May Hauls

[BWprowl]

The winner from the FCBD stuff, though..."Wolverine: Origin of an X-Man". I was kinda dissapointed when I found it in a bag o' free stuff, because I just don't care about Wolvie's origin at all. I was thinking "Lord, another stupid Weapon X book?" No, as it turned out, it's a story set between Wolverine's days in Alpha Flight and his first meeting with the Hulk, written by Mr. Fred Van Lente, and drawn by Girihiru. So, yeah, clearly, it's a really fun, beautifully drawn book.

Thank you. I am now *officially* kicking myself for missing FCBD.

[Dominic]

Prowl, email me. I have an extra copy or two.

Dom

[BWprowl]

Gimme about a month. Then you can mail me all the comics you want. Hell, I'll probably actually start *trading* with people then.

[Onslaught Six]

It's also apparently gone up online, and it'll be in the Vol 4 trade, so.

[onslaught86]

I got Universe Ratchet the other day, forgot to post him. Nifty, I like him a good bit more than Universe Ironhide. Henkei Ironhide's neater, tho'. For a mould I initially didn't want, I now own three different versions. Go me!

[Dominic]

Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind
Terminator and Philosophy: I'll Be Back, Therefor I Am

And, I spend ~$100 on new clothes for an upcoming job hunt.


Dom

[Onslaught Six]

Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind

I was afraid of that book. Some friends and I found one for Watchmen two months ago when the movie hit. I flipped through it, it didn't seem too interesting. I wonder how much of the fiction the book explores, since it seems like the kind of shitty product that would only cover vague Movie Crap. (Interestingly, there's a thread on ATT right now where they're debating if it's "moral" for the Autobots to control Devastator in The Core. The fact that ATT is still debating G1 cartoon episodes says a lot about the guys who typically post there, but hey.)

[Dominic]

The Batman themed offering last year had essays that ranged from "better than expected" to "dreadful". I expect this will be similar.

I see nothing wrong with discussing an old episode. The problem is that for all the discussion of "The Core", how many of them would talk about "Transmutate" the same way?

Dom

[Onslaught Six]

Well, my issue mostly stems from the fact that most original G1 fiction is now entirely irrelevant when it comes to issues like that--Transformers Have Sparks Now, Period, and that's the way they work, so you can't really discuss how a Cybertronian's free will corresponds to their "programming" by using examples that were written 'before that happened.' It's like trying to use Pre-Crisis Superman stories as evidence in a Post-Crisis Superman debate.

[Dominic]

I see what you are saying. And, (based on an early flip-through), it looks like at least one essay is going to be ignoring "Beast Wars" for that purpose. Granted, one could still argue from a mind/body stance, (as seen in "Call of the Wild"), which would allow for discussion of free-will and the influence of spark/programming/physical-construction. (Mind you, I am not a fan of sparks. But, as O6 pointed out, there is no point in arguing about it.)


Oh, a haul:


(Meant to review these a few days back. Just posting some quick thoughts.)

Marvel Heroes:

-Spiderman: Given current standards, the articulation on this toy is not impressive unto itself. (I recall a time when Spidey figures had only slightly more articulation than a middling "Star Wars" offering.) But, Spiderman is one of the few characters that fully justifies the articulation. There are some real QC issues with the left hand, (I have two copies, and one of them broke when I took it out of the package.) And, the figure is a bit over-painted. As anyone who has customized knows, with smaller figures, less paint is often better. Grade: B/C

Spiderman (Black costume): The file card inside assumes this is Peter Parker, circa "Back in Black", and/or post "One More Day". However, the body molding on this figure makes in stand a bit taller than the regular Spiderman figure described above, making this figure a bit more evocative of the Venom II (Max Gargan). (I actually bought this on the assumption that Marvel will be making the rest of the Dark Avengers.) Grade: A

Ironman: The armor molding looks to be based on some combination of the "Extremis" and movie iterations of the armor. There is a (same mold) "Stealth" recolor, and a retro-style variant that shares some of the same molding. Solid articulation, better than average molding and painting. I would have preferred the red and silver armor from the early-mid 80s. But, this is a solid representation of the figure. Grade: A


Dom
-will *not* make a habot of collecting these.