Review: 'Green Lantern'

I've mentioned before that in reviewing a movie I think in terms of personal enjoyment, if I could recommend it to other people and if it was actually a 'good' movie; Warner Brothers' Green Lantern fails in all 3 counts unfortunately. It's a leaden, awkward and inconsistent mishmash of several elements that never even come within the same radius of each other, much less into anything resembling a coherent film.

More After The Jump.

'Super 8' Review (spoiler-free)

Who got this poster? The final we got was just the teaser with credits at the bottom.

This is Richard so everyone's clear on that fact; since we have other posts now I should probably start marking mine more clearly.

When I'm reviewing a movie I usually think about three questions. The first is "did I enjoy this personally?" The second is "would I recommend this to other people?" The third is "was it actually a good movie?" All of these qualities can sync up though they don’t necessarily have to; I’ve recommended plenty of movies I didn’t enjoy (Howl’s Moving Castle comes to mind) and hesitated to push ones I was thrilled by (Speed Racer). Super 8 sits somewhere directly inside of the triangle formed by these ideas: I enjoyed it, believe it to be a good movie but might hesitate to recommend it to other people. Click That "Read More" for...more.

Potato Time! Portal 2 Review.

    Puzzle games and sprawling plots rarely marry. Though it has been known to happen (the “Professor Layton” series comes to mind), its not in the minds of their game creators. That being said, the first Portal game did not have the highest in plot development. Nor was it meant to, actually it was developed as a concept game, like a Tetris. But GLaDOS as an icon of ironic evil in an age of undefined human emotion forced Valve to develop the game as a standalone (originally part of the “Orange Box”). Yes, these are things most of us know, but maybe someone doesn’t? Maybe... Well, does Portal 2 inject a healthy dose of plot and more humor? Does it match the gameplay fun, while creating new twists on a now classic? Why else would I write the review if I weren’t to tell you?

Portal 2’s game mechanics are nearly identical to the previous game, though according to the creators it was almost an entirely different experience. This is good, Portal was too fun but we demanded more! That’s why we have a sequel. The game begins with the player character, Chell, waking up in the a broken down hotel-type room. There was some retconning here, involving getting dragged back in by computers while she was passed out. Chell, now is woken up by an intentionally annoying robot (personality core for those that have played the first game) named Wheatley. Wheatley is an interesting character, voiced by Stephen Merchant. Interesting is intentionally vague, while I loved him and found his dialogue and gag setups quite hilarious, there will be a very vocal unit standing against the character, as I have now seen already. Fret not, this is all part of the plan. If you hate him, good. If you love him, good. Both factions will find a very satisfying outcome to his story. After making a joke about the main character not being able to speak, we jump into tutorials. They are enjoyable because the environment is so vastly different from the first game, and there is a major sense of urgency to complete these missions. No Portal gun at first, so be ready for that. And then GLaDOS comes back into our happy little lives.

She is still as inventive and starkly fresh character as she was previously, even changing shape into a most hilarious...well, I won’t spoil that. Nothing here seems incredibly contrived, or unconvincing. All motivation from every character is completely clear, and intentions are shining. Let me just finish plot discussion by saying that Portal 2 has such a major character arc for all three main characters, even one that doesn’t speak. The writers worked very hard to avoid the usual pitfalls known to plague stories of multiple games, so that we as players have to continually forgive it. This is one of the very few instances that we can let it roam free. Yes, we will see a detractor claim is has plot holes, or some silly thing like that. It doesn’t, you can see the care taken to make this story really resonate. Wear this badge proudly Valve, you made me finish a puzzle game quickly just to get to the next plot development.

This game is also a game, who would’ve known. And it’s fun! The inclusion of the gels to enhance our experience, was bold and really pays off. Let’s begin from the first game. The object of each smaller “Test”, as GLaDOS calls them, is to use a portal gun with an entrance and an exit (Orange and Blue). You use physics and gravity to your advantage as well. For instance, if you place a Blue Exit on a side wall, and an Orange Entrance on the floor 20 feet in the air, the force of your fall with factor into how far you are propelled through the Blue portal. There are various tutorials, and the design team never leave you with a clue of some sort to solve. There can be multiple solutions, the fun is choosing how you solve. So the gels. Well there are 3 colors, Blue, Orange, and White. Blue makes the surface it touches bouncy, Orange makes it’s surface slick so you can run extraordinarily fast, and White makes a non-Portable surface accessible for one of your fine physics-defying creations. The routine of the previous levels is broken, and a player now has some new possibilities for completing a stage. As a player, you do go outside and again, the aura of freshness still hangs heavily. This is creates exciting new challenges not yet offered in the Portal experience. Game play is top notch through out, and is never tiring. Valve created an all inclusive single-player experience. Wait, wait...multiplayer? In Portal? Yes, and it is fantastic.

There is no local multiplayer, which is an absolute bummer, but makes perfect sense. Splitting the screen would make players extremely confused with the amount physics defying already occurring. I played a 5 hour run with a complete stranger, even though the game recommends a friend as a better experience. Unfortunately, thanks to the Playstation Network fiasco of 2011, this was not possible. Nonetheless, I had no problem jumping right in (I played this on an iMac) and a partner was matched. The story of the Co-Op is that GLaDOS cannot rely on full human testing and has created two types of robots to solve her insidious tests. These machines are called p-Body and Atlas. If Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange from “Dirty Work” were Portal testing robots, this would be them. You earn different taunts to perform solo or in a team like a high-five as rewards throughout the experience. And they are worth it, the animation team makes sure of that. With your partner, you solve some 40 levels of sure-destructive madness guided by the goading and sarcastic GLaDOS. These were challenging and engaging with an extra person involved. Again, the design team went to pain-staking effort to make the player experience fresh and exciting. I do not enjoy multiplayer experience because I am typically so bad at playing games, but this is definitely an exception. Even if you do not do most of the solving (this time I didn’t do bad at all though! Aww Yeah Me!) you have an enormous sense of accomplishment.

I’ll give numbers for those that skipped all the words. 

Seriously, imagine this as white gel...

Scores are 5 out of 5, no halves. Story-5, Visuals-4, Gameplay-5, Co-Op-4, Value-5. Overall, I give it a 5. I know that there are two 4’s, but this is my aggregate. I don’t think visuals matter for a game like this. Co-Op gets knocked a bit for not having innovation in local multiplayer. Not a big deal, that’s why it still gets an overall 5. I love this game, it’s a definite contender for Game of the Year, and there isn’t much I can point to as a poor point. GLaDOS’ wit as the disaffected HAL diagnosed with bi-polar disorder makes this game so very unique. We don’t get the cake gag played to death, and this only makes the game that much better. My vote as new meme, the White Gel known as “Peter North Gel.” I really couldn’t help but giggle the entire time I saw it.

Review: DCUC 15 Jack Knight, Jemm and BAF Validus

Well here we are at what's probably the last of the DCUC Wave 15 reviews. I was trying to hold out to find a Ted Knight to go with these guys and split it into 2 reviews but Mattel's distribution pattern, as usual, had other plans. These are pretty much constantly evolving as this is essentially the first time I’ve used a camera more than twice in one year.

With that in mind I figured that a little background may be useful with these guys before I get to the nitty gritty.

What about Golden Pharaoh you ask? Yeah, what about Golden Pharaoh?

Jack being the variant in this wave is quite strange as he’s a huge fan favorite. When DC Direct debuted in the late 90’s, one of their first figures ever was Jack here. The character is so popular he probably would have won the first fan’s choice poll if not for the diluting effect of the Question, a result of his appearances on the JLU cartoon. Argue that the Denny O’Neil run on the big Q’s title was what pushed him into the lead if you want, but I doubt that played into it as much as Charlie’s crusade against Luthor and Cadmus did. Personally, I voted for Ragman.

Anyway, James Robinson’s ‘Starman’ title is highly regarded and is considered one of the defining comic runs of the 90’s. I hate to admit this, but I’ve never read any of it (It’s on the list, somewhere near the top). I only really know Robinson’s work from his recent run on ‘Superman’ (which actually featured Mon-El for the majority of it) and from back when I read ‘the Golden Age’ somewhere around 10 years ago. From what Jas and Mike tell me, none of that is anything like ‘Starman’ so one day soon I hope to be as impressed as everyone else was with it.

Jack Knight is the son of Ted Knight, the first Starman from the golden age. He took up the mantle and became the seventh Starman following the death of his brother David, who was the sixth. He was based out of Opal City, a location created for the title.  Wielding a new Cosmic Staff, alternately called the Star Rod or Gravity Rod, he patrolled Opal City for 80 issues and some specials. It's interesting to note that his Star Rod is currently being carried around by Stargirl, Courtney Whitmore of the JSA. Robinson has an agreement with DC that they won’t use any of the characters from his Starman run without his permission. Whether or not that agreement is backed up by a legion of loyal 

fans is a point of debate.

Jemm, Son of Saturn, is the closest thing the Martian Manhunter has to a supporting character outside of Miss Martian. He first appeared in his self-named title in the 80’s and promptly disappeared into the ether until Grant Morrison brought him back in ‘JLA’ during the mid-90’s. Part of the new Injustice Gang, Jemm had been brainwashed by Lex Luthor and was later returned to his home world where he eventually united all the Saturnian races.

The character doesn’t have a ton of appearances, most of the vital ones being in that JLA storyline and the issues of Martian Manhunter’s solo title that followed up on it. He popped up in the other James Robinson title I read, ‘World of New Krypton’, though he didn’t really do much. As far as obscure characters in the DCUC line go, Jemm’s probably the least know since all the purportedly obscure Kirby characters are still Kirby characters which means they’ve had a high-profile appearance or reference in the past 10 years. Hell, the entire ‘Countdown’ event was one disgusting, overblown indulgence in reference to many of them and it lasted an entire year, proving that in the wrong hands the Silver Age is a dangerous thing.

But I digress.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Validus is a member of the Fatal Five, a group of foes from ‘Legion of Superheroes’. He, like his partners in crime, was created by Jim Shooter when he got his start writing ‘Adventure Comics’ at the age of 14. Later on, Paul Levitz revealed that the monstrous creature was actually one of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl’s children, sent back in time after being kidnapped by Darkseid during the ‘Great Darkness Saga’. That was thrown out the window during the first Crisis and again during the Zero-Hour Legion reboot. Still, in the new Levitz written ‘Legion’ title, references were made to Darkseid’s original kidnapping when the twin’s disappeared following the destruction of Titan. It was wrapped up pretty neatly as being a plot on behalf of a new Darkseid cult, though it may still have other places to go. Right now, I’m taking Validus’ origin for granted as my understanding of Legion continuity is so delicate I’m afraid of it giving me brain damage in the same way that staring at the sun too long can. When we’ll see the other members of the Five, I have no clue; I’d be willing to bet that the Emerald Empress would be the next one though, as she’s arguably the biggest name of the group.

Sculpt/Design:

Why has this team-up not appeared on Brave and the Bold?

 Jemm uses the same new buck that Martian Manhunter does, funny in light of how they were originally intended to be cousins; in addition to his new head he’s got unique hands and elongated legs. Those stems really help set him apart, giving him a lankier, alien feel in comparison to J’onn and helping to deemphasize how many parts they share. He’s got a very aloof expression that befits the character; it’s just as easy to imagine him as the unwitting pawn of Luthor as it is to think of him sitting on the Saturnian throne in a quiet moment of contemplation.

Jack's very fashion forward with goggles that match his shirt

Jack’s got a pretty detailed headsculpt which along with an entirely new body tooling goes a long way in helping him stand out. He’s got his trademark goggles lifted up on his forehead and his distinctive Jacket is brand new as well. The level of work on him is pretty in-depth, again adding to the mystery of his distinction as the variant; from what I can tell, Ted uses the same buck that most of the Golden Age JSA characters have. Most of the parts on Jack here are pretty unlikely to ever be used again so that’s a staggering commitment from Mattel especially in light of Golden Pharaoh being almost entirely new as well. He does have one drawback in the fact that he’s a little oversized, making him just a smidge taller than most of the other figures but that’s not a deal breaker.  I hear that he shares this problem with Guy Gardner, but Jack doesn’t seem to share his giant head problem.  I do wish Mattel could get this scale process nailed down better as not every figure is going to get a redo the way Sinestro is. Starman is a little buff from how I’ve typically seen the character portrayed though and that does damage my opinion of him slightly.

Here's hoping Arkillo keeps up this trend of improving on the use of this body

 The most prominent use of the Buck system among these three is actually Validus. He’s based pretty directly on the Kilowog/Brimstone body with new feet and mostly new arms to go with his unique head. Still, I actually like how Validus turned out in comparison to Kilowog. I never got Brimstone as none of the Public Enemies wave came even close to being compatible (too bad as I would’ve loved to get any of the villains if they weren’t stylized) so I don’t have him to compare, but somehow I think I’ll live. Either way, Validus is a perfect fit for this mold and I have no complaints about him. That’s pretty much the opposite of Kilowog who I found strangely boring once I finished him. He won’t be striking any of the four legged poses the character often takes in the comics but the grasping hands are dead on for most of the panels the characters been in. That goes for the head too: I know the Four Horsemen are probably getting tired of sculpting neutral expressions so it’s good to see an extreme one that’s not ruined by shrinking down the 2-up prototype. Validus almost always has his mouth open and they’ve created that look successfully here without making him seem completely out of place.

Paint/Quality Control:

Jemm is cast in an awesome looking shade of red with the blue of his cape and pants being painted. I had no problems with him in that respect. It does need to be noted that he shares the same screwy bicep issue that Martian Manhunter does, and mine again has a pair of the small style. I think they work for Jemm pretty well though and having not seen any with the pair of big biceps I can say I’m satisfied with what I see here. The way Jemm was posed in the package did result in a slightly wonky arm though.

Oh piffle!

 This isn’t anything new to DCUC as I guess marketing shows that kids are more likely to buy these things if they’re posed dynamically. Well I can say one thing: kids probably aren’t buying many of these at close to $15 a pop. I can barely afford them at that price so I don’t think there’s a legion of kids turning away from these because they’re posed normally. Still, Jemm has few QC issues outside of the arm and his paint is great.

The symbols are beyond my crappy photography skills' ability to register. They definitely look great, though I'm not sure what they mean

The paint on Jack is equally good and he has the standout element of the emblem on the back of his jacket. For something with the terrifying quality of being invisible until you open him, the emblem is clear and crisp with no smudges. Thankfully that carries over to the rest of the figure as well. Admittedly there aren’t a ton of complicated applications outside of his face, but it’s not been beyond Mattel to have something like a big black splotch on Jemm’s chest. Some of Jack’s joints were a little stuck at first but I was able to get them moving without using the fridge.

I didn't mean to make this so that zombie appeared to be saying 'Chill out man'.

Those stiff joints were also present on the left leg of Validus though with time it worked out. It still made an awful squeaking noise when moving the leg for a while but it’s mercifully disappeared since. Big V is mostly clean though there are faint gray smears on his chest. I’m thinking it’s meant to be paint wash, though I’m not sure how successful they were in bringing out the sculpt. It’s not a major problem and in light of the excellent paint apps on the teeth and mouth, I’m willing to forgive a little sloppy wash.

Articulation:

All 3 figures have

-Swivel wrists, biceps, thighs and waists

-Ball jointed heads, shoulders and hips

-Cut elbows, knees and ankles

Jemm and Validus also feature a cut ab joint

Jemm makes good use of his joints and mine has somewhat better neck range than we’re used to. All three of these guys had tight joints, a small mercy in this age of loose ankles. Jack loses out a little here as he could’ve really used the wrist pivot articulation that Blue Beetle III and Green Arrow have; they’ve even got the sculpt for them as the Ghostbusters figures have bare hands with that articulation. As a result, you really have to finagle with the Cosmic Rod to get him to hold it two-handed without bending it or one of his arms in the process. He also lacks the ab crunch though his jacket would have probably limited it as well. The jacket does limit some of the motion of his arms though not to an extreme degree. His neck has more clearance than Jemm’s but sadly does not move quite as well. Validus, however, has a great ball jointed neck with a range of motion that really allows for some dynamic posing when combined with the ab crunch and ankles. All the joints with him are solid and he’s a lot of fun to play with. Whatever they did to him that’s different from Kilowog, I hope they carry over to Arkillo.

Accessories:

Only one accessory this time, excluding the Validus pieces and pins: Jack’s Star Rod. It’s impressive though, featuring a detailed sculpt and nice uniform coloration. It’s rare for DCUC figures to have accessories and this is, so far, one of the best. It definitely makes Jack stand out and is worth the effort to get him to have it in a two-handed grip. I expect to see the staff reused for Stargirl later, though hopefully it won’t warp the fingers of the notoriously small DCUC female hands.

Overall:

This is the best Jemm figure any fan of the character could have possibly hoped for, in all their years of waiting. He looks great, poses well and is a good enough toy to likely get people talking about the character.  Jack’s also doesn’t disappoint, in spite of some minor issues with his articulation. He’s definitely light years ahead of the DC Direct figure despite being a little more muscular than he should be. Validus surprised me: I like him being chosen for the BAF but wasn’t expecting much because of the Kilowog base. He really turned it around though and he’s one of my favorite ‘collect and connect’ figures yet.

These guys hold their own against Raven and Martian Manhunter; Jack is probably just as anticipated as those two but falls just short because of the lost chance with the articulation. Jemm is great but doesn’t have the catharsis of finally being made that his mold mate does. Don’t let that stop you from getting him though because you J'onn is lonely enough in the comics and I completely want to stack the deck of non-lantern aliens so I can get the R.E.B.E.L.S. If you want Validus I’d say it’s worth having to buy the underwhelming Batman variant and the good OMAC.

Jemm: ***1/2

Jack Knight: ***

Validus: ***1/2

As a whole, this wave surprised me a lot. Almost all the figures in it are great and there were no insane, Donna Troy level, quality issues this time around; the screwy biceps are annoying but if you’re careful you can pick out a winner. The Kmart exclusivity was timed so you should be seeing them in Toys R Us and Target, providing they’ve cleared out all the infernal back stock. Fingers crossed that the non-Kmart cases have no All-Star figures as those are absolutely killing the stores in my area. I’ve heard differing reports of the quality of this wave and it seems that half came from the Wave 13 factory and half from another that had much better results.  Here’s hoping that the latter run is the widespread one as this is a stronger wave than 13 and I’d hate to see it ruined by awful QC. Be on the watch as wave 16's on the way any day now and it'd be a pity for this wave to be forgotten before it really hit anywhere in large numbers!

Review: Kirby's Epic Yarn

If you hate cute things, this game is not for you

I originally wasn’t planning on getting this game; my Brother gave me a Kmart coupon that he’d gotten with the Fallout: New Vegas preorder and in light of the fact that by using it I’d be getting another coupon that would basically make the game cost me $25. Since that was too good of a deal to resist, I decided to let ‘Kirby’s Epic Yarn’ be my first release date game purchase since ‘Metroid: Other M’.  This title was originally developed without Kirby in mind, rather starring the character that would become the second player avatar, Prince Fluff. Kirby, Metaknight and company were all added in after the That was probably a good idea on Nintendo’s part as I don’t think ‘Epic Yarn’ would have gotten the attention it has without the recognizable pink puff. It's good in another respect as Kirby hasn't really had a good game in quite a while excusing 'Canvas Curse'; this is a series highlight, which is funny considering how the game started out.

Gameplay/Control:

This game was developed by Good Feel who previously released ‘Warioland: Shake it!’

 I actually got Epic Yarn to end up saving money on my future planned purchases of ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’ ‘Epic Mickey’ and ‘Golden Sun: Dark Dawn’. So it’s a good thing that it’s a pretty enjoyable game. It’s not going to set the world on fire with something dramatically new to the platforming genre but it’s an enjoyable title in its own right.

You play either as Kirby wandering a world that looks like the arts and crafts section of a department store exploded all over it, whipping thread to unravel yarn based enemies and obtaining patches to unlock new levels.  The basic attacks consist of that yarn whipping, tapping to unravel an enemy and holding to roll them into a ball which can be used as a projectile. Since Kirby is transformed into a yarn-being himself, he doesn’t utilize his familiar copy ability; rather, the game opts for transformation sequences where he becomes things like a Tank or Dolphin.  Though rare, some of these are the most entertaining bits in the game as the snowboarding and shooter stages are great fun. I wasn’t a fan of the train levels at all though, as laying down track by pointing the Remote at the screen was imprecise and repetitive.

Kirby and second player character Prince Fluff traverse a world made up of places like ‘Hot Land’ and ‘Treat Land’ in order to obtain the Celestial thread that will allow them to bind another piece of the Yarn world together. Each level has 2 pieces of furniture and a music CD to grab as well as a ranking based on how many beads you cleared the goal with. All of the individual maps have 4 levels plus a pair of extra stages you access by beating enough beads out of the boss characters.  The second player element is pretty valuable in the game as this could be a great successor to the 35^th round of ‘Lego Star Wars’ for all of you with kids out there. It’s easy enough for kids (and adults) to learn the controls plus there’s enough variety to keep them entertained for a while.

That’s pretty notable as you can’t die in Epic Yarn; when you’re hit you just drop beads. Upon clearing a level you get medals for how many beads you reached the goal with though it’s necessary to point out that both players share the same pool of the collectibles. As a result, when one of you is injured it drains your collective pool of bedazzlement a little, putting you at risk for the Silver instead of the Gold. While I can’t figure out what getting the medals really serves other than 100% completion, getting as much of the beads as possible is important since they’ll help you unlock the extra levels. Sub games are accessed in the games hubworld, a place called Quilty Court, which is where you’ll be using all that furniture. Kirby keeps a room in an apartment building that you’re free to decorate as you please. The place is run by a yarn ball named Dom Wool with two adjacent shops run by his brothers where you can buy extra wallpapers and furniture. You’ll be asked by your landlord to ‘donate’ beads so he can add extra floors to the place, which will give you new rooms to decorate with specific items that will lure in new tenants. They in turn will give you access to the sub games that will let you get 100% as well as possibly make you tear your hair out.

Epic Yarn is not a difficult game but it can very tiresome when you’re replaying a challenge level for the fifteenth time because you made one mistake and were penalized twice as a result.  Still, the boss battles are pretty memorable and you’ll enjoy yourself while finding the game’s most challenging sequences. Squashini, the boss of Treat land, is particularly memorable as he makes great use of the ‘arts and crafts’ gimmick with his magic tricks. The 2 player co-op will definitely make things more fun as you can teach anyone to play this in a matter of minutes. It’s not going to be a party game anytime soon but it’s a pleasant way to spend an afternoon with someone.

7/10

Graphics/Presentation:

This is an interesting category to write about as the game has truly excellent graphics. All of the backgrounds and set pieces look like real crafting material come to life. Kirby and company obviously stand out because they move around much more but they blend into the more realistic elements with little trouble. The game’s aesthetic is one of its strongest attributes though this is admittedly ground that the Paper Mario series has tread before. Still, this is an interesting new take on what kind of elements can make up a gaming world and in that arena it excels.

The game's presentation is top notch; whether or not the aesthetic appeals to you, no one’s going to be able to deny that it’s well done. All the logic that goes into making a world out of crafting material is interesting visually as well as fun to play. While the game originally starred Prince Fluff, it fits in Kirby’s world with little difficulty and it might have been a tough sell without the branding. Still, this is a bright and cheerful game with lots to look at while exhibiting a decent amount of difficulty. It’s at least worth playing through to the final boss as the Cut scene Narrator is one of the game’s biggest highlights plus some of the levels (such as the snowboarding) are just fun to go through on a lark. There’s no reward for getting 100% completion but it’s still enjoyable getting there despite the very repetitive racing and combat minigames; younger players will appreciate the fact that there’s a huge amount of things to collect even if most of them are just various wallpapers for your apartment. Despite the elements of a typical Kirby game being absent, the spirit is still there.

7/10

Overall:

‘Epic Yarn’ walks a steady line between enjoyment when you’re blasting through levels and tedium when you’re playing the race sub games or repeating a normal level to get that gold medal. Still, the good outweighs the bad and this is overall a very fun game. It’s a great rental and might be one of the best investments you can ever make if you have to babysit as kids will just eat it up.  The Boss battles are memorable and the story, while not deep, will keep you amused. The Kirby elements are something of an afterthought but it’s easy to see that Nintendo was very smart to make this an entry in the series; otherwise it may have languished in obscurity. The game would likely be seen as being too cute to be acknowledged, the way something like ‘Mischief Makers’ on the N64 was.

Rating: 7.5/10

This is a good game; if you can find it somewhere for $30 or less it’s worth the money as you’ll be entertained. The simple nature of the game makes it a great game to play with others of all skill levels as well as giving you plenty of content to sift through. Charming, though not outstanding, this is a unique game in more ways than you would expect.

Review: DCUC 15 Sinestro Corps Batman and OMAC

So the spectacular K-mart DCUC sale has come and gone and that coupon is no longer valid. Hopefully some of you guys out there who were interested were able to at least snag a Martian Manhunter or Jack Knight. Today I’m going to look at the misfits of wave 15, the ones that you either already knew you wanted or didn’t when the wave was announced. That’s right, Sinestro Corps Batman and OMAC

It's not a foreground thing: OMAC's head is really that big

Sculpt/Design:

Both of these guys make use of Mattel’s beloved buck system: SC Batman is just the normal Batman figure with new forearms, right hand, and lower torso (or in the words of the common folk, crotch). At least I think it's new; the only 'new' quality about it is the belt and that could be a reuse from other Sinestro Corps members. Plus, as I'm sure you've noticed, there's a newly sculpted head. What a head too, as Batman’s obviously not relying on his yellow ring to frighten people; he’s banking on his pissed off expression. 

Do you smell that smell? Batman's smelled that smell and he's obviously not happy because it's the stench of crime

OMAC on the other hand has a fairly normal expression. He’s the Sinestro body with new boots, gauntlets, belt as well as a new head. With that giant Mohawk you’re not going to be mistaking Buddy Blank here for any other character, especially since it’s weirdly oversized. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not; perhaps Brother Eye increased his cerebral capacity requiring a cephalic upgrade as well.

OMAC's a little shorter then Plas but that huge noggin' and Mohawk make up for it

There’s not a ton to say here; they both look like they should and the scale seems appropriate. OMAC may be a little on the small side since he uses the still slightly shrunk Sinestro body but his Mohawk makes up for it. There don’t seem to be any details missed on the two; some may have wanted a raised ‘Eye’ emblem on Buddy but I don’t know if that’s accurate or not.

This is the only way I could get Batman to stand for this picture

Paint/Quality Control:

The paintwork on these guys had to be good because there’s not a lot of spaces Mattel could hide a screw-up. The pointy Sinestro Corps starburst is pretty solid on Batman here though you may want to look through a few before picking one out; not all of them were great but none were grotesque either. Don’t worry, if these have hit your area you’ll have tons to pick from as I’m pretty sure he’s half of every case; my K-mart had at least 20. Mine was among the better I’ve seen but the center of the Sinestro starburst shifts a little as it runs down the points of articulation. OMAC hasn’t fared as well but that could be because I’ve only seen 2 of him in person. The one I got was mostly fine but the other had orange paint flakes around his emblem and some slop on his gauntlets.

One area these two definitely falter is in quality control; there aren’t any outrageous problems but Batman has a slightly bent leg due to his positioning in the package. This was fixed by boiling it but I hate having to do things like this. I’ve still got a Black Adam with a wonky partially rotted left knee from where the clear bands holding him in his blister ate away at the joint. Besides that, as I’m sure some of you have heard by this point, the Corps symbol on his chest and arm band point in different directions.

Not the clearest picture but I try.

That’s right, the armband is upside down. We should be glad that it wasn’t the chest symbol but I still think this earns a hearty Gawd DAMMIT Mattel from me. While you could say this is a paint issue I think the fact that there was a reference for the symbol’s orientation less than 3 inches away on Batman’s chest is what puts it here.

GAWDDAMMIT MATTEL!!

Batman’s not alone in his issues: OMAC came out of his blister completely bowlegged. His feet wouldn’t sit flat on the ground and after boiling, they’re still having a little trouble staying level. He also had a stuck wrist joint though I was able to work it in after freezing. Buddy’s right elbow was warped a little as well which continues a strange trend in this wave. Also, his right wrist is bizarrely loose but not enough to spin around on its own. Those problems together give him something of a bum right arm.

OMAC's strangely short looking lower legs

Articulation:

Both these guys have:

-Ball-jointed necks and shoulders

-Cut elbows, knees and ankles

-Swivel waists, biceps, wrists and thighs

-Ab crunch

That’s the standard for DCUC but it should be noted that OMAC has a great neck joint. Lately, that joint has had a pretty limited range of movement though Mattel has said they’re looking into it. Batman’s neck retains the small range so it’s hard to say how successful they’ve been in that effort. All the joints are tight, excusing Buddy’s right arm. That’s a real mercy on these two as with loose ankles they wouldn’t have the chance of a ‘Heroic Age’ comic launch to ever stand properly.

Accessories:

We get one real accessory this time, not including the BAF Validus part and the goofy little pin-back buttons. SC Batman has got a Batarang construct which attaches to his right fist so that it appears to be flying out of his ring. Its cast in a weird off-yellow color though as opposed to the bright neon of other constructs like this. Kind of like those are lemonade and the Batarang’s a frozen lemon bar. It does clip on easily and holds well so it’s got that much going for it. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever use it but it’s good that they thought of it.

Yeah that's right. It's the color of a frozen Lemon Bar and NOTHING else

Rather than putting them below this time, I’ll mention that Bruce has got the Validus torso and OMAC one of the arms.

Overall:

These are two of the weaker figures in the wave when standing next to the truly excellent Martian Manhunter and Raven. OMAC’s wonky arm and Batman’s symbol goof-up put them in time-out but the bent legs are what sends them home for the day. I wasn’t particularly excited about either of these guys as character choices since OMAC has no home other then “pseudo-obscure Kirby characters” and Batman is apparently from a comic that’s not been published yet. Still, they both stand out visually though Bruce may end up blending into the Sinestro Corps over time. I wasn’t planning on getting either of them originally, hoping to find people who didn’t want their Validus parts, but I can’t say I regret getting either of them. OMAC’s growing on me especially though both of them kind of have that lost puppy quality because of their bent legs. I think if not for that, OMAC fans really couldn’t have asked for more. I have to give a little value to SC Batman for being a more interesting variant then the 29^th mathematical permutation of Capsule/Pouch, Black/Blue, Big Bat/Small Bat and Oval/No Oval. If you have any interest in these guys pick them up; just be very careful about looking at their knees inside of the blister card.

SC Batman: **1/2

OMAC:  **1/2

You got something to say about my ears?

Review: DCUC Martian Manhunter and Raven

Yay! I mentioned it a few episodes ago on Lantern Corpsner and my power to make wishes a reality like that little kid in the episode 'It's a good Life' on the Twilight Zone, once again manifested itself at just the right time and DCUC 15 finally showed up!

I can't lie: I got overexcited and opened J'onn in the car before taking any pictures

I've been haunting our local Kmart for the past few weeks in hope of finding this wave and in a rare act of distribution competency Mattel managed to make these appear in our area. I mentioned wanting Martian Manhunter specifically on the show a few weeks ago so I was lucky to grab both him and Raven a few days ago, using the $5 off coupon circulating at the moment (this was before I was aware of the sale that let me complete the rest of Validus yesterday for a mere $2.92 a figure). So you knew it'd come to this at some point: an actual review. I'm not going to lie, I'm not the world's best photographer but maybe I can make up for the less than satisfactory quality of the pictures with the odd dick joke here and there

ARE

YOU

NOT

ENTERTAINED!?

Sculpt/Design:

I have to say that the Horseman really knocked these two out of the park. They've captured the look of J'onn better than any other figure I've seen, including the much lauded original DC Direct figure. No faint praise considering that version is, almost a decade later, still considered one of the best figures to come out of the house that Georg built. From the arch of beetle-brow to tips of his buccaneer boots there's no problems to be had with the aesthetic of this figure at all.

Well, maybe one problem.

Apparently there was a mix-up at the factory with Mr. J'onzz's biceps. Some are coming with the intended large biceps, some with smaller biceps and some with a mix of the two. When buying J'onn originally I was only aware of the mixed sizes and ended up getting one with the pair of small biceps. Hence the gorgeous pictorial above. See? Educational as well as funny! The easiest way to spot the correct large ones is that they have veins so keep that in mind when you're trying to differentiate them without multiple Martians to compare.

Honestly, the small biceps don't bug me as much as the idea of the small biceps does. If the internet had left me unaware of the problem, I would have never noticed otherwise. The problem is repeated with Jemm though honestly I don't know how ripped he needs to look anyway. In fact, I suspect he was intended to have the smaller biceps in the first place. Since him and J'onn are based off the same buck, I think the small arms were meant to help set the two apart and the factory got confused with two sets of arms on similar figures. As it stands, Hawkman is more ripped then J'onn. I suspect Carter's arms are actually meant to be shared by him though. I don't have a large bicep from these to take that from, it's merely a guess. I've also heard of the ball shoulders having slight variations in that some are veined and some are not.

I promise he's not actually these colors, my novice photos just make him look that way

Anyway, J'onn here's been a long time coming and they really knocked him out of the park. His costume is translated beautifully and he's got a great head sculpt. It's just the right mix of pissed-off while still seeming approachable. He could be glowering at some criminals robbing the local orphanage or just beginning to smile since the poor schmucks have no clue what they're in for. Another good thing to point out is that in a tender mercy, he's in scale. This is something DCUC struggles with sometimes (The Teen Titans and their zany heights come to mind) so it's good to see that J'onn is appropriately taller than his Justice League brethren. That comes courtesy of his big boots though some have said they've given the illusion of overly long calves.

Her cape's the only thing in this wave taller than J'onn

Raven fares just as well. In fact, she's a front runner for best female figure in the whole line so far. Only poor, peg warming Powergirl comes close to the quality shown here. Raven (who I desperately wish had a "real" name so I could refer to her by something else) has some beautifully expressive hands at the tip of the normally very thin DCUC female arms. While I wish there was a little more variation in the females as far as sculpt goes, if all of them were more like my favorite Teen Titan here, I'd have little to complain about. There's a beautiful face underneath that hood, and I'd love to see a non-cowled version in the future (I love me some goofy variants; plus maybe they can pack her with a decent attempt at Starfire). Her simple costume came out great and I'm glad to see that they totally splurged on her cape which they'll never get another use out of again, excluding 'White Raven'.

Paint/Quality Control:

Wow, this is an excellent pair of figures for this. Our favorite Martian detective is mostly cast in his green color but any paint lines are clear and for once there's no slop. Raven fares just as well with the fine details of her face coming off just as great as the mostly painted details of her costume. Even her gloves, with the exposed thumb and finger, look great. You may have to look through a few but there are not many problems to find here. Great colors and fine, fine details for the two of them making them both stand out as great figures on your shelf. No stuck joints and a full range of motion make these two pretty much perfect as far as quality control goes though J'onn has a slight, slight bend to his right arm. Bicep confusion aside these two turned out great in a small showing of mercy after the wave 13 goofs. I know, it seems like we're Indiana Jones robbing that Fertility Idol at the beginning of 'Raiders', but the giant ball hasn't started to roll down to crush us yet. That comes with the other figures in the wave!

J'onn's huge brows are so well done, they're too much for me to photograph well

It's hard to find an angle that Raven doesn't look great from

Articulation:

There's not anything new here though both of these guys have pretty much all the range of motion you could want:

-Ball-jointed necks and shoulders

-Cut elbows, knees and ankles

-Swivel waists, biceps, wrists and thighs

-Ab crunch

They look great together, so much that I really want a comic where they team up now

Even with her thin (or is delicate more polite?) arms, Raven's got great motion and both of them have tight joints so they have no trouble holding poses.

Overall:

Of all the figures in this wave, these are the two you can't go wrong with. Admittedly I put them together because they're who I happened to buy first but it doesn't hurt that they're both highly desired characters that have finally made it into the line. Though the Teen Titans barely match each other scale-wise, Raven can at least hang out with Cyborg (likely still hanging out at your local Target for those who missed him) and I'm praying they get around to a redo of Starfire. Martian Manhunter is the figure to help finish out the Justice League and though we still need Perez Zatanna and Elongated Man, J'onn's a big mark in the win corner for those who've been waiting. Points go to his bio for reminding me of a power I'd forgotten he'd had in the form of 'Martian Vision'. It's funny seeing them all laid out, it really leads credence to that bit in 'JLA: Earth-2' where J'onn smacks up Ultraman around Washington D.C., telling him he's got all the powers of Superman plus telepathy.

Raven gets a leg and J'onn here gets a severed, screaming head plus a disembodied crotch. I can't wait to buy a ton of MM for Toys for Tots, no joke.

They both come with parts of Validus, making the Jim Shooter villain the line's first Legion of Superheroes character. Also they come with buttons but Raven's is the first in a long time to have a decent image on it (art by George Perez doesn't hurt that's for sure). They're showing up at Kmart first so check there especially in light of the sale running through Sunday (and the coupon found here). While you're there, why not pick up Sinestro Corps Batman and Golden Pharaoh so we can preemptively keep them from clogging shelves from now until wave 18? I swear that Batman must be 3 or 4 to a case since I counted around 20 at my first discovery of this wave (to 7 Golden Pharaohs, 2 Ravens, 2 J'onns, 1 OMAC, 1 Jemm, and 6 Jack Knights). Remember, you need him since he's got the Validus torso!

Gy-gor's reenacting the ultimate fate of Morgan Katarn, not Hamlet

Stay tuned as I'll get to the others soon (though maybe I won't be so fast to get to OMAC and SC Batman). For now, look for these as they're definitely the best of the wave!