This year’s SDCC was a little strange. I can’t point to one thing that really blew me away from any company. I saw plenty of things that I’m going to be spending my money on, but where previous years offered up something that really made my eyes pop out of my head (and that’s pretty painful if it happens more than once), I don’t think I had that this year. Of course, that’s good news for my optometrist, but it makes for a weird SDCC.
I think we’re in an age where leaks are making it hard to be surprised. Short of going dark for months before SDCC, being on a forum means things will leak, information will be spilled and there’s going to be at least a nominal chance that you’ll know exactly what you are going to be seeing. I’d say it’s a catch-22, but it’s more like a badger toss. Sure, you caught it, but what are you going to do with it now?
A larger part of it is that SDCC isn’t the only game in town anymore. There are a lot of conventions, and companies have to hold stuff back to show off at each of them, so we don’t get the full barrage at any one convention. I’ve only been paying attention to SDCC for as long as I’ve been on Fwoosh, which is close to 12 years now (good grief), but I’ve definitely seen a shift.
But that’s neither good nor bad. Time and tide share a suite at the same hotel.
With many of the leaks turning out to be correct, what was left was that ever-popular question of “version.” Classic or modern, movie or comic, mine or yours, let’s all fight until we see each other’s blood.
Some things you don’t see until they’re right on top of you. While there have been signs, we are going to be seeing ’90s nostalgia seeping into cracks and taking the place once held by the ’80s. I have nothing against the ’90s, so this doesn’t cause me any sleepless nights at all.
Let’s take a look at everything that was revealed and see what we’re going to be buying. I’m going to be buying it all, so yeah.
The earliest reveal was Venom-Deadpool. Venompool. Deadpool with symbiote costume. I think this is a Gamestop exclusive. It’s got that two-great-tastes thing going for it, like Reese’s cups. I will buy it, just because.
Remember 1990? So does Hasbro, because they’re releasing a set of vintage Marvel Superheroes-inspired cardbacked figures. Captain America, Spider-Man, Punisher, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Wolverine are the first to be released, each offering a little something different from previous releases. Although that Iron Man is weak and sucks and should have been retired instead of dragged kicking and screaming out of the past. 
I think I’m going to end up with most of these, but I will end this sentence with trigger fingers for Punisher. What will they think of next?
I know there might be some growing Spider-verse fatigue. Whenever a certain zeitgeist is hit hard enough, out falls some disgruntled Jolly Ranchers. But I can’t seem to get enough of it. I loved pretty much every Spider-variation up in that bitch, and I welcome it all. Granted, it is time to have at least a Morlun to have all these various Spider-people to fight, but I welcome our new Spider-overlords with zeal.
Spider-Punk merges the superheroic and the cliché punk aesthetic into something that probably shouldn’t work so well, but it’s a damn Spider-Man with spikes on his mask and I just love it to death. Extra special bonus points for the guitar, the devil horns, and the pick hand. I made a top five list some time ago and he was definitely on it. As it is, I’m getting a lot of my list, so here’s hoping Spider-Ham is not too far away.
Gwenpool. She gets hate. Everything gets a certain amount of hate. Even if I didn’t have a fondness for it, I love the costume. I just dig the whole aesthetic here. There’s not a lot of pink in this line. We’re terrified to have our mutant-hunting robots be pink. I like it for color representation, is what I’m saying, and Gwenpool does it.
Songbird has been waiting around for a home and looks to finally have one. She looks great. Like, I am attracted to this toy. More therapy for me! While she will go well with various character sets here and there, she really makes me want a proper set of Thunderbolts. How has this not happened? Why are there questions that need answers but have none?
Ghost Rider is always welcome, especially if he’s in the blue leathers. Double-especially if he comes with a bike. Finally, he can properly call himself a “Rider.” The skull on the front of the bike is going to get ditched immediately, and that chain he’s holding is going in a bag, but this is getting purchased. I do wish the Hellcycle was painted to be fully aflame like it was for the majority of his blue-leather period, but I guess I could do that myself if I wanted. I probably just justified buying two of this set. Hasbro, anytime you want to make a Ghost Rider wave, I’m ready for it.
Speaking of bikes, Black Widow gets one too. I’ve read complaints about the painted-on belt and so forth for her, but I’m looking at that bike and ignoring the complaints, because this is a bitchin’ bike. I’ve never been on a bike in my life and I’d proudly ride that down the street before wrecking it into a parked car. As far as I’m concerned this is a $40 bike with a free Black Widow tossed in. On. In.
Did you know that there are a lot of Symbiotes? Like, way more than you can name on two hands. Well, Lasher is one. You know, at one point I would have said I didn’t need those multi-colored Symbiotes. But I forgot how colorful they are, and now I don’t care about not caring. I will buy them all. They’ll look great once they’re all together. I’m a sucker for the color wheel.
There were some Deadpool Legends shown off. Domino is a nice-looking figure, Deadpool himself looks great, but both are overshadowed by that extremely extreme Cable figure. That is the Cable this line has needed all along, complete with glowing eye effect. He even comes with a state-of-the-art Liefeld gun. I hear they fire crosshatches and gritted teeth. As I said, the ’90s are returning in a big way, and they don’t get much more “’90s” than Cable. His mother was a pouch and his father was an even larger pouch.
With the debut of Mr. Fantastic, we’re officially 3/4 of the way towards seeing the completed Fantastic Four, with 2/4 of them being good. Johnny, is kind of … well, have you ever heard of unstable molecules? They’re the reason we shouldn’t be seeing his costume or that stupid “4” when he’s on fire. This was figured out in the ’60s. But Reed himself is looking great. Apparently he will come with stretched arms and neutral ones. Just Thing to go, pleasedohimrightpleasedohimrightpleasedohimright.
Speaking of people that want to nail Sue Richards, we’re finally getting a brand-new Speedo Namor to wash the horrible taste of that previous Speedo Namor figure out of our collective mouths. It tasted like halibut and shame, I tells ya. He was shown with a beard in the booth, and beardless in the slideshow, so I’d say we’ll have the option for both. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this mostly naked man forever. What? Never mind …
Black Bolt has a mouth and he must scream. This is going to cause some property damage. I have the previous SDCC version, but I’ll get this one too for when Medusa burned his toast one too many times. “Dammit woman!” *Oh shit there goes the moon …*
Speaking of Medusa, she’s coming with a mask and will be a Walgreen’s exclusive. Not the most exciting of hair for a woman whose hair is a whole thing, but at least she has no heels. Yes, heels suck. Shut up.
Hey kids, remember Deathlok? He’s had a figure before, but this one is awesome. I’ve always loved Deathlok as a concept and as a character, and this one looks great, without the jangle and gangle of the ToyBiz one. That is one overcompensating gun.
Speaking of ToyBiz versions of things, everyone said a new Mysterio would just be a green bodysuit with painted lines. Well, everyone is wrong because he got a fully sculpted brand new body with sculpted lines, and, best of all, no idiotic spinning head gimmick. He’s a nice, normal Mysterio with a fishbowl on his head, and he’s gorgeous and I will buy him and hug him and love him.
Lizard is yet another update to a ToyBiz figure. Lab coat, purple pants, everything you need for a Lizard. His head has a prehistoric vibe to it, but it seemed more pronounced in the slideshow than it does in the display.
Again, updating ToyBiz, we’ve got an X-Force X-23. I don’t seem to see any foot claws here, but she will no doubt turn out better than her previous figure. Remember all the hate she caused back then when her ToyBiz figure was revealed? Now she’s a movie star. The future chuckles.
The Defenders box set is not really a “Defenders” boxset but a “Heroes for Hire” box set, and nothing you say will make me think different. Either way, I won’t be reading the comic that this is based on because Bendis sucks money donkey. I might buy this, even though Jewel is a Bendis thing and Iron Fist has no shirt for no good reason. I don’t need another Daredevil, but I do like the Luke. Maybe I’ll try to get the Luke. Maybe I’ll end up buying the entire thing because I’m weak. Maybe moonlight is just sunlight incognito.
I dig the Hydra two-pack. I like the options, so it doesn’t look like everybody shopped at the same store.
Hmm, what else …
Shazbot, that Mysterio is sexy.
This is the point where I can’t remember if I reacted to everything or not. Let me consult my notes.
Haha, I don’t have notes.
Oh yeah … Apocalypse!
Apocalypse is finally getting what seems to be a good-looking regular-sized figure. He’s even got an A on his belt. I’d kind of like the gray to be blue, but I am definitely an Apocalypse fan and am looking forward to this. I say that even though I’ve never read an Apocalypse story that really blew my mind with how cool it was. A lot of pontificating. Speechmaking. Maybe some pointing. I don’t know, I still love the character.
So there it is. There was no one thing that really pinched my nipples — no Count Nefaria, no Graviton, no Classic Ultron — but what’s there is all cool and will be purchased.
Pleasedon’tscrewupThingpleasedon’tscrewupThing.