said before, DC Direct's oft decried scale issues are of little concern to me- I appreciate these on an individual basis, and Supes here is a beauty! Let's compare him to some other Superman figures I have:

*with DC Direct New Krypton Superman...

*with Mattel Wave 11 DCUC Superman, DC Direct 13" Deluxe Collector Edition Classic Superman, & Mattel 8" Retro-Action Superman!

... and no, that isn't all the Superman figures I have! Those were (laughs) just a few with reach  :D  This is the Super-DuperToyBox, after all.  Maybe I'll get them all together for a photo some day in the future- if you want to see the others, just search under the "Superman" tag at the right side of the blog.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it! Next up: photos/report from the Cullen Bunn comic book signing I attended tonight!

DC Direct Series 1 Justice League Sinestro

I got this DC Direct Series 1 Justice League Sinestro on January 30th- I only paid ten bucks (included shipping). He had been opened, but he was mint and sent to me in his box with his stand. Not bad. I've been looking for a Sinestro in the yellow Sinestro Corps outfit, but I resent the inflated price he's going for currently... and even the blue DCUC's are up there. No way!  I'll take this classic and artfully rendered version...

That's not an alto-saxaphone he has in hand there- it was dubbed his mega-rod, which I've read "was used by Sinestro to transport Hal Jordan to a plane of nothingness by opening boom tube pathways between different locations and dimensions". I have yet to read any of the Justice Leaugue books featuring Alex Ross's artwork, for which after this figure is based, but I did just read Blackest Night, in which Sinestro saw a lot of action. Sinestro's red skin is a trait of his native race, the Korugarans from Space Sector 1417 in the DC Comics Universe.

Sinestro is Green Lantern Hal Jordan's arch nemesis, once his instructor in the Green Lantern Corps, exiled by the Guardians for his toletarian leanings and misuse of power. "Sinestro wields a yellow power ring that is powered by the emotional energy of fear, and its wielder must be an expert in inspiring and manipulating fear to use it. Built on Qward, it can create yellow energy constructs, flight, etc. Sinestro's original ring could only be recharged by fighting a Green Lantern but the current version wielded by the Sinestro Corps are recharged by yellow batteries." (Sinestro @ Wikipedia)

Like all DC Direct figures, Sinestro's articulation is somewhat limited. His rather expressive hands swivel at the wrist however, which is nice. One could more accurately describe a lot of DC's action figures as poseable statues- they sacrifice playability for aesthetics. There are also a lot of complaints about scale issues between and within different series, unlike with Mattel's DC Universe Classics line which has kept their different waves of figures more standardized. Still, I enjoy the different styles of sculpt from series to series, and try to appreciate them on an individual basis. Sinestro here for example is a stand-alone, exceptional likeness of this diabolical villain we all love to hate- a real work of art, I say!

*DC Direct Action Figure Archive!

DC Direct New Krypton Superman

The DC Direct New Krypton Superman! He came from Mike's Comics & Stuff in sunny Anaheim, California with the three other action figures from this series last week... the exceptional face sculpt reminds me of Chris Reeve quite a bit, and you know how I feel about that  :) Unlike the Superwoman from this series, Kal-El here has swivel joints at the tops of his boots as well as his waist & wrists...

*DC Direct Action Figure Archive!

DC Direct New Krypton Superwoman

Just wanted to share a few pics of this sweetie to you for Valentine's Day- my new DC Direct New Krypton Superwoman! She came from Mike's Comics & Stuff in sunny Anaheim, California with the three other action figures from this series last week... fell in love with her at first sight! Such a pretty girl... don't you think so?

Cullen Bunn Signing at The Fantasy Shop, Wednesday, February 16th

Author Cullen Bunn will have a signing at The Fantasy Shop in South St. Louis County next Wednesday, February 16th from 5-9PM, to celebrate the release of his first issue of his Superman/Batman arc! I am unsure how many St. Louis readers I have here at the Super-DuperToyBox, but I hope you can make it out to my favorite local comic shop for this event to help give Mr. Bunn warm salutations  :)   Read my post about The Fantasy Shop!  See you there :)

The Fantasy Shop 

10560 Baptist Church Rd

Saint Louis, MO 63128 

Marvel Legends Skrull Soldier/Kree Soldier 2-Pack!

I got this Marvel Legends Skrull Soldier/Kree Soldier 2-Pack by Hasbro (2008) a little while back online for about $21.00. This is relevant to the situation because I am reading The Life & Death of Captain Marvel (Marvel, 2002), a compilation of Captain Marvel adventures from 1972 all the way to his death in 1982, reprinted from Marvel's first graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel was a captain of the Kree Imperial Militia, enemy of the Skrulls, originally sent to spy on the human race. When he realized he was being used with malicious intent, he became Captain Marvel, protector of Earth. This green and silver outfit is standard for a Kree Captain. The Kree soldier has a variant, interchangeable head and a small pistol that fits into a holster on a removable belt. They both have some pretty nice articulation with the double-jointed knees and elbows, and abdominal hinges, but the Kree Soldier has "latissimus dorsi" type joints positioned between his shoulder joints & torso that enable him to push his chest in and out- Impressive!

The Skrull soldier (the warrior Kl'rt) has a set of interchangeable arms, one manifesting his "Super-Skrull" powers, here a mix of The Thing's huge, craggy arms and The Human Torch's flames. He was given these powers  by his leader Dorrek VII to defeat the Fantastic Four and pave way for the rising Skrull Empire. He also uses these powers on the good Captain in The Life & Death of Captain Marvel, to no avail- the Kree champion of Earth kills him in a gnarly duke-out!

Here's something kinda fun: The Kree and Skrull pages from the Official Hanbook of the Marvel Universe series I had from childhood (1983). I dug this out of my old comics just for you tonight! Aren't you special?! Click on the pics to get a closer look:

Hey, Mr. Postman!

Well this looks like the ends of the new toys I will be seeing in February- I got my box of New Krypton Series action ficures from Mike's Comics & Stuff in Anaheim, California. Mike has the best price I could find on these, and while on the subject, he STILL has some of those DC: Final Crisis box sets for just $29.95! Unbelieveably good deal! In accordance with the 28 Day Challenge, I have purchased no toys or comics so far during the month of February, this last batch having been ordered on the evening of January 31st.

I haven't read this Superman story arc yet, but when Mike loaded their pics onto the Action Figure Blues Forum and the Mike's Comics & Stuff  Facebook page, I liked the figures immediately. This looks like something I want to read for sure: It is discovered that part of Krypton, along with 100,000 Kryptonians survived the planet's destruction. Superman tries to help everyone fit in here on Earth, which the Kryptonians have no interest in, and all kinds of interesting plots evolve- involving Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and a mysterious new Superwoman. Read more about which New Krypton books to pick up in the all-too-confusing Superman shelf HERE at my favorite comics blog, New readers... Start here!

*Superman: New Krypton Series 1 Superman by DC Direct!

*Superman: New Krypton Series 1 Mon-El  by DC Direct!

*Superman: New Krypton Series 1 Superwoman by DC Direct!

*Superman: New Krypton Series 1 Brainiac by DC Direct!

In other news, I managed to erect some shelving in the back of my closet on my day off yesterday for more toy storage- it's beginning to look like a Superhero Fortress of Solitude in there, like Batman's closet, like a door to another universe, I say- Damn!