Onell Design: Glyaxia Command II

The Glyaxia Command II wave from Onell arrived today. Between this and some other packages, expect the next few weeks to have a lot of toy related posts. Anyhow despite loving the color scheme and it being a decently sized drop, these were really the only figures that appealed to me. I'd meant to pick up a matching pair of Glyans, but it manage to slip my mind when ordering, so I guess I'm s.o.l. till I get some more cash. My favorites? Easily the Glyaxia Commanders.

Usually the Armorvor is the pick of the litter, but Zerennic Sarvos & Akurriax Sarvos are just too fucking rad. Speaking of the Armorvor, I found myself a little disappointed this time around...

Although it's a little hard to see from my photo, the yellow paint is rather thin in some places. Blue can be seen through the paint on the thighs, forearms, cod piece, phaser, and in the groves of fur on the head. It's a shame too, because that golden yellow wolf head atop the Armorvor looks boss. Also frustrating is that the price of the figure went up slightly, which I'd be more than willing to pay if the quality reflected the increase.

Glyaxia Command II is a decent enough drop, but it feels like it could have been better. Maybe it's just me...

As you may have noticed, it's been a little quiet around here. My new work schedule has been hectic and I've found myself being less & less interested in writing blurbs each week for comics. So, I stopped. That's doesn't mean I won't be reviewing comics; just I won't be doing it each week for individual issues. I'll probably review a series when it ends or it's released in trade paperback, which I think will provide a more comprehensive review of the comic. This will hopefully free up more time for me to write about video games and pen & paper rpgs, which have been sorely lacking from the blog.

The Bunker #3, Conan: The Avenger #1, The Eltingville Club #1, The Fuse #3, The Midas Flesh #5, Sovereign #2, Undertow #3, and The White Suits #3

Maybe it was just me, but this issue of The Bunker seemed to drag like crazy. There's a pivotal moment that sets future events into motion and the whole time it's just like, c'mon, get on with it. A single lackluster issue isn't a deal breaker, but it's still kind of a bummer.

A new Conan title? Fuck yea. Word is that Shadows Over Kush is from an outline Howard wrote before his death, so that's pretty rad. The arts a little different from what I was expecting, not as gritty as most Conan books, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Can't wait for the next issue.

Do you even need me to tell you how ridiculously good The Eltingville Club is? A must read, for sure.

If it weren't for the art, this book would be freaking fantastic. The art isn't even really that bad, it's just not on par with how solid everything else is in The Fuse. Anyhow, the plot thickens as this sci-fi detective story unfolds, as they usual tend to do. You into Law & Order? You into space? Then you'll be into The Fuse.

Last issue of the Midas Flesh I'd said it felt like the comic had hit it's stride, but I may have spoken too soon. This issue fell short. The writing was flat and the plot predictable. Meeeh.

I'm not sure how I feel about Sovereign's blatant re-appropriation of Indian culture for the comic. It wasn't done with malicious intent, but something about it doesn't sit right. Another thing that bugs me is the cartoonish art style. A shame, too because otherwise I'm enjoying this.

An amphibious Atlantean mutant leading a group of early prehistoric humans? Undertow continues to rack up points in the "weird science" field and I'm digging it. Between that and the books unusual art, this is probably one of those books you'll love or hate.

I managed to miss this last week, so here it is now. A hyper-violent gangster noir tale, you pretty much know what you're going to get with this book. There is a surprise or two, but nothing really big. The final issue is going to make or break this miniseries.

The Auteur #2, Ghost #3, Shotgun Wedding #3, Stray Bullets #2, & Translucid #1

A younger me might have been into The Auteur. Transgressive and darkly satirical, it seems aimed an audience trying to be edgy. The first issue was amusing enough, but this one falls short. The surrealism in the earlier issue I dug, but this one goes more toward absurdism, which I could have done with out. Still on the fence.
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Another issue of Ghost and another review of me saying "Yea, it's ok...", which it is. Probably the most interesting aspect of the book so far, the alliance with the demon Beleth, was cut short with the predictable ending of him getting a new body, that of the White City Butcher, which gets him arrested. Yea, it's ok...

I'm not quite sure why I keep picking up Shotgun Wedding. It's not bad or anything, but there's just nothing about it that really stands out. I will admit the weekly release schedule is something I'm enjoying. I'm three issues in on a five issue miniseries, so I might as well see this to the end. Funny how that works. 

Only two issues and Stray Bullets: Killers is proving to be a hell of a book. Loosely connected to the first issue, this is another tale of middle-American dysfunction. Damn if it isn't depressing, but a good read.

  

I feel like this has been done before; a kid and the comic book world he creates, but so far I'm liking Translucid. The writing's good, the art well done, and the issue focuses on the imagined world with only brief segues into real life. I can't wait for the next issue.

481 Universe: Spectre Leyden & Hades Force Midur

Part II of my 481 Universe loot. First up is the Spectre Leyden. Dude's rad as hell, but there are two things that bug me a little. The first is that the head, unlike the Gendrone Rebellion Leyden, lacks the back and side secondary color highlights. Those seafoam green cranial accents would really push the Spectre Leyden over the top. The second issue is that the green accents are juuuuust slightly off the Onell Spectre Force stuff. You don't notice it till you see them side-by-side, but then you can see it

Next up is the Hades Force Midur, who's also pretty sweet, but has a thing or two that irks me. The ankle extenders are glow in the dark, which is random and looks kind of weird. The GITD head and Celetroop helmet are sweet, but why are his ankles glowing? There are also some color issues. The seafoam green highlights on the Midur are also slightly off from the other Hades Force stuff. The black primary color also differs a little, but in this instance it's a good thing.  My picks don't show it, but it's a matte metalic black swirl that actually looks way better than the rest of the Hades Force colorways, so I guess that cancels out the earlier color variance.

Despite my minor complaints, these two are fuckin' awesome. There's a reason they sold out the day after being posted. I was critical of 481 Universe after my first purchase, but they've won me back with this latest release. Their sculpts have some issues, but they are attempting to address them. The new hips and ankle extenders make a world of difference for the figures ability to stand. And, aside from the Ultra Corps Outlander, these are badass.

481 Universe: Ultra Corps and Gendrone Rebellion Outlanders & accessory packs

So, I know a while back I said I wasn't going to buy anymore Outlanders from 481 Universe, but when I saw this latest blast of releases in some familiar colorways, I figured I'd give them a second chance. I actually bought four of them and two accessory packs. I'm going to break this down into two posts, with this first one reviewing the Ultra Corps silver and Gendrone Rebellion metallic red.

First off, I cant stand the Outlander's helmet; it's stupid, bulky, and looks especially terrible on the Gendrone Rebellion colorway. Helmets off, and the heads are pretty ok, not as mashed up looking as the Zeta Force one I have. The black highlights on the Gendrone Rebellion Outlander pop and it's easily the sweeter of the two.

As soon as I saw the Leyden head in the accessory pack, I knew that was the one I was going with. It's fucking gnarly. I also popped in the ankle extenders but, surprisingly, kept the standard hips. The accessory pack also included 2 more heads, a helmet, and two Anomaly figures.

The Ancient Astronaut looks cool in the pearlescent red, but the Adaman is pretty blah. Anyhow, the Gendrone Rebellion Outlander is a solid buy on it's own, but I'd recommend getting the accessory pack as well. Even if you don't have anything else from Gendrone Rebellion colorway, it's still just a rad figure to have.

Not quite as rad is the Ultra Corps silver Outlander. It's legs are wobbly as fuck and getting it to stand is a bitch. You basically have to have the new hips and ankle extenders to get the damn thing up. The additional heads and helmet in the Ultra Corps accessory pack lack black highlights like the Gendrone Rebellion and are fairly unimpressive. The Celetroop helmet you see on mine is probably the most exciting. Both of the Anomalies look decent enough in the silver, so that's something. A rather disappointing figure. The only real value of it is to complete your collection of the Ultra Corps colorway.

Shotgun Wedding #2, Shutter #1, & Twilight Zone #4

Things seem to pick up a little with the 2nd issue or maybe I was just distracted by the all the cleavage, but Shotgun Wedding still manages to leave me underwhelmed. There's nothing bad about the book, but nothing that stands out either. I guess if you dig espionage and military black ops stuff, this will be right up your alley. The Tom Clancy stuff doesn't do much for me, but I'll stick around just to see where this goes.

If you were into The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you'll probably find yourself liking Shutter. While definitely not as cerebral as LoEG, it has a similar vibe. I was enjoying the book right up till the end, when the pink ghost ninjas and robot barbershop quartet villain showed up. Ummm?

The first chapter of the Twilight Zone concludes in this issue and damn if it isn't good. I won't drop any spoilers, but it's one of those endings that leaves your feeling satisfied. The art has picked up from the first issue; it's still not outstanding, but it's noticeably less jangly. One of the subplots weaved into the first four issue will take over as the next chapter and I can't wait.

Onell Designs: Mini Release

Yeap, that guy on the right is an Axis Buildman Dark Argen MK XI matching the GodBeast's earlier pearlescent black Kabuto Mushi MK II. As rad as it is though, he's no match for the metallic purple and cyan craboths Onell also released for the other GodBeast Kabuto Mushi colorways.

And, then for the old switcheroo...

Goddamn don't those dudes look sharp? I'd originally said the cyan Kabuto Mushi hadn't caught my interest, but if it's was as any bit as sweet as the cyan crayboth, I made a huge mistake not getting one.

A Bugman Argen MK XI...

ToyFinity: Robo Force - Sentinel the Protector

Kill...Crush...Destroy... Fuck yea, it's the ToyFinity Robo Force in Ultra Corps silver! With 41 Glyos compatible pieces, these's a ridiculous amount of stuff you can do, but I went with a fairly simplistic & classic robot look.  I thought complimented the Advanced Phaseon Enyriun & Gobon. As rad as this was, there was one thing that bugged me a little, the joint laxity. It seems like the larger, heaver Gloys toys wobble more. Spy Monkey Creation's Veridiohm and Onell Designs Gobon are the same way. Anyhow, I bet you're wondering what I did with the like 15 parts I didn't use...Well, I took the tank treads and a few unused pieces from Onell and cobbled this together:

I'm tentatively calling him "Lil Blaster."

Looks like we have two more additions to the Ultra Corps horde, and I have the suspicion it's just going to keep growing...

To top things off, I got two Mordles thrown in with my order: a GITD Yorzwurl & Sonesidar Vlain. I was never particularly interested in Mordles, but the more I see these two, the more I think I have to pick some up.

It also just so happens that the GITD Yorzwurl is a match with the random Spectre Force Sarvos I'd snagged.

D'aww...Look who likes his head scratched.

OK, maybe this glow in the dark stuff is growing on me.

Black Science #5, The Field #1, Juice Squeezers #4, Shotgun Wedding #1, and Starlight #2

It only took three dimension hops for the characters to cross paths with alternative versions of themselves and discover some disturbing revelations about their fate that seem to permeate all universes. Not much more that needs to be said; another solid issue from this great book. There's no excuse why you shouldn't be reading this.

The Field's one of those books that's either going to be spectacular or completely atrocious, with any middle ground being out of the question. It's hard to call that based on just the first issue, but I'm leaning toward the first one. The book has a sort of thriller/mystery/contemporary gothic horror vibe going on that's not really my deal, but I found myself liking it well enough. Hopefully they wont fuck this up, because it could be interesting.

The first Juice Squeezers mini series end with the kids averting the bug-pocalupse, but did you expect anything else? The writers weaved in some unresolved issues that will allow them to either pump out more mini-series or maybe turn this into a monthly, so I guess this wasn't the end of our bug smooshing child soldiers. All and all a decent enough comic; light reading, but still entertaining.

What happens when you mix deadly assassins and scorned love? A yawn. This wasn't terrible or anything, but it just couldn't really pique my interest. Art was decent, writing was decent, it was all just ok. I dunno, I might flip through the 2nd issue and see if things pick up at all.

I'm kind of bummed by the 2nd issue of Starlight. Its seemed to fall a little short when compared to the first issue. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe it's just a bit of a slump before the comic kicks into high gear. Whatever, it's still a solid sci-fi book worth checking out.

The Bunker #2, King Conan #2, The Midas Flesh #3, and Pariah #2

Only two issues in, The Bunker is one of the better time travel comics I've read. Instead of focusing on temporal paradoxes and that sort of thing, the book examines how the characters deal with the information given to them by their future selves. Skillfully written, you're given just enough to keep interested, without being able to figure out what's happening next. Definitely something you should be reading.

This issue was nothing but filler. Conan is lost at sea while chasing a Stygian galley, nearly dies, get press ganged by a slave ship that just happens to have several of his former Kushite pirate associates on it, and they mutiny & take the ship. That's maybe 6 pages worth of story, not 22. I dig everything Conan, but c'mon.

For a comic aimed at a younger crowd, this issue of The Midas Flesh deals with some heavy shit; like civilian casualties in war and command responsibility. They manage to pull it off though and it feels like the books has really hit it's stride.  Sure, it's not the most serious sci-fi book out there, but it's worth checking out.

If you're one of those people who likes everything neatly laid out in-front of you and thoroughly explained, this isn't the book for you. Why all of Earth's vitros have been put onto a space station and who tried to sabotage it are left unexplained, but we begin to learn more about the crew members on board and their varying feelings toward all the non-vitros on earth. Scope it out, but Pariah isn't the thing for everyone.

The GodBeast: Kabuto Mushi MK II

Guess what arrived today? My latest GodBeast order. And, I gotta say, these dudes are fucking sweet. I was initially just going to get an Ultra Corps silver Kabuto Mushi colorway, but as soon as I saw the other colorways, I knew I had to snag a metallic purple & pearlescent black one too. I wish I could have splurged and gotten a pearlescent blue one as well, but cash flow was an issue and it just didn't quite pop like the metallic purple. The joint articulation on the arms is a little unusual; two points at the shoulder and then there's one above & another below the elbow, but not at the elbow itself. It's not terrible or anything, but it takes a little playing around with to get the hang of things. One thing about the pearlescent black colorway, it's actually more of a dark charcoal. The pictures (and name) are a little deceiving, making it seem like it's midnight black, but as you can see below, the color is actually lighter:

I'd have preferred if it was pitch black, but it's not a deal breaker or anything. Speaking of colors, it turns out the metallic purple is fairly close to the purple M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. Not a 100% but close enough to make me want to buy some more off eBay.

Finally, here's the Ultra Corps silver Kabuto Mushi that I was originally there for...

Pretty rad, huh? The Mini Mushi's color seems a little lighter and less metallic then the Kabuto Mushi, but it's passable. All and all, they're a welcomed addition to the Ultra Corps horde.