The Animated X-Men Ranks Grow….

Just a quick update tonight to show some additions to the Wolverine and the X-Men collection: Cyclops, Magneto and Iceman.

AFB has international visitors at the moment (thus the bit of silence) and one of them had a camera that required fixing. Well, darn, the camera shop was right next door to the “other” comic shop across town so I had to have a gander, and found the missing figures of the first wave that I wanted (I’m passing on Avalanche and Toad).

These figures are very stylistic and I imagine ones that people either will love or hate. They’re very true to the animation and fun to have around, although they’ve been relegated to my bookshelves at work as I don’t have room for them at home.

Cyclops and Magneto are both great representations of the cartoon versions. Cyclops’ trench is particularly well done. Cyclops has a optic beam that can be inserted into his visor and Magneto has a long chain link that inserts into his palm. I like these because unlike some of the Marvel Universe figures the attachment can be used and posed without knocking the figures over.

Iceman is a great figure, firstly because he really captures the look of the  cartoon version, and secondly because he’s sculpted in a running (or sliding) position with an ice skateboard with foot pegs that actually work.

Again, these figures aren’t for everyone and definitely geared towards the kid market (although the cartoon is really on  the darkish side for the retail toy set) but they’re fun to have around. I do really hope that we get at least the key female characters (Kitty, Rogue, Emma and Storm) to balance out the group, although I don’t hold out alot of hope.

It sucks to be a girl superhero sometimes, eh?

You can check out more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post for one of your last chances to win the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Marvel Universe – Enter the Ladies!

Well…… lady, but in two forms. I’ve finally added the two Ms Marvels to my Marvel Universe collection. These are much anticipated for me for two reasons, firstly because I love the character and secondly because it’s the first female character in the line and obviously important to see in terms of how the female buck for this line is going to turn out.

Overall, the result is outstanding. The detail on these figures really do leave DC Infinite Heroes for dead, and these two figures are a perfect example. The articulation is amazing for this scale, and the level of detail in terms of hair, uniform pieces, is amazing.

Classic Ms Marvel shines in her headsculpt and torso which really captures Carol in her classic mode. Unfortunately, mine has a bent right leg, in fact wonky legs in general – not sure if this is a packaging issue or not, however it doesn’t effect her stand-up-ability, just her look. I haven’t had a really good fiddle with them as I’ve just taken them out of the pack, so I may be able to make her look a bit better than she does at the moment.

Modern Age Ms Marvel is a real standout. For starters, her legs are non-wonky, which is a plus. The sculpt of her hair and sash is great for this scale. The paint apps on this figure are a little fuzzy at the edge of the boots and the yellow insignia on her chest, but she cuts a fine figure and looks excellent (and in scale) next to her male compatriots.

One plus for these figures is the “blast thing” accessories, which fit on her hands very easily compared to the wobbly power blast versions that came with Human Torch and Iron Fist in the first wave. These are fitted to the sculpt and stick on quite tightly. Good to see some improvements in design and quality from wave to wave, and as always with this line, good to

My main concern with this line is the number of repeat characters that seem to be coming out already – several versions of Iron Man, Spiderman, Wolvie, etc. Thankfully I seem to be able to pick and choose, but if these start coming out in too many two or three packs where you already own one or two of the figures, then it’s not value for money. Also a concern is some dreaded retailer exclusives coming up and of course the ridiculous Nick Fury scam (don’t get me started on that one!). If the character selection that’s coming out of DCIH could be combined with the articulation and quality of this line, it would be killer!

I remain drawn in to the line by the fun. the quality, the collectability and the great picture they make together as a group, plus the prospect of the wide character selection that could emerge here. Hasbro certainly seems more committed to this line than the 6”, so I do look forward to what the future holds. but with caution…..

But in the meantime, I’ve got my Ms Marvels!!!!

You can see more Marvel Universe pics at Facebook, discuss this in the Marvel Universe thread at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget and you can have a chance to win the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post!

Until next time!

Some hope for Marvel Legends?

After a long dry spell, could there possibly still be life in the 6” Marvel Legends line?

Action Figure Pics (which is a great site you should check out) has some preview shots from Wizard World Philly of new 6” figures – Warpath (in a fuzzy pic but looking very Modern Age), Lady Bullseye (yawn, but a new character, so credit for that) and Madrox the Flipping Multiple Man! I’d feared that if we did get Jamie he’d be in his silly classic uniform, but this is the modern age trench coat version, and this figure, assuming it really gets made (this is Hasbro, so I’m not going to put my hopes up there) is one that I will be buying multiples (ha) of because I love the look of the character and the figure.

The other news that AFP’s insider had included:

• no retailer exclusives next year (HOORAY!)
• no BAFs next year
• they have alot to show at SDCC

Check out AFP’s page for the rest of the news, but for Marvel Legends fans this is a glimmer of hope, and we sure needed one!

You can chat about this in the discussion thread at the AFB Forum !

JLU Legion – 3/4 Worth the Wait

The old saying of the watched pot never boils is most certainly the case in terms of my JLU Legion of Superheroes figures. My previous orders from mattycollector.com have all arrived in a flash, so it’s only natural that one of my most anticipated purchases in a long time got on the slooow boat.

Being the Legion fan-atic that I am, I did something I haven’t done in a long time, which is buy two of these to keep one in the box. I also wanted to support the line as it’s been made clear that this first set needs to sell well if we want to see any more Legionnaires in the JLU.

These figures are, as the header reads,  3/4 worth the long wait. In a nutshell, the guys are fantastic and Saturn Girl is a little bit craptastic. More on her later.

I’ve read a bit of negative comment about a “less interesting” character like Brainiac 5 being included in the line, but he did have the main Legion role in the “Far From Home” episode, and he is captured perfectly here in the way he appeared in that episode. It’s just a shame that the teeny tiny JLU Supergirl doesn’t really go with him scale wise.

The three Legion founders are obvious choices for the rest of the wave, and Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy are both extremely well done. Whether or not JLU figures will stand on their own is always a precarious  proposition, but these two gents are firmly planted and easily balanced. Brainy does have a slight tilt to him. Must be all those extra brains, or it could be the frequently experienced JLU bendy-leg syndrome. Paint applications on all three gents are perfect.

JLU females are always a gamble, and Saturn Girl hasn’t fared well I’m a-feared. For starters, the one I unpacked has a black mark on the back of her head from the packaging, and then she has a face that looks like something heavy fell on it, but that’s not packaging, that’s design or manufacturing. I’m not a fan of the female JLU splayed-leg base that can’t stand up on its own, but at least Mattel wised up and provides a base with them now. Still, Imra is sadly the dud of the wave.

Still, it’s exciting to hold any piece of the Legion world in plastic, and I really do hope these sell well enough to see some more Legionnaires somewhere down the line – they are still available at mattycollector.com so you could help out the cause by buying your set today!

You can see more pictures at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget you can also enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest  by commenting on this post!

Until next time!

In the blink of an eye…….

….they were gone. I was watching the DCUC Alexander Luthor and Uglyman, sorry Ultraman 2-pack to  order mine, not particularly worried about missing out since reaction to the Uglyman sculpt has been so lukewarm. I checked the mattycollector.com website before I went to work and they were yet to go on sale, and about an hour later when I had time to check at work, they were listed as unavailable and people were complaining on Facebook about how quickly they (and Hordak) had sold out.

Now, if this is a sign that DCUC is doing well and ensures we’re going to see more 2-packs online, great, and apparently there’s another lot coming so a second chance is on the horizon, but I think it’s time to take issue with the 10 per customer limit on these items. Clearly this is opening the product up for scalpers - go on eBay and see how much Hordak is going to cost you now, and check for various spellings of “Luthor” to find the two-pack as well – the guy currently has five available at a 50% profit margin. Ugh.

Wake up and smell the java Mattel – the limit of 10 is too high – make it something reasonable like three so that more of us average collectors have a chance of actually getting the product. You’re already making one out of every five waves of the DCUC line almost unattainable for most of us by surrendering them to Wally World, don’t make it worse by surrendering your online product to scalpers as well.

That’s AFB’s rant for the week!

Until next time!

JSA Series One: Could’a Been, Should’a Been……

After the debacle of DC Direct’s first attempt at a Justice Society of America line (mini Atoms anyone?), I took the attitude that if we needed an Alex Ross-inspired series to get the JSA back on the shelves, then it had to be. The main things that many of us were worried about we saw the advanced shots of these were the face sculpts of the older gents (wrinkle city) and the scale looked huge, perhaps even bigger than the Justice series.

To get those two things out of the the way, yep, Flash and Green Lantern are wrinkly. I’ve read various statements about how overstated this is, and my reaction is somewhere in the middle. They’re represented older than I’d personally like to see, but they aren’t horribly wizened as I’ve read in a few places. Alan’s cheeks look a bit sunken, or perhaps it’s his almost buzz-cut style hair that makes his face look a bit thin, but that bugs me more than the wrinkles. Jay’s eyes are a bit bugged or his eyebrows are over painted, either way they stand out a bit more than I’d like.

As for the scale, they are Justice-sized. Have to give credit that at least DCD didn’t create a third scale, which is what we feared, and if you want to create a DCD Ross-verse these stand quite nicely with the Justice figures. If there’s anything commendable about these sculpts, it’s that they’re not as bulky as the Justice figures were. Jay and Alan have bodies that are more realistic for their age, not overly muscled, and Starman and Sandman are more normal body types than some of the stocky Justice figures.

Starman is made of what looks like a translucent material with glitter stirred through it to make the star effect, and it works nicely, better than what they would have looked like had they been painted on I think. To make this figure and not make a bearded Thom Kallor extra head would have been a crime, and thankfully this is included, and has to be one of easily swappable extra heads DCD has done, so thumbs up for that. He looks great in both versions.

Sandman has turned about much better than I feared. As I said, while these share the Justice scale they don’t have the same bulk and so Sandy actually works out quite well. It’s a great sculpt, and his trench coat is especially well done. He comes with an extra left hand – one regular, one which shoots Sandman gas (I don’t know what it’s called…). Only complaint: a removable mask / extra head would have been great here. Being a mad Legion fan Starman is the pick of the bunch from a character selection perspective, but from a figure and sculpt perspective Sandman is definitely the highlight.

When I pop these on my MA JSA shelf, it’s Jay that really stands out as being too tall, but of course this is a mishmash of old and new DCD figures, customs and a few DCUC (I had to replace that terrible DCD Mr Terrific with the wonderful DCUC version) so they’re all over the place anyway. Starman and Sandman work for me, but Jay and Alan are a shame – 1/2 an inch shorter and better face sculpts and these really could be winners. Instead, JSA fans have to hope that DCD will commit to this line long enough to get at least the core roster, if not the whole team. I’m not a scale-ist, but those that are won’t find these a match with anything JSA they’ve had before, and therein lies DCD’s ongoing arrogance, expecting fans to start new lines, new scales, new styles that last only for a short while, instead of building one consistent universe – thus the appeal of DCUC.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this blog entry to be in the running for the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

A Wonder Indeed: Cover Girls of the DCU Statue Series Begins

I can honestly blame my Eight Year Old for this one. Had to keen her home from school today and so she had to join me on the weekly trip to the LCS, and she spotted this.

I’ve pre-ordered the Black Canary and Zatanna editions of the Cover Girls of the DCU Statue Series, but missed Wonder Woman and decided to wait and see on her, and honestly had no idea that Diana was coming out today. I would have been perfectly happy walking out with my comics and JSA Series 1 (well, not perfectly happy with the JSA figures, but that’s next review…), but with an Eight Year Old girl who loves Wonder Woman holding a box with pleading eyes and saying “We can’t leave without this, Daddy….”, what was I supposed to do?

This is indeed a beautiful piece, and I’m glad I picked it up because it reassured me that my orders for Black Canary and Zatanna are well justified – this line is going to be worth it and well done.

The Adam Hughes-inspired pose is indeed dramatic and well captured – the lasso is made out of firm wire and the statue is very solidly balanced. The sculpting and paint job is excellent. The only criticism I’d make of the piece is the slightly blank expression on Diana’s face.

So, hooked again on another line, although I wonder how many characters DCD will stretch this out to at this higher price point. Personally, I could see Hawkgirl, Vixen and Power Girl and then I’m not sure where the line will go, but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

You can see an expanded set of figures at Facebook, (including comparison to the 1:6 line – these are about 10 inches) discuss this at the AFB Forum and comment on this post to enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

The Marvel Universe Expands

After having enjoyed Wave One of Marvel Universe, Hasbro’s 3 3/4” line, I’ve been keen to add to the gang. I’ve scored a few Wolverine Origins figures, but Wave Two has taken a while to come my way.

Between Mike of Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff and eBay I’ve managed to piece the gang together – my Ms Marvels are still on the way, but here is everyone else.

As well as the missing Ms Marvels (come on, Australia Post!!) Wave Two includes Thing, Classic Iron Man, Hobgoblin, Union Jack, Hand Ninja, Moon Knight, Black Spiderman and what appears to be a Punisher re-issue. I left the first Punisher on the shelves because he looked like doggy doo-doo. Not sure if this is a different figure but he looks a great deal better this time around. From the looks of the card backs this wave includes Red Hulk as well but I haven’t found him anywhere yet.

While the Marvel Universe isn’t building as quickly as Mattel’s Infinite Heroes, these are some nice additions. Moon Knight is my standout favourite – his full length cape his dramatic and his accessories – a staff and a moon disc thingy are excellent. Union Jack is also a star – not sure why he’s gotten love in the 6” and 3 and 3/4” lines but he’s a face character of mine so I’m glad to see him here, and impressed that his holstered pistols are both removable and usable.

Black Spiderman and Classic Iron Man are obvious choices for the line and each has been done well here. Black Spidey has some blue-ish wash to him but works well. Classic Shellhead is actually a sensational figure and reminds me how much more I like the classic armour than all the new-fangled stuff. These both come with power blast or web-slinging accessories that don’t really work for me because I can’t get the things to balance and stay up – also they take up too much room in what is going to become a crowded display, so they go in storage. The Hand Ninja is also well done and comes with a good range of accessories – more than he can hold in fact.

There is clearly a great deal of recycling happening in the line already, with three Hulks, The Thing using the same buck, and the Hobgoblin recycling the Green Goblin base. This sort of thing is to be expected in a new line, but I am looking forward to a greater diversity in the line sooner rather than later. The female characters have been slow to arrive and I’m looking forward to this balance being sorted soon as well.

It’s hard not to view these as being in competition with Infinite Heroes, when in fact the fact that we can get both universes at the same scale is a motivator for me. If you are comparing, I’d have to say that IH are way head in terms of character selection, while MU are killing in in terms of articulation and accessories – really, Mattel, would it kill

You can see a wider range of photos at Facebook, discuss this in the Marvel Universe thread at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget that by entering on this thread you can enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest !

Until next time!

The Mini-est of Mini-busts!

While waiting for some new things to arrive, I’m going to throw in some of my less recent acquisitions, mainly my Bowen Mini-Busts that I never seem to get around to showing when they arrive. I really wished I’d jumped in on this line earlier as there are so many that I don’t own which are really out of reach now.

Today’s little (and I do mean little) addition in the Modern Age (and sadly recently departed) Wasp Mini-Bust. Or should I day Mini-Mini…..

She’s small but she’s quite a nice piece. There’s a bit of self-assembly required here as the wings come separately. Typical me, I had a hard time working out how to insert them, and in fact I nearly broke one trying to jam it on before I figured it out. Instructions wouldn’t kill anyone, guys – the ones with pictures work best for me.

Here she is with some other pieces for you to get an idea of scale. She’s a fine piece, but I am glad I got her for a good price because of her size. I didn’t buy her when she first came out, but when she passed on in STUPID INVASION I thought she belonged in the collection.

By the way, did you see Janet in the last issue of INCREDIBLE HERCULES? She had a very funny cameo – hopefully a sign that we won’t have to wait to long for her inevitable return.

You can view pictures of more Bowen Marvel Busts at Facebook, discuss this in the Marvel Statues thread at the AFB Forum, and enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

Until next time!

An Infinitely Good Find!

It’s the long weekend, and AFB is being a good husband by sending Mrs AFB away for some R&R and looking after the kids. I happen to like my kids, so there are worse ways so spend a weekend.

One of the jobs Mrs AFB left me with was buying presents for upcoming birthday parties, which means time in the toy aisles, but the pink ones (“No, darling, Mummy doesn’t like Bratz or Barbie. Choose something else.”). Naturally, I’m not going to put myself under that kind of sufferance without going to the boys toys aisles for a bit of comfort.

Ben 10, Ben 10, Ben 10, Go Go Crazybones (a plague on the house of whoever invented that craze….), Transformers, Ben 10…. my local Toys R Us has condensed the superhero aisle into half an  aisle to make room for all this other goofiness, so there’s not even much to trawl through anymore. I notice they have some Infinite Heroes, which isn’t new, because our TRU has had the Black Lightning / Dr Fate / Spectre wave for awhile, but then I notice there is a whole swag of new figures there, and the little fanboy in me gets VERY excited!

In all, I scored, Jay Garrick Flash, The Qwardian Weaponer, Alex Luthor, Wildcat. Question, Manhunter, Scarecrow and “Superman Prime”. This was quite an unexpected haul, and as excited as I was TRU nearly didn’t get my dollars due to one of the most unhelpful salespeople I have ever encountered (way too busy blowing up balloons to be of any actual assistance, etc.), but I persevered.

So here they are as a group with Supes and Bats, and also here’s a glimpse of the collection to date.

After eBaying the first few figures from Wave 1, I knew I could get addicted to this line but decided not to pursue it, because of the costs, exchange rate at the time, the doubt they’d ever reach Oz and also seeing that Marvel Universe was clearly going to overtake these in terms of detail and articulation. Then I found a few at retail here and couldn’t resist buying them, which got me on (off perhaps) the wagon again, and I ordered a whole swag from Mike of Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff. The ones I found this weekend fill a number of the holes of what Mike was out of stock of, so I am on the verge of being up to date with the collection so far. (I know I am missing Nightwing, Lex Luthor, Mary Marvel and a few others).

Articulation and detail wise, these aren’t Marvel Universe, but the character selection and the rate they’re being pumped out means you can amass a pretty impressive collection quickly which is fun. Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Zatanna are glaring holes in the line-up, but hopefully this speaks to the depth of the line. We’re covering lots of bases in terms of JLA, JSA, Titans and the Batman, Superman and Flash villains. Some Legion would be great in this line, hint hint! I’ve yet to see any real signs of the “new articulation” that Mattel have spoken about, however when I look at them next to the Marvel Universe figures I have to say they are easier to pose and take up less space on the display shelf, so I guess there are pluses and minuses. The one thing Mattel needs to work on is the balance for the caped characters, as Superman and Batman have to be posed in rather awkward (shall we say compromising?) positions to stand unassisted. Still, these are much easier to pose that JLU, as the only two figures in my entire display that won’t stand on their own are Starfire and Raven. Wildcat is a bit wobbly for some reason, but it’s the MA version, so hey, the guy’s like 100, right? Gotta cut some slack there.

So, mark Infinite Heroes down to another line I swore off and am now collecting. Why we’re getting these here at retail in Oz and not DCUC is a bit beyond me, but if they keep showing up then I guess I’m along for the ride!

There are more pictures at Facebook, you can discuss this post in the Infinite Heroes thread at the AFB Forum and don’t forget that by commenting on this post you’ll be entering the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Make way for the Lady!

Check out the new Phantom Lady mini-bust from the DC Direct Women of the DC Universe line! I was pushing the clock to get the LCS this afternoon to get mine in time, and after spending some time checking her out (in a purely professional sense of course), I am really glad I made the effort.

You can only get so many puns out of the whole “bust” thing, but you’ve gotta say that PL is certainly “busting” out of this sculpt! She’s posed over a fun rocket / missile base, and her yellow straps are about as thin as I’ve ever seen them depicted. Definitely not a Mrs AFB approved purchase!

But hey, I’ve gotta give up bemoaning some of the poses in this line, because I actually own all of the Dodson mini-busts, and I’m excited about what's to come. This line seems to break the DCD rules in terms of depth of character selection – getting statues of Phantom Lady and Mera is a huge bonus. I’m pleased that we have Vixen coming up in this line too.

The overall sculpt of this bust is excellent. The plastic goggles are well fitted, the base is nicely detailed and the flow of her cape makes a nice dramatic profile. I’d say she’s one of if not the biggest bust in the Dodson line due to the cape, etc. The more I look at her the more she’s growing on me. Now I just need to find an inconspicuous place for her in the collection so she’s not too easy for Mrs AFB to spot (issues with how women are portrayed in comics etc etc – see the 1:6 Scale Power Girl Drama…)

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, see more pics at Facebook and don’t forget you can enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post!

You can also tell me what statue lines you are collecting or planning to collect by voting in our current statue poll (to the right).

Until next time!

A nice pair of busts!

Sorry, but that pun was too hard to resist….

I’m a huge Bowen fan and have amassed a reasonable number of their mini-busts (with many on my wishlist), but I haven’t really been engaged by what has been on offer in the last few months – Bi-Beast, Executioner and Batroc are characters I’d love to see in 6” but don’t have the money for mini-busts for that kind of character, and there are still a wealth of higher-list characters begging to be made in this line - my personal top 10 includes Mockingbird and Captain Marvel II / Pulsar / Monica Rambeau.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Bowen website and Previews for some happier signs, and so it was with great joy that I checked a couple of days ago and saw not one but two very promising products coming up: Hyperion and Cable mini-busts, both coming up in September.

AFB is HUGE fan of classic Squadron Supreme, and that Hyperion is going to look grand next to my classic Nighthawk and may even tempt me to by the Modern SS Mini Nighthawk Mini-Bust that’s been hanging around my LCS……. must resist…. must resist……

Cable is far out of my Top Ten, but that is one sweet statue. Budget may win out with both of these coming out in the same month, but just the fact that I’m contemplating forking out the dosh on a statue of a character I’m not super fond of means something.

Great to see Bowen heading in some likeable directions with their mini-bust line, and I hope there’s more to come!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget you can enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post!

We lost Minimates for these???

Having missed the boat on getting anywhere near a full collection of the ongoing and successful Marvel Minimates series, I was extremely excited when DC Direct came out with their own version, and like many other people extremely disappointed when in its own inimitable fashion DCD pulled the plug on the line without getting anywhere near completing the DCU.

But hey, you know, that’s how the cookie crumbles, right? You win some, you lose some you move on. And I did, until DCD announced this monstrosity….

What the freaking frack is a Blammoid?? What have they done to my Aquaman? Where the freaking frack is his FACE??

Yes, ladies and germs, this is the future of DCD mini-figures. Bizarro toys that look like absolute, total, utter crap. Blammoids was obviously chosen as a name because it’s reminiscent of the sound your puke is going to make when it hits the toilet after seeing these things. That’s all I can think of, folks.

But hey, we don’t just have Haemorrhoids – I mean Blammoids – to look forward to – we have Cosbabys and Uniformz coming up as well. Fabulous! More series of smaller figures that we will only get a handful of before DCD tells us there wasn’t enough “support to continue the line”. Uniformz are obviously trying to capture some of the Mighty Muggs market, and Cosbabys…… well I have no idea on that one guys.

Now, while it may cause me physical harm, your intrepid reviewer is going to be picking up some of each of the first  series of these just to give you an idea of what they’re like, but I can guarantee you that while some of the Uniformz may catch my eye (hurry up with the Aquaman please!) I will not be collecting Cosbabys or Pukeoids on a regular basis because A) They look like utter crap and B) does DCD honestly think people are going to continue to get sucked in to lines that we know damn well they won’t stick with? What a sucky kick in to the face to all the poor mugs like me with “complete” DC Minimates collections. Piffle to you, DCD. 

If you’d like to rip DCD a new one over this latest act of toy and marketing stupidity, you can join in here at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget that you can enter the AFB Comment of the Month Contest for June by commenting on this post.

Blammoids! Argh!!!!

I blame Jim Aparo…..

…..for making me buy an item from a line I said I’d never touch.

I’ve said on record a couple of times I don’t really “get” the Batman Black & White statue line. I’m a colour person I guess, and while I respect his place in comicdom, Bats isn’t in my personal top 10 favourite characters.

I do, however, have a soft spot for Jim Aparo (courtesy of Batman and the Outsiders amongst other things…) and so when I made my recent trip to Brisbane and saw the DC Direct Batman B&W Aparo Statue on serious sale I couldn’t resist. Actually, I did resist the first time, but after having spent the day being taunted by texts from AFB Forum member Toy Guy (with whom I’d visited the shop the first time), I had to go back for it, and he was right, because I would have kicked myself for passing it up at that price.

This is simply a beautiful piece of work. The dramatic lines in the flow of the cape, the stance, the truly Aparo lines and expression all make me extremely glad he’s mine. My only criticism is that Bats is hunched  over just a little too much, so his face is hard to see at some angles. It’s a small quibble though. This piece is amazing.

So the up and up is that while I can’t think of another Bats version I’d buy in this line (I’m sure some exception will come along….), I’m extremely glad to own this one. Guess I’d better lay off Toy Guy for hassling me after all!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget that you can also enter the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post!

Until next time!