Contest > Win a Funko Dark Knight Rises Batman from Superheroden.com!
Superheroden.com has kindly donated a Dark Knight Rises Funko POP! figure for a contest here on PGPoA. Make your other Funko POP! figures swear to him by filling in the blanks in our second “Bat-Libs” contest!
Here’s how to enter: I’ve written a small paragraph about Batman and Robin engaging in their usual heroic derring-do. (To avoid any accusations of having tailored the paragraph to a particular entry, I’m sending it to the Power Pals ahead of time.)
This paragraph has a few blanks – blanks YOU must fill. In the comments below, provide the following:
- An adjective
- A plural animal/person noun (cows, punks, etc.)
- A transitive verb (i.e., a verb in which you do something to something else – push, kiss, kill, etc.)
- A person’s name
Entries are due by 11:59pm Monday, December 17. The winning entry will be selected by me and will be announced by the end of next week. Good luck, and be sure to visit Superhero Den for more great Batman and superhero merchandise!
Rules:
- Winner must have a U.S. shipping address for the prize to be mailed to.
- PGPoA Power Pals and Poe’s friends and family not eligible.
Pic of the Day > Christmas With the Joker by MCcustoms
Review > Arkham Asylum Batman (Play Arts KAI, Square Enix)
The Arkham series of videogames is my favorite take on Batman since The Animated Series. Yes, I even like it more than the Nolan films, which are great but are bit too grounded in the real world to really feel entirely like Batman to me. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City straddle the line between the grim and gritty realism of The Dark Knight Returns and the Dark Knight Trilogy while still giving us all the “unrealistic” villains like Mr. Freeze, Clayface and even Solomon Grundy.
Both Mattel and DC Collectibles has tried their hand at Arkham-based action figures. Mattel inexplicably allowed someone other than the Four Horsemen to sculpt Batman and several of the other figures, made them all out of scale with DCUC and half of them out of scale with each other, and gave them middling-to-bad articulation. DC Collectibles’ offerings have great sculpting but minimal articulation (although the upcoming Series 4 does appear to finally have ball-and-hinge hips).
So – where can one turn to for fully-articulated action figures based on the Arkham games? For now, the answer is Japan-based company Square Enix and their Play Arts KAI line. (more…)
Happy Great Unrest Weapons Pak Day!
Link to the all-in-one order page
For the first time since the Wind Raider, I think, I’m actually going to be attempting to order something off Mattycollector. I’ve been remiss about posting these “Happy…” Mattycollector posts since the subscription became standard and there have been few things people actually had to order, but the Great Unrest pack is probably going to be popular enough to merit it.
Here’s a review of the Weapons Pak at Fwoosh.
Sightings > Play Arts Kai Has Dark Knights that Rise, Return
When did the toy world get to busy that I’m completely out of the loop half the time? Anyway, Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai line, which up to know has generally featured videogame-based characters, is expanding into movies and comics, evidently – specifically, The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight Returns.
Oddly enough, the live-action-based Rises figure looks pretty good, but I’m not so sure the PAK aesthetic works for the Dark Knight Returns. And while the pinhead made sense for the Arkham videogame figures, since Bats does have a pinhead in those games, it looks wrong on the DKR figure.
Thanks to Toyark via Battlegrip for the tip.
Movie Review > The Dark Knight Rises
Note: The movie’s been out for nearly a month now, so I’m not going to bother worrying about spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t click on the jump. You’ve been warned. –PG
Odds ‘n Ends > Poe Subscribes & Why, Digital River Mini-Rant, & More
Megacon 2012 by ArmoredFoe, on Flickr
- I finally subscribed to 2013 Club Eternia, for two primary reasons. The first is I found out that those vehicle-themed chestplates on the Fighting Foe Men can be removed – I wasn’t aware of this fact, and I really disliked those. I just thought they were too cheesy. Without them, the figures look much better. The second reason is that I’ve found my MOTUC reviews are one of the main sources of traffic I get here on PGPoA; and especially since so many of you may not be subscribing this year, I’ll be providing more of an actual service by reviewing them so you can decide whether they’re worth tracking down on the secondary market.
- Speaking of Club Eternia, NoisyDvL5 over at IAT has written an editorial on the topic. It’s the kind of editorial I might have written four years ago before I got so old and jaded and lazy.
- Speaking of lazy, it never even occurred to me to get an interview with the creator of Castle Grayskullman like Pixel Dan did. I do have some other interviews coming, though.
- I’ve been wondering whether S.H.MonsterArts would continue past King Ghidorah. The answer appears to be yes; Godzilla Jr. and Burning Godzilla (both from Godzilla vs. Destroyah) are coming. The Burning Godzilla appears to be a new mold, or at least have some newly-molded parts.
- I will be reviewing The Dark Knight Rises eventually. Hopefully this week, if I can carve out the time.
- Because I forgot to change my address on my specific Club Infinite Earths order that I made last year, my CIE order for this month was sent back undelivered. This despite the fact that I did change my address on the main Mattycollector site – which, as we all know, does not change your address for existing orders, only future orders. To change the address for existing orders, a feature found on almost every modern retail website, is apparently far beyond the capabilities of Digital River. How I loathe that company. Why, why would you go with a company best known for delivering digital product fulfillment rather than physical? I’m guessing the answer is contained in two words: lowest bidder. You get what you pay for. Anyway, theoretically I’ll be refunded for my two CIE items and I don’t plan on fighting to get them back. I’d rather have the money.
- Notable reviews: Fox Sports Baseball Robot (Dayraven), Spikor (Michael Crawford), 3.75″ Brock Samson (Michael Crawford), Funko Exclusive Batman Vinyl Invader (Battlegrip), Fall of Cybertron Jazz (OAFE)
Poe’s Point > What’s Mattycollector’s New Subscription?
As we wait for SDCC to begin in earnest tonight, let us indulge in one final orgy of speculation regarding the “new” subscription Mattycollector will be offering. (more…)
Odds ‘n Ends > New 3.75″ DC Figures, Possible New DC 6″ Mattel Lines, TMNT, Arkham City
- It’s been a light week around here, primarily because DMG and I have been preoccupied with moving into our new house. Don’t worry, the toys were well taken care of during the move. Now maybe I can finally start opening and reviewing some of the MOC/MIB toys I’ve got laying around.
- DC Collectibles is doing a 3 ¾” DC superheroes action figure line!…that will only be sold at conventions. No doubt this is due in some way to DC’s licensing deal with Mattel. This despite the fact Mattel obviously has no interest in doing this scale right (or at all). I am thankful I do not collect 3 ¾”, because if I did, “apeshit” would only begin to describe my reaction. The best analogue for me would be Hasbro announcing a Marvel Legends-style 6″ Star Wars line that was only available at conventions.
- Speaking of DC action figures, IAT has a report on some EntertainmentEarth solicitations for “Batman Unlimited” and “DC Unlimited” 6″-scale toy lines. Could this be the future of DCUC? Maybe…? I’ll believe it when it’s announced at SDCC.
- While I’ll be getting the retro TMNT figures, I haven’t had much interest in the ones based on the new cartoon. That said, this SDCC exclusive Leonardo is beautiful and I want it.
- You knew it was coming – Square Enix is making Play Arts Kai Arkham City figures, starting with Batman and Catwoman. I really need to review the Arkham Asylum Batman one of these days…
- The already-somewhat-controversial documentary Toy Masters – about the development of the vintage Masters of the Universe line – will have a panel at SDCC, including some exclusive footage. The documentary attempts to answer the question of “Who created He-Man?” The panel will include former Mattel artist Mark Taylor but not, notably, former Mattel designer Roger Sweet, who in his tell-all Mastering the Universe (my review here) claimed sole responsibility for creating He-Man. Word is Sweet is already unhappy with the whole thing, or at least is “declining to participate further.” For the record, I’m on Team We-May-Never-Know-The-Truth.
- Shadowland Magazine has a special Masters of the Universe-themed issue, available right now from their website. Articles include an interview with minicomic writer Donald F. Glut, a retrospective on the controversial 1987 Masters of the Universe film starring Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella, and an in-depth overview of MOTUC.
