Archive for
June, 2006
— June 19, 2006
My spoiler free opinion of this issue is that it is was a really good read. Secondly, it explains a lot of what is going on in Civil War. I wish I had read this issue before reading Civil War #2. The rest of the review contains SPOILERS, so don’t read on unless you want to know what happens. You’ve been warned.
Now that that is out of the way, this issue is about why Tony Stark is for superhero registration. This is the explanation that I have been looking for, BECAUSE IT MAKES NO SENSE. Since reading Civil War #1, I haven’t been able to understand why Iron Man is supporting the superhero registration act. After reading this issue, I still don’t agree with Tony’s stance but at least I understand it. The first half of the issue is actually spent giving a detailed explanation of why Tony Stark believes he should back the registration and why he should be the one to round up those that are against it.
The second half of this issue deals with Peter Parker and the unmasking of Spider-man. Tony actually asks for Peter’s support and tells him that if he stands with him he will back the amendment and he will reveal his identity to the world. Peter struggles with the decision, but at the end of this issue, it is obvious that he is about to reveal his secret identity. This issue also explains the reason why Peter reveals his identity. It comes from Aunt May and Mary Jane, and they actually do a good job of convincing the reader why he should do it. I don’t agree with this decision either, but I do understand why Spider-man does this at the end of this issue.
The only other negative I have is the artwork. This story is illustrated by Ron Garney. I have to say I don’t usually complain about Marvel’s artwork, but I don’t like the cartoony style that I have seen a lot of lately. That is the problem with Garney’s artwork here.
Other than that, it is a really good issue, and it looks like this will be a good storyline. I actually enjoyed this book more than ‘Civil War’ 1 & 2. If you are reading ‘Civil War,’ this issue is really needed to help understand the recent events that take place in that storyline. It always bugs me when Marvel makes a separate book essential reading to understand what is going on in another book. But I guess now that they have blockbuster storylines that crossover with 30 other titles every year, this is just part of the comics world we live in.
— June 18, 2006
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman aired yesterday on A&E. I stumbled upon it as it was coming on, or I would have missed it myself. It is a 2 hour special chronicling Superman from his beginning in comics to becoming an American and later worldwide phenomenon. It focuses more on the history of Superman in the media from comic strips, radio shows, early movies and televsion shows, Saturday morning cartoons, a sitcom and the more recent television show and upcoming movie.
I really enjoyed watching it, and I think that anyone who is a fan of comic books should see this. Superman is the only DC superhero that I happen to like, and it was very interesting to see the origin of the comics and the history of Superman. It was also interesting to see the making of the movies in the 70’s and 80’s. The last 15 minutes or so features the new movie and a behind the scenes look at the next Superman. Here is the synopsis from A&E’s web site.
Here’s the story behind the phenomenon of Superman, the most merchandised and imitated superhero of them all. Through interviews with the key creative talents responsible for seven decades of thrilling Superman adventures, we’ll follow the Man of Steel’s path from Depression-era comic book hero to George Reeves’s TV portrayal in the 50s, Christopher Reeve’s movies in the 70s and 80s, and the TV shows Lois and Clark and Smallville. There’ll even be a sneak preview of the new film, Superman Returns, to be released this summer.
If you missed it, A&E will be airing it again the week that ‘Superman Returns’ will debut in theaters across America. Look for it on Thursday, June 29 @ 9pm/8C and Friday, June 30 @ 1am/12C. Visit the link above to view the trailer.
— June 17, 2006
The second issue in Marvel’s “Civil War” arrived in stores this Wednesday. Apparently, there was a lot of hype surrounding this issue that had escaped me. As a result, I wasn’t informed enough to try and avoid the spoilers long enough to go ahead and read the issue to see what the fuss was about. Anyway, the big reveal that was planned for this issue was spoiled for me on the Sideshow website. They have since taken down the offending post, but the damage has been done.
It seems that I wasn’t the only one that had the issue spoiled for me. The New York Post published an article Wednesday spoiling the issue. Other web sites, mainly Yahoo!, picked up the story and ran with images on the front page. So it was spoiled for lots of other people. Newsarama even had a blog post asking where were you when the issue was spoiled.
Having said all that, I want to talk about this issue anyway so here goes. Remember this post contains SPOILERS so if you don’t want to know what I am talking about, don’t read any further!
After reading issue #2, I am still confused about what is going on. I don’t understand why Tony Stark and others are so supportive of the registration law. But later in the issue we see that Stark is struggling with the issue after all. He is struggling with it so much that he is willing to take down Captain America?
All that aside, the issue was pretty good. We learn about something called 42, which appears to be a Superhero incarceration device constructed by Reed Richards. We also learn that Nick Fury is back and supporting Captain America and his crew. Personally, I was thrilled to learn that Daredevil is part of the resistance.
Okay, on to the final panels, Spider-man reveals his identity publicly at a press conference held by Tony Stark. So now we add Peter Parker to the list of publicly known superheroes. Is there any heroes in the Marvel U that have secret identities anymore? I can probably count them on one hand.
Joe Quesada claims that this is part of a larger story that will have a big impact in the next year, but don’t they say that about every story line? I really don’t see the point of this. It used to be that the secret identity was something that was prized above all else, especially Spider-man’s. What happened to not wanting to endanger the lives of his wife and Aunt May? Well, that is most assuredly coming soon.
I thought that I would enjoy this book because Mark Millar was writing it. Right now, I am still undecided. There are very strange things going on here that cause me to be suspicious about what Marvel is up to. I plan to keep reading it just see what is going to happen next, which I guess is Marvel’s plan all along.
— June 11, 2006
Although it leaked on the Internet via an early issue of Star Wars Insider, Sideshow officially announced the next figure in their Lords of the Sith figure line, Darth Maul. Sideshow hinted that this figure was in the works by a little joke posted on their web site on April Fools day earlier this year. Sideshow also announced the Sith Probe Droid expansion pack. Here is the official announcement from Sideshow:
He’s bad, and everybody wants him. Check out the sneak peek of the Darth Maul 12-inch figure… AND something completely new that will really complete the display - the Sith Probe Droid expansion pack! The Inclusive Editions of these products will include accessories that can ONLY be found at Sideshow, so be sure to remind collectors to pre-order during the specified time frame - Thursday, June 15th at 6pm (PST) through Monday, June 19th at 6pm (PST).
Darth Maul is the first figure to be sold through the Inclusive edition ordering process. This means the edition size of the exclusive will not pre-determined but will be determined by how many orders are placed during the announced ordering time. This way Sideshow can make sure collectors that want this figure have a better chance of getting one while still maintaining the limitedness and exclusivity of their figure. Learn more about the Inclusive Edition ordering process.
Update: The Darth Maul figure is now up for pre-order. Click here to order Darth Maul and the probe droid expansion pack.
— June 11, 2006
Bowen Designs posted new previews on their site this week for an upcoming Venom statue, Havok mini-bust and a Kang mini-bust. Also posted were images of several works in progress, including a Thunderbird mini-bust, KaZar mini-bust, and a Captain Britain first appearance mini-bust. Check out the Sneak Peeks section over at Bowen Designs to see the images.
— June 11, 2006
If you happen to be close to east TN during the weekend of June 24th & 25th, make sure to come by Knoxville, TN and stop by ADVENTURE CON 2006, the biggest collector event in Tennessee.
— June 10, 2006
Medicom’s Super Deformed Boba Fett was previously exclusive to a show in Japan. Well now you can get this by going to StarWarsShop.com. This is the first time this SD Fett has been available in the US. If this rocks your boat, you might want to check out Sideshow.com where they have the other two SD Medicom figures, Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper. But hurry….they are “low in stock”.
— June 10, 2006
The title “Mace Windu’s Squadron” has been floating around for a bit and this past week Rebelscum posted images of this upcoming Target Exclusive. For when you are checking out your local Targets, the number for the Target computers is 087-06-1797. This will retail for $19.99
— June 6, 2006
I received the new Marvel Select Spider-Woman from my local comic book store last Wednesday. I thought I would try giving it a review here at Hero Hunt. First, I am a big fan of this character. That is pretty much the only reason I picked this up. I don’t own any other Marvel Select figures. But, when I saw the prototype images for this figure, I knew I would want it. It was a slightly different story though once I got it. I like this figure overall. However, the problems with this figure stem from the differences between the prototype and the final version.
The sculpt is great. It matches the source material very well and looks exactly like the Spider-Woman we have seen in the pages of the New Avengers. One of the first things that catches your eye is the wings. The wings are sculpted out of hard plastic and are attached to the arms and hips. This affects the articulation but I will talk about that later. Other than that, I did not have any issues with the sculpt of this figure. She is even small enough to be in scale with your Marvel Legends.
Of the ones I saw, every one of them had issues with the paint however. I was able to pick out the best one, but I got lucky. Hopefully, you may have an easier time. But the ones I looked at had very sloppy paint jobs. The one on mine is satisfactory, but there is a lot of potential for bleed with all the red, black and yellow. The paint is also a metallic color which may throw you off at first glance.
The articulation on Spider-Woman is very good. She has a ball jointed neck, shoulders and hips with pin wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. That is better than a DC Direct figure usually but not Marvel Legends. As I mentioned before though, the wings restrict the arm movement. The neck joint is also restricted by the hair a bit.
Last, we have the accessories. She comes with a base with 3 Hydra henchmen that attach to pegs on the base. Also included is some sort of blast that attaches to something but I couldn’t figure out where. The base and the figures are very nicely sculpted and painted, but this is where a lot was lost in translation from prototype to final product. In the prototype images, Spider-Woman is standing atop the stairs facing the soldiers. On the base I received, the stairs are not facing the henchmen and there is an urn with fire sculpted onto the top of the stairs. There is a peg for her foot next to it, but she will not fit standing at the top with the urn there. This is not what was shown in the prototype images, and renders the base pretty useless in my opinion.
This is my first Marvel Select figure. Overall, I really like it, but I may be biased because Spider-Woman is my favorite female character. If you can find a good paint job, I recommend picking it up. It will tide you over at least until the Marvel Legends version comes out. At $19, it was a bit pricey though. Especially since the base was probably the most expensive thing, and you can’t pose the figure with it like it was originally intended.
— June 6, 2006
Diamond Select Toys Expands G.I.Joe & Transformers Licenses at TNI announced today that Diamond Select has planned a new line of statues and busts featuring GI Joe and Transformers. Art Asylum and Plan B will be providing sculpts for the line.
I believe this is what fans were hoping for when Diamond announced they received the license for GI Joe collectibles last year. You may remember that Palisades formerly held the license for GI Joe and Transformers statues and busts, and they produced some good looking pieces. Sadly, Palisades went under last year. The new line will be revealed at the San Diego Comic Con in July this year.
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