A Better Webhead: A Fond Farewell to the Superior Spider-Man

Late to the Party: Playing Catch-Up with TPBs.

So the spoilers were true – the Amazing Spider-Man is back in just a few short months, bringing to an end the glorious reign of the Superior Spider-Man (henceforth called ‘SpOck’, for the sake of easy identification). I have to say that I’m going to be sad to see him go.

Maybe it’s a sign of the changing times that being an outright try-hard do-gooder isn’t as appealing as it used to be, or maybe it’s because there’s still the taint of Peter Parker’s deal with Marvel’s not-Devil Mephisto lingering around (and here's a well-thought out counter argument to that opinion), but SpOck is by far one of the more interesting takes on the Spidey myth. He’s proactive, actually uses his intelligence, and wears a superb take on the classic threads. That he actually dresses in mad scientist garb when working at Horizon (goggles and all) is just a layer of icing on the cake. There’s humour in SpOck’s pompous arrogance, unintended quips and robot servant, and the way he relates his own experiences against Spider-Man as he’s taking down the villains himself is fantastic dramatic irony. It’s an exceptionally well-written and frequently well-drawn series that applies the Freaky Friday formula to superhero comics, and pulls it off with exceptional success.

SpOck about to take down Massacre... Permanantly.

This is Doc Ock however, mass-murderer and criminal mastermind, and there remains a dark undertone of violence (see Annual #1 for his savage takedown of Blackout, or of course the execution of Massacre from SSM #5). If it weren’t for this aspect, if Ock had genuinely turned over a new leaf and become a better man himself, then perhaps it wouldn’t all have to be coming to an end. But, it’s a fragile balance and Spidey is Marvel’s biggest cash cow (with a movie out this year as well), so a return to the status quo is inevitable. What’s unfortunate is that with SpOck’s over-exuberant take on vigilantism, Peter Parker has every reason to throw out the very inventions that made SpOck so superior. I don’t know this for a fact (and will be reading to find out), but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spider-Man switch back to being Peter Parker in unsophisticated threads and out on patrol himself, screwing up his social life and being back on the wrong side of the superhero community. 

No more plans?

That doesn't upset me though. Whilst I may have seen this before, there's a generation or two of comic readers out there who won't know that Spidey, and he's one worth knowing. Perhaps that’s the secret to keeping the character so successful; the ever-developing car-crash of the X-Men books provides the other side of that coin...

Whatever the outcome for SpOck, it’s been a heck of a ride. Thank you Dan Slott and co for making Spider-Man engaging, interesting and immensely readable. And for this reader, making him not Peter Parker, even if for only 16 months worth of great comics.

Review: Mezco Scott Pilgrim 6 Inch Scale Figure

Scott Pilgrim VS. The World

A belated Happy New Year, everybody! To kick 2014 off in style I’ll be looking at Mezco's Scott Pilgrim 6" figure from the 2011 line, "Scott Pilgrim VS. The World".

 

Whilst the line shares its name with the 2010 film adaptation (and the second book in the series, but I digress), this figure is basically a perfect 3D version of Bryan Lee O'Malley's original comic hero. For the uninitiated, Scott Pilgrim is a Canadian slacker/musician/fighter/goof ball who, in order to date Ramona Flowers (the roller skating, Amazon.ca delivery woman of his dreams), has to defeat, in combat, her seven evil exes.

Whilst that's the pitch, the actual story is far more about Scott eventually growing up and learning to fight for what he believes in, amidst a tangled web of believable and character driven personal relationships. The series, published by Oni Press and with O'Malley's superb and continually evolving artwork, is a must read for any fans of comics, gaming and general geek culture, and is the only comic I've been able to get non-geeks invested in. Well, apart from Preacher – but that should be compulsory reading, right?

The package proudly promotes that this guy is for adult collectors, and is "unsuitable for anyone under the age of 14", but there's less here to harm a pre-teen than you'd get with, say, the Wolverine: Origins Deadpool figure. Scott comes packed with his bass guitar and the Power of Love sword (the latter a superb power up at a later point in the series), and he wears them both extremely well. I think that the warning may be more for the sake of the figure itself, as it feels fragile – not like bone china, but I wouldn’t trust it falling even just two feet onto a hard surface. I imagine that was part of the reason Mezco omitted the phrase ‘action figure’ from the cardback…

Scott has a ball jointed head and ball joints with pivots at both shoulders. The arms swivel at the T-shirt sleeve and the wristbands, he has a swivel waist, and that's it - solid from the waist down. Whilst this articulation range has proven an issue before (as with Clone Commando Boss), the upper-body articulation and the dynamic posing of his legs allow this figure to do what he needs to do – Scott can pose with either or both of his accessories or empty handed and still look good.

A massive part of Scott’s expressiveness is due to the design, sculpt and articulation of the head. Scott carries a determined, punchy expression that captures the nuances of O'Malley's character exquisitely, and the ball jointed neck allows a range of motion that accentuates the pose. Whilst Scott Pilgrim is a goofy character most of the time, the head on this one looks much better than what was eventually released for the second figure. The paint apps are superb on both the figure and the accessories, with big, crisp eyes and sharp lines on Scott (including his trademark sweatbands and a snazzy pair of Adidas kicks), a harlequin-style hilt for the sword, and a sunburst paint finish on the guitar, with details for the pickups and dials. This one does O’Malley’s work justice.

The bass guitar has a faux-leather strap which fits snugly over his head to allow for some nice axe-wielding poses, and the sword is a single piece of nicely sculpted plastic. For his standard on-the-shelf pose I like to tuck the sword into the guitar strap across his back, Leonardo style. I don't know if it was designed that way, but I like it when a figure can keep all its accessories together.

As a display piece this Scott Pilgrim is superb, and the articulation lets me switch up the pose every once in a while to keep my shelf looking fresh. As a figure it's slightly less impressive, as it feels too fragile to withstand any real action... but then I don’t really think that’s the point with this guy. Either way, I'm a huge fan of the character, and Mezco have delivered a solid figure of him.

*****

Thanks for reading!

Play Arts Kai Dark Knight Trilogy Batman

More than just a Man

Hello, world of high(er) end collectables! If you're as good as my first impressions of the PAK DKR Batman here, I may just stick around...

This is that pre-order I was talking about, and it's pretty incredible. This figure's got fantastic poseability, comes with a great selection of accessories and feels pretty sturdy - I haven't experienced any QC issues as yet (and I'm knocking on wood as I type) - it's without doubt the best Batman I own. Hoping I can get some good pictures with this guy, and maybe one day a Joker to go with him... Everything but my wallet is stoked for this!

Garden War!

Ambush!

Free Comic Book Day 2013 was good to me, as I picked up three IDW Transformers issues amongst many others - an Alex Milne sketchbook, a re-print of Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom, and best of all, Re-Generation #81. The latter comic is a brilliant read, as it picks up from the end of the old Marvel series, with characters and a status quo that I know and remember fondly. Subsequently, I found myself in a Transformers mood...

Cyclonus

G1 Transformers are mainly where it's at for me. I have some fond memories of Beast Wars, and love the design of Lio-Convoy (amongst others) - I certainly never subscribed to the 'Trukk not Munky' mindset - but the G1 cartoon and movie are what I think of when someone says 'Robots in Disguise'. However great the toys were for the mid-80's though, they don't stand up to today's standards, and that's where the Universe/Generations line does such a great job.

Cyclonus is a faithful interpretation of the G1 character design, the likes of which we didn't get with any Autobot or Decepticon back in the day, down to the colour scheme and the fantastic light-piping that make the eyes burn red. This version is from a Reveal the Shield two-pack that came with Rodimus Prime and a Matrix of Leadership - unfortunately I bought this second hand, so my only Hot Rod is an actual G1 version - but Cyclonus here did come with his firearm, the amazingly updated Targetmaster Nightstick. The amount of articulation, unthinkable in the 80's, coupled with the character likeness and playability (the transformation is sublimly intuitive) make Cyclonus a shining example of how Transformers should be done...

Autobot Jazz

On to the Autobot side of the battle then. I've already blogged before about Jazz and the heartbreak associated with that particular guy at G1; since then though I'm pleased to announce that my Reveal the Shield version has remained in one piece (but excuse me for a moment whilst I knock on some wood!).

What I loved about the old Marvel UK comics, besides the fact it was weekly installments of the Cybertronian War, was that it was my first exposure to a seperate continuity, and to the idea that the stories I could tell with these characters didn't need to be rail-roaded within the confines of the cartoon universe. That seemed like a decent preparation for pop-culture today, with re-boots and Ultimate Comics and live-action movie versus first-generation animated movie factions becoming increasingly normal; and I love it. Sure, we get some stinkers like Revenge of the Fallen, but then we also get the Dark Knight Trilogy. It evens out!

Bringing it back around, I'm glad that a comic like Re-Generation exists, and I'll keep reading. It's Transformers as I remember them, and I'm very happy that it's being continued - Bludgeon, Skorponok and Megatron as the Decepticon heavy-hitters suits me just fine.

Fight!

Thanks for reading!