William David Lee, ESQ.

I have a fever and the only cure is more Watchmen. We're about a month and a half away from the film premiering in theaters and I am getting sweaty. The film debuts on March 6 as schedules, despite the lawsuit between WB and Fox which wound up being much ado about nothing. The merchandise juggernaut is all set to roll out with t-shirts & posters already hitting some malls. Amazon has a bunch of tie-in books up for pre-order. Of course, what would a superhero flick be without action figures? DC Direct debuted their Watchmen line at last year's Comic-Con with busts, replicas, and action figures. Most comic shops should have gotten in the first series (which includes Nite-Owl, Rorschach, Ozymandias, and Silk Spectre II) this past Wednesday on new comic book day. I got mine on Tuesday after pre-ordering them from Amok Time.





PACKAGING - ****
The four figues come in the standard DC Direct packaging which is very cool and more fancy and sturdier than your standard mass market toys. This is one of those rare occasions where I was extremely careful not to damage the box since I actually wanted to keep them rather than tossing them into the recycling bin. The top flap features a yellow band with the Watchmen logo and black & white art of the main characters. Inside of the box has a mock-up of the 'Who Watches the Watchmen' graffiti. The side has the trademark Watchmen logo with the doomsday clock and a picture of the figure while the back features a synopsis of the film and a shot of all four figures in the series. These would definitely look great on your shelf if you're a MIB'er.



SCULPTING - Nite-Owl, Ozymandias, Rorschach ****, Silk Spectre II *** 1/2
The sculpt work is simply incredible. Each figure looks almost exactly like their cinematic counterparts. Nite-Owl and Ozymandias are definitely the stand-outs of the bunch. Nite-Owl's cape and cowl feature all the same lines and details as they do in the film and comic. They didn't skimp on the ridges on his chain mail-esque armor. The body work on Ozymandias is just as superb with his Ancient Egypt by way of Joel Schumacher costume. He's got the molded muscles and, yes, the nipples. They also sculpted on his domino mask and tiara when they could have been cheap and simply painted them on. Ozy's head is shaped slightly more square jawed than Matthew Goode though that's a negligible nitpick.



Rorschach is another figure which features a remarkable likeness. His trenchcoat is exceptionally detailed as the sculptors managed to capture every fold and crease. The sashes on the belt are made of soft plastic rather than sculpted on. He is the shortest of the four figures which jibes with what was in the comic. There are a few points that old him back from being the star of the series which I'll explain below.



I knocked Silk Spectre down a half a star simply because she doesn't quite look like Malin Ackerman. There isn't anything else wrong with her head sculpt, she looks good. DC Direct didn't skimp on the details either for the lone female of the bunch. Again, they could have easily just painted the details on, but there are slight ridges and bumps to distinguish between fabric, skin, and vinyl. Also, I love the little touches like the garters, the zipper down the middle, and the collar. It also appears Silk Spectre is very cold when she's out fighting crime. The only problem are her high heels which (like a lot of other female figures) makes it difficult for her to stand on her own.

PAINT - ****
With all the intricate detailing in these figures, you'd think it'd be easy to mess up just a tiny bit. But, no, none of my Watchmen have any kind of slop or bleeding. Silk Spectre has a shiny layer of black to replicate the leather of her outfit.



ARTICULATION - Nite-Owl, Ozymandias **, Silk Spectre * 1/2, Rorschach - *
I knew going in that these weren't going to be well-articulated action figures. However, I was rather disappointed with how Rorschach turned out. He's stuck in that 'walking down the alley' pose. His head is permanently titled to the side like that and the collar on coat prevents his head from turning too far to the left. Other than the neck joint, he has joints at each should and elbow. Silk Spectre has those same joints, but her long molded hair blocks any significant movement with her head. She has no joints in her legs other than cuts at her thighs which are pretty pointless.

Nite-Owl and Ozy both have basic articulation with joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, legs, and knees. Even then, there's not a lot of poseability. I will say the areas of their costumes over the shoulders is made of a soft plastic so that the shoulder joints at least have a full range of motion.

ACCESSORIES - Rorschach * 1/2, Others *
Rorschach comes with his grappling gun and an alternate hand to hold it. I don't have any pictures of it yet as I haven't been able to get his hand off to switch it out. Nite-Owl comes with an Owl-a-Rang hooked onto his belt that is removeable. All four figures come with display stands that look like a metal grating rooftop. This works out perfectly for Silk Spectre who can't stand and for Rorschach who has some trouble as well.



VALUE - **
I pre-ordered these from Amok Time and, to my surprise, they arrived via UPS this past Tuesday. Including shipping, I paid a few cents south of $60 which is the best price I've been able to find online. Most comic shops will probably have them for $15 or more which is standard for these types of figures. Considering these are licensed figures for the specialty market, $15.00 is likely going to be the best price. $12.99 would be better.

OVERALL - ***
I should note that, scale-wise, these Watchmen figures are about a head taller than the DC Universe Classics. So if you were looking to display these on the same shelf as your DCUC, they are not going to fit right in. Also, while I'm a bit disappointed by the lack of articulation, I'm still happy to have these Watchmen figures. They look incredible with Nite-Owl being the stand-out of the four. Rorschach will probably be a popular choice for most fans, but Ozy might actually be my favorite of the group. I'll definitely be picking up the second wave which consists of The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, and the original Nite-Owl and Silk Spectre. Here's hoping these sell well enough to get some of the other secondary characters like Silhouette, Captain Metropolis or Moloch.


For more pics you can check them out on Flickr.

We are less than a month away from one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Iron Man. I never thought I'd be this excited for an Iron Man movie, but all the footage I've seen looks tremendous. They've got a great director in Jon Favreau (Made, Elf) and a fantastic cast. We've got Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Leslie Bibb, Samuel L. Jackson in a cameo as Nick Fury, and Hilary Swank in yet-to-be announced role. Bethany Cabe? Janet Van Dyne? Plus, Marvel is setting up the foundation for a future Avengers film.

The figures have just started hitting stores in the last couple weeks. I don't usually go for movie toy lines, but these were too cool to pass up. Toy Biz did a pretty good job when they had the Marvel license, even if stores were clogged with unwanted Hulk and Fantastic Four stuff. Since taking over, Hasbro has met with mixed emotions from toy collectors. Their Spider-Man 3 figures were pretty stinky, but their Iron Man line looks to redeem the company.



Packaging - ***
Hasbro did some snazzy designing for the packages. There's a real high-tech armor look to the blisters and the red will definitely draw the attention of any youngsters wandering into the toy aisle with mom and dad. The logo is boldly stamped on top right next to the Iron Man drawn by Adi Granov. For those of you who prefer keeping your toys in the box, these will look cool hung up on your wall. For those of you who prefer PLAYING with your toys, these are easy to open (much easier than the clamshells) and there aren't any annoying twistie ties to trap your figure.



SCULPTING - ****
I like these figures so much, I'm just gonna go ahead and give them four stars across the board. There's a ton of detail put into each figure. No half-assing here. The Mark 01 armor looks spot-on from what I've seen of the real deal from the trailers. The same goes for the red and gold Mark 03 armor. The toy appears to have leapt right off the pages of Adi Granov's sketchbook, the Iron Man artist instrumental in designing the movie version. If I have an issue with the Mark 03, it's that it looks rather skinny compared to some of the past Iron Man toys. The Iron Monger might be my favorite, it is a beast. The Monger is bigger and bulkier than its compatriots, a slicker, much improved version of the Mark 01. Some might make a bigger issue of it, but the Monger does have a slightly softer feel to his details compared to the Mark 01. It's only a minor nitpick for me.

PAINT - Mark 01 & Mark 03 ***, Iron Monger **
As awesome as the Iron Monger is, it could have been better. I don't care for the brownish gray they did him in. I'd have preferred a much nicer, sterling silver coat. The Monger's paint job is done uniformly so there isn't much detail to him which adds to his soft look. The Mark 01 is very well done. There's no slop and the detail missing in the Monger can be found here. The Mark 01 looks beat up and rusty, exactly the way it should. The Mark 03 is excellent, at least mine is. The red and gold armor has a real shiny look to it. It will definitely stand out in your collection. There is some slight bleed between the red and gold on one of the arms and there's a tiny red splotch on the back of the left leg.



I will warn you all to choose your Mark 03 very carefully. I went through a bunch of them at several stores and only found maybe 2 or 3 that weren't painted in a sloppy manner. Lots of smudging and splotches. I was tempted to knock off a star and a half because of this. So, examine your figure closely before plunking down your cash.

ARTICULATION - Mark 03 **1/2, Mark 1 & Iron Monger *1/2
The Mark 03 armor isn't the well-articulated figure that collectors are used to from the Marvel Legends line. It features the basic articulation with ball joints at the leg and shoulders along with joints at the elbows, wrist, neck, waist, torso, knees, and ankles. Not super-poseable, but good enough.

The Mark 01 armor has basically the same articulation as its successor, except it's not nearly as poseable due to the design. The arms at the elbows can't move much as the armor gets in the way. There appear to be ball joints for the legs of the Iron Monger, but they can't move at all. The Monger features a DC Super Powers style action feature. Squeeze the legs together for "Super Fist Smash" action. The action feature definitely hinders movement at the waist and shoulders as well.



ACCESSORIES - *
The Mark 03 comes with two shoulder pad attachments, a wrist mounted rocket launcher, and rocket. The Mark 01 comes with only a flame projectile, while the Monger comes with bupkis. I would have liked the figures to come with some sort of stand or mini-poster.

VALUE - ***
These are available at Target, Toys R Us, and Wal-Mart for 9.99. That's a fair price though I do wish we could have gotten some more accessories. With the cost of oil rising, toy prices are going to be bumped up. 10 bucks is looking a lot better compared to 11 or 12.





OVERALL - ***
These are some quality action figures and they'll fit in well on the shelves with your other Marvel characters. The Mark 03 gets high recommendations (if you can find one with a clean paint job) and the Iron Monger is my favorite, but might be harder to find as it comes only one per case. Aside from the figures I've reviewed, there is also an Iron Man Prototype which comes with removable face plate and snap-on armor and a Mark 02 which is the Mark 03 with an all silver paint job. Also available, are a Target exclusive of the Mark 03 in Silver Centurion colors and a Wal-Mart exclusive War Machine. The second wave will feature another Iron Monger and Titanium Man.

'Tis the summer of sequels this year. We've got the third installments of Spider-Man, Pirates, Shrek, Bourne, Resident Evil, and Rush Hour. Not to mention a fourth Die Hard plus, the Bruce Almighty spin-off with Steve Carell. Perhaps, the most anticipated will be the fifth Harry Potter film, The Order of the Phoenix. I'm not exactly a Potter fanatic, but I am a late convert. I caught the first two films on HBO and didn't find either all that appearling. The third, directed by the ultra-talented Alfonso Cuaron, was a huge step-up and Goblet of Fire was just a damn good movie, whether you're a fan of the franchise or not.

Just in time for the new movie are a brand new line of action figures. The license was previously held by , but NECA has control now. These new figures are aimed more towards collectors and diehard Potter fans. This first wave is based on the previous Goblet of Fire and features Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort, a Dementor, and a two different Death Eaters. Upcoming waves will be based on the OOTP with Wave 1 made up of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius Black which should be available soon. The second wave will feature Dumbledore, Snape, and two more Death Eaters. There will also be shrunk down versions of those figures in the 3 3/4-inch scale to fit right in with your Star Wars figures and GI Joes.

I'll be reviewing Harry's arch-nemesis, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort. Thanks again to Michael Crawford's Review of the Week for inspiring the template I'm copying...er...borrowing.


PACKAGING - ***
Packaging is the standard clamshell made famous by McFarlane. It's bigger in height and slightly shorter in length than the usual ones. But, it's strong and sturdy for those who prefer to keep their figures mint in box. The graphics are really nice and the back shows off all the figures really well.


SCULPTING - ****
The likeness (based on the climactic scene in Goblet) is really superb, much better than what I'm showing in my pictures. They really captured the flat nose, the beady eyes, and gnarled teeth. You can even see a tiny bit of Ralph Fiennes there. The robe is hard plastic and in mid-flow. My one complaint is the Marilyn Monroe in Seven Year Itch-thing he's got in the back. Before you ask, the dark lord goes commando.

PAINT - ****
The paint job is another example of exceptional work. Voldemort's skin has a sickly alabaster palour to it. There are even lines and cracks along his arms, skull, and neck for added effect. There's not a sloppy application or speck to find, not even around the tiniest details like the eyes and teeth.



ARTICULATION - *
Voldemort only has 4 points of articulation. They're found at the waist, neck, and both shoulders. You're pretty much stuck with one basic pose. As I said before, these are aimed for collectors, so kids (little or fully grown) looking to play with their toys will be severely disappointed. I don't know for sure, but I think the smaller scale figures are likely to pack more articulation.

ACCESSORIES - *
Nothing much. Voldemort comes with a basic base and his magic wand.



VALUE - **
I picked the dark lord up at the local Spencer's for 14.99. Not that great, a better price point would be 11.99 or even 12.99. I'm sure other mall stores like Suncoast or Hot Topic will carry these at similar cost, I don't know if places like KB or TRU are stocking these. You might be able to find a better price online, especially if you're looking to pick up the whole set.

OVERALL - ***
Other than a lack of articulation and accessories, Voldemort is a quality figure. I'm guessing he and Harry will probably be the most wanted figures and the others will wind up as peg warmings until clearance time. The likeness is amazing and he'll look really cool on display. I'm eagar to pick up some of the other characters to keep him company on the shelf. NECA is really on a roll this year pumping out figures for Potter, 300, Pirates, and Grindhouse, which I previously reviewed. Just click on either 'action figures' or 'toybox' in the tags list to read it.

Yay! We're back for another dip into the ol' toy collection. This time with a look at some of the recent DC Superheroes from Mattel, a company which has been on my shitlist for a while now. It began with a group of sculptors nicknamed The Four Horsemen, who Mattel hired away from McFarlane. The group would revamp Mattel's long dormant He-Man & The Masters of the Universe line and bring it into the 21st century. While the new toys and new animated series were a hit with diehard fans and collectors, neither found a newer audience. To make matters worse, Mattel employed a completely ridiculous case ratio that saw toy stores flooded with unwanted He-Man & Skeletor figures, while the more desired secondary figures (Teela, Orko, Evil-Lyn) were virtually impossible to find. With figures wasting valuable store space, it appeared as if the toyline was a big flop, which definitely wasn't the case. The same would happen to Horsemen designed Batman line.



It seems Mattel hasn't learned a damn thing and the new DC line (which focuses solely on Batman and Superman) might suffer the same fate. I can't tell you how many times I walked into the toy sections of Target or Wal-Mart, only to find peg after peg of Supermans and none of the villains. I still haven't found Azrael or Blue Costumed Supergirl. Luckily, I had a lucky streak last month and found the rarely seen Steel, Parasite, & Mongul.


PACKAGING - ***
I love the new purple design scheme that Mattel is using for this line and the Justice League figures. It definitely catches the eye when you're wandering the aisle. The logos are big and sharp with no wasted space. The backdrops have an added effect too. I'll try not to analyze the packages too much since I ripped them apart not long ago to get at the real meat.


SCULPTING - Steel ****, Mongul ****, Parasite **1/2
We'll start off with John Henry Irons himself, the man known as Steel. This awesome figure certainly makes up for that crappy movie with Shaq and Judd Nelson. There's some amazing detail in the figure with the muscle lines and all the little rivets around parts of his armor. The 'S' shield stands loudly and proudly on the center of his chest. His head suffers slightly from a case of the horseface, but it's a minute quibble.


Mongul is definitely my favorite figure out of the entire line. He's another one who's blessed with great detail. His costume is spot-on with his look in the comics and they didn't skimp on all the little bumps and ridges. His face sports a well-done scowl and has a craggily look. My only nit to pick would be the scale issue as he's bigger than Darkseid, which I don't think is the case.


Not faring so well is Rudy Jones aka The Parasite. There's nothing wrong or shoddily done about him, it's just that I'm not particularly fond of the look they used. It looks like somebody had a Clayface mold lying around and decided to go with that. He probably had that look at one point in the comics, but I'm more familiar with his less monstrous form in the comics. I don't really like the cloven hoof-like style they used for his feet as it makes it a bit harder to make him stand.

PAINT - Steel & Mongul ****, Parasite **
Once again, poor Parasite isn't as strong as his peers. The white bands along his body are pretty sloppy and come off more off-white and gray than actual white. There's also some bleed over between the purples and the bands. Steel and Mongul look a lot better and I didn't find any blemishes in the paint jobs on my figures.



ARTICULATION - **1/2
All three figures have 17 points of articulation. They aren't super poseable, but they aren't the statues that most McFarlane & NECA figures are. Parasite doesn't have a wide range of head movements due to his almost hunchback design. If you wanted to play with them, you'll be disappointed, but if you're just looking to display them, it's not a total loss.

ACCESSORIES - Bupkis
Steel comes with his big-ass hammer and that's it. Mongul and Parasite get nothing and like it. The backdrops can be used to display with the figures, but I'm not counting them.

VALUE - ***
Depending on where you find them, they usually range from 8.99 to 9.99. Wal-Mart will probably have the best price on them. But, I'd get them wherever you might be lucky enough to find them.



OVERALL - ****
These are some great figures and I'm really looking forward to future offerings. They showed off a really nice Catwoman at last year's Comic-Con and the upcoming Two-Face looks great as well. Parasite is okay, but Mongul and Steel just blow my mind.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I haven't done my movie and comic columns in a while, so now we're gonna get a toy column that's almost never gonna get posted. Well, it's my blog, so suck it.

Anyways, in the early-90's, a little toy company started up by Todd McFarlane practically revolutionized the action figure industry. They set new levels for sculpting and collectibility. McFarlane also snatched up a wide variety of licenses that stretched far beyond those of comic book characters and into sports, music, TV, and film. Now, NECA seems to be McFarlane's heir apparent. They've been snagging licenses the way McFarlane used to. Shaun of the Dead, Bubba Ho-Tep, Kurt Cobain, Kill Bill, and Sin City are just a few of them. 2007 should be a huge year for NECA as they're rolling out figures for 300, Grindhouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter.



To coincide with this weekend's release of Grindhouse, I've got a review of some of the first action figures. The first set spotlights Robert Rodriguez's entry, Planet Terror. I've got Cherry and Dakota. The third figure is Quentin Tarantino as The Rapist (?!?!) which I left on the peg as it looks like QT with Down's Syndrome. No announcements have been made about further figures, other than a Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. I'm really looking forward to getting that and putting him on the shelf next to my Snake Plissken figure. Sadly, the Jack Burton figure from Mirage was a piece of shit and I didn't like SOTA's Jack MacReady either. A man can never have enough Kurt Russell action figures. Now, if someone can get off their ass and make Sky High figures...


PACKAGING - **
I'm kinda using Michael's Toy Reviews as the template here and stars will be on a scale of 0-4. The figures come in a plastic clamshell that is more compact than the larger versions that McFarlane started and everybody else started using. The graphics are pretty cool, but the backdrop is kinda plain. The back and sides feature a grimy film strip theme. I don't think they'll look too exciting if you decide to hang 'em up on your wall. Luckily for me, I'm popping them open.

SCULPTING - (Cherry) ***, Dakota *** 1/2

I'm mainly judging the sculpting on how close the faces are to their real-life counterparts. Cherry looks kinda like Rose McGowan, but has a real angular look to her face upon closer inspection. The nose is a bit pointy as well. I think part of the problem is they tried for a smoldering sexy facial expression, but wound up with an "I smell the stench of rotten eggs, circus midgets, and asparagus farts." Then again, I'd walk around like that if I almost married Marilyn Manson too.


Dakota fares better. Cherry is Ms. McGowan's second figure as SOTA made one based on her character on Charmed. Dakota is Marley Shelton's first action figure since NECA has yet to make one for the Woman in Red from Sin City. Ms. Shelton is, perhaps, best remembered as lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot. The figure might not look exactly like her, but it's spot-on with the poster, "You might feel a little prick."

PAINT - *** (Both)
The flesh coloring on these figures look great. They're really clean and even. There isn't any bleed through from the paint on their clothes. There are a couple tiny specks, but they're hardly noticeable. You might want to closely inspect your Dakota before purchasing, I noticed one or two at the store that looked really wall-eyed. I guess those bugged out pupils weren't easy. NECA did skimp a bit on Dakota's teddy underneath her skirt, leaving most of it flesh colored, instead of black. Yes, I did look under the skirt of an action figure. Shut up.

ARTICULATION - *
While McFarlane may have made advancements in toys, they set articulation back to the stone age. NECA seems to be following in their footsteps in this department too. These figures are essentially mini-statues, meant to be displayed rather than played with. Dakota features 6 points of articulation. The top part of her legs, her waist, and head can twist and turn, while her arms can only move up and down. Cherry only has a whoppin' 2 points. The bottom part of her leg (at the boot) and her head twist and turn. You're pretty much stuck with the poses they gave you, which is a shame if you wanted to have Dakota hold up her syringe like in the poster.

ACCESSORIES - * 1/2
Not much. Dakota comes with three syringes and a wacky lookin' gun/crossbow. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm only speculating that she shoots needles at people, which sounds awesome. She has a soft rubber holster attached to her leg which I'm guessing you're supposed to use, but I have no idea how to fit anything into it. I also don't know how she's supposed to hold anything as I can't get the gun to stay in her hand. It's even harder since she doesn't have any wrist or finger articulation. Be extra careful with them because they're really small and easy to lose. Cherry comes with a detachable right leg and the machine gun replacement. Both figures come with black, oval peg stands which is great as they can't stand for shit. This was a huge problem with the Sin City figures, so I'm glad NECA has corrected that mistake. Some miniature posters to display with the ladies would have been nice.

VALUE - ** 1/2
Ah, the pain of being a toy collector. It's getting harder and harder to find cool stuff like Grindhouse figures. Obviously, places like Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target aren't gonna carry them. Video game stores such as EB and Gamestop no longer carry action figures. Tower Records and Sam Goody are gone and Suncoast has closed down a ton of their stores. You're only avenues are internet vendors, comic book stores, and mall shops like Spencer's and Hot Topic. I picked these up at Spencer's for 14.99 each. Not that great a price. 10.99 would have been fine and I could have eaten 12.99 no problem. The lack of accessories and articulation makes paying 15 bucks each a bit much. If you're interested in getting all 3 figures, check on the 'net as you can probably find the set for around 35 bucks, not including shipping.




OVERALL - ***
Even if the lack of accessories and poseability, I still dig the figures. They look really great and I'm sure I'll love them even more after seeing the film.