Once Upon a Geek

Mattel’s DC Universe Classics line has a new Blue Devil action figure coming our way this spring!  Check it out below.

This figure is part of DC Universe Classics wave 13 and will be available this spring or summer at Wal-Mart.

If you’re a long time reader of ONCE UPON A GEEK, then you know I’m a big Blue Devil fan.  Part of me is really excited about this figure, part of me is disappointed.  I’m excited because Blue Devil deserves the recognition and anything that puts him in the limelight helps to speed his return to monthly comics.  I’m disappointed because this figure just doesn’t look quite right to me.  It seems that toy manufactures have a hard time capturing Paris Cullins’ Blue Devil likeness.  Click here to see previous Blue Devil action figures.  Below you’ll find Paris Cullins’ Blue Devil.  Maybe it’s just me, but new figure’s face, horns, and muscle bulk doesn’t seem to match.  What do you think?

Pic and release information from Comic Book Resources.

I recently participated in a team-up between my Firestorm blog and a friend’s Green Arrow blog.  That inspired me to dig out the various Green Arrow action figures I own.  There are TONS of Green Arrow action figures out there.  Click here to see how many come up on Google Images if you don’t believe me.  I don’t own even a fraction of them.  However, I’m pleased with the ones I have and thought I would showcase them today.

The Green Arrow figure below is from the DC Direct Hard Traveling Heroes line released back in 2000. They did a great job capturing Neal Adams’ Green Arrow.  The figure stands about six inches high and includes a boxing glove arrow, a drill arrow, and a handcuff arrow.  Love it!  Without a doubt this is my favorite Green Arrow action figure.

The classic Green Arrow action figure below came out in 1999.  It was in the DC Super Heroes Silver Age Collection, and was designed to emulate the classic Mego style.  He stands about nine inches tall.

The Connor Hawke Green Arrow figure below also came out in 1999 as part of the Total Justice line of action figures.  He stands nearly five inches tall.

The figure below isn’t really an action figure, it’s a posed PVC piece of Green Arrow.  It’s from the DC Direct Justice League of America PVC Set.  He stands about four inches high.

The final item below is a Heroclix of Green Arrow.  It stands nearly two inches high.  I purchased it in 2003 while at DragonCon and got Judd Winick to sign it (he was the writer of the Green Arrow comic).  In my own defense, I didn’t realize what a tool he was at the time.  It was actually during that convention when I realized it.  Cool looking Heroclix though.

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For more Green Arrow excitement, be sure to follow the Green Arrow blog – Dispatches from the Arrowcave!

In case you missed it yesterday, there was an awesome crossover between fourteen different blogs celebrating the 25th anniversary of Kenner’s Super Powers Collection.  In fact, it was so well received that other blogs joined in!  Check these sites out:

• Michael over at The Legion Omnicom jumped in with both feet and did his own entry into the crossover on the Super Powers Tyr figure!
• Rick was kind enough to promote the crossover on his blogs, Mail it to Team-Up and Plastic Man Platitudes.
• Bubba Shelby gave us a shout-out over at his outstanding toy blog, Toyriffic.
• Finally, Matt over at No Cure for Comics discussed the crossover and even included a Super Powers TV commercial!  Matt moderates the fantastic Comic Blog Elite toplist.

Some of the bloggers involved have plans to make further posts celebrating the Super Powers Collection.  So keep visiting these blogs and others for additional posts: The Aquaman Shrine, Crimson Lightning, Bat-Blog, and …nurgh….

I’m still reeling from all the great information put forth by everyone involved in the crossover.  Below is the list of all the blogs involved in the crossover.  If you haven’t checked them all out, I strongly encourage you to.  There is some great commentary, neat collectibles, and some funny stuff.  Well worth your time.

• Rob (the blogger who inspired most of us to start our own superhero blogs) rolls out the pomp and circumstance for the King of the Seven Seas over at The Aquaman Shrine.
• Frank investigates J’onn J’onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, at Idol-Head of Diabolu.
• Tommy applies his detective skills to the Batman universe of characters over at the Bat-Blog.
• The Clowny Princess brings us a different view at her blog dedicated to the Clown Prince of Crime, Love Dat Joker.
• Kelson types the fastest blog alive and covers the Flash over at Speed Force.
• Running side-by-side with Kelson is Dixon’s Flash blog over at Crimson Lighting.
• Frank explores the figures and mini-comics that might have been for Justice League Detroit.
• Luke provides the rundown on the winged wonder, Hawkman, over at the cleverly named blog Being Carter Hall.
• Doug puts a new spin on the adventures of Red Tornado over at his Doom Patrol blog, My Greatest Adventure 80.
• Adama keeps Green Arrow’s aim true over at Dispatches from the Arrow Cave.
• Michael provides up, up and away coverage of Superman over at the Fortress of Baileytude.
• Frank tackles as many Super Powers mini-comics today as humanly possible over at his blog called … nurgh …
• Finally, I tackled Firestorm’s Super Powers antics over at my other blog, Firestorm Fan.

My thanks to everyone involved in the crossover and to anyone who enjoyed reading it!

*** UPDATED WITH MORE LINKS ***

CELEBRATING DOCTOR FATE (AND NEARLY BLUE DEVIL) IN THE SUPER POWERS COLLECTION!

Fourteen different blogs have combined forces today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kenner’s Super Powers Collection! While we’ll be looking at Doctor Fate here (as well as the proposed Blue Devil figures), every other blog in the crossover will cover different action figures or mini-comics from the Super Powers Collection.  Back in 1984, Kenner released the first wave of Super Powers action figures based upon heroes and villains from DC comics. While there was a fairly large marketing campaign, I doubt they realized just how celebrated these figures would become.

ACTION FIGURES

The first wave of figures had characters like Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, Hawkman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, Brianiac and the Penguin.  Two more waves were released, bringing the line to a total of 33 figures.  One of the primary reasons the Super Powers Collection became so successful was that the molds were very good. These figures actually looked like the characters in the comics. That may sound like a no-brainer in the age of DC Direct and McFarlane Toys, but keep in mind prior to the Super Powers Collection adherence to characters likeness wasn’t exactly a priority. Another reason for the line’s success was the inclusion of popular heroes and some relatively unknown characters (I mean, who really demanded a Tyr figure anyway?). This mixture proved to be popular with comic book fans and kids alike. Finally, some people will argue that the “Power Action” hidden gimmick in each figure was a big selling point. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but hey, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, right?

The Doctor Fate action figure was released as part of Wave 2 in 1985. This figure was really the first tangible piece of Doctor Fate merchandise, outside of his comic book appearances. To this day, I still think his helmet looks phenomenal!  Check out the Super Powers Collection Doctor Fate action figure below!

Below-Left is a picture of the Super Powers Collection Doctor Fate still on the card. This is the Canadian version, which I’ve seen advertised recently on the card for as much as $369 in near-mint condition.  Below-Right is the file card found on the back of the packaging explaining more about Doctor Fate.

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Each of the Super Powers figures had a hidden gimmick, referred to as “Power Action”. In Doctor Fate’s case it was a “Power Action Mystic Spell Cast”. By squeezing his legs together, his arms would move up and down. I suppose this was to simulate Doctor Fate casting one of his trademark Ankh Bolts. While the gimmick was nice (especially since it didn’t disrupt the appearance of the figure), it really wasn’t necessary to the character.

To see the “Power Action Mystic Spell Cast” in action, check out the Super Powers review site done by Cool Toy Review. Go to the bottom of the page and roll over the photo to see Doctor Fate in action.

MINI-COMICS

The first two waves of Super Powers action figures each came with a mini-comic book starring that particular character. These comics were 4.5 inches by 2.75 inches, and had 13 pages of story.

Not much information exists about who the writers and artists were for these mini-comics.  Paul Kupperberg (writer of the full-sized DC Super Powers mini-series from 1985 and 1986) had this to say about Kenner’s Super Powers Collection mini-comics, “I wrote only one of the Kenner minis, for Steppenwolf (#13). Alas, I have no real memory of having done it. Art looks to be Jose Delbo. The rest were probably written by the likes of Jack Harris, Rozakis, and the like. Wish I could remember more about them: don’t even recall who the project editor was…probably Barry Marx, who worked under Joe Orlando in Special Projects.“  Special thanks to The Aquaman Shrine for the quote!

Doctor Fate had his own mini-comic in which he battled the brainwashed Superman and Martian Manhunter.  The mini-comics served to introduce the characters to new readers, as well as to promote other action figures in the line. While both Superman and Martian Manhunter co-starred in Doctor Fate’s mini-comic, they also had figures of their own in the Super Powers line. In the same vein, Doctor Fate appeared in the mini-comics of Steppenwolf, Kalibak, Desaad, and the Parademons.

Here is the Doctor Fate Super Powers Collection mini-comic in its entirety:

For more Superman Super Powers coverage, be sure to check out Michael’s blog today, FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE.  For more on Martian Manhunter’s Super Powers activities, be sure to check out Frank’s IDOL-HEAD OF DIABOLU blog today.

I remember at the time being very confused by Doctor Fate’s mini-comic and his appearance in the full-sized 1985 DC Super Powers mini-series.  In both stories, Doctor Fate (who was from Earth-2) was interacting freely with characters from Earth-1.  This made no sense to my youthful continuity-laden brain.  While I knew there were rare crossovers between the two Earths, it would have been worth mentioning if the good Doctor had indeed crossed the multiverse.  The truth behind Doctor Fate’s presence would become apparent five months later when Crisis on Infinite Earths began to wrap up.  The multiverse was destroyed, leaving one unified Earth in which Doctor Fate coexisted with all the other DC characters.   However, for those five months I was one confused kid.

Doctor Fate also appeared in the Paul Kupperberg written Steppenwolf mini-comic.  I have to say that I found it interesting that the mystical guy is the one who reparied the computer problem.  Unusual.  For more on Red Tornado’s contribution to the Super Powers Collection, check out Doug’s Doom Patrol blog today, MY GREATEST ADVENTURE 80. Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Steppenwolf mini-comic:

In the Kalibak mini-comic, Doctor Fate does some trippy mojo and creates demonic illusions of Superman and Red Tornado in order to scare off Kalibak.  Just a reminder, for more Superman Super Powers action check out FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE; for more Red Tornado Super Powers action check out Doug’s Doom Patrol blog today, MY GREATEST ADVENTURE 80.  Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Kalibak mini-comic:

In the Desaad mini-comic we get to watch Doctor Fate get his butt handed to him.  Don’t worry, he eventually gets rescued by Green Arrow and Robin.  For more Green Arrow Super Powers coverage, be sure to check out Adama’s blog today, DISPATCHES FROM THE ARROW CAVE.  Head on over to Tommy’s BAT-BLOG today for more on Batman & Robin’s activities in the Super Powers Collection.  Below are a few Doctor Fate-centric pages from the Desaad mini-comic:

For Doctor Fate’s involvement in the Parademons mini-comic, check out FIRESTORM FAN today for all the details.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Doctor Fate comic tribute without showing some Ankh Bolts!!!

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UNPRODUCED BLUE DEVIL AND SHOCKWAVE SUPER POWERS FIGURES

Many people don’t realize this, but there were additionally planned, yet unproduced action figures for the Super Powers Collection. Turns out that Kenner was working on several figures for release after the third wave. You can read all about it, see presentation artwork, and mock-up figures by clicking here.

Two of the unproduced figures were Blue Devil and Shockwave (a Blue Devil villain). While we don’t know when they were hoping to release them, we do know the Shockwave figure got fairly far along in the manufacturing process.  A prototype for the Shockwave figure was found by a collector and can be seen below.  The detail is amazing on this prototype!

Below is a custom mock-up of what Blue Devil’s Super Powers action figure could have looked like.  Nicely done by Jason Geyer. It makes me sad these figures never came to be.  They would have been a revered part of my childhood.

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CRISIS ON EARTH-BLOG  **UPDATED**

As mentioned, fourteen different blogs (**UPDATE** fifteen) have teamed-up today to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Super Powers Collection. While I’m featuring Doctor Fate and Blue Devil here on my site, you can visit these other character-specific blogs to see how they spotlight their own favorite characters today. Be sure to check out:

• Rob (the blogger who inspired most of us to start our own superhero blogs) rolls out the pomp and circumstance for the King of the Seven Seas over at The Aquaman Shrine. Also, thanks to Rob for the excellent “Crisis on Earth-Blog” logo!  **UPDATE** Rob followed up a couple days later with an additional post on the Super Powers Give-A-Show projector.
• Frank investigates J’onn J’onzz, the Manhunter from Mars, at Idol-Head of Diabolu. **UPDATE** Frank followed up with four additional posts.  (1) Doctor Fate mini-comic, (2) Mantis mini-comic, (3) Martian Manhunter Super Powers action figure, and (4) Super Powers #1 Martian Manhunter biography.
• Tommy applies his detective skills to the Batman universe of characters over at the Bat-Blog.  Also, special thanks to Tommy for the fantastic “Super Powers 25th Anniversary” logo!  **UPDATE** Tommy did eight separate Super Powers related posts. (1) Super Powers 25th Batman & Robin Wallpapers, (2) Batman-related spin-off products, (3) The Penguin action figure and mini-comic, (4) The Joker action figure and mini-comic, (5) Batman, Robin and Riddler toys, comics and vehicles, (6) Super Powers Batman-related cup holders, (7) a post with links to all the other participating blogs, and (8) Super Powers action figure and vehicle original production art.
• The Clowny Princess brings us a different view at her blog dedicated to the Clown Prince of Crime, Love Dat Joker.
• Kelson types the fastest blog alive and covers the Flash over at Speed Force.
• Running side-by-side with Kelson is Dixon’s Flash blog over at Crimson Lighting.  **UPDATE** Dixon followed up with four additional posts. (1) Super Powers Flash action figure, (2) Super Powers TV commercial with Flash, (3) Super Powers #2 comic book cover, and (4) complete Super Powers Flash mini-comic.
• Frank explores the figures and mini-comics that might have been for Justice League Detroit.  **UPDATE** Frank has followed up with two additional posts, one on the Super Amigos Vibe mini-comic and the other on the Super Amigos Vixen mini-comic.
• Luke provides the rundown on the winged wonder, Hawkman, over at the cleverly named blog Being Carter Hall.  **UPDATE** Luke followed up with another post on Super Powers Puffy Stickers.
• Doug puts a new spin on the adventures of Red Tornado today over at his Doom Patrol blog, My Greatest Adventure 80.
• Adama keeps Green Arrow’s aim true over at Dispatches from the Arrow Cave.
• Michael will be providing up, up and away coverage today of Superman over at the Fortress of Baileytude.
• Frank tackles as many Super Powers mini-comics today as humanly possible over at his blog called … nurgh … **UPDATE** Frank managed to get through all the mini-comics!  Starting with #1-8, then #9-16, and finally #17-23.
• Finally, today I’ll be tackling Firestorm’s Super Powers antics over at my other blog, Firestorm Fan.
• **UPDATE** A surprising fifteenth entry appeared by Michael over at The Legion Omnicom covering the Tyr Super Powers action figure from the Legion of Super-heroes.  Thanks for joining in Michael!

While the following blogs are not participating in today’s crossover, I’d like to thank them for their support.  For various reasons, they were unable to join us today but have been very supportive of the project.  Thanks!

• Ryan over at Green Lantern Spotlight
• **UPDATE** Rick was kind enough to promote our blog crossover on Plastic Man Platitudes and Mail it to Team-up
• **UPDATE** Bubba Shelby was also kind enough to promote our blog crossover on his site Toyriffic.  In September, Bubba Shelby did a post on the Super Powers Parademon action figure.
• **UPDATE** Matt over at No Cure for Comics and PopCultureShock discussed the crossover and even included a Super Powers TV commercial!
• **UPDATE** Reis over at About.com Guide to Action Figures talked about our blog crossover.

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CONCLUSION

What a great series of action figures!  For those of us who owned some back in the day, we’ll never forget the magic of these toys.  My thanks to all the bloggers involved today in this crossover event!  Happy Birthday Super Powers Collection!

I got my Blue Devil DC Direct action figure a couple weeks ago, but this is the first chance I’ve had to write about it.  The figure looks great!  Below you’ve got a picture of the Blue Devil packaging.  This figure is part of the History of the DC Universe series of figures, all based upon George Perez artwork.  While Perez is a master artist, it would have been nice if the figure had been based on the Paris Cullins drawings.  Oh well, I guess I should just be happy that we got a new Blue Devil figure at all.

The next picture is Blue Devil out of the package.  Of course I took him out of the package.  I’m not a collector of toys, I’m a guy who wants to play with his toys.  The details and colors on this figure are really great; the horns, the earring, the devil design on the outfit, the goatee, etc.  I especially love the trident.  They did a really good job getting the trident’s shape correct.  The only disappointing aspect of the figure are the red eyes.  While I’m sure Blue Devil had red eyes at some point or another, his eyes were a normal white for 99.9% of his appearances.

Finally, the back of the package had little blurbs on each figure in the series.  Below is the blurb about Blue Devil:

You should be able to find the DC Direct Blue Devil figure in your local comic shop.

I picked up some new action figures recently.  From the DC Direct Justice League International line, I picked up Black Canary and Ice.  I’ve got Fire on order, but she’s not due for a while.  This will help me fill out my DC Direct JLA collection of figures.  I’m one of the few people that actually liked this Black Canary costume.  The more I think about it, I believe I’ve liked every Black Canary costume.

I was also given a new Brave and the Bold Aquaman action figure from a very generous friend.  If you haven’t seen him on the show, you are really missing out.  He’s hilarious!  They write him as a true hero, but also full of bravado.  It’s a riot!

I picked up for myself this cool Doctor Fate action figure from the DC Universe Infinite Heroes line.  It seems to me that the Infinite Heroes line is hit-or-miss.  While the smaller size in neat and they’ve done some really cool characters (i.e. Reverse Flash, Guy Gardner, and Adam Strange), the detail quality and paint jobs are often disappointing.  This Doctor Fate came out really nice.  And it’s the JSA Hector Hall version.  Sweet!

Finally, I was given this fantastic old school Super Friends t-shirt from another friend!  Check out the retro-Aquaman!  Also, don’t miss Wendy, Marvin, and Wonderdog.  If you haven’t been reading the Teen Titans comic book, you should really check it out for an interesting take on Marvin, Wendy, and Wonderdog.

I just got some new Doctor Who Classic action figures!  This time out it was a set of four Cybermen that were just released.  Each Cyberman came with a “Collect and Build” piece to create a fifth figure, the classic Cyber Controller.  I took a picture to show them off, but it didn’t come out that clear (reflective silver paint plays havoc with camera flashes).

Cybermen Shown below (L to R): The Tenth Planet (1966), Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), Cyber Controller from Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), Invasion (1968), and Cyber Leader from The Next Doctor (2008).  Also shown, two Cybermats

Check your online retailers and order the Cybermen above today – don’t delay!  They are selling out quickly.  Also, near as I can tell the Tomb of the Cybermen figure is the same as the one offered in the SDCC two-pack. 

Once they release an Earthshock Cyberman, my cyber-race will be complete!  Then … YOU WILL BE LIKE US!

New action figures for the Doctor Who Classic line have been announced!  These figures are awesome, but sadly they are only going to be available in the United States as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive.  There will be some available for purchase online around the same time, but I expect they will sell out immediately. Hopefully they’ll release some version of the characters through the normal Doctor Who Classics line that is more widely available.

You can read further information at Outpost Gallifrey.  And if you live in the U.K., you can preorder these figures now from Forbidden Planet International.  My thanks to the Voice of the Red Skull for giving me a heads-up about these figures.

First Doctor & Black Dalek – Black & White

Product descriptions from Forbidden Planet International:

This is the first appearance of the first Doctor, William Hartnell as part of Character Options classic figure series. It was Hartnell who brought the Doctor to our screens in that very first broadcast on 23rd November 1963. At the time the show was shown in black and white and this very limited ‘variant edition’ of the figures stick to a black and white color scheme. The Dalek is from the ‘’Dalek Invasion of Earth’ (Dec 1964) storyline and varies most conspicuously from later versions by the double neck banding and the energy dish collecting aerial on their rear. The Black Dalek was designated by rank as the ‘Supreme Controller’.

First Doctor & Black Dalek – Color

The color used on these figures are authenticated by the many existing ‘behind the scene’ shots.

Second Doctor & Telos Cyberman – Black & White

This is the first appearance of the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton as part of Character Options classic figure series. Troughton was the first actor to experience the Doctor’s regeneration in the Cybermen storyline ‘The Tenth Planet’ first broadcast on 29th October 1966. . At the time the show was shown in black and white and this very limited ‘variant edition’ of the figures stick to a black and white color scheme. The Cyberman is the version which appears, discovered in the cyber-tombs of the planet Telos, in the episode ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ (Sept 1967).

Second Doctor & Telos Cyberman – Color

Sixth Doctor In Real Time Blue Coat

This alternative costume was most visibly used in the BBC webcast ‘Real Time’ (having previously appeared on a few book and audio book covers). It varies vastly from the gaudy coat of many colors normally worn by Colin Baker’s sixth Doctor whilst retaining some design elements including the dandy’s tie and question mark shirt collar. For many fans this has become almost the preferred costume with it’s more muted, less frivolous, colourways.

These figures are SO cool!  I really hope some variant of them becomes available through the normal “Doctor Who Classics” line of figures.  I must have a Troughton figure!!!

You may recall back in September I was anxiously awaiting my Doctor Who Classic action figures from Character Options.   These are new Doctor Who action figures based upon stories from the original series (years ranging from 1963-1989).  My figures finally arrived just before Thanksgiving, but I haven’t had a chance to post them until now.

I was especially pleased to put together the “Collect and Build” figure, K1 Robot!  Basically each of the eight figures in the series included one part to the K1 Robot.  Buy all eight figures and you have all the pieces to build the K1.  Sure it’s a scheme to get you to buy all the figures, but that robot was in Tom Baker’s premiere episode so it holds a geeky (yet special) place in my heart. Besides, my nine year old step-son helped me open the packages and I let him assemble the K1.  We did this while he watched the classic Doctor Who episode “Robot”, featuring the K1!  It was a fun activity for us to do together and he enjoyed watching the episode the figure came from.

So without further ado… I proudly present my favorite action figures from when I was 12 years old (even though they didn’t actually exist back then)!

Pictured below (L to R): a Sea Devil (from the Third Doctor story ‘The Sea Devils‘ and the Fifth Doctor story ‘Warriors of the Deep‘), the Fifth Doctor (with Sonic Screwdriver), Mr. Sin and Magnus Greel (from the Fourth Doctor story ‘Talons of Weng Chiang‘)

Pictured below (L to R): SV7 Robot (from the Fourth Doctor story ‘Robots of Death‘), the Sixth Doctor (with Sonic Lance), and D84 Robot (from the Fourth Doctor story ‘Robots of Death‘)

Pictured below (L to R): a Zygon (from the Fourth Doctor story ‘Terror of the Zygons’), the Fourth Doctor (with Sonic Screwdriver), and the special Collect-and-Build K1 Robot with Disintegrator Gun (from the Fourth Doctor story ‘Robot’)

Thanks to everyone that stopped by during AQUAMAN WEEK here at Once Upon a Geek.  Based upon comments and number of hits, it seemed to be of interest to lots of folks.  I’m glad to hear that.

Today is an addendum to AQUAMAN WEEK.  Below you will find a picture of my Aquaman figures.   I don’t buy every Aquaman figure that comes out, but I do have quite a few of them.  My collection includes the original Mego Aquaman, the Super Powers Aquaman, Total Justice/JLA Aquaman figures, some HeroClix, a JLA PVC of Aquaman, DC Direct figures, a Mattel DC Universe Classics Aquaman, a Super Friends Aquaman, a custom figure built by a  friend, and many more.  Click the picture to enlarge the image.

Kind of a funny story… Shortly after Aquaman lost his hand and replaced it with a hook in the comics, a friend and I were discussing DC action figures.  The idea of an Aquaman action figure with a hook came up.  I was convinced that DC would never produce such a figure, and yet I wanted one really badly.  I figured DC wouldn’t make a hooked Aquaman action figure for two reasons: (1) Aquaman wasn’t very popular, so why make an action figure at all; and (2) the concept of piranha eating your hand and then replacing it with a sharp hook seemed a little out there for a kids toy.

During this discussion my enthusiasm got the better of me and I said, “Dude, if they made an Aquaman action figure with a hook, I’d buy like twelve of them.”  Well… along comes the Total Justice action figure line.  It just so happens that they made an Aquaman with a hooked hand.  My friend was kind enough to remind me of my enthusiastic statement.  Being a man of my word, I bought twelve of the action figures as you can see below.

The four in the front represent the four variant versions there were.  In the front row, the far left figure was the standard Total Justice Aquaman.  The back two rows are also the standard Total Justice Aquaman.  In the front row, the far right figure was the standard JLA Aquaman (only real difference from the Total Justice figure was the pants had black instead of dark green).  Again in the front row, the second from the left (with the gold shoulder pad) was the variant edition from the Total Justice line.  Finally, in the front row, the figure third from the left (with the silver shoulder pad and blue pants) was an oddball repaint from a series only sold at WB stores.

So I guess I was crazy for sticking to my word and buying all these figures.  However, I was smart and waited until the toyline was dying and they were on clearance.  I may be a man of my word, but I’m not a fool with my money. 

Long live Aquaman, king of the toybox!