JLU Dr. Midnite action figure

For all the superhero movies that we're inundated with these days, I'd absolutely LOVE to see a 1940s period piece Justice Society of America movie. The 'Batman' of the team would of course be Dr. Midnite. A brilliant surgeon with the ability to...see in the dark.

Ok, so the Golden Age wasn't exactly a golden age of ideas, but still, this guy is awesome and if you disagree he'll punch you in the face in the middle of the night and you won't have seen it coming.

I found this Dr. Midnite JLU action figure at the flea market at the same time I found Yz, and I also got the good doctor for fifty cents.

Say, you willing to take fifty cents for that Thunderbolt?

I found the Thunderbolt Yz at the flea market a couple weeks ago, buried in a kid's random pile of action figures. Unfortunately Johnny Thunderbolt was nowhere to be found. But hey, I got his Thunderbolt for fifty cents, so I won't complain!

Back during the Golden Age, Johnny Thunder would summon up his Thunderbolt by saying the magic word 'Cei-U', and the shtick was that he didn't realize he was saying a magic word when he did so. He would just say something like 'Say, you need to stop attacking the city, mister supervillain!' and Yz would appear and thwart whatever villainous drama that was occurring at the time.

Yz is one of the last unique JLU figures of the retail line, and was released in a multi-figure set that was probably a Target exclusive or something like that. He is cast in clear plastic, but painted with a pink fade. It's a neat effect, and Yz is a unique and cool Golden Age character to have in JLU form.

Say, you wouldn't know where I can find a fifty cent Johnny Thunder action figure, would 'ya?

JLU: Big Guns Kick the Hell Outta' You!

The Mattel Justice League Animated/Justice League Unlimited toyline only produced a very small handful of 'oversized' action figures during it's tenured reign. 99% of the figures in the line shared the same basic size/standard male or female 'buck' or base body, arms and legs. But these big guys were each 100% originals.

If memory serves me correctly, of all 'people', Ultra-Humanite was the first Justice League Animated villain to make it to action figure form. Darkseid was produced not long after that, and it wasn't until the end of the line many years later that Doomsday and Gorilla Grodd made the ranks. Each of the latter was a Target exclusive figure in their own respective five packs, which consisted mostly of re-releases and re-paints of Batman, Superman etc etc. I'd complain about the difficulty I had finding all these guys at retail (I actually had to buy Grodd off a friend) but that pain is nothing compared to the fact that Mattel did make one more JLU big-fig that I don't own: an SDCC exclusive Solomon Grundy! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME MATTEL?!?!?!

Thankfully the Imaginext Solomon Grundy makes a respectable stand-in. But it still hurts not having the JLU Grundy!

Got tough stains? Use Ultra Humanite! Now with Retsin!

One of my favorite action figures of all time is Ultra Humanite from the Justice League action figure toyline.

I just love the character design and character himself. Originally debuting as a proto Lex Luthor (bald mad scientist against Superman) in Action Comics #13, June 1939, Ultra Humanite was killed off in 1940 and didn't re-appear until years later as part of Earth 2 continuity.

Ultra Humanite has survived for many years by transferring his brain from his original body into various vessels over the decades, finally settling on an albino ape (because ALBINO APE!)

As odd a choice as he may seem, Ultra Humanite was one of the first villains to be released in action figure form for the Justice League cartoon. He was of course a welcome foil to the original seven and also of course quite hard to find (because MATTEL!)

In addition, he was released looking exactly like he did in the cartoon, not with day-glow pants or a scuba suit (like most toys from that era.) Ultra Humanite is also superior to most standard Justice League or JLU action figures in that 1) he's an oversized figure roughly in scale to his cartoon counterpart with the other Justice League action figures 2) his construction includes zero re-used parts and 3) he can stand upright on his own.

All of these factors were a big deal in the early 2000s when Ultra Humanite made his plastic debut.

Another factor in making this Ultra Humanite a favorite action figure of mine: I am not an articulationazi; in my opinion Ultra Humanite has just the right amount. Shoulders, elbows, legs, neck and even wrists!

I don't need an Ultra Humanite that can do the splits or suck his own toes and neither do you.

Sadly, although Ultra Humanite is an oversized figure he appears either undersized (or Gorilla Grodd is oversized) when placed next to the JLU Gorilla Grodd action figure. This fact is a wonder of science and nature because Mattel could have very easily re-used UH parts to make Grodd (because MATTEL!) yet they did not, opting instead to just make Gorilla Grodd a hard to find Target exclusive packed with a bunch of re-issues (because MATTEL!)

Finally, Ultra Humanite is awesome because he fits in with almost any toyline of this scale: He can be a Cobra experiment gone awry, he can hang with the big boys in the Mos Eisley Cantina, he can stomp Lego mini-figures until the Lego cows come home.

He is indeed Ultra.

Ultra Humanite originally came with a gun/hoversled accessory which wasn't half bad but is stored away somewhere else for now. But that's okay, Ultra Humanite needs nothing but his keen intellect to destroy the Justice League, the JSA, Superman, or even that chrome-domed pretender Lex Luthor!

Gorillas just want to have fun

The most impressive figures released in the animated Justice League toyline, in my opinion, were the oversized characters like Darkseid, Doomsday, Ultra Humanite and this hairy heathen here, Gorilla Grodd.

Most of the time these bigger baddies were only available as part of a store exclusive multi-pack that usually contained at least three or four figures you already owned. Because Mattel.

I won't even begin my rant about the JLU Solomon Grundy figure.

Anyways, I did not get Grodd when he was released. I did see him in the store once, but I was Christmas shopping for my kids and contrary to popular belief, I do have some self control.

So when I saw Gorilla Grodd pop up on Eclectorama's own Chunky B's ebay auction extravaganza, I knew I had to bid for him and at least get a shot at a great priced Grodd while also helping Chunky B clear out his awesome manly toys so he can make room for more dollhouses and Barbie Corvettes and tea sets. I set a bid and walked away, only to find later that I had won Gorilla Grodd and a handful of other cool toys, including a JLU Zatanna and Black Canary that were immediately added to my daughter's superhero collection! Chunky B also sent me bonus toys and some stickers and a re-usable bag depicting all the awesome art he has done for Tate's comics! A great haul from a great guy, with the highlight of course being that I now own a JLU Gorilla Grodd.