Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Action Figure Review: The Flash Jay Garrick (Jay Garrick: The Flash Age) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   
   I've mentioned before that I've never really kept up with the Flash in comics. I'm always happy to see him show up in team books, crossovers, or in Batman centric stories, but the Flash in all of his various incarnations (because there are so many different versions of the Flash) just isn't a part of the DC Universe I've actively kept up with. Now, that being said, I've always just liked the Flash, particularly due to his costume. I also have a real love of the truly classic looks for most superheroes, so this Golden Age inspired take on Jay Garrick, the original Flash, definitely caught my attention. I'm pretty sure I never picked up Jay Garrick in the DC Universe Classics spin-off DC Universe Signature Collection, so this seemed like a nice way to add this vintage Justice Society of America figure to the shelf. The figure is attributed to "Jay Garrick: The Flash Age" which I assume is part of the ongoing Flash series' vol 14: "The Flash Age" storyline. I think it might specifically be based on a story appearing in issue #750 of The Flash. This is just a great, classic take on the Flash, however, so let's check him out after the break...



Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Action Figure Review: He-Man from Masterverse/ He-Man by Mattel

 


   Another area of the Masterverse is now opened up with the release of Galactic Protector He-Man from the 1989 He-Man toyline. Recent reveals show that this New Adventures version of He-Man isn't going to have to hang out on his own; he'll have Skeletor and Slush Head to battle against, too. While I'm not overly fond of the Jetlag animated series, I love the 1989 He-Man line and I'm glad Mattel has brought it in to Masterverse. This guy is a Target exclusive and is still available to order online as of this writing. Ready to check out He-Man in space? Then join me after the break...

Friday, March 24, 2023

Action Figure Review: Aquaman from DC Page Punchers by McFarlane Toys/ DC Direct

 

   Earlier this week I ran in a Walmart and stumbled upon this lone Aquaman figure from the newest series of DC Page Punchers. I'm not sure where the rest of the case went (did they already sell out?) but I've been wanting an Aquaman for my DC Multiverse Justice League display and this one definitely has been on my radar. I'm really liking the "McFarlane-esque" takes on DC characters found in the Page Punchers series as they're usually kind of their own thing rather than being inspired by a particular, previously existing source. While the previous 7-inch Page Punchers releases have packaged the same comic with all of the figures in the series, this series at least gives each character a unique comic cover. That's kind of a cool middle ground between giving everyone the same cover and making each comic release part of a series. If you just pick up one figure from the series you can still enjoy the story, but if you get them all you've at least got some variant covers. Let's take a look at Aquaman after the break and see if this figure sinks or swims...


Thursday, March 23, 2023

Action Figure Review: Sorceress from Masterverse/ Masters of the Universe: Revelation by Mattel

 


   I love the fact that Mattel is still supporting Masters of the Universe: Revelation. While Masterverse keeps expanding and growing, it's just cool to see Mattel still support a pretty solid piece of Masters of the Universe media, and it looks like the support will continue as Mattel has shown off more Revelation figures like Horde Skeletor, Clamp Champ, and Prince Adam. It doesn't hurt that most of the Revelation designs were pretty faithful to the vintage looks, so this is also a fairly classic looking Sorceress figure. Her outfit is a bit different than previous versions simply because she is wearing a longer robe rather than a one-piece deal with exposed legs, but overall the colors and design are pretty in-line with what you'd expect from the Sorceress. Ready to see if this figure has the magic? Then keep reading after the break...



Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Action Figure Review: Earth -2 Batman (Batman: Arkham Knight) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   Last week I had one of those crazy toy runs that we often only dream about. I was alerted that a GameStop near me was getting in a bunch of new stuff and when I went in as the store opened I was greeted with a bunch of new DC Multiverse figures from McFarlane Toys. Not only did I have first dibs on most of the new releases but GameStop was running a 25% off of McFarlane Toys releases last week, too, so I got a heck of a nice deal. Today I'm going to check out the first of the new figures I picked up on that toy run: Earth-2 Batman from Batman: Arkham Knight. There have been many different incarnations of Earth-2/ Earth-Two/ Earth 2/ Earth Two over the years but this figure is based on the Flashpoint version where Dr. Thomas Wayne becomes Batman after the death of a young Bruce at the hands of Joe Chill. And this particular version of Thomas Wayne as Batman? It's based on one of the downloadable alternate costumes for Batman in the 2015 videogame Batman: Arkham Knight. As far as I'm aware, though, this is a unique sculpt; it's definitely not a repaint of the previous McFarlane Batman: Arkham Knight figure. I love Thomas Wayne's batsuit, particularly due to the red highlights that really stand out and give it a unique feel, and this is the version of it that hasn't appeared in the DC Multiverse line yet. Let's take a look at this take on Earth-2 Batman after the break...




Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Action Figure Review: Pandora from Action Force by Valaverse

 


     Today I'm checking out the third of the Series 3 Action Force figures I picked up and I think this is the one that was the most eagerly anticipated: Pandora. Pandora (real name Miranda Kelly) is a bloodthirsty Irish gangster who looks like she would fit in perfectly with the Dreadnoks. There have been some great villains in Action Force so far and Pandora adds nicely to the colorful roster of characters. There was a blood splattered variant available, too, but I believe that one is long since gone. I opted for the standard version as she just seemed more versatile. Let's take a look at Pandora after the break and see if she's worth adding to the roster...



Sunday, March 19, 2023

Action Figure Review: Batman (Hush) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 


   No one can say that McFarlane hasn't released enough Batman figures in their DC Multiverse line, but they keep putting out awesome figures, people keep buying them, and I keep wanting to add to my collection, so who can blame them, right? Today I'm checking out a recent release in the DC Multiverse line: Batman from Batman: Hush. While one of the major selling points of this line is that most figures feature completely unique sculpts, this figure does borrow the body from last year's Batman Vs Hush 2-pack which used a black and gray suit instead of the blue and gray suit seen here. This one is much more iconic, though, and when I think of Batman: Hush this is this is the suit I think about. Hush is a great story (I'm rereading it right now with my daughter, who has never read it before) but besides that, it's amazing how much of an influence the Jim Lee artwork and the character designs have had on Batman's allies and villains in the years since. I loved DC Direct's Batman: Hush action figure line as it was one of the first times a DC line went so deep in such a short period of time, but those figures definitely are a product of their time and were intended for display rather than play. This version of Batman is absolutely intended for play and posing, though. He's fantastic and one of my favorite Batman action figures ever. Let's check him out after the break...