Galactic

As much as I love vintage video games, it's also a fact that I'm a big fan of beer, and in particular, very strong red ales.

So, I suppose that it's incredibly fortunate that a local brew pub (local to me anyway, because I live in Portland, Oregon) has put out a seasonal red ale that features a sort of Space Invaders design on its bottle.

The beer itself is quite good, but a little expensive. They had a launch party at a local video arcade/bar, but I was unable to attend... which is quite sad.

Deadman Walking

The Blackest Night line by DC Direct was actually pretty great. I picked up the Martian Manhunter and Batman Black Lantern figures, and was happy with both of them. The entire line looked really good, so I've been waiting for the first series of Brightest Day figures to come out, because I assumed that they'd be just as great.

After looking the new Deadman figure over for the last few days, I think I might have assumed correctly.



The packaging is colorful and nicely designed. The bubble is shaped like a lantern, with the White Lantern symbol in the middle. The thing can stand up well carded--if you're the type who keeps and displays their figures carded, but it also opens easily without destroying the packaging. A win-win.

The overall build quality of the figure is very good, with no paint problems or loose wobbly joints. The plastic used is thick and heavy, and nothing came out of the packaging warped. Again... a win-win.



What's best about this figure though, is the fact that you have a choice when it comes to displaying him with the Deadman head, or with Boston Brand's normal head. In addition to the nice big figure stand, it comes with a lantern, and Deadman's mask as an accessory, which ups the display value significantly.



I kind of regret not picking up the Deadman figure from the Blackest Night line now, as they'd display really well together, but chances are good that I'll be able to track one down at some point.

From series two of this line I'm likely to buy the Martian Manhunter figure when I see it. I really wish that DC Direct had taken a stab at doing a White Lantern Swamp Thing. I bet it would have been pretty awesome.

Black and White-mobile

From the ever amazing world of cheap plastic Batmobiles, comes this black and white version by Duncan, circa some time in the late '70s.



The eBay seller advertised that he pulled it mint from its packaging just as seen, and it is in great condition, so I don't really doubt him, except for the fact that I know it might be missing some decals.

Many of the later Mexican made Duncan Batmobiles featured brightly colored racing stripes and the name "Duncanmobile" in big letters on their sides. This Batmobile, though otherwise immaculate, does actually have some sticker residue where those decals would or should have been.



It did occur to me that this one might have had its stickers removed at the factory for some reason, and then it was repackaged for sale. I'd believe anything, seeing as how there are a huge number of variations and bootlegs when it comes to these toys.

Batmobility

Last year Hot Wheels put out a Batman: The Brave and the Bold Batmobile.




It's fun, but not exactly perfect, as I couldn't find one with tampos that were applied correctly to the front. Still though, I like the thing and really like the cartoon that it's from.

This year we get the Batmobile from the game Batman: Arkham Asylum. I love that game, and as it turns out, the Batmobile that Hot Wheels gave us is pretty cool as well.




I don't remember there being so many shiny bits on the Batmobile from the game, but at the very worst it might mean that we'll get an all black "stealth" repaint at some point.

The (Martian Man) Hunt is Over

I imagine that if I could actually find the figures from the DC Universe Classics line with any kind of regularity, then I might just call myself a "completist." As is, I'm happy to find the majority of them at all. And rather than complain about how the figures from a particular wave will sometimes turn up near me months apart, I'm going to count my blessings and be happy that I finally landed both versions of Martian Manhunter from wave fifteen.






These were the figures that I wanted the most from this wave, and they don't disappoint. Both the regular and alien variant are super solid. It's yet another reason why I love what the Three Horsemen are doing with this line.