Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Best of 2014
It's been another year for the blog, which means it's time for another "Best Of" Post! This was probably the toughest time I had deciding winners for the categories I cover, because this has been such a great year for comic fans. We had awesome movies, great comics, and of course, really good figures. That said, let's dive right in.
Best Figure Line:
Marvel Legends
In all honesty, there were a lot of figure lines that stepped up there game this year. DC Collectibles has released some amazing figures, Mcfarlane Toys Walking Dead series (both comic and TV show) has added some definitive versions of familiar characters to out shelves, and NECA has been killing it in the 1/4 figure line up, but Marvel Legends takes it for me this year. Why? Well when they first came back from Hiatus in 2012, the line was looking great...for the first two waves. Then series 3 was mostly all repaints. After that, series 4 was near impossible to find by me, and the Build-A-Figure's were barely 4 inches tall, blasphemy. So again, the line went into hiatus until they re branded as "Marvel Legends Infinite Series". This year we got three solid waves and one great exclusive figure. The Build-A-Figures were back to being big figures (still not Sentinel size, but it's a hell of a lot better than the crappy Hit Monkey BAF), and they were a lot easier to find in stores, after a while anyway. Better distribution, solid waves, and bigger BAF's make this line my pick for the best figure line of 2014.
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Best Comic Book TV Show:
The Flash
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This was a tough choice, kind of. Arrow, to me, has been lacking this year. It may just be me, but I'm just not enjoying it as much this year. Of course that could change once the season picks up again in January. Walking Dead has had a great season, but the pacing was a bit weird for me. We met the Cannibals/Hunters/Terminans...Termites? and then they departed 3 episodes later, and we shifted gears to finding Beth/following Abraham and his band of merry pals to Washington. I loved the season, but the pacing just felt...off, I guess. Flash however, managed to take me by complete surprise. I honestly wasn't too excited for it, but the stellar cast, great story, and character cameos drew me in. Not to mention, it's just good old fashioned comic book fun.
Honorable Mentions:
Walking Dead
Best Comic Book Movie:
Guardians of the Galaxy
This was a really tough choice. I loved Winter Soldier, and in terms of comic book accuracy it was damn near perfect. X-Men was also a really well done film, but at the same time, it didn't really make me go "That was incredible." Guardians however is the movie that I didn't think would work, but it did. The cast was perfect, and definitely propelled the film. The humor was really well used and not over done. The CGI was fantastic and most importantly, it was a fun movie, that you can re watch over and over again without getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over.
Honorable Mentions:
Captain America:The Winter Soldier, X-Men Days of Future Past
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Best Comic Book Publisher:
DC Comics
I gave the award to DC Comics, because Marvel was pretty iffy for me this year. The only series I really enjoy from them right now are Amazing Spider-Man, All-New Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, and Superior Iron Man. I do collect others but they just don't make me go "WOW" like they used too. DC on the other hand, has so many great titles out right now, that I'm finding my pull list is slowly shifting towards DC dominance.
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Best Comic Book Series:
DC:
Batman
What can I say? The team of Snyder and Capullo never lets me done. Nuff said.
Honorable Mentions:
Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Three, Superman, Justice League, Action Comics, Batman/Superman, Deathstroke, Superman/Wonder Woman,
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Marvel:
Silver Surfer
I took a gamble on this book but it has quickly become the book I look forward to the most every month from Marvel. This book, like The Flash TV show, is just pure comic book fun. The characters are all so well written, and the art is just gorgeous and a treat to look at. I have not had one disappointing issue yet, and I hope the creative team stays on for the entire run of this book.
Honorable Mentions:
Amazing Spider-Man, Superior Iron Man
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Image:
Outcast
Out of the three publishers, this was the one that was probably the toughest choice for me to make. The Walking Dead is still going strong with a recent twist (I suppose it was a twist? See issue 132 to know what I'm referring to, I'd rather not spoil it.) that just blew my mind. Wytches has Snyder and Jock together again so, how could I not, but Outcast is just amazing. Kirkman's writing combined with Azaceta's creepy art makes for a golden horror comic.
Honorable Mentions:
The Walking Dead, Wytches
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Best Single Issue:
DC:
Tie between Batman #37 and Batman Annual #3
These two issues were just jaw droppingly good. I love the Joker, and both of these issues took everything I love to see in a Joker story and amp them up to the max. I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't pick only one of them
Honorable Mentions:
Forever Evil #7 of 7, Adventures of Superman #15
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Marvel:
Amazing Spider-Man #1
This year we saw the return of good ol' Peter Parker and it was the perfect return. Superior was an amazing series, but it felt really good to have Parker back in the suit, and reading this issue brought all of my favorite things about him back.
Honorable Mentions:
Silver Surfer #1
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Best Mini-Series/Event:
Forever Evil
I haven't read a Marvel event since Age of Ultron. It was just too much, an event every few months that would "change the Marvel universe forever (or until the next film!)". I couldn't keep up. DC however, they know how to do big events. That's where Forever Evil comes in. This event turned some characters that I wouldn't even notice before into favorites, AND we are still dealing with the fallout, some 6/7 months after it ended. I cannot recommend reading it enough.
Honorable Mentions:
Winter Soldier: The Bitter March
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Top 10 Figures:
Just to clarify, for a figure to be included on this list, it has to be one that I own. There were a ton of amazing figures, some that I unfortunately wasn't able to get prior to the end of the year, and since I don't own them, I cannot put them on this list.
10.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Winter Soldier
It's Winter Soldier, how could I not have him on here? In all seriousness though, this is a great figure. The movie design is so close to the comics that he could easily stand in as a comic Winter Soldier in your collection. He has great articulation and sculpt, but the reason he is number 10 is simply due to two things. His lack of weaponry other than an incredibly stupid giant red sniper rifle thing, and he could have benefited from some paint shading. Other than that, great figure.
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9.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Agent Venom
This figure was quite possibly the biggest pain in the butt to find. It was/is a Walgreens (yes, you read that correctly) Exclusive figure, and despite getting 8 in stock at a time, and there being 3 Walgreens near me, he was a nightmare to track down. He was sold out on their website for quite some time leaving only the secondhand market, and I was not going to pay $60+ for it. So finally mid December I find him in person after someone stashed him behind a bunch of 99 cent puzzles. He was worth the hunt. He comes with great accessories, a simple but well executed paint job and a great sculpt.
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8.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Drax
This figure took me be complete surprise. I was never too big on Guardians before the film, and Drax seemed like a rather boring figure from the early shots, but wow was I wrong. He has a great sculpt with all of his tattoos being sculpted on. His paint is, for the most part, well done, it gets a bit iffy around all the tattoos. He comes with his two blades, which is all Drax really needs, and out of all the figures in the wave, his articulation gives him the greatest range of movement. I have had so much fun just posing this figure, and he is definitely one to get.
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7.)DC Collectibles Designer Series Greg Capullo Batman
If you are looking for a definitive New 52 Batman figure, look no further, unless you're not a fan of Capullo's style, and if you're not, you're wrong. All kidding aside, this is my definitive New 52 Batman figure. He has amazing articulation for a DCC figure, three Batarangs, and his sculpt perfectly depicts Capullo's art style, making this figure look he leaped right off the page.
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6.)The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Rick Grimes
This figure is one that I have been anticipating since the first prototype mold. I got this as a Christmas present and was so happy to have him.Unfortunately he has one flaw that landed him just shy of being in the top 5. Whoever packaged and assembled my figure managed to jam the right non-bandaged hand in at an angle, bending the peg, and causing it to snap if anyone tried to move it, which led to me spending 15 minutes using a eyeglass screwdriver to get the snapped off peg out of the forearm. This is apparently a widespread issue. So if the figure had that issue and landed this high on the list it has to be really good right? Oh yeah. This is in my opinion the definitive TV series Rick figure to get, unless of course they release a Season 5 Rick, but until then, get this figure. That's all I'll say for now, I do have to do a review of him soon, so I need to save my more in depth analysis for that.
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5.)The Walking Dead Comic Series 3 Rick
I love the Walking Dead comics, and once Mcfarlane started work on the TV series figures, the comic series seemed to have taken a bit of a back seat. This year we got a new wave of four figures and my first pick up from it was none other than Rick Grimes. This is my personal favorite version of Rick from the comics. I'm not too keen on his new style, so I was glad they made this version before the new version. This figure is, in my opinion, the definitive comic book Rick Grimes figure. He comes with all the accessories you would want him too, has great paint, the new updated articulation, and this sculpt brings Charlie Adlard's art to life perfectly. I believe in Rick Grimes, and so should you. Get this figure.
4.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Build-A-Figure Groot
This is only the second BAF I have completed in my 17 years of collecting Marvel Legends, and it is oh so satisfying. This is an amazingly detailed figure, with a gorgeous sculpt, and great articulation. Yes the paint could use a bit more of a wash, but damn if this isn't a great BAF, I don't know what is.
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3.)The Walking Dead TV Series 5 Daryl Dixon with Chopper
Daryl Dixon, arguably the most popular character from the TV Show finally got the proper 5" figure treatment he deserved. This was the beginning of the new articulation model for Walking Dead figures, and he came with the first vehicle in the figure line. His sculpt is great for the most part, and he has great paint apps, and all the accessories you would want him to have, but what lands him the number 3 spot is the fact that all of that combined with the new articulation model allows for endless poses and tons of fun.
2.)DC Collectibles Bizzaro
This is the shining example of a DC Collectibles figure done right. The sculpt on the figure is amazing. The lower torso is based on Superman's new costume while the upper is the reversed Superman t-shirt seen in the early issues of Action Comics. The face sculpt allows for so many different expressions depending on the light, and the paint work is superb. The articulation is, in my opinion, what the standard should be. While he does have the same amount as the Capullo Batman, this figure has a much better range of movement with the joints. This figure was so much fun to mess around with and pose, that he more than earns the number two spot.
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1.)NECA 1/4 The Dark Knight Joker
This was my most anticipated figure of 2014, without a doubt, and as soon as he popped up online I jumped on it. He is probably the best version of the Dark Knight Joker (besides the Hot Toys of course). He comes with three accessories that are perfect for the character and has great articulation, especially in the torso and the legs. His face sculpt is eerily lifelike and the paintwork is perfect. He is just an amazing display piece that will surely have anyone who sees it talking.
Honorable Mentions:
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Hershel, The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Abraham, DC Collectibles Arkham Origins Deathstroke, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Nova, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Superior Spider-Man, DC Collectibles Deluxe Armored Lex Luthor, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Black Widow
And that wraps up the year in geekdom. It's been a great year and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store. Thank you guys for stopping by, and have a Happy New Year!
After New Years, I have a bunch of reviews to get out. As of now, they will most likely be text based. Most of them are coming from my Christmas haul:
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Rick
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Hershel
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Carol
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Abraham
The Walking Dead TV Series Deluxe 10" Rick Grimes
The rest, will be of figures that I unfortunately wasn't able to get out before the year's end, such as a ton of Pop Funkos, and the DC Collectibles Designer Series Greg Capullo Mr. Freeze, and The Walking Dead TV Series Flashback Series Michonne.
Best Figure Line:
Marvel Legends
In all honesty, there were a lot of figure lines that stepped up there game this year. DC Collectibles has released some amazing figures, Mcfarlane Toys Walking Dead series (both comic and TV show) has added some definitive versions of familiar characters to out shelves, and NECA has been killing it in the 1/4 figure line up, but Marvel Legends takes it for me this year. Why? Well when they first came back from Hiatus in 2012, the line was looking great...for the first two waves. Then series 3 was mostly all repaints. After that, series 4 was near impossible to find by me, and the Build-A-Figure's were barely 4 inches tall, blasphemy. So again, the line went into hiatus until they re branded as "Marvel Legends Infinite Series". This year we got three solid waves and one great exclusive figure. The Build-A-Figures were back to being big figures (still not Sentinel size, but it's a hell of a lot better than the crappy Hit Monkey BAF), and they were a lot easier to find in stores, after a while anyway. Better distribution, solid waves, and bigger BAF's make this line my pick for the best figure line of 2014.
Best Comic Book TV Show:
The Flash
This was a tough choice, kind of. Arrow, to me, has been lacking this year. It may just be me, but I'm just not enjoying it as much this year. Of course that could change once the season picks up again in January. Walking Dead has had a great season, but the pacing was a bit weird for me. We met the Cannibals/Hunters/Terminans...Termites? and then they departed 3 episodes later, and we shifted gears to finding Beth/following Abraham and his band of merry pals to Washington. I loved the season, but the pacing just felt...off, I guess. Flash however, managed to take me by complete surprise. I honestly wasn't too excited for it, but the stellar cast, great story, and character cameos drew me in. Not to mention, it's just good old fashioned comic book fun. Honorable Mentions:
Walking Dead
Best Comic Book Movie:
Guardians of the Galaxy
This was a really tough choice. I loved Winter Soldier, and in terms of comic book accuracy it was damn near perfect. X-Men was also a really well done film, but at the same time, it didn't really make me go "That was incredible." Guardians however is the movie that I didn't think would work, but it did. The cast was perfect, and definitely propelled the film. The humor was really well used and not over done. The CGI was fantastic and most importantly, it was a fun movie, that you can re watch over and over again without getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over.
Honorable Mentions:
Captain America:The Winter Soldier, X-Men Days of Future Past
Best Comic Book Publisher:
DC Comics
I gave the award to DC Comics, because Marvel was pretty iffy for me this year. The only series I really enjoy from them right now are Amazing Spider-Man, All-New Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, and Superior Iron Man. I do collect others but they just don't make me go "WOW" like they used too. DC on the other hand, has so many great titles out right now, that I'm finding my pull list is slowly shifting towards DC dominance.
Best Comic Book Series:
DC:
Batman
What can I say? The team of Snyder and Capullo never lets me done. Nuff said.
Honorable Mentions:
Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Three, Superman, Justice League, Action Comics, Batman/Superman, Deathstroke, Superman/Wonder Woman,
Marvel:
Silver Surfer
I took a gamble on this book but it has quickly become the book I look forward to the most every month from Marvel. This book, like The Flash TV show, is just pure comic book fun. The characters are all so well written, and the art is just gorgeous and a treat to look at. I have not had one disappointing issue yet, and I hope the creative team stays on for the entire run of this book.
Honorable Mentions:
Amazing Spider-Man, Superior Iron Man
Image:
Outcast
Out of the three publishers, this was the one that was probably the toughest choice for me to make. The Walking Dead is still going strong with a recent twist (I suppose it was a twist? See issue 132 to know what I'm referring to, I'd rather not spoil it.) that just blew my mind. Wytches has Snyder and Jock together again so, how could I not, but Outcast is just amazing. Kirkman's writing combined with Azaceta's creepy art makes for a golden horror comic.
Honorable Mentions:
The Walking Dead, Wytches
Best Single Issue:
DC:
Tie between Batman #37 and Batman Annual #3
These two issues were just jaw droppingly good. I love the Joker, and both of these issues took everything I love to see in a Joker story and amp them up to the max. I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't pick only one of them
Honorable Mentions:
Forever Evil #7 of 7, Adventures of Superman #15
Marvel:
Amazing Spider-Man #1
This year we saw the return of good ol' Peter Parker and it was the perfect return. Superior was an amazing series, but it felt really good to have Parker back in the suit, and reading this issue brought all of my favorite things about him back.
Honorable Mentions:
Silver Surfer #1
Best Mini-Series/Event:
Forever Evil
I haven't read a Marvel event since Age of Ultron. It was just too much, an event every few months that would "change the Marvel universe forever (or until the next film!)". I couldn't keep up. DC however, they know how to do big events. That's where Forever Evil comes in. This event turned some characters that I wouldn't even notice before into favorites, AND we are still dealing with the fallout, some 6/7 months after it ended. I cannot recommend reading it enough.
Honorable Mentions:
Winter Soldier: The Bitter March
Top 10 Figures:
Just to clarify, for a figure to be included on this list, it has to be one that I own. There were a ton of amazing figures, some that I unfortunately wasn't able to get prior to the end of the year, and since I don't own them, I cannot put them on this list.
10.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Winter Soldier
It's Winter Soldier, how could I not have him on here? In all seriousness though, this is a great figure. The movie design is so close to the comics that he could easily stand in as a comic Winter Soldier in your collection. He has great articulation and sculpt, but the reason he is number 10 is simply due to two things. His lack of weaponry other than an incredibly stupid giant red sniper rifle thing, and he could have benefited from some paint shading. Other than that, great figure.
9.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Agent Venom
This figure was quite possibly the biggest pain in the butt to find. It was/is a Walgreens (yes, you read that correctly) Exclusive figure, and despite getting 8 in stock at a time, and there being 3 Walgreens near me, he was a nightmare to track down. He was sold out on their website for quite some time leaving only the secondhand market, and I was not going to pay $60+ for it. So finally mid December I find him in person after someone stashed him behind a bunch of 99 cent puzzles. He was worth the hunt. He comes with great accessories, a simple but well executed paint job and a great sculpt.
8.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Drax
This figure took me be complete surprise. I was never too big on Guardians before the film, and Drax seemed like a rather boring figure from the early shots, but wow was I wrong. He has a great sculpt with all of his tattoos being sculpted on. His paint is, for the most part, well done, it gets a bit iffy around all the tattoos. He comes with his two blades, which is all Drax really needs, and out of all the figures in the wave, his articulation gives him the greatest range of movement. I have had so much fun just posing this figure, and he is definitely one to get.
7.)DC Collectibles Designer Series Greg Capullo Batman
If you are looking for a definitive New 52 Batman figure, look no further, unless you're not a fan of Capullo's style, and if you're not, you're wrong. All kidding aside, this is my definitive New 52 Batman figure. He has amazing articulation for a DCC figure, three Batarangs, and his sculpt perfectly depicts Capullo's art style, making this figure look he leaped right off the page.
6.)The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Rick Grimes
This figure is one that I have been anticipating since the first prototype mold. I got this as a Christmas present and was so happy to have him.Unfortunately he has one flaw that landed him just shy of being in the top 5. Whoever packaged and assembled my figure managed to jam the right non-bandaged hand in at an angle, bending the peg, and causing it to snap if anyone tried to move it, which led to me spending 15 minutes using a eyeglass screwdriver to get the snapped off peg out of the forearm. This is apparently a widespread issue. So if the figure had that issue and landed this high on the list it has to be really good right? Oh yeah. This is in my opinion the definitive TV series Rick figure to get, unless of course they release a Season 5 Rick, but until then, get this figure. That's all I'll say for now, I do have to do a review of him soon, so I need to save my more in depth analysis for that.
5.)The Walking Dead Comic Series 3 Rick
4.)Marvel Legends Infinite Series Build-A-Figure Groot
This is only the second BAF I have completed in my 17 years of collecting Marvel Legends, and it is oh so satisfying. This is an amazingly detailed figure, with a gorgeous sculpt, and great articulation. Yes the paint could use a bit more of a wash, but damn if this isn't a great BAF, I don't know what is.
3.)The Walking Dead TV Series 5 Daryl Dixon with Chopper
Daryl Dixon, arguably the most popular character from the TV Show finally got the proper 5" figure treatment he deserved. This was the beginning of the new articulation model for Walking Dead figures, and he came with the first vehicle in the figure line. His sculpt is great for the most part, and he has great paint apps, and all the accessories you would want him to have, but what lands him the number 3 spot is the fact that all of that combined with the new articulation model allows for endless poses and tons of fun.
2.)DC Collectibles Bizzaro
This is the shining example of a DC Collectibles figure done right. The sculpt on the figure is amazing. The lower torso is based on Superman's new costume while the upper is the reversed Superman t-shirt seen in the early issues of Action Comics. The face sculpt allows for so many different expressions depending on the light, and the paint work is superb. The articulation is, in my opinion, what the standard should be. While he does have the same amount as the Capullo Batman, this figure has a much better range of movement with the joints. This figure was so much fun to mess around with and pose, that he more than earns the number two spot.
1.)NECA 1/4 The Dark Knight Joker
This was my most anticipated figure of 2014, without a doubt, and as soon as he popped up online I jumped on it. He is probably the best version of the Dark Knight Joker (besides the Hot Toys of course). He comes with three accessories that are perfect for the character and has great articulation, especially in the torso and the legs. His face sculpt is eerily lifelike and the paintwork is perfect. He is just an amazing display piece that will surely have anyone who sees it talking.
Honorable Mentions:
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Hershel, The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Abraham, DC Collectibles Arkham Origins Deathstroke, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Nova, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Superior Spider-Man, DC Collectibles Deluxe Armored Lex Luthor, Marvel Legends Infinite Series Black Widow
And that wraps up the year in geekdom. It's been a great year and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store. Thank you guys for stopping by, and have a Happy New Year!
After New Years, I have a bunch of reviews to get out. As of now, they will most likely be text based. Most of them are coming from my Christmas haul:
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Rick
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Hershel
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Carol
The Walking Dead TV Series 6 Abraham
The Walking Dead TV Series Deluxe 10" Rick Grimes
The rest, will be of figures that I unfortunately wasn't able to get out before the year's end, such as a ton of Pop Funkos, and the DC Collectibles Designer Series Greg Capullo Mr. Freeze, and The Walking Dead TV Series Flashback Series Michonne.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Review of the Marvel Legends Infinite Series Guardians of the Galaxy wave!
This was supposed to be up last night, but better late than never!
I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
I hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Review of the Marvel Legends Infinite Series Agent Venom figure!
As promised, here is my review of the Agent Venom figure. I had to upload this with "YouTube Capture" so it automatically added enhancements. I removed them and reverted the video back to normal, but for those of you who are seeing it prior to it being fixed, I apologize for the shaky bits. The Guardians of the Galaxy review is currently being uploaded on YouTube and once it's done I will add that post on here!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Upcoming Reviews!
Okay, so, Finals are done, which means that now I can finally get back to my review schedule, so here is the plan. On Sunday, I plan to record several reviews which will be released starting Sunday evening through Wednesday evening. As far as what will be reviewed, I will cover what was in the last post, as well as some new things I got in my last haul of 2014, which includes the Walgreen's exclusive Agent Venom Marvel Legends, and the entire Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy series. So, I am aiming to have the Agent Venom review up early Sunday evening and the Guardians figures late Sunday evening. If not, then the Guardians will be up Monday, but Venom will DEFINITELY be up Sunday evening. As for the rest of the week, I will review the following:
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #2: Comic Books
Includes Man of Steel Superman, The Dark Knight Joker, New 52 Superman, and Winter Soldier
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #3: The Walking Dead
Includes Season 1 Rick and Daryl, Season 3 Rick and Merle, Daryl Dixon and Chopper and Px Exclusive Bloody Biker Daryl
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #4: Transformers
Includes Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Drift
DC Collectibles Greg Capullo Designer Series Mr.Freeze
I will also have my annual "Best of" Post up on 12/31, most likely in the evening. Thank you guys for sticking with the blog for another year!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Updates!
Hey guys, so college finals are here so unfortunately I haven't been able to post on time as I
thought I would. That said, I will be getting those reviews out, I just can't gaurantee the exact date for each one, but it WILL be before Christmas. As a reminder, here are the reviews coming soon, including some new entries:
thought I would. That said, I will be getting those reviews out, I just can't gaurantee the exact date for each one, but it WILL be before Christmas. As a reminder, here are the reviews coming soon, including some new entries:
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #2: Comic Boos
Includes Man of Steel Superman, The Dark Knight Joker, New 52 Superman, and Winter Soldier
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #3: The Walking Dead
Includes Season 1 Rick and Daryl, Season 3 Rick and Merle, Daryl Dixon and Chopper and Px Exclusive Boody Biker Daryl
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #4: Transformers
Includes Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Drift
DC Collectibles Greg Capullo Designer Series Mr.Freeze
In other news, if your familiar with the podcast I co-host, "Those Guys", we have something new to add to our social media arsenal. A youtube page! Be sure to subscribe to keep up to date with all our shenanigans, and here is our first video, enjoy!
Friday, November 21, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Pop! Funko Madness Lot #1: Arkham Asylum
Welcome to my first ever Funko Pop! review. I figured that I would tackle these little guys in sets as there isn't too much to go into with them. So we're kicking this off with a review of the full set of the Batman Arkham Asylum Funko Pop! figures. Before we delve into the Pops themselves, we'll take a quick look at the packaging.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the packaging, let's kick things off with the first figure in the set, the Dark Knight himself.
Batman:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $20.99
Out of all of the previous Funko Pop! Batmen that have been released, the only one I had an interest in was the metallic New 52 Batman, and finding that in person was definitely not going to be an easy chore, so when I found out this guy was coming out, I knew I was going to get this one, and he would become my definitive Funko Pop! Batman. Sure enough, he did. This little guy is crammed with amazing detail, yet still is simple enough to fit in with the other Funko Pops. I've always loved the design of the Batsuit in the Arkham games, so to get a Funko Pop! version is amazing. I think my favorite feature is the face. The cowl is well detailed with raised areas by the eyebrows, giving him an angry look, and the ears are pretty long compared to other Batman Pops, which looks so cool, but it's the glossy paint that really makes the head sculpt (pardon the pun) pop. The cape, done in a slightly less glossy black, unlike the other Batman Pops, drapes along the floor behind him, which I feel is a necessity in any Batman figure that i own. It just kind of goes with the character. His bodysuit has that Kevlar pattern all throughout the grey, and the Bat-Symbol, is sculpted on as well as painted on, which is a nice touch. His belt is done in a metallic gold with silver accents on the buckles and his gauntlets, boots, and underoos, are also done in a glossy black similar to the cape. In terms of articulation, Batman, like all Funko Pops! (excluding Marvel) has a swivel at the head and nothing more. I am an articulation junkie, but these don't need it. I love to just display them and admire them. I would advise that when picking yours out on the shelf (should you have that luxury) definitely look it over. Funko Pops! have a history of poor paint apps. I will say that of the five I chose from, they were pretty good, and the main areas that were messed up were the eyes and Bat-Symbol, so definitely check that out. Other than that, this is the best Batman Pop out there, and probably the only one I will ever purchase.
The Joker:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Hhhhhhooooooobbbbbboooooyyyyy. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love me some Joker, and much like Batman, the Arkham Joker is probably my favorite design for the character. So getting this was a no brainer. It was just the matter of getting it that was the hard part. See this guy was a Hot Topic exclusive Pre-Release, which translates to "good luck and may God have mercy on your soul if you want to find him in stores." because my Hot Topic didn't have him....at all.... So it was looking like amazon.com was going to be my best bet. I held off because I was going to NYCC with my friends so I figured I'd save my cash, and on Saturday while perusing the con floor trying to help my bud Nathaniel decide if he should buy a replica Time Turner (spoiler alert, he didn't), we passed by many booths selling Funko Pops! and one of them, had this guy. I was so happy, and there were two so I could check for paint, both were painted beautifully, and I ended up picking him up. Keeping the box intact on the con floor was a challenge but I digress. This Funko Pop!, like the Batman above, is in my opinion, the definitive Joker Pop. He just looks amazing. Nothing on his suit is just painted on. The pinstripes are all individually sculpted, as are the ruffles and buttons on the shirt, his flower, his knee patch, chain, shows, even his little coat tails, everything is sculpted on, which initially had me nervous, as that presents a lot of room for paint bleeding and such, but not on this guy, both ones that I saw were pristine. His head sculpt is really awesome. His hair looks really cool, it has some spiky areas throughout, and his face is so cool. His teeth are individually sculpted, and he has wrinkles and eyebrows sculpted on, so he has a really sinister look. Like Batman, his head swivels and that's it. He can be a bit tricky to get to stand up on his own but a little finesse and you can get it done. Easily the best Joker Pop so far, and probably my favorite Pop in my collection.
Harley Quinn:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Harley Quinn. A character that I like, but never was overly invested in. Here's the thing, I have nothing against her as a character, but nothing really made me go "WOW, this character is awesome!". I will admit she makes a great Funko Pop!, especially her Arkham design. I hate to sound like a broken record but I really think their designs for the characters are amazing. Anyway, this Harley Pop! looks awesome. She is depicted in her nurse's outfit that she wears in the Arkham Asylum game. The detail they managed to capture on her is amazing, especially for her size. She has her corset, her name tag, her cane, everything. Even her thigh high boots and her arm sleeve things (no idea what they're called) are insanely detailed. The paint on her, like Joker, is surprisingly clean with all of the areas that need to be covered. She has mainly glossy red and purple paint on the legs, and the torso and arm is a mix of red, purple and white. What's amazing is that you can actually read her name tag which says "Arkham Asylum Warden" and has a tiny picture of the Warden Quincy Sharp on it. So. Freaking. Cool. Her cane is permanently attached to her hand and she even has her nurse's hat on. Her face paint is really well applied and I love that they stopped the white face paint at the ears. I was able to pick from two, and the place to really check is the face. The body was well done on both, but you'll want to watch the purple face mask. On one it was bleeding ever so slightly into the white face paint, and on mine, it's missing a tiny speck of purple which I didn't notice before doing this review.....damn.... Anyway, one thing to note is she is VERY top heavy with her pigtails, but luckily, Funko provided us with a clear display base which pegs into her left foot. You can get her to stand without it but it requires massive amounts of patience which I don't have and then you have to worry that if you bump into the shelf she is on she'll topple over and it just, it becomes this whole crazy thing. Also worth noting is that her head swivels. I am really glad they included Harley into this line because, well to be honest, unless I got the regular comic book Joker I probably wouldn't have bought a Harley Pop, but this was a set I really wanted to complete so of course I had to get her, and she turned out really well. In the end, I really like this Pop! more than I thought I would.
Poison Ivy:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $15.99
I was honestly surprised to see Ivy in this set. I figured they would have gone with Scarecrow, or Bane, but I suppose I understand it. There hasn't been an Ivy Pop yet, and they did technically make a Bane. Anyway, this is a really cool Pop!, even though I have no personal affinity for Poison Ivy. Out of the whole set, this is the character I had the least interest in picking up, but as a Pop! It's pretty good. There is a lot of details in her hair, it's all sculpted as though it's flowing behind her and her face is really cool. There are sculpted vines coming up the side , all painted in a green-yellow extending to dark green leaves on the cheeks, a nice contrast to the lime green skin. The vines also continue onto the arms and legs. Her red shirt is sculpted on and painted really well with a clean blue streak along the ends of it. Just like the others, her head swivels. Her pose is also really cool. She's posed as though she is summoning vines, and like Harley, she is very top heavy, and comes with a clear base, so I'm sure customizers could have a field day with creating a vine covered base. The paint is really clean for the amount of small details that had to be painted on her, but as usual, if you can check her paint job first. She's a really nice Pop!, but if she wasn't part of this set I probably wouldn't have gone for her. Nothing against the Pop!, just not too into the character.
Killer Croc:
Scale: 4"
Price: $10.99 - $16.99
Here is the big boy of the set (in terms of size). I recently became a fan of Croc after reading his exploits in Batman Eternal, so I definitely wanted something Croc related, and this couldn't have come out at a better time. Not only is he a cool character, but an amazing Pop! First off, the detail alone is amazing. He stands the tallest of the five Pops in the set. So let's start from the head. The sides of the head are covered in scales with little ear holes, and the top of his head has big scales that go down and when they reach the back they become an alligator skin texture. The front of his face has some really well sculpted sharp teeth and some amazing facial structure details. Before we reach the torso, like in the game, his collar with a little chain hanging off of it, is on the neck which is where the swivel joint is. His torso is very detailed with a crocodile texture to him with a few dark green spikes protruding off his outer arms. On his wrists are leather cuffs with chains hanging from them. He also has his orange pants, with rope belt and metal chain clamps on his ankles, all leading up to his dark green toenails. He has lime green skin and the paint work applied over it is really well done. I saw three on the shelf and all three were painted really well. One thing I really like about this Pop! is that he has a really nice weight to him, he just feels very solid. As a Pop! this is really amazing, and easily one of the coolest looking Pops out there.
Final Thoughts:
This set is amazing. Each Pop! has unbelievable detail with well applied paint. The best thing about Pops, is that the only thing that can really be screwed up with them is paint, so it's easy to make sure you get a good one (provided the one you want can be found in stores). Out of the whole set, I'd say my favorite is The Joker simply because I love The Joker, but Batman is pretty damn close. The other three are all really great Pops as well, and if you get one, I honestly think you should get them all, because once you see all five on the shelf next to each other as a complete set, especially if you're a fan of the game, or the characters, the feeling you get is amazing.
Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the packaging, let's kick things off with the first figure in the set, the Dark Knight himself.
Batman:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $20.99
Out of all of the previous Funko Pop! Batmen that have been released, the only one I had an interest in was the metallic New 52 Batman, and finding that in person was definitely not going to be an easy chore, so when I found out this guy was coming out, I knew I was going to get this one, and he would become my definitive Funko Pop! Batman. Sure enough, he did. This little guy is crammed with amazing detail, yet still is simple enough to fit in with the other Funko Pops. I've always loved the design of the Batsuit in the Arkham games, so to get a Funko Pop! version is amazing. I think my favorite feature is the face. The cowl is well detailed with raised areas by the eyebrows, giving him an angry look, and the ears are pretty long compared to other Batman Pops, which looks so cool, but it's the glossy paint that really makes the head sculpt (pardon the pun) pop. The cape, done in a slightly less glossy black, unlike the other Batman Pops, drapes along the floor behind him, which I feel is a necessity in any Batman figure that i own. It just kind of goes with the character. His bodysuit has that Kevlar pattern all throughout the grey, and the Bat-Symbol, is sculpted on as well as painted on, which is a nice touch. His belt is done in a metallic gold with silver accents on the buckles and his gauntlets, boots, and underoos, are also done in a glossy black similar to the cape. In terms of articulation, Batman, like all Funko Pops! (excluding Marvel) has a swivel at the head and nothing more. I am an articulation junkie, but these don't need it. I love to just display them and admire them. I would advise that when picking yours out on the shelf (should you have that luxury) definitely look it over. Funko Pops! have a history of poor paint apps. I will say that of the five I chose from, they were pretty good, and the main areas that were messed up were the eyes and Bat-Symbol, so definitely check that out. Other than that, this is the best Batman Pop out there, and probably the only one I will ever purchase.
The Joker:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Hhhhhhooooooobbbbbboooooyyyyy. If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I love me some Joker, and much like Batman, the Arkham Joker is probably my favorite design for the character. So getting this was a no brainer. It was just the matter of getting it that was the hard part. See this guy was a Hot Topic exclusive Pre-Release, which translates to "good luck and may God have mercy on your soul if you want to find him in stores." because my Hot Topic didn't have him....at all.... So it was looking like amazon.com was going to be my best bet. I held off because I was going to NYCC with my friends so I figured I'd save my cash, and on Saturday while perusing the con floor trying to help my bud Nathaniel decide if he should buy a replica Time Turner (spoiler alert, he didn't), we passed by many booths selling Funko Pops! and one of them, had this guy. I was so happy, and there were two so I could check for paint, both were painted beautifully, and I ended up picking him up. Keeping the box intact on the con floor was a challenge but I digress. This Funko Pop!, like the Batman above, is in my opinion, the definitive Joker Pop. He just looks amazing. Nothing on his suit is just painted on. The pinstripes are all individually sculpted, as are the ruffles and buttons on the shirt, his flower, his knee patch, chain, shows, even his little coat tails, everything is sculpted on, which initially had me nervous, as that presents a lot of room for paint bleeding and such, but not on this guy, both ones that I saw were pristine. His head sculpt is really awesome. His hair looks really cool, it has some spiky areas throughout, and his face is so cool. His teeth are individually sculpted, and he has wrinkles and eyebrows sculpted on, so he has a really sinister look. Like Batman, his head swivels and that's it. He can be a bit tricky to get to stand up on his own but a little finesse and you can get it done. Easily the best Joker Pop so far, and probably my favorite Pop in my collection.
Harley Quinn:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $29.99
Harley Quinn. A character that I like, but never was overly invested in. Here's the thing, I have nothing against her as a character, but nothing really made me go "WOW, this character is awesome!". I will admit she makes a great Funko Pop!, especially her Arkham design. I hate to sound like a broken record but I really think their designs for the characters are amazing. Anyway, this Harley Pop! looks awesome. She is depicted in her nurse's outfit that she wears in the Arkham Asylum game. The detail they managed to capture on her is amazing, especially for her size. She has her corset, her name tag, her cane, everything. Even her thigh high boots and her arm sleeve things (no idea what they're called) are insanely detailed. The paint on her, like Joker, is surprisingly clean with all of the areas that need to be covered. She has mainly glossy red and purple paint on the legs, and the torso and arm is a mix of red, purple and white. What's amazing is that you can actually read her name tag which says "Arkham Asylum Warden" and has a tiny picture of the Warden Quincy Sharp on it. So. Freaking. Cool. Her cane is permanently attached to her hand and she even has her nurse's hat on. Her face paint is really well applied and I love that they stopped the white face paint at the ears. I was able to pick from two, and the place to really check is the face. The body was well done on both, but you'll want to watch the purple face mask. On one it was bleeding ever so slightly into the white face paint, and on mine, it's missing a tiny speck of purple which I didn't notice before doing this review.....damn.... Anyway, one thing to note is she is VERY top heavy with her pigtails, but luckily, Funko provided us with a clear display base which pegs into her left foot. You can get her to stand without it but it requires massive amounts of patience which I don't have and then you have to worry that if you bump into the shelf she is on she'll topple over and it just, it becomes this whole crazy thing. Also worth noting is that her head swivels. I am really glad they included Harley into this line because, well to be honest, unless I got the regular comic book Joker I probably wouldn't have bought a Harley Pop, but this was a set I really wanted to complete so of course I had to get her, and she turned out really well. In the end, I really like this Pop! more than I thought I would.
Poison Ivy:
Scale: 3"
Price: $10.99 - $15.99
I was honestly surprised to see Ivy in this set. I figured they would have gone with Scarecrow, or Bane, but I suppose I understand it. There hasn't been an Ivy Pop yet, and they did technically make a Bane. Anyway, this is a really cool Pop!, even though I have no personal affinity for Poison Ivy. Out of the whole set, this is the character I had the least interest in picking up, but as a Pop! It's pretty good. There is a lot of details in her hair, it's all sculpted as though it's flowing behind her and her face is really cool. There are sculpted vines coming up the side , all painted in a green-yellow extending to dark green leaves on the cheeks, a nice contrast to the lime green skin. The vines also continue onto the arms and legs. Her red shirt is sculpted on and painted really well with a clean blue streak along the ends of it. Just like the others, her head swivels. Her pose is also really cool. She's posed as though she is summoning vines, and like Harley, she is very top heavy, and comes with a clear base, so I'm sure customizers could have a field day with creating a vine covered base. The paint is really clean for the amount of small details that had to be painted on her, but as usual, if you can check her paint job first. She's a really nice Pop!, but if she wasn't part of this set I probably wouldn't have gone for her. Nothing against the Pop!, just not too into the character.
Killer Croc:
Scale: 4"
Price: $10.99 - $16.99
Here is the big boy of the set (in terms of size). I recently became a fan of Croc after reading his exploits in Batman Eternal, so I definitely wanted something Croc related, and this couldn't have come out at a better time. Not only is he a cool character, but an amazing Pop! First off, the detail alone is amazing. He stands the tallest of the five Pops in the set. So let's start from the head. The sides of the head are covered in scales with little ear holes, and the top of his head has big scales that go down and when they reach the back they become an alligator skin texture. The front of his face has some really well sculpted sharp teeth and some amazing facial structure details. Before we reach the torso, like in the game, his collar with a little chain hanging off of it, is on the neck which is where the swivel joint is. His torso is very detailed with a crocodile texture to him with a few dark green spikes protruding off his outer arms. On his wrists are leather cuffs with chains hanging from them. He also has his orange pants, with rope belt and metal chain clamps on his ankles, all leading up to his dark green toenails. He has lime green skin and the paint work applied over it is really well done. I saw three on the shelf and all three were painted really well. One thing I really like about this Pop! is that he has a really nice weight to him, he just feels very solid. As a Pop! this is really amazing, and easily one of the coolest looking Pops out there.
Final Thoughts:
This set is amazing. Each Pop! has unbelievable detail with well applied paint. The best thing about Pops, is that the only thing that can really be screwed up with them is paint, so it's easy to make sure you get a good one (provided the one you want can be found in stores). Out of the whole set, I'd say my favorite is The Joker simply because I love The Joker, but Batman is pretty damn close. The other three are all really great Pops as well, and if you get one, I honestly think you should get them all, because once you see all five on the shelf next to each other as a complete set, especially if you're a fan of the game, or the characters, the feeling you get is amazing.
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