Action Figure Review: Wonder Woman (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) from DC Comics Multiverse by Mattel

   Today's review for this final day of the year is Wonder Woman. Perhaps that's fitting because it's quite possible that Wonder Woman is the character whom had the best 2017 possible. Her movie was a success both critically and commercially and it helped a much wider audience to care about the character again on more than just a surface level. While I've reviewed quite a few action figures this year based on Gal Gadot's excellent portrayal of the character, that's not the version of the character I'm looking at today. Instead, I'm looking at Wonder Woman as portrayed by Frank Miller. We could talk for days about the merits and absolute utter craziness of the work of Frank Miller but, to be brief, I really do like the action figures released in the Dark Knight Returns subset that Mattel has been putting out little by little over the years. Of course, while the packaging says this is from "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," it absolutely is not. It could either be from The Dark Knight Strikes Again or from The Dark Knight III: The Master Race. The packaging uses art from DKIII, but the figure could really be from either). The Dark Knight subset continues to grow and I do find myself loving these bulkier takes on the DC big guns. Let's take a look at this new version of Wonder Woman after the break...

Action Figure Review: Wonder Girl (Teen Titans) from DC Comics Multiverse by Mattel

   Another smaller series of Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse figures have made their way out just before the end of the year. The series is supposed to include Wonder Girl, a Frank Miller styled Wonder Woman, and the Super Friends versions of Superman and Aquaman. At this point I haven't found the Super Friends figure from the series but I did find both Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman on Amazon. I believe that Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman were supposed to be a Wal-Mart exclusive mini series released earlier this year to tie in with the release of the Wonder Woman film but it seems that never materialized. At least they made it out, huh? Both Wonder Girl and Wonder Woman include pieces of a small Collect and Connect figure of Dr. Psycho whom I'll review soon as well. Today I'm looking at the Cassie Sandsmark version of Wonder Girl. Cassie is the third person to bear the Wonder Girl name and we get her here in her outfit from the Teen Titans run of the early/ mid 2000s. Since she was never released in the Young Justice series, I'm sure there will be plenty of folks wanting her to complete that roster (even though she's not wearing that outfit). More after the break...

Confirmed Epic Podcast #80: Top 10 Films of 2017

 

On episode #80 of the Confirmed Epic Podcast The Reel Brad Bell and AKA Andrew Stokes are back to end 2017 with a bang by counting down their top 10 films of 2017.  As always we get into the epic news items of the week, as well as what we have been checking out.

Let us know what you thought about the podcast in the comments below or follow and tweet us @thereelbradbell  

Follow The Confirmed Epic Podcast on Instagram for your daily dose of geek imagery HERE!

Also follow us on Stardust just search for: Confirmed Epic

Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe to us on itunes just search for: The Confirmed Epic Podcast or The GWW in the itunes store!

You can always email any questions, comments, and concerns about the show to thepicreview@gmail.com

Action Figure Review: Kylo Ren (Throne Room) from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

 Today, by reviewing the deluxe Wal-Mart exclusive Kylo Ren (Throne Room) figure, I will have reviewed every Star Wars: The Black Series figure that was revealed on Force Friday 2017 (DJ and Rey (Island Journey were revealed a bit later). This is the fourth of these deluxe releases to be put out for The Last Jedi. I like getting deluxe figures with more stuff and display pieces but I kind of wish Hasbro would plan these out a bit better to give us the characters in truly different outfits. Still, this version of Ben Solo is definitely an improvement over the standard figure (which was a pretty good figure already) so it's worth checking out. More after the break...

Action Figure Review: Jaina Solo from Star Wars: The Black Series by Hasbro

 Today I'm reviewing Jaina Solo, the 2016 Fan's Choice winner for the Star Wars: The Black Series line. Mired in controversy (which I won't get into too much here), Jaina beat out the competition and has just recently started shipping. One of the few Legends characters (or characters from what was once the Expanded Universe) to be made in the line, it will be interesting to see Jaina's reception among fans. While I certainly didn't read everything from the Expanded Universe, I read enough for it to be a formative part of my Star Wars fandom. I didn't get into Star Wars until the mid 90s, when I was a pre-teen so, for most of my formative years, I accepted characters like the Solo kids, Mara Jade, Dash Rendar, Prince Xizor, Mara Jade, Kyp Durron, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors as just part of Star Wars like any other character. Prior to Episode I I largely stopped reading the EU and only kept up with it through friends, action figure releases, and some comic books. Currently I do read everything in the New Canon but I still have a soft spot for many of the EU/ Legends characters and stories, so Jaina's entry into the Black Series gives me hope that we'll continue to see this line expand, encompassing more film, TV, Legends, and New Canon characters. Let's take a look at the incredible Jaina Solo after the break...

Minifigure Review: Packs A-F from M.U.S.C.L.E. Masters of the Universe by Super7

   Like yesterday I'm going to combine all six of the series 3 Masters of the Universe M.U.S.C.L.E. sets into one review. Rather than having to write six unique intros I get to write just one, so that saves me time. It also just feels right, particularly because two of the sets have shared figures. If you want to see all of Super7's Masters of the Universe M.U.S.C.L.E. offerings in one place then you are set! I really like this series. Super7 has gone back and forth on the style of these with series 1 having fairly realistic proportions, series 2 being far more stylized and overly cartoonish, and series 3 having a pretty solid grasp on the M.U.S.C.L.E. style. The roster keeps expanding and this time Super7 has given us some vehicles as well. Ready for a closer look at series 3? Then join me after the break...

Minifigure Review: Packs A-E from M.U.S.C.L.E. Aliens by Super7

   I don't usually review more than one product release at a time but I'm going to be making an exception for the latest series of M.U.S.C.L.E. figures from Super7. I received a big package earlier this month that was filled with all five of the Aliens M.U.S.C.L.E. packs and all six of the Masters of the Universe M.U.S.C.L.E. packs. Since it would take so much time to review each set individually and I would largely be repeating myself in each intro, I decided to just combine Packs A, B, C, D, and E in one review. I hope you don 't mind! I really like Super7 and what they're doing. The M.U.S.C.L.E. revival is one of my favorite toy related things of the past few years. Super7 has a great thing going but I do hope they continue to focus on consistency in their minifigures. While this year's Street Fighter II series featured some of the best minifigures of the year with neat, clean, and crisp sculpts, the Mega Man series was atrocious. Fortunately, the Aliens series is closer to the Street Fighter II series with some decent sculpts and a less waxy appearance. Let's check out this whole series after the break...