A few words on Wolverine Vol. 1 and the recent movie...

One of my earlier experiences with both graphic novels and Wolverine was this '87 TPB of Wolverine Vol. 1, the four-book series written by Chris Claremont and penciled by Frank Miller in 1982. This book is the story that the recent summer blockbuster, The Wolverine, was inspired by. I enjoyed the motion picture reinterpretation, which made me nostalgic for the thrill of comics I felt reading that book as a kid, and reading through it again I remembered how great  it really was.

Rooftop clash between the fearless Wolverine and The Hand-  a theme also presented in the recent movie.

(Wolverine Vol.1)

There were of course many differences, as is often the case when adapting a book into a movie, but the film  referenced Claremont and Miller's classic tale of Marvel's most popular X-Man, both narratively. and visually. Claremont was at a high point in his career with the X-Men, scripting classic tales such as "Days of Future Past" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga", and the young Miller, fresh off a critically acclaimed run on Daredevil, would go on to write & illustrate Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) Sin City (1991), and 300 (1998). The future looked bright and many good times were yet to come.

Horrified, Mariko witnesses the deadly power of her former fiancee, just as Yukio conspired to win the Wolverine's love.
(Wolverine Vol.1)

Contrary to the movie plot, Logan's love interest, Mariko, is an ex-fiancee of his, already married to Noburo, and his spousal abuse is referenced in the movie through Shingen's face slap to his daughter, sole heir to her grandfather Yashida's fortune. Wolverine had saved young Yashida's life in WWII in the recent motion picture, and instead of Harada becoming the Silver Samurai, who wasn't in the first volume of Wolverine, Yashida did, who tried to take his savior's power of mortality by force at the movies climax. 

Without a word, artist Frank Miller brings the final duel between Shingen & Wolverine to life with notable fluidity.

(Wolverine Vol.1)

There were many character and plot rearrangements throughout the movie, but as I said, it took a great deal from Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's seminal work. Wolverine's attack on the hunter responsible for the crazed and wounded bear was in the movie, and while Yukio was not a love interest/enemy in the movie as in this 1982 volume, there was a certain allusion to her fascination with the ronin, also echoing his mentorship of fellow X-Man, Kitty Pryde. Logan's alcohol abuse is referenced in the movie, as in the book- a symptom of the anti-hero's dark, desperate nature. Of particular interest, Wolverine is taken down by the ninja-assassin clan The Hand with cabled arrows when trying to reach Mariko in the movie, a scene paying homage to the character's nightmare sequence in the book. I was happy to spot a number of other shots throughout the film seemed inspired by artist Frank Miller's silhouette, noir style, as well as nods story elements from the original story and character traits. And in spite of his matinee good looks, actor Hugh Jackman looked appropriately rough throughout most of the film, which I appreciated.

The dream sequence in Wolverine Vol.1 is echoed in the recent movie when our hero is taken down by the ninja-assassin clan The Hand with cabled arrows.

While the film entertained me, I was mildly disappointed with Logan not speaking a word of Japanese- no, he hadn't the previous relationship with Mariko as in the book, but he had been a special agent/Weapon X in WWII. I enjoyed the dichotomy of  Logan's cosmopolitan relations versus his animal nature as Wolverine in the book, something I missed in the movie's characterization. And the mechanical bear Wolverine euthanized looked fake- why, with all the modern marvels of CGI, could that not have looked better? Still, director James Mangold gave us a better movie than we got with the previous X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Two great drawings by artist Frank Miller- Josef Rubinstein was credited as finisher, and Glynis Oliver and Lynn Varley as the colorists of Wolverine Vol.1...

Ultimately, the recent film was exciting and commercially successful, but as they say, if you haven't read the book, you should. Read about Wolverine, Vol.1 at Marvel.Wikia.Com!

More Later- Keep Reading COMICS!

New 52 Martian Manhunter

I've been impressed with DC Collectibles Justice League series- their action figures haven't improved insofar as their articulation, but the sculpts and colors continue to dazzle the eye. For a character that most of the general public doesn't know, Martian Manhunter has been immortalized in plastic a surprising number of times. I think this is like my eighteenth, but I don't have them all. I wasn't really familiar with J'onn in my youth, but when I returned to comics and started this blog I grew very interested in the underrated character. Described as the most powerful being on Earth by Superman himself, J'onn J'onnz has most all of the Man of Steel's powers, with the added telepathy, shape-shifting, and phasing intangibility to make the Martian nearly invincible. The thoughtful nature of this lone survivor of the Red Planet is what appeals to me- his compassion for the Earthlings who would instinctively fear him when not disguised as Detective John Jones.  

For whatever reason, I haven't read a lot of the New 52 adventures of Martian Manhunter, and need to catch up on the Brightest Day books (2010) dealing with his resurrection after being murdered by Libra in Final Crisis (2008). I did however thoroughly enjoy several of those Ostrander/Mandrake issues from the late '90s, the American Secrets series (1992), the Martian Manhunter: The Others Among Us  TPB from volume 3 (2007), and loved his treatment in DC: The New Frontier (2005). 

J'onn gets the regal treatment in his majestic purple, DC continuing to give the longtime bare-legged character pants, adding an almost ceremonial red loincloth and closely collared shoulder overlay.  There's some great texture in the pants and boots- pulls in the seams that give them a realistic feel. Conversely, the folds in the cape are somewhat loosely rendered, and could have used a sharper sculpt. I've seen worse capes on some of DC Direct's past figures however, so it's not a deal-breaker.

Up close there are some really loose paint apps on the figure, most noticeably in the piping on J'onn's shoulder overlay. To be fair, that's some really small detailing in the sculpt that would be difficult for the most skilled, and he looks great under normal viewing conditions. I like the layer of gloss over the lips, which greatly contributes to the realism of this excellent head sculpt. Wonderful! J'onn shows more alien features here, finned forearms and enlarged, ribbed cranium. DC Direct aren't known for their amazing articulation, but we do get swivels at the boot tops. Other than that, there's no waist/abdominal or wrist joints, but he does have an expressive ball-jointed neck and some backward range in his hips like the other Justice League series figures. His ball-jointed shoulder/bicep swivel combo is nice, but nothing new. My J'onn has satisfyingly firm joint tension and a sturdy feel. I paid $24.95 + tax for him at a local comic shop.

I still haven't opened the Justice League Green Arrow I picked up back in March- an impressive offering of accessories and great costume on this one! Like Mattel, DC Collectibles seems to have quit including a base/stand, though we have a peg hole in the heel. Annoying. Still, these are nice action figures that are more artfully rendered than most of Mattel's of similarly scaled 6" figures...

Also still MOC is my DC Direct Brightest Day Martian Manhunter- J'onn had this costume very briefly after his resurrection at the end of Blackest Night and through the following Brightest Day arc, before DC Comics' controversial and successful New 52 relaunch. While I'm generally a fan of variant renderings of a character, I was a little sorry to see J'onn's Brightest Day dress disappear so quickly. The black pants were cool...

7" Justice League Martian Manhunter with DC Direct New Frontier and JLA Classified Manhunters. One thing I like about DC Direct figures is their wildly different styling from series to series, often emulating the style of a particular comic artist, in the latter two artists Darwyn Cooke and Ed Guinness. Two favorites! See more of my Martian Manhunter collection in my May 27th post!

Martian Manhunter with Justice League Wonder Woman and Superman...

J'onn should help even the odds against the likes of  Darkseid with Diana and Kal...

More Later- Make It FUN!

Amazing & Spectacular: More Spider-Man of the '70s

After rediscovering one of my childhood comics in the used bins at Slackers, this Marvel enthusiast finally gathered the motivation to  seek out the conclusion to Spectacular Spider-Man #22, here thirty-five years later. In my defense, I hardly had the financial upright mobility, nor the attention span to do so back in 1978- some things never change  :D   I finally get to see Spidey and Moon Knight clash with the Cyclone, barely escaping their tornadic tormentor to head for Moon Knight's war room and regroup. Meanwhile, Holly Gillis and Hector Ayayla (the White Tiger) pine for one another alone, Mary Jane gets no answer at Peter Parker's place and hits the disco with Marty, and Betty Brant cries on the bed for Ned after failing to set off sparks with Parker! The drama is palpable! Our heroes track Cyclone down at Grant's Tomb, hoping to nab the elusive crime boss Maggia, but only grab the Cyclone and a roomful of goons. Was he the dark figure  peering from it's lid of the General's sarcophagus as the melee raged?? I missed Mike Zeck's pencils, but Jim Mooney keeps the transition smooth here, satisfying to finally read so many years later!

Perhaps as profound as finding Spectacular Spider-Man issues 22 and 23 here in my adulthood was finding issue Amazing Spider-Man 192- yet another comic I instantly recognized released only a year later in May of 1979. Every panel in the comic was familiar, journaling Spider-Man and Daily Bugle Editor Jonah Jameson's struggle, locked together with a bomb by mad scientist Spencer Smythe, now terminal with illness from the plutonium used to power his mechanical Spider-Slayers. Riveting! The unlikely partners run into the fearsome Fly in their race against the clock, knocking Spidey unconscious and indefensible against Jameson's prying eyes... did he look under the mask?? Spider-Man's heroic rescue was smart and selfless, the ungrateful Jameson's stinging criticism replaced with the tears of realization that his webbed nemesis saved his life, and that he was a fool. I remember the blustery, bigoted editor's crying face in this confessional last page. Emotional!

Onto a trail of childhood comic book memories, my luck continued when scoring the following issue #193 of Amazing Spider-Man, another that I undoubtedly owned, the panels so familiar to my eyes. Unbelievable! And the cover is as worth the price of admission at it is today- about two bucks on Amazon. A small price to uncover latent memories of my initial experiences with comics. Wonderful!

Fired by Jameson and fearful of the possibility that his alter-ego was discovered by the furious editor, Parker pursues the fearsome Fly to finish what he couldn't while handcuffed to his ex-boss. After losing the Fly's trail and being dumped on the phone by Mary Jane, our hero seeks solace in his old flame Betty Brant, who discovers Peter's open door while passing by. Late to receive his diploma, the worried girl stopped by to check on the tardy student's whereabouts, shortly thereafter found in a compromising situation when her jealous beau Ned Leeds catches up and knocks Pete on his duff! Oh the tangled web Parker has spun! The angry youth takes to the skyscrapers as Spider-Man, after the Fly with a vengeance uncharacteristic of our hard luck hero, only to be disappointed by the discovery of the villains capture by New York's finest! Is there no satisfaction due our constantly confounded wall crawler?? Hopefully not, as that is why we identify so easily with this legendary character- the weight of his awesome responsibility as Spider-Man and his struggle to do what's right while holding his young life together as Peter Parker. Oh the humanity!

More Later- Keep Reading COMICS!

Currently Reading: TPB Haul

There was a buy-one-get-one-free sale on used comics at V-Stock over 4th of July weekend, so I took advantage to stack 'em up! I dove into these, having read most all of them by now.  Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin (2008) was a great book! The art by Eric Canete wasn't as art deco as the cover, but did feature a classic, horn-masked hero that was right up my alley. The Armored Avenger really has to work hard to beat Mandarin, losing the first battle, and nearly his life. We get a classic Tony Stark as well- the business suits, women, ego, and bravado are all part of it. A fun romp, indeed!

Since reading the new Marvel NOW! Thor: God of Thunder title, I can't seem to get enough of the this classic character, a founding member of the Avengers along with Iron Man- another Marvel NOW! title that I've been faithful to since last year. The Mighty Thor: Gods On Earth (2002) takes place after Odin's death, his son now Lord of Asgard. The Thunder God has transported his beloved city in the sky over New York City, where the mankind he came to protect and guide struggles against their unwanted savior. Really interesting! 

I've picked up a number of Secret Invasion titles since reading the main book, as I'm really into any book featuring the shape-shifting Skrulls, so I'd been curious about Secret Invasion: Thor (2009). Beta Ray Bill comes to warn his brother in arms of the coming invasion, to whom Thor must relinquish his enchanted hammer Mjolnir, and take the mortal form of Dr. Blake to protect the citizens of Earth. Good read and great art by Doug Braithewaite. 

This third volume of the Romita & Jurgens run on The Mighty Thor wasn't my favorite of the four, featuring a lot of crossover titles and different artists, but Spider-Man & Iron Man were involved so it wasn't all bad. You could skip it, and I'd intended to after reading a review online, but I'd never get such a good price again. There was enough of John Romita Jr.'s art in it to appease me.

World's Finest: Worlds Apart (1990) couples two of my favorite DC Heroes together, switching cities to battle their respective arch nemesis who have taken up crime in each other's neighborhoods! Penciller Steve Rude has a retro style akin to Darwyn Cooke, which evokes the feel of Golden Age comics- again, a stylistic direction I gravitate toward. You can buy this limited series in one TPB now, but I lucked out on the price of the original issues, averaging a price of  two dollars a book with the BOGO sale. Good read!

I'm only into my second book of an assortment of Amazing Spider-Man TPBs from Straczynski & Romita's run on the now concluded title. While I bought these for John Romita's art, author J. Michael Straczynski has not disappointed me so far, starting on issue #36 in Revelations, Aunt May having discovered Perter Parker's secret identity as New York's wall-crawling hero. I love Romita's cartoony style as much on Spider-Man as I did Thor! I see a great deal of similarities between the work of JRJ and his contemporary, Frank Miller, artist and author of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. I hadn't intended to pick these up, but at an average of $4.60 a book, it was time to catch up on this chunk of Spidey from the early 2000s.

 More Later- Keep Reading COMICS!

Mattel Arkham City & New 52 Batman

Mattel's 6" Batman figures are admired almost universally in the action figure community.  When the toy giant released it's DC Super Heroes line back in 2006, the well-articulated  action figures paved the way for the forthcoming, hugely popular DC Universe Classics line. While the hallmark line ended after an impressive twenty one wave, Mattel continued using the unique Four Horseman buck style into lines like Batman Legacy, DC Unlimited, and Batman Unlimited offerings in retail, and Matty Collector sold Club Infinite Earths exclusives on their website- both continuing to this day. After discovering them a couple years ago I went on to buy quite a few, including these two Batman figures I found back in June.

These two have capes unique to previous Mattel Batmen and to one another, more flowing in sculpt than the standard, scalloped DCUC capes we've seen.  The blue cape on the Arkham City 70's variant is particularly long, ending in a peak at his feet, and the Unlimited New 52 Batman features a glossy sheen on his black cape.

 Both figures enjoy the standard DCUC construction that that made the line famous, the Arkham City Batman's sculpt varying more from the line's hallmark male buck in homage to his inspiration. While the line is criticized for it's sameness, Mattel DCUC line has maintained a unity that has a certain appeal, and has become a touchstone in the history of action figures, some of it's characters highly prized. Over a dozen 6" Batman figures have been released since the line's inception, many repaints of the first wave, but these two (also redecos) have sculpt updates unique among my personal collection.

I'd seen these blue and gray Arkham City Batman figures at a TRU a couple years ago, and while Batmen of that color scheme have been a sub-collection within the Super-DuperToyBox for some time, I passed with regret. But alas, I scored him in an eBay auction for half the price, shipped, and my regret gave way to satisfying victory! Styled after the armored Dark Knight in the popular video game, some genius suggested he be released in the classic 1970's deco, complete with yellow oval behind the bat insignia on his chest and shadowed cowl. Reminiscent of the Neal Adams/Jim Aparo era, Batman in these brighter colors also evokes fond memories of the DC Super Friends Batman seen on TV Saturday mornings as a kid. While I'm not a video gamer, I admired the styling of Arkham City's characters, including Harley Quinn, of whom Mattel produced a stunning Batman Legacy figure of later on...

Mattel's more recent New 52 Batman, which I resisted not quite as long as the other, annoyed me with toy giant's refusal to include any accessories with him. Initially released in a flat black & gray, I know I'd have a hard time passing on this glossy black and metallic gray repaint- really slick!

I have no explanation as to why I've not read any of the much lauded New 52 Batman  title by author Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, but I did enjoy Jim Lee's rendition in some of the earlier New 52 Justice League issues. While I somewhat prefer the batsuit with traditional shorts/trunks, the more armored, updated renderings of  New 52 Dark Knight has it's own appeal. It's not really anything new, Batman having received a similar overhaul for the 1989 motion picture, Batman, in which actor Michael Keaton donned an all-black outfit, ushering in a new era in modern superhero styling. The incised armor lines throughout the figure and raised bat insignia on the figure's chest really pop due to the figure's glossy, metallic deco, updated with a slimmer modern utility belt. DC Direct released a more comic accurate New 52 version of Batman in their Justice League line, but Mattel's trumps it on articulation and visual flash. They released a New 52 Superman and Wonder Woman as well, but I picked up DC Direct's Justice League releases of those characters. 

Mattel's New 52 Batman battling the All-Star Joker.

Arkham City & New 52 Batman with a few other Mattel Batmen of mine: Legacy Golden Age Batman, my favored, all black All-Star Batman, and more recent Dark Knight Returns Batman...

How many Mattel Batmen does one need in his life, you may ask? The answer is, of course, just one more! I'm anxious to get my hands on the brand new 1966 Mattel  Batman and Robin figures, which appear to have cloth capes. And perhaps more exciting to myself, press images of the forthcoming third wave of Batman Unlimited figures promise a version of the Gotham vigilante styled after the new animated Cartoon Network show, Beware the Batman. While the show has been criticized, I enjoyed the first episode, and enjoyed the re-imagined roster of characters, updated gallery of rogues, and sleek new Batman introduced. I'll definitely be looking out for this action figure!

More Later- Make It FUN!

Hey Mr. Postman/Recent Aquisitions

Yes, I'm still on the lookout for those earlier Concept Series Iron Man action figures, and in the case of this recent parcel, a related figure, the 6" Iron Spider-Man from Hasbro's 2008 series. That same year, Hasbro produced this Launching Torpedo Iron Man. While he's not technically a Concept Series, he's a variant of ol' Shell Head with a working projectile accessory that I found irresistible. 

The 6" Iron Spider-Man is the variant, translucent red version, and of particular interest to me as I have the 3 3/4" Marvel Universe Iron Spider-Man variant cast in translucent red. You know how much I love to play BIG TOY/little toy   :D   I also like to play variations on a theme within my collection, such as my obsession with blue/stealth Iron Men...

While on the subject of Iron Men figures, I picked up two more from the Marvel Legends Iron Man 3  figures a month ago. So far I've resisted buying the whole series, but I must admit that it would be cool to have that blue Iron Monger BAF! Mark 42 Iron Man and Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes (Iron Patriot) will go great with my growing 6" Hasbro Iron Man army...

And back to that BIG TOY/little toy fascination of mine, I picked up this Mark 42 Ion Man/Mandarin Iron Man 3 MiniMates 2-pack awhile back. I am crazy for MiniMates!  There was another 2-pack with Iron Patriot, but I resisted- I'm holding out for that rad Strange Tales box set with Dr. Strange, Morbius, Blade & the Wolfman! I also finally found the Wal-Mart exclusive 6" Amazing Spider-Man with interchangeable Peter Parker head, backpack, and skateboard. I have a Marvel Select Amazing Spider-Man, but really wanted one with Andrew Garfield's likeness, who did a great job in the role last summer- difficult to pull off after Tobey Maguire owned it back in 2002. I think the build and color of these Hasbro Amazing Spider-Man figures are more movie-accurate than the Marvel Select as well, particularly evident in the lanky buck these were molded in & the darker blue parts of the costume. So great! 

 More Later- Make It FUN!