Happy New Year

Bucky and Steve Celebrate the New Year!

Sadness

I just deleted a whole lot of comic blogs from Feedly, the place I read blogs. They hadn't been updated in at least a year. For some, they hadn't been updated in years. Yikes! I really should check my blogroll annually. But it was sad, to formally say goodbye to blogs I'd loved, from their comics-y titles to the insightful, funny, thought-provoking posts. I miss them.

As for reading, the only thing I've read was Red Hood and the Outlaws 40 -- yeah, yeah, I bought more this week, but I got new action figures to play with: Hot Toys 12-inch-ish Star-Lord and Tony Stark, so well, I've been busy playing.

As for RHATO 40, it was okay, clearly a setup for the post-Convergence Red Hood and Arsenal title, maybe even the Starfire title. But I'll miss Kori and Roy as a couple. They really were cute together. I am glad Jason and Roy will stay friends, though, and share a book. Roy and Dick were always friends who were close as brothers, and yet, Roy and Jason are a better fit as friends. Both are pretty screwed up but rise above it, especially when they support and are supported by each other. So, I'm looking forward, not backward. This far removed from the end of the old DC and the start of the New 52, I can leave my obsession with the past, and continuity, behind. Reading a wider variety of comics can do that for a person. Every title in Image books is its own universe, after all, and I'm okay with that. I can be okay reading a few DC titles and a few Marvel titles, and the Image titles I love and some Dynamite and.... well, you get the idea. Variety is good. Good comics is better.

Here are the new toys, Star-Lord and Tony Stark, both from Hot Toys.

Peter Quill, Star-Lord

Tony Stark, ARC Reactor Creation Figure

Another Year, Another New York Comic Con

This year, the 4-day passes sold out really fast, so by the time it was my turn, 50 minutes after entering the site's queue, there were only 3-day passes and dailies left. Three-day passes don't include Thursday, my favorite day because it's the least hectic, so I ended up getting passes for Thursday and Friday only, which cost a bit more than a 4-day pass. Adding Saturday would've been too much money to spend extra for walking around, shopping, and taking photos. I don't do panels; haven't done that at a con in years.

I spent most of Thursday in Artist Alley, chatting with folks and taking pictures. First stop was getting on the line for Amanda Conner, my favorite artist and one of the very few people I'd stand on line for these days. For most of my time at NYCC, Amanda has graciously let me take a photo of her with my little stormtrooper action figure, Steve. It's a NYCC tradition! Jimmy Palmiotti was there at the time, too, so I got them both to pose with little Steve. They're the nicest people and I love chatting with them.

Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, and Steve

I got to meet Kyle Higgins and picked up the not-yet-released-to-stores compilation of the first 5 issues of C.O.W.L. which has edged its way into my top 5 favorite comics with its unique slant of unionized superheroes.

Kyle Higgins

Autographed Copy of COWL Book 1

I don't really collect art, anymore. My money goes for action figures and other toys these days and I have no place to showcase art, anyway, thanks to no wall space. But I did get a few autographs on the cover of my program, including Adam Hughes.

Adam Hughes

I then headed over to the giant toy and comics mall, aka the seller's floor, and bought a few things. Mostly, I took pics of cosplayers and upcoming 1:6 action figures, such as these.

I already have Mal Reynolds, from QMx on pre-order. It was nice to see the figure in person, though!

Mal Reynolds 1:6 Scale Action Figure

 I became a Honey West fan with the TV series in the '60s and have enjoyed the recent comic book series. I do need to read the novels on which the show and comics were based. So I was happy to see that Phicen is doing a seamless action figure of Honey, due out in 2015.

Honey West 1:6 Action Figure Doll

And there's a new player when it comes to high end 1:6 action figures: Star Ace. Their distributor is YesAnime. They're starting out, this month, with a series of Harry Potter figures.

Ron Weasley and Harry Potter 1:6 Action Figures

I'll showcase my favorites of the cosplayers I snapped in another post.

Today's Haul

Picked up my comics today as I was busy with a friend yesterday. Got The Movement, Codename: Action, Fairest, Lazarus, Miss Fury Digital, and Shadow Now. It's so odd to buy so few DC Comics. But the main thing I bought is this charmer: Tony Stark! He comes with a LOT of accessories.

Tony Stark

Mera in Plastic

Mera

I got only 2 comics today -- Secret Six 35, which I'll review later, and Batman and Robin 25, of which the less that's said the better -- and the above action figure of Mera. The other new figures were fine, but I'm being selective. I've got the Red Lantern Mera, so I thought I should have this one, too. Here they are together.

Mera and Mera

I forgot to include Red Lantern Mera's trident in the photo. Oops. Anyway, they're long and hard to fit into the frame, so 2 would've been problematic. There's a slight, flat section on Mera's chest, in the same place as Red Lantern Mera has her logo. They had to redo the head, so even with using the same basic body mold, couldn't they fix that one spot? It's a bit weird. Otherwise, she's lovely, though I wish her hands would turn, on both figs, so I could better pose her holding the trident. I've always been a fan of Mera, so it's nice having these figures of her.

Women of DC in 2 and 3 D

I like the January cover scheme with the logo design, but it's a bit annoying to have to read the fairly small header font to get the titles, especially for books that feature the same characters or that have a "guest" character on the cover.

That said, the cover for Birds of Prey 8 is very nice, with Dinah front and center. The interior art by Guillem March is quite nice, so until we get the new regular artist here, I have to say the fill-ins have included some great stuff. Penguin is looking rather bizarre and well, Penguin-like! The Calculator vs Oracle storyline is a good one, and I like that Gail is using what happened between the two in Batgirl. Nice continuity there! I'm still way behind on my comics reading, especially the Bat books, so I'm a bit out of it when it comes to Batman and had to read a bit to know we were seeing Bruce, not Dick. I wonder if I'll ever catch up. Maybe when I retire! ;)

Batgirl 17 has my favorite of the January DC covers so far. Steph just looks great and her pose works nicely with her Bat logo. The story was lightweight, but worth it for the Steph/Damian interactions. I loved when she realized he doesn't know how to play. Cool stuff.

As for the 3D DC woman, here's a photo of something else I picked up this week. Along with the Black Lantern Wonder Woman, Mera was the only other Blackest Night figure I wanted. Doesn't she look fantastic? They did an awesome job on her, I think.

Blackest Night Mera

Stephanie Has Arrived

And isn't she lovely?



The original Batgirl is looking on from the background. :)

Only picked up 2 comics this week. Haven't read Brightest Day yet, but Secret Six 24 was entertaining, if a bit odd, with a wild west setting and the gang all getting killed. With the one-off last week, I'm a bit confused, wondering if this is also a standalone story by Gail, or if it's the start of something. I guess we'll find out next time. Maybe. :)

Fun with Figures

Three of DC's Finest

Went to Forbidden Planet and got 2 weeks of comics to add to the stack I still need to read from before my vacation. At this rate, I won't be able to catch up until I retire.

Some reviews later.

Wish Upon a Star

Wish Upon a Star
Originally uploaded by ShellyS

I've been wanting this since I saw the announcement months ago. I'd wanted the Cyclone figure, too, but when I saw it, I wasn't really thrilled with her face. Her expression was odd, off, weird, so I didn't buy her. But I might change my mind and buy her next week.

But Courtney is quite lovely.

I read the latest Wonder Woman, which has one of the loveliest WW covers ever, and the 2nd Arsenal issue, which was intense. I was saddened that the art was so nice in that Lian, in Roy's dream, was so beautifully drawn, actually looking like a real little girl and not a midget or some such, and it figures that the best art for her is after she's dead. I'll write a proper review of the book tonight. Meanwhile, enjoy Stargirl.

Blackest Night Wonder Woman

Blackest Night Wonder Woman

I wasn't going to get any of the Blackest Night figures. I've got a lot of action figures, including those from DC Direct, and I really didn't feel I needed these. Until I saw the Wonder Woman one today. She's a fine addition to my collection and one day soon, I'll do a pic with all my Wonder Women figures and variations. Meanwhile, zombies never looked so good!

She Was on Sale

Well, not just her. All of Forbidden Planet NYC. Twenty per cent off everything in stock. Today only. So, well, I had to get her. She's a limited edition from Tonner. I think they really need to do a Power Girl. And maybe the new Batwoman.

Back in Stock

But maybe not for long. Forbidden Planet NY got the DC Classics figs from a few weeks ago back in stock, and I was able to get Ollie, even though he looked to be selling better than the others and will probably be sold out again soon. But at least now I can pose him with Dinah.

Black Canary

I bought this new Black Canary figure today. She's got amazing articulation. Her feet are jointed and there are turning points on her legs and arms along with the hinged joints for knees and elbows. The only thing that doesn't seem to move is her head, which is disappointing, but she's otherwise very posable. You can see she has a joint under her boobs (I use that word to help my search referrals) so she can lean back or a bit forward. Her feet really aren't weighted, so it can take a bit to get her balanced enough to stand on her own, but it is doable. Next week, I plan to get the Green Arrow from this set and maybe Wildcat. Payday isn't until Friday, so I couldn't get more than the one today.

Black Canary Times 3

I picked up the new JLI Black Canary figure today and couldn't resist doing this shot of my 3 Black Canary figures. The one on the right is still my favorite.

I have a stack of comics ready to review and bigger stacks of comics to read. I'll get to them all, eventually.

New Acquisitions

From Amazon:

 

From Forbidden Planet:

All Star Super Lois and All Star Batgirl

I did not realize these would be different sizes. But both are really nice. The Lois is the scale of the other DCU figures. The Batgirl is in the same scale of most of the Doctor Who figures.

Latest from DC Direct

Picked these lovelies up at the comic shop today. Got some comics, too. I didn't have time today for picks with all my Supergirls and all my Batgirls, but I will gather them all up for pics. These are from the latest series of Justice figures, based on Alex Ross' art, and they really are quite special. This is one of the best SG figs ever, and while I prefered this costume with the bloomers, it's still probably my favorite costume for Kara. And this BG is wonderful. Their heads don't move much because of their hair, but the hair is nicely done and they look so real. Both are fine additions to my growing collection.

Babs as Batgirl

Isn't she lovely?

More from NYComicon

I went back today, because, well, I had a weekend pass and I live in NYC and I wanted to buy more toys and take more pics. Here are some more shots of DC Direct's upcoming figures.









I believe these are from The Watchmen. I don't read that, but these figures rock. I want.

Upcoming DC Direct Figures

Now that I've seen the figures in person, the Black Canary is starting to grow on me. I think I'll be buying her. On display at NY Comicon.