Squirrel Girl, Y’all.
With numerous conventions, SDCC’s reveals no longer seem as voluminous as they once were. It’s not the only game in town now, so some things that you thought for sure you should be seeing are more than likely being held back for future conventions. Which I’m assuming is why we didn’t see Iron Man 2020, who we all know has to be coming in 2020. Oh well, I can wait. More or less. Really, I’m dying to see him, but I won’t die. I think.
What they didn’t have in volume they made up for in punch, and not the type you drink. This year, Hasbro pulled out a few surprises, a few oddballs and a few superdamncool things that make me glad I collect toys and not black market spleens.
Preview Night brought us a look at the entire Avengers Endgame Wave 3, which is an all MCU wave. Now I enjoy their movie figures and have nothing against them, but I can’t say that it’s something that really incites a level of anticipatory eagerness in me, at least when stacked up to the comic stuff. It’s more a matter of “Oh look at that” rather than “I’VE WANTED THAT FOR SO LONG OH MY GOD.”
So my reaction to the 3rd wave was, as I said, “Oh look at that.” Dude Thor is an interesting BAF choice, and it’s about time Heimdall gets a figure of some kind. I don’t have Vision, I still need a Valkyrie, Cap and Iron man are okay and Iron patriot looks good. So I’ll end up with these, but it’s not comic stuff, which is my first love, so…oh, look at that. Cool wave.
But when the comic stuff started hitting, that’s when I got that first hit of sweet sweet plastic adrenaline.
An early teaser image lifted off a video with all the clarity of a picture taken on a toy camera in 1972 showed off our first look at three figures that really kicked my enthusiasm in the crotchial zone.
Squirrel Girl! Squirrel Girl Squirrel Girl Squirrel Girl!!!
…is what my brain said inside my head. A one-time super-niche character that has been treated with loving care since her creation and has been nurtured into a bonafide beloved cult favorite. If you don’t get it, you never will. Solving the problem of “where would she fit?” She’s going to be an Ultimate Rider. She didn’t have to be, but I don’t care, it’s worth it. Also, her comic is ending, so this is as fitting an epitaph as can be. Also, she comes with squirrels. And awesomeness.
Cosmic Ghost rider is another Ultimate Rider. I didn’t expect this one to come before the Dan Ketch version, but seeing as it’s is a design that belongs on the cover of literally every metal band ever, it probably created itself in a toy laboratory, devoured a few random scientists and then hitched a ride to SDCC on a bus made out of LSD. And that is a movie I want to see.
I was braced for modern. I was willing to be cool with modern. I was actually okay with modern, so I was completely bangbrained when I saw that they were doing classic Shang-Chi first. It is the Master of Kung Fu in all his 1970’s era glory. Now I sincerely hope they make him in his modern stuff for the modern guys, because I like his modern look as well, and with his name recognition about to soar I do believe that is an inevitability, but robe or no, Shang-Chi is going to kick all the ass. Every cheek.
Peter Allen David is a national damn treasure and both of his runs on the X-Factor book, from the early 90s stuff to X-Factor investigations is golden, so I’m very happy that they’re hammering away at the early team, and the Havok/Polaris two-pack is a great way to get both of them out of the way in one shot. I remember getting the 5-inch Havok figure in the 90s and digging that crazy jacketed look, so this is an excellent nostalgic throwback and a great representation of the era. More on X-factor a little later
The Jean/Cyclops/Wolverine does a good job at giving us a new Jean, a bomber jacket Scott and bone claws Wolverine. I don’t really care for the battle damaged head, but I’ve never had an issue with the bone-claws era, and at least he has a nose, you know?
With the Fantastic Four complete, it has been time for a new Dr. Doom for a while. This one has a somewhat realistic take on Dr. Doom. It’s almost what you’d expect from a cinematic take on it. One that didn’t suck, I mean. I might end up with two, because while of course I like the classic facemask, the modern one looks cool as well. Yeah, I might get two. Or three. Or four. Sue me! Oh wait, they already made her…
I have to be honest, despite attempt after attempt, I’m still waiting for that perfect She-Hulk, and this one still isn’t there. Mainly because it’s not green, I guess. It’s a very specific sculpt for a brief look that I think is no longer a thing. At least it’s on a new and improved body, which makes the specificity even odder. The new take on She-Hulk in the comics is also strange. I intend on buying the comic run where this look was prevalent, so at least there’s that, but I’m still waiting for a good green She-Hulk on a body that doesn’t suck.
Moonstar with extra heads so you make a couple different New Mutant girls is a good way to make us buy the same figure multiple times, even if the bodies aren’t all ideal. Still, who among us won’t be buying more than one.
I don’t know what’s going on with this Deadpool/Hit Monkey set. It’s no doubt comic-accurate from somewhere. I know we’re going to have about a bajillion Deadpool variations before the sun goes supernova, so I guess getting him in a white suit is to be expected.
This body the Punisher is on continues to be the closest we’re getting to 6-inch GI Joe figures from Hasbro.
They’re working on a variety of X-Force teams. Deathlok was always an odd member, but the Deathlok figure itself is a great one, so getting him in the X-force costume works for me.
I don’t have the previous MCU Giant Man figure, so getting a shot at him without him being a Baf works for me.
I dug the PS4 Spider-man game and couldn’t stop switching between all of the Spider-Man costumes in the game. Seriously, mid-swing I’d end up changing his costume. And then I’d change it again when he landed. I’m in for every variation they want to make, so the Spider-Armor and the Velocity suit are more than welcome. While I hope they’ll still be putting out Spider-verse variations, adding in these to the Spidey rotation is a welcome thing.
Toybiz’s Vulture is still a nice looking piece, but I’m in for any revamped versions of old Toybiz figures that Hasbro wants to do. While I miss the sculpted detail of the TB figure—Mysterio getting sculpted lines but vulture missing out is odd—I’m still in for this.
If you had told me once that I’d be all in for an Age of Apocalypse wave I’d have visibly scoffed, but here we are. My one time “no alternate universes” hangup is long gone by now, and the chance at building as complete a lineup as they want to make is enough to make me all in. X-man, Morph and Wolverine are a good start. I really want an actual AOA Apocalypse. I’m going to assume he’s an inevitability, since he’s kind of important to the whole thing. It wasn’t “Age of Ralph.”
And finally (I think) we come to yet another X-factor member. When he couldn’t think of a super hero code name, he came up with…Strong Guy. Is it unoriginal or is it subtle genius? Who the hell knows. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Being a dude who loves the strong guys on the team, I can’t help but be a fan of the one called Strong Guy. Constant comic-relief, tragic hero, wiseass, Guido’s got it all, and he looks great. His body is a misproportioned mess with a huge upper half and tiny little feet and I can’t wait to get him.
Squirrel Girl!!
