For comparison purposes:

I got the Wal-Mart exclusive Hasbro Marvel Legends Heroes Reborn Iron Man...oh, I'm so never typing that again...a while back. Since I still had the old version on the shelf, I put them together for a little look at your basic action figure from 1997 and 2008. I say, "basic," but for the time, the Avengers Iron Man from Toy Biz (we'll call him TBIM) was an upgrade: he was a slightly larger scale than usual, since Iron Man had relatively recently had a mess of toys in the line for his animated show. Like those toys, TBIM features a few vac-metallized pieces: they aren't bad, but prone to chipping, and the chest piece on mine has. Still, the big, shiny mask piece doesn't quite pull off the look of this armor.

As they say at OAFE, TBIM moves at the "big five," cut neck, shoulders, legs. For comparison, that's just one point of articulation more than say, a Simpsons figure. (EDIT: Duhr. He moves at the waist, too. Whoo-hoo!) I was going to say that little articulation is rare these days, but then again, there are some that still have even less. TBIM comes with an accessory. What said accessory actually is supposed to be, um, is anyone's guess. Some sort of charger, maybe? It's supposed to approximate the look of Iron Man #1 from 1996--the regular cover, not the one with the Hulk hands. The charger comes with little cables you can plug into ports on his knees and the backs of his hands, and is rather helpful at keeping him standing. Not shown here? TBIM also came with a little two-pipe chrome piece that attached to his back. What the hell did those pipes do, even in terms of comic-book science? No idea. I personally thought the pipes were ugly as homemade sin, and wonder if I still have them somewhere.

That said, the pipes do differentiate this model of armor from others, and from the pile of Iron Man figures I already have. The Marvel Legends Iron Man (MLIM, which sounds dirty somehow) has non-removable pipes, but they seem more on model: I'm remembering the old ones as smaller, which just made them look dumber. Let's do a quick count: 2 ankles, 2 points at both knees (4), 2 points at both hips (4), waist, chest, 2 shoulder, 2 points at both elbows (4), 2 wrists, and the neck. Let's say 21, although you may count them differently. The balljoints at the elbows and hips give a pretty good range of motion, but the shoulders are constrained by his shoulder pads. In case you still have any, MLIM doesn't have a hole in his back for a flight stand.

Side by side, they resemble each other, but MLIM is far more svelte: in particular, TBIM's hands, chest, and calves are huge; yet his waist is almost the same as MLIM. Because the chest is disproportionate, TBIM almost seems like a He-Man character, but this was the trend back in the day--the first relaunched Star Wars from 1995 were on the burly side as well. Oh, and while he doesn't get any accessories of his own, MLIM comes as part of the Ares Build-a-Figure wave, but his pieces are Ares' sword, dagger, and helmet; which isn't bad if you're maybe not planning on building the full figure.

I had thought I had a copy of the Heroes Reborn Iron Man #1 right handy, but I'm afraid not. I also don't recall if the redesign is all Jim Lee, who's credited as co-writer for that one, or Whilce Portacio, the artist for the first few issues. And I don't remember how long they stayed on the book, since I think they fell behind schedule. I have the damn issues, but I'm not going to dredge them up right now. The first issue was murky and unpleasant, the Hulk spends most of the series with long hair and no pants, and the asshat factor of Tony Stark was amped up to a level not even seen in the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. days.

We'll look at some Heroes Reborn Iron Man in a second, but first consider: one of the things the Iron Man movie nailed was that Tony is a bit of a jerk. He has flaws: he's a womanizer, he's a bit glib, he always seems to be pushing on to the next thing, he might be a drunk. But in the comics, aside from pounding that one note of alcoholic, sometimes writers give Tony "flaws" that are just virtues taken too far.

In the 80's, Tony was the noble businessman, concerned with making money but also with making the world a better place, and he sometimes didn't listen to his friends or employees. He also picked up an over-developed sense of responsibility like Peter Parker, whether for crimes committed with his armor designs (which led to him fighting Captain America in the Armor Wars) or for accidental deaths unrelated to him at all (which led to Tony fighting Cap in the Civil War...) Tony also developed a terrible habit of lying to or making decisions for his friends, the Avengers, and everyone else; if he thought he was in the right: when he didn't tell Rhodey he wasn't dead, just frozen. When he made the deciding vote to disband the West Coast Avengers. When he revealed his identity to the world, and when he hid it again.

Even in his cartoon, Iron Man seemingly went on a suicide mission every week; alone, since he didn't want to put his teammates in danger. Never mind that they might not have been suicide missions if Iron Man went in with half a dozen superheroes behind him. Tony's heart is in the right place, but his control freak tendencies get the better of him.

Back to the Heroes Reborn Iron Man: by the time Heroes Reborn: the Return was ready to start, Iron Man had come a long way. Tony had worked through his guilt over the death of initial Iron Man test pilot Rebel (he had a name, but I don't care enough to look it up) and seemed on his way to becoming the superhero we knew in the regular Marvel universe. And his shining moment in this series? Um, going into the negative zone for carbon dating? Since Franklin Richards had created this alternate earth (don't ask) Reed figures that testing a sample on their earth would give expected results, but taking it out Tony is stunned to realize their earth is actually less than a year old.

The Celestials are going to destroy the second earth, and the Marvel heroes that were lost to Onslaught have to return to their own, the traditional Marvel earth. Captain America and the Falcon say their goodbyes to the girl Bucky, because she was from there...and she didn't really catch on with readers. Look, if she'd been popular, they would've taken her with. And there's also apparently a spare set of Inhumans: they're seen in a crowd shot as Franklin gathers everyone that has to go back, but they weren't lost to Onslaught...and Iron Man? How will he say goodbye to this earth?

Um, by nailing Pepper Potts and bailing out? Great...well, no regrets, right? Until everyone on the way home gets a flashback to their old status quo, and some take it better than others.

Maybe Tony's being a bit hard on himself, but the fact remains, he hasn't made a lot of progress on most of his personal problems. On the other hand, it's not like anyone else learned anything from their time on the other Earth. Hey, is that still there? I remember seeing it in Thunderbolts years back, and pretty sure Dr. Doom conquered it as well; but Marvel doesn't seem to go for the alternate realities like this (or the Squadron Supreme's earth) as much anymore. Unless they've got zombies.

Pages from Heroes Reborn: the Return #3 and #4, written by Peter David, pencils by Salvador Larroca, and a full page of other credits. The whole series is a big reset button to sweep the Jim Lee/Rob Liefeld helmed relaunches under the rug, while simultaneously setting up new first issues for Iron Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. That said, even with the Celestial/Franklin Richards nonsense, David makes it a lot of fun, and I liked those new firsts. And Larroca's art is better, more readable, than most of the Heroes Reborn issues that proceeded it. There's probably a lesson here somewhere, but Tony didn't learn it, so why should we?

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Admittedly, it felt like a week reading this one.

Even though I know I didn't, it feels like I read all of one comic last week. Oh, and another volume of Chainsaw Man, but too bad for you, we're looking at 2000's Heroes Reborn: Doom #1, "Doom" Written by Chris Claremont, pencils by Mike McKone, inks by Mark McKenna, letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft. So many letters...

I was trying to sort out where this one fell: a gazillion years ago, we saw the Chuck Dixon/Leonardo Manco Doom mini-series, where Victor ends up stranded without armor and weapons on the Heroes Reborn earth that had been created by Franklin Richards: I had to look it up, that's after this series. We also saw a bit of continuity backfill, in a Thor annual, explaining what happened when the other heroes returned to regular Earth-616; that maybe doesn't work because Doom has his armor back there, but whatever. By this point, Doom is conquering the hell out of the largely hero-less earth--who did they have left? Proto-Iron Man Rebel? Girl Bucky? While Doom had a crew of hitters, most of whom are seemingly terrified of him but still betray him; but he had a few that were maybe loyal so far: a really murdery Lady Dorma, the Celestial Ashema, and Lancer. Seeing Lady Dorma is mildly interesting: she had of course been dead in regular continuity for years, and wasn't quite considered a saint like the likewise passed Gwen Stacy, but close. Somehow, Claremont seems to be implying that Namor was a humanizing influence on her (and the other Atlanteans there) and without him Dorma could be a monster.

I also had to look up Lancer, since I remember her appearing at Doom's side for a bit there; but I wasn't sure what happened to her. Narratively, it would make the most sense for her to be loyal to Doom until he eventually went too far, or used her up entirely: arguably, she would have been a creation of Franklin Richards and not necessarily "real," but that would hardly matter to Doom either way, he'd still see here as just another tool for him to use as needed. I don't think her story was really resolved, and neither was her world's: the thrust of this issue, is Doom uses an attack by the Dreaming Celestial to get the power to move the Heroes Reborn earth out of its pocket dimension and into the real world, on the other side of the sun, where the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth used to be, taking that name. It may or may not still be there to this day? I've noticed this before, but I'm still surprised: so in the 616 universe, today, there's probably at least four earths around somewhere: the regular one, this one, the High Evolutionary's (that got stolen some time back) and the New Universe one that was sealed off. Suck on that, Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development!...that might be the nerdiest reference we'll ever make here. Read more!

It's been over two years since the last issue of Fantastic Four, which I have and totally should get around to for "The End" week. And even though I got that Walgreens exclusive Invisible Woman figure last month, it feels like I'll have the rest of the team before a new FF comic hits the racks. (I wrote this before the reveal of...whatever Marvel's Legacy thing is; which I think has a new Two-In-One? A step in the right direction, but not the same.) So luckily, I picked up about a year's worth of their last run the other day; let's check out 2014's Fantastic Four #11, "East of Eden, part three" Written by James Robinson, pencils by Leonard Kirk, inks by Karl Kesel.

As was often the case for the FF...and most Marvel characters, honestly...the writer has to spend a lot of time tearing them down, to make their later victory more dramatic. That's great, but wading through the ten issues prior it felt like Robinson was really hammering on them! An attack on New York by monsters from the "Heroes Reborn" universe is blamed on the team, even though Johnny sacrificed his powers to stop it. The court ruled against the FF, taking the Baxter Building and Sue and Reed's Future Foundation kids away; Val was already staying with Dr. Doom! During the Original Sin crossover, Ben finds out how Johnny accidentally wrecked one of Reed's attempts to cure him of being the Thing; and that Reed didn't tell him. Worse, Ben is then framed for the murder of the Puppet Master, and thrown in super-villain jail! Meanwhile, Johnny's becoming a wastrel, Sue might be reverting to Malice as she fights for her kids, and Reed's working for a science guru that you know is going to end up being a villain. (Close! That latter part is probably the most thankless job in comics: create a new villain for the Fantastic Four. Remember Hyperstorm or Crucible or the Marquis of Death?)

This particular issue opens with the aftermath of a fight with the Wizard's latest Frightful Four--this time, the girls from Salem's Seven--versus Mr. Fantastic and his magical lifeline Dr. Strange the Scarlet Witch. Reed is feeling like he can't do anything right; but Wanda tells him she's been there, and it gets better. Longtime FF associates (and occasional couple) Wyatt Wingfoot and She-Hulk meet up, and agree to investigate who was coming after the team; maybe see if they could get Johnny into rehab while they're at it. (He wasn't quite that far gone, but close.) And the prison shower scene doesn't quite go into Oz territory for Ben, but he nearly catches a beating, saved only by the subtle intervention of the Sandman, who doesn't want to be seen helping him. She's on the cover but not inside: the top dog in the prison food chain, was none other than former FF member and Ben's ex, Sharon "She-Thing" Ventura!

As Wyatt calls Johnny, his cab driver catches an arrow in the head, and Wyatt is nearly killed by...the "Heroes Reborn" Hawkeye? Luckily, She-Hulk had asked Spider-Man to keep an eye on Wyatt, but they're both confused by this turn of events. Robinson had actually written "Heroes Reborn" before: he did the 13th issues for those, the Wildstorm/Marvel crossover World War III, which I loved to death. This FF issue isn't bad, but it only moves the plot forward incrementally: much more seems to happen in the recap, than anywhere else.
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"The End" Week: Fantastic Four #416

This one isn't my favorite: I was predisposed to not like Tom DeFalco's stint as writer on Fantastic Four since he took over from Walt Simonson. Even with Paul Ryan on art (I liked him on D.P.7 and Quasar) I didn't care for the issues I read, which included the Invisible Woman's worst costume ever, Alicia Masters as a Skrull, and the surprisingly long alleged deaths of Reed Richards and Dr. Doom. So, at the time, I don't think I had a big problem with the notion of Jim Lee relaunching Fantastic Four #1 in Heroes Reborn. (Even though my memories of Heroes Reborn are vague, at best; I don't think Lee's FF was memorable, or terrible, or memorably terrible.)

DeFalco does get the chance to go out with a bang, with Carlos Pacheco on pencils, in the middle of the Onslaught crossover. The FF, various hangers-on like Ant-Man and replacement Doom Kristoff, and most of the Avengers and X-Men; have gotten their collective ass kicked sideways by Onslaught, who has kidnapped Franklin Richards for good measure. As Franklin tries to use his powers to project images of himself to show them that he's ok; Onslaught twists it into an assault, and psychic copies of the FF's villains begin appearing at Four Freedoms Plaza.

Luckily for the Four, their friends have started to show up during the crisis; so Pacheco gets to draw everyone from Alicia Masters and the Puppet Master to the Inhumans to Namor to the man, Doctor Doom. In the end, Reed creates a machine to block the psionic attack, but has to cannibalize the alien machine Ben was using to turn back to human form. True, it's with Ben's blessing, but as usual Ben is stuck a Thing once more. At least DeFalco gets to do that much; usually shafting Ben is the next writer's job.

In the end, with that victory, the Fantastic Four begin to rally and ready to face Onslaught. The art carries this one quite a ways, although Pacheco is on occasion forced to draw some characters in their unfortunate 90's looks. I'm not going to scan it, but I keep forgetting that Hawkeye's had some costumes that make that Ronin outfit a lot more understandable.

Scans from Fantastic Four #416, "Unfinished Business" Written by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Bob Wiacek.
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All this week: Iron Man!...reruns.

"The Power of Iron Man!...oh, and he has a movie coming out, yeah, I heard something about that..."



This is an old one, but probably still applies. And it reminded me that I probably need to take those kids to look for Iron Man toys at Burger King!

The last regular issues of Iron Man that I've read were Warren Ellis' Extremis arc, which I liked even if it's more remembered less for the story and more for giving Iron Man powers, being an ad for cell phones, and Adi Granov's art. Then the whole Civil War thing came down, and while I've heard the Knaufs have done some solid stories, I just haven't been able to pick a lot of those issues up.

I missed Adam Warren's Hypervelocity limited, too; but plan to check that out in trade. (EDIT: I did, and it's great.) That probably goes for a lot of the planned limited series coming pretty shortly.

Even though he's about the same size, the old Heroes Reborn Iron Man--that was a Jim Lee design, right? Well, he's got about as many joints as a Simpsons figure. Hell, maybe less. I think I 'lost' the pipes that attached to the back, but I'm wondering if I still have the...whatever the hell the accessory was. The vac-metal finish is starting to chip a bit, too. (EDIT: I did get the Legends HR Iron Man--that's Heroes Reborn, not Human Resources.)

I've been keeping an eye out for one, but I haven't found a clearanced Hasbro Legends Ultimate Iron Man. I'm just not willing to cough up full price for him, since I'm not smitten with that design. I prefer the idea of Iron Man's suit fitting in a suitcase, not a dump truck. I missed the red and silver version too: either I thought I wouldn't need yet another Iron Man, or I was asleep at the wheel.

Not much to say on this one. Might have to go back through that box of Iron Man and Force Works comics later. Tomorrow, I have to take those kids back to Burger King to see what the toys are this week. Yes, I would make all my dining choices based on toys if I could.

Also, over the course of this blog, I've had four different Iron Man tags. I should go back and make sure I've tagged them all correctly...(EDIT: No.)
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For Comparison Purposes: The time Jan turned into a Sectaur.

Most characters that are lucky enough to get an action figure, get one depicting the character at their most iconic. That would also in most cases be the plain vanilla figure; if they're popular enough Battle-Damaged Spider-Man or Pirate Batman can come later. Janet Van Dyne Pym, better known as the Wasp, wasn't quite as lucky. Out of the literally dozens of different costumes that she had worn over the years, somehow the powers-that-were went with this one for her first figure:

Hoo, boy. This just reminded me that like the Fantastic Four, I really like the Avengers, but can go long stretches without reading them. Badly injured at some point during the Onslaught crossover the Crossing, (I had to look it up, the cover's here, but the Avengers were in crossover after crossover leading up to Heroes Reborn), the Wasp was on the verge of death. Her ex-husband Hank "today I'm Giant-Man" Pym, used some doubletalk science device...to heal her and escalate whatever alterations he made to Jan before, like her wings and little-used antennae. Also: lavender. And a lot of it.

Before anyone asks, I have no idea why the Wasp's top has it's own antennae. Nor do I want to know.

I think I have all of two comics with this new Wasp, and after Heroes Reborn Jan was back to her old self. Also, I'm pretty sure since the Avengers were in an escalating quagmire of crossovers and "events," Jan may not have even got an issue to sit down and cry about becoming an insectoid freak. Yet, she got a toy out of this debacle. This was from a Spider-Man wave, and in case she wasn't buggy enough, she came with "Transforming Insect Armor!" 'Cause, you know Jan would be keen on turning into a giant bug. Perennial Spider-Man punching bag the Beetle was also in this wave, as well as the inexplicably beloved Swarm and a "Cyber-spider" Spidey.

Two years after this version, Jan would get a somewhat more-traditional figure in the Avengers box set, in her 1963 costume. The next Wasp came from the Avengers cartoon, and there was also a small trapped Jan packaged with the animated Kang. From 1999, it's not a terrible figure, although I think she came with an alternate helmeted head that was just tiny. If you don't like her redesign or the little robotic stinger arms, keep in mind that the Wasp got off easy compared to Hawkeye's design for that cartoon. Also, in digging her up, I noticed all four (!) of my Wasp figures had either stands or putty on their feet to keep them standing. The combination of Jan's dainty little feet and colossal wings knock her over every time.

The Wasp finally would hit the jackpot in one of Toy Biz's final Marvel Legends waves, getting not just one figure, but three. Well, variants anyway. Two were done in an older style, costumes the Wasp wore in the 80's, I believe. While I like the current costume, I kinda like Jan's hair better in the variants, which I never saw in person to buy.

Oh, and the Sectaurs? They were insect-themed action figures from the 80's. The Wasp would've been a hit with them, no doubt. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at one of the aforementioned comics I have with Jan's ugh...new look.

And I think I promised Iron Fist for this? Maybe next week.

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"The End" Week: Captain America #454!

Well, this one was a long time coming: over the years we've seen the last issues before Heroes Reborn Fantastic Four #416, Thor #502, Iron Man #332, and Avengers #402, but we didn't get to this one until now. (Even thought I said "maybe we'll get to it next year" back in 2011.) From 1996, Captain America #454, "Sanctuary" Written by Mark Waid, pencils by Ron Garney, inks by Scott Koblish.


Sharon Carter had been dead for almost longer than I had been reading comics at that point, since 1979's Cap #233. She was going undercover against the terrorist white supremacist National Force, but was caught, brainwashed, and allegedly burned to death. I don't feel like that death was intended to stick--Cap was shown it on video, for one thing--but creative teams may have changed and she was just left by the wayside. Waid brought her back, as a spy that had been left out in the cold, channeling what seemed like her resentment at being forgotten. Maybe a bit too much, she seems petulant at times; but this issue gets into some of what she was up to when she was gone: a long stint as a POW in Tap-Kwai. (Tap-Kwai being a fictional Eastern dictatorship that I don't think had appeared before, or since. It's not a 1:1 analogue for North Korea, but enh, close enough.) Cap kind of steps all over her mission, to show her she's not alone, and that's that.


Traditionally, some of Marvel's best runs have come when a book seemed to be stagnant or sinking, so was then turned over to someone who would pull out all the stops to bring it back: Simonson on Thor is probably my favorite example. After ten years on Cap, Mark Gruenwald seemed old hat (and his last year, Fighting Chance, wasn't a favorite) so it was up to Waid and Garney to pep things up again. And they did, it was a complete turnaround...just in time for them to get taken out at the knees. Like the other books we mentioned, Captain America was going to Heroes Reborn, so Waid and Garney were out after eleven issues, to make way for Rob Liefeld. I know I wasn't the only reader just pissed by that one, but at least in print here W&G are magnanimous. Rob only made it six issues, and his retcon update of Cap's origin was itself retconned by #7; after the pretty sweet Wildstorm crossover #13, Cap returned to the Marvel Universe proper, and to Waid and Garney! Garney would only stay on to #5, and Waid to #23 (story but not script there, though) but it was a more than welcome return.
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The end, but probably not.

By this point, I've written a ton of "The End" posts, and still have next to the computer a medium-sized pile of last issues I could do. But, when I looked through a longbox and found four 'last' issues--almost five, I was missing one--for two series that were currently running; it struck me how many of these books were what I call "Marvel-cancelled." That is, cancelled only to be relaunched with a new number one, usually in short order, to cash in on the sales bump a first issue gets seemingly no matter what.

It's not like no one else does that, but Marvel had the most egregious example with Heroes Reborn/Heroes Return: long-running books like Avengers and Fantastic Four were cancelled so Liefeld and Lee could reboot with new number ones. Reborn petered out with #13, the heroes returned to the Marvel Universe proper for another #1, barely a year later.

And, y'know what? That's fine...aside from the aneurysms it gives the more organized collectors when they have six number ones and a return to the old numbering on a single title. It's just marketing. Personally, early on I was more conditioned to be excited or pick up a book for an arbitrary special 'anniversary' issue--"Wow, issue #25!"--than for an arbitrary 'first' issue. And it's not like anyone reasonably expects a lot of closure for Captain America's 'last' issue: it's just the last one until the next one.

But reviewing some of these posts, I became a little alarmed how many of them were relaunched. Granted, some like Blue Beetle or Manhunter feature completely different characters, but the old ones are often still in play as well. Then I got to thinking about how many times titles like Hawkman or Alpha Flight or Doom Patrol have been cancelled and relaunched and cancelled...even setting aside how much I personally like some of these low-selling characters, after the fourth or fifth try it might be time to give up.

I love the Creeper, but I know there's just no way the market is going to support a solo book for him. Will that stop him from getting a new one, or at least another limited series? No, of course not. Should Marvel and DC (and everyone else, I suppose) stop putting resources into vainglorious attempts to turn Claw the Unconquered or the Defenders into a successful comic, and start trying to find something new? Probably. (Defenders should be a lock, a sure thing; yet it's been cancelled two or three times...)

By the way, that longbox I was looking at, that started this train of thought, had Deadpool #69, Cable & Deadpool #50, Iron Man #332, Iron Man #88/433 (the second-to-last of that series) and Xombi #21. Admittedly, my filing system makes no goddamn sense on any level. Deadpool and Iron Man are of course still going; and even Xombi got a second chance this year. 'Last issue' rarely means "the end," they'll be back again someday. Probably.
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Is Impulse somehow a load-bearing piece of Legion continuity now? Grife, the future is in trouble...

We've blogged them in no particular order, but this is the last of the Legends of the Dead Earth annuals! And one of maybe two that was actually in regular DC Universe continuity at the time. Which, of course, means sprocking nothing nowadays...maybe. From 1996, Legionnaires Annual #3, "The Long Road Home" Written by Roger Stern, pencils by Charles (Chuck) Wojtkiewicz, Dan Jurgens, and Tony Castillo; inks by John Lowe, Don Hillsman, Dexter Vines, and Ron Boyd. Cover by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer!

I'd have to think pretty hard to counter this, but XS might be the last addition to the Legion of Super-Heroes that seemed to really stick? The Flash family legacy didn't hurt her, either: there aren't many Legionnaires that have appeared in live-action! But, today Jenni is stuck in 1996, after a time-travel mishap, and while she enjoyed getting to see her cousin Impulse and her grandma Iris, she wanted to get home, so Jay Garrick and 27th century Flash John Fox help her out with the Cosmic Treadmill. Which, as it sometimes did, fails her; as she lands further in the past (or, at least we would've assumed it was the past, then...) by her grandpa, Barry Allen! Who had been working on the Treadmill, to try and get some records back from his college dorm, which might be the most humanizing sentence I've read for Barry in ages. While Barry is glad to meet her, they both know she can't hang out, and Jenni is sad that she'd probably never see him again, as he helps her build up speed for the trip back to the future.

Unfortunately, this time Jenni overshoots, landing in the 100th century! Which is the fairly standard dystopia with robot enforcers, although they take an interest in XS as "unlicensed." She manages to avoid being 'downsized,' shrunken by the robots, but is captured and thrown in the 'Tombs,' advanced cells for earth's remaining super-powered individuals. The powerless heroes explain, the current overlord Nevlor had gotten rich selling "image enhancements," then got powerful enough to force those with powers to be licensed, or downsized, then replaced with younger knockoffs. There's some commentary here, it's subtle...As are the future heroes, who are variations on the Avengers, led by Gary Concord, the Ultra-Man! (Assume I said "not that one" here...) That's a callback to All-American Comics #8 from 1939! Gary had been a scientist, put in suspended animation in 1950, woke up in 2174, back in suspended animation here. Jenni is less freaked out about any of that, than the fact she was no longer on earth, but Almeer-5; and that earth (and the United Planets!) had been gone for centuries. (And, an aside: when I said it was subtle, I wasn't kidding: I thought it was just a jab at Image creators Lee and Liefeld on Marvel's Heroes Reborn, but 'Nevlor' is an anagram of Revlon, which owned Marvel for a bit! 'Almeer-V' is close-enough for 'Marvel' as well.)

At super-speed, Jenni is able to disable the bomb-collar on the Hulk-alike Behemoth, and then breaks out to buy time for Metallica and Avatar (again, not that...oh, nevermind) to get their respective gear, and Ultra-Man. The heroes have to fight their horrible replacements, and ask Jenni to stay and help form a new Legion, but she still wants to get home. Avatar lends her the Spear of Destiny (actually, yeah, that one!) to try and guide her through time: Jenni runs with it, to get going in the right direction, then lets it return to Avatar. But again, she finds herself even further in the future, at Vanishing Point, home of the Linear Men! Here, no one else can see her, even when her uncle Jay appears--mid-Zero Hour! Not a great day for Jay, as we see one of his JSA pals zorched in the background. The only one that can see Jenni, is a strange hooded figure, who describes himself as "Trapped" in "Time". Either Jenni slept through villain-identification at the Legion, or they hadn't run into the Time Trapper in post-Zero Hour continuity--if this was the same Trapper, or not, who could say? The Trapper does advise that time is not an absolute for ones like them, and also, the Linear Men suck: they tended to see things in black-and-white and probably would look down at her bouncing around time. The Trapper further reveals, he was responsible for Jenni's whole trip, to teach her something, which she won't be allowed to remember right now. Feels like that defeats the purpose, but sure. Jenni is returned to the 30th century, just a few weeks after she left, none the worse for wear. 

 I forget if this is still in continuity--probably not?--but pre-Flashpoint/New 52 Iris West was born in the 30th century but raised in the 20th. She would be killed by Reverse-Flash but brought back in a new body in the future, where she would have kids with Barry before he left to die in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. (Said kids would be killed ignobly by the Dominators, in a brief back-up in the Five Years Later era.) Her grandson, Bart, was born with superspeed and aging super-fast, so she took him back to the 20th century to get help from the current Flash, Wally West. Jenni knew Bart: she had probably visited him in the virtual reality he lived in, in the 30th century. (Oddly, Brainiac 5 also knew Bart from the virtual reality, although was far less fond of him.) It's a lot of little dominoes to stack up to get to Impulse, who presumably existed around the time of the Legion; and he's back in current continuity more-or-less as his old self. I know every writer wants to do their own thing, put their own spin on it, but I'd keep XS in the Legion every reboot! I suggest just having her pop! out of the timesteam, and wonder what the grife happened there. Bonus points if she's still drawn in the cheery Jeffrey Moy style! 

Oh, and going through the tags again: the Starman Annual might have been in continuity, if the Shade is a reliable narrator; but I was thinking of the Power of Shazam one, since Thunder went back in time to join the Legion of Super-Heroes! And honestly, the Justice League America Annual could be in continuity as well, because that does seem like the other thing that routinely happens to Captain Atom. (Popping into the room, Captain Atom: "I made it! I'm back from the future!" J'onn, not looking up from his Chocos: "Uh-huh. And who was the bad guy this time?" CA, sheepishly: "...Booster." J'onn: "Uh-huh.")

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Good idea: making a list of all the Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X books I've bought additional copies of, to see what I need to complete another run of that. Better idea: maybe putting that list somewhere I'd actually be able to read it while I'm looking, like in my phone or something? No, that makes too much sense. And I'm at least 40% sure I hadn't bought another of this one, anyway: from 2000, 4 (Universe X) #1, plot by Alex Ross, plot and script by Jim Krueger, art by Brent Anderson, additional inks by Will Blyberg. Cover by Alex Ross.

Unlike most characters in the Earth X setting, at the start Ben Grimm is happy and thriving, largely retired, and living with his wife Alicia and their two boys, Buzz and Chuck. (Alicia had gained some kind of sculpt-to-life powers in the Terrigen Mists, and maybe wasn't blind anymore, so she was doing way better than a lot of the people changed thusly.) Reed Richards, however, is a wreck; having not only lost Sue and Johnny, but also Franklin: as X-51 recaps at the start of this one, Franklin was Galactus now, but unaware of who he had been prior; Reed couldn't tell him without changing him back, and Galactus was needed to eat planets and keep the Celestials' numbers down. Still, Galactus had been summoned to earth previously, and defended it, when called as Franklin; now he asks X-51 to tell him of Franklin Richards, trying to determine why that name meant something to him.

Meanwhile, at Castle Doom, problems continued to pile up: Adam Warlock had returned, although Ben wonders why he wasn't trying harder to find Her. Even as Reed's "human torches" worked to burn away the Terrigen, Warlock and Her's son was the source of a lot of strife with mutated humanity, so Reed stashed the kid the last place anyone would expect: with Namor, who was still half on fire, since killing Johnny Storm. This triggers a sidebar about the nature of mutation, at least in the Earth X mythos, that might give 'Galactus' a clue as to what he had become. (Basically, if stage 1 mutation was random and stage 2 somewhat more of what the mutant wanted, stage 3 was like becoming what the universe needed you to be; which may have meant the end of what you had been.)

Reed send Ben to Namor, with one instruction: "Don't hit him." Yeah, you're sending the wrong guy then, Reed. In the underwater fight, Ben inadvertently frees Orca, Tiger Shark, and TS's sister Diane; the latter of whom had been mutated by the Terrigen as well. Ben's helmet is smashed, but he's saved by Namor giving him mouth-to-mouth, which is beyond mortifying for him. Namor then introduces him to Warlock's 'son,' the reborn Captain Mar-Vell, who Ben calls Marv; that name might stick. Marv explains, there was nothing for Ben to be mad at Namor about, it wasn't his fault. Then, the kicker: the afterlife, for super-heroes and villains, wasn't heaven but not quite hell: everyone that had died and gone there, thought they were still alive, and that those still alive were dead instead! So, grudge fights continued, as Sue and Johnny thought Reed and Ben were dead, and were still fighting Doctor Doom. Marv was in both universes now, appearing in the dead one as an adult with the Enigma Force, as he has a conversation with Stephen Strange and the Micronauts' Commander Rann, who had given Marv the Enigma Force. (The dead universe is also color-swapped: the Scarlet Witch was green there, Doom's usual green cape was red; Sue and Johnny's FF uniforms were now orange and the numbers were backwards!)

X-51 continues to explain-without-explaining why Reed had called 'Franklin' and 'Galactus' had come: after first meeting Uatu on the moon, Reed would have realized, the Watcher had always been watching, and maybe not as a friend. The FF had travelled back into the past (more than once! But FF #19 is referenced here) and Uatu would have seen that, before they actually met him. Uatu would've known of the Inhumans, the secret origins of vibranium, the creation of Adam Warlock: all of this might have inspired Reed to investigate the Microverse and the Negative Zone, perhaps looking for a place away from prying eyes...In the dead universe, Marv plans to reunite Reed and Sue: not by killing Reed, but by bringing Sue back, if they can convince her that she was really dead. Johnny had been convinced, but Sue tells him the only thing that would convince her would be to "get Victor Von Doom to come to me and apologize for his entire existence."

An aside: to keep the narration clear, X-51 is given caption boxes with like a circuitry underlay. They're really annoying to read at a glance, you have to focus there! But, pressed further, X-51 explains how Frankin's mutations had affected him: he'd been turned into an adult, back to a kid, a teenager for a bit, kid again, with the Celestials later keeping tabs on him after he had created the "Heroes Reborn" pocket universe. Galactus forces X-51 to admit, Franklin had been a threat to the Celestials; which doesn't add up for him, since 'Galactus' thought he was the only threat to the Celestials. Back in the dead universe, Johnny faces off with Doom: almost literally, as he unmasks him, to show him his scars were gone. Although, he does threaten, he wasn't quite sure how it worked there, but probably could scar him up again if needed.

Forced into a corner, X-51 shows 'Galactus' the final fate of Franklin Richards: killed by Sentinels in X-Men #141...huh? 'Galactus' accepts that explanation, and annoyed that he wasted time talking to a robot, leaves. X-51 is confused, since he knows it didn't go down like that, at least for his world, and is grudgingly forced to consult with Uatu. Namor takes Marv and Ben back to Castle Doom, but then leaves, saying he wanted it to happen but he couldn't be there for it. Marv asks Reed to tell him about Sue, and he breaks down, since he had never even really been able to mourn her. In the dead universe, Sue does get that apology from Doom, who explains everything, from how his hurt pride led to everything he had done, to how he had always been able to manipulate Namor by not letting him split his time in and out of water correctly, to trying to kill Reed with a 'suicide' bomb. It wouldn't really have been suicide, Doom had planned to teleport away; but he chose to kill Sue instead to hurt Reed more, then his teleport failed and he died as well. Looking back on it there, Doom is able to see...yeah.

Now that Sue accepted her death, Marv was able to bring her back: using Reed's right arm as the clay, Alicia sculpts Sue, then Warlock gives her the soul gem, returning her to the living universe. This isn't a sacrifice for Warlock: Ben had thought his soul had been in the gem as well, but Warlock says he was now free, and takes his leave to go find his wife, which should get an "atta boy" from Ben. And back on the moon, X-51 offers to plug Uatu back in, so he can at least hear the world; if he can explain why he was seeing different histories...to be continued, in Universe X #1? Good lord, I thought we were further in than that. But, along with being a satisfyingly dense read, this issue shows how they were able to take something editorially inconsistent like Franklin's multiple age changes, and make them make sense. Sure, you have to go around the long way, but it gets there!  

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When Bad Ideas Clash!

Not Quicksilver or the Black Knight, specifically, but what's the baddest bad idea on this page?

A. Pietro thinking he can take Dane, after a couple of sword-fighting lessons, and without using his speed?

B. Dane, for thinking fighting his way past Pietro is going to be the way to win back Crystal? (Actually, did Dane ever get that far? I think Sersi blocked him a lot.)

C. Crystal, for thinking she could ever talk anything through with either of those two?

D. Marvel, for thinking Quicksilver could carry his own book?

Well, probably Marvel there, but it wasn't a terrible book. And I like the idea of Pietro and Dane being respected, well-known super-heroes, Avengers of distinction and bravery, who will absolutely try to kill one another if put in the same room for five minutes.

Crystal (and Pietro's sister, the Scarlet Witch) returned from their stretch on the Heroes Reborn world, and to her credit tried to give time to her husband and daughter, but the Black Knight kept pushing to see her, even after the Lady of the Lake advised him to quit it. Even though his charges, the Knights of Wundagore, were currently missing (and captured) Pietro tried to stick with Crystal, which admittedly wasn't going great before Dane showed up. Pietro gives Dane the bum's rush at superspeed, so Dane smashes through a window with his winged horse; and before you can say "domestic disturbance" it's go time!

Since he foolishly tries to fight probably the best swordsman in the world on even terms, Quicksilver doesn't do very well. Although, Dane does clock him one in the face with his shield: strictly speaking, that didn't strike me as chivalrous, since Pietro didn't have one of his own. Regardless of the outcome, Crystal is pretty pissed at both of them, even before the fight wakes up Luna. By the way, how is Luna older than Franklin Richards now? Anyway, Crystal tells both men she loves them, but takes Luna and returns to her family in New Attilan. Don't feel bad, guys: it's not like you lost her to Johnny Storm...or the Sentry...or Ronan the friggin' Accuser...

I'd have to look it up, but I think Crystal had just as long of a tenure in the Avengers as Sersi; but neither is the top of anyone's list of favorites, are they?

From Quicksilver #7, "I Love You, Goodbye" Written by John Ostrander and Joe Edkin, pencils by Ivan Reis, inks by Randy Emberlin. I know Quicksilver and the Black Knight would meet again not too much later in a crossover with Heroes for Hire, but I don't know if they ever buried the hatchet. I kinda prefer to think they didn't...

(Out of office yesterday, but it turned out pretty well. Anyway, I had this one prepped for just such an occasion!)


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Thor doesn't remember most of this one, but maybe you do:

This is a bit of continuity fluff; but I still like it. Thor '99, "Tears of a God" Story and art by Dan Jurgens, inks by Klaus Janson.

At the end of Heroes Reborn/Return, as said heroes were making their way back from the pocket universe to the Marvel U. proper; Dr. Doom tried to take Franklin Richards. Thor grappled with Doom, and both were left behind. This issue, the returned Thor visits the Fantastic Four. While grateful, Reed wonders why it took Thor a couple weeks to return; and Ben points out that in that time, Reed was struggling to find a way to rescue the missing god.

For his part, Thor remembers nothing, although for the moment he's more concerned with the destruction of Asgard and the missing Asgardians. In fact, on a distant planet, Thor was found and nursed back to health by a desert-dweller named Ceranda. She admits to having been banished for practicing sorcery, but Thor doesn't judge. He also isn't able to use Mjolnir to get home.

Meanwhile, Dr. Doom pretty easily crushes the technologically advanced natives, takes over, repairs his armor, and then moves against Thor. When Doom realizes Thor hasn't been looking for him, he knows something else must be keeping the thunder god there. Planting a bomb to force the natives to obey him, Doom attacks Thor; who easily routs the natives and destroys the bomb. That was a feint, though: Doom's real target was Ceranda; who, in her lonely exile, used a spell to bring Thor to her and keep him there. Doom steals Ceranda's magic, mortally injuring her, and returns to earth.

Dying, Ceranda erases Thor's memory of her. Thor eventually returns to earth, but as he contemplates his missing time, he is stricken with a sense of loss. Luckily, the FF is there to cheer him back up, and Thor is touched by the gift of a hammer from Franklin.

Doctor Doom doesn't have the same level of rivalry with Thor that he does with Iron Man; which of course doesn't hold a candle to his hate for Reed and the rest of the FF. In fact, as far as the big Marvel heroes that Doom has tangled with, I'd say Doom probably dislikes Dr. Strange, the Hulk, and even Spider-Man more than Thor. That doesn't make this a bad issue, but Doom doesn't seem as invested as usual, either.

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1-2 First toy of 2008: Marvel Select Mephisto! $12.99, Suncoast. Also, Mole Man, Hasbro Fantastic Four, $3, Wal-Mart.

1-11 Demon, Orion, DC Universe Classics. $9.99 each, Target. 2 of 5 Collect and connect "Element Man" (Metamorpho).

1-30 Catchup: First Appearance Iron Man, $6.25 with postage, eBay. HFF Namor, $5, Wal-Mart. (The Oldest got Dr. Doom!)

1-31 Batman, Red Tornado, Penquin, DCUC, $29.97 Target. Completed "Element Man."

2-1, 2-2: Spencer's Clearance: Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack, DC Direct Batman Beyond, Planet Terror Cherry and Dakota; $5 each, $20 total.

2-15 DC Direct JSA Hourman, $3.75, Hastings.

3-2 POTC Captain Barbosa, $3.75, Hastings.

3-7 Hasbro Marvel Legends Hydra Agent, $9.99, Wal-Mart.

3-16 Superman: Through the Ages boxset, $12.50, Hastings. (That's about $3.13 a piece for four different Supermen!)

3-22 Iron Man, movie MkIII, $9.99 Toys R Us.

3-25 2 Superhero Squad Spider-Man's, (for the Youngest and myself), and Super-Soaker candy, $6.49, Target.

3-28 Iron Monger (first edition), $9.99, Fred Meyers.

5-3 DCUC Firestorm, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop, 1 of 5 C&C Gorilla Grodd.

5-6 Movie Masters Batman, $11.47, Wal-Mart.

5-8 DC Direct Superhero Squad (Earth-2) Batman, $14.99, Suncoast.

5-16 V for Vendetta, NECA, $7, Hastings.

5-31 Zoidberg, Futurama, $6.99, Hot Topic.

6-1 DCUC Aquaman, $9.99, Toys R Us. 2 of 5 Grodd.

6-3 Legendary Heroes Panda and Clownface, $5, Wal-Mart.

6-15 Happy Father's Day! The family got me Black Manta (the Comic Book Shop, $13.99)...he killed Aquaman's kid. Huh.

6-17 Speed Racer Big Sounds Mach V, $7, Wal-Mart.

7-1 DC Direct Jonah Hex, the Comic Book Shop, $15.99.

7-17 Target Exclusive HML Hulk, $6.48. Diamond/Art Asylum Star Trek II Admiral Kirk, $9.66, Suncoast.

7-29 Vacation backlog: Doc Samson, HML Hulk/Fin Fang Foom wave, $14.99; Batman sticker pack PVC, 2.99; Target, MT.

7-30 Storm Hawks Dark Ace cycle, $3.74, Target.

8-7 Legendary Heroes Stryker, $10.99, Rite Aid.

8-14 DCUC Green Lantern, $10.99, Target. 1 of 5 C&C Solomon Grundy.

8-15 Superhero Squad Iron Man set, $5; LH Judge Death, $3, Wal-Mart.

8-22 Superhero Squad Deadpool/"Captain" Punisher, $6.83, Wal-Mart.

9-6 DC Direct Animal Man and Wonder Girl, $9.88 total, FYE. Iron Man Captain America armor, $5, Wal-Mart.

9-8 HML Banshee, Hercules, $1 each, Wal-Mart.

9-19 Hellboy 2 Mezco Mr. Wink, $16.99, Hastings. Traded in a pile of junk for a credit there, but he's a lot of toy for the dollar. Sadly, I mailed in for the replacement head, but moved shortly thereafter...

9-20 Grindhouse Rapist #1 Quentin Tarentino, $.94; DC Direct 52 Batwoman, $6.44; FYE.

10-3 Stargate Major Carter, $3.75, Hastings. (If I still have the "gun-banner" up, you can see her in the bottom right corner!)

10-7 DCUC Deathstroke, $10.99, Target. I totally blame Poe and Pete for that one.

10-30 HML Union Jack, Target, $9.99. Yeah, $9.99: I think Target may have recanted and dropped the Red Hulk prices; the Fin Fang Foom wave was "on sale" at like $14.39, if I recall.

11-01 Walmart Exclusive HML Kang, $10.37.

11-14 Wal-Mart HML Crossbones, $10.44.

11-16 Marvel Select Thor, $19.99, Hastings. I've been trading in a ton of old books and whatnot there, and had a credit. I haven't even really read the new Thor comic--I'm more a fan of the Simonson era, but I just had a feeling it was now or never for that one. (On a recent visit to the same store, I saw MS Hulk and Iron Man, but no more Thor.)

11-18 Revoltech Fraulein Pocco, $24.99, Hastings. Again, traded stuff for credit, since there's no way I could justify cash for that one.

11-19 DCUC Wonder Woman, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop. Worth it just to be done looking. Not sure if I'll keep going for Despero, I still haven't finished Grodd.

12-1 Wal-Mart HML Heroes Reborn Iron Man, $10.44.

12-10 Mattel Movie Masters Bat-Pod, Target, $14.99.
12-16 DC Direct 52 Isis, $4.94, First Appearances Atom, $3.44; Marvel Select Zombie Colonel America, $4.94. With tax, $14.46 at a local FYE that's closing. I used to work there when it was a Sam Goody, so it was fun to pillage for toys again, and I saw an old friend while I was there. Isis I probably could've held out on--whatever's left will probably go 75% off after Christmas--but her package was torn open and I don't think she would've made it. And that new Atom is the definition of mediocre, but for that price he's good for crowd scenes. Read more!

"...staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes, so help me God, yellow eyes!


When I saw this panel, I had to break out A Christmas Story a little earlier than I usually watch it. Unless Doom is delivering his closer to an oncoming car, I really don't know why his eyes would glow like that. Still, since Doom is cooler in this than he had been for some time, we'll let that go. From Doom #1, "Doom without Armor" Written by Chuck Dixon, art by Leonardo Manco.

The issue opens with Doom waking up naked--no mask, no armor, no green cloak and riding hood--in Africa. But not his Africa, the Africa of the Heroes Reborn stories, created by Franklin Richards and orbiting the opposite side of the sun from earth. It's sometimes referred to as Planet Doom, or Counter-Earth; but the later may just be confusing Franklin's duplicate earth with the one the High Evolutionary created, from 70's Warlock and Hulk stories.

Leaving that aside, Dixon wastes no time letting you know Doom is hardcore, as buck-naked and unarmed, he kills a lion in three pages. (Five panels!) So begins Doom's journey back to his Baxter Building, from which he can return to the real Earth, and finish kicking the stuffing out of the Fantastic Four. At least that's how it reads: with Doom as the protagonist, and most of the people he mows down being if not more evil, a less classy evil; you start to think Doom is on his way to finally beating the FF. All he needs is to maintain control of the narration...

The lionskin mask has to be more comfy than his usual metal job. One thing I've wondered: is Doom's mask like Iron Man's, full of sensors and displays and oxygen and so on? Or is it just a metal faceplate, like the old Kirby version? Dixon is taking the 'Doom is a scarred, ugly bastard' approach; and while I usually prefer the 'Doom is barely scarred...on the outside' tack, it's a valid look. At this point, Doom has been reborn, transplanted into a new body, or rebooted so many times; there's no telling.

I also like that Doom kills six slaver/post-apocalypse biker types, without his armor, spells, Doombots, etc. Tony Stark would have had a lot harder time of it, and I can't see him getting past the lion without having to build a trap or a deadfall or catapult to kill it. But, more on von Doom tomorrow, as we look at the Grover Dill to his Scott Farkus. Read more!

It's Random Happenstance's Third Annual Year in Toys!

Three years, huh. Almost getting some history now. Here's 2007 and 2006 for comparison and catch-up. Some of this list (like all) has also appeared in the forums at OAFE.

Not to put too fine a point on it, or get into the bloody details, but 2008 was a bit crap of a year. I suspect I'm not the only one, and I know a lot of people have it a capital-L lot worse, but I'm glad to see the back of it.

But, that's one of the nice things about toys: even with this list, I won't look at say, Crossbones, and think, "Oh, yeah, I bought him while I was scrambling to find a new place to live! Ha, good times." I'll be thinking about old Captain America comics, or the homemade strips I made with that figure (they're coming!) instead. Times may be tough, and everything sucks; but hope, and toys, survive.

Oh, enough preamble and bitching, let's get to the list: where possible, there may be links to homemade strips a figure appears in. I try to list off the brand and name of the toy, where I bought it, and the price. Price may or may not include tax. Because, that's why.

1-2 First toy of 2008: Marvel Select Mephisto! $12.99, Suncoast. Also, Mole Man, Hasbro Fantastic Four, $3, Wal-Mart.

1-11 Demon, Orion, DC Universe Classics. $9.99 each, Target. 2 of 5 Collect and connect "Element Man" (Metamorpho).

1-30 Catchup: First Appearance Iron Man, $6.25 with postage, eBay. HFF Namor, $5, Wal-Mart. (The Oldest got Dr. Doom!)

1-31 Batman, Red Tornado, Penquin, DCUC, $29.97 Target. Completed "Element Man."

2-1, 2-2: Spencer's Clearance: Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack, DC Direct Batman Beyond, Planet Terror Cherry and Dakota; $5 each, $20 total.

2-15 DC Direct JSA Hourman, $3.75, Hastings.

3-2 POTC Captain Barbosa, $3.75, Hastings.

3-7 Hasbro Marvel Legends Hydra Agent, $9.99, Wal-Mart.

3-16 Superman: Through the Ages boxset, $12.50, Hastings. (That's about $3.13 a piece for four different Supermen!)

3-22 Iron Man, movie MkIII, $9.99 Toys R Us.

3-25 2 Superhero Squad Spider-Man's, (for the Youngest and myself), and Super-Soaker candy, $6.49, Target.

3-28 Iron Monger (first edition), $9.99, Fred Meyers.

5-3 DCUC Firestorm, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop, 1 of 5 C&C Gorilla Grodd.

5-6 Movie Masters Batman, $11.47, Wal-Mart.

5-8 DC Direct Superhero Squad (Earth-2) Batman, $14.99, Suncoast.

5-16 V for Vendetta, NECA, $7, Hastings.

5-31 Zoidberg, Futurama, $6.99, Hot Topic.

6-1 DCUC Aquaman, $9.99, Toys R Us. 2 of 5 Grodd.

6-3 Legendary Heroes Panda and Clownface, $5, Wal-Mart.

6-15 Happy Father's Day! The family got me Black Manta (the Comic Book Shop, $13.99)...he killed Aquaman's kid. Huh.

6-17 Speed Racer Big Sounds Mach V, $7, Wal-Mart.

7-1 DC Direct Jonah Hex, the Comic Book Shop, $15.99.

7-17 Target Exclusive HML Hulk, $6.48. Diamond/Art Asylum Star Trek II Admiral Kirk, $9.66, Suncoast.

7-29 Vacation backlog: Doc Samson, HML Hulk/Fin Fang Foom wave, $14.99; Batman sticker pack PVC, 2.99; Target, MT.

7-30 Storm Hawks Dark Ace cycle, $3.74, Target.

8-7 Legendary Heroes Stryker, $10.99, Rite Aid.

8-14 DCUC Green Lantern, $10.99, Target. 1 of 5 C&C Solomon Grundy.

8-15 Superhero Squad Iron Man set, $5; LH Judge Death, $3, Wal-Mart.

8-22 Superhero Squad Deadpool/"Captain" Punisher, $6.83, Wal-Mart.

9-6 DC Direct Animal Man and Wonder Girl, $9.88 total, FYE. Iron Man Captain America armor, $5, Wal-Mart.

9-8 HML Banshee, Hercules, $1 each, Wal-Mart.

9-19 Hellboy 2 Mezco Mr. Wink, $16.99, Hastings. Traded in a pile of junk for credit, but he's a lot of toy for the dollar. Sadly, I mailed in for the replacement head, but moved shortly thereafter...

9-20 Grindhouse Rapist #1 Quentin Tarentino, $.94; DC Direct 52 Batwoman, $6.44; FYE.

10-3 Stargate Major Carter, $3.75, Hastings. (If I still have the "gun-banner" up, you can see her in the bottom right corner!)

10-7 DCUC Deathstroke, $10.99, Target. I totally blame Poe and Pete for that one.

10-30 HML Union Jack, Target, $9.99. Yeah, $9.99: I think Target may have recanted and dropped the Red Hulk prices; the Fin Fang Foom wave was "on sale" at like $14.39, if I recall.

11-01 Walmart Exclusive HML Kang, $10.37.

11-14 Wal-Mart HML Crossbones, $10.44. (It's too bad, the strips with Kang, Crossbones, and Deathstroke won't be up until later!)

11-16 Marvel Select Thor, $19.99, Hastings. I've been trading in a ton of old books and whatnot there, and had a credit. I haven't even really read the new Thor comic--I'm more a fan of the Simonson era, but I just had a feeling it was now or never for that one. (On a recent visit to the same store, I saw MS Hulk and Iron Man, but no more Thor.)

11-18 Revoltech Fraulein Pocco, $24.99, Hastings. Again, traded stuff for credit, since there's no way I could justify cash for that one.

11-19 DCUC Wonder Woman, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop. Worth it just to be done looking. Not sure if I'll keep going for Despero, I still haven't finished Grodd.

12-1 Wal-Mart HML Heroes Reborn Iron Man, $10.44.

12-10 Mattel Movie Masters Bat-Pod, Target, $14.99.

12-16 DC Direct 52 Isis, $4.94, First Appearances Atom, $3.44; Marvel Select Zombie Colonel America, $4.94. With tax, $14.46 at a local FYE that's closing. I used to work there when it was a Sam Goody, so it was fun to pillage for toys again, and I saw an old friend while I was there. Isis I probably could've held out on--whatever's left will probably go 75% off after Christmas--but her package was torn open and I don't think she would've made it. And that new Atom is the definition of mediocre, but for that price he's good for crowd scenes.

12-24 Art Asylum/Diamond Select Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Captain Sisko, KB Toys, $5.

12-26 NECA Saw III Jigsaw (pig-face), $4.97, Spencers. This was a bit of a debacle: I had a $5 Spencer's Rewards certificate that I had to redeem before it expired, but didn't feel like getting anything more expensive. So, I try to get it, but since it's less than five bucks the computer won't let them ring it up, or they couldn't figure out how to do it. I ended up having to buy some Razzles, so it cost me three bucks to get a "free" figure; but hey, candy and gum.

Art Asylum/Diamond Select Star Trek: the Next Generation Commander Riker with chair, $8.09, FYE. That's first season, beardless Riker, a FYE Exclusive. It doesn't look like that store is going to get down to 75% off, they might just box up whatever's left now. No editorial comment, but the Call of Duty figures, Guitar Hero, and most of the Heroes line hadn't moved at all, even at 50% off...

12-28 Indiana Jones/ROTA Indy, $3, Wal-Mart. Held out buying any of those until now, and now that I have, it really underlines how much I don't wanna go back to 3' 3/4 scale.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Adam Warlock and Spiral, Target exclusive, $6.98 each, $13.96 total.

12-30 HML Black costume Wolverine and Spider-Man, Target exclusive, $6.98 each, $13.96 total. That's five of six for Red Hulk, heck, reckon I'll put him together now and see if I can find Silver Savage later.

Total for 2008: $555.16. My 2006 total was about $620, and my 2007 was $426. Still, by my reckoning, about eighty bucks there was from trading in old CD's and books at Hastings or FYE. I probably won't be able to do quite that level again, but I also probably got some stuff I otherwise might've had to let go. In fact, there are doubtless more figures this year from both of those stores, and Suncoast, but I usually only buy from there if something is marked waaaaaay down, if I have some kind of buyback or credit, or if I absolutely can't find it anywhere else.

What else does the list show us? Counting by figure (meaning a four pack like the Superman box set or the Iron Man Superhero Squad count as four!) Wal-Mart barely beat out Target, 20 to 19. A surprising third place showing by Hastings with 11, then the sinking FYE with 8, Spencers 5, the Comic Book Shop 4, Suncoast 3, and Toys R Us 2. An eye-opening low for Toys R Us there: it's not conveniently located for me, but I do get out there every so often; but they don't seem to be coming through for me.

FYE is probably not going to appear on next year's list, and I have my doubts for Spencers as well: the figures I bought were all marked down to the five-dollar range; and to make room for more Playboy merchandise and bongs, the selection gets sparser all the time. (I just had to take three seconds to look up if it's sparser or more sparse...)

Since I'm running late now, "Timing" will be back on Monday. But, if you have a list of your own for 2008? Leave a comment, and let me know! Read more!