There's been an exciting development in the Star Wars toy world this week, with the low key announcement that MediCom Toy Inc. will be producing 6" Star Wars figures under their Mafex banner, through which they've already released Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises Batman figures. I've seen images of their existing releases (and the upcoming ASM2 Spidey) and have to say they look very impressive, particularly the bulkier, armoured Batman. If they can bring this level of quality to the Star Wars line (imagine Boba Fett, the various types of Troopers or Vader himself with quality builds, accessories and interchangeable parts) then I think we're going to be looking at some very exciting additions to the Black Series lineup.
The reaction on message boards has been unusually positive, although there has been some understandable consternation over the price, with amounts from $40-70 being mooted. However the lower down that scale you get, the closer you come to the Wave 3 price for the Black Series figures out here in Europe anyway (which at £25 equals $41.61, as of today's rates). That's an amount I'd be willing to pay for a better quality mid-range collectable - which, just to be clear, the Black Series is not.
I think another reason for the not-negative reaction (which for a Star Wars board is as good as a standing ovation) is because this is finally another company being given the means to compete with the license. Hasbro were good for so long, but it's undeniable how badly they've cocked up in recent years. Now the Mafex figures will be import only, so it's not going to harm the big H's bottom line at all, really - but it could be a very sharp reminder that they need to take care with this license, if the import figures embarrass their Black Series counterparts too much.
On top of it all though, I'm looking forward to a company making a 6" Boba Fett figure that they actually want to sell, rather than utilising not one, but two separate release strategies that allow scalpers take full advantage. Imagine being able to buy a Boba Fett at retail at a reasonable price, huh? Madness, I know...
I’ve had very little time to focus on action figure reviews
or photography over the last few weeks as my university course has grown
increasingly hectic (it’s the final year rush!), but one thing that’s kept me
going in that time has been Spotify, and in particular the fantastic work of
John Williams. Whilst I’ve been happily listening to his scores for Harry
Potter, Jurassic Park, and The Book Thief, it’s really the Star Wars soundtracks
that made me fall in love with his music, over and above, say, the incredible
themes for E.T. or Indiana Jones.
The thing is that when you begin to consider
the music as a separate entity to the films a very different order of
preference emerges, and the prequels don’t seem quite as bad anymore… With that
in mind, I proudly present:
The Star Wars Soundtrack Countdown
6. Return of the Jedi
Coming at the tail-end of the OT, the Return of the Jedi soundtrack has
its moments, such as the soaring, operatic majesty of Luke and Leia or the
haunting Emperor’s Throne Room. However the music rarely takes off, and never
feels quite as vibrant as the earlier scores, due in large part to the production which is almost muted
and flat by comparison to the earlier records. The Special Editions were the hardest on this film as
well, as we were ‘treated’ to the appalling Jedi Rocks and inferior Victory
Celebration tunes – celebrate the love indeed. Like the actual film, the Jedi
soundtrack has some depth, but a lot of filler. Still worth a listen though!
5. Attack of the Clones
On a similar note (hah!), the Attack of the Clones
soundtrack has some beautiful moments, such as Across the Stars and Yoda and
the Younglings; but it still falls a bit flat in places – Zam the Assassin and
the Chase Through Coruscant is as bitty and noisy as the horrible, horrible
scene it scores, for example. However, tracks like Confrontation with Count
Dooku and Finale really emphasises the intended mystery of the Sith, and on the
whole it’s a collection of beautiful music with a building, tragic undertone
that sells the story far better than the actual film. It’s an undeservedly
elegant score.
4. Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith comes the closest out of the prequels to
matching the quality and tone of the OT, and as such it’s far more in harmony
with its score than the previous two episodes. I’m still confused as to why
Battle of the Heroes was composed and used when Duel of the Fates would have
been equally (if not more) appropriate, but it’s a fine tune in and of itself.
We’re also introduced to the brilliant, alert General Grievous, which is a sharp continuation of themes from The Phantom Menace album. The soundtrack is punctuated with
stabs of the Imperial March, and the closing A New Hope and End Credits is the
perfect way to tie the two trilogies together. It might not have a beautiful
high point like the ROTJ or AOTC albums, but as a whole this soundtrack is
greater than the sum of its parts.
3. The Phantom Menace
The soundtrack that started the debate. In my factual and
scientifically endorsed opinion this is only the fifth best Star Wars film, but
the soundtrack runs the top two extremely close. This album was pretty much all
I listened to over the summer of 1999, and it’s a score of unexpected majesty,
beauty, and fun – waking up the neighbours by blaring out Augie’s Great
Municipal Band and End Credits every morning certainly fulfilled my bizarre,
Calvin-esque rebellious streak; Anakin’s Theme is one of my favourite
tracks from the whole saga, and even Jar Jar Binks gets a bone with a playful,
enigmatic introductory tune. That’s even before we consider the commercial impact of the
frenetic Duel of the Fates, as exciting as the fight scenes it accompanies… Regardless of your take on the success of Lucas’
decision to show a more regal and refined galaxy, John Williams delivered the
goods in spades.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
I struggle with the Empire soundtrack, because it’s simply
amazing – from an objective viewpoint, it can be genuinely considered for the
title of the greatest film soundtrack ever. However, and I’m being subjective
here, I listen to it fairly frequently and find myself skipping the ends of
tracks, before the Imperial March comes crashing in and destroys the mood the
previous music created. I get it, how the never-too-distant fear of the Empire
is perfect for the film, but from a selfish point of view I’d really enjoy
being able to listen to the soul edifying grandeur of Yoda and the Force
without having to worry about turning the volume down almost immediately
afterwards.
But maybe I’m being too critical; after all, this album gave
us The Asteroid Field, City in the Clouds, Han Solo and the Princess, Yoda’s
Theme… And of course, the Imperial March. It’s a classic.
1. Star Wars
Now, I’m not the kind to think that Star Wars is the
greatest achievement of the saga (however great an achievement it is), and I
love the fact that we have two complete stories, those of both Luke and Anakin
Skywalker. However the score is a huge part of why Star Wars exists as it does
today, and Williams nailed it at the first time of asking. The Main Title is a
cultural touchstone, enough said. Beyond that there are moments of beauty and
adolescent melancholy galore with The Hologram/Binary Sunset, and Tales of a
Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force, weighted against the drama and tension of Burning
Homestead. The beauty reaches a high point with Princess Leia’s Theme. There’s
the playfulness that sets this film apart from the others in The Dune Sea of
Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler and Cantina Band, and the glorious, rousing The
Throne Room/End Title caps both the listening and the viewing experience off perfectly.
The Star Wars soundtrack established the themes and pattern
for the others to follow, and however great Williams’ achievements on the
other five films, or any of his countless other classics, no other soundtrack surpasses his work on this.
John Williams is The Man.
The music of Star Wars is one of the elements of the
franchise that I enjoy the most, and do so on an almost daily basis. Whatever
order you may put these soundtracks in, we should all be grateful that such
masterful music exists for our listening pleasure. All the same if you think
I've got it the wrong way around, let me know in the comments!
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.
Just a quick post to illustrate that yes, I am finally the owner of a Masterpiece Transformer: MP11 Decepticon Acid Storm. It's a fine, fine toy. He's a bit too big for my lightbox so I'm going to have to wait until some finer weather and a free schedule to get some better pictures, however University has been absolutely nuts this month and I'm about to start an internship, so I'm not exactly sure when/if this mythical 'free schedule' will ever arrive.
On that note, this will be my last Transformers blog post for a while. They've pretty much dominated the schedule thus far in 2014, which is absolutely fine, but I have a good reason to give them a break. All will be revealed in the fullness of time...
As a nice surprise my girlfriend bought home this Cyberverse Commander Optimus Prime today. The articulation's much better than I would've thought for such a small figure, and the transformation is quite clever for the scale as well. That said, in truck mode he only really looks good front on; but that doesn't massively matter, because in robot mode he looks ace.
This is the first time I've actually owned an Optimus Prime figure since I had the Powermaster as a kid (Orion Pax doesn't count). It felt good adding him as a Flickr tag!
