I’m calling this the “Utopia Cyclops,” and it is the 2nd most recent version of Cyke to date (excluding Phoenix 5). Right now he is running around in a black and red costume, which is all angst and edgy. I think it looks silly, but then I think Cyke has turned into a silly character. Somewhere along the line they really screwed him up. I mean the whole bitter “I’m a mutant the world hates me and I need to kill the world” or some such crap is just played out. I get that mutants are supposed to represent repressed groups in our society, but, I dunno, on the funny pages the mutant-hate theme is just played out.
That said, it’s time to talk costume. Yesterday I covered a bit of the costume evolution with the Jim Lee Cyclops, and Utopia is an evolution of the traditional condom-headed Cyke. I’m calling this the Utopia costume since I think that is the first time we see it. Gone are the boot cuffs and swashbuckler gloves and yellow undies. Now we have a Cyke in a blue unitard, and, well, it makes more sense. There is no utility belt (John Romita Jr. draws him with it). Cyke is on a mission; he’s taking this seriously. He’s out for blood. Or something. Now he’s got some yellow bracers and grieves, with blue gloves and shoes. OK I’m not sold on the blue shoes — I’d prefer yellow, but that’s me.
The costume works. It’s sleek and modern, has piping, and all the elements that make Cyclops, Cyclops. And as a figure it’s eye candy. It looks great on the modern Marvel shelf and it’s the right build. Yeah, you heard me, this is the buck that Cyclops needs to be built on, it’s adult and big and commanding. He looks like leader Cyclops and not skinny wanna-be Cyclops. I’d love a Jim Lee version on this base. That would pop! he’s even got the two-finger fist for touching his visor. Nice …
The articulation is standard fare. This is the Black Panther buck — we know what it can do and what to expect. He can assume any traditional Cyclops mode, from being the moody adult to the heroic ass-kicker to anything else that you can think of. He can even hold Emma in that special way — you know the one. I know we don’t talk about the new rocker ankles enough on the Fwoosh, so here’s some more love for them. I really love the range of motion and stability that comes from the rocker ankles. I used to be worried about the perceived hindrance on the forward motion of the ankle, but after sitting in a squatting position, I realized that I’m not very flexible there and that this ankle joint pretty sums up my range of motion. It’s gold for me now. The ratchet on the left shoulder is insanely tight on mine, but that just means he holds his hand to his visor better. The breakdown is as follows:
•rocker ankles
•hinged ankles
•shin swivels
•double knees
•swivel thighs
•ball hips
•swivel waist
•hinged ab
•ball shoulders
•swivel biceps
•double elbows
•swivel forearms
•hinged wrists
•hinged neck
•swivel head
I’ll admit, if Hasbro releases a new Jim Lee version of Cyke on this buck, that will take the place of this Cyke as my modern X-Men leader. I like this version and it does pop, but that Jim Lee version continues to speak volumes to me. I really like the look. Until then, I’d recommend this figure for anyone wanting a modern version of Cyke for their collections.
You can still get this figure at:
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