Blog Spotlight: Matching Dragoons

Jonah Hex is one of the few comic book western characters that I enjoyed reading about as a kid. Now that he has a new series from DC Comics, he's more popular than ever. A really cool blog dedicated to Jonah Hex can be found at Matching Dragoons (I added a link to the sidebar). You will find reviews of the new and old titles plus a few other interesting items.

Cyber-Link Superman And Batman

Here are the Cyber-Link Superman and Batman action figures from the limited edition set from 1996 (I only have the loose ones that I bought at the local Wal-Mart's):







I had them packed away for the last few years but I recently dragged them out of storage. I got rid of some books on my shelf to make space for them. I am glad that each action figure has their own special-made base because they are a little hard to stand up on their own.

1984 Flash Action Figure

Here is my loose Flash action figure from the 1984 Super Powers line from Kenner:


Here is what the 1984 Flash action figure is supposed to look like still on the card (not my picture, by the way):


I need to find a better graphics program since my iPhoto Plus 4 is really outdated. This picture did turn out better than a few of my previous pictures thanks to using two pieces of paper as background.

Catwoman Canned

Various sources are reporting that Catwoman has been cancelled and that #82 (August) is the final issue. No plans from DC Comics yet about a relaunch.

Inferno Extinction Batman

This is a loose Mission Masters 3: Inferno Extinction Batman from 1999 that I found at a local thrift store a few years ago for fifty cents:



This is the Mission Masters 3: Inferno Extinction Batman from 1999 still on the card that I do not have:


Notice how the flash makes the color lighter and more orangish in the first picture. I have to remember to turn my flash off the next time.

Mini Cup Sticker Set

I posted about the Superman Mini Cups 1979 a few weeks ago. I found the entire mini cup sticker set on sale at eBay earlier. The twelve stickers are from 1979 and feature Superman, Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Riddler, Joker and Penguin. The mini cups and stickers were found in quarter vending machines.

Super Corgi Juniors Cars

These are my super Corgi Junior diecast cars from the 1970s. The front row has the Joker (called Healer Wheeler on the bottom and is missing the little blue plastic knob on top) and the Penguin. The back row has the Supervan, Batcopter (with only half of the back propeller) and the Batmobile. I actually found these in a local store when I was a kid and I played with them a lot.



Not pictured is the 007 Lotus Esprit submarine/car from The Spy Who Loved Me but I might make a separate post featuring that one at a latter date.

CustomCon 19

If you enjoy custom-made action figures, then you will greatly enjoy CustomCon 19. Customizers show off everything from apes and G.I. Joe to Micronauts and superheroes. My favorite would have to be the DC Direct Ed McGuinness: Secret Files figures.

Midnight Hunter Batman And Harry Potter

I found a 1999 Midnight Hunter Batman action figure for fifty cents at a local thrift store this morning. I was lucky enough that he came with his sword that glows in the dark along with the green parts of his costume. The Midnight Hunter Batman goes with my Night Fury Robin that I found at a local thrift store years ago.

I also found an unopened View-Master pack of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Part 2: The Final Chapters for a dollar at another thrift store. The three reels features actual scenes from the movie and there is three sets in the series.

Here is a picture of my Midnight Hunter Batman action figure and Harry Potter View-Master reels:



Here is a picture of the Midnight Hunter Batman still in the package:

Wonder Woman Barbie 2003

Here is a picture of my sister's Wonder Woman Barbie from 2003 that I found at a local thrift store a few years ago for five dollars (unfortunately, she didn't come with a box or the lunchbox keychain):



The stand that Wonder Woman Barbie came with is not a very good one since it consists of just a short rod sticking out of the round platform. I had to put a few twist ties around her waist to keep her up. The right strap from her uniform is sticking up.

Supervan And Superman

The following picture features my Supervan diecast car made by Corgi Jr in 1978 that I played with as a kid. There are some dents and dings caused by my playing with it inside and outside (my Batmobile is in even worse shape). The Superman action figure is from the Justice League Unlimited line that I found at a thrift store.

Goodnight, Jim Mooney

News From Me reported the death of Jim Mooney, American comic book artist, passed away on Sunday, March 30, 2008. His first job was to draw a Batman-inspired character known as The Moth for Fox Publication's Mystery Men. After freelancing for Stan Lee at Timely Comics (now Marvel Comics), he went on to draw Batman himself for DC Comics. Among his other work for DC Comics were Tommy Tomorrow, Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman and Batman team-ups in World's Finest Dial H For HERO in House of Mystery and Supergirl in Action Comics. Jim Mooney also worked with Steve Gerber on Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown.

Siegels Now Own Half Of Superman

The big news this weekend is the judge saying that the Siegels now own half of Superman. What I think is sad is that Joe Shuster had no heirs.

My Oldest Comic Book: Adventure Comics #97

Adventure Comics #97 (April/May 1945) is the oldest comic book in my collection. The copy I have was bought about twenty years ago at a local thrift store for $5.00. The store owner wrote a note saying that it was a 1944 issue. This DC Comic from the Golden Age features the Sandman in "No Curtains For Cupid!", the Shining Knight in "Barbs of Chivalry!", Genius Jones in "The Club That Wasn't There!", Starman in "Stolen Glory!", a half page comic strip titled "Gags Giggles 'N Groans" and Mike Gibbs Guerrilla in "The Life of Riley!".

Ads include Private Jones on the back of a captured Japanese soldier promoting Eveready Batteries, Adventures of "R.C." and Quickie in "Circus Terror!" to promote Royal Crown Cola (there is a drawing of Duncan Renaldo at the end of the ad from the movie, The Cisco Kid Returns), a Wheaties New Library of Sports centerfold ad, a half ad for a real U.S. Army plastic helmet and Volto From Mars promoting GrapeNuts Flakes (the bottom has "Tune in Hop Harrigan Blue Network Mon. thru Fri.").

A text story titled "Mad Money" by Eddie Bell can be found after the Starman feature and is continued on the back cover, which I don't have.



Here is the cover of Adventure Comics #97:


Here is my coverless copy of Adventure Comics #97 (there is a tear at the top):

Superman Mini Cups 1979

In 1979, several characters from DC Comics found themselves on mini cups that were only available in vending machines for a quarter each. I remember getting a few of them one time when I visited my grandmother in western Kansas. They were very fragile and broke easily. The stickers were three by one inch and was a pain to put on the mini cups just right. The mini cups were only one and half inches tall. I remember having Batman, Lex Luthor and two Superman mini cups. Others that I remember being in the set included Aquaman, The Riddler, The Joker and Wonder Woman. Of course, the only ones that have survived are the two Superman mini cups. Here are some pictures of what they look like:


Superman mini cups 1979 #1:


Superman mini cups 1979 #2:



Every once in a while, you will find the mini cups on ebay. They are also called mini mugs but to me they look more like mini teacups. Here is a Penguin mini mug that is on ebay now:


Penguin mini cup #1:


Penguin mini cup #2:

Patrick Wilson As Nite Owl

Here is a picture of Patrick Wilson in costume as Nite Owl from the upcoming live action Watchmen series:


Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl
Other pictures of the Watchmen characters in costume can be found at Newsarama.

Happy 75th Birthday To Doc Savage

Doc Savage #1 was published March 1933 and featured the original Superman, Clark Savage Jr. National Post has a great article about the Man of Bronze.


Doc Savage #1
March 1933

Happy Birthday, Superman

Today is Superman's 70th birthday according to E. Nelson Bridwell. I will answer a few questions posted by Brian Cronin in honor of Superman’s birthday:

1. What is your first memory involving Superman?

A Superman comic book was one of the first comic books that I ever received for the first time when I got my tonsils out.

2. What was the first Superman comic book you read?

I really don't remember but it had to be in the early 1970s. Sadly, I don't have the majority of comic books that I had when I was a kid. At the time, I didn't keep a list of my comic collection.

3. What is your FAVORITE Superman story, whether it be comic, movie, TV series or cartoon?

My favorite Superman story was "Superman 2001" featured in Superman. I actually had to give up my original copy but I remembered the story vividly. I did manage to find another copy in a comic book store several years later.

4. When you think of Superman, which artist’s take on him do you normally see in your head? Shuster? Boring? Plastino? Swan? Adams? Byrne? Jurgens?

I always think of Curt Swan's Superman from the 1970s since that is when I was getting comics almost every week.

5. Which of the actors who have played Superman did you like the best as Superman?

I would have to say Christopher Reeve is my favorite Superman actor for he really did make me believe that a man can fly.

Justice League: The New Frontier Review

I received a complimentary copy of the Justice League: The New Frontier DVD in yesterday’s mail. I watched the animated movie earlier this afternoon and I was greatly impressed. I have been a fan of the Justice League since the mid-1970s when I first starting reading the Justice League of America comic book. I used to watch the Super Friends cartoon series with a bowl of cereal on early Saturday morning. I caught most of the Justice League animated series and the follow up series, Justice League Unlimited.

Justice League: The New Frontier is set in the 1950s when America was dealing with the Korean War, the McCarthy hearings and rise of the Civil Rights Movement. Wonder Woman speaks of the horrors of war to Superman in 1952 in a village in Indo-China where only the women survived. Hal Jordan is shown as a jet pilot on July 27, 1953, which is the day that the Korean War ended. One of the headlines at the beginning of the animated movie states that Washington declared war on the mystery men. Later, there is a report on the mob beating of a black man named John Wilson. The title itself is from John F. Kennedy’s acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention in 1960.

While Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman appear throughout Justice League: The New Frontier, the animated movie is more about the Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter and the Flash. After the Korean War, Hal becomes a test pilot for Carol Ferris. The Martian Manhunter arrives on earth and becomes a plainclothes policeman. Barry Allen dons his Flash uniform and runs from Central City to Las Vegas after hearing the attack of Captain Cold while talking to Iris West on the telephone. Other characters in the DC Universe that appear are Ace Morgan from Challengers of the Unknown (the graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke has more with them), King Faraday, Rick Flag, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Robin, Green Arrow, the Blackhawks, Adam Strange, Aquaman and Ray Palmer before he becomes the Atom.

I won’t bore you with a scene by scene description of Justice League: The New Frontier because I want you to enjoy some of the same surprises that I did. Those who have read the six-issue mini-series, DC: The New Frontier will know the basics anyway. The animated movie has tons of surprises that a DC Comics fan like me will enjoy. One of my favorite surprises is Batman’s costume change and the explanation for it. The basic plot is about an alien threat and the mystery men team up to combat. Part of the movie’s fun is when the Martian Manhunter and Batman finds that a mysterious force is growing stronger.

Justice League: The New Frontier had fluid animation and coloration. The voice actors were great especially David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Miquel Ferrer as J’onn J’onz/Martian Manhunter, Neal Patrick Harris as Barry Allen/The Flash and Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman. The animated movie is rated PG13 for some violent scenes and adult situations.

Fans of the Justice League animated series may be disappointed by Justice League: The New Frontier and the “retro” look. However, fans that still remember Hal Jordan and Barry Allen in their early days will greatly enjoy this animated movie. I watched the widescreen version that lasted for seventy-five minutes. The bonus features included Super Heroes United: The Complete Justice League History, an exclusive sneak peak at DC Universe’s Batman Gotham Knight, an audio commentary featuring the filmmakers of the animated movie (Bruce Timm among others) and an audio commentary featuring Darwyn Cooke. I greatly enjoyed watching Justice League: The New Frontier and the feature is now one of my favorite animated movies.

A special thank you for the person that sent me the DVD to review.

Superman Returns Valentine Card 2008

Since my birthday is the day before Valentine's Day, I received a Superman Returns Valentine card made by Hallmark from my mother this year. She knows how much I like Superman so she thought I would like this card. I enjoy the Superman Returns Valentine card mostly because of the real cloth cape.

I took pictures of the front and back. The message on the front reads "Here she comes! If she doesn't notice me in briefs, tights, and a cape, I give up!", the inside message reads "Have a Valentine's Day that's anything but mild-mannered!" and the back message reads "Chicks dig the cape!"

Another neat feature is that the Superman Returns Valentine card can stand up by itself.



Front of Superman Returns Valentine Card 2008:


Back of Superman Returns Valentine Card 2008: