"Ding me the head of Boba Fett."

Although the Prototype Boba Fett from Walgreens is, well, a prototype; it still has the same ding on his helmet as the original Boba Fett. Because the original came first and it's the same mold, yeah. The review at It's All True holds out hope for a Jango Fett with undented noggin, but I had to make up a reason. Namely that Fett has probably been bashing his head on the same badly placed instrument in his ship for most of his adult life...

If I recall correctly, Fett's helmet was supposed to give him 360-degrees of view; so he could see behind him, all sides, and so forth. Consider that for a moment: all 360 degrees around you, crammed into a display to fit the less-than-180 degrees you can see in front of your face. Through practice and constant use, Fett is doubtless able to adapt and use that to his advantage, but I wonder how he functions when (if) he takes the helmet off.


"Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett" was an Eltingville Club strip from Evan Dorkin. It was adapted into a pilot for Adult Swim but sadly not picked up. Still super fun. Have a good weekend!
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Things fall apart. (I'm so sorry.)

Yes, one Thing leads to another around here. (Boo!) We're at 50% bootleg with today's post! The Minimates and Mega Bloks Things are licensed, but the two not-Lego versions are not. While the larger Thing appeared in the Lego Marvel Super Heroes game, on a body type not unlike the Hulk's; he hasn't had an official release yet.


I don't know if the bigger Thing was actually made from a repurposed Hulk mold, or a dedicated sculpt. Still, for $2.30 shipped? I'll spring for that!
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"Bar Scene."

The Walgreens exclusive Agent: Venom isn't bad, and it's starting to turn up in bigger numbers; if you have a hankering for him or multiple Walgreens in your area. Like I do! Got the white prototype Boba Fett yesterday, too.
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Hey, a Review! Kre-O Star Trek Collection 2 Kirk and Spock!

Sometimes, eBay convinces you to make a purchase based on opportunity: if you don’t buy it now, right now, you might not get another chance. And sometimes I blog about said purchase because if I don’t, who will? Today we’ve got the Collection 2 Kre-O Star Trek blind-bagged Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock!

Kre-O, of course, was Hasbro’s answer to Lego; and I’m legitimately curious how that’s been working out for them. Anecdotally, I think the Transformers and maybe the G.I. Joe blind-bags did well, but I can see a fair amount of the bigger, build sets on clearance at Toys R Us. Did Star Trek (or Dungeons & Dragons, for that matter) sell at all before eventually being marked down? Recently, I found the Collection 1 Trek bags at various dollar stores; but I can’t say if that’s because they were unpopular, or if they were produced in such number there were enough leftovers. Yeah, probably the former, since said Toys R Us and my local comic shop still have Collection 1 bags, marked down from (about) three dollars to two.

Since Series 1 may not have done as well as hoped, retailers may have been reluctant to order Series 2. But Series 1 was intended to tie into the then-new reboot, and didn’t feature a lot of heavy hitters: bad guy Nero, Scotty’s little alien friend Keenser, the redesigned Gorn from the video game, somewhat generic alien crewmen Grasia and Lt. Sprog, and a Klingon. The latter worked as an army builder, but may have been the only one that did.

Series 2 opened up the toy box, as it were, drawing from multiple incarnations of Star Trek: Quark and Gul Dukat from DS9. Locutus, Worf, and a Borg Drone from TNG. General Chang and Khan were from the movies, the Mugato and the Salt Vampire from the Original Series (and not updated or redesigned like the Gorn!) and even an Andorian Soldier from Enterprise! And of course, classic versions of Kirk and Spock, who alone probably would’ve sold more than the entire previous series.

Both feature the old-school uniforms, without any of that distracting texturing the movie versions offered. The Starfleet logo is nicely done, with the respective command or sciences symbol. Kirk has a pleasantly friendly smile, while Spock has a raised eyebrow, probably in disbelief. Because Kre-O heads have a chin, they can’t have alternate faces on the other side, like some Lego heads do. Spock’s ears are molded to his hair, a slightly softer rubber piece; but both his and Kirk’s hair fits fine. (I had a problem with the movie Kirk’s hair, from the Enterprise set.) I do like these newer faces better--they seem larger but better centered, perhaps?

Best of all, both come with new, classic phasers; and from the “Amok Time” episode, a lirpa!

These are blind-bagged, but do have numbers on the top right corner on the back: Captain Kirk is #11, Spock #12. But I bought them from eBay, still sealed, since I'm not sure when or if they'll be released in the US! They were the last two available from that seller, so I sprung for that. Glad I did!
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It's not like Marvel/Disney to miss an obvious licensing opportunity...

I suppose it would sell, but "Froot by the Groot" does not sound appetizing to me. On the other hand, I do like this little MiWorld vending machine, except for the stickers on the food. I had to re-glue them, but may need an even stronger glue.


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I'm not sure the title ever comes into play, but OK.

All this week and next, I'm getting up at four to go to work at five--something I used to do regularly, but am now woefully out of practice for. But, I did have a little time to read Dave Stern's Fantastic Four: The Baxter Effect. It's billed as an FF novel, but as you might guess from the cover, it's primarily a Thing story; and it features a mildly underused FF villain I like, the Mad Thinker!

When Reed unveils a new "quantum computer," a low-level magician villain warns the Thing not to turn it on, lest "the strands come apart." (The magician, Diehl, is described as formerly using the alias Black Hand or Hoodoo Guru, and got beat by Dazzler once: I searched briefly, but I don't think he appeared in her comic!) Ben isn't sure what to make of that warning, but the Mad Thinker makes a grab for the "Q-Ray." And gets it! Or rather, creates an alternate universe where Ben is the human-looking "Mr. Invulnerable" and married to Alicia with two kids, Sue and Johnny aren't on the team, a new guy is the Human Torch, and the fourth member of the Fantastic Four is the Thinker himself!

It's not a perfect novel--another FF villain, or a version of him, turns up late; as does a magical macguffin planted early; but it's pretty good. Ben struggles when he realizes what he's inevitably going to have to go back to, and I do kind of like the Thinker. I never thought of him as "evil," but just a guy who gets an idea and says "Yeah, I'm doing this." He had a surprisingly fun turnout in New Warriors #3, of all places; and now I want to dig out a 70's issue where the Thinker thinks he's got the numbers all crunched so he can walk right into the Baxter Building--except there's more than a few unaccounted for variables and the math's gone all pear-shaped on him. He pretty much turns around and goes home in that one.

All right, I'd best get cracking on some stuff this weekend, then!

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Have I posted this? Well, I'm out anyway, so...

Out today! Been working early and driving too much, but I'm working on a quick review and a short strip tonight, hopefully.
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"Job Offer."

Deadpool mentioning photos turning up on the internet is completely coincidental to anything that may have happened to anyone over the course of history. I usually do these a couple of weeks before they post, and sometimes...Actually, now that I think about it, that line may be stolen from inspired by an old episode of Arrested Development. Oddly, I loved that show when it was on the air, but haven't got around to watching the Netflix episodes yet. Anyway...

I hadn't intended for Pool and Kurt to end up stuck, again; but these things happen. As usual, I have a vague idea where I'm going with this. Really!
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I can't recall OMAC's uniform, but I'm betting it was more intimidating than cut-off jean shorts.

Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth was a series cancelled when I was about seven years old and just starting to get into reading comics. I've only read random issues here and there, both from series creator Jack Kirby and some from after he left the title; but I've often thought the book would be better remembered if it had a definitive conclusion, rather than merely ending with Kamandi still questing to bring humanity back from savagery in a world of intelligent animals. Then again, Kirby's OMAC could've done with a proper ending as well, but I don't know if this was the way to do it...

From 1977, Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #50, "The Death Worshippers!" Story by Denny O'Neil, art by Dick Ayers, Alfredo Alcala, and Manuel Auad. Previously, Kamandi had been infected with a disease that caused brutal, killing rage fits; but his friends Dr. Canus (a dog) and Pyra (an alien made of fiery energy) have finally caught up with him to cure him. Unfortunately, Pyra's genetic manipulation sends Kamandi back a couple of generations--she apparently left the machine set on "dog"--and turned him into OMAC like his grandfather! Confused yet super-strong, Kamandi tears off into a forest, and runs into a creepy band of sloth-people! They finish each other's sentences and worship a skeleton, and it's a skeleton of someone they ate, so sloths are apparently way more disturbing after the Great Disaster.

The mutant Ben Boxer knew of OMAC, so Kamandi's friends take Pyra's spaceship to find OMAC's partner, the satellite Brother Eye. (Brother Eye has gotten a bad rap in the last decade or so of DC comics, but he was friendly and helpful back in the day.) Pyra frees Brother Eye from the shell that imprisoned it (which was seen in an issue of OMAC, I think!) and it feeds energy to Kamandi, which also helps him escape the sloths. (Presumably, by walking away briskly.) In the memory of his partner, Brother Eye restores Kamandi to normal, referring to OMAC as "an experiment that failed!"

I've been meaning to pick up the last issue of Kamandi, but it really isn't! #59 was the last one published, although #60 and #61 were completed. We looked at the OMAC back-up that ended up in Warlord, but I don't think the main stories were ever printed. Although you can find them online with a little looking!
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That seems like unfortunate ad placement there...

Civics lesson vs. Gladiator lesson, from 1976's Warlord #2, "Arena of Death" Written and illustrated by Mike Grell.

The old public service "Justice for all includes children" page features Neal Adams art, and I can't remember the last time I saw a public service spot in a comic. Man, maybe DC should bring those back. Batman says, "Try not to be a dick!"

Meanwhile, I blog an issue or two of Warlord a year, so I could be done by 2089 at this rate. This issue reads like a a bit of a throwback, since so much happens in 18 pages; but I'm not sure if Grell (or DC) realized the book was going to be a hit, so he may have just been trying to get in what he could. Left tied up to a tree in the previous issue, crucified and left for dead, Travis Morgan manages to avoid getting eaten by saber-tooth tigers, only to be captured by slave traders and sold as a galley slave! There, Morgan meets Machiste, who doesn't believe any of his nonsense stories about a "surface world," that doesn't have eternal sunlight. Causing trouble for their captors, they nearly face being hung when pirates attack! Although Morgan and Machiste put up a good fight and the pirates are defeated, they're still prisoners, but now face being sold as gladiators! They take to their training, but then have to face each other for the pleasure of a wastrel prince. (And I used 'face' entirely too much in that recap, but it's late and I'm tired.)

Machiste advises Morgan to kill him, "or I will surely kill you!" Morgan does manage to get the upper hand, but when the prince gives Machiste the thumb's down, he sees the prince is wearing his watch! Enraged, Morgan goes berserker, tearing into the guards and freeing the gladiators. He had given the watch to Tara, and the prince says he sold her...to Deimos! Thinking quickly, Morgan rallies the gladiators into his army to attack Deimos, with the promise of freedom!...and crossbows, siege towers, catapults, and other "modern" weapons of war. Really, he seems like he's about to teach them to chant "USA! USA! USA!"

Gladiator school is a quick way for Grell to level Morgan up in terms of sword-fighting, but has that ever ended well in fiction? "Let's train these guys into unstoppable killers and make 'em fight! No way that can go south on us!"
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80-Page Thursdays: Marvel Super-Heroes Spring Special!

This is our third straight week for the return of 80-Page Thursdays, but it's a little slight. Like this issue! From 1991, Marvel Super-Heroes #5 (Spring Special), featuring stories by Sue Flaxman, David Michelinie, Mary Jo Duffy, Dan Mishkin, and Dwight Jon Zimmerman; with art by Jim Valentino, Ron Wilson, Steve Ditko, Vince Mielcarek, Mike Clark, and more.

As was often the case for this series, this issue was burning off old inventory: a Thor story with his half-brother Vidar, an "untold tale" of the Thing dating back to his eighties series, and shorter tales of Speedball, Dr. Strange, and She-Hulk.

Mishkin's Strange story is light, but kind of fun; my favorite of the lot. Not one to run out for, but if you see it cheap.
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"Aftermath."

I have an Uncle Rich, but it was years and years before I realized "Dick" was supposed to be short for "Richard." To this day, I have no idea how that works. "Rick" or "Richie" would make sense, but Dick? I remember Toyfare being surprised that Marvel had a character named "Dick Rider," but we'll let that go.

Xandar, home of the Nova Corps, which somehow appeared in a major movie before Wonder Woman; has been destroyed. Three times, according to Wikipedia. Hey, that page breaks down the Nova Corps rank structure! Clip and save!
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