Wonder Woman vs. Ares Statue

The third statue in a series of epic battles. This one places Wonder Woman in a battle against the Greek God - Ares.

Produced By DC Direct
Designed By Walter O’Neal
Sculpted By Jack Mathews
Size 13.5”H x 11”W x 10.5”D
Type Cold-Cast Porcelain Maquette
Edition Size TBD
Release Date December 2009
Price $249.99

Zimm's Two Cents
By far - one of my favorite series of statues from DC Direct. I have the Batman vs. Joker, and I seriously considered the Superman vs. Darkseid - and this one is right up there.

Points in Favor

• Great pose. Ares holding Wonder Woman's arm with weapons decending upon one and another.
• Colors are great. The blue and black are striking.
• Nice details in the base of the statue.
• Wonder Woman's face and facial expression are perfect. She is pissed off and ready to battle, and her breast do not take up 90% of the statue - as they do in some other statues.
• Ares rocks - cape, colors, and axe. Helm is cool too. I like the white accents.
  

Points Against

• Price is a little discouraging, but I found a site selling it for $199.99. Need to find it again.

Recommendation: Hot Buy. Definitely would be a nice DC addition to any collection.

Robert's Two Cents
This fits in well with the Batman/Joker and the Superman/Darkseid.

Points in Favor

• Realistic proportions.
• Great detailing. Especially love the flame effect.
  
• Aren't Ares and Wonder Woman related in current continuity?
  

Points Against

• Price.
• Paint looks a little flat, but it could be the pictures I've seen.
  

Recommendation: Hot Buy.

Batman Family Multi-Part Statue: Part 3 - Batwoman & Commissioner Gordon

Batman Family Multi-Part Statue: Part 3 - Commissioner Gordon and Batwoman. Similar to the Justice League collection, DC is now offering the Batman Family. Broken down as:

• Robin and Catwoman
• Nightwing and Huntress
• Commissioner Gordon and Batwoman

With all three statues providing a piece of Batman who will hover in the background.

Produced By: DC Direct
Designed By Andy Kubert
Sculpted By Oluf Hartvigson
Dimensions: 10” H x 7” W x 5” D
Type: Cold-Cast in Porcelain
Edition Size: Limited Edition
Ship Date December 2009
Estimated Price $149.99

Zimm's Two Cents
After reviewing the other two pieces, my recommendation was and remains - Pass. So - no review on this one. However, I will say that I initially had high hopes for these statues, and while the Commissioner Gordan part of the statue looks decent, I would not spend my holidays waiting for this one.

Robert's Two Cents
This is the best one of the set so far. Gordon is da bomb! I'd like to see this one after a customizer got hold of it and made the Batwoman into the Barbara Gordon Batgirl.

Green Lantern: First Flight maquette

DC release another of their heroes to coincide with the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight DVD. When one starts thinking about this, you really need to buy both the statues and the DVD, so that you can set the statue behind the DVD.

Produced By DC Direct
Artist Jim Shoop
Size 9" H x 4.25" W x 4.75" D
Type Cold-Cast Porcelain Maquette
Edition Size 4000
Release Date July 2009
Price $89.99

Zimm's Two Cents
I'm glad to see that this corresponds to the DVD release; however, I'm still not very pleased with this statue. I know that the statue matches and supports the DVD but still.....
Points in Favor

• Colors

Points Against

• He doesn't scream "Hal Jordan! Green Lantern!"
• Muscles in the right arm look funny.
• Lantern on his chest doesn't stand out enough - in my opinion.

Recommendation: Pass. I know that he matches the DVD character, but they just release the Uni-Formz Green Lantern, which would go great with the Batman and Superman Uni-Formz.

Robert's Two Cents
I don't like the changes they've made to Hal Jordan's costume. It's not that different. I just don't like it.
Points in Favor

• Eh! Not much.
• Price.
  

Points Against

• He looks like he's screaming "Khaaaaannnnnnn!!!!!"
• The pose is just off.
  
• I don't like it.
  

Recommendation: Pass. I'd rather have the previous GL statue (The one with the cloth costume and Ch'p

Sneak Peak: Bowen Designs - Ghost Rider

While we pause a moment, before our reviews of the other Hulks, I wanted to give you a sneak peak at the Ghost Rider that Bowen Designs has been working on.

I think I like Johnny Blaze edition so far.

What the.....A Mario Chess Set?

I think you have to have some series Mario issues if you want to sit and play chess with the Mario Chess Set. However, it certainly would spice up the game.

Coming in September 2009
Price: $39.99

Bowen Designs: The "Hulks"

Reviews will come shortly; however, I wanted to post pics of recent releases. I think he did an outstanding job on all of them.

Bowen Designs: Angel Red statue

We gave a previous review of this statue - but in Blue. (Click Here for the Review) I think that the reviews can stand; however, Bowen usually reduces the edition size when he increases the price. In my opinion, still a Hot Buy - but now you get to decide which color you want.

Manufacturer: Bowen Designs
Sculpted by: Mark Newman
Category: Statue
Size: 12 1/2" tall
Edition Size: Unknown
Release Date: Fall 2009
Retail Price: $225

So, Robert, still prefer the Arch Angel?

Robert: Absolutely. The red does look better than the blue version though.

Zimm's Soapbox Rant

I finally have to say something.

I'm tired of all of the seasonal series crossing over into the various titles that DC and Marvel can barely keep afloat. In my humble opinion, some of these stories have been degraded by crossing into titles that don't ensure continuality in the story, the characters decisions, or the general concept. In some cases, the crossovers forget the very foundation of the story.

Example: At the beginning of the Civil War, the skrulls contained a multitude of super powers and were nearly impossible to defeat. HOWEVER, in some of the crossovers, they became simple skrulls with a power or two.

While I don't mind the stories crossing over into other titles, I do mind crossovers that seem to be forced in order to increase sales. With all of that said, I am hereby swearing off the crossovers into titles that do not like and/or collect.

Sorry - just my two cents, and I had a soapbox handy.

Pulls and Drops for 04/22/09

Legend

• Pulls = Bolded in Green
• Drops = Bolded in Red
• Should I start reading? = Blue

DC COMICS
AZRAEL DEATHS DARK KNIGHT #2 (OF 3)
BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL ARKHAM #1
BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD#4
DETECTIVE COMICS #853
EX MACHINA #41 (MR)
HELLBLAZER #254 (MR)
JACK OF FABLES #33 (MR)
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #32
OUTSIDERS #17
SCALPED #28 (MR)
SGT ROCK THE LOST BATTALION #5 (OF 6)
SUPERGIRL #40
TRINITY #47
WAR THAT TIME FORGOT #12 (OF 12)
WILDCATS #10

MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #592
ASTONISHING X-MEN #29
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #23
DAREDEVIL #118
DARK REIGN ELEKTRA #2 (OF 5)
FANTASTIC FORCE #1 (OF 5) = What is this????
GHOST RIDER #34
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #13 = Still debating this one.
HULK #11
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #25
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #128
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #47
MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 #1 (OF 4)
MARVELS EYE OF CAMERA #5 (OF 6)
MIGHTY AVENGERS #24
NEW AVENGERS #52
SKRULL KILL KREW #1 (OF 5)
THOR #601 = Something needs to happen
WOLVERINE ANNIVERSARY
WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #14
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #35
X-FORCE #14
X-MEN TIMES AND LIFE OF LUCASBISHOP #3 (OF 3)

FreakAngels Vol. 2 is out this week

If you're not reading this online, you should be. If you're holding out for a print edition it will be released this week.

FreakAngels is kinda like "What if the kids from Village of the Damned grew up to destroy the world and then in turn tried really, really hard to save a part of it?".

Definitely worth a read. The whole thing is available online here.

If you can't get it from your local comic shop and don't want to read it online you can get it here:

What the......

I knew that all of the geeks were hiding somewhere. I just didn't know where. They seem to be hiding out at....

Jinxworld Forums

Who knew..... WHO? Okay, people knew.....just not me. Bowen has supposedly migrated to this site.

Statue Marvels

More Star Trek ....

But in Vinyl.

Star Trek Red Shirt Cologne

And the slogan for it is:

"Because tomorrow may never come"

Yes, now you can smell like death, too!!!! I just love this stuff.

BUY NOW!
Available: May 2009
Price: $29.99

hahahahahaha.

It definitely should be worn with the following shirt:



Robert: Too funny! I wonder what that cologne smells like.

Disney: Pinocchio A Terrifying Tail Figurine

Disney is really starting to impress me with their figurines - to the point that I want to show an upcoming release for June 2009. If I was a true Disney fanatic, I would definitely be collecting a few of these.

Produced By Disney
Sculpted By Ruben Procopio
Dimensions 10" Tall
Type Porcelain Statue
Edition Size 1500
Ship Date June 2009
Estimated Price $125.00
Sale Price $105.99

Zimm's Recommendation: Buy - if you collect Disney stuff. Buy one of this entire series. I will post more as they are released.

Bowen Designs: Bi-Beast

Whotha? Whata? Bi-Beast? Talk about obscure characters. Bowen does it again. Bi-Beast (had to look this up) is an Android that showed up in the Incredible Hulk,

Produced By Bowen Designs
Sculpted By Alex de Souza Moraes
Dimensions Over 8.5" Tall
Type Mini Bust
Edition Size Limited Edition
Ship Date Fall 2009
Estimated Price $75

Zimm's Two Cents
Points in Favor

• Paint and colors look good.
• Good body and hands (look at the fingernails)

Points Against

• Whotha? Too obscure of a character.
• Not certain that the head is supposed to be dented on the top.
• Kindof a bland base.

Recommendation: Pass. Once again, too obscure and I would rather have someone I know. However, with that said, a true Hulk fanatic may love this piece, so I would really like to ask one for their opinion.

Sideshow Collectibles: Carnage

Sideshow does it again! Look at the details, colors, and ferocity of the sculpting. Some of these Legendary Scale Busts tend to be Sideshow's best work.

Manufactured By Sideshow Collectibles
Dimensions 10"H x 12"W x 12.5"D
Type Legendary Scale Bust
Edition Size Limited Edition
Ship Date 4th Quarter 2009
Estimated Price $199.99

Zimm's Two Cents
Points in Favor

• Realism. Scares the beejevies out of me.
• Colors - especially with the contrasting red and black.
• The "eyes" and "mouth" remind you that it is something more than human.

Points Against

• Requires room to display, and I may need to finally order one to see how such a statue would blend into a my collection.

Recommendation: Buy! This statues rocks, and I am looking forward to the next Sideshow Legendary Scale Bust.

Robert's Two Cents
I love the Legendary Scale Busts! They are usually great examples of what these characters would look like if they were in the real world.

Points in Favor

• Awesome detail.
  
• Paint job and colors. They did a great job of bringing Carnage into the real world.
  

Points Against

• I don't really care about Carnage. Never did. He's one of the main reasons I originally quit reading Spider-Man.
  

Recommendation: Buy! But if it were between this one and the Apocalypse, the Apocalypse wins hands down.

Sneak Peak: Bowen Designs Planet Hulk

Holy Toledo!

The review will wait, as it is a sneak peak, but look at the base on this one!!!

Robert: OK, I stand corrected. The Planet Hulk Hulk has the best base of a Hulk so far and I suspect the Maestro's base will be even better.

Bowen Designs Red Hulk Statue

Red Hulk Statue by Bowen DesignsHoly Guacamole! This Red Hulk statue is sweet! I love it. I'm enjoying the current Red Hulk storyline, even if I don't care for the Red Hulk character that much, but this story captures everything that is cool about him and ups the dosage a thousandfold.

This is very nearly the best Hulk statue ever. The base is even cool. They really captured the essence of the character and the detail is to die for (see below).

Produced By Bowen Designs
Sculpted By Randy Bowen with Troy McDevitt
Dimensions 14" Tall
Type Statue
Edition Size Limited Edition
Ship Date August 2009
Estimated Price $250.00

Robert's Two Cents:
Beautiful sculpt! I even like the paint job. One of the things I've noticed about the Red Hulk in the comic is the way he holds his hands even portrays his power and this statue even captured that little detail (specifically the right hand).

Points In Favor

• Great sculpting.
  
• Paint job. One of the best Bowen paint jobs ever.
  
• Great pose and detail.
• They even got his crooked smile right.
• The base even looks cool!
  
• Beautiful
  

Points Against

• Price
• That's it. That's the only complaint I can come up with.
  

Recommendation: Hot Buy! - This has to be one of my favorite statues we've commented on here. I love it! They really replicated the look of this character in 3d beautifully. Some of the details I mentioned above like the hands and eyes, plus the veins popping out and his hair are the things that really make this a wonderful piece.

I also really like the Hulk piece Zimm mentioned on Wednesday. It really looks like the traditional "Hulk Smash!" Hulk. Bowen's done it again with this piece. He's captured Ed McGuinness' Red Hulk without aping McGuinness' style.


Zimm's Two Cents
Seeing the Red Hulk once again reiterates why Bowen is one of the best. While the primary pose and frame of the statue of the Red Hulk duplicates the Retro Hulk, the "devil is in the details" - which is why Bowen Designs tends to rock on these sculptures.
Points in Favor

• The face captures the Red Hulk perfectly.
• I like all of the blood veigns that were added, as they once again capture the artistic style of the character.
• When I look at the close up shots, I like the colors.
• Upcoming specific release date and a higher price then the Retro Hulk suggests that this statue will have a very limited edition size. (Just a guess here though).

Points Against

• Price - and it is $50 more than the Retro Hulk. Was the extra inch what caused this statue to go up by 50 or the possibility of it being a limited run.
• The base - for a Bowen statue - is a tad bit bland.

Recommendation: If you like the Red Hulk, then BUY; however, if you are a fan of any other Hulks - Retro Grey Hulk, Planet Hulk or even Maestro Hulk, you may want to hold out for one of those. I'm leaning toward the Retro Hulk. As everyone should have a Hulk in their collection, at least one of these Hulk's should make an individual's HOT BUY list.

Bowen Designs: Retro Hulk Statue

WOW! I had to share this pic of the factory sample, as I thought it rocked. Still a bit pricey, but this sample --- WOW! Once again, Bowen pulls it off. Even the base is rockin! (Did I spell rockin right?)

What the....??? A Perfect Christmas Gift?

I am definitely going to hunt this one down and order it for my nephew for Christmas, as he will never figure it out. If anyone has ever seen it before and knows where I can get it, please advise.


Robert: Weird! You can find some info here. They are listed as out of stock here
and here. However I did find where you could buy this.



Weird!

Some Nice Sideshow Additions at Best Comics

While not all of them are shown on his website, Best Comics just got some new statues in that I should be mentioned:

• Daredevil Born Again Statue by Attakus
• Captain America vs Red Skull Statue by Sideshow
• Hulk Premium Format Statue by Sideshow
• Thor Premium Format Statue by Sideshow
• Red Skull Premium Format Statue by Sideshow
• Captain America Premium Format Statue by Sideshow
• Thor vs Loki Diorama by Sideshow
• Magneto Comiquette by Sideshow
• Iron Man Comiquette by Sideshow
• Dr. Doom Premium Format Statue by Sideshow

I will try to dig up some pics of them over the next day or so; however, I want to remind everyone that even though you may not see the statue you want - you should always ask.

Batman Black & White - McGuinness

Now DC Direct has been providing this Batman Black & White series for quite a while, and I usually tend not to pay them that much attention and/or provide a review. However, that will change.

I bought Robert one of these (can't remember which), and there have been a few that I have liked (this - as you will see - is one of them).

Produced By DC Direct
Designed By Ed McGuinness
Sculpted By James Shoop
Dimensions 7.5"H x 5"W x 4.5"D
Type Statue
Edition Size Limited Edition
Ship Date November 2009
Estimated Price $80.00
Sale Price Here $62.99

Zimm's Two Cents:
James Shoop did a great job on this statue. I need to look up some of the other statues that he has worked on.
Points In Favor

• Great action pose.
• Like the detail in the gloves, boots, and belt.
• The face - and facial expression - are what initially drew this statue to me.
• Good price.

Points Against

• Base is a little bland - which is typical of DC bases.
• Never been a big fan of the simple black and white colors.
• Is his cape too short?

Recommendation: Neutral - leaning toward a buy. Overall, I liked this statue; however, this is more of a preference buy - thus my recommendation.

Robert's Two Cents:
I have liked several in this series. I don't care for this one. It's nice enough, but I don't think Ed McGuinness' work translates as well in black and white.

Points In Favor

• Great sculpting.
  
• Price. This series has been reasonably priced so far, but is quickly getting out of hand. It's only 7.5".
  
• It's a good pose.
  

Points Against

• It is a good design. I just can't imagine why this is the Ed McGuinness piece they chose to do a black and white sculpt from.
• It doesn't really capture the fluidity of Ed McGuinness' artwork. If you need an Ed McGuinness Batman, go find the Batman figures from the Superman/Batman line.
• The cape's too short.
  

Recommendation: Pass - I could go as high as Neutral, but won't. I love this series. I have a couple of them, specifically the Frank Miller and Mike Mignola statues. This one won't be joining my collection. There have been several statues in the Batman Black & White line where I've asked myself why they chose that pose from that artist. This is one of them.

Wolverine Super Hero Squad Battle Pack Action Figures

I had to post this one, as it has several characters that I liked. They are: Havok, Beast (is okay), DeadPool, and Iceman.

Reg Price: $135.92

Sale Price: $115.99

Ship Date: May 2009
Robert: Several of these are repaints of previous releases, specifically: Logan, Sabretooth at least one of the Wolverines, and Beast. I'm not sure about the others. You can find 2, 3, and 4 packs of some of these pretty easily at your local big box store too.

I don't recall seeing the Havok before and, as Zimm said, he's very cool looking. One of the better Super Hero Squad characters released.

Women Of The DC Universe: Vixen

WOW! Another good one from DC Direct! How cool is this. While I have never been that big of a Vixen fan, this bust

Produced By DC Direct
Designed By Terry Dodsun
Sculpted By Barsum
Dimensions 5.75"H x 3.75"W x 3.75"D
Type Porcelain Bust
Edition Size Limited Edition
Ship Date November 2009
Estimated Price $55.00
Sale Price Here: $42.99

Zimm's Two Cents:
DC needs to keep this up, as I could see me having an entire JLA collection; however, I would really be up for the Teen Titans or JSA.
Points In Favor

• Pricing! This is well within my range.
• Colors. DC's statues are consistently vibrant and "non-splotchy," which makes them more "comic bookish"
• I like the pose and facial expression.
• Bust, while slightly splotchy, is a little better then some of the bland bases out there.
• The little pieces of detail - the earrings, necklace. and curled finger.

Points Against

• The yellow is a little overwhelming.
• The eyes, for some unknown reason, bother me.

Recommendation: Overall - this one leans toward being a strong Buy. I'm glad to see several statues coming out that are definitely worth purchasing. I just hope that DC limits the edition size in all of these.

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Black Canary!

And she looks great too! I don't want to jump to far into my review, but of all of the heros that appear on the slutty side, the Black Canary was one of the first. This statue rocks.

Produced By: DC Direct
Designed By Adam Hughes - JLA Cover #6
Sculpted By Jack Mathews
Dimensions: 9.5"T x 4"W X 3.7"D
Type: Cold-Cast in Porcelain
Edition Size: Limited Edition
Ship Date: November 2009
Estimated Price: $99.99
Sale Price Here: $77.99

Zimm's Two Cents
DC Direct needs to keep this level of sculpting!


Points in Favor

• Jack Mathews did a great job on this statue - he captured the pose, the hair and the look. I definitely need to find some of his other work.
• Colors - DC is really good on their paints.
• My niece would love the boots.
• I love the fact that they chose the pose of her popping her fingers and stretching her arms - definitely a Black Canary type of action.
  

Points Against

• Base. I know that all of the bases are a little generic, but I think that they could have done something with this one.

Recommendation: While I am going to say "Buy", this one borders on the edge of "Hot Buy". These are the type of statues (with better busts) that DC Direct should be producing.

Robert's Two Cents
Wow! This is a beautiful piece.

Points in Favor

• This is one of the best DC Direct pieces in a long time.
• Price. That's a steal.
  
• Paint job.
  
• The boots and the fish nets.
  
• The pose is great. Also, the original piece is one of my favorite Adam Hughes' pieces.
  

Points Against

• None that I see. I'll give Zimm his base issue, but I can deal with it.
• OK, I have another one. How to get a Black Canary statue to look like it belongs in my collection. It would stand out a bit.
  

Recommendation: Hot Buy, This is one of the best pieces released by DC Direct in a long time. Plus, you can't beat the price.

More Geek Attire: Star Trek Dresses

Robert, how about these for your wife? You could get the blue and she could get the gold.

Reg price: $55.00

Sale price: $46.99

Release Date: June 2009

Robert: Zimm. Um, are you implying I should wear one of these? I mean I have the legs, but it might get a bit breezy. I'd also need to get a tan on my legs. If I were to wear a dress/skirt, I'd get the Utilikilt instead.

Zimm: I was implying that your wife might wear one of these. Halloween?