Marvel Universe Guardians of The Galaxy 3 3/4" Boxed Set

This Marvel Universe Guardians of The Galaxy boxed set by Hasbro held little interest for me when I first saw it, having read nothing about the characters, but when I saw marked down from $20 to $9 on clearance, I went for it. I have a couple other Marvel Universe boxed sets, and consider them a solid value at $20 considering what the individually packaged 3 3/4" Hasbro figures go for now. Having just read the Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy hardback, this seemed like a great time to show this set off.

The colorful & odd band of characters within are Starlord, Rocket Racoon, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot. It would have been cool to have Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell, Gamora, & Mantis (which I would gladly have paid another twenty for), but Hasbro was trying to hit a price point here, and let's face it: seeing any of this team in plastic form is really an anomaly.

I was disappointed when saw Drax initially, unfamiliar with his new rendering in the Marvel Universe- I already have Absorbing Man, who's got the same body. But I love the green skin and red tattoos, and he really does look like the new Drax. The longknives that sheath into the back of his belt also make him unique, and he hold them securely in his tiny hands.

Drax the Destroyer's bio in the Marvel Universe Book of The Dead & Inactive 1, 1982



Drax had a recurring role in the early Captain Marvel comic, the original incarnation I am most familiar with. Mentor and the Titan god Chronos captured Arthur Douglas' spirit and placed it in a powerful new body, rechristening him "Drax the Destroyer," his sole purpose to destroy Thanos, which he eventually did in the Annihilation story arc. From my understanding, Thanos returns the favor in The Thanos Imperative- few stay dead for long in the world of comics folks  :D

Originally, Drax's powers include super strength, tremendous resilience, flight, and the ability to project concussive blasts of cosmic energy from his hands. He could also travel at high speeds in outer space without air, food, or water. Drax also possessed the ability to sense the presence of Thanos across vast distances. After his resurrection Drax lost some of his strength, resilience, flight, and energy blasts. His intellect has returned to its original level (lost temporarily when daughter Moondragon mentally forced his life essence from his artificial body) and he has taken a liking to using knives in battle. (Wikipedia)

Starlord (Peter Quill) is the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and former NASA astronaut. An alien entity called the Master of the Sun visited the space station that Quill worked on, and offered the mantle of Star-Lord (an interplanetary policeman) to a worthy candidate. Quill volunteered, but was rejected in favor of a colleague he once treated badly. Quill is outraged, and NASA orders his return to Earth and discharge for his conduct. Instead, he steals a scoutship, returns to the space station, and takes his colleague's place as Star-Lord. (Wikipedia) Dubious beginnings for this "hero"!

Starlord has the same body used for the Marvel Universe Ghost Rider, but has a new belt & head that both look great. The head is on a ball joint that works surprisingly well, and is one of the most detailed, complex molds I've seen on such a tiny action figure- really amazing! He holds his submachine pistols securely, their bulky size looking powerful in his hands. He's a wild looking, stormtrooper type character that has a lot of eye appeal- very cool!

Inspired by the classic Beatles song "Rocky Raccoon", Rocket Racoon first appeared in the magazine-sized black-and-white showcase comic book Marvel Preview #7 in 1976. Rocket Raccoon acts as the "Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant", an area of outer space sealed off from the rest of the cosmos by the so-called Galacian Wall. Rocket is captain of the starship Rack 'n' Ruin, and he and his first mate Wal Russ (a talking walrus) come from the planet Halfworld, in the Keystone Quadrant, an abandoned colony for the mentally ill where the animal companions were genetically manipulated to grant them human level intelligence and bipedal body construction for many to become caretakers of the inmates. Rocket was Halfworld's chief law officer who protected the colony against various threats. (Wikipedia)

Rocket Raccoon returned in the Annihilation: Conquest, depicted as a gifted military tactician who is also fearless, loyal, and insightful- attributes that help him take charge of the Guardians of the Galaxy when Starlord is unavailable. It is also heavily implied that he has a case of obsessive compulsive disorder. Rocket's trademark rocket skates are absent. Rocket later joins the new Guardians of the Galaxy at the behest of his friend Starlord, suggesting that the team adopt that moniker after hearing it mentioned by Major Victory. (Wikipedia)

Rocket has an articulated tail, and an expressive ball-jointed head. He comes with an oversized gun that he doesn't hold particularly well, but he's such a fun little character in his Guardians outfit. This set includes his pal Groot, too, extraterrestrial plant Monarch of Planet X. The last remaining member of his race, Groot nearly died buying his team some time to escape in Annihilation: Conquest. However, he survived as a sprig offshoot kept by Rocket, and was nurtured back to health by Mantis in Guardians of The Galaxy: Legacy.

Hilariously, whenever Groot is saying his trademark "I am Groot!" he has actually been saying any number of things. The hardened nature of Groot's larynx that causes people oblivious to the subtle nuances of his speech to misinterpret him as merely repeating his name.

Groot's lineage, coming from an ancient and ennobled sap-line and being the scion of an elite royal house, Groot has received the finest education from the most gifted of tutors. He is highly intelligent and has a tremendous grasp of quasi-dimensional super-positional engineering. He returns to his full form later, accompanying the Guardians in battle against Thanos after after the mad Titan awoke from death. (Wikipedia)

I passed on this set many times for months, but after reading Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy, I'm glad I waited and got it at such a reduced price. With only two full sized figures in the set, it seemed light in comparison to the Fantastic Four boxed set, but I'm a little more familiar with the Guardians now, and it's certainly a unique set.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Legacy

Cover art: Clint Langley

Guardians of the Galaxy wasn't even on my radar until Hasbro released the Marvel Universe 3 3/4" boxed action figure set last year, but seeing this used hardback in a buy-one-get-one sale at V-Stock recently left me with no choice but to do some research on the 2nd group of Marvel heroes bearing the name. 

Following his adventures in the  Annihilation: Conquest story arc, Starlord (Peter Quill ) assembles an official team to be proactive in preventing that kind of the cosmic crisis from reoccurring. Back-to-back Annihilation wars have weakened the boundaries of the universe, leaving a host of terrible forces free to wreak havoc throughout the galaxy. Quill recruits a newly resurrected Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer (killer of Thanos, Gamora ("deadliest woman alive"), Phyla-Vell (the new Quasar), Rocket Raccoon (anthropomorphic armament specialist), and Groot (sapling extraterrestrial) with Mantis (Celestial Madonna, former Avenger) as support staff. 

 On the recommendation of their ally, Nova, the group establishes a base of operations on the space station Knowhere, which possesses a teleportation system with near-universal range. An intelligent, telepathic dog named Cosmo is Knowhere's chief of security and works closely with the new team. After a confrontation with the Universal Church of Truth, the team discovers a semi-amnesiac man encased in ice on the asteroid Hydronis with the lost shield of Captain America, identifying himself as Vance Astro (Major Victory of the original Guardians of the Galaxy).  Astro's declaration inspires the as-yet-unnamed team to adopt the "Guardians of the Galaxy" name for their own. (Wikipedia)

Legacy (Marvel, 2008), a Secret Invasion tie-in, collects Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1-6, the artwork in which is great- Paul Pelletier's pencilling is superb, capturing emotion in the character's expressions, rooms full of tangled/battling figures, and otherworldly architecture with aplomb. Pictured below: the Universal Church of Truth's starship, infiltrated by The Guardians in attempt to prevent the universe from coming unravelled...

Below: The Guardians engage worshipers of The Universal Church,  pencils by Paul Pelletier...

Below: the Guardian's prepare to teleport from space station Knowhere to Hydronis in attempt to stop a fissure in the time-space continuum, where they will find a time/displaced Vance Astro (Major Victory)...

The mysterious Starhawk returns in male & female forms, in a state of flux, to warn the Guardians that it is too early for the team too exist and that the future tense is in peril due not only to Vance Astro's presence, but their own as well. Yes, in  Rocket Raccoon's own words, " One of those weird alternate reality things". This story is galactic in scale, on par with Infinity Gauntlet, but with a lot more sense of humor than Jim Starlin's cosmic soap operas.

Deception/Intrigue: Drax eavesdrops on Mantis and Peter discussing the implications of any of the team discovering their secret mental tampering to solidify the team's commitment to their initial alliance! Discovery of some shape shifting Skrulls hiding among the ranks on the Knowhere space station, Drax sets out to find out where the others are, fugitive of the suspicious Uuchan delegation sent to investigate the matter! 

Authors Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning show their flair for comedy throughout this space drama. Upon discovery of the Skrulls hidden by Knowhere security chief Cosmo, Adam Warlock must be convinced by force that the fugitives are only seeking asylum from their race, who are plotting an invasion of Earth... 

Then Drax comes charging in with Phyla-Vell, having locked in on the Skrulls through his own device, Cosmo's whole struggle resuming...

The hilarity continues further when the Uuuchan delegates discover the conflicted group, and then Starlord stumbles onto the melee with Mantis, Gamora, & Rocket Raccoon. By then Cosmo has had it up to the collar, psychically flattening everyone in frustration to quell the fight...

When the team learns Star-Lord directed Mantis to telepathically coerce the heroes into joining the team, they disband. I love that about this book: it starts off swinging, the action & plot twists a never ending roller coaster ride threatening to derail at every turn of the page, the whole team coming undone at the end!

This was a great read- now I want to go back & read Annihilation: Conquest, and am curious about the original 1969 Guardians of the Galaxy. I'd recommend this volume to any reader into Marvel's cosmic titles/characters such as Thanos, Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer, or Adam Warlock. Far out stuff!

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DC Super Friends Lex Luthor

After my post on the DC Super Friends Hawkman, I couldn't resist cracking open my Lex Luthor from this brief but fun line of toys. I've been catching a lot of Justice League Unlimited episodes on YouTube lately that feature some great episodes starring Superman's brilliant arch nemesis, and I read Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, in which then-U.S. President Lex Luthor declares Superman and Batman enemies of the state, claiming that a Kryptonite asteroid headed for Earth is connected to an evil plot by Superman - what a FUN supervillain!

Lex's body armor is removable, I just didn't remove it for the photo session for fear of breaking it. His shoulder harness in tampographed onto the torso underneath, too- see Cool Toy Review for more pictures. Lex came with a picture card, and a folded product sheet advertising othe toys from the DC Super Friends line, including the My First Batmobile I have:

 

 Released in 2007, these 6" figures have very basic articulation: swivel hips, wrists, & shoulders, and a pretty expressive ball-jointed head. The line didn't last too long, but they were pretty simple toys meant for younger children and made for play- I mean, how many of these does a 3 year old need to throw at his sister?   :D   I was mad about them at first sight and have seven; I love their chunky design and think they are super cute!  

The included accessory has an action figure, albeit a sleepy one- by pumping the balloon in Lex's pack, the green "Kryptonite" missile at the end of his weapon pumps in & out of the barrel. I wish it shot out the barrel of course, but these action figures are for ages 3 and up. I loved the geared out aesthetic of this particular figure from the DC Super Friends line, and the translucent green portions in his weapon and armor give him extra eye appeal.

  

Lex is a great companion piece for the variant DC Super Friends Superman I have- he is perhaps my favorite Superman figure due to his unusual costume deco- Love!

Looks like Hawkman had to step in and help Superman handling Lex on account of the Kryptonite!

DC Super Friends Lex with Mattel Retro-Action Lex Luthor and DC Direct Battle Armor Lex Luthor:

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