Marvel Universe: Ultron & Sub-Mariner

I was pretty excited to find two Wave 15 releases from Hasbro's 3 3/4" Marvel Universe line- there is a Wal-Mart across the street where I find cool stuff on a regular basis. Take note of Sub-Mariner's base- it says "Imperius Rex", a battle cry uttered by Atlantean King Namor, the Sub-Mariner (imperious: power, empire.  rex: king). One great thing about buying the single carded versions of these figures is that you almost alway get a base for them, which you need  :D

 Ultron was released in a Secret Wars 2-pack with Mr. Fantastic, but didn't have the green highlights this single carded version has, making him appear "lit up" like a robot- very cool! His shoulder articulation is limited by the cresent shoulder guards attached to his deltoids, and rotation below the hips is limited to the cut ankles, but he has a cut joint at the waist and an upper abdominal joint. He has the same arms/legs as Doom, basically. Created by Dr. Henry Pym (Ant Man/Giant Man), the robot quickly developed its own intelligence and rebelled, constantly upgrading it's own body to an almost indestructable grade of construction.

I never thought I'd find this Namor- too beloved of a character to sit on a peg for long- he'll go great with that Avengers box set I found awhile back- Silver Age goodness!  But Sub-Mariner is one of the oldest superheroes, having debuted during the Golden Age of comics in Marvel Comics #1 along with the original android superhero Human Torch (Timely Comics, 1939). Son of a sea captain & princess of Atlantis, Namor is an anti-hero of unpredictable demeanor, at odds with humanity for it's abuse & disregard for the inhabitants of the world's oceans. He has fought with and against superhero groups the Avengers, the Invaders, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, & the Defenders.

There was another speedo-sporting Namor in the 2009 SDCC 70th Anniversary Invaders Exclusive Set, but this one is beefed up & has more articulation. There was also a modern Namor released in late 2009, but having caught the fever for these so late, I'm lucky a third was released. Namor has the "improved" articulation my 90's Cyclops had, and while his leg didn't pop off, the ball & socket joint somewhat limits the figure's lateral leg movement at the hip. And the cut joints at the upper thigh & below the knee be visually distracting, especially on a nude figure such as this. As I've said before, I prefer the nicer looking, more dependable ball-hinge combination. The rocker joints at the ankles are really great however, and add a lot to this figure.

And now something fun from my old comics: Ultron's page from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe series I had from childhood. Click on the image to read all about Ultron circa 1983...

And from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Book of The Dead & Inactive 1 (1982), defunct superhero team The Invaders, who employed the service of one Sub-Mariner!

*See the Marvel Universe visual checklist at ItsAllTrue.Net

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Marvel Universe: X-Men First Class Wolverine & Sabretooth Comic 2-Pack

I'd backed off this Wolverine & Sabretooth Comic 2-Pack more than once, but caved last week. Hasbro  doesn't really give you a price break here for buying two, likely reasoning that Marvel can get four bucks for a comic book, which is outrageous, so you are getting a value at eighteen clams for the two pack. Not a great value whatsoever! The Marvel Universe singles are about eight bucks- also too high, but I'm the fool who buys them  :D

This is the... fifth Marvel Universe Wolverine I've got?  I like him, but there is some oustandingly poor paint application on this figure! I do like the sculpt a lot however: they did a great job on the mask and clenched teeth look on his face. And the sculpted fabric, particularly the part stretched over his legs, features some great detailing!  Sabretooth is really the better of the two- his paint is much cleaner, he has a ball joint under his head, and he's bigger!  These both have a ball-hinge at the shoulders instead of a bicep swivel, which is plenty adequate. Better yet they feature the much superior ball-hinge combo at the hips as opposed to that peg joint/upper thigh swivel combination the 90's Cyclops had, which sucks! Sabretooth's wrists swivel at the glove tops, while Wolverine's swivel right at the wrists, the left at an angle a lot of people hate, but provides a classic show-you-my-claws pose.

I liked the comic book included in this set. In attempt to charm Logan (Wolverine) into driving her to the Dazzler concert with some friends, X-Men teammate Kitty Pryde throws him a surprise birthday party. The unwelcome gesture isn't due only to Logan's cranky disposition, but the knowledge that every year on that day Sabretooth seeks him out and attempts to kill him, endangering anyone present.  Sabretooth is the alias of one Victor Creed,  an ex-C.I.A. Weapon X teammate of Logan's, their shared childhood memories erased upon assimilation to the program. His razor sharp claws & teeth, and mutant healing powers make him a formiddable opponent to Wolverine, whom he has bested in combat nearly every time.

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DC 1970's Retroactive Comics

I picked up a couple of DC 1970's Retroactive comics awhile back over at The Fantasy Shop. I asked the salesclerk working there if it had been perused, and they said they hadn't because of a general disdain for the art. Like my brother said, there is no accounting for taste, mine included, and the great thing about the wide world of comics is that there is something for everybody. I've been getting into some of the older comics since I got back into reading them a year ago, particularly the 60's & 70's stuff, but also 80's & 90's.  I  like new comics as well- they look fantastic, and the dialogue is certainly updated. Reading the older stuff has filled me in on so much I missed, and I'm genuinely interested in the origins of these characters. The art of each of the past eras also has it's charm, paving the way to the future pencillers, inkers & digital colorists of today. I find the evolution fascinating, standing here on the verge of 2012.  Additionally, as a toy collector I'm curious about the stories behind all those action figures! Fun!

First thing's first: I absolutely LOVE the vintage title graphics on both of these covers- they look great! The first half of the Green Lantern Retroactive 1970's one-shot features a story by Denny O'Neil and art by Mike Grell, and the last half a reprint of a 1970's story by O'Neil and art by the legendary Neal Adams. Both tales feature Green Arrow as well, longtime crime fighting partner of Hal Jordan. While the new art had the slickness associated with updated computer technology utilized in contemporary illustration, I don't think the pencilling beat the exceptional fluidity of Adams figure drawing, nor his perspective drawing skills. In the first half, both heroes are confronted with elements of their past: Hal Jordan discovers a shipwrecked alien from the same klatch as Abin Sur, and Oliver Queen must hunt down a disturbed archery protégé from his days at the Monastery.

 The 1970's half of the book finds our heroes disillusioned with the unpunishable crimes of a Star City slumlord, forcing them to think outside the box in order to bring him down. The epilogue shows Green Arrow pleading the case of his partner before the Guardians, angered by the Green Lantern's insubordination of leaving his post to solve the case earlier. The social consciousness of the times shows in Oliver Queen's speech about an America gone wrong, peacemakers JFK and Martin Luther King fallen due to our "moral cancer", and his indignation of the Guardians interference in human affairs. It comes off somewhat preachy against contemporary vernacular, but times were changing after the initial Civil Rights movement. It was what it was, and reflected the times and probably some of the disillusionment felt in the 70's.

I liked Tom Mandrake's work since I saw it in the 2nd volume of Martian Manhunter from '99, which I discovered only in the last year. Len Wein wrote both the stories in this Batman Retroactive 1970's one-shot, the newer first half, and the second in the 70's. In the first, "Terror Times Three", the suspiciously well equipped "Terrible Trio" frustrate Batman's capture efforts until lured to a Wayne Foundation event. There a startling discovery about the identity of one of the bandit's inside connection to Bruce Wayne, and their involvement with a past love of Bruce Wayne as well.

The classic 70's tale "Dark Messenger of Mercy" reprinted in the last half is a good, old fashioned detective story about a mysterious "gold coin" killer euthanizing the homeless of Gotham's lower west side. The irony of the criminal's motivation is exposed upon the discovery of his family ties. John Calnan & Dick Giordano handled the art in a professionally apt manner, but it didn't blow my mind. But hey- I have to respect any artist cranking out a book every month like these comic book artists do. That is a special skill that takes unique & intense talent, far removed in many ways from making a single fine art painting, and has to be recognized & appreciated on at least a basic level. 

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AND... some more toy shopping

Keep scoring Marvel goodness over here! I can't lie, I'm in a pretty good place to find stuff- there are several Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, & Toys 'R Us stores within a 25 mile radius of my apartment. One can spend an entire morning/afternoon checkin' the pegs, one of my favorite pastimes...

*Marvel Universe SubMariner & Ultron

There might have been even more from this newest wave of Hasbro Marvel Universe at the Wal-Mart across the street- looked as though someone cleaned them out, 'cause they were all that was left. Still, these two were the ones I was most interested in, so it worked out pretty good. I still want that DarkHawk & Steve Rogers though  :D

*Marvel Universe X-Men First Class Wolverine/Sabretooth Comic 2-Pack

These are starting to thin out over here, so I grabbed one while the getting was good- FUN! These Marvel Universe 2-packs aren't really an outstanding deal or anything, but I liked the First Class Marvel Girl/Cyclops comic 2 pack I got, so here we go...

*Iron Man 6" Stealth Strike Mark IV & Iron Man2  3 3/4"Comic Series Stealth Operations Figures

Got that 3 3/4"Comic Series Stealth Iron Man for under three bucks at K-Mart! I'm starting a collection of blue Iron Men, now up to four.  I know it's weird, like my collection of green Batmen. Hard to explain, but a small thrill for me  :D

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The Asgardians Vs. The Frost Giants!

The Warriors Three arrived with Battle Hammer Thor just in time:  my very territorial clutch of Frost Giants first ruthlessly attacked Captain Cold, then stupidly jumped Thanos, who thumped 'em only 2 weeks later.  Let's just say that when Thor & Friends arrived, there was instantly a fight!

Well that might've done the trick! I didn't expect those Frost Giants to cause so much trouble when I went crazy & bought four of them, but I did know they'd be a lot of FUN  :D

* See my post on the Hammer Smash Thor, Secret Strike Loki, & Sheild Bash Odin from this series!

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