Walmart has on this promotion where they released some items early. They were supposed to arrive on Sunday at Walmarts all across the land, but I visited three Walmarts in my area (all within a short distance of each other, and, I am fairly convinced, connected by a series of subterranean tubes that keep their management from ever having to deal with the surface dwellers) and did not find the displays at any of the three stores.
I even asked at the Walmart closest to my house and got a pretty snippy response to my query about the toys from the manager, and an eye roll from her pal who informed her - as if I wasn't there - that "that movie isn't even coming out til June, so don't even bother". I considered letting them know that many popular Superman fan sites had re-published the Walmart press release announcing the promotion, and that I had, indeed, seen photos on facebook of the items at other Walmarts on the extremely well run Man of Steel facebook page. But then I briefly examined my life and what choices I was making and I left.
I was up super early today, and en route to work said "hey, you know, I wonder...". And now, standing before you are the three figures I found.
Jamie asked me what Zod's first name is, and I couldn't remember at the moment, so we're going with Dave, until I bother to Google it. (Hey, I was close! It's "Dru-Zod!" I knew that. Look, I can't remember everything, people.).
Pretty nicely sculpted, but Jor-El's head seems loosely attached.
I have a decent Superman toy collection, if the past 15-20 years matter. Not much vintage, really. That stuff can be really pricey. A lot of the stuff from the Animated Series, Justice League, DC Direct, Superman Returns, some vintage items, a lot of the DC Mattel toys. People always ask me how many Supermans I have, and I invite them to count them, but I won't. I don't need a statistic like that reminding me I've wasted my time and my fortune.
But I do like these figures. I won't go in whole-hog on the ones made for kids that I haven't seen yet except in promo pictures. I might get the one with Superman pulling a motorcycle in half, but I don't need, like, Superman is Deluxe Skateboard Underwater Armor or whatever. I didn't grab some sling-shot doo-hickey thing that lets you launch little foam Supermans at people.
Which, in retrospect, would have been hilarious at work, but, no.
"Oh, wait. Back up", you say. "These dolls aren't for kids?" you ask.
Why, no! These are toys for adults. Sez so right there on the box!
Take that, kid who might want to play with a TOY.
I'm in the process of dumping a whole lot of my non-Superman toys, and it's a really weird, emotionally exhausting process. I get what the folks on Hoarders go through, bargaining as if that's going to make more space in their limited square footage. I'm intentionally reducing my footprint for where I can keep this stuff, which I figure will help me out.
I'm no longer collecting every Blue Beetle, Atom, Batmobile, etc... or all the ways I was sort of pretending I was capping myself before. The thinking was "oh, I only collect these limited number of items which means I don't need to get Zatanna, Hawkman, Adam Strange (well, maybe Adam Strange)". For good or ill, the collecting is gonna be almost all Superman (with the occasional Wonder Woman flourish), which... given what I think is going to be Superman's increased popularity after this movie, might be its own problem.
As the movie approaches, I am immersing myself not just in the Supermarathon, but also I picked up the Larry Tye book again, and it's really well written. Well enough so that even in parts where I know the facts (ie: the whole Siegel and Shuster origin story), he's doing a good job of carrying me as a reader.
Unfortunately, right now my office is totally torn apart. I need to get it back together to I can do a 2013 version of my "Having a Super Day" post.
Man, 2006!
Well, here we are, proudly in 2013 with our all new movie coming.
This isn't a toy review site, and I don't do custom toys or even really understand toy culture. I don't even really love tons of articulation on a figure because, really, I'm thrilled if a toy will just still be standing up when I come back in my office. I don't really play with these things or anything.
 |
| perseverance, thy name is: Jor-El, Kal-El, Dave-Zod |
Pretty nicely sculpted, but Jor-El's head seems loosely attached.
 |
| Jor-El here keeps throwing tiny phones at me and trying to start fights |
But I do like these figures. I won't go in whole-hog on the ones made for kids that I haven't seen yet except in promo pictures. I might get the one with Superman pulling a motorcycle in half, but I don't need, like, Superman is Deluxe Skateboard Underwater Armor or whatever. I didn't grab some sling-shot doo-hickey thing that lets you launch little foam Supermans at people.
Which, in retrospect, would have been hilarious at work, but, no.
"Oh, wait. Back up", you say. "These dolls aren't for kids?" you ask.
Why, no! These are toys for adults. Sez so right there on the box!
 |
| in case you're wondering, somehow it sounds dirty to me, too |
Take that, kid who might want to play with a TOY.
I'm in the process of dumping a whole lot of my non-Superman toys, and it's a really weird, emotionally exhausting process. I get what the folks on Hoarders go through, bargaining as if that's going to make more space in their limited square footage. I'm intentionally reducing my footprint for where I can keep this stuff, which I figure will help me out.
I'm no longer collecting every Blue Beetle, Atom, Batmobile, etc... or all the ways I was sort of pretending I was capping myself before. The thinking was "oh, I only collect these limited number of items which means I don't need to get Zatanna, Hawkman, Adam Strange (well, maybe Adam Strange)". For good or ill, the collecting is gonna be almost all Superman (with the occasional Wonder Woman flourish), which... given what I think is going to be Superman's increased popularity after this movie, might be its own problem.
As the movie approaches, I am immersing myself not just in the Supermarathon, but also I picked up the Larry Tye book again, and it's really well written. Well enough so that even in parts where I know the facts (ie: the whole Siegel and Shuster origin story), he's doing a good job of carrying me as a reader.
Unfortunately, right now my office is totally torn apart. I need to get it back together to I can do a 2013 version of my "Having a Super Day" post.
Man, 2006!
Well, here we are, proudly in 2013 with our all new movie coming.
 |
| Scout ponders The Man of Steel |
At the end of the day, the toys are an extension and part of my enthusiasm for the media phenomenon that is Superman, more than any particular interest in the stuff toy fans care about.
Once again, it looks like we're getting the short-shrift on the female action figure, and even if we get a Faora, I'm not expecting a toy for Lois Lane. And, frankly, I could use a tiny Amy Adams. Especially one that had a voice chip and would tell me she thinks I'm handsome.
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