The two geeks are back, and spend the entire show talking about toys. Mostly.
As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on Twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.
Kickstarting Mattel’s presence at San Diego Comic-Con, Mattel Creations brings fans the hottest exclusive collectibles from beloved properties, including Hot Wheels, WWE, Jurassic World, Masters of the Universe, and more during “12 Days of Fandom.” The celebration unveils the first product drop today, July 11th, ultimately providing fans with a 288-hour sale of the 2022 line up heading into this year’s convention.
Fans can stay up-to-date with daily announcements and drops by visiting https://creations.mattel.com/, the exclusive destination for all things Mattel.
During San Diego Comic-Con, Mattel will present a variety of fan-forward events, including panels, signings, special guest appearances, product showcases, incredible installations for the perfect photo-op, and displays of the “12 Days of Fandom” items at booths #3029 and #2945.
Dark Horse Books and Mattel present: The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe! A welcome addition to the collection of any Masters of the Universe fan!
This exciting tome brings you an in-depth look at the newest incarnation of Masters of the Universe, bringing a dazzling, future-forward update to the classic world of magic and tech. Featuring a behind the scenes look at all of He-Man’s allies, the evil minions of Skeletor, and the strange, alien landscapes, creatures, and technology of Eternia! This volume also showcases the creation process behind all aspects of the show with never-before-seen material.
The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe hardcover will be available everywhere books are sold October 18, 2022. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore. The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will retail for $39.99.
Celebrating the release of the first black superhero, Sun-Man, joining He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Mattel created this super sweet and heartwarming video.
Mattel previously announced that the Rulers of the Sun, with its multicultural Black, Latino and Asian characters, will be joining the Masters of the Universe Origins line in 2022. The first hero to join He-Man is Sun-Man, one of the pioneering Black action figures, available for preorder today and arriving on shelves around the globe this Spring. As the 40th anniversary of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe kicks off in 2022, Sun-Man and the Rulers of the Sun bring He-Man new, powerful partners in his battle against evil.
The Rulers of the Sun line will be joining the Masters of the Universe across multiple toy lines, including Masters of the Universe Origins, inspired by the original toys from the 1980s, and the new Masters of the Universe: Masterverse which celebrates the evolution of the franchise. Along with Sun-Man, upcoming allies include Digitino, a Latino computer wizard and Space Sumo, an Asian telekinetic ninja. Together they fight for justice against their nemesis, the evil Pig-Head, a devious and spiteful lord who spreads fear and despair around the world.
Created in 1985 by Yla Eason, inspired by her son, who feared he could never be a superhero because of the color of his skin, Sun-Man was a groundbreaking character for Black children and superhero fans alike, who saw a hero who looked like them and whose superpower was actually drawn from the organic connection between his skin-color and the power of the sun.
Previously released through Mattel Creations as a special limited edition figure last year, Sun-Man immediately sold out within minutes, showing the passion of fans for the hero. Under this partnership licensing agreement, Mattel is granted the right to produce Sun-Man from The Rulers of the Sun collection. Olmec Toys and Yla Eason retain all rights to the Sun-Man property. Mattel’s purpose across all franchises has been to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. As a part of this commitment, the company will continue to find ways that our content and toys can better represent the diverse world kids live in today.
Masters of the Universe Origins Sun-Man is available today for preorder on Amazon.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com.
Mattel and Dark Horse Books have announced The Art of Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a one of a kind oversized hardcover book exploring the newest edition to the Masters of the Universe world
Diving deep into the creation of the show, this book features detailed explorations into your favorite visual aspects of the series. Explore Powerhouse Studios’ character art from the development stages to the finished product, as well as extensive looks at the world and locations of Eternia!
The Art of Masters of the Universe: Revelation will be available everywhere books are sold April 6, 2022. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore. The Art of Masters of the Universe: Revelation will retail for $49.99.
Mattel and Dark Horse Direct have announced an exclusive line of high end, limited-edition lithograph prints of the comic covers for the Masters of the Universe: Revelation comic series written by Kevin Smith, Rob David, and Tim Sheridan. The comics served as a prequel to Netflix and Mattel Television’s critically acclaimed animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
Printed on 11” x 17” archival paper, the first two prints of the line will be the Stjepan Sejic and Mike Mignola variant covers from Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1, the first of four comics released. These limited-edition, numbered prints will be printed to pre-orders, never to be reproduced, making them true collector’s pieces.
Pre-orders for the prints are open now and will close at 5:00PM PST September 13. Each print will retail for $39.99. We have the power!
Mattel and Dark Horse Comics have announced Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a four-issue miniseries. Starting in July 2021, the series will serve as a prequel to the upcoming Masters of the Universe: Revelation series from Netflix and Mattel Television premiering this year.
The story arc for the new comics was conceived by the show’s executive producers Kevin Smith and Rob David, who also served as the creative director and a writer of DC Comics’ Masters of the Universe releases from 2012 – 2020, as well as show writer Tim Sheridan. Mindy Lee provides the art and color while Stjepan Sejic created the cover art for issue #1 with Dave Wilkins providing cover art for issues #2-#4. Mattel and Dark Horse will also release an issue #1 variant by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart. Additional variant artists for subsequent issues include Bill Sienkiewicz, Walt Simonson with Laura Martin, and more.
In the comic book, following a vicious Orlax attack on his father King Randor, He-Man learns the creature is linked to the origin of the sword of power. To save Randor and put an end to the chaos, He-Man embarks on an epic journey that pits him against his longtime foes Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, and sees Teela take the reins of a powerful legacy.
The first installment of four for the Masters of the Universe: Revelation comic is currently available for pre-order and will be released July 7, 2021. Additional comic books will be released on August 11, September 9, and October 13, 2021.
Hell of a year for toys, right? We’ve seen some crazy stuff. Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black continue to boom. The end of DC Multiverse has come for Mattel; McFarlane gets the DC license for next year to add to their prodigious portfolio (including Harry Potter), while Imaginext and DC Super Hero Girls continue at Mattel. International companies and Funko are more popular than ever, and companies like NECA and Mezco continue to drive out high-end licensed goods. And that’s just the surface, really.
I want to take some time today to address what I see as the Best and Bummers about collecting this year. Ready to go?
BEST: HASBRO PULSE
Hasbro’s site upgrade does a tremendous service to fans. It has pre-orders, exclusives, and the chance to sign on for Haslab projects. There’s free shipping for members, and the prices generally equal in-store pricing, if not lower. The design is also clean and easy to use. And I’ve never experienced lag, even when the Baby Yoda stuff went up yesterday. It’s very well-done.
BEST: ARMY BUILDER IN ONE
It’s not a totally new idea, as Marvel Legends has packed in alternate heads that “make” a new figure in the past (notably, Madcap with Deadpool or Hammerhead with Chameleon). But they leveled up with Dani Moonstar (more in a minute) by including two extra heads and two sets of hands to allow one body to become three characters (Dani, Karma, and Wolfsbane). This idea is extending with the Stepford Cuckoos, and it’s really clever in execution. If it were possible to have them be a little easier to find, I can think of a few other Marvel instances where this could be appropriate, from male New Mutants to alien Nova Corps members to a wider span of masked/unmasked options.
BUMMER: VHTF
In the past, the Marvel Legends Walgreens exclusives have been generally easy to obtain. That changed with Emma Frost. From phantom and disappearing orders on the website to a general lack of the figures ever showing up in some stores, it was a real pain in the ass to find Emma. It got even worse with Dani Moonstar. Here’s hoping that Walgreens manages the process better in the new year with the Stepford Cuckoos. Giving them a separate item number in the database would be a great start.
BEST: DC MULTIVERSE GOES OUT BIG
Even though it was the last year for the line, Mattel managed to knock out some of the best figures of their entire run this year. The Rebirth Titans (Beast Boy, Nightwing, Wally West, Starfire) were all very good, as were the surprising KGBeast and the wonderfully multi-headed Alfred. I’m very interested to see what McFarlane does, because they have some big shoes to fill for DC in the mass market.
BUMMER: DEAD DC
It appears that previously previewed DC Multiverse figures like the Mammoth collect-and-connect and Green Lantern Simon Baz will never come out. And that’s too bad.
BEST: FUNKO CHARACTER SELECTION
Good on Funko for staying on top of making virtual anything. Marvel? DC? Star Wars? PBS Hosts? Horror icons? Musicians? All in incredible varieties? There’s barely a property you can think of that DOESN’T have a line of Funkos to go with it.
How about you, readers? What are your Best and Bummers for 2019? What are you looking forward to the most in 2020? Thanks for reading.
THIS . . . is a big one. Quite simply one of the best assortments that Mattel has released since the advent of DC Multiverse, the Killer Croc wave is almost everything that you’d want out of a Batman grouping. Let’s dig in. But first: thank you to Mattel for providing us with these figures free for the purposes of review. First up . . .
Red Robin (Tim Drake): I’m glad Tim got out as Red Robin before the Drake name change. (No sir, I do not like it). DC Multiverse has done a great job getting to Rebirth characters, and I’ve been really pleased with the attention paid to the excellent Detective Comics run. I think that Red Robin looks pretty great. The RR logo is easy to read. The cape is pretty solid. Also, the staff is well done. This figure has a pretty great face sculpt, too; that’s a grim and determined expression right there. I’m kind of surprised that it took until this deep in the line to get to him, but hey, I’m happy he’s here.
Red Hood (Jason Todd): This is the figure that I struggle with the most in the assortment. I’m definitely glad that it exists, but I’m equally bummed that the pistols are sculpted into the gun belt and can’t be removed. That’s a swing and a miss. The rest of the figure itself is pretty good. I like the jacket existing as a separate piece over the torso. The Red Hood helmet sculpt is okay, but the masked Jason head is great. This particular figure has some of the best paint work in the assortment; I especially like the shininess of the helmet itself. Red Hood also comes with a few extra hands, including hands sculpted to hold guns (which is a little ironic).
Katana: I was pleasantly surprised when Katana was announced as part of this group, and I think Mattel did a fine job. The splashes of red and white on a costume that’s predominantly black make for a striking figure; I got a really good paint op on mine, as it has a sleek sheen. Katana does have an extra hand for holding her namesake weapon; that’s another well-done piece. Knowing her history in the Outsiders, I had to take a picture of her with the CW Black Lightning from two weeks back. Seeing them together makes me wish Mattel had gotten time to do Geo-Force and Halo, too. Nice work, good figure.
Batman (Dick Grayson): There’s a lot to like about this figure. First off, I loved the Morrison/Quitely/etc Batman and Robin title. Secondly, he’s sculpted differently than Bruce. You can tell that THIS Batman is different from the OTHER Batman, and that’s excellent. Another difference that’s pretty clever is the use of the cloth cape; it’s another signifier, given the predominance in plastic molded capes for Bruce. Going in that direction with the cape also echoes the way that Quitely drew him, particularly on the cover of issue #1 of that run. The figure comes with an unmasked head and a”hanging cowl” accessory that lets you mimic Dick’s appearance when he has the cowl pulled off. I like this one. It wouldn’t have been one that I would have thought of immediately, and that’s cool; it makes for a nice surprise and it’s a solid figure.
KGBeast: Holy crap; this guy’s HUGE. Originally appearing in the class “Ten Nights of the Beast” story and popping up on occasion across media (Justice League Unlimited; there by his real name in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice), KGBeast has always been a favorite weird villain of mine. I feel like they got the flavor of the guy, particularly with his crazy weapon attachment. That’s just ridiculously big, and also awesome. A pair of daggers go into booth sheaths, which is a great touch. It’s just a massive and intimidating figure, and I really dig it.
Alfred: This Alfred figure is just tremendous. The basic look is terrific. It looks just like Alfred from the comics. The choice of serving tray and glass accessories is hilarious and super-appropriate; way to be on-the-nose, Mattel. This is all well and good. But the thing that pushes Alfred into the stratosphere is the fact that he’s got not one, not two, not three, but four frickin’ heads. Love the ’60s TV show? There’s the Napier head. Love the Keaton movies? Allow us to show you the Gough head. You a comic person? Comic head! And the fourth . . . the Outsider! If you don’t know who the Outsider is (short form: bad Alfred), then trust us; it’s a little complicated to get in right now. But that choice is just awesome. I love this Alfred; obviously, there have been a few over time in various lines, but I think this is the best.
Collect + Connect Killer Croc: Did I say KGBeast was big? Good Lord. Killer Croc is enormous. But even better, he’s still extremely poseable. Frequently in figures of this type, you trade that poseability for the size. Not here. Aside from the hinged jaw, you have good mobility at the joints. And the detail! The size makes it a little easier to achieve this, but this figure is a veritable explosion of scales and ridges. The texture and general weight of this figure is off the charts. Outstanding work.
As you can tell, I think that Mattel pretty much pulled out the stops this time. There are some fine figures here and I appreciate the selection. I got out the DCUC Signature Damien to pose Al and the boys for a couple of shots to mark the occasion. What about you, readers? You like this set? Tell us about it in the comments. Thanks for reading!
