It’s another new release Wednesday here at the Planet and there’s some cool stuff coming in this week and beyond. Let’s talk about the toys coming out this week first and then I’ll talk a little more about those we are expecting to arrive shortly.
DC Collectibles is continuing their Designer Series of Action Figures based on different artists’ work. They’ve done three full series of Greg Capullo designs and now they are issuing four new figures in the inaugural Jae Lee Designer Series line. Characters featured in this initial lineup include Catwoman, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Each figure is approximately 6-7″ tall with character appropriate accessories and multiple points of articulation and will be on our shelves starting today. DC isn’t planning on stopping there either as they have series planned for Terry Dodson featuring his designs for the Teen Titans: Earth One GN, Lee Bermejo and Darwyn Cooke. The Dodson wave should be out later this year while the Bermejo and Cooke series should hit the shelves sometime in 2016. DC is also continuing the Greg Capullo series in 2016 with figures of the Joker, Wonder Woman plus the Flash and a new version of Batman.
On the Marvel front, we have new Minimates based on the Axis storyline and also a 2nd wave of Avengers: Age of Ultron movie figures. My own Marvel figure interests have been slowly moving towards Hot Toys lately. I still enjoy the Hasbro Marvel Legends and certain Diamond Marvel Select figures, but Hot Toys has had my interest since the first Avengers film. The original film’s Black Widow figure was what roped me into collecting Hot Toys in the first place and though I have a humble collection of Hot Toys, this next year could change that with all the neat, new figures coming out. Expected to arrive in store shortly is the new Avengers: Age of Ultron Black Widow figure from the recent film. Hot Toys is known for their uncanny likenesses, highly detailed costumes and accessories and this figure looks to follow that trend. If you want one I wouldn’t sit on the fence on it for too long since the recent Avengers Hot Toys we’ve received have been selling out quickly. The next Guardians of the Galaxy figure is also due in really soon with the release of the Rocket Raccoon single packed figure. Rocket was one of the breakout stars of last year’s movie so I also don’t expect him to last long. Rocket‘s cohorts still available in store are the Gamora and Groot Hot Toys figures. Other Marvel Studios pieces that we have in stock include the Winter Soldier, Stealth Suit Captain America, the Falcon and the Iron Man Mark XLI “Bones” Armor figure.
Speaking of Marvel and Avengers: Age of Ultron specifically, the Funko POP vinyl figure of the Scarlet Witch based on the character as portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen is also due to arrive in store sometime in the next week or so. Availability of Marvel POPs and really, all POPs in general are constantly fluctuating so if you are interested in seeing which ones we have, I’d recommend coming in and checking out our selection. We should also be getting some restocks in the near future of earlier pieces so check back frequently.
As of this writing we have just received the newest series of Aliens action figures from NECA. I don’t expect these to last long considering how quickly the previous set sold out. Figures in this wave include Aliens Lt. Ellen Ripley, Aliens Bishop (Queen Attack), plus a Red and a Black Alien Xenomorph Warrior as featured in Aliens: Genocide. The Ripley in particular is an excellent piece and features the likeness of Sigourney Weaver from the 1986 film.
This week also sees the release of the latest issue of Black Canary. Last issue left us with a cliffhanger featuring ***SPOILERS*** Kurt Lance, Dinah’s husband. What is his connection to the people going after Black Canary? I’m curious to see how the rest of this arc plays out. Speaking of Dinah Laurel Lance, rumor has it that the Arrow version (played by Katie Cassidy) will be gaining her motorcycle in the forthcoming season as well as have a significant interaction with Matt Ryan’s John Constantine(from the defunct NBC series) who is slated to make a one-off appearance in the season’s 5th episode. Arrow looks to be packing the first episodes of the season with fan-favorite DC characters (Hawkman, Mr. Terrific, Anarky) and/or well-known genre actors (Jeri Ryan, Neal McDonough, Rutina Wesley) as it and the Flash head towards the mid-season premiere of Legends of Tomorrow which will feature the live action debut of Hawkgirl (Ciara Renee) alongside established characters from Flash and Arrow including Brandon Routh’s Atom, Caity Lotz’s Sara Lance, Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold and more. Doctor Who alum Arthur Darvill will play time-traveler Rip Hunter on the series. The animated Vixen series that takes place in this same universe should be debuting sometime this month on the CW Seed.
One more thing I wanted to mention this week before I sign off is the return of George Perez’s excellent Wonder Woman run from the late 1980s to the bookshelves. This time around the series is reprinted in DC’s oversized omnibus format and will include the first 24 issues of the series and the first Wonder Woman annual. The first Perez arc has also been made available again in a new hardcover format paired with a DVD featuring the original animated film from 2009. There are other books in the series including Batman: Year One, and the Death of Superman. That’s all for me this week. Catch you soon!