Resistance is Futile

Even when they were first released, I was quite interested in the figures for the Disney's Infinity game. I had no real interest in the game itself. My kids are all grown and it looks like it is geared to that 9 to 14 age group. But the figures...well, I just enjoyed the look of them. It's a good style, similar to others that I tend to gravitate towards, from a cartooning perspective. It also does a fantastic job bringing all these different "Disney worlds" into one unifying design, while keeping the feel of the character.

Up till now, I have resisted purchasing any of these figures. I rationalize it by thinking that at that price point I could by an action figure and the Infinity figures aren't articulated and are basically little statues. Even though the reality of the situation is when I do buy a "action figure" it gets put up on a shelf in my room and never moves anyway. It's a lie I tell myself that has worked up until now. The
closest I came to breaking down and getting one was the Lone Ranger set. Not because the movie was all that great (although not the best, I did enjoy it for what it was), but because of my fondness for the character and the style. But I resisted, saving my pennies for other pop culture stuff to spend my money on. Until now...

In a move that was inevitable now that Disney owns Marvel Comics, the new Infinity 2.0 game and figures have hit the market. I had seen them coming, but hoped I could resist. To no avail. So It would seem I may have something new to collect. The new line of Marvel Super-heroes for Disney's Infinity are really neat, and nice to look at. I knew they were going to be a problem when I saw the first photos start popping up months ago on various web sites, but getting a good look at them in the stores sealed the deal. Of course, to get Thor, Iron Man & The Black Widow figures you need to buy the games "starter set", so maybe I will give it a try after all. Or at the very least  I will have something cool to bring out when my niece and nephew come to visit.

Below are some shots of the Groot figure based on the character from this summers "Guardians of the Galaxy" that I picked up as my inaugural figure. Enjoy!

"I am Groot"- Groot

Groot figure from Disney Infinity 2.0 

Front of packaging

Back of packaging

Fantastic Fridays

Susan Richards (nee Storm). Back in the early days, always thought of as the week link in the team. Typical of the era, she often was the damsel in distress that needed rescuing by the rest of the team. Even her original code name, The Invisible Girl, limited her place on the team. 

Over the years though it became quite obvious that she was the glue holding this group together. The diplomat and peacemaker. The one trying to find the peaceful solution to every situation. And it became quite apparent during John Byrne's run that she was by far the most powerful member of the team. Sue even got a more respectable code name: The Invisible Woman.

So, here is to Susan!

To Whom It May Concern at Lego...

Lego...I think you really, really, really need to make this happen. And I mean really.
I saw this online and my head just about exploded. This is the coolest idea I have seen in awhile for Lego. the whole Buck Rodgers, Flash Gordon "retro science fiction" idea is great, with more cool opportunities for awesome play sets than you can shake a ray gun at.

You know what, on second thought, don't worry about it. I have no desire whatsoever for a second mortgage on my house thank you.

Fantastic Friday!!

Something else new seeing as Super Saturday/Sunday are going well. At least at getting me to post on a more regular basis. My favorite Family from Marvel Comics.

The Fantastic Four!

As far back as I can recall, this was always my favorite Marvel Comic book. Sure, I liked Spider-man...who didn't, but I just loved the "FF". I don't know if it was the stories (I love me some sci-fi tales) or their powers. Or maybe it was the fact that they were a family of heroes, which was and still is, kind of a original idea in comics. Whatever it was, it was always at the top of my picks for comics as a kid if I was short on cash.

Fantastic Four #1, November 1961

The FF by the great Jack Kirby

I had a copy of this when I was a kid. It still may be at my parents house.

FF # 59 on my wall. As old as me.

It also doesn't hurt that they have a great line-up of antagonists. As they say, a hero is only as good as the villains they face. And DOOM will not suffer anything but the best.

Super Sunday!

Alex Ross. Anyone who is a fan of comics knows who this man is, especially if they are fans of DC comics. His almost photo-realistic paintings are some of the most fantastic comic book art you will ever see. Not that he hasn't done work for Marvel or some of the independent comic companies, he has. The First time I noticed his art was the covers for Marvel Comics "Marvels" mini series. But he has a real love of the silver age, and early bronze age of DC superheros. These are the versions of these heroes that he grew up with (being born in 1970).  I could do a whole post about this gentleman's contribution to the comic book industry (maybe I will someday). But for now, just enjoy art!

Kingdom Come mini-series. From 1996, one of his best works and a personal favorite.

Another Awesome mini-series illustrated by Ross

T.V.versions of DC's heroes by Alex Ross

Future Superman from "Kingdom Come"

Life size Superman model used my Alex Ross

A photo of Frank Kasy, the model for Superman, posing in costume.

Closeup detail

Super Sunday

I guess I should just surrender myself to the fact that I have to many little chores to do on Saturdays. Sundays will work just fine.

So, with out further adieu...

Superman by John Byrne

Super Friends Superman

Jack Kirby's take on the Man of Steel

"Superdude Pow" by Ronsalas on deviantART

Bruce Timm

New to the Closet's Collection - Obi Wan Kenobi

Bran new to my shelf this week is this Animated Maquette of  Obi Wan Kenobi from "Star Wars-Episode IV, A New Hope"  created by Gentle Giant a few years ago.

A couple of years back I started to notice that, even though I have a good sized collection of toys and other collectibles ( I like to think), most of it was a little low end mostly made up of mass produced figures (although some are rare and hard to find) and other such stuff, so I started to buy some mid to high end stuff. Good quality collectibles from time to time. This one is a gift to myself from my lovely wife for renovating our bathroom.

From the first time that I saw "Star Wars" in 1977, Obi Wan was the coolest character in the movie (next to Han Solo, which every 10 year old boy will tell you was the coolest.) Part old wizard, part mystical knight and part hardened warrior and general. A mentor to the films hero, Luke, he was cool and collected in every situation that came along. The great mystery of what it meant to be a Jedi Knight was all part of the fun back then. This was long before we would see Luke as a Jedi in "Return of the Jedi", or even better, A Jedi Knight and his Padawan in their prime in Episode I. So the whole Jedi Order and The Force were one big cool mystery.

First off I am a huge fan of this animated style. It is a very clean, tight design and Gentle Giant has released many figures from the entire Star Wars history over the last few years in this style all to great success. This statue does a great job of capturing the spirit of General Kenobi, as he stands cool and calm ready for battle against his former student, fellow Jedi Knight and friend. The figure is in great shape with no visible flaws and has a nice weight to it. It's part of a limited edition which is nice. The only draw back to the figure at all was the extra charges when you bring something in from the States. I don't mind paying the duty, But a extra "handling fee" that adds up to more than the duty and taxes after paying extra for shipping from the United States seems kind of like being mugged by my own Government.

Still, all in all, totally worth it. I love this figure and he will make a great addition to my bookshelf and to my growing collection.

Paperman

Poster Illustrated by Jeff Turley

My family and I saw this charming little Disney short when we went to see "Wreck-It Ralph". As as much as our family enjoyed the movie, this little short was what we talked about the most on the way home.

The full version has popped up on YouTube in the last few days and I have had the opportunity to watch it again, and it is just as good the second and third time around.

Not only is the story itself good, in my mind it was the style of animation they used. It is clearly CGI but has the look and feel of old school hand drawn animation. Apparently this is some new "in house" technology developed at Disney they call "Meander". It is truly wonderful style that keeps the warmth and beauty of the more traditional style of animation while keeping a lot of the perks of CGI. I really hope we see more of this coming from Disney.

"Paperman" has been nominated for a "Best Animated Short Film" at the 85th Annual Academy Awards and has won the Annie Award for "Best Animated Short Subject".

Thanks For Everything Mr. McQuarrie

The artistic visionary, Ralph McQuarrie passed away at the age of 82.

"The world of science fiction and fantasy art and design has lost one of its true legends as Ralph McQuarrie died today at the age of 82.McQuarrie began his design career after moving to California from Indiana in the early 1960s. While he started out working as a technical illustrator for Boeing, he also found jobs designing film posters and providing animation elements for CBS News coverage of the Apollo space program.

An offer to work on concept art for a film project followed, and his designs caught the eye of director George Lucas, who had an ideal for a little movie about adventures in space. McQuarrie worked on designs for Star Wars before it was even known by that name and, in 1975, was commissioned to provide the now iconic designs for the likes of Chewbacca and Darth Vader, plus many concepts for the sets and ships. His art actually helped convince 20th Century Fox to take a gamble on Lucas’ dreams, making him a key component in one of the most beloved franchises of all time.“I just did my best to depict what I thought the film should look like, I really liked the idea,” he’s since said. “I didn’t think the film would ever get made. My impression was it was too expensive. There wouldn’t be enough of an audience. It’s just too complicated. But George knew a lot of things that I didn’t know.”

Lucas naturally asked him to work on The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, and he even got to appear on screen in the uncredited role of General McQuarrie. But despite his close connection to the Star Wars universe, he declined Lucas’ offer to return for the prequels, commenting that he’d rather hand the baton to a new generation of artists and designers.Outside of Star Wars, McQuarrie worked closely with Steven Spielberg on Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and ET, providing the jaw-dropping designs for alien vessels. He also contributed to Raiders Of The Lost Ark and won an Oscar for Cocoon before moving on to work as either a consultant or the concept artist for such films as Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Batteries Not Included and Jurassic Park.A true original, McQuarrie is survived by Joan, his wife."

Sympathies to his family. Thank you for everything Ralph. You envisioned and influenced a huge and happy part of my youth, and you will be missed.