Mayhem Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Mayhem is the ghost encountered at the concert and is the first ghost to be trapped by the new team of Ghostbusters. This figure is cast in a fun translucent red plastic. The articulation in the head, arms, and wings is good but the legs are at a weird angle. I attempted to recreate a scene from the movie at the end of the gallery. You can decide how successful I was. There's also a fun light-up feature.

Jillian Holtzmann Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Kate McKinnon plays Dr. Jillian Holtzmann, Ph.D perhaps my favourite character in the film. She fills the Egon role by being the main inventor and (most) misunderstood genius of the group. She's manic and zany and pure awesome. Her hair is inspired by the animated version of Egon.  Unfortunately the unique sidearms she invents for each 'buster are not included with any of the figures which is a bit sad. Holtzmann's goggles look a bit better than Abby's glasses.

Patty Tolan Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Patty Tolan (played by Leslie Jones) is an amateur New York historian and transit worker who joins up with the fledgling Ghostbusters earlier in the film than poor Winston did in the original. She has some great one-liners and her knowledge of New York is instrumental in identifying the key building for plot reasons. (That made it sound way lamer than it is but I don't want to spoil anything) One of her great scenes in the trailer I'll recreate later.

Erin Gilbert Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Kristen Wiig plays Erin Gilbert the co-author of "Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal" who abandons her search for the paranormal but gets drawn back in to investigate a potential haunting. She is closest in temperament to Peter Venkman from the original movie.  Her flirtation with the Ghostbusters' secretary Kevin makes for some funny moments. Though it's not fair to isolate a single bit, the whole movie is hilarious. And these figures are pretty good too. Articulation is decent and the paint is not bad. Not great but not bad.

Abby Yates Ghostbusters 2016 (Mattel)

Abby Yates (played by Melissa McCarthy) is the co-author of "Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal" and the one who pursued paranormal studies. She is the analogous to Ray Stanz as the slightly goofy one. She's also a bit more of a leader. The figure's glasses are kind of wonky but it's difficult to do glasses on figures well. The Proton Pack was a bit annoying remove so I've elected to leave it on for the other Ghostbusters. It's not hiding anything interesting anyway.

Rowan Ghost Collect-and-Connect Figure (Mattel)

After my unofficial run of DC-centric posts I decided to do a theme week on purpose. Well more than a week but less than two so "Frightening Fortnight" as a name doesn't work. "Ghostbusters Gala" sounds like a dance or a fundraiser. So wharves. Here are some Ghostbusters figures.

Rowan was the antagonist in the 2016 Ghostbusters movie which I quite liked. I thought it was a fun take and unfairly maligned by misanthropes on the internet. This is the Collect-and-Connect figure from the 6" line tying into the film. He's got limited articulation but a funky facial expression.

DCU Classics Golden Age Hawkman (Mattel)

To end an unintended run of all DC Comics characters I've chosen to finish up my DCU Classics set of the Hawk family.  Carter Hall was an archaeologist who discovered he was the reincarnation of an Egyptian Prince as well as the secret of the ancient anti-gravity "ninth metal" (a reference to alchemy which was eventually changed to "Nth Metal"). One fun fact about the Golden Age Hawkman is that he could talk to birds much like Aquaman could speak to marine life. This figure is one of several Hawkmen I own but the rest are at my dad's place back in my hometown. He sports the exact same wings as Hawkgirl but his mace is a different mould. The two heads are only two of the various helmet/masks that Hawkman wore in the Golden Age. The simpler cloth mask was often used for the Earth 2 Hawkman in the Silver Age because otherwise the two Hawkmen would be virtually identical. The only other difference in their attire was the number of stripes on their boots. This similarity in look as well as the use of the same name for their alter-egos is part of what caused the continuity snarl that is Hawkman's post-Crisis history. In any incarnation Hawkman is one of those second tier heroes for which I have particular affinity and this figure is lots of fun.

DCU Classics Gentleman Ghost (Mattel)

The Gentleman Ghost first pestered Hawkman in the Golden Age and was revived in the Silver Age to battle Katar and Shayera Hol. In Geoff Johns' great Hawkman series from 2002 "Gentleman Jim" Craddock was tied into the eternal resurrection cycle of the Hawks in a brutal but fascinating way which is why this 2-pack with Hawkgirl is called "Fates Entwined." It's very interesting to see a figure based on a character with no visible head. I'm pretty impressed with the way they pulled it off. The sculpting of the Ghost's snazzy suit and Inverness cape is bang on and the shades of white fading to clear plastic works well. His hip joints are a little loose which made standing tricky and the cape makes working with my figure stands problematic but Gentleman Ghost is a welcome addition to my collection.

DCU Classics Hawkgirl (Mattel)

The DC Universe Classics line was an attempt to bring a wide range of DC characters to retail at the 6" size. The Hawkgirl represented here is Shayara Thal the Silver Age Thanagarian police officer and wife of Katar Hol. The figure has some shortcomings in terms of her spindly arms and constantly looking down because of her hair but otherwise is a great version of the character and in a pinch can be used as Golden Age Hawkgirl Shiera Sanders for complicated continuity reasons I shan't go into here. This is the quintessential Hawkgirl costume, even her animated appearance was based on this design by Joe Kubert. Her wings are different from the previous Hawkgirl figures I've posted about before. More posable than Earth 2 Hawkgirl, not as posable as Legends of Tomorrow Hawkgirl but better at standing poses. She's part of the "Fates Entwined" 2-pack with Gentleman Ghost.

DC Icons Green Lantern John Stewart (DC Collectibles)

John Stewart was Hal Jordan's back-up Green Lantern and eventually he was put in charge of the uprooted alien cities transplanted to Oa by an insane Guardian of the Universe which was chronicled in the way out there series "Green Lantern: Mosaic." This was a very bizarre series and I liked its quirkiness but especially liked the slight redesign of John's uniform (by Cully Hamner). In fact this was probably the basis for the animated Green Lantern uniform which John Stewart wore in the Justice League cartoon that made him a much more recognizable character. This figure comes with some great accessories including some ring effects that look like they came right off the pages of an issue of Mosaic. The one flaw is that the figure's eyes are slightly crossed or something, they just look off. Otherwise I'm quite pleased with a very obscure version of a really cool character.

DC Icons Green Arrow (DC Collectibles)

Mike Grell redefined Green Arrow in the late 1980's with the prestige format miniseries "The Longbow Hunters" and it was pretty great though not the best choice to put in a blind bag 3 pack of assorted comics marketed to kids in the 90's. (Me traumatized? No way!) When I revisited the series at an appropriate age I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm now reading the follow up ongoing series written by Grell that followed (Only like 25 years later, it's all good).

This Green Arrow costume keeps the Van Dyke beard but ditches the Errol Flynn Robin Hood flair and gimick arrows. Grell's whole idea was turning Oliver Queen into an urban hunter and allowing him to deal with being a hero in his 40's. This costume is deceptively simple but the two shades of green keep it from being too boring (like "Earth 2" Alan Scott's GL costume). Honestly though it was Grell's art that made it really pop.

DC Icons Firestorm (DC Collectibles)

The DC Icons line is pretty decent for releasing figures from a variety of eras in DC's history. I've been more interested in figures from the past but Firestorm has always been a favourite and this New 52 redesign is a nice combination of previous Firestorm costumes with some new touches. According to the box this is supposed to be Firestorm as he appeared in "Trinity War" a comic which I have not read. In most of the New 52 designs I find the seams and extra lines too busy but the subtle orange on Firestorm works better IMHO. The "nuclear blast" alternate hands are really cool, unfortunately I busted the peg on one of the hands right off the bat. I don't think it was a design flaw or anything, I twisted it wrong.

The New 52 Earth 2 Hawkgirl (DC Collectibles)

In 2011 DC Comics did a massive reboot and relaunch on a scale not seen since 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. As part of the "New 52" the heroes of the Justice Society were reimagined as young heroes on a parallel Earth in the comic "Earth 2." Hawkgirl became Kendra Munoz-Saunders adding some much needed colour to the DC Universe. As I've mentioned before Hawkman and Hawkgirl are favourites of mine and I have multiple action figures of each but this version of Hawkgirl gets a new colour scheme as well as a new skin tone so it was more interesting and different than some of the previous figures.

Legends of Tomorrow Hawkgirl (DC Collectibles)

One of the myriad of reasons why Legends of Tomorrow became my favourite DC TV show despite its awful name was the inclusion of the Hawkman/Hawkgirl plot that was rooted in the Golden Age origin of the characters. Kendra Saunders was a barista in Central City who discovers she is the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess cursed to be reborn endlessly, finding her true love in Hawkman only to die at the hands of their immortal enemy.  This plot was the throughline of the first season of Legends and unfortunately the Hawks were not part of the second season. Ordinarily I don't care for dark, drab redesigns of superhero costumes but the bronze and leather armour used here works with the reincarnated ancient warrior schtick they're going for. Plus it gives more variety of tones to the team. Speaking of tones I just noticed that the figure's skin tone seems a bit too light to be a match for actress Ciara Renée which is disappointing DC Collectibles.

Brightest Day Firestorm (DC Direct)

The "Brightest Day" biweekly sequel series to the "Blackest Night" event saw two versions of Firestorm become one (ah comics). The recently resurrected Ronnie Raymond merged with Jason Rusch, the African American teenager from Detroit who possessed the Firestorm Matrix since Ronnie's death. The Brightest Day costume used aspects of Jason's more streamlined looked while reintroducing some details from Al Milgrom's original design like the pointy shoulders and the puffy sleeves. I dig this look. I tried to create this post once before but couldn't for the life of me get the figure to stand in my photo box. Frustrated I put it aside (and apparently forgot about the stands I own) but was inspired to try again when I got the Legends of Tomorrow figure. Also I just now remembered that this Firestorm came with a Brightest Day themed stand that's been kicking around and I'd totally forgotten to whom it belonged. Oy vey...

Legends of Tomorrow Firestorm (DC Collectibles)

Jefferson Jackson fuses with Professor Martin Stein to form Firestorm, the Nuclear Man! Firestorm is one of my favourite characters and he's gone through several iterations since his debut in 1975. This version hails from my favourite of the DC TV series "Legends of Tomorrow." His nuclear powered form is used sparingly because budget but this figure is a fun representation of actor Franz Drameh in his super suit. The hands are a little tricky to switch out and you must be careful how you hold them when taking them off. I popped one of the flame effects off the back of one hand when removing it but hopefully some super glue will remedy that (And seems to have done). Firestorm's outfit fits well within the aesthetic of the "Arrowverse" but part of me misses the 70's-tastic Kirby-esque touches of the original design.

DC Icons Deathstroke (DC Collectibles)

Deathstroke the Terminator debuted in the second issue of New Teen Titans back in 1980 and quickly became the arch-nemesis for the new group. This figure is allegedly based on Slade Wilson's appearance in the classic storyline "The Judas Contract" which also featured Dick Grayson adopting his Nightwing identity. I actually read the last part of this storyline before any of the others as I found some New Teen Titans Annuals in the quarter bin at a used bookstore. This is pure 80's George Pérez design and the figure translates it fairly well. The accessories are decent but not amazing, the sword and sheath are great but the revolver doesn't fit its holster very well. Deathstroke is a classic complex villain that you love to hate and his current series from DC written by the great Christopher Priest is one of the few DC titles I'm currently following.

Dr. Fate vs. Wotan Action League 2-pack (Batman: the Brave & the Bold)

Batman: the Brave & the Bold was a fun animated series that embraced the lighter and more ridiculous aspects of Batman but with more missiles than in the Silver Age. Doctor Fate is a magical hero from the Golden Age. His early adventures had a touch of Lovecraft in them and Wotan was one of the few of his foes who appeared more than once. Later on Dr. Fate lost the bottom half of his helmet and became more of a generic superhero but also actually became a doctor in his Kent Nelson identity.

Hardhead Deluxe Class Figure (Titans Return)

Another of the original Autobot Headmasters Hardhead was a main character on the Japanese Headmasters cartoon and the most heavily armed one. He's the tank of the group, literally.

LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures Part 3

Here we have the final round of LEGO Batman minifigs. I'm still missing two but since I got all the ones I felt were must haves I'll quit while I'm ahead. The odds of picking up doubles are just too high at this point.

Tea Trader Maverick Black Tea

Maverick Black Tea is a fruity blend of blood orange, peaches, apricots, and vanilla. Another Tea Trader special this tea is almost the flavour opposite of the Calgary Welsh Breakfast. It's smooth and fruity with a delicate aroma. If you like a sweeter tea then this is for you. The fruit flavours all blend nicely together though I can't say I can really differentiate the peach and apricot flavours. The blood orange is a softer, sweeter citrus note. It's like fruit punch tea but in a good way, not in a red dye #5 way.

Maverick Black Tea is a great compliment to breakfast and added to my enjoyment of the last few episodes of Time Squad which I finally got around to watching.

Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Sergeant Kup Body All Titan Masters Gallery

Here is perhaps the nerdiest endeavour on this blog. I've taken pictures of all my Titans Return figures with all of the different Titan Master heads on them. These galleries will be updated as more Titan Masters are acquired. The heads are in no particular order after the first which is the head that "belongs" on the body.

Tea Trader Calgary Welsh Breakfast Tea

Calgary Welsh Breakfast is a tea blended specifically for Tea Trader I believe. It is a small leaf black tea with a strong smokiness in flavour and aroma.  We chose to try this tea because it didn't sound like anything we'd had before.  The smoky aroma is stronger in the dry leaves so we were a little unsure if we were going to like it but I was insistent that we at least try it. So we steeped it up and had some with homemade breakfast sandwiches.  The smoke flavour is certainly present in the final tea but it pairs well with the black tea tannins. This is a strong tea and you probably don't want to over-steep it but a good four minutes nets you a great cuppa to wake you up to face the day.

Calgary Welsh Breakfast Tea has a unique character and is quite enjoyable.

Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Topspin Body All Titan Masters Gallery

Here is perhaps the nerdiest endeavour on this blog. I've taken pictures of all my Titans Return figures with all of the different Titan Master heads on them. These galleries will be updated as more Titan Masters are acquired. The heads are in no particular order after the first which is the head that "belongs" on the body.

Krok Body All Titan Masters Gallery

Here is perhaps the nerdiest endeavour on this blog. I've taken pictures of all my Titans Return figures with all of the different Titan Master heads on them. These galleries will be updated as more Titan Masters are acquired. The heads are in no particular order after the first which is the head that "belongs" on the body.

The Riddler Riddle Racer Set (The LEGO Batman Movie)

This set comes with 5 minifigures: Batman, The Riddler, Calendar Man, Magpie, and Kite Man. The Riddler's car has firing missiles and Kite Man comes with his flying kite rig.

Tea Trader Oranjezicht Rooibos

Another rooibos we bought from Tea Trader is called Oranjezicht, named for an area in Cape Town, South Africa and unsurprisingly flavoured with orange.

Orange and rooibos are flavours that always go well together. This tea is simple but delicious. The orange aroma is full and inviting, it brews up a great colour, and unlike teas flavoured with bergamot doesn't get overpowering when left steeping. As always I find it more difficult to go on about a tea I really really like, it's just yummy. 'Nuff Said!

Mrs. ISMOTU and I both really enjoy Oranjezicht Rooibos from Tea Trader.

Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.teatrader.com/

Krok Deluxe Class Figure (Titans Return)

Krok was orignally a non-transforming "Action Master" released in 1990. Now he is a redeco of Titan Returns Skullsmasher complete with loose hip joints. The eye-searing neon yellow is what drew me to pick up this guy. I try to be picky about buying the same mould more than once but this time I couldn't resist.