I Was Doing The Batutsi Recently

I haven't been purchasing much for myself lately as money has been pretty tight. However, I did have a Amazon gift card I got for Christmas had been saving for a rainy day.  As of late, I haven't had a whole lot to smile about, so I decided to rectify that and placed an order with Amazon. My order came a couple days ago and I started to giggle like The Riddler as I opened the box.

I finally decided to pull the trigger and picked up the Diamond Select 1966 Batman Bust and I am so thrilled to finally own this piece. It's my first Batman statue of any sort and I'm happy it's of my favorite Batman of all time.

As you can see, the front of the box has a great image of the statue you are getting as well as the 1966 Batman logo in the upper right hand corner and a great picture of the Bat Signal signing above a silhouette of Gotham City. The box alone was enough to get strange stirrings in my utility belt.

Both side panels of the box had just about the same image as the front did, sans Bat Signal.

The back as the same imagery as the side did, except there is a brief write up about the Batman. If you don't know who the Batman is, please leave your address down in the comments below and I will have the geek police stop by and pick up your geek card.

The top of the box features a nice artist rendition of my favorite car, the George Barris Batmobile. I swear, if I ever win the lottery, I will be having the guys at Fiberglass Freaks build me a Batmobile.

And here is the Piece De Resistance. When I took this out of the box, I was blown away with how good this bust looks. This is 6 inches of pure Adam West Sexiness. This bust was designed by Barry Bradfield and sculpted by Jean St. Jean and limited to 3,000 pieces. I am just amazed at how much this bust looks like the Adam West Batman. The facial features and body type are dead on to how Adam looked on the TV series.

One of my favorite parts of this bust is the base. The base has been carved to depict the closing of the TV show. The shadows of Gotham City, the dark blue of the night sky as the Bat Signal cuts through it, alerting Batman and Robin that treachery is afoot and they are needed right away in Commissioner Gordon's office. The base is genius.

The back looks great. I love how the cape is scultped with folds and the paint is spot on. The colors are perfect to how they looked on the classic TV show. The base continues with more shadows of Gotham City in that dark blue sky. I'm glad they didn't stick another Bat Signal here.

The bottom of the base gives you the trademark info as well as who and where the bust was manufactured. This base also gives you the number it is. Mine is a high number, 2,676 out of 3,000. I know a lot of collectors would rather have a low number in their collection. I'm just happy I was able to get this bust in my 1966 Batman collection.

Plus, I get a Certificate Of Authenticity which tells you this is an authentic Diamond Select Toys Batman Bust. It shows off another picture of the bust as well as the numbering of the bust you have in your possession.

So, no doubt you practically read me drooling over this bust as I reviewed it. It's a fantastic piece and I'm so proud that I can own one. Do I recommend this? YES, YES, Oh HELL YEAH! OK, got my wrestling catch phrases in there as well. Not only do I recommend this piece to a fan of the TV show, but I would tell any Batman, pop culturist, comic book fan to race out and grab this piece before it is gone. Diamond Select has also released a Robin, Joker and Riddler and I plan to pick up all of them. I do hope we get a Batgirl and Catwoman soon as well.

This bust has bought me the same amount of joy I get whenever I get to watch the TV show. Yeah, I know it's campy and not the serious, emo Batman we are all used to, but this show celebrated how comics were at that point and I think we can be thankful Batman didn't go into outer space like he had in the comics earlier in the decade. I love the show and always will. This bust will become a featured piece in my collection for a long, long time.

And just because I feel generous, here is the greatest opening to a television show, ever!

Some Random Thoughts

A lot has gone down since I was blogging regularly that I have not been able to post my opinions on at the time they were news worthy. I'm feeling like sharing those thoughts now.

Remember, these are my opinions and mine alone. If you don't agree with my thoughts, be nice about it or don't leave a comment. If you agree, that makes you smart. (I keed, I keed)

1-I'm Not So Sure About The Ant-Man Movie

Now, don't get me wrong. I do think that Ant Man should be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was an original member of the Avengers in the comics. He was a part of the Ultimate Avengers straight to DVD movies and he was a part of the very awesome Avengers Assemble cartoon. Ant Man is an important character and he deserves his time in celluloid.

My issue is I am having a problem deciding if he is worthy of a stand alone film. I mean, unless your a big time comic book fan, chances are you may not even know who the character is. Which may be why his is getting a movie. To introduce the character to the movie going public and possibly set him up to join the Avengers for two part Avengers: The Infinity Gauntlet in 2018 and 2019. If that is the thought process, then it may be a smart move on Marvel's part.

If I was it was up to me, I would have had Hank Pym in the first Avengers movie. Even if he wasn't going to be a part of the alien invasion of New York at the end of the movie, at least have him as a scientist for S.H.I.E.L.D and make some sort of reference to the fact that he becomes Ant Man at some point. Maybe have him d
iscover his power to shrink and grow or even show the suit. Maybe the not so knowledgeable fan wouldn't get the reference, but the seed is planted for later use.

And another problem for me is they aren't even making Henry Pym the main character. Henry Pym is going to be an older character, played by Michael Douglas. Paul Rudd will be playing a totally different character. Why not have it Hank Pym? And will we see the Wasp in this movie? Which character is playing her if we do?

I like Paul Rudd and I've always been a Michael Douglas fan. I really hope this movie does well. After the success of Guardians Of The Galaxy, are you betting against Marvel? I'm not. But by the same token, I also wouldn't be surprised if this is Marvel's first disappointment.

2-What In The Uncle Ben Is Going On With The Spider-Man Franchise?

A lot has happened since the end of the Amazing Spider-Man 2's run in theaters. Rumors have been abound that Sony and Marvel would be meeting in a "Spider-Man Summit" in January 2015. The Sinister Six had been scrapped and it was on again and due to start filming. Andrew Garfield was fired as Peter Parker/Spider-Man for opening his mouth about Sony executives sticking their noses in during the filming of Amazing Spider-Man 2 and then not showing up for a very important Sony dinner, which insulted the executives. There have been so many rumors that I really don't know what to believe anymore.

Here's what I do believe. I do believe that Marvel and Sony were going to discuss a possible Spider-Man appearance in Captain America: Civil War. If you have read the story, you know that Spider-Man was one of the main characters in that story arch. In my opinion, you can't have a Civil War without him. I mean, he revealed his secret identity to the world because he sided with Tony Stark at first before realizing that he's heart was not in on Stark's beliefs and moved over to Captain America's side. Because nothing could be agreed upon, Spider-Man will not be in the picture and his role in the story has been, presumably, given to Black Panther.

I also believe with the departure of Amy Pascal as co-chair person of Sony Entertainment will open up negotiations to allow Marvel to eventually be able to use Spider-Man in future Marvel movies as well as start a franchise for Spidey. Pascal was championing Garfield as Spider-Man and when he was let go it might have been the beginning of the end for her. Do I think we may see a Spider-Man reference at the end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron? No, but we may see something at the end of Captain America: Civil War. I had heard he may appear in the upcoming Thor movie, but I really don't think it makes any sense for him to show up in that film.

Either way, would it really shock anyone reading this that an announcement be made during this summer's San Diego Comic Con? Can you imagine Kevin Feige on stage talking. The lights go down and a Spider-Man logo comes on the screen with Marvel's logo as well as a release date for a Spider-Man movie? I think the crowd reaction would be louder than the one that the 1 minute footage of Batman Vs Superman got.

3-So Marvel Is Now Copying DC Comics?

OK, admittedly, I have not read a comic book in a few months time. Not that I have lost interest in reading them. Because I have been out of work for most of 2014, I decided that I would give up buying single issues and just read the trades instead. Would save me money (kind of) to wait until the collected works of a particular story arch come together under one cover. Plus, it saves me storage room. But, I do try to keep up with the happenings in the comic book world.

Which is why when I heard the announcement for Secret Wars and how it would end the Marvel Universe as we know it made me go hmmmmmmm. 

I know most of you already know what's coming up in Secret Wars. But in case some of yo missed the memo on this, don't worry. The Sexy Geek's got you covered.

Basically, what will happen is by the time the first issue of Secret Wars hits the stands in May, every world in the Marvel Multiverse will be destroyed with pieces of each coming together and forming Battleworld, which is where the story will take place. 

After the Secret Wars story arch ends, there will be a whole new world combining elements of not only the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe, but maybe other worlds as well coming together to form the All New Marvel. Essentially, they are taking the best of each world and making one. They may actually bring back old characters in this new world, so if they wanted to bring back Uncle Ben or Gwen Stacey, they can. 

Is this a reboot? Sure as heck seems like it. 

This smells to me like what DC did with Flashpoint a few year back and restarting their universe and forming New 52. A lot of DC fans didn't like it then and some still don't to this day. Once can argue that only a few titles, like Batman, Justice League, Aquaman and Green Lantern are good reads under the New 52 banner. That may not be a fair statement, but I'm just going by what some of the regular comic book readers I know have told me. 

Now, is this what Marvel is going for with their "reboot"? I don't think so. I think that with the success of their movies they have gained a lot more people jumping aboard the Marvel bandwagon, people who may not have read a comic before or kids who seen the movies are are now just starting to read the books themselves. I see this as a way for Marvel to clean up their universes and make it into one tight universe so many readers can follow the stories of their favorite characters. Maybe even make the books in line with he movies, which may or may not be such a hot idea.

I think it could be a good thing as long as the stories are good. I am now more open to change when it comes to comics than I was before. Remember, I was pissing and bitching about how making Doc Ock switch bodies with Peter Parker and killing him off was a bad thing until I read Superior Spider-Man and realized it was a damn good read. I also think I felt better about it knowing with Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming out soon they would have to bring back Peter Parker, so I relaxed and enjoyed the story arch, knowing I'd have my Spider-Man back. What I'm saying is, let's not be so quick to dismiss what Marvel is trying to do. Let's read a few issues of the All New Marvel before we formulate an opinion. If there wasn't a New 52, do we get Court Of Owls, Throne Of Atlantis or Death Of The Family? As long as they don't change too may things, I think this could be a good thing. Now, if Marvel listens to some geniuses and make Milo Morales the only Spider-Man I may not be too pleased with that.

Again, these are just some of my own opinions on what's been going n the past couple of months. I may be wrong in some of what I said. I may be off base on some of my theories or just insane, which wouldn't be the first time I was accused of that. That's why I love talking comics and all things comic book related. There are so many different opinions and thoughts and some awesome conversations are sure to come up within the next few months over these subjects. Let's see what happens and if we, as fans accept what we are given.

Happy Independence Day From The House Of Swag!

OK, so this image is from a calendar that is 33 years old, but it's the closest I can find that celebrates our nation's birthday, geeky style.

Of course, when I think of patriotic superhero images, this is the image that always comes to mind.

The cover of Superman #14 from January 1942. This is one of those images that even if your not a Superman fan, your going to want this in your collection is someway shape or fashion. For me, I want the DC Direct statue from 2002.

So I would like to wish you all a Happy Independence Day. I hope you spend it with your families, eat a lot of BBQ, down a few adult beverages and kick back and relax with your favorite comics.

Excelsior!

Adam West Joins The House Of Swag

A couple of months ago, I had decided not to pick up the NECA 1966 Batman figure for various reasons, but the main reason was I was going to spend all my dough on the Hot Toys 1966 Batman figure. I have never owned a Hot Toys figure and was frothing at the mouth over owning the figure and making it the first of what was to be a few Hot Toys I would pick up.

But, a few things happened along the way to it's release. I lost my job and I am still currently out of work. I can't right now justify paying over $200.00 for the figure. It stinks, but such is life. If it's meant that I will own that figure, then I will. But it's not looking like I will anytime soon. So, I was to be out of both the NECA and Hot Toys 1966 Batman figures.

Thank God for Entertainment Earth. The toy company runs sales on a weekly basis and recently had the NECA 1966 Batman for half off the retail price. It was too good a deal to pass up, so I jumped on it and I am glad I did. When the package arrived and I opened it up I was pleasantly surprised at the figure.

Here's how the packaging looked when I opened up the box.

Love the packaging. Just screams 1966 Batman. Not only do you get some shots of the figure its self, but thanks to a clear cellophane window, you get to see the figure in all it's bad ass glory.

Once you pull Batman out of the box, you see that he is very, and may I add VERY, securely fastened to the backing board by what it seems like 20 plastic ties. As pleased that I am that the figure was well protected to inside the box, it was a real pain in the Bazooka Joe to untie him from the backing. I swear, us geeks are never happy with anything. Imagine my complaining had he not been tied down.

Anyway, not only do we have Batman tied down, but we also see the accessories that come with the figure secured in plastic that slid into the backing board securely.

So, out of the box, I can tell you he looks fantastic. I was initially concerned by the abs on this figure. It's not a solid piece like it is on the NECA 1989 Batman figure and I cannot understand why. But, you get used to it and it doesn't really bother your after awhile.

This picture doesn't do the figure justice. The likeness to Adam on this figure is pretty damn close, if not dead on to how he looks in the cowl on the TV show. I love the drawn on eyebrows, the blue cowl with black face plate and blue nose. Great facial sculpt as well. It looks like you could pull off the cowl and get another face under there. It doesn't look painted on like with other figures.

There you see the ab sculpt I was talking about. I'm guessing that there is an "ab crunch" to this figure that the 1989 Batman doesn't have. I have to try it out.

The Bat emblem is painted onto the figure and looks great. The paint job here is fantastic as well. The grey of the bat suit to the blue on his trunks and gloves. No messed up paint job on this figure. I also love the sculpting of the gauntlets on the gloves.

The first problem I encountered with the figure was the joints. They were extremely stiff out of the package. the legs on my Batman was pushed back so far that Adam looked like he was thrusting himself out. Not exactly something I wanted to see. To be honest, at times when I was scared to screw around with the figure too much for fear I might break it. That hinders the ability to pose this figure. Maybe the joints loosen up a bit after a while. Frankly, I hope it does. I would like to maybe put this figure in some sort of pose other than just having it stand on my shelf with his arms at his sides.

I love the cape. The fabric just looks so cool on this figure. You can have it hanging off his shoulders or in the Batman "Bat" pose I have him posed in the above picture. It's a pose he dose in a few episodes in the TV series. Once I have the shoulder joints working better, I will try to lift those arms up a bit higher.

Not only can you make Batman's head go side to side, it can go up and down too. As for the rest of his body, he can bend at the elbows, knees, wrists and toes. He can swivel his hips like Elvis as well as his shoulders, wrists, thighs, forearms and ankles. This can make for great posing, but I do have a fear of rubbing off some of the paint at those spots with too much swiveling.

Here's something that I thought was really cool. The belt buckle opens to reveal the communicator behind it. Very cool. The rest of the belt is made of molded plastic. I'm not sure if the belt is removable.

Those toys, where does he get those wonderful toys? Yes, Batman comes with some accessories. He comes with 2 pairs of hands, 2 Batarangs; one folds and can be put into a pouch which hooks onto the utility belt, some string that goes through the Batarangs and can be used as the bat rope, a bat communicator and a piece of plastic that has something to do with the utility belt. To be honest, I haven't bothered to find out what it is.

 Batman is bringing justice to Gotham City.... 4 Horseman style!

The hands are an easy swap. Just pull off the already existing hand until it literally pops out and just push in the one you want into the socket. The accessories will fit nice and snug into the hands.

You have to be very careful with the accessories. I can see that these can get lost really easily. They are small and unless your going to use them when you display the figure, I would put them someplace where you will not lose them. I think Batman would be pissed if he didn't have his Batarang when he really needed it. 2 accessories I really would have loved to have had with this figure would have been the Bat Shield and the bomb from the movie, but I understand that the bomb will come with the Hot Toys figure.

The back of the figure is painted just as well as the front is. The painters did not take any shortcuts with this figure which shows me that they take their work seriously. The belt, as I suspected is one piece that is not removable. I guess if you really wanted to take the belt off, I suppose there is a way, but why would you want to?

NECA did an awesome job with this Batman figure. They nailed everything right with it and it's going to make a great addition to my Batman collection. Just a bit of advice, if you pick up this figure, make sure you get a stand for it. This figure is made of hard plastic and is a bit too heavy to stand on it's own. It will fall over it there isn't a stand holding it up. That's something else NECA should have included. Maybe a '66 Batman inspired stand will be something that they release in the future or maybe a customizer can come up with one. Regardless, if you, like me, can't afford the Hot Toys '66 Batman, this is an excellent option for those who really want an Adam West Batman figure in their collection. If you can get him on sale, even better.

A Return To The League With My Latest Obsession!

After a bit of a hiatus, The League of Extraordinary Bloggers has returned to the masses. This is something I have enjoyed being a part of and I am glad that our fearless leader, Brian has decided to bring it back for us to yammer on about a wide variety of whatever topic he comes up with.

This week's topic: My Latest Obsession.

That is a tough topic for me because I have a ton of obsessions. I am obsessed with my girlfriend. I'm obsessed with my Yankees and Batman and Spider-Man. I'm obsessed with bettering myself. But, for this blog, I will stick with something "pop culturey" . And, to everyone's surprise, it will NOT be about Batman or Spider-Man (Get off the floor George. You read that right!). No, no. It will be about a T.V. series that I am late to the party on.

Yes, I am officially obsessed with CW's Arrow.

I have not been this into a T.V. series in years. In fact, I cannot even remember the last show I was obsessed with. Agents Of  S.H.E.I.L.D. comes close as I have not missed an episode yet, but I don't think that Agents is as good a show as Arrow is. And to be honest with you all, I had absolutely zero interest in Arrow to begin with. In fact, I missed the entire first season of the show. Being that I am not a huge Green Arrow fan or a fan of the CW Network, I never turned the show on.

That just goes to show you how stupid I can be sometimes.

An assist goes to my buddy George. One day while we were out and about, he asked if I had seen the show and I told him I had not. He suggested I check it out. He praised the show, saying it's what "Batman Begins" is to Batman, this show is to the Green Arrow. Still, I resisted in watching it. I let the first season pass and let the second season start and still had not watched the show.

Fast forward to November of 2013. I suddenly found myself with a ton of free time on my hands. One day, I turned on my Netflix account and saw that Arrow was now on there. Now, I'm the kind of dude that likes to have something to watch while I eat. It just so happened I had my lunch sitting on my lap and I was looking for something to watch while I inhaled my cold cut combo from Subway. So, I popped in the first episode and watched it. Then the second and then the third episode. When I contemplated about watching a fourth, that's when I knew I was hooked.

Damn You CW Network!!!!!!

I got sucked in by the wonderful writing, the great direction and the terrific casting of Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, the billionaire playboy who was shipwrecked and stranded on an island for 5 years. When he is rescued, he is determined to right the wrongs his deceased father made him promise to correct before his death. The cast rest of the cast is just as good. Katie Cassidy (Yes, the daughter of David Cassidy) plays Laurel, Oliver's ex-girlfriend who got her heart torn apart by him, Colin Donnell plays Tommy, Oliver's best friend, David Ramsey plays John Diggle, Oliver's bodyguard, Willa Holland plays Oliver's sister Thea. The cast is rounded out by Paul Blackthorne, Susanna Thompson, Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes and John Barrowman.

I don't want to give too much away in case there are people, like me, who has yet to see the series, but trust me when I say that once you watch the show you will get hooked. Is it a show based on a comic book character, yes but I would also say that it's a well written drama as well. The show also has a bunch of twists and turns to keep even a non comic book fan into the show. Plus, for the comic book geeks, they throw DC characters into the show such as Deadshot, Huntress, Deathstroke and Merlyn. Is the series very faithful to the comics? Of course not, but what Hollywood production, be it film or television, is faithful to the source material. Not a lot, but it shouldn't keep you from enjoying a well written and acted show like Arrow is.

So, if you haven't checked out Arrow and get the opportunity to do so, I say watch it and enjoy the heck out of it. The show was renewed for a third season, so you have time to watch season one if you have Netflix or have the means to pick up a copy if Season One, take a weekend and sit back and enjoy the ride to Sterling City.

Check out some of my fellow League members obsessions:

https://jathniel-velazquez.squarespace.com/journal/3/10/2014/my-latest-obsession-welcome-back-to-the-league

http://thedustyshelf.weebly.com/the-league.html

http://monstercafesaltillo.blogspot.mx/2014/03/league-assignment-my-latest-obsession.html

http://coolandcollected.com/binge-watching/

http://fortuneandglorydays.blogspot.com/2014/03/league-of-extraordinary-bloggers-im.html

When You Care Enough To Send The Very Best...

I love my girlfriend. She knows me pretty well. My likes, my dislikes. My hobbies and everything else in between. Ever since we have been together, she has fed my Batman obsession and has fed it well. Thanks to her, I was able to add a few things to my Batman collection like t-shirts, watches, POP vinyls, Blu-Rays among other things.

This year, for Valentine's Day, she topped them all.

Seriously, how awesome is this? She gave me a Batman heart with some Bat-gummies in them. I am seriously tempted to tear open that sucker and inhale the contents inside, but I am restraining myself. I want to put it up on my shelf along with all my other Batman items. I will admit, I can hear Carly Simon's "Temptation" whenever I see that heart.

As you can see, she also bought me the Kotobukiya ArtFX DC New 52 Batman statue. I was floored when she got this for me. She knew that I wanted this for a very long time and now it's all mine. I have fogged up too many a display case looking at this and now that I have it, it's even more fantastic than I imagined. I have gushed over this piece long enough. On to the review.

The statue comes in a clear plastic package. You can see the statue inside the package as clear as day. The Batman logo is on the top left hand side and the DC Comics logo is on the top right. The lower middle lets you know which statue your buying (if you couldn't tell just by looking through the plastic) as well as the Kotobukiya name and various warnings under that.

On one side of the box, you get a picture of the Dark Knight.

On the other side you get the bat logo.

That back has the New 52 Justice League logo. The upper right corner also has the Artfx logo.

Out of the box, I am gushing again. The detail on this statue is terrific. The bat logo is featured prominently on his chest, the sculptor, Goutaro Takeuchi,  sculpted the chain mail in the Bat Suit's armor as well as all the details on the costume. I love the metallic finish on this costume.

They also did a great job on Batman's cowl. The paint job is great. They painted the cowls eyes without any spillage of white anywhere on the cowl. The sculpting of the cowl was done just as good as the outfit. The ears are not bent inward or outward. The cowl has folds in the neck and where the eyebrows would be and has the lines that would make up the cowl.

When holding the statue, I was a bit surprised at how much it felt like I was holding an action figure. It seems that the statue is made of  a hard plastic or PVC, not plaster or resin like other statues. There is no articulation in this statue. Just the Batman and the base which he stands on.

The base is a black plastic base that has Justice League imprinted into it.

Here's a better shot of the base.

Check out the back of the statue. Look at the detailing on the cape and the back of the cowl. Fantastic. The cape is made from a black plastic, but it detracts nothing from how awesome this looks.

Now, if you didn't know and was asking how the statue stood up, you can now tell from the picture. Most statues has pegs in the bottom of their feet and the peg would go into a hole on the base. Not this statue. It has magnets on the bottom of Batman's boots. That leads me to believe that there is a piece of metal inside the base for the magnets to attract itself to. I think it's pretty cool. It's different, I will give you that. I do think a peg would be better.

Overall, I think my girlfriend knocked it out of the park with this awesome Valentine's Day gift. Plus, it is my very first Batman statue and I cannot thank her enough for it. But, to be honest, my very favorite gift was not the Batman statue. It was Gina coming all the way from the warmth of the California sunshine to the cold and snowy temperatures of New York City. Now, if that isn't love then I don't know what is.

Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you for spending it with me.