Seasons Change With the Scenery

Some Two Thousand Seven Moments

Hello, yeah, it’s been a while. Week 52’s almost done. I’m taking a little break from work to blog about neat and mundane stuff.

I’m so loving Legion of Superheroes, Psych, Kid Nation, and the insane but addictive Rome (thank you Romie for the original season 2 DVD!). Between writing, drawing, and worrying about deadlines, I’ve been able to relax and watch these shows, finally.

Hope you enjoyed some filling meals during the holiday break. I know I did; I need to lose weight after the Christmas season. In the meantime, I’ll just take a look back, once again, at the year that was.

In 2007, I:

- finally met and befriended people I only previously knew by name

- found out that my aging but trusty phone has sent over 23,400 messages

- got really soaked that one time I decided to leave my umbrella at home

- watched movies with the lustful Popes

- got drunk for the first time

- had a nice, free body massage

- said hello, waved goodbye

- broke a molar when I chewed a piece of ampaw

- won the Marvel Mind Mash trivia contest

- worried about money

- saw three movies at the Imax

- spoke with Timothy Olyphant, Cliff Richard, Sam Rockwell, Roger Avary, Zack Snyder, Ian Tracey, David Fincher, Steve Starkey, Imee Marcos, Paolo Bediones, Neil Gaiman and Ziggy Marley, among others, for the paper

- spoke with Sam Oh, Nancy Castiglione, Tin-Tin Bersola and Eileen Macapagal (formerly of “Joey and Son!”), among others, for the p.r. firms

- worked out a few times at the gym for free

Well, looking at it that way, it wasn’t so bad. Actually, it’s a Pretty Good Year. Uh-huh.

Cannonball Blasts Off

This image is the official photo, and it really doesn’t do the actual figure justice. Cannonball’s costume looks wrinklier with the dramatic lighting in the picture, but the looseness of the suit isn’t as emphasized in the final product. The toy version is fantastic and it’s really good that they went with this design. It’s based on the purple, Liefeld-era uniform of the character. But unlike the comics illustrations, the Sam Guthrie figure is nicely proportioned and aptly dashing.

What’s also different is the integration of rubber parts, specifically the collar and the front and back flaps of the jumpsuit. They could’ve just as easily sculpted those parts in plastic. But oddly, the rubbery texture somewhat enhances its overall tactile quality.

Anyway, this is one solid, sturdy figure, a nice addition to your X-Men set. It’s half of a recently released two-pack (the other fig is Domino), and can be counted among the better Hasbro Marvel Legends figures of 2007. It’d be perfect if it had a smoke-shaped blast-field base accessory. But it’s fine as it is.

(Thanks to John for the figure!)

Thor, Lord of Asgard, Owneth

This has got to be one of the coolest toy iterations of a Marvel character ever. Thor, Lord of Asgard, from the Blob Wave, embodies an era in the thunder god’s life when he wielded the Odin Force, the cosmic and mystical energies inherited from his deceased father. As the new Asgardian god-king, Thor’s strength, speed and resistance to injury were greatly enhanced. He’d have beaten Superman in the JLA-Avengers miniseries had the creators opted to use this version.

The toy is sculpted precisely; it’s just as majestic and imposing as its comic book counterpart. It looks and feels like a 2003 He-Man action figure too, in that the musculature, the clean, vibrant paint job, and the fixed-grip hands combine well to create a battle-ready, kickbutt fantasy warrior.

Thor also has two weapons, Mjolnir and an ax, which would’ve looked better if, like the helmet and those four round armor plates, they’d been given metallic paint. Also, if you’re displaying this figure, you’re gonna have to be a little creative when posing it, because the lack of articulation in the legs tends to make it lose balance and fall down, sometimes. Let’s hope that Hasbro puts in bases with pegs, next time. And there should be a next time; other related characters can be just as massive and playable, like Thunderstrike, Thor in the Simonson-designed battle armor, and Odin. Seriously, they should have a boxed set of those three, plus Thor Girl and maybe Valkyrie. That’d be so relentlessly cool.

(Thanks for the figure, Benedicky!)