LEGO Batman 3

The new Lego Batman game has just been announced.  This one is subtitled "Beyond Gotham" and the video features the Justice League hanging out in space.  Hopefully this means that DC's other heroes will get more game time in this one.  I would be much more excited if the game was called DC Heroes and not Batman 3. 

When Marvel released their Lego game it wasn't called Spiderman, Avengers, or X-Men.  They were brilliant in just using the generic Marvel Heroes.  Sure Spiderman, Wolverine, and Iron Man get a lot of screen time in the story but a lot of other characters get their time to shine.  I wish DC would have done the same this time around. 

Justice League Pool Floats

Yesterday we talked about all of the Flash merchandise that is currently at Target.  It isn’t surprising that there are a lot more items featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.  Today we’re looking at two of the coolest pool floats I’ve ever seen. 

The inflatable Batmobile is just incredible.  I personally know a number of people will be disappointed to hear that this is kid sized.  I’m confused that they went with a Batmobile when they could have gone with a Batboat.  Regardless it is an awesome looking pool float and it’s only 10 bucks.  Your kid can drive the Batmobile around your pool.  Hell yeah.

If you’d prefer your pool float to be based on Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet, well Target can help with that.  There isn’t a lot I can say about this, other than I love it.  I love anytime the Invisible Jet makes an appearance so seeing this on store shelves really made me smile.

Flash Friday: Target’s Justice League

Happy Flash Friday everyone!  It seems DC Comics and Target have teamed up for some pretty spectacular summer merchandise.  That of course means there is a bunch of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman things on the shelves, but I was happy to see the Flash snuck in there too.  Today’s Flash Friday is aimed more at things for kids, but even if I didn’t have a one year old I probably would have bought one or two of the items we’re about to go over.

 First up is a Justice League shirt and a Flash towel!  I know the towel is exciting but look at the shirt for just one moment.  Flash got the spot right under Batman and Superman.  That’s pretty amazing.  Considering that the shirt only have four characters on it I was surprised that Flash was even included.  I don’t believe this offered in adult sizes, this one is sized for 18 months. 

The Flash towel is amazing.  It’s hooded and has cloth wings on the side of the hood.  The hood doesn’t come down far enough for them to add eye holes.  Be warned, this one is not made for adults.  I can fit my head inside the hood, but when wearing it the towel portion just barely made it all the way down my back.  This is something to wrap your kid up in after a day in the pool or something similar.  I may have bought more than one.

There is also a line of kids plates, sippy cups, placemats, and plastic tumblers.  Most of these things are Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman themed.  Because I do have a child at home who could use divided plates I grabbed a Batman and Superman.  The Wonder Woman ones were already sold out at the Target I went to.  I bought the plastic tumbler because I wanted it for myself.

I didn’t just buy it because Target had it labeled as a Flash Tumbler.  Really I didn’t.  The black tumbler with the yellow lightning bolt looks cool.   Technically it looks more like a Black Adam glass.  Target also has a bunch of smaller items.  Things like stickers, temporary tattoos, etc.  All of these things are dominated by DC’s big 3, but I did see the Flash included in some of these packages.

Flash Friday: Flash Chess

Happy Flash Friday everyone!  Flash Friday is the semi-regular feature here at That F’ing Monkey that looks at upcoming merchandise or otherwise shines a spotlight on my favorite superhero.  Today we have a couple of items that you should be able to find for pre-order at your favorite online retailer or in Previews at your friendly local shop.

If you look through the Flash Friday archives it will become obvious that I was a big fan of the Eaglemoss line of DC lead figures.  They weren’t expensive, they looked good, and they didn’t take up much space.  For me, they were the perfect collectable.  Well they’ve decided the pieces work better in chess sets.  In September they will be releasing their first Flash themed chess pieces. The pieces below are part of the Justice League chess set.  Eaglemoss started their chess sets with a Batman one but it must have been popular enough that they are doing it again with a less batty theme.

 We’ve gotten an Eaglemoss Flash before but this one is definitely representing the New 52 version of the costume.  So it has all the required extra lines the costume needs sculpted into the piece.  While I might not be a fan of the new costume, I love the pose of this one.  The last pose had his arms crossed and looked pretty cocky; this new one is practically taunting his foes to come attack him.

Available that same month is the Captain Cold chess piece.  I won't go into the old Captain Cold vs. new Captain Cold argument  I figure we've probably done that enough here.  The Flash piece counts as a Bishop but Captain Cold only ranks as a Pawn.  I would have thought in the Justice League chess set that each hero and their villain would hold the same rank.  Maybe we’ll see a new Reverse Flash as a Bishop later in the line. 

While not related to Eaglemoss or chess I did want to point out that there are sets of 4 inch pvc figures coming out soon too.  I only saw two sets currently listed.  The first set is all bat related with Batman, Robin, and Bane.  The second set is a little stranger; it contains Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Reverse Flash.  I don’t normally question Flash merchandise when we get it, but I do think it’s an odd villain choice considering the heroes in the pack.

Gifted Volume 1

While I didn’t really mention it on That F’ing Monkey I recently ran into a bit of trouble with my truck.  It wasn’t just one little thing either, it was a combination of things that worked in unison to create a perfect storm of mechanical problems.  I was very lucky that Uncle Sam had recently given me my money back and I was somehow responsible enough that I didn’t instantly run out and spend it on new toys and video games.  Yale Stewart isn’t as lucky as I was, he actually needs a new car.

 Yale Stewart is the creator of the JL8 web comic that puts the Justice League in elementary school.  I’ve spoken about the comic before because at the moment it is my favorite iteration of the DC Universe.  I’ve been quite vocal saying the New 52 isn’t doing it for me.  JL8 gets the characters so much better than the comics currently in shops.  If you haven’t read the strip you can do so by clicking HERE. 

Well it’s pretty hard to make money off of characters you don’t own and Yale has stated that he is in some financial difficulties.  So how do you help someone who twice a week produces a fantastic web comic?  Luckily JL8 isn’t the first thing Yale has done.  There is also a 32 page comic called Gifted.  You can purchase the PDF of the comic by clicking HERE.  You pay what you want for the comic and Yale gets to build up a new car fund.  Check it out.

Flash Friday: DC Super Friends Busy Book

Happy Flash Friday everyone!  I picked up the subject of this week’s Flash Friday a little while ago but every time I went to write about it something else exciting came up.  As a lifelong Flash fan I realize that Flash items are few and far between when compared to Superman and Batman.  Because of that I’m keeping an extra close eye on Flash merchandise aimed at children.  I want my son to be able to have his own Flash stuff.  I’m sure it won’t stop him from wanting to play with the things in dad’s glass display cases, but it can’t hurt.

With this strategy in mind I realize I’ll be buying things when they are available even if they aren’t age appropriate.  I can’t chance seeing something on the shelf and hoping it will still be there in two or three years when my son is finally ready for it.  So I’ll buy them early, stash them away, and just surprise him with them when he’s old enough.  The first of these is the DC Super Friends Busy Book.

I ran into these and Barnes and Nobles.  It was on one of their center tables and marked down for 10 dollars.  There were Busy Books for all sorts of different licensed characters.  I picked up the Super Friend set and flipped through it to make sure the Flash was in.  Once I had seen that I knew it was coming home with us. 

The Busy Book is a large book with about 10 pages.  They’re made of the thick cardboard type material used in kid books.  It’s glossy and has bright illustrations.  It also has a large box at the end of the book that contains a fold out play area and little figures.  What figures are included?  Of course it comes with Batman, Superman, and Robin.  To round out the Super Friends there is Flash, John Stewart Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Hawkman.  .  It’s surprising that Wonder Woman got left out here.  Instead of Wonder Woman we get an adorable little Krypto.  Of course you need villains so Lex Luthor, Joker, Penguin, and Riddler are thrown in

I can’t wait to see the play mat laid across the floor.  As I stated before, it’s too early for this set at the moment.  If I gave it to him now he’d enjoy turning the book’s pages.  The action figures would quickly go into his mouth.  Superman is tough, but I’m pretty sure he’d come out with some bite marks.  One day the Flash and Hawkman will defeat the Joker and Penguin at the abandoned carnival but for now the Busy Book will be up on the shelf until the time is right.    

DC Super Friends: Joker’s Playhouse Part 2

Yesterday we looked at the first half of DC Super Friend’s episode The Joker’s Playhouse. All of the heroes were in trouble. Today we’re going to finish the episode off. So if you haven’t read part one, click here. I got the episode on a DVD packed in with the Green Lantern Jet but you can also find it on Fisher-price.com if you go to their Imaginext section of the site.

DC Super Friends: Joker’s Playhouse Part 1

As I had stated last week Target has a bundle exclusive to their store that packages Green Lantern’s jet with the Flash and Hawkman figures. They also included a DVD of something called The Joker’s Playhouse. I had no idea what to expect. Turns out DC and Fisher-Price had this awesome homage to the old Super Friends made to help promote the Imaginext line. They use music and sound effects from the old Super Friends show and the narrator does his best to sound like Ted Knight. We’re going to take a look at the entire thing, so this is going to be one of the long articles. I’ll let you know up front though, this thing is far better then I had imagined it would be.