That quote is from Batman: Year One. The best Jim Gordon story ever told. It is the final line in the story, and was paralleled very closely in the final scene of Batman Begins. With nine days to go before The Dark Knight hits theaters, I figured I'd focus this entry on Gotham City's best cop, and arguably, Batman's best friend.
James Gordon is the closest thing to a father (besides Alfred, who could be argued to be the closest thing to a mother) Bruce Wayne has. His character is pivotal to a complete understanding of Batman. His character was handled extremely well in the animated series (as was everything about that now classic cartoon,) and he was voiced with strength and heart by Bob Hastings.
I love James Gordon. So in 2000, when another Batman Animated themed box set was released - The Gotham City Enforcement Team - with an exclusive James Gordon action figure, I was all over it like guano on a cave floor.
Gordon is lacking his trademark overcoat, and came with two ridiculously oversized handguns as accessories. That's fine...it was clear that these sets, with "exclusive, never before seen" figures were akin to Hasbro-house cleaning. They were most likely popping together prototypes and other pieces that had been acquired over the years and trying to get them out while the fire was still hot, or at least lukewarm. Purely business, I'm sure, but as a fan, how can one complain? They were giving us stuff that we would never have seen otherwise.
Gordon is right on target to his animated series look. He also greatly resembles my grandfather.
He has a shoulder holster molded to his side...which makes up for a lack of a decent gun...although I did give him a gun from a Playmobil cowboy. I cut the barrel down to give it more of a police issued look.
Also in the set was a re-issue of the animated Batgirl, which when first released was all day-glo or snow-camo or something ridiculous. She also was originally released with a glider, so her hands are molded like she's revving her motorbike. Nothing wrong with that, except the fact that I haven't found a motorbike that suits her. Her colors in this release are closer to her cartoon/comic appearances, and she's not a bad figure at all.
I loved the scene in Batman Begins where we see into Gordon's apartment, and his wife is feeding their infant son. It really makes a connection between the source material (the comics) and the film.
Barbara was later adopted by the Gordons, after her parents (Jim's brother and sister-in law) died or something like that. Later still, Barbara becomes Batgirl. While I don't see any room for a Batgirl in Nolan's universe, I really hope we see young Barbara in some capacity, or at least get a reference to Jim Gordon having a daughter in The Dark Knight.
Two headed monsters were all the rage in the eighties. Imperial released a couple two-headed dragons, there were a couple two-headed Transformers (a Monsterbot and a Terrorcon spring immediately to mind) and I am sure there were many many more from all those crazy toy lines spawned from half hour commercials...err I mean cartoons.
Probably the most famous of two-headed characters was Masters of the Universe's very own Two-Bad.
Two-Bad is a pretty unique figure for an original MOTU. As was tradition, most Master of the Universe figures shared parts (legs, arms, torsos) between characters. As far as I am aware, Two-Bad's only "shared" component is his belt/fuzzy drawers region. (Just don't ask who he shares them with. HAHAHHAAA! I made a funny!)
He looks as though two separate monsters were squished together to form one powerhouse of evil. I'm not aware of his character's original MOTU storyline, but I'm pretty sure this was exactly the case in the MOTU cartoon of the early 2000's.
His legs and arms are unique to each "side" and his torso, having to host two heads, is completely unique as well, with his armor/chest-plate being molded on instead of removable like most other MOTU.
His "action feature," another staple of the original Masters of the Universe line, is also unique and quite amusing.
"Mom liked me best."
POP!
When you pull back on either arm and release it, a spring action allows Two-Bad to punch his opposite head in the nose! HA! That's just genius toy design right there. I never had Two-Bad as a kid, but found this guy at a flea market recently and am glad I did. Every now and again you just want to pop someone in the nose, but sadly that behavior doesn't fly in polite society. I suggest you get a Two-Bad figure and stick him on your desk at work. He's cooler than a stress ball or that ugly squeezy guy with pop out eyes. He's a one man barroom brawl.
And since this is an article about two headed creatures, I figured it ought to contain two characters. Because I'm silly like that.
So let us go from the most famous 80s two-headed creature to the most infamous. The Go-Bot Rock Lord Sticks 'N Stones:
Bio: "Sticks 'n Stones are living proof that two heads are worse than one. They're constantly at odds with each other. But give them a single purpose-destroying good rocks-and they become an awesome fighting force. The very sight of them charging into battle with their Cactus Club and Double Duty mace is enough to send enemies flying home!"
Okaaaay.
First, let me say that I loved the Rock Lords as a kid. But...wow...what a lame idea. Creatures (not always robots...some were robots, but some were humanoid, and some were monsters) that "transformed" into...rocks.
Rocks.
And rarely were they convincing rocks.
Often they looked less like a rock and more like a monster in a yoga pose. But somehow they were cool, and I had quite a few. None have survived to still be part of my collection to this day (unless they're disguised as rocks out back, but you won't find me digging them up even if they were.)
Okay, that last part is a lie. I love toys, even the corny ones.
But Sticks N' Stones (ugh - even his name is lame!) was also part of a flea market find and therefore he has somehow defied all odds, as well as good taste, to become one of Toyriffic's finest once again.
"Ewww....you almost stepped in it." "Dang it...you forgot to put Panthro out last night!!!" "Did not!" "Did too!""Did not!" "Did too" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!"
Star Wars is an indelible part of my DNA. I grew up with the original trilogy, had piles of Star Wars toys, watched Ewoks and Droids on Saturday mornings, ate 3-POs cereal, and even had Meco's Star Wars Disco 8-track.
There are about a billion things cool about the Star Wars universe. Aliens, spaceships, pirates, bounty hunters, laser pistols, lightsabers. It was as if the minds of young boys were tapped for everything they liked, and it was splashed upon a silver-screen canvas. No wonder an entire generation, and subsequent generations, have gone ga-ga over it all.
Listing my favorite things about Star Wars would take days, so I'll focus this article on one particular favorite thing. Stormtroopers.
Even their name is cool: "Stormtrooper" - especially to a kid with no knowledge of military history or terms. I had never heard such words: "Stormtrooper, Skywalker, Vader." WOW!
My Stormtrooper army is small, and actually has two rebellion "spies" in it's midst, but that's okay. The goodguys always win, so who cares...what? When? Where? The bad guys win at the end of Revenge of the Sith you say? Don't get me started... *grumble grumble*
Anyways...
This guy here is a Dark Trooper, or Space Trooper. His character first appeared in the video game Dark Forces. I have never played the game, but he's a cool design and a cool re-imagining or expansion on the Stormtrooper concept. Originally released as an action figure a decade ago, and highly sought after by collectors, he was re-released last year as a fan's choice. I don't know which fans voted where, but I'm glad they did, because I would never have had him otherwise. His weapon is terribly ugly, and looks more like a bundle of plumbing supplies than a weapon of mass destruction, but I can overlook that, and/or stick some random Star Wars weapon in his hand to make up for it. His jetpack is also removable, which is pretty keen.
Next up is the McQuarrie concept Stormtrooper. This is the first release, from 2004. The first action figure representation taken straight from the concept artwork of Ralph McQuarrie, this Stormtrooper was envisioned with a blast shield, holstered pistol, and lightsaber! Just imagine if Stormtroopers weilded lightsabers. That'd be pretty neat! This figure was a must-have for me back when first released, and fortunately for fans the figure was re-released recently along with many new McQuarrie concept art based figures, including Snowtrooper, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader himself.
Next up is Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise. This figure helped launch the "new" Star Wars action figure merchandising juggernaut of 1995 that has yet to slow down to this day. He was actually a mail away promo from Froot Loops. I bought four boxes of Froot Loops that year, and still have another Han still sealed in his tiny mail-away box.
Luke in Stormtrooper disguise came a couple years later. Getting him was a no-brainer.
Here's the guy that started it all, at least as far as Stormtroopers are involved. He is not my original Stormtrooper, but a reasonable replacement I found a couple years ago at a garage sale.
My original Stormtrooper action figure was found on my way to school, in the empty overgrown field separating my neighborhood from my elementary school. I still remember the excitement of finding an honest to God Star Wars Stormtrooper action figure, and the fear I held all day that someone would walk up to me and say "I lost a Stormtrooper! Help help!"
I was an honest enough kid to know that if that happened, I would return it to it's rightful owner. I was also a greedy enough kid to figure if I kept my mouth shut about my discovery, then no one would be the wiser and "finders keepers losers weepers."
Also from around the same time as the 1995 Power of the Force line comes this Stormtrooper. He originally came with a big backpack/weapon/claw thing that I have since lost (good riddence) but, for the time, he was the best Stormtrooper being made. His plastic isn't all white, he has a speckled "dirty" look to him, and of course he suffers from the 'roid pecs the 1995 line is (in)famous for, but all in all he ain't a bad 'trooper.
Finally I leave you with the At-At driver from the late nineties. I loved the consistency of design between Stormtroopers, Tie Fighter pilots, Speeder bike troopers, At-At Drivers etc. from the original trilogy. They all felt like they truly belonged to the same armed forces, and all their armors and equipment came from the same weapon's manufacturer. Sadly I just don't feel there was enough consistency between trilogies, and I don't feel like the Clone Troopers of Episode 1 though 3 could really "evolve" into these guys. As such, I have yet to purchase a single clone trooper action figure. I read somewhere that McQuarrie was hired, but almost as soon backed out of the design project during production of the new trilogy. He probably saw coming what all the fans felt after seeing the movies. Smart man.
Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that the McQuarrie concept Stormtrooper's lightsaber glows in the dark. COOL!!
That's right folks. There are only sixteen days until the theatrical release of The Dark Knight! Sixteen days!
I am so excited!
The movie is sure to be amazing. Everything I've seen so far is absolutely mind blowing. But there's still something missing. Something I haven't seen or heard about in the new film. Something important. Something hidden.
And sometimes, it's what hides in the shadows that poses the greatest threat.
There has of course been a lot of talk and excitement surrounding Heath Ledger as the Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face. There's even been much chatter about the return of Cilian Murphy as the Scarecrow.
All these villains, the mobsters and muggers, the jay-walkers and litterers, are sure to give Batman a hard time come July 18th. But remember, Batman Begins was as much about Bruce Wayne's inner struggle as it was about stopping crazed villains with his bitchin' gadgets.
And the biggest of players, the one who started it all, the one whose villainous motivations "created" Batman and served as the foil to which Batman was the response, was Ra's Al Ghul (as played by Liam Neeson.)
As a Bat-fan of many years' standing, I don't believe we've seen the last of Ra's Al Ghul. He is, after all, semi-immortal.
So in honor of the Demon's Head, today I will discuss the exclusive Ra's Al Ghul action figure from the Batman Animated Series: Shadows of Gotham City box set.
Ra's was originally released early in the animated series run, but had a completely different body sculpt. In that release he wore some sort of non-character-relevant hey-let's-just-sell-this-silly-action-figure to-dumb-kids armor if I remember correctly. It wasn't until this Shadows of Gotham City box set that he was released in a form that actually represented his animated look and comic book personality.
The set itself was actually designed around the release of the exclusive, never before seen Talia figure. So a better Ra's was a bonus!
I've had this set since it was released in 2001. Funny thing is, upon preparing for this article I realized that I had never even opened it before!
Ra's is a mix of the previously released Alfred's body, the early Ra's Al Ghul action figure's head, and a newly made cape. Quite the mish mash, but the figure turned out very nice. His cape is a bit rigid, but it looks good on him. This is how Ra's should look - regal, important, nicely dressed. He is, after all, a thinking man's villain.
While I fully expect Ra's to re-appear at some point in the Dark Knight movie (or at least to be alluded to for a big blow-out in the third installment,) I don't necessarily expect to see Talia. Talia is Ra's daughter - not immortal, but his only heir, and since she is not male she can only continue Ra's legacy if she marries one he feels is worthy, and gives birth to a son...Sheesh - it's a long story. If you want to know more about that crazy affair, go read a comic book.
Gordon is right on target to his animated series look. He also greatly resembles my grandfather.
