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Post by rom on Sept 21, 2023 11:30:53 GMT -5
To add to my last post, here are the top Mego Marvel figures I'd like to see re-released, or released for the first time (though I know we'll be lucky to get even a small # of these released). Note that re: the potential/theoretical never-before-released figures on this list, I'm trying to stick to Marvel characters that were introduced in the comics no later than the early '80's - to keep in line with the era when the Mego figures were originally being released. I.e., IIRC I did see Mego figures in stores through the early '80's - though the line(s) were definitely winding down by that time:
Spider-man Green Goblin Hulk Iron Man Human Torch The Lizard The Thing Invisible Girl/Woman Hobgoblin Spider-woman Dr. Octopus Shocker Electro Wolverine Absorbing Man Daredevil Bullseye Doc Sampson Silver Surfer Cyclops Jean Grey/Phoenix ROM Spaceknight - not sure what the licensing issues here would be, but ROM would make a great Mego retro figure
A deluxe Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards with rubbery "stretching" action - I always wanted a figure like this as a kid. Ironically, though they did have "stretching" super-hero figures in the 1970's, IIRC they never made a stretching Mr. Fantastic in this particular line. This is despite the fact that Mr. Fantastic actually stretched like this in the comics.
-I'd also like to see a re-release of the larger 12" Hulk figure with the white shirt (1978)
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Post by rom on Sept 17, 2023 19:55:06 GMT -5
Recently got the Mego Green Arrow figure from Wal-mart. Excellent toy. I never had the original Vintage version, so this is a nice alternative. For that matter, I had very few of the DC/Marvel Mego figures - so it's nice to be able to get these - in most cases for the first time.
Thanks for the info. about the current?! Mego DC Big Lots exclusives. I don't go to that particular store too often, and given that these are store exclusives & are Mego retro DC figures - I have a feeling they'll sell like hot-cakes. We'll see. I do have a definite interest in the Fleishcer-era Superman & the Joker - both look fantastic. I did used to have the original Vintage Mego Superman back in the early '80's, but that's long gone.
I also heard the recent news about the forthcoming?! Marvel Mego figures. These will be nice - hopefully they'll re-make all of the original figures (at the least). IIRC I had the Mego Hulk & Spider-man back in the day. The Hulk was one of my favorite figures; this was during the late '70's/early '80's-era, when the TV show (starring Bill Bixby & Lou Ferrigno) was huge.
I remember when the Marvel "Famous Covers" figures were out in the late '90's. Though these were OK & though I had some of them, IMHO they weren't as iconic as the Mego figures.
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Post by rom on May 26, 2023 17:42:53 GMT -5
Really looking forward to the ROM: Spaceknight & the Micronauts Omnibuses next year. I never though either would ever be reprinted due to the copyright/licensing issues which had been holding up reprints for years. I believe that they have plans to reprint each of these series in their entirety. Definitely getting both sets of Omnis. I'm a big fan of both series, though didn't collect them as much as I would have liked back in the day due to being a kid & my financial limitations at the time And, I haven't read either of these titles since the '80's, given that my handful of original floppies are long gone. I liked how both ROM & Micronauts were firmly entrenched in the MU. And, as far as I'm concerned - even though both comics were based on previously released toys - ROM & Micronauts were/are Marvel characters.
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Post by rom on Mar 8, 2023 14:32:58 GMT -5
In the late '80's, some independent comic companies (Comico; First; etc.) produced an interesting but short-lived series called Evangeline, a sci-fi comic about an attractive nun fighting bad guys: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline_(comics)And, not long after the series was originally released, rock artist Matthew Sweet came out with the song Evangeline ( Girlfriend album, 1991) - this was obviously about this comic book character: Great song & comic. I've always wanted the series to be reprinted (only read about 1 issue back in the day) - but I don't see that ever happening.
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Post by rom on Feb 14, 2023 11:53:52 GMT -5
Regarding Jackson's Get Back documentary, I loved it for what it was. It provided a treasure trove of previously unseen footage of the band in the recording studio and a fascinating insight into the working relationship and methods of the four Beatles – John and Paul especially. It also showed just how much McCartney was the driving force of the band by this time, with Lennon being bored and having to be urged to contribute new material and Harrison resenting his lower standing in the band's hierarchy and wanting out! When the documentary came out in late '21, I read a number of critics and commentators saying that it completely rewrites the narrative of those sessions and that they were clearly quite the opposite of the tedious, angst-ridden misery that we've always been led to believe they were. But I disagree with this reading. I don't think Get Back does "rewrite the narrative". I think that, actually, there's quite a lot of passive aggressive sniping at each other between the band members on display, McCartney is almost in tears because John and George have failed to turn up, and of course the infamous McCartney/Harrison argument is in there too. Also, it's clear early on in Jackson's film that the band are aware that the film-makers are recording their conversations, so they probably kept anything really controversial or unpleasant that they had to say to each other away from the prying eyes of the cameramen or sound recordists. Agree with all of this. I felt the Get Back documentary was superb; as I said, it was definitely one of the best I've seen (and I've seen a lot of them). And, anyone who felt that it didn't depict the tension/disagreements that the Beatles had with each other definitely didn't see the same doc. that the rest of us did. As I said in my earlier post, you could somewhat see the "cracks in the armor" re: the band somewhat moving apart from each other here. And, I can definitely see why their then-forthcoming "Let it Be" album (1970) was their last one.
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Post by rom on Feb 9, 2023 15:28:17 GMT -5
Part 2:
-Not at all surprising that the concert caused a lot of people to stop what they were doing (in the streets below) and listen - this obviously included employees at some of the local businesses. It was clear that a lot of people were happy that they were hearing the Beatles playing live - for free.
However, it was also not surprising that the authorities responded to numerous noise complaints from some residents/businesses in the area. And, because of this they ultimately ended up getting the concert shut down. I was surprised at how polite the authorities were about all of this. I suspect a lot of this was because the concert was being put on by The Beatles, who were not only hugely popular at the time - but were probably also considered a UK "national treasure". Also, given that they knew the whole thing was being filmed - the authorities had to be careful how they handled this - LOL.
-Being a huge fan of the late Peter Sellers & most of his films, it was amusing seeing him make a short "cameo" in the doc. - though he didn't say much.
-Though the band obviously put out a lot of amazing, iconic albums - I'm glad they broke up when they did. Re: what we saw in this doc., I got the strong impression that they were beginning to go their separate ways at that point. And, I don't know that the quality of their work would have been as good (as it had been previously) if they had continued as a band for even 5 more years. However, I guess we'll never know.
-I have never seen the Beatles 80-minute documentary Let it Be (1970). I've heard about it over the years, but it's never been available on home video since the VHS/Laser Disk days. Apparently, plans were in place to release this to DVD/Blu back in 2018, but due to the making of "Get Back" those plans were shelved. Since "Let it Be" is not available in any easy-to-watch format at this point - and also since the footage from the film is probably all/mostly included in "Get Back".... I'm passing on trying to find a way to watch this. I.e., even if you were to find this streaming somewhere, it sounds like the picture/sound quality would be average - at best.
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Post by rom on Feb 9, 2023 15:26:35 GMT -5
I'm a big Beatles fan, and have numerous albums of theirs - notably Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band; The White Album; Let it Be; Abbey Road; Revolver; and Rubber Soul. Also, one of my first musical memories was hearing Sgt. Pepper's on on the original Vinyl as a kid back in the day (late 1970's). I do definitely feel they are one of the best rock/pop groups of all time & that their music will never get old. It's also notable that - AFAIK - their albums have never gone out of print (OOP). And, last Fall I finally watched The Beatles: Get Back 3-part documentary on DVD - this was first available via streaming around late November 2021. Amazing. This was incredible, and has already become one of my favorite documentaries. Some comments/thoughts: -The Picture Quality/Sound on these discs was stellar. They obviously put a lot of work into cleaning up/remastering the print & the audio in the production process, etc. -The doc. was a fascinating "behind the scenes" look at the band; the creative process behind how their music/songs were written/sung; and the dynamics between the members & their management/production staff. -It was interesting that Lennon & McCartney were almost the de-facto "leaders" of the group, while Starr was very low-key. Obviously there were tensions with Harrison, who left the group at one point during the doc. - but did thankfully return. -I was amused that they were trying to figure out where to have their "free concert" & couldn't come to a consensus on where to play. So, they finally decided to have the concert on the roof of the studio where they were recording their last album (Let it Be) - in the cold January weather. Very simple solution, but not one you expected they would have chosen ahead of time. -The whole doc. was obviously leading up to this roof-top concert, which was amazing. Though this took place before my time, it would have been incredible to have been there & heard this unexpected Beatles concert - even if you couldn't see it too well from the street Here's the official trailer for the doc.
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Post by rom on Feb 6, 2023 12:07:13 GMT -5
It sounds like I'm in the minority on here re: liking the SP McFarlane line. They do remind me of the original figures, and I also like how the colors are more vivid (than the originals) in some cases.
I don't have the interest, time, or $ to try & track down the original SP figures (which I never collected ATT). So, again - IMHO these are a great alternative to the Vintage toys.
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Post by rom on Feb 5, 2023 23:41:55 GMT -5
Dark Horse did several Archive collections for Western-owned properties, like Turok & Magnus. Star Trek was reprinted. Yes, I know that the Star Trek Gold Key series was reprinted by two companies (in TPB & later HC). But, this GK ST series was never reprinted in it's entirety. Both series of reprints stalled prior to completing the whole series (61 issues). Here's some more detail(s) regarding this: curtdanhauser.com/Logs.htmlI remember hearing about the Turok & Magnus Archives - I should have gotten those, but wasn't that familiar with either series. I did get one volume of DH's Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery Archives & thought it was great. Too bad they didn't reprint the entire series. Another GK series I would really like to see reprinted is the old Twilight Zone series, which ran for 91 issues from 1962-1979. Most of these came out before my time & I don't remember seeing any of these issues on the stands. However, in doing some research - this seemed like a great comic series, with original stories that weren't limited by the budget of a weekly TV show with minimal effects. I doubt this will ever be reprinted due to the licensing issues, but one can hope. Here is a link: comicvine.gamespot.com/twilight-zone/4050-2102/Would also like to see Gold Key's Ripley's Believe it or Not reprinted, but I think that's about as likely as the TZ title - LOL.
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Post by rom on Feb 4, 2023 21:39:54 GMT -5
I have fond memories of reading the Gold Key Star Trek comics as a kid in the early '80's; I think I first read the via an early Trade. Great artwork & fantastic original art covers (other than the photo-covers). I am disappointed that this iconic ST GK series has never been reprinted in it's entirety. We've seen Trades & some HC's, but both sets of reprints stalled well before reprinting the entire series.
I also remember reading some other GK comics back in the early '80's as well, but it's been years so I don't remember the actual titles - just that they were good!
I would pay good $ to see many of these titles reprinted, but doubt it will happen - given that most of them were licensed properties. Plus, the majority of these titles are very obscure these days.
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Post by rom on Feb 4, 2023 13:14:06 GMT -5
Recently started getting some of these re-booted?! McFarlane Super Powers figures. Nice line. So far, I've got the Darkseid & Flash. Several comments:
-I completely missed the original '80's SP line, but always wanted to collect them. So, it's nice to be getting figures that are semi-reproductions of the originals, but without having to pay and arm & a leg for the Vintage versions.
-When I first looked at these new figures, I thought they were significantly larger than the original Super Powers versions (never having had any of the originals). However, in doing some research it appears the newer figures - while being somewhat taller/bigger than the originals - aren't incredibly bigger.
-I don't really miss the "action feature" (from the original toys) too much. Since I will probably be keeping these carded (the packaging is great!) I don't mind this. Plus, I completely understand that the functionality of the action feature will probably degrade over time; so, not sure how necessary that is. IMHO, the most important element to these re-releases is that should resemble the originals as much as possible - which they do....for the most part (see below).
- Though I'm usually a stickler/purist when it comes to re-released toys like this....I actually don't mind that the new SP Darkseid has a newer design/outfit & looks different than the '80's version.
-I would definitely be interested in this line being expanded. If it is, hopefully they'll stick with initially re-making all of the original figures. Many of these were very HTF, especially the later figures (Cyborg; Samurai; etc.). I'd also definitely want the Clark Kent figure re-released; IIRC, this was a mail-in figure only, so was obviously not easy to track down. I'd rather see these than additional characters - at least not until the originals are all re-made.
That being said, I completely understand that if even a small portion of the original figures are re-made, we will be lucky.
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Post by rom on Feb 2, 2023 20:08:00 GMT -5
I read some of the early Creepy & Eerie HC Archives in the late 200X's/early 20XX's, but didn't own any of these - my local library had some of these at one time. Great horror anthology magazines, with excellent b&w artwork. Glad that they're planning on re-reprinting these in TPB - starting this Spring. Great news, and I may start to collect these due to the lower price point. Presumably, they will be using the same film/print for the TPB's as they did for the HC's. www.brokenfrontier.com/creepy-eerie-dark-horse/
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Post by rom on Jun 29, 2022 12:29:17 GMT -5
Marvel losing the Conan license (again) is disappointing. I am collecting the CTB & SSOC Omnibuses & am really enjoying these. Even though not all fans are happy with the SSOC Omnis re: the too-small size, I like these reprints.
My understanding is that they're coming out with one more SSOC Omni this year, and hopefully several more CTB Omnis. They will not be able to finish reprinting the SSOC series, but may?! finish the CTB series - if all of the planned Omnis are released. We'll see.
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Post by rom on Oct 10, 2021 23:28:37 GMT -5
Recently got the short-sleeved Dr. McCoy & the Salt Vampire ST figures from this wave. Excellent renditions of these characters. I like the "variant" McCoy, and the Salt Vampire is very close (if not identical) to the original toy.
Note they never made a short-sleeved McCoy in the original Mego line, so it's nice to get this now.
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Post by rom on Sept 28, 2021 10:21:56 GMT -5
In 2020, I re-watched all of the original Star Trek films (featuring the original cast), for the first time on Blu-ray. Some of the movies are obviously better than others, but that's a discussion for another thread. What these re-watches led to was a re-interest in the DC comics that came out in 1984-1988 & 1989-1996, featuring the original cast & primarily set during the time period we see in the 1979-1991 Trek films. I remember reading a handful of these issues back in the '80's, but never really got into the series. However, from what I can remember (of the few that I read) - these were exceptional. And, these DC issues seem to be held up by fans as some of the best Trek comics - of which there are many. I don't believe DC has ever really reprinted many (if any) of these issues. Too bad, because I would definitely be all of for a comprehensive series of either color Trades or Omnis reprinting both series in their entirety. Again, I have no interest in the Eaglemoss volumes reprinting these comics: www.startrekcomics.info/dc1tos.htmlwww.startrekcomics.info/dc2tos.htmlDC had a few Star Trek trades, back in the day, but, since they don't have the license, they can't print the material. Yes, I remember reading somewhere that DC had published some Trades reprinting their ST comics, but IIRC these are haphazard & minimal. I have no interest in something like this. What I would like to see is a chronological reprinting of all of their ST comics. However, I don't see that ever happening.
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