In case you haven’t prowled the shelves of Wal-Mart, Target, or Toys-R-Us recently, here’s a list of just a few action figure lines available right now. I’m a figure collector, and to be blunt, besides some of McFarlane’s always-intricate and interesting lines (most of which aren’t even in regular toy sections– check Hastings or collector’s shops in malls for those) it’s been a typical year so far. You’ve got the same old Spider-Man movie line, trying to milk a little more cash out of the franchise even while it doesn’t have a movie coming out, and there’s alway a new Star Wars line, but they also usually look about the same. So here’s some of the new stuff, all of which can be found at Toys-R-Us.com if you don’t care to get out and find it yourself.

The Good

As I’ve said in previous blogs, Marvel’s having a really good year. Not only have they released two top-notch films in the same continuity, but that quality seems to have leaked over into their action figures as well. There’s nothing just brilliant about these figures but they’re nicely detailed, pretty realistic and come in brightly-colored, eye-catching boxes (important for collector’s like me who rarely open a new figure).

The Iron Man toys are immediately eye-catching because they’re not in your basic box. They’re on a flat card as usual, but at first glance, the plastic makes them look round, and the reds really jump out. These are 5.5-6″ figures, the perfect size to get a good amount of realistic detail and fun playability for kids who will take them out of the box. It’s hard for a figure to have much articulation if it’s too small, so when I was a kid, I never like my figures to get any smaller than this. The best thing about this line is that every figure looks like something out of the movie. All 3 of Stark’s various suits can be found, and there’s no obnoxious, weirdly colored versions. Just wait- we’ll get to those with Batman.

The Hulk figures look just like the Iron Man figures to me. Great articulation, great size, excellent box.

The toy shelves are looking a little more like they did when I was a kid with all the Ninja Turtles figures out, and it’s been like that for a few years now with the recent cartoon series, and now especially with the film last year. But for the first time ever, you can get a four-pack figure set of the original Eastman and Laird comic style Turtles. Beautifully colored like the original covers and wonderfully articulated, this is a very neat collector’s item and one fan’s have waited for a good long time.

The Not-So Good

These aren’t especially bad figures, but they’re not especially good, either. These represent the kind of mediocre toys I’ve seen every year since I was a kid. Some of them may even be worth picking up if you’re a big fan of the series, but more detail, thought, and marketing strategy really could have been used with these.

The new Indiana Jones line follows the Star Wars tradition of 3.5-4″ figures, and again, I think this is too small for much detail and definitely for much articulation. What’s neat about them is that they aren’t just from the new movie– a number of characters from all four films are included and it’s a very extensive line. I would guess the idea with these and Star Wars is the same: smaller figures so that more individual toys can be made. They can do more characters and keep their costs lower by using less material. That’s probably why 5-6″ lines usually have a dozen or less figures.

Worse than the size, though, is the package presentation. Somehow, this box manages to make it look like the figure doesn’t resemble Harrison Ford at all. He looks a little thrown together, and if it weren’t for the label, we might not even know it was supposed to be Indiana Jones.

But take a closer look at the figure itself. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with this packaging, but it’s managing to make the figure look much worse than it really is. Maybe they should have put the hat on him.

The Dark Knight line really looks pretty good– good size, excellent detail– but the box is lame and isn’t eye-catching, and the figures are really hit-and-miss. There are several versions of the figure pictured above, and despite my qualms with the new costume, these are great because they look like the suit you’re going to see in the new film. But every Batman line has a number of goofy, weirdly colored suits Batman himself would NEVER wear, and why do that with a darker film franchise?

I just don’t think Christian Bale would make a good Power Ranger. And I get it. The assumption is that kids like to play with brightly colored figures. Maybe that’s true, but I had an extensive collection of Batman figures growing up, I played with them all the time, and I always wanted to create stories with my figures that seemed authentic, at least to me. I loved Batman comics and I loved the films, so why wouldn’t I want my Batman to look like BATMAN?

Sometimes the new Joker looks cool, and sometimes he looks like this… anyone who’s been in a cave for the last two years might take a look at this and think Michael Keaton is playing the role. This doesn’t look anything like Heath Ledger or the Joker we’ve been seeing in the previews. It looks like a dumbed down, cartoon version when, looking at the detail of that first Batman figure I showed you, there’s no reason it couldn’t look more like this:

This is a 1:6 scale figure put out by DC Direct. Of course I wouldn’t expect vinyl or cloth clothes on a regular $9-10 figure, but look at the face. He doesn’t look silly, he looks creepy, which is the mood of the film as I gather it from trailers. But there are some other good figures in the line, including a new Scarecrow and a very good Bruce Wayne ninja figure.

The Bizarre

These are figures that are really weird and probably shouldn’t have been made. The Mighty Muggs line is trying to be cute, but I think they’re just kind of disturbing.

As far as I can tell, they’re just doing Star Wars and Marvel figures for now, but if they catch on, there could be more. I think these are supposed to be funny in the same way Legos or Minimates are, but somehow I’m not getting it. They’re round, they have giant heads, and they’re huge hunks of plastic that can’t possibly be any fun to play with. If they were plush, that would be different. There are a TON of these, and they’re all a little creepy.

The one exception is Dr. Doom. For some reason, this one cracks me up. Maybe it’s the slanted mouth on his mask. Then again, I’ve always thought Dr. Doom was hillarious.

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan

Cap’n Logan’s Take 

Marvel is having a good year. First, Iron Man was a surprising powerhouse, and now a second attempt at a Hulk movie that was every bit as good in plot, action, and acting as Iron Man. I’m impressed that without an X-Men or a Spider-Man, Marvel might be having their best summer to date. I’m also happy that they’re finally establishing some continuity between their films, leaving no question that these two movies are in the same universe, with many more to follow.

I found it immediately interesting that although The Incredible Hulk is a revamp, and definately not a sequel to Hulk, it very logically follows that film in plot. In fact, I really think the only thing that prevents a viewer from seeing these movies as being in the same universe is the presence of two different Abominations. It was a lot of fun, and frankly a relief, to get past the Hulk’s origin and just tell a new story. The other movie spent far too long on the origin, while this one just shows highlights behind the opening credits. Bruce Banner gets hit with a gamma bomb because he tries his experiment on himself– that’s really all you need to know, and no reason to drag it out for an hour.

I was quite surprised by Liv Tyler’s performance. I usually don’t like her at all, but I could feel the past chemestry between her and Banner immediately. And unlike most comic book film romances, this one worked well because it was already established. The film didn’t have to take time trying to build the relationship because it was already there, and that allowed it to spend its time dealing with bigger issues, namely the General’s obsession with finding the Hulk and using him as a weapon and Banner’s preoccupation with getting rid of the Hulk.

This time, Hulk looks very realistic. He’s not bright green, he doesn’t keep changing size every time Banner changes, and there’s great attention to detail, especially in his facial expressions. It doesn’t usually look too CG and because he looks more human, he’s actually much scarier.

This movie’s Abomination, a soldier who wants what Banner has and will do anything to himself to get it, is more interesting than in the other movie, but it’s also my only real complaint. I would have appreciated more motivation for this character. Why is he so obsessed with becoming a super soldier? What in his background gets him to this point? I don’t think his explanation of wishing he had a body that was ten years younger to go with his expertise was really enough.

Look for some neat callbacks to the old Hulk television series and comics, including a reference to purple pants and Bruce Banner’s alias of David B. at the end. This is also Stan Lee’s coolest cameo to date– he actually gets to be a vital part of the plot this time!

What really makes it great is the progression. Bruce Banner is not the same man at the end that he was at the beginning. The film gets him from trying to get rid of the Hulk to learning how to control it. It isn’t just a monster movie. As it moves along, it becomes a superhero movie, and you’re left looking forward to seeing the Hulk as a real superhero when the Avengers movie is released. It’s not the most intellectual comic book film but it does have a few things to say about the dangers of playing God and how scary people can be when they ignore the quality of life. Overall, it’s a fun ride that manages to tell a story that’s more than the Hulk hitting things and being chased around a lot.

Vince’s Take

This movie is so intricately woven to be heart pounding that missing more than a second of it will surely result in instant regret. Even though I enjoyed the first movie, the difference between The Hulk and The Incredible Hulk is in the obvious word. Only one is truly incredible.

In a plot line where Bruce Banner is the major focus, the Hulk must be handled as a monster. The creative team behind this movie did just that. The first time Banner Hulks-out we don’t actually get a clear shot of the Hulk. It adds suspense and fear. In this movie, we actually feel like Banner has something to worry about. For those of you who worry about him being too much of a monstrosity, the Hulk is also treated as a tragic figure, but it is entirely possible to make him tragic while also monstrous. Some of the classic references in this film point directly to other monster-movies with tragic figures. The first time we get a clear shot of Hulkie in all of his glorious green greatness they use music reminiscent of Frankenstein, while in some scenes between the Hulk and Betty Ross there’s a distinct King Kong feel.

There are a few down falls. Unfortunately, some parts of the movie do come across a bit corny, but they’re small enough that it’s ultimately forgivable. Also, the Betty Ross character is mostly one dimensional and pretty naive for a cellular biologist. She’s a really nice person with daddy issues who cares greatly for Bruce; beyond that we don’t get much. I found myself missing Sam Elliot, but William Hurt did wonderfully as ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. But none of that takes away from enjoyable this movie really is.

For the comic fans there are elements of Peter David’s Hulk stories lifted directly from the comics, with plenty of references to satisfy your inner geek. There are even moments when the composition of the shot resembles some of the Hulk comic covers.

I absolutely adored this movie, and highly recommend it.