Leatherface

I’m not a fan of slasher films.  They are a little too bloody and gory for my tastes.  I prefer scary movies that ‘hint’ at evil without going into gory detail.

Nonetheless Sideshow Collectibles created an incredible Leatherface figure from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 12-inch, fully articulated collectible figure.

It is a truly horrifying figure that captures the madman butcher with chainsaw perfectly.  

The figure is packed in Sideshow’s standard flip-lid display box with clear plastic viewing panel with figure and accessory cocoon.

A large headshot photo of Leatherface decorates the cover with full figure photos decorating the sides and back.

A sheet of tissue paper protects the viewing panel.

The Leatherface figure comes with a special Texas Chainsaw Massacre stand and wire support.  Accessories include a large wooden handle axe and Leatherface’s signature blood spattered chainsaw with pull cord, red body and safety handle.

The detail on the chainsaw is amazing right down to its individual chain links, screws and bolts and aged casing.

The fully articulated Leatherface 12-inch figure is truly a miniature horror.

His face, covered by the skin of other human beings, looks dried, putrid and a ghastly yellow/gray.  

His dead looking eyes peer out from the ghastly remains of a human face and his teeth show through the slit of a human mouth drawn back by decay. 

His unkempt black hair pokes unnaturally above the discarded human flesh of a face.

He wears a wide collar black and white shirt covering a long sleeve ‘leather’ tunic with wrist straps.

The shirt and tunic are protected by a pieced together human flesh apron with wide shoulder straps and held in place at the waist with tan belt.

The figure wears black trousers and laced, heavy sole shoes giving the figure a taller appearance.

His hands look gnarled and calloused with blood specks with a row of golden rings on each finger of his left hand.

The hands are positioned so they can hold the accompanying chainsaw.

The arms of his shirtsleeves are pulled up to his upper arms and he wears leather gauntlets that cover yet another long sleeve shirt of a solid off white weaved fabric.

Facial details are amazing with a series of leather stitches holding the patchwork face together.

All of the fabrics of his cloths have their own distinctive look and the clothing is faithfully recreated using various fabric types.

Stitching, fasteners and buttons are all to scale.

Like the real Leatherface the figure’s cloths hang loosely on its body allowing the figure to pose in various positions with no binding or unrealistic folds and creases.  

The stand and wire support gives the figure the flexibility to pose in a wider range of positions.  The figure can stand on its in with more static poses.

His butcher apron is tattered and stained and blood specks cover its front.

It’s easy to see why Leatherface is considered a horror icon.  It truly is a frightening figure made even more so by the incredible amount of detail and thought that went into the piece.

Enemy Ace and Black Lightning

Without a doubt Marvel Comics changed the shape of comic books in the 1960s when it introduced The Fantastic Four.  

Marvel would go on to premiere several new titles in the early 1960s featuring characters with flaws and unique origins.  It would continue to produce some of the most imaginative and innovative comic books the entire decade.

DC Comics held the to superhero position for years before Marvel’s explosive growth.

DC’s character were innovative in their own right but lacked the character dynamics Marvel’s characters did.

The owners/editors of DC Comics took notice and began producing cutting-edge comic books that abandoned the pre-conceived image people had of comic books.

Such titles as The Doom Patrol, Animal Man, The Creeper, Hawk and Dove and dozens more proved that DC writers and artists could produce relevant and unique titles.

DC Comics was well known for its War Comics.  Most featured red-blooded Americans as the heroes fighting against the repressive regimes of the Nazi’s and the Imperial Japanese.

Then something unusual happened.

In issue #57 of Showcase Presents writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert presented a unique hero/villain; Enemy Ace in his own series.

While not his first appearance (it was his forth) Showcase gave the creative team the opportunity to star the ‘Red Baron‘ in a full-length comic book.

In a unique twist, readers get to witness WWI through the eyes of the enemy.

Early in the 1970s Blackploitation movies were all the rage.  It all started with Shaft and soon afterwards dozens of such movies were produced.

Usually they starred a street smart, inner city, and tough-as-nails black man who set out to fight crime and tick off ‘The Man“.

Marvel Comics, never one to ignore a trend, introduced its own “In-The-Hood” black crime fighter with Luke Cage: Powerman.

DC jumped on the bandwagon with Black Lightning #1 with told the origin of Black Lightning.

A former Olympic athlete and current high school teacher Jefferson Pierce dons the Black Lightning outfit after one of his students is killed by criminals.

In later years Black Lightning would gain electrical powers to match his name.

Both Enemy Ace and Black Lightning are unique in their own right and deserve a place in comic book lore.

Maximum Gold

It’s time to go for the gold!

Join Konami as it premieres its extra luxurious, fabulous and high-class 162 Set of new Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Cards: Maximum Gold!

The Set of Gold Rares have golden outlines and borders makes your YGO Cards pop!  Talk about bling!

Level Stars and Attribute icons look like freshly minted ingots of gold!

Premium Gold Rares inspire awe in the hearts of any Duelist.  Gamers are sure to love the Premium Gold Rares-all 52 of them!

Besides the gold upgrade look for popular monsters gamers are getting brand-new YGO variant artwork and a Premium Gold Rare treatment such as Droll & Lock Bird, Elemental HERO Stratos, and Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess!

In Maximum Gold, Rares have gold lettering instead of the standard silver!

Each Box of 4 Maximum Gold Packs of 7 Cards consist of 2 Premium Gold Rares and 5 Gold-letter Rares.

The Maximum Gold Set of 162 contains:
52 Premium Gold Rares
110 Gold-letter Rares
 

It's the new gold standard!

The Darkness and Fathom

When the superhero wave of comic books flooded the market in the 1990s various small toy companies saw an opportunity to cash in by producing toy likenesses of popular characters.

One such company: Moore Action Collectibles, contracted with Marc Silvestri’s Top Cow Studio and produced a number of figures based on its roster of characters:  The Darkness and Fathom being two of them.

Silvestri both drew and wrote The Darkness.  The story involved a mobster who obtains the power of The Darkness, which enables him to summon and command demons and manifest supernatural armor.  There is a catch: read the comic book to find out what.

Artist and writer Michael Turner (who unfortunately passed away a few years ago) created Fathom.

Fathom is a young girl who can both live in and control water.  The title was applauded for Turner’s art, which was both elegant and dynamic.  Fans still clamor for his work.

The Darkness figure stands approximately 6-inches tall and is articulated at the shoulders, elbows, neck, hips and knees.

Articulation seams are practically invisible because of the complexity of the costume.

The figure’s head has long black hair and The Darkness mask in silver obscures the face.

The upper torso is a deep gray with sinew revealed yellow, as are the shoulders, parts of the arms, upper legs and behind the knees.

Silver clawed gloves cover the hands; the feet by solid gray the knees with silver knee guards.  

Sculpting is very detailed especially considering the size of the figure.

Color separation is precise with clear definitions between textures and pigment.

The figure is held snug in place in a clear plastic cocoon and can be seen fully through the bubble pack’s clear plastic outer shell.

The Darkness logo takes up about one-third of the front of the packaging and a sculpted stand sits vertically behind the figure.  It is decorated in bones and skulls.  A The Darkness illustration backs up both the stand and figure.

On the back of the packaging is a short explanation about The Darkness and several illustrations.

The Fathom figure is a diminutive 5-inchs tall, delicately sculpted and detailed.  Clayburn Moore’s mastery of the female figure is second to known and it shows with this beautifully rendered figure.

Flesh tones are natural, facial features are fine and defined with an emphasis on the eyes and red lips.  Her long dark hair appears wet flowing done her back.

She comes dressed in her skimpy coral bikini with multi-layer colorful coral high heel boots.  The figure is partially articulated at the hips, shoulders and neck.

Included with the figure are her coral weapon that fits over one arm and has three coral spikes, a hammerhead shark and base that the figure attached to.

The Aspen Matthews Fathom figure is gorgeous from all sides including her back.  Her clingy costume accentuates her voluptuous figure and sculptor Clayburn Moore’s choice of a pose for the figure accents her beauty.

It is a delicate and demure figure excellently crafted, nicely colored and a wonderful 3D rendering of the comic book character.

Packaging is similar to The Darkness figure.

Mission: Impossible

To really understand the impact spy thrillers had on 20th Century society you had to live in the 1960s.

The Cold War was at its height.  Things were so bad that the United States and the Soviet Union came within a hairsbreadth of total nuclear annihilation.

When the first James Bond film: Dr. No, premiered it immediately caught on and the spy craze soon went into full swing.

Movies, novels and TV shows began popping up everywhere reedy to capitalize from the Spy Craze.

An impressive amount of TV Spy shows began appearing both domestically and overseas.  Among them were the Man From U.N.C.L.E., Secret Agent Man, The Avengers, The Prisoner and dozens more.

One series outlasted them all.  It featured a group of highly specialized agents who teamed together to take down foreign powers, domestic crime lords, dictators and the like.

Headed by the mysterious Jim Phelps the team was assembled each week by Phelps to take on certain clandestine assignments.

When the series first began various actors and actresses would guest star as the selected agents.

After the series fell into place the team pretty much consisted of the same team members with a few additions now and them.  Look for Steven Hill, Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, Peter Lupus, Leonard Nimoy, Sam Elliot and Ann Warren in reoccurring roles.

The TV series was Mission: Impossible and it ran on CBS for seven years.

The series inspired a number of movies starring Tom Cruise.

The TV show was cleverly written, edited and produced.  Both actresses and actors on the series performed brilliantly, much of them winning various awards, as did the series.

CBS/Paramount presents the entire seven season run of Mission: Impossible The Original TV Series in a boxed Blu-ray set.  

All 171  of the episodes from seven seasons come on (for the very first time) 46 Blu-ray discs.

It’s cleverly designed Bu-ray collection with each season disc spotlighting key characters and scenes for the series.

Look for it the first of Decmeber, 2020.

Solar, Man Of The Atom

Back in the 1960s comic book publishers took notice of Marvel Comics sudden rise in sales.  Add to that the Batman TV show’s tremendous popularity and it appeared there was money to be made.

Gold Key Comics was known for its many licensed tie-in comics featuring TV shows, movies and various animated characters such as Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

At one point Gold Key sold more comic books than any other publishers.

In a bold step Gold Key released a series of original superhero titles, Doctor Solar Man Of The Atom being one of them.

Personally I liked the book and along with Magnum Robot Fighter it was one of my favorite comic book series.

When Gold Key stopped publishing it seemed that its superhero line died with it.

In the early 1990s Jim Shooter (having been let go by Marvel Comics) decided to revive the Gold Key characters.  He purchased the rights and began publishing new versions of the characters under the Valiant Comics banner.

Solar Man Of The Atom was written by Shooter and draw by Barry Windsor Smith.

The story redefines and revamps the origin of Solar using a clever time travel/alternate reality twist.

What makes Valiant's Solar such an unusual and collectible series is that in the first ten issues special poster inserts were included.  When placed side by side the sections make up a giant poster depicting the Alpha and Omega of Solar’s origin.

It’s quit a feat of publishing magic and really showcases the incredible drawing talent of Barry Windsor Smith.

Early Valiant issues are now demanding big bucks and because the early issues had limited print runs demand far outpaces supply.

If you do have the good fortune to pick up any pre-Unity Valiant titles, do so.  They are guaranteed to increase in value and collectibility.

Near mint raw copies of issue #1 go for around $15 with slabbed issues fetching $80.

DC Super Heroes S3 Select Sculpt

Back in 2007 Mattel Toys produced a series of action figure two-packs featuring DC Comics characters.

The DC Super Heroes S3 Select Sculpt figures, as described by Mattel,  “Figures are characterized by a classic look, unique sculpting and incredible posability.”

The Batman/Batgirl double action figure set backs up Mattel’s claims.

Articulation is amazing with articulation points at the elbows, shoulders, torso, neck and head, upper legs, knees and ankles.

The superior sculpting hides many of the swivel, rotation, hinge and pivot articulation points.

The DC Super Heroes S3 Select Sculpt packaging consists of an oversize bubble pack with the figures secured in place by a form-fitting clear inner sleeve.

The Batman symbol graces the lower right hand corner of the bubble pack and the DC Super Heroes type runs vertical along the left side.

On the back are several color photos of additional DC Super Heroes S3 Select Sculpt single figures from the collection: Scarecrow, Bane and Killer Croc.

Both the Batman and Batgirl figures stand approximately 6-inches tall.  

Each figure is colored in the traditional bat gray and blue with a black bat symbol on Batman’s chest and a yellow bat symbol on Batgirl’s.

Batman and Batgirl comes with lower arm length gloves (blue for Batman, yellow for Batgirl), blue boots for Batman, yellow boots for Batgirl, blue cowls attached to long capes, blue trunks for Batman and no trunks for batgirl and stationary hands on each figure.

Gloves on the figures have three bat tips, Batman’s brown utility belt is reminiscent of a military belt with full pouches. A bat symbol is the buckle and Batgirl’s belt is slimmer, yellow and also has a bat symbol belt buckle.

Batgirl holds a batarang in her right hand.

The figures’ faces are nicely sculpted and colored, Take special note of Batgirl’s eyes-you can actually see the whites and irises.  

Paint and color application is clean, well defined and flat with not color variations.

Articulation and joints are tight, have no rough edge and move easily.

The figures stand easily on their own in various poses with no additional support.

The Superman/Bizarro twin-pack boasts the same attention to detail, multiple articulation points, crisp and clean color application and excellent sculpting.

Both figures come with fists clenched.  Superman is dressed in his trademark blue, red and yellow attire with excellent articulation, superb body and head sculpts and nice paint application-especially on the figures’ faces.

The Bizarro figure is a bulked up version of Superman but with a slightly darker color scheme for his outfit and a reverse Superman logo on his chest.

Bizarro’s face is gray and snarling.  His angular features contrast Superman’s more handsome features.

There’s nice color application on each figure’s face, especially around the eyes and mouths.

Figures stand easily on their own with no assistance.

Superman’s symbol is on the lower left corner of the bubble pack with the DC Super Heroes types vertical on the left.

Some of Superman, Supergirl, Doomsday and Bizarro single figures are showcased on the back of the bubble pack.

Star Trek The Artistry Of Dan Curry

We’re spoiled.  Too often as TV viewers we take for granted the incredible special effects (both practical and digital) we see on the small screen.

That’s especially true when it comes to the Star Trek TV franchise.

Star Trek (in all of its TV manifestations) has always been on the cutting edge of set design, visual effects, costume and creature designs, practical effects and so forth.

One person in particular has been with the Star Trek franchise practically from the start.

Dan Curry is well known among artists for his designs for the Star trek franchise.  His work has been recognized and awarded with seven Emmy Awards.

In Star Trek The Artistry Of Dan Curry, from Titan Books, readers are given a behind-the-scenes tour of how the many effects and designs came about in the Star Trek franchise.

Pages are filled with concept sketches, final illustrations, completed projects and stunning miniatures, sets, weapons, futuristic equipment, accessories and more.

Experts in the industry give their personal accounts of working with Dan, how they went about creating their various projects and what it takes to pull a series together using all the visual and practical effects and physical pieces.  

Inside Stories reveal the work behind the magic complemented by photos, art, blueprints and more.

For a first-hand look at how the various Star Trek series were designed and completed.

The large oversize hardbound book is a must-have addition to any Star Trek fan’s library.

Rough Cut and Silver Surfer

There are times when I wish comic book publishers would not ink or color their books and instead let readers see the beautiful pencil work done by the artists.

It’s also a great way to weed out who the good artists are as opposed to the hacks who depend too much on their inkers and colorists to correct their sloppy artwork

As nice as inking is sometimes it detracts from a penciller’s work.

Back in the late 1990s’ Marvel Comics put out a series of comic books that featured only the pencil work on Thor, Captain America and The Avengers called Rough Cuts.

I love it!

Each book features uninked pages of George Perez on The Avengers (my favorite), Ron Garney on Captain America and John Romita, Jr. on Thor.

All three titles are the first issues in The Heroes Reborn period of  Marvel Comics‘ attempt to revitalize its comic book line.  It was also the time when Marvel declared bankruptcy and had to reorganize

What makes the stories especially interesting is not just the pencil work, but the full dialogue balloons, border notes and production suggestions.

Each issue also includes a full script of the story.

Silver Surfer #1 (Volume 2) starts off an impressive Silver Surfer series of stories that delves much more deeply into the cosmic nature of the Surfer.

Pencilled by Marshalll Rodgers, the first issue sees the Surfer free from Earth when The Thing suggests that the Surfer and board should leave the Earth’s atmosphere separately.  

The plan works and the Surfer in once more free to ply the space ways.

He encounters his former master Galactus who convinces him to save his current herald Nova from the Skrulls.

The Surfer does so and in gratitude Galactus frees the Surfer from his exile allowing him to not only travel the space ways but to return to Earth anytime he wishes.

Bill & Ted Face The Music

They’re back! Bill & Ted, those dim-witted but lovable rockers from the 1980s, have returned and they're brought some old and new friends with them.

Actors Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have for years wanted to make a third Bill & Ted movie.  Fans have clamored for it and the two actors worked tirelessly to bring fans what they wanted.

It took a lot of work but the would-be rockers return in a brand new adventure along with their daughters and wives.  Even Death returns!

Warner Bros. is proud to present the Bill & Ted Face The Music Blu-ray/Digital Code Combo Pack.

Follow Bill & Ted as they deal with middle-age and the realization that they have yet to fulfill their destiny and create the ultimate song to unify mankind.

Once again an emissary from the future contacts Bill & Ted and they travel through time.  Along the way they meet some new historical and musical legends, confront themselves in alternate timelines and ultimately save the universe and mankind.

Face The Music is a wonderful gift to Bill & Ted fans.  It’s funny, heartfelt, uplifting and most of all-pure unadulterated fun!  It’s real delight to see the actors reprise their roles and bring new insights into their characters.

Extras include a ComicCon featurette, a behind-the-scenes spotlight, music and much much more.  “Excellent!”

Phantom Rage

Are you ready for some seriously spooky anger?  Prepare yourself for some shadowy shenanigans as Konami presents Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Phantom Rage.

It’s Raid Rampage! at its most intense.  There’s no time to rest to relax because danger lurks in every shadow, dark place and every unexpected direction.

Ghosts return from the past such as Phantom Knight and Raidraptor.

Players can create their own Hybrid Deck to max out Xyz Summoning power.

There’s a Spell Card that Summons up to 5 Tokens you can use for Fusion Summoning…twice!

With 24 Packs per Box and 9 Cards per Foil Booster Pack YGO players can also expect to find:

World Premiere Cards, the most ever in a single booster set!
The long awaited crossover between "U.A." and "F.A."!
New Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters!
More cards to enhance strategies introduced in Rise of the Duelist!
And more!

100 new Card Set includes:

50 Commons
26 Super Rares
14 Ultra Rares
10 Secret Rares

Fantasy & Science Fiction #752, November/December 2020

Harley Quinn

The Joker’s female companion Harley Quinn has gone through a lot of changes over the years since her introduction in the Batman: The Animated Series and her comic book premiere in Batman Adventures.

Her attire has changed completely since then.  I prefer her old outfit.  For a classic Harley Quinn figure in her original costume toy collectors should search out and purchase Tonner's Harley Quinn prestige figure.

Sadly Tonner no longer creates figures of DC characters.  But when they did they turned out some of most gorgeous figures in the business.

The Harley Quinn figure comes in a custom black box with a DC Stars logo.

The figure is cradled inside the box wrapped in tissue paper, carefully held in place by silk strips and cushioned with foam and plastic. Every precaution was taken to ensure the figure did not get damaged.  It’s impressive.

The figure stands approximately 18 inches tall.  Harley’s arms and legs are long and slender and they, along with the rest of her torso, are articulated.

The body is constructed of plastic that looks a lot like porcelain.  It’s easy see that a great deal of time was spent to make the figure look completely feminine with its graceful curves and muscles and skeleton contouring the clothing much like a real human figure.

Harley’s face is a portrait of beauty with her large blue eyes, painted iris and pupils with highlights, carefully applied eyebrows, small pert nose and large red lips.

Her ghostly white skin makes her features really pop and her long golden tresses made of fine follicles of plastic look real either flowing over her shoulders or tucked into her jester’s cap.

Her classic Harley Quinn jester outfit features a split black and red checkered pattern with a large star shaped white collar with white pop-poms.

Her jester’s cap also has two large pop-poms for each of the red and black ’horns’.

Small card deck symbols in red or black decorates each limp. She wears one red and one black boot.

Large gathered white tuffs of fabric end each sleeve at her wrists.

Harley’s hands are bone white with red fingernails.  A small eye mask also accompanies the outfit as well as solid red and black gloves.

The gloves, cap, boots and outfit fit snuggly over the figure and move smoothly without binding when the figure is posed.

It is an absolutely beautiful figure complemented by its attire, packaging and overall look.

Tonner figures are expensive and the Harley Quinn figures sells for approximately $250. 

Almanac, Space and Coolest

As long as I can remember I’ve always been fascinated by the world around me.  From the time I could pick up a book and read I’ve studied about different things, watched documentaries and had an insatiable desire to know more.

I’m a quick study with a mind that absorbs data, sights, sounds, sensations and tries to make sense of it all.

There’s so much to know-so many unexplored areas.

I love books and learning and that’s why I got so excited when three new National Geographic Books recently came out.

I’ve discovered that when it comes to taking in information it’s best to do so like a child-unbiased, inquisitive and intrigued.

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021 is a wonderful, colorful and quick to learn compilation of facts, photos and fun about animals, technology, fun and games, exploration and so much more.

There are lots of photos, maps, graphs and other informative images and text to keep the kid in you fascinated for hours.

Space-I grew up with the Space Race was in full swing.  I witnessed man’s first foray into space, his landing on the Moon, the first space station and his continuing exploration of the last frontier.

In the 2nd Edition of the Space Encyclopedia readers are treated to a tour of our solar system and beyond.

Learn all about the planets, celestial bodies and phenomenon complete with photos, art and text all provided by David A. Aguilar.

It’s a hardbound book that compacts the vastness of space with pages brimming with images and fascinating text.

Kids are sure to love The Coolest Things On Earth that takes a closer look at the weird, wild and wonderful.

Art, architecture, astrology, animals, sports, technology, phenomenon, history and a plethora of other areas are explored and examined for their weirdness and uniqueness.

If you love the unusual, the wacky, the way-out and the weird then this is the book for you.

Packed with photos and fascinating facts and fun it is a perfect way to experience the world around you.

Luke Cage and Speedball

Get ready for double the action and double the thrills in 1976’s Luke Cage Power Man King-Size Annual.

Comic book collectors are always on the search for the very first issue of Luke Cage.  After all the title ushered in the whole Blackploitation phenomenon to the Marvel Comics Universe.

Tough-as-nails, inner city, tough black guys were all the rage in the early 1970s.

Marvel knew a good thing when it saw it and so was born Luke Cage.

Everyone knows the story: Luke Cage is wrongly accused of a crime an is put n prison.  He is given the opportunity for freedom (or at least a shortened sentence) if he agrees to be the subject of a new experiment.

The experiment succeeds and he suddenly finds himself with super strength, endurance and near invulnerability.  He also finds himself on the run.

He takes on the name Power Man and decides to fight crime and corruption in the inner city.

In his first Annual he faces off against Magnum Force, takes part in some international intrigue and comes out swinging.

It may not be the first monthly issue of Luke Cage but it is his first Annual and it currently it goes for about $20 for a raw mint copy.

Artist Steve Ditko is a legend.  His work revolutionized comic books.  The Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, The Question, Shade The Changing Man, Captain Atom, Mr. A, Hawk and Dove and The Creeper are just a few of the memorable characters he created or co-created.

Sadly as he grew older his artistic output shrunk mainly due to his age and the tastes of comic book fans changing.

Occasionally his work would appear and old timers like myself enjoyed each and every page.

One of the last products he worked on for Marvel Comics and mainstream comics was Speedball.

Speedball is a young man with the kinetic energy ability to bounce off anything-including badguys.  It seems like a bizarre power but Ditko made it work with his clever page layouts and quirky art.

Speedball would transform into Penance several years later and become a major player in key Marvel Comics series.

Speedball #1 contains some of Ditko’s last work but it is a worthwhile purchase of a true master’s work.

Speedball #1 can be purchased for around five bucks.