Category Archives: dc

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Talon (2022)

“He doesn’t have a name. Men have names, and he isn’t a man.”

The sinister assassin that does the dirty work for the Court of Owls in Gotham City comes to life in McFarlane Toys’ DC Multiverse Talon. Talon is one of my favorite recent Batman villains and I am glad to finally have a seven inch version of the character in my collection. I also have one of the Spin Master four inch figures but this bad boy from McFarlane is definitely an upgrade. The figure is based upon the New 52 William Cobb version of the character. Let’s hope that more versions, especially Calvin Rose, see the light of day.

The figure comes with a stand, two daggers, two swords, a sheath for the swords, and a collector card. The stand and card are standards of all figures in this line. The daggers look great and fit nicely in Talon’s hands, but there’s no place to store them on the figure, so they will perpetually be held by Cobb until I find a place to store them. Thankfully the sheath that attaches to Talon’s back holds both swords quite well. The sheath has two slits in it that allow you to slide the swords in place. The sheath does have a tendency to pop off of Cobb’s back, so once you get it in place, lock the figure down in a pose and he should display quite nicely.

Posing the figure is a bit awkward at times. His articulation is surprisingly limited in the arms and with the sheath on his back (at least in my case) he tends to be a bit top heavy. His mask also greatly limits his head movement. He looks great, however. There’s a ton of attention given to his gloves, knife bandolier, claw, throwing darts, and his amazing mask. The mask, as fans already know, has a bit of a Steampunk motif going on with it. The “owl horns” are soft plastic and move with just the slightest touch. The rest of the figure is built solid.

Talon is a beautiful figure and I love the details in him. Despite somewhat stiff joints, this is a great addition to my collection. I’m sure that any fan of Talon would be pleased with this figure.

Thanks for reading my post. See you again soon!

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Aquaman (Endless Winter) & Gold Label Ocean Master

“What are you going to do about it, Aquaman? Call some fish?”

Some brothers just can’t get along. In the case of Aquaman and Ocean Master, they literally go to war with one another. I believe that McFarlane Toys had the brotherly love of Arthur and Orm in mind when they released the Target Exclusive Gold Label Ocean Master (New 52) and the Endless Winter Aquaman. Ocean Master deserved to have his own exclusive figure and Aquaman, despite being a part of the Endless Winter line that includes pieces for a Frost King Build-A-Figure, was the lone figure that did not have any BAF pieces. It’s no matter, though, as this is definitely one of the best Aquaman figures that McFarlane has released to date and the Ocean Master figure is a work of art.

As is often the case with McFarlane Toys, the accessories with these figures is pretty limited. Each come with a standard DC figure base and a collector card. The also each come with their trademark trident staffs. Both figures also feature some great paint apps and bright colors. Aquaman’s orange and green suit looks great and his traditional golden locks look amazing as well. I’m also a huge fan of Orm’s look as well. His purple and black suit looks just like the one featured in the New 52 DC Comics run and the regal/imperial purple interior of his cape is just as wonderful as the interior on the recent DC Rebirth Batman figure by McFarlane Toys.

This deep sea duo of figures feature very good articulation. Aquaman in particular is relatively unhindered in his movements with the exception of his head. His hair gets in the way and limits his nautical noggin’s range of motion. Ocean Master’s cloak pretty much stays out of the way, but his hip armor does slightly limit the articulation in his hips.

Both figures look amazing. Of special note are the facial features on Ocean Master. His gritted teeth look awesome. The folds in his cape also look great. Despite the fishy friction between these two, both of them sport great looking scaled armor. Also, watch out for the fins on Aquaman’s calves and forearms. They are very sharp! Aquaman does have a slight side-eyed glance for some reason, but I must admit that it comes in handy when posing these two figures together.

Notice in the pictures above how both tridents seem to have slight bends in them. The tridents are rather flexible, so make sure that you keep them straight in poses while displaying your figures. My only other complaint about these two figures is that Ocean Master can be a bit of a pain to keep upright. I had to fight with the figure quite a bit to finally get him to stand without assistance. In fact, I’ve had to put him into more of a squatted attack position to keep him from falling over. I’m pretty sure that this is due to the weight of his cape.

Overall, these oceanic opponents look great and are definitely worth purchasing. To the best of my knowledge, the only other McFarlane Aquaman is the one from the Snyder Cut Justice League film. That figure is taller, bulkier, and much blander looking. His legs are also very stiff. The Endless Winter version of the figure looks more like the traditional Aquaman from the comics, has much better articulation, and the colors are better in my opinion.

Well, there you have it. Thanks for reading my review of these two awesome figures. Aquaman and Ocean Master look great on my shelf. I hope that you get both of these figures for your own collection!

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Fisher-Price DC League Of Super-Pets Figure Packs

“Look! Up in the sky!“

The promotional push for Warner Bros. and DC’s upcoming League Of Super-Pets film is well underway. The film’s trailer has been out for quite awhile and toys have been showing up in Happy Meals at McDonald’s and on store shelves. I am fortunate enough to have acquired two of the Fisher-Price figure packs to review. I received the League Of Super-Pets Figure Multi-Pack and the Batman & Ace Figure Pack.

Both sets are pretty cool. They are obviously targeted at younger children, so I’m not going to be too harsh with my review. I’m simply going to give a general overview of both sets and mention a few things that parents, younger children, and collectors might find informative.

The multi-pack set features six figures and a block of red kryptonite. The included figures are Krypto (Superman’s dog), Ace (Batman’s dog, not to be confused with Titus), PB (Wonder Woman’s wonder pig), Chip the Squirrel (based off of Ch’p, a member of the Green Lantern Corps), and two guinea pigs which, at least to my knowledge, are new characters. One is Pigasus, the flying guinea pig and the other one is Lulu, the villainous guinea pig.

The figures look great. Only Ace and Krypto feature articulation. The points of articulation are limited to five points on each figure (swivel neck, shoulders, and hips). The rest of the figures are stationary. Chip is a bit awkward to stand up on his own without leaning him against something. His tail makes him want to lean back and eventually fall over at times.

Collectors will probably only be interested in the Ace and Krypto figures. Chip is my favorite out of the rest of the figures, probably because I’m familiar with Ch’p from the comics. PB is pretty cool looking but nothing too impressive. The guinea pigs seem to almost be afterthoughts, especially Pigasus, who looks like one of those cheap Dollar Tree statuettes. I’m positive that younger kids will enjoy this set. Again, Krypto and Ace will probably garner the most attention from kids and the other figures will probably end up at the bottom of the toy box.

The Batman & Ace set is similar to the figure multi-pack. In fact, the Ace figure in this set is the exact same one featured in the multi-pack. There is also a Superman & Krypto set available and it features the same Krypto as the multi-pack. For the Batman set, both Batman and Ace feature the same points of articulation (head, hips, and shoulders). The only exception is Batman’s right shoulder which is spring-loaded. It’s like this in order to use the “throwing” action that allows Batman to throw his grappling hook. Even for a preschooler’s toys this feature is lame. Batman’s arm is extremely limited in its motion. Simply lift up the arm and let it go while Batman is holding the grappling cord to throw the hook. It’s downright ridiculous.

Are these sets worth collecting? Only for Krypto and Ace in my opinion. The other figures (including Batman) are okay, but I’m not a huge fan of these particular figures outside of Chip. If you’re buying this for your kid, definitely pick up the multi-pack. You can also purchase the Batman & Ace or Superman & Krypto individual sets or pick up the Superhero Gift Set that features all four of the figures together. The reason that I recommend picking up the gift set is because Krypto and Ace feature different molds and have their own throwing features. That way you can get two different versions of those figures and the two heroes as well. I’ve only been able to find it online on the Fisher-Price website. Based on a little internet research, there is also a Wonder Woman & PB figure set as well.

Thanks for checking out this quick review. I’m ready to see League of Super-Pets in the theater and will most likely review it as well. Let me know if you pick up any of these figure sets and whether or not you enjoy them! See you again soon!

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Justice League 2021 Batman

“He’s never fought us. Not us united.“

I have a copy of Zack Snyder’s Justice League tucked away in my hall closet. I have yet to watch the film yet but had to get my hands on this Batman figure from the film. My life has been very crazy over the last few years and I have yet to set aside the time to watch the entire film. I did see the Joss Whedon edit of the movie and I liked it despite its many flaws. I’ll watch Snyder’s cut in the near future but, for now at least, let’s take a look at this Justice League 2021 Batman figure.

Right off the bat, sorry, I noticed that this figure appears to be a lot slimmer than the bulked up form of Ben Affleck from the film. It does look like his chin, however, and the overall design of the figure is amazing. This version of Batman has been one of my favorites ever since I first saw it in the original JL film released back 2017. The figure features amazing articulation except for the hip area where the crotch and thighs don’t quite meet up. The figure comes with the standard trading card that all of the figures in this line come with, a base, and a batarang accessory.

I really love the attention to detail on this figure. There’s a ton of textured parts on the mold. The highlight is Batman’s cape. It looks as if it should flow but it is soft plastic and keeps its look and feel. It’s simply amazing. In case you are wondering, the goggles are not removable but look really good on the figure. My only complaint is how the figure’s legs appear to be bowed. This might be unique to my figure due to packaging, but I do believe that it is how the mold was made and it looks sort of odd.

Above is a comparison shot of the 2021 version of Batman versus the 2017 Mattel Justice League Batman figure. The 2017 figure has brighter colors and more paint apps. The goggles are silver whereas the McFarlane figure keeps almost everything black. The Mattel figure is noticeably smaller than the 2021 figure as well. When comparing the capes, you can easily see that the Mattel cape has curled up over the years. The soft plastic cape on the 2021 figure looks like it will remain in place. There’s simply no comparison when it comes to articulation. The McFarlane figure easily beats out the Mattel figure in that aspect. Overall, the McFarlane figure is a major improvement over the 2017 figure, but that figure will always hold a special place in my heart.

Thanks for checking out my review. I’ll have a movie review tomorrow for Throwback Thursday and November Noise and a look at an album on Friday.

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Armored Batman

“I want you to remember, my hand, at your throat, I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”

Frank Miller’s 1986 four part mini-series, collectively referred to as The Dark Knight Returns, forever changed Batman, DC Comics, and the comics industry as a whole with its dark tones, ultra violent story, and grim outlook on the world. Over the years the tale has been adapted, integrated, or out-and-out ripped off of for numerous other comic stories, films, and animated movies. This figure from McFarlane, which appears to be loosely based on a mishmash of the comic version and the Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice armored Batman, is big, bad, and wonderful.

This guy is massive. He stands about an inch taller than most of the other figures in this line. He features thick armor plating that has scoring on it, two soft plastic shin guards, a codpiece, soft plastic shoulder pads, and an amazing soft plastic cape that looks like actual cloth. He also comes with two sets of hands, only one of which is clinched into a fist. The other hands are open and the right hand that comes attached to the figure in the box looks as if it should fit a gun. Sadly, no gun is included nor or any other accessories save for the collector card that comes with all of the figures in this line.

The figure is very bulky but thanks to the soft shoulder pads his arm articulation can be used to nearly its full range. The legs were extremely stiff on my figure and his legs are somewhat hindered when it comes to poseability. I basically have him standing straight up with his hands at his side on my desk. His feet have peg holes in them and also have the wonderful spikes from the comics in them.

My favorite thing about this figure is his helmet and the mouth mold. The helmet looks amazing and despite very little range of motion due to the armor, it still turns enough for decent poses. The mouth looks angry, as it should, and it stands out underneath the heavily armored cowl. The cape is another thing that I really like about this figure. It looks real.

Unless you are a stickler for comic and/or film accuracy, I definitely recommend this figure. What he lacks in articulation (due to the armor limiting his range of motion), he more than makes up for with his overall look. Throw in a weapon on some sort and this would be a perfect figure.

Thanks for reading my post. November Noise returns on Throwback Thursday and Friday of this week. Look for another Batman figure review tomorrow!

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse The Demon (Demon Knights)

“Gone! Gone, the form of man! Rise, the Demon Etrigan!”

McFarlane Toys raises a little bit of Hell with its recently released The Demon 7″ figure. Of course, fans of DC Comics and especially fans of the Demon know that this big guy is Etrigan the Demon, the beast that is eternally bonded to the Arthurian knight known as Jason Blood. Etrigan captured my heart about ten years ago when I first read about him in the Flashpoint Paradox. I loved how he spoke in rhyme. After reading about the character, I decided to look into more of his stories. From Blackest Night to Demon Knights and in his adventures with other characters such as Swamp Thing, Etrigan won me over.

When I saw Etrigan on the shelf, I quickly snagged him. The figure is massive. He’s broadly built and very heavy compared to other figures in the line. The sculpt on the figure is amazing. The paint applications are excellent as well. The folks at McFarlane spent a ton of time paying attention to Etrigan’s facial features, armor, and his cape. They are all very well done.

Etrigan comes with only two accessories. He comes with a sword that is somewhat difficult to put into his hand. He also comes with the standard DC base that all of the figures in this line feature. Other than those two items, accessories are pretty bare. I do wish that McFarlane had included at least one other set of hands or even an extra head. Etrigan also comes with a collector card.

The figure’s articulation is pretty good. With his bulky armor it can be a tad difficult (and painful, those spikes hurt) to position the figure in a decent pose. I had quite a bit of trouble keeping Etrigan from falling over even when using the included stand. Etrigan’s leg and waist POA are very loose. This caused him to lean forward in just about every position that I put him.

Aside from the difficulties that I had posing the figure and the lack of accessories, The Demon is a very nice figure and he’d look great in any action figure collection. The detailing is amazing and Etrigan simply looks fierce. Add him to your collection. You won’t regret it.

Thanks for reading my post. I appreciate each and every one of you.

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Rebirth Bizarro

“Me not human….me not creature….me not even animal!”

McFarlane Toys outdid themselves with their beautiful Rebirth Bizarro figure. As you can see from the photo above, I managed to pick him up for about half of his original price. In all honesty I probably wouldn’t have purchased Bizarro at full price as I had not yet purchased any villains in the line yet. None of the villains (as well as almost all of the Batman figures) have really grabbed my attention….until now.

This figures is simply amazing. It’s quite possibly my favorite McFarlane figure from the line based upon its looks alone. Bizarro comes with twenty-two points of articulation. His accessories include two open hands that can be used in place of his two closed fists. Unlike the Superman figures in this line, Bizarro does not come with a flight stand which is sort of a downer, but I can use one of the other flight stands if I choose.

The box that Bizarro was packaged in is like every other McFarlane package in this line. Unfortunately it’s scraped in the front (which makes for a poor photo) and generally banged up. The included collector card was in perfect condition, however, so it went into my bin with all of the other cards in the line.

The paint applications look very good. The base mold for the figure is a dark greyish blue. The face, hands, and red and yellow colors are all paint applications. The cape is made of soft plastic and looks quite nice. On my figure the cape sits just slightly off of Bizarro’s upper chest, leaving a small crack where the cape should attach to his suit.

This figure simply looks great. He’s the centerpiece of my McFarlane collection. This figure proves that you don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be a beautiful piece of art. I definitely suggest picking up this figure. He looks wonderful on the shelf, especially when flanked by Superman and Red Son.

Thanks for checking out my post. I’m planning on making at least two other posts this week, so be on the lookout for them.

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McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Superman: Red Son

“Superman is here to rescue them.”

Flying in from the pages of Mark Millar’s brilliant Superman: Red Son comes this beautiful McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse version of everybody’s favorite comrade. Superman looks great in his dark-toned suit emblazoned with the hammer and sickle in place of his iconic “S” that fans are so familiar with on the traditional version of the Big Blue Boy Scout. The figure features twenty-two points of articulation, a soft plastic cape, and comes with a collector card and a base that allows you to pose the figure either standing or in flight.

This figure looks great for the most part. Much like the Superman: Action Comics figure that was also recently released and reviewed by myself here, it has a few abrasions on the body of the figure that aren’t noticeable until you take a close look at the figure. His joints appear to be a tad bit stiffer than the Action Comics figure as well.

Thankfully McFarlane used a new sculpt for the figure instead of just using the same mold from the Action Comics version of the figure. Superman comes with two left and two right hands that are swappable. One is a closed fist while the other three are opened to different degrees. One of the hands is almost completely closed, another has a welcoming look to it, and the third one looks like it is poised for flight.

The figure looks great attached to its base. Much like other figures in the line, the base can be a tad wobbly at first, but once the figure is in the position that you want, it’s sturdy enough for display. I currently have him on display at my office with the Action Comics figure.

I’ve included a couple of comparison photos with the Action Comics figure so that you can see the differences in them. The contrasts between the two figures are amazing. One is somewhat dull colored with a slightly smaller cape while the other is bright blue and red with a larger and more flowing cape. It’s great to look at these two figures side by side to see their differences. I’ve also thrown in a few more pics of the figure and its packaging below.

Thank you for reading my post. This figure is a great addition to any collection and a unique take on one of DC Comics’ greatest and best known superheroes. If you love Superman, alternate versions or otherwise, I highly recommend getting this figure.

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Spin Master DC Batman Minifigures!

So many to collect!!!

With over twenty figures in both waves, Spin Master yet again put its magic touch on Batman, DC Comics, and toy collecting! As many of you already know, I am in love with Spin Master’s four inch DC and Batman lines of action figures. These two inch minifigures are just as amazing.

The collection has been released in two waves so far: 1) A yellow canister wave that matches up with the four inch Caped Crusader line and 2) a blue canister that matches up with the four inch Bat Tech figures. Both lines feature some deep heroes and villains from DC Comics. Just a glimpse at Spin Master’s website shows us that the figures range from Huntress to Penguin to Killer Moth and Scarecrow! My fledgling collections already features Solomon Grundy, a Silver Batman, Harley Quinn, and Black Lightning!

These figures can be displayed upon their canisters with pegs located in one heel of each character. This comes in handy but isn’t needed, as all of the figures that I have collected so far can stand on their own with the pegs. That being said, the figures do look great on their canisters.

These figures are just as addicting as their four inch counterparts. I also like the fact that you have a better chance of getting varied characters in this line, as a few online sellers have already scooped up many of the prime four inch figures. At least I’ll have a better shot at getting a two inch Mr. Freeze figure than I will trying to find one at Target!

I believe that my favorite figures that I have collected in this line so far have been Solomon Grundy and Robin. I’m also pretty fond of the Joker, too!

Thanks for checking out my post! Let me know in the comments if you’re a fan of this line of figures. Tomorrow I have a special look at the McFarlane Toys DC Mulitverse Red Son Superman! Be on the lookout for it tomorrow evening around 5PM!

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DC Comics Cover Art: 350 Of The Greatest Covers In DC’s History

Before You Get To The Story…..

Without a great cover to draw you in, books will simply sit on shelves unread. If the cover works, however, great stories can be discovered and shared with others. This book, DC Cover Art: 350 Of The Greatest Covers In DC’s History, celebrates the nearly one hundred years of DC Comics covers that have drawn in readers of all ages to enjoy the adventures of a mighty stable of interesting characters. The holy trinity is obviously well represented, as works featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are well represented. It’s the other covers, those of the less popular characters that aren’t as well known by the general public, that really shine in this book.

We get to look at iconic covers featuring Swamp Thing, The Phantom Stranger, Sandman, Johnny Thunder, and other wonderful characters. Each cover is given a brief description, sometimes focusing on the artist, sometimes the character, or another tidbit of historical information. Nick Jones, who compiled this collection of covers, does a wonderful job of giving readers just enough information to drive them to learn more about each artist, cover, and character. In fact, Jones does a great job of making me want to hit the local comic book shop to find a few of these covers.

Booster Gold #32 (2010) by Kevin Maguire.

The eighty-plus years of DC Comics are broken down into five ages: Golden, Silver, Bronze, Steel, and Modern. Within each age there is a focus on certain artists who are given short biographies. Some of the many talented artists included in the book are Alex Ross, George Perez, Amanda Conner, Joe Shuster, Jenny Frison, Neal Adams, and Creig Flessel. I’m a massive fan of many of these artists, especially Perez and Ross, and love looking at their brilliant covers.

The iconic The New Teen Titans #1 cover by George Perez, one of my favorite artists.

Ultimately this is a coffee table styled book that one can leaf through at their leisure. It contains an amazing amount of historical information about DC Comics and the artists that brought so many of their characters to life, but it works just as well as a picture book. I’m amazed at the varied styles that each artist brings to the covers of DC Comics. It’s also fun to compare the different styles of the artists, especially from the Golden Age and the Modern Age.

Lois Lane #1 (2019 variant cover) by Jenny Frison.

Fans of DC Comics will definitely appreciate this collection, but those that appreciate art in general will love it as well. There’s a cover for everyone in this book (actually, quite a few covers), and I can’t wait to see which covers from future DC Comics will be added to this collection in the coming decades.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this review. Thank you for taking the time to check it out. Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite artist or cover. This book covers a number of brilliant artists, too many to list here, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you get the chance!

Note: This review is an enhanced and expanded review that I originally posted on Amazon. I’ve added a few more sentences and paragraphs and photos as well.