I only kill Superman on Doomsdays that end in "y"

In my humble opinion the biggest comic book event of my lifetime is the Death of Superman saga.

Sure, there are more important storylines that have had greater resounding effects, driving stories published even to this day (Crisis on Infinite Earths comes immediately to mind,) but none have caught the attention of the masses and the media and the fans and the uninitiated alike to the level that the "Death of Superman" did. And all comic book uber-events since have paled in comparison.

Sure, in the end it was nothing more than a huge slugfest, but people actually believed Superman was dead and not coming back! Let's face it, that alone is a huge feat.

In addition, no other comic event has left a larger swath of iconic new characters that people still care about to this day; among them the clone Conner Kent, the genius inventor Steel, and of course, this guy:

This is the JLU Doomsday action figure, based on his appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode A Better World (and a couple more after that.)

This Doomsday was an exclusive figure only available in a Target six figure set released around 2006. Mattel made sure these spectacular large scale figures were hard to find (as if the rest of their toys weren't hard enough to get a hold of!) and I think Doomsday was the first large scale JLU figure released. Later they repainted him orange and red (to recreate an episode where he fights Superman in a volcano) and they also released Gorilla Grodd in another six figure set (which I sadly never found at retail) and Solomon Grundy was released as a San Diego comic convention exclusive - which means many many fans never saw him at all due to the immediate and sustained high secondary market price.

I guess you could also count Darkseid and Ultra Humanite as "deluxe" because they were also a bit larger and used different bodies than the standard male JLU figures, but at least each of those guys were sold as singles at retail. Of course neither of them were particularly easy to come by either.

But back to Doomsday. A big, grey, ugly killing machine with protruding bones, bad teeth and an insatiable appetite for death. Superman's death, to be exact.

I found this Doomsday at the swap meet, which is why his paint is a little roughed up. I just consider him about 15 minutes into the battle royale. I do have one I picked up at retail way back when, but he's boxed up somewhere and anyways this one was a quarter, so I had to buy it and blog about Doomsday and reminisce about a simpler, more honest time in comics. ;)

There have been quite a few toys made of Doomsday, but this JLU version is perhaps one of the best due to his awesome Bruce Timm design aesthetic. I do wish that someday, somewhere we could get a Doomsday almost completely clad in his green containment suit and hood, with one hand strapped behind his back like he started out in the comics. That'd be keen! But in the meantime we'll have to contend ourselves with this Superman smashing iconic Doomsday.

Batman: TB&TB Batmobile - by Hotwheels!!!!!

I just saw this picture of the 2010 Hotwheels line-up at Saruman's BigBossToys blog and my eye was immediately drawn to #49

Holy die-cast toys, Batman! That is in true fact the Batman: The Brave and the Bold Batmobile in Hotwheels form!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! I will be stalking the Hotwheels aisle like paparazzi on Sean Penn from now until the day I have this toy treasure in my hands!*

*thank God I already found Ecto-1, or else I'd have to double my efforts. I haven't seen a second one of that vehicle yet!

Shout at the devil!

I just stumbled onto a couple pictures of Silver Banshee, who will appear on Smallville this Friday (April 2nd) in an episode entitled "Escape."



I previously looked at the Silver Banshee action figure from the Target exclusive Superman/Batman: Public Enemies toyline. A fun toy and a fun character. And of course I am a "since day one" fan of Smallville so I will definitely be checking out this episode!

Top Kamen

There was a recent attempt to revive the Kamen Rider franchise (or to bring it to American audiences' attention,) and I don't know how successful it has been, but from what little I saw of it, it didn't really speak to me. Forget uber-armored dragon and bat themed dudes, when I think of Kamen Rider I think of guys like this:

This vinyl figure is Kamen Rider J, made by Bandai Japan in 1994.

When I was in the first grade I had a friend who had family in Japan, and they would always mail him vinyl Kaiju and other Japanese characters from Godzilla to Ultraman to Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider always fascinated me because these guys looked like insect based superheroes - a hit concept for sure, just ask Stan Lee.

I don't think I've ever actually watched an entire Kamen Rider episode, but the gist is that these grasshopper helmeted guys ride motorcycles and defeat similarly rubber-suited foes. What's not to love?

Kamen Rider J is a "newer" version of the Kamen Rider, which originally debuted in Japan in 1971. His costume has evolved but still retains enough of the original concept to be immediately recognizable, and of course the vinyl platform, with a whopping three points of articulation (waist and shoulders) is exactly what I remember my friend having when we were kids.

nananananananana no evil shall escape my sight!

From the episode of The Brave and the Bold entitled The Eyes of Despero! When the Green Lantern Corps needed Batman's help against the intergalactic despot Despero, Sinestro (he's still a GL here,) Guy Gardner and G'Nort work a little power ring magic in order to give Bats equal footing:



Cool is right. And you know what's cooler? This:

Yeah, they actually made an action figure of Batman as a Green Lantern!

Actually called "Sky Shot Batman" because the people who work at toy companies are so out of touch with what they produce and the people that buy it, it's mind boggling, this figure is an amazing addition to the Batman: The Brave and the Bold action figure line-up.

In addition to looking like this figure stepped straight off the screen, Bat Lantern comes with a power ring constructed jet pack and helmet that both look Bat-inspired, and not like things thrown in to weigh down the toy and justify the price. Yes, you heard me, a cool accessory for a change! It even fires a missile which is also made of translucent green plastic. Seriously, this is how you do a toy right! If I taught classes on how to create variants of a character, I would hold this S.O.B. up for an hour and then say "class dismissed."

The "handles" are a pliable plastic, and they attach to the helmet to give a space-suit type feel to it. Of course he needs to breath! And of course Batman would construct a jet pack with the power of the ring. Propulsion envy.

Finally, all that stuff can be removed giving you a Green Lantern Batman exactly as depicted in the cartoon. I absolutely love how the Bat symbol and GL symbol have been integrated into the costume.

My only quibble is a minor one and has more to do with the plot of the cartoon than the figure itself. Since Batman's GL suit is powered by other GL rings (not one worn by him) he does not have one of his own, and the figure also does not have a GL ring. I may have to paint a green dot onto one of his fingers to "fix" that. Otherwise this is an outstanding figure for any fan of the cartoon, or of Green Lantern, or of Batman... hell, if you don't love this toy you have no soul.

YesterToys: Toys I didn't have Edition

Thunder Thunder Thunder - Thundercats...HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

(Sadly, those are not mine.)

It may shock and amaze Toyriffic readers to learn that during it's initial run, I had absolutely zero Thundercats toys and no interest in getting any either.

Now don't get me wrong. I watched the cartoon every afternoon. And I appreciated the toys for what they were, giving them their due respect at my friend's house who was mad for them and had them all. But by the time the cartoon and toyline were hitting their stride, the appeal of scantily clad steroid abusers was over for me, having thoroughly ridden the wave of MOTU from day one.

I was moving past that sort of thing, into robots that turned into vehicles and household appliances dammit - I was no longer a boy, I was a man!

I really liked the cartoon, and I loved the the execution of the concept, maybe even moreso now that I am going through my second (third? fourth? did the first one ever end?) childhood. I do have a Panthro now, my favorite character of all (although I couldn't find the box he's hiding in before this post) that I found at a yard sale a couple years back (which prompted me to do some sketches,) and I do see some of the third-tier characters pop up at the swap meet from time to time. But I haven't really taken that plunge into the kitty-pool quite yet.

There is one thing that would get me diving in head first, however:


Meow.

YesterToys: Haters gonna hate edition

A lot of people like to bash the GoBots but I'm here to say they were, are, and will always be AWESOME!

What's not to love? They were equal opportunity employers, they fit right in with Hotwheels (making them true robots in disguise,) they made a ton of cool vehicles like motorcycles and P-38s and Japanese Zeros and Submarines, every figure was made with die-cast and plastic parts, they were inexpensive, the good guy leader (Leader-1) was an F-15 not a mamby-pamby semi truck that couldn't break 55mph unless it lost it's brakes going down a steep grade and the bad guy leader (Cy-Kill) not only had "Kill" in his name, but he was a motorcycle, not a low caliber gun who had to ask his fellow villains to hold him and tickle his nether-regions before actually being any kind of threat (guns don't kill people...)

And I say all this as one who loves Transformers. Let's face it, most GoBot haters are just prejudiced and have not actually come to their hatred through actual contact with GoBots.

Sure a few were lame, but so were, and are, more than a few Transformers.

Anyways, let's call a truce. Transforming robots are damn cool no matter what.

I'm not sure the exact year of the picture here, but I'm posing with quite the transforming robot birthday haul. You can see I was no Toyline Nazi as a kid either; I integrated everyone together in peace and harmony.

Largest of all is the GoBot Command Center, an epic AT-AT like playset with lights and sound and even an elevator! Mixed in the scene are some smaller Transformers like Huffy, looks like 2 Cliffjumpers, Windcharger, and Brawn. From the GoBot camp are Fly Trap, Small Foot, Block Head, Spoons, and I think Crane Brain. There is also what looks like 2 watch-transformers who are most likely generic, a Convertor brand transforming car, a "generic" Astro Magnum version of "Shockwave," and finally Zod, the battery operated evil GoBot dinosaur tricycle monster thingy. You turned him on and had to stab him in the gut with a joust-like stick to shut him down. That dude was epic and I so need one now. I really wish I had held on to all my GoBot stuff!

Livin' After Mid-Nite...

...Rockin' in the dark!

I love the JSA and the Golden Age of comic book superheroes that spawned the legendary team. One of the greatest of that rag tag group of colorfully clad crime stoppers is Doctor Mid-Nite.

Decades before Marvel's blind superhero began cavorting around rooftops in silly colored underwear, Dr. Charles McNider lost his sight in a blast meant for one of his patients. He later discovered that although blind in normal light, he had perfect vision in absolute darkness! Taking on the persona of Doctor Mid-Nite (because that's what you do when you discover you have a strange ability, right?) McNider soon joined the ranks of the Justice Society of America along with his "black-out bombs" and trusty owl friend Hooty!

"Give a hoot, don't pollute...the halls of justice!"

Hooty rests on Mid-Nite's forearm nicely and even has neck articulation, so he can spin his head all the way around just like a real owl!

"Who turned on the lights?"

As poorly distributed as DC Universe figures are and as difficult as Mattel makes it to get these toys to me, one of my collector's goals is to get all the core members of the JSA in the DC Universe Classics style. I've missed out on Dr. Fate and Wildcat so far but was lucky enough to grab Doctor Mid-Nite and Spectre (more on him later) on the same trip.

Unfortunately for my stress levels, Green "Alan Scott" Lantern and Hourman are part of an upcoming Walmart exclusive wave, so I am going to have to be creative to track them down!

Good thing I have a cadre of collector friends...kind of like the JSA!

It's not easy being...

...green JLArmy men!

Tom of Freak Studios came though for me big time when he told me he had come across one of my biggest "wants" from Argentina - a handful of little plastic DC Superheroes!

I don't know the full story behind these guys, but I have seen them occasionally pop up online (often credited to toy manufacturer Gulliver and coming out of Argentina) and have always longed for some of my own. I've always loved the cheap charm of monochrome mini plastic figurines, and when those monochrome mini plastic figurines are fashioned after DC Superheroes I'm doubly in love!

So when I asked Tom if he'd seen any in his toy hunting travels and he showed me these, I just about flipped!

My personal favorite is of course Batman. Bats is looking regal in green, and although he looks like he suffered a broken nose in a scuffle with villainy, he's in great shape.

Next up is Superman, also in green. These guys are all set for the JLA St. Pat's party! Supes is in beautiful condition and I love how their symbols are embossed and their costume components and face sculpts are very well done. God I wish I could go down to the drug store and buy a bag of these guys for a buck. I'd install one of those ball-pit type things like at Chuck E. Cheese and fill it with thousands of these guys and swim in it daily like Uncle Scrooge...ahem...sorry.

Next up is Batgirl in pretty pretty yellow. Batgirl is a little rougher and the sculpt is less clean - she may be a later cast as the tool began to wear down.

Here's Flash one, we'll call him Barry. Barry is supposed to have wings on his ears and boots but only has one boot wing left. He has some other casting issues too but that's okay because he's still epically cool!

Flash two, we'll call him Wally, is a lighter green matching Batman and Superman and Daiquiri Ice ice cream from Baskin-Robbins! He also has only one boot wing. He outran the others.

Orange Robin aka Dickie is the cleanest casting of all. He's in great shape and must be one of the earliest figures here. He's flawless and clean and beautiful, just like a youthful ward should be.

Red Robin aka Jason is pretty rough. Probably a very late casting. I'd call a 1-900 number to put him out of his misery if DC asked me to. Red Robin is also completely void of his name on the base. All the other figures have their name cast into their base, but Robin here does not, and it isn't because it wore off the figure, it just isn't there. Maybe another clue as to where he falls in the history of these guy' manufacture.

"Dang! You look like you've been beat by a crowbar and left for dead, Jason! Maybe you should put a hood over your head. While you do that, I'll be Batman."

"Here we go round the mulberry bush!"

These guys are all unbelievably awesome! I need to go buy a bag of army men so I can have Batman and Superman and Flash and even Batgirl and Robin swing in and save the day!

I can't believe Tom was able to track them down for me so quickly and effortlessly. I'm beginning to think Argentina is the ultimate destination for a toy lover. Come to think of it, they probably have topless beaches too.

I'm booking my flight now, Tom; I hope you have a big couch!

Fisto, meet the Fisto

As a kid, I really thought Fisto was one cool cat.


I didn't own him at the time, but a dude with a massive gauntlet on one hand whose sole purpose was to wallop the evil forces stacked against the Masters...that's my kind of guy!


To be honest, I have owned a Fisto figure for a couple years. But he is missing his armor. And hear me now but believe me later, Fisto without his armor looks more like he belongs in a parade in San Francisco than in the army of Eternia. I think it's the mustache.

But as (my) luck would have it, I found a bunch of MOTU at the swap meet last weekend and in the mess was a complete armored Fisto! And near mint too, he must not have been that kids favorite. He's missing his sword but seriously, this dude doesn't need no stinkin' sword!

Fisto not only has the standard waist punch feature of most MOTU, but he has an upper-cut action on his gauntlet clad arm too. Whammo!

"Hey sailor, wanna smooch?"

"I don't kiss on the first date, Mick Jagger, and I always insist that my date take me out for a meal. So how about a knuckle sandwich?"

"Wow...whatta man!"

Included in the pile of toys I got last weekend was Leech. He's a member of Hordak's Horde.

Leech's action feature is a button on his back that allows him to "suction" to the wall.

I never had Leech as a kid either, but for completely different reasons. You see, I always thought of Hordak and his Horde as "girl toys."

Hordak and the Horde all tormented She-Ra on her cartoon. And She-Ra was a girl's cartoon. Ergo, Hordak and his cronies were girls toys. And I wanted no part of them. My little sister insisted on watching the show of course, and I hated it. Although I always found Loo-kee first.

But I digress.

I even had a friend who had all the Horde figures at the time. He would play with them when we played MOTU and I thought it was odd, as the Horde were clearly girl toys, but whatever. Be the Horde - it allowed me to be the good guys anyways. By the way, this kid also sang show-tunes during elementary school talent contests. And today he's active in his local theatre. True story. Proving I was correct about these Horde "guys" all along.

Anyways, now that I am an adult and willing to give even dollies a chance at a happy home with me, I am also willing to give the Horde a chance and have welcomed Leech into my home with open arms and an open mind.

But if he tries to kiss me he's out.

Somewhere, Beyond the Sea...

I've been taking cursory glances at the Gormiti toys ever since they hit the shelves a couple years ago. If you haven't seen them, they are little non-articulated creature figurines based on the elements (tagline: "The Invincible Lords of Nature!") with a rudimentary card game associated with them. Toys like that hit my nostalgia bone hard due to my love of Battle Beasts and M.U.S.C.L.E. and other such things growing up. So I usually check them out and think they look pretty cool and then walk away.

Until now.

This is Lord Polypus. Both of them are, apparently. It turns out Gormiti are now making 5" figures of a few of their primary characters, with a specially painted mini-figure included.

I see this big guy at Toys R Us the other day and now not only is my Battle Beast and M.U.S.C.L.E., well, muscle, tingling...but my MOTU muscle is as well. This guy is in scale to the original Masters of the Universe figures and shares similar dimensions and fondness for near nudity; he looks like he should be a minion of Mer-Man!

He's also all kinds of blue, which seems to be a theme lately here at Toyriffic. Better shift into green gear soon with St. Patrick's Day looming!

The smaller figure is all kinds of awesome as well. He reminds me of my Ducktopus. He doesn't do anything but stand there and have his face slowly digested by an octopus, but I guess that takes a lot out of a guy so he's forgiven.

I really love toy series that give you different sized creatures in the same "universe." It really enhances the playability of an action figure line. I like to imagine that this little guy is the brains of the operation, and his big brutish self is the brawn made from some cloning experiment or something.

Good times.

In addition to being fully articulated, (head, hips, shoulders, knees and elbows,) Lord Polypus' parts are interchangeable with all the other 5" Gormiti figures. I will eventually have to get another one so I can swap parts; there was a cool one with a lobster arm that Lord Polypus has his eyes on.

Fun toys these Gormiti. Apparently the line originated in Italy. Which makes these guys the Ferrari of...I don't know...small non-articulated figurines with rudimentary card games.

"You know what they say about a guy with a big nose, dontcha?"

The Blue Brothers. Hahahhaha - sorry.

Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!