Toy Review – Marvel Select Black Widow (Disney Store Exclusive) By Diamond Select Toys

For the most part I avoid Marvel Select figures. They’re too big, they have weird articulation, and often they don’t even look very good.

Why are they so big, anyway? Who at Diamond Select Toys decided they wanted to make a line of figures that was not compatible with any action figures that have come out in the past… ever? It’s like DC Direct deciding their larger clothed figures were going to be thirteen inches rather than a standard 1/6^th scale. What a stupid decision. I still think that’s why that line failed. They were good figures (except for the females all having massively oversized mammary glands), they just looked too odd next to all the other figures of that size.

So aside from the Marvel Zombies figures, Uatu the Watcher, and an Ultimate Thor I got on clearance I don’t have any Marvel Select.

Toy Review – Avengers Hulk By Hasbro

I wasn’t too sure I actually needed another movie Hulk when I first heard about this guy. I already had the 6” scale version from The Incredible Hulk and it seemed okay. I mean, it was just a new head on an old Marvel Legends Hulk body, but it was big and mean and green. Seemed good enough.

When Belligerent Monkey texted me pictures of the one he found I felt more sure I didn’t need it. The elbows looked pretty weird to me and he didn’t seem all that big.

Then I finally found him at retail and he looked awesome. I mean, look at him up there all crouched down because the package is barely big enough to contain his Hulky, green rage.

I pretty much used up all my introductory material for these Avengers figures in the Loki and Hawkeye posts, so I’ll just talk about Hulk a little bit.

Toy Review – Avengers Hawkeye By Hasbro

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would one day be desperately searching for a Hawkeye figure I would have laughed at you.

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would one day be desperately searching for a Jeremy Renner figure I would have laughed at you. And then asked who the heck Jeremy Renner is.

Toy Review – Avengers Loki By Hasbro

Hey there, ESO-keteers! (what?) I’m back with some more toy reviews that you can only see right here on the Earth Station One Network!

For now, anyway.

I didn’t think I had a chance in heck of finding these new Marvel Legends scale Avengers movie figures. Hasbro made the terrible decision to make them Walmart Exclusives, and that often works out poorly.

Before lucking out and finding Loki, Hulk, and Hawkeye the other day (no Black Widow, apparently – or maybe she’ll be a CVS Exclusive or some nonsense); I had only seen Captain America and Iron Man from this line. I certainly don’t need another Iron Man and I’m not sure I like the Cap. He’s kind of too bright and doesn’t seem to have enough painted detail. I mean, he does look like he looked in the movie, but for some reason the figure just seems kind of simple and cartoony to me. I know I’m likely to end up buying him at some point, though. There’s also a sort of new Thor. It’s the same as a previously released movie Thor, just without the helmet. I don’t need it, but if you want to gaze upon Chris Hemsworth’s golden locks you should keep an eye out.

Waid Writes the (Other) Avengers in “Steed & Mrs. Peel”

By Josh Bell, Source: CBR.com

The Avengers are about to collide with a different kind of Hellfire Club in a new ongoing series from BOOM! Studios. “Steed & Mrs. Peel,” featuring the characters from the influential 1960s British spy series “The Avengers,” launches in August, following up on BOOM!’s recent reprint of the 1990 Grant Morrison/Ian Gibson “Steed & Mrs. Peel” miniseries. Mark Waid is writing the zero issue that opens the new series, and co-writing from then on with Caleb Monroe (“The Remnant,” “Hunter’s Fortune”), with art by Steve Bryant (“Athena Voltaire”).

“James Bond by way of Dr. Who” is Waid’s shorthand for the enduring appeal of “The Avengers.” Featuring dashing secret agents John Steed and Emma Peel taking on criminals, conspiracies and supernatural phenomena, the writer gave CBR News a description of the classic television series he plans to translate for a modern comics audience. “Steed and Peel tend to investigate cases with an odd angle to them,” Waid said. “Houses built as giant killing machines, towns abandoned by their citizens, killers with methods that are pure science-fiction.”

ASSEMBLED AGAIN!

ASSEMBLED! 2: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES AND VILLAINS has now joined

Vol. 1 on Kindle, also for $2.99 at http://www.amazon.com/ASSEMBLED-Earths-Mightiest-Villains-ebook/dp/B0082PXQH4

This volume focuses on “The Big Three” of Iron Man, Cap, and Thor, along with top villains Ultron and Kang. Includes opinion, analysis, humor, and special features covering the history and relationships of these major characters.

Written by the Jarvis Heads of AvengersAssemble.net.
Edited by Van Allen Plexico.
Introduction by Marvel Comics Exec. Editor Tom Brevoort.
Profits go to the HERO Initiative charity, as chosen for us by George Perez.

Learn more about White Rocket Books and Assembled at http://www.whiterocketbooks.com

 

‘Hulk smash box office’: Thoughts on the success of ‘The Avengers’ and what it means for Hollywood

By Ashley Bergner
Box Office Buzz

If you’d asked me at the beginning of the year what film I thought would become the biggest hit this summer, ironically, I wouldn’t neccessarily have picked “The Avengers.” Although it was the film I was personally most looking forward to, much of the buzz seemed to be surrounding Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Then, a few months out from “The Avengers’” early May release date, something happened. The hype started building, and “The Avengers” started becoming the most talked-about summer movie. Entertainment industry insiders began to predict it would have a big opening weekend, but I’m not sure even they anticipated just how big it was going to be. Not only did “The Avengers” destroy all other films at the box office last weekend, it scored the highest opening weekend ever, to the tune of $207.4 million. That’s not even counting the funds the film has made overseas.

It’s an impressive accomplishment, and I believe it’s a well-deserved one for director Joss Whedon. It’s also a success that is going to shake up Hollywood. I hope the success of “The Avengers” makes a DC Comics superhero mash-up possible (with characters like Batman, Superman, etc.), but I’m also afraid studios are going to start scrambling to replicate “The Avengers’” success and start throwing all kinds of characters together just for the heck of it.

Review: ‘The Avengers’ is one epic ride

By Ashley Bergner, Box Office Buzz

After months of hype and media coverage, and years of build-up in previous Marvel superhero films, “The Avengers” is finally here. And it’s one heck of an epic ride. The film was absolutely worth the wait, and director Joss Whedon’s combination of non-stop action, humor and heart adds up to what is arguably one of the best superhero movies ever made.

The film features an impressive line-up of superheroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Hulk. Although I enjoyed all the individual films featuring these characters leading up to “The Avengers,” the superheroes are even better together. Here, they are forced to team up to take on Loki, Thor’s vengeful brother, who has stolen the “Tesseract” (the glowing blue energy cube used by HYDRA Nazis in last summer’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”). Loki plans to unleash an army and take over the Earth, and also get revenge on his brother for denying him the throne of Asgard.

Next on Earth Station One…

And there came a day, a day unlike any other… When Earth’s mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat… to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand… On that day, The Mighty Avengers were born.

Next week, the Earth Station One crew assembles for all things Avengers. From the earliest comic books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to the current Avengers group of titles and there’s this little movie we’ll review as well. What are your favorite Avengers moments and why? Let us know at http://www.esopodcast.com, at the ESO Facebook Group, email us at esopodcast@gmail.com, or call us at 404-963-9057. We might just read yours on the show. Plus, join us for the usual rants, raves, shout outs, and Mike’s Khan Report! It’s going to be an action-packed episode next week at Earth Station One.

Next on Earth Station One…

Next week, the Earth Station One crew grabs some popcorn, sodas, and snacks as we head back to the theater for our annual Big Summer Movie Review. That’s right, we’re looking ahead at the upcoming releases and picking our favorites. And we would love to hear from you. What movies are you looking forward to this summer? And why? Let us know at www.esopodcast.com, at the ESO Facebook Group, email us at esopodcast@gmail.com, or call us at 404-963-9057. We might just read yours on the show.

And if that wasn’t already enough for a full show, IDW editor Jeff Conner joins us to talk about the new Zombies Vs. Robots prose project along with other upcoming goodies from the publisher. Plus, the usual rants, raves, shout outs, and Mike’s Khan Report! It’s going to be an action-packed episode next week at Earth Station One.

The ESO Crew