18 epic new comic book collectibles battling for our wallets
If you're a hardcore superhero fan, you're going to love what's coming to retailers this year. The booths at Toy Fair '12 in New York City this week teased so many incredible DC, Marvel and other action figures, statues, busts and oddities that if the public were invited, we're sure there would have been drool stains everywhere.
Crisis averted: we snapped up images of some of the best (and even most obscure) pieces that could be yours by the end of the year.
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Kotobukiya The Dark Knight Rises Batman The artists at ArtFX are at it again with this incredibly detailed and gorgeous preliminary sculpt of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale's latest suited incarnation of Batman from The Dark Knight Rises film. It will have a lighted base and be available sometime later in 2012.
The Amazing Spider-Man's Movie Lizard It's no secret that the Lizard is going to be Peter Parker's foe in the new movie reboot The Amazing Spider-Man, but exactly what the monster would look like has been primarily under wraps. Now Diamond Select Toys and other vendors at Toy Fair are showing off their upcoming Spidey lines and this incredibly detailed Marvel Select figure of the Lizard is freakin' cool. We're that much more excited for the movie. (Available June 2012)
Mez-Itz Wonder Woman and The Flash Mezco's popular Wonder Woman sculpt gets a 6-inch designer vinyl Mez-Itz version this year. We're in love with her tumbled hair and "don't mess with me" glare. Also, The Flash has her back. (Figures sold separately in late 2012, but look out for a SDCC exclusive mid-summer)
The Amazing Spider-Man R/C Wall Climber One of the greatest bits about Spider-Man is his ability to defy gravity and climb walls with ease. However when playing Spidey at home, that's always been translated as an action figure being smashed on a wall and wiggled to approximate the cool ... a disappointment for young and old. Hasbro has finally fought gravity and won with their Amazing Spider-Man R/C figure that uses vacuum technology to stick the web-crawler to the wall as you control his movements remotely. We were ready to steal this for our own collections. Next, we want a Spidey-themed Roomba. (Available Fall 2012 for $34.99)
Mez-Itz The Dark Knight Joker When Heath Ledger got done playing The Joker, no one looked at the clown-faced chaos agent the same way again. Ledger's twisted take gets immortalized in 6-inch scale urban vinyl complete with frightening smirk and grimy green hair. (Available in summer 2012.)
The Silver Surfer Bottle Opener DST is making sure parties are eternally well-covered with their new line of geeky bottle openers. In a no-brainer, Silver Surfer on his board gets shined up and ready to open your libation of choice come September.
The Dark Knight Rises Bane Bobblehead Get a good look at The Dark Knight Rises bad guy Bane with Funko's well-detailed bobblehead that gets that gas mask front and center. Is it us or does that thing make him look a little cross-eyed? (Available summer 2012)
Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure Exclusives—Terrax and Arnim Zola Hasbro's impressive Marvel Legends 6-inch figures get more waves this year and the added incentive of two exclusive Build-A-Figures. Inside specially marked Legends figures, there are individual pieces for either Terrax or Arnim Zola that once put together creates the two separate figures in the above image. There are also chaser parts that could make your Terrax or Zola extra special exclusive. ($14.99 per Marvel Legend character)
LEGO Superman vs. Power Armor Lex Minifigure Lex Luthor is causing LEGO trouble again in this excellently conceived Kryptonite Power Armor suit. He's got mini Wonder Woman in claws and mini Superman sapped of strength. Will Superman save the day? Buy the set and work it out. (Available now for $24.99)
DST The Amazing Spider-Man Busts Sculpted in the new film's Amazing Spider-Man suit and to the likeness of actor Andrew Garfield, these DST Spidey busts are really handsome pieces that depict the new mech web-spinner, Spidey's reveal and the vigilante version of Parker before he gets his fancy suit. (Each sold separately in June 2012)
DC Universe 52 Supergirl, Superman and The Flash Matty Collector's 6-inch DC Universe figures show off the cool of the new 52 versions of Supergirl, Superman and The Flash. There's not enough Supergirl out there and we like to commend that. (Available September 2012.)
Hasbro's Flying Super Grover If your love of superheroes first ignited by watching a fuzzy blue monster with a silver helmet on Sesame Street, then Hasbro's Flying Super Grover needs to be in you or your kid's collection. Grover talks and when you make him fly, his arms automatically rise in proper superhero form depending on if he's going up or going down. (Available Fall 2012 for $29.99)
LEGO Batcave This multi-tier Batcave playset features everything you could want playing with the block version of the Dark Knight. There's a spinning drill tank with Bane onboard, a holding cell for vicious Poison Ivy and Batman and Robin. Give us a few hours; we'll be back later once we're done building this den of awesome. (Available now for $69.99)
Marvel Legends Ghost Rider Ghost Rider, the cult vengeance demon, gets a beautiful new Marvel Legends 6-inch sculpt in two versions featuring either blue flames or traditional red flames of Hell. They're terrifying as they should be. (Available now for $14.99)
DC The Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters Figures Mattel's DC Movie Masters assortment of 6-inch figures features the new suited Batman, Bane in his coat and Catwoman in black leather. What really makes these figures stand out is that each comes with a piece of the bat signal. You can collect and connect them all to make a functional bat signal that lights up the sky ... or at least inside your house. (Available June 2012)
Marvel Legends Variant Spider-Mans We saw a lot of the new Amazing Spider-Man suit at Toy Fair, but Habsro's Marvel Legends serves up 6-inch comic book variants of the suit in eye-catching green or black and white. ($14.99 each)
Marvel Minimates DST is rolling out Minimate Wave 44 and 47 this year featuring a dizzying number of superhero figures including Hulk/Iron Man, Captain America/Thor, Ant-Man I/Sentry, and a short-packed Ant-Man II/Sentry or Rogue/Colossus, Longshot/Dazzler, Wolverine/Brood and a short-packed Brood Wolverine/Brood. (Available in late spring and fall 2012)
Jakks The Dark Knight Rises Figures Some collectors prefer the non-articulated figures for their shelves and Jakks is providing their The Dark Knight Rises figures including Batman and Catwoman in actor likenesses. They also have an incredible 30" Batman in Bale's likeness coming in the summer. (Available in July)