Green Lantern vs. Zodac (DC Universe Classics vs. Masters of the Universe Classics)

Mattel had the licence for both DC Comics and Masters of the Universe and since they were making similarly scaled figures for each a crossover was like a match made in Nerd Heaven. They released 7 of these two packs but full disclosure I only got this one because I wanted Zodac and shockingly the inclusion of Hal Jordan lowered his value on the secondary market.

I do love the Green Lantern mythos but I kind of burned out on Hal Jordan years ago. He's just the least interesting Green Lantern to me but I didn't have a modern articulated figure of him so this wasn't really frustrating as a purchase.

Ironically Zodac is depicted with the staff used by his 200X counterpart instead of the blaster he comes with.

(Green Lantern)(Zodac)

Freddy Freeman (DC Universe Classics Signature Series)

The only superhero who can't say his own name...

"Lame Newsboy Freddy Freeman says the name of his idol and is transformed into Captain Marvel Jr." *Sigh* One would think that by the early eighties they would have rephrased that...

Ok, so I was quoting (from memory) the opening narration of the 1981-1982 Filmation Shazam! cartoon. Freddy Freeman himself first appeared in 1941 where Captain Marvel rescues him from Captain Nazi who had just murdered the young newsboy's grandfather and only living relative. Freddy needed a crutch to walk in a very "Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol" kind of vibe and was dying of his injuries sustained in the Nazi attack prompting Billy Batson to share some of his magic lightning and when Freddy Freeman says "Captain Marvel" instead of "Shazam!" he becomes the blue suited Captain Marvel Jr. 

Mary Batson (Mary Marvel) DC Universe Classics

Billy Batson's sister Mary also gains formidable powers when she speaks the name of the wizard "Shazam!" Given the release of DC's "Shazam" movie there are plenty of places online to explain why she's called by her secret identity instead of her superhero name. (Though really they are 50% the same so maybe not the most secret of secret identities)

This white costume comes from the "Power of Shazam" series from the mid-to-late 90's that was a glorious book that managed to modernize the Marvel Family while maintaining the sense of fun and whimsy that characterized the Golden Age comics. I like this look because it differentiates her from her brother even while in the comics at the time they both used "Captain Marvel" as their heroic nom de guerre.

Golden Age Starman (DC Universe Classics)

Ted Knight, playboy and astronomer harnessed the power of the stars themselves to become Starman!
He joined the Justice Society of America with Dr. Mid-Nite in All-Star Comics #8 which was also notable for introducing Wonder Woman.

In 1994 writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris launched a new Starman series focussing on Ted's son Jack reluctantly taking on the mantle. It became a critical success and Ted appeared regularly as a supporting character. 

This figure portrays Starman in his original golden age costume that somehow hid his identity via comic book logic.  It's a classic 1940's design with the cape, the trunks, and the head-fin. He also comes with his Gravity Rod which is the source of his powers and some sort of ray gun in the holster on his belt which is apparently the little used "Stellar Energy Pistol" that appeared in at least one "Times Past" issue of the 90's Starman series. I have a real soft spot for Golden Age superheroes and I'm glad they weren't forgotten in the DCUC lineup.

Ocean Master (DC Signature Classics)

Ocean Master is one of Aquaman's arch-foes. Orm Marius is Aquaman's half-brother who covets the throne of Atlantis. He first appeared in 1966's Aquaman #29 but this is his look(sans goatee)  from the 1990's Aquaman book written by Peter David, the same series that gave us hook-hand Aquaman.

Honestly this isn't much of a departure from his previous costume, just coordinating the colours a bit better. His backstory changed more than his outfit though he was still Aquaman's half-brother what tends to get changed is which parent is shared between them. 

This figure has the typical DC Universe Classics articulation and he comes with his signature staff which in the mid-90's was made extra powerful by a demon in exchange for Orm's soul. Oh, the 90's. After I got ahold of "lefty" Aquaman it just felt right to have this version of Ocean Master to go along with him.

The Spectre (DC Universe Classics)

The Spectre is the ghost of New York police detective Jim Corrigan who was brutally murdered by gangsters and returned from the grave as the Wrath of God. Created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily in More Fun Comics in 1940.  He was an unlikely founding member of the Justice Society of America whose adventures lightened up quite quickly and he gained a comedic sidekick in "Percival Popp, the Super-Cop." The Spectre made a brief return in the 60's in a more cosmically oriented series with art by Neal Adams. 

His next feature was a run in Adventure Comics written by Michael Fleisher and gorgeously illustrated by Jim Aparo. This Spectre returned to his vengeful roots as editor Joe Orlando brought some of his EC Comics experience to bear encouraging the team to have the Spectre dispatch evil-doers in grotesquely ironic ways while still staying just inside the Comics Code.

There was a middling revival in the 80's that had the Spectre interacting with the wider DC universe more than ever but my favourite incarnation in the 63 issue series from the 90's written by John Ostrander and illustrated by a host of great artists beginning with Tom Mandrake. This was an exploration of faith and morality that allowed Corrigan to grow, learn, and eventually earn his final rest. 

Golden Age Sandman (DC Universe Classics)

Wesley Dodds donned a gas mask, cape, and fedora to haunt the dreams of evildoers as the Sandman!
The golden age Sandman is very much in the vein of earlier pulp heroes like the Shadow and the Green Hornet. His original costume as seen here was just a suit with a cape and a crazy looking gas mask. His gas gun spewed a harmless sleeping agent and he dynamically ran everywhere. Later on he was given a skintight yellow and purple costume and a sidekick named Sandy and was notable for being the feature Joe Simon & Jack Kirby worked on after leaving Captain America. It was in this original garb that he joined the Justice Society of America and in a more drab "realistic" version he starred in the excellent Vertigo series "Sandman Mystery Theatre."

This figure has your typical DCUC articulation but his legs are limited by the suit coat. His cape causes the figure to lean back but not topple over. The gas gun fits nicely in his hand or hooks into the loop near his hip pocket. A simple figure with the bright garish colours that befit his 1940's origins.

Golden Age Atom (DC Universe Classics)

Al Pratt is the Golden Age Atom. Tired of being ridiculed for is height Al Pratt dons a costume and takes the name Atom personifying its meaning of small but also powerful. The Atom's costume is a very typical golden age uniform that's basically a cobbled together wrestling outfit with a mask and cape. Later on Pratt would gain super powers and adopt a new costume as of Flash Comics #98 in 1948. This is a pretty standard DC Universe Classics figures and comes with no accessories which is fine because this Atom is just a brawler.

Aquaman (DC Signature Classics)

Aquaman, King of the Seven Seas. This version of Aquaman is straight out of the 90's. After the successful reboots of Superman and Wonder Woman in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics worked through their roster of heroes tweaking and reimagining for a bold new era. Aquaman eventually got his turn from writer Peter David who wrote the well received "Atlantis Chronicles" showing the history of the underwater kingdom as well as the "Time & Tide" miniseries which set the stage for this new take on Aquaman. Having lost his hand to piranhas while fighting a super-villain, Aquaman replaces it with a harpoon (initially the harpoon that killed his adoptive dolphin mother, it reads better in comics form). Aquaman has long been one of my favourites and I enjoy this incarnation for all his brooding and surliness.

Ocean Warrior Aquaman (DC Universe Classics)

Aquaman is the most famous of the underwater superheroes and probably the most ridiculed in the greater pop culture sphere. As a small lad I saw episodes of the 1960's Aquaman cartoon, which while being ridiculous in that 60's way it was not overly campy and portrayed the King of Atlantis as a competent, powerful hero.  This version of Aquaman sports an "ocean camouflage" outfit which was designed by Neal Pozner and drawn beautifully by Craig Hamilton in the 1986 miniseries. This look is a severe departure from the classic orange and green scales and fins but I think it looks fantastic. If you like Aquaman or if you are a fan of the fantasy genre I recommend checking out the series.  After the miniseries Aquaman went back to his classic togs and this design was not seen again until 1995 when it was worn briefly by the villain Thanatos and then Aqualad wore a black and red version of the suit as Tempest. This figure has the usual DCUC articulation and luckily the paint job is above par for the line since the costume design is completely dependent on crisp paint lines.

Forager (DC Universe Classics)

The first of my acquisitions from Calgary Expo (the second being Aquaman). Forager is a "bug" from New Genesis who first appeared in New Gods #9 back in 1972 and he is pure Kirby classic. I first encountered him in the Jim Starlin/Mike Mignola miniseries Cosmic Odyssey. Forager is a character I like more for his wacky design, I'll admit to not having read all of his only handful of appearances. But he's fun. His legs are a bit wobbly but he can still stand. The legs don't want to stand straight up giving him a weirder posture which I think works for a "bug" though I don't think it's on purpose.

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.