Archive for May, 2008:
Super Hero Squad Character Checklist
A new checklist, this one for individual characters, has been posted here. Right now it includes all 96 characters that have a Super Hero Squad figure. It does differentiate between Ultimate, Movie and 616/Classic/Comic versions of characters, but does not differentiate between variants, costume changes and “civilian look” or “powering up/powered down” characters. Perfect for people who are only collecting the line for certain characters and don’t care about 23 Spider-Men in different poses or a complete armory of Iron Man.
There’s one hopefully-not-too-controversial decision I made though, and that was listing the Iron Spider-Man armor as Scarlet Spider. I know it’s not the Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider, but the armor is currently being used by the Scarlet Spiders over in Avengers: The Initiative, with no distinction that I can see. It looks like the Scarlet Spiders are going to remain as distinct characters, in much the same way Spider-Man’s Slingers costumes remain in use years after the few months Spider-Man stayed in them.
So go, download, enjoy.
Super Hero Squad Puzzles
Confirming that Super Hero Squad is spreading out far and wide as a brand, enjoy these puzzles shown here. This follows the release of similar Iron Man puzzles shown here
The official product description is:
“The ultimate puzzles for young super hero fans! The colorful scenes feature Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, and other heroes in action. Who will win the battle? Add and change the stickers so that no two scenes ever look the same!”
Approximate Retail: 7.99 (but since two puzzles are shown, is that price for both?
Ages: 5 and up (while the toys themselves are 3 and up)
Pieces: 70
One puzzle is a Spider-Man-heavy scene featuring Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man and Hawkeye going against Venom, classic Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. As stated above, included is a set of stickers, this time featuring Wasp, a pumpkin bomb, and a few power signatures (looks like webs, flames, an arrow, some rocks.)
The other is an interesting ditty with Wolverine, Cyclops and partially iced up Bobby Drake/Iceman going against Sabretooth and Magneto. This puzzle, interestingly enough, is shown coming with an Ant-Man sticker and Thor’s hammer Mjolnir.
Both feature mostly the same stock art we’ve seen from the boxes of the figures themselves. I can’t recall seeing the Venom art on any figure’s before, but Hawkeye, Bobby Drake, Sabretooth et al look like simple flips of the art from their packs, which just further rubs in our faces how the mid-90′s sleek Sabretooth costume most remember from X-Men The Animated Series or the early Jim Lee issues of adjectiveless X-Men was not the costume we received.
Hopefully future puzzles, if there are any, feature more original art, but in the meantime these could be worse right?
A Super Hero Squad Checklist
I had no idea the site would turn out so ugly, but I put up a page with a clickable, printable, collectible, Super Hero Squad checklist. Like I said, I had no idea the page would be so ugly, but since it basically exists as a supplement to this site and as a place to hold the checklist, I think we can all settle with it until I get around to making something prettier.
Hulk: "The Brawl That Shook the World"
We apparently have a name for the Hulk Super Hero Squad movie set… “The Brawl That Shook the World.”
First seen at Marvelous News there’s been all kinds of discussion… who’s in it, is it a replacement for the Hulk/Abomination 2-pack (that briefly disappeared from pre-order sites and was not seen carded in pictures until it was basically released), should you call it a 4-pack when it’s 4 figures and a vehicle, are they all repaints or repacks?
Anyway, it’s started showing up in Toys R Us’s, with a sticker saying “Only at Toys R Us”, and can be purchased at an insane premium on eBay ($25.00 in the stores, $45-$60 on eBay?) As I’ve already said, I’m trying not to link to scalpers on Ebay, but go and search if you’re interested. Keep in mind that the first Toys R Us exclusives, the X-Men and Avengers re-paint sets, ended up on clearance for $3 if that seems too much for you. It will hopefully make you think twice before plunking down $60 for it.
Once I’ve run to town for mine I’ll be able to answer my burning question: Are the Hulkbuster Soldiers different in any way than the one we already have?
The Case For… Nova
In the second “The Case For…” segment, we’re talking Nova.
His cred: He’s a bona fide 70′s star for Marvel, and as Secret Invasion (and Brian Michael Bendis) have shown old is the new new. Just like “is the new ____” is the new over-used cliche.
He’s had the dubious honor of having 4 absolutely distinct series, starting in the 70′s as a Peter Parker-esque loser-type do-gooder and later Skrull bashing space crusader, then his 90′s New Warriors spin-off where he juggled cross-overs power loss and replacements, then the baseball slinging series of the late 90′s where for some reason almost everyone learned of his secret ID and without any good reason, to his most recent Annihilation-inspired series.
For anyone looking for suspected Skrulls, might I add that Richard Rider spent undocumented years in outer space fighting them, only to one day mysterious be sent back to Earth powerless until Night Thrasher “jump-started”
his powers? I’m not saying he’s a Skrull (because then the Xandarian Worldmind would be ridiculously stupid) but he had a better chance of Skrullhood than others.
Anyway, he’s the seminal New Warrior, appearing in every incarnation but the current X-Warriors line-up, and if Loners and the Initiative
have shown anything it’s that there’s a soft-spot for 90′s teen heroes in the hearts of many (but in Loners’ case, the wallets of few.)
We’ve seen him in action figure form back when Toybiz did the Silver Surfer line, and in the upcoming Marvel Legends wave, and in Minimate form with the upcoming Gamora 2-pack.
The design is a recognizable classic, albeit one that has been modified over the years, from the original, to the Annihilation style, to Kid Nova’s browns, to full face-mask/shape-capable, to the vaguely Peter Quill style v-shaped star formation of New Warriors Volume 2.
And as for storylines, he’ll play equally well busting heads with Spidey or battling Galactus out in an asteroid belt. He’s gone toe-to-toe with Iron Man and decimated the Thunderbolts. The only thing he doesn’t have? He’s never been an Avenger.
Affiliations? He’s a former Fantastic Four ally, at home with Super-Skrull and Silver Surfer, classic New Warrior (probably the most likely to get a figure), was a
Defender for a day back in 1978
Plus if all that’s not enough, he does currently star in his own series which has benefited from tie-ins to Civil War, Annihilation and soon, Secret Invasion.
The downside: Well, he’s never been A-list, and if you need proof of that, look to his appearance in wave 23 of Minimates and wave 19 (or however you want to calculate it) of Marvel Legends. Yeah, he’s been in his own title on and off for years, but all 4 volumes don’t even bring you to 80 issues.
Spider-Man Wave 1 on sale at Toys R Us, Hasbro Coupons, Collector Pack 1′s price
TRU Sale
Toys “R” Us (aka TRU) is also having a sale on Wave 1 of Spider-Man Super Hero Squad shown here.
Iron Man Wave 2 Up for Order
And for those that prefer Hasbro Toy Shop The Genius of Tony Stark and Crimson Dynamo Attacks are up for sale. Unfortunately, they don’t start shipping until August 28, 2008.
Hasbro Coupon Code
And after trying the SPRREQ8 coupon code, I can verify that it worked (at least for me) so happy shopping (for those that live where Hasbro Toy Shop ships… sorry friends in other countries.)
Collector’s Pack Price Rumor, Finally Busted.
Rumor: The Collector’s Pack was originally intended for sale at less than $30.00
Status: Soon to be busted.
This is just as something that’s been on my chest for a while… the Collector’s Pack’s $30 initial price tag isn’t a price goof-up, a mistake, an error, whatever. Toys R Us, in the stores at least, still have the set marked at $30 USD. Walmart, when they had them, priced themat $23 before their last mark-down, Marvelous News concurs with the $30.00 MSRP.
Yes, now Hasbro has marked regularly at $20, and currently on sale, but that does not mean that stores charging $30 were “mistaken”. Sorry, that’s just one of those persistent rumors that hasn’t really bothered me enough to get a post, but one person keeps repeating it and it grates a little.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price isn’t stone though, it’s “suggested”, and it’s why you see Amazon listing movies at $30, “marked down to $20!” for a 30% discount. But, the fact remains, stores were told the MSRP was $30, and some stores still try to sell it at that much.
Better pictures of the new Iron Man packs
Over at Marvelous News they’re showing some promo pictures of the new figures included in the upcoming Iron Man Super Hero Squad 4-packs. It looks like Crimson Dynamo is getting repainted into a purple-ish/maroonish color, and Desert Armor Tony Stark is now more gold than brown.
