Check it out, over at Entertainment Earth they've got just the thing to make you the coolest kid in school. It's the Justice League lunchbox. What's even cooler is that they've notified me that it's the LAST ONE in stock. Order it now by clicking the link below.

So unless you've been living under a rock you've heard about the new Marvel/Disney merger. With Disney now owning everything at the house that Stan Lee built, everyone and their uncle is focusing in on what this will mean for Marvel comics and movies. But what about summer vacations? For years one of the big selling points for going to Universal Studios was the Marvel characters.



But now that Disney owns Marvel, you know that they're going to make Marvel themed rides, have Spider-Man walking around the park, etc. What does this mean for Disneyland's #1 rival Universal Studios? I bet those hot shots who got rid of the King Kong ride aren't feeling so smart now, are they? (Don't worry they're rebuilding it...) So much for the Hulk ride. Then again, I bet Disney will make better costumes than this:



I still want to go to Universal Studios circa 1993. Someone get me a time machine so I can go back and visit. Of course I'll be going there to look at Back to the Future stuff. Word.

Welcome to the new and improved InfiniteHollywood.com! We're kicking things off right with a brand new review of not one, not two but SIX figures. It's a look at one of the new Target Exclusive Justice League Unlimited six packs. If you like DC comics and you like action figures then you'll want to participate in our super new contest here at Infinite Hollywood as we help celebrate the brand new domain here we're going to be giving away a FULL WAVE of DC Universe Classics.

That's right, we're going to give away a full 5 figure wave. DCUC Wave 6 will be given away right here on this site on Wednesday, September 30th! More details coming tomorrow... But first let's take a look at these brand new figures from Mattel...



If you collect Justice League figures, or just want to learn how you might be eligible to win DCUC then you need to check out the full review.

Packaging:
Because this package contains six figures it's not exactly the most flashing set on the planet. However that's not to say it's a terrible package. In fact it's quite nice with a very bright color scheme and a clear front that showcases all six figures very nicely. This is important because it's very hard sometimes to see figures in multipacks and since JLU figures are almost impossible to pose dynamically, we get to look at all the paint aps before we buy.



The back of the package is probably the best part with pictures of all the characters as they appeared in JLU the cartoon as well as brief bios. This is always a big selling point to me and the bios are tied into the show. Since this is a Secret Society pack, it explains why each person came to work for the evil Secret Society.



The only thing that really looks off about the packaging is the picture of Psycho Pirate. He technically only appeared in a frame or two in the shows in brief "blink and you miss it" cameos, which means in order to get a decent picture of him here they had to zoom in on him. He looks a bit pixelated, but I guess it was the best they could do.

Articulation:
Justice League Unlimited figures by Mattel don't include much articulation. In fact aside from about a half dozen figures they all have the exact same points of articulation which is simply the big five. That includes a cut neck, cut shoulders and cut legs.



JLU figures aren't really for posing. Some might say they aren't even for play. Though I think kids could definitely play with them, they aren't going to win any dynamic posing contests. Most of these guys can't even throw a convincing punch. If you want to have them shaking hands though, the figures are great.

Sculpt:
The package includes six figures and I'll now run them down and go over the pros and cons of each sculpt. These are all in the animated "Bruce Timm" style. So don't expect them to look exactly like the ones you see in the pages of the comic books. First up we have the aforementioned Psycho Pirate.



Psycho Pirate has a really nice paint job and his outfit really works in this design aesthetic. The bright red and yellows on his outfit really make him stand out. The face sculpt is particularly good and since most JLU figures only recieve one new mold piece, the head is always the most important. They definitely captured the likeness well.


He stands on his own! But not very good...
JLU figures are infamous for their inability to stand on their own for very long, if at all. Psycho Pirate stands alright but he does sort of lean forward. His cape is made of extra thick material, much thicker than any of the previous figures. In fact his cape is slightly thicker than the DC Direct Red Son Superman I just recently reviewed.



Up next we have Dr. Polaris who has a very charming fact sculpt. His head is an all new sculpt and since it requires a little more detail than most, it really looks remarkable. As nice as his helmet is, it's the face itself that really steals the show. He has a mischievous grin on his face that fits in well with the character.



Polaris also has a rubber chest piece that covers his torso and also works as a belt. Rather than sculpt a whole new body for him, Mattel has chosen to just mold this rubber harness to go over him. It works perfectly and gives some depth to the costume. This is pretty standard practice these days to mold new pieces like this onto a basic buck, but JLU was one of the first lines to do that in the modern marketplace.



Now we have our lady of the pack, Tala who sports a nice pale paint job. Her eyes and earrings are perhaps the most visually striking but her lips and other facial paint work is quite good. The bottom of her dress is again a rubber piece molded onto a basic female buck and it works quite well giving her some range of movement in the legs with the soft skirt.



Interestingly she hasn't been painted underneath with underwear. So if you rip off her skirt, she's naked! It gives her legs a long look though and overall the figure has a nice sculpt. Her chest tattoo looks to be tampo work. The only thing I don't like is that her high heels aren't painted inbetween the heel leaving that in the flesh color.



Coming for the darkness of the ocean is Devil Ray! if you're wondering who the hell Devil Ray is, well... He's basically Black Manta. Apparently the rights to Black Manta were tied up with Aquaman and unavailable to the show by the time they got around to him, so they made up their own Black Manta and called him Devil Ray. For all intents and purposes though, this is Black Manta.



It's a good thing too because Devil Ray might be one of the most visually striking villain figures in the entire history of the line. Using a dark blue, light blue and black the figure really has an aquatic feel to him. So much so that I'd love to see a Black Manta costume even closer to this one. He has a cool Manta-esque head and a backpack/chest piece that's a rubber mold add on. The vest on mine is a bit crooked though.



Then we have perhaps the star of the show, Gentleman Ghost... Jim Craddock seemed to be an almost unknown villain and unheard of as a figure until this past year. Now Gentleman Ghost has no less than four action figures on the market and has made a few appearances in Batman the Brave and the Bold cartoon.



But it's Justice League Unlimited that Gentleman Ghost fans owe this resurgence too. JLU brought a renewed interest in the character during his appearances on the show. His action figure although just now hitting the market, was actually the template for the DC Universe Classics version. He uses the old Joker body with the Question's new arms and a cleverly sculpted hat and monocle on his cape.



Finally we have Lex Luthor. Although Luthor is probably the most famous villain in all of DCU, this is his third or fourth incarnation in the JLU line. It's a bit hard to be excited by Luthor at this point. To be fair this is a redeco, but it's a complete reuse of the previous Luthor.



Frankly I'm a bit bummed that they didn't use the original Lex Luthor mold here just to change things up a bit. That Lex Luthor mold has never been used again, making me think that perhaps the mold was destroyed at some point. None of it's parts have ever showed up again and that's a shame, since it was cool classic business suit Luthor figure.



Still, Lex works as the "anchor" for this set and he looks recognizable enough with his pseudo Super Friends outfit.

Accessories:
Nothing. You don't get a single accessory in this pack. Well, technically you do get a figure stand for Tala. For some odd reason, the female figures always include a stand. I presume this is because the females have issues standing, but honestly, EVERY Justice League figure struggles to stand.



Thankfully all the new figures include a peg hole, which previous releases did not. This means you can use the stand on pretty much any of these figures to get them to stand.

Additional Notes:
Despite all the issues that typically plague Justice League Unlimited figures, this is one of the nicest sets to come down the line. I'm very pleased to get it and it's a eye popping set when you see it in the stores. Gentleman Ghost and Psycho Pirate are both very pleasing.



Some people don't understand why anyone would collect JLU, but collecting Justice League figures is more about the aesthetic than the figures themselves. It's akin to collecting designer vinyl figures in my view. Only a whole lot cheaper.

Value:
These six packs used to retail for $20 which was a really good value. In fact they retailed for $20 right up until the point I decided to purchase them. Now they cost $25. Even though it's a meager increase, nothing has chapped my ass quite as much as that extra $5 on JLU figures. Even though this is a really nice set, Mattel is annoying me with it's price increase on JLU. It'd be okay if the figures weren't so flawed or they didn't force us to own so many duplicates.



Score Recap:
Packaging - 7
Sculpting - 6
Articulation - 4
Accessories - One Stand
Value - 7
Overall - 7 out of 10

Despite the price increase, JLU fans absolutely must obtain this pack. Not only are all the figures excellent, a few of them are some of the best JLU figures to date. Gentleman Ghost stands out as a real highlight of the line. Even the extra Luthor isn't too bad because at lease it's not ANOTHER Superman.



Want to win a free set of 5 figures from DC Universe? Then DIGG this article. Click the little Digg button below. Don't forget to leave a comment, it's the only way I know that you were the one who gave us a good shout out. Tune in later for full details on our brand new contest and be sure to stop by Infinite Hollywood every day.

With Mattel's recent release of new Scare Glow pictures and the sudden influx of interest into Scare Glow as a character, it got me thinking to a bit of history with the character. One of the reasons that Scare Glow "glows in the dark" is that the character is a ghost. He's invisible during the day or in any light and is only visible as a ghastly glowing apparition at night.





Mattel seems well aware of this, which is why they're even adding to his backstory with the "Greyskull key" that he must forever keep with him like Jacob Marley.



HOWEVER, I wondered if they'd be interested in making a translucent variant down the road? Scare Glow is supposed to be invisible, so I think a translucent figure would be very cool. Those zany guys over a COTU made one a few years back using the old mold.



Definitely looks cool to me. Of course I'd like to see MOTUC's invisible version be a bit more than just clear translucent plastic.



Anyone else interested in a clear variant, perhaps as a bonus down the line?

TOP 20 SEMI-FINALS OVERVIEW
Today we're going to take a look at the America's Got Talent semi-finalists along with my opinions on what their act is about, what chances they have in Vegas, how America will vote and if they deserve to be here. There are 20 acts left and here is the rundown, in no particular order.

Drew Stevyns: I'm not really sure how this Maryland native made it into the Top 20. His voice was a bit craggy and his song choice didn't really show his vocal skills off much. Personally I thought he should have sang a Goo-Goo Dolls song as it might would have better fit his vocals. I can only assume he made it into the semi-finals because of his look, which would appeal to 20-40 something women which is one of the biggest voting demographics. Drew has no chance whatsoever at winning. He does get bonus points from me however for not just being a singer, but a guitar player as well.

Jeffrey Ou: I wrote about the controversy surrounding Ou's second performance last week and I think I wasn't alone in thinking that NBC attempted to screw Ou. As a result it would seem that thousands of people voted for Jeffrey Ou despite not getting to see his full performance. I'm glad that happened, even if it skewed the Top 20 somewhat unfairly. Ou is a unique act and although I don't think he's ready to either headline Vegas or win the competition, his talent appears to be quite broad. America's Got Talent attempted to shaft the nerdy youngster and as a result America fought back and got him into the Top 20. Now it's his turn to prove his worth.

Fab Five: I didn't care for this act the first time I saw them, but their second audition really blew me away. A group of Milftastic cloggers, they were the first group to step it up in the second round. In fact they sat the bar pretty high and it took a few weeks for anyone to match them. I'm not certain that they can win because there are a lot of diverse dance acts, but they certainly have a shot. I could see this act working in Vegas as well. The name won't work and I could see this as more of a rotating troupe of older hot moms, but I still think the premise works and these girls have the talent to pull it off.

Drew Thomas Magic: The second Drew and the only magician in the competition, Drew Thomas will have to step it up. His first tricks were decent but I actually preferred the style of some of the other magicians. His second trick was actually a pretty awesome payoff but the setup was very boring and bland. To me magicians have to be engaging and thus far Drew hasn't done that. Drew needs to find a middle ground where he's not over the top but he's closer akin to David Copperfield. If the tricks hold up, I can see him working in Vegas but I doubt he'll be able to win. America has a hard time voting through magicians so he has to really blow them away.

Acrodunk: The high flying slam dunk group are certainly entertaining but they aren't the kind of group that can be a hour long Vegas act. As a halftime show act, they're definitely fun to watch. Part of the reason I don't love Acrodunk is that they have yet to display any real basketball skills. Anyone given the right amount of practice can slam dunk a basketball using a trampoline. This group would need to showcase some Globetrotter level basketball skills as well as some unassisted dunks to make it past the Top 20. I'd be shocked if they weren't cut next round unless they step up their game.

Arcadian Broad: I loved watching this kid dance. His first round was overly fruity but highly energetic and you could tell he was passionate about what he was doing. His second round was really neat with a excellent bit of piano playing in the beginning (Which the judges unfairly bagged on) and a high stepping Footloose tribute. In his next round I think he has to channel the Patrick Swayze gods and attempt to do some dancing but make it appear both flashy and sexy. No easy task for a kid who can't be more than 16. He'll need to tap into that heartthrob demographic if he wants to stick around.

The Voices of Glory: These three young Gospel singers had a gut wrenching backstory as their mother was in a coma and is clearly impaired as a result. However, I think their story has gotten them to where they are thus far. It's not that they're terrible singers, but they aren't anything special either. It's standard church choir type stuff and that's all they've sang thus far. If they don't sing something contemporary in the next round they're definitely going to get axed. I do think they could have a career on the black church touring circuit though, but they have no chance of ever working in Vegas under their current routine.

Mario & Jenny: This act desperately needs a better name. They're listed on the NBC website as a "Comedy Variety Duo" but that's hardly what they do. Their act is a bit of a modern take on the typical carnival acts, with Mario juggling chainsaws while Jenny cracks whips and runs around in tight leather. I was moderately surprised they made it this far with their second round act only being slightly impressive. Don't get me wrong, juggling flaming guitars is definitely impressive but they're going to have to really ramp up the sexy and dangerous if they want to make it past the Top 20. I suspect they'll bow out this next round.

Grandma Lee: I'd love to see this old lady win the whole thing as she's the most charming and instantly adorable people you're likely yo ever see. As a naughty old lady comic she has a pretty wide appeal but won't tap into those 20-40 female demos too well. Surprisingly her jokes have actually been pretty good thus far getting a few hearty chuckles out of me. Grandma Lee isn't a polished comedian though and it's always tougher for an amateur comedian to rise in the ranks. Does Grandma Lee have enough material to continue to rise to the top? I think this next round will be the deciding factor. The third round is always the toughest, especially on acts that may have gotten by on some cutesy factor in earlier rounds. I'm pulling for ya Grandma!

The Texas Tenors: These guys pretty much suck. Their first audition was a decent rendition of the Alabama song "Mountain Music" but it didn't sound nearly as good as Alabama. Their second week was a pretty weak attempt to play to the pro-USA crowd with some America song in acapella. The problem is this group has yet to really prove they have any real talent. This is the type of group you might here at a local picnic or county festival, not at a Las Vegas show. I'm not even sure these guys are fit for Dollywood. They'll have to complete blow us all away to make it to another round. I feel they've been voted this far because one of the guys has a "hunky" look to him.

Footworkingz: As much as I wanted to hate this group, I found their second performance to be pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. They do some fast dance steps but a lot of their act is weird jiggly arm movements. I don't think they'll make it much further unless they find a way to add more to the act. They have one truly good dance move, but they've used it repeatedly now and I feel that's likely proof that they're a one trick pony.

Hairo Torres: Hairo is a 23 year old breakdancer, although labeling him that might be short changing him a bit. Torres can do contortions and moves that will absolutely blow your mind, while mixing it in with dance. He has a bit of a issue in the sense that he's a one man dance crew, but I'd much rather watch Hairo than Footworkingz which says a lot about what one man can do. I'm not certain he could be a headline act in Vegas but I do think if you added him to a variety show he could work out alright. I don't have a lot of confidence in America continuing to vote him through however.

Lawrence Beamen: I really thought his first performance was good, but I wasn't sold on his second run out. Everyone seems to like his singing though so I would assume he's one of the early favorites. He needs to use his deep vocals though if he wants to impress more of the country. It's one thing to be labeled the next Barry White, but it's much harder to live up to that. Song choice will make all the difference on how far he can continue to go. I don't think he could headline Vegas but I do think he could win the show. That's a bit of a conundrum as the show sometimes picks the wrong people. Last year's fat idiot winner could draw fleas to a fleamarket but I do think LB has a better show at becoming some sort of middle of the road R&B singer.

Paradizo Dance: This is the exact type of act I should totally hate. Instead though this duo based dance group is an incredible sight to see. Not just because it's one fat dude and one tiny little girl, but because they can both dance quite well. At first it was just the shock of seeing the fat dude dance around and girl pick him up, but the second performance was as smooth and fanciful ballet as you're likely to ever see. I have my doubts about America voting them through, but they are the kind of act you could see working in Vegas. Not as headliners, but as part of a overall bigger show.

EriAm Sisters: There is no real reason that this group is still around, but here they are anyway. It's not that they're bad singers, but as a trio they aren't the best. The youngest sister can sing. Quite good in fact. The other two sisters can do backup but that's about it. Unfortunately the group continues to work as if they're three female leads and they just aren't. Remarkably Piers Morgan hasn't told them this yet, which is odd since that seems to be his specialty. With all the other good singers still in the competition I suspect these kids will be outclassed and eliminated.

Erik & Rickie: Their first audition was cute but nothing amazing. Since then they've stepped it up and last week's dance was phenomenal. These kids do intense ballroom dancing and they're 9 years old! It's not like kids dancing, it's like GREAT dancing done by kids. They had all the right moves and conveyed the sensual energy of the dance they were performing at such a young age. I worry that America might vote them off because of their youth, but their talent is incredible. Of course even if you could envision them as Vegas headline act, how long could it last? Would people still care once they grew up?

Kevin Skinner: Skinner is the man to beat in the competition. This country bumpkin speaks with a voice that sounds more like a parody of a hillbilly than an actual Kentucky born person speaks with. Whether he's putting on or not, he seems very genuine and his singing skills are bar none. His performance of Garth Brooks was nearly as good as the man himself and he's a pretty good guitar player too. I could see Skinner working Vegas as well as climbing up the country music charts in Nashville as he's authentic country as opposed to the plastic country that's so popular now. America will continue to vote for this guy and barring any huge mistakes he's got to be the favorite at this point in the competition.

Recycled Percussion: I suspect this group was nothing more than another STOMP, Blue Man Group style ripoff but this past week they really impressed me. Not only do they have the look, but they combine several different elements to give a new spin on that percussion formula. I don't think this group will win, but I'm certain they'll be working Vegas by the time the show is over. I also suspect that with their sex appeal and high level of talent that they'll be in the final 5 acts.

Barbara Padilla: After last year's debacle of letting some opera singer win, I was ready to immediately disqualify all opera singers on principle alone... However Barbara really made a believer out of me in the second performance. I didn't care for her first shot at bat, but her second time was a homerun. I have no idea what she sang, but it sounded harmonic. She looked the part too. She was also quite humble and I suspect she'll place in the top 3 if she can continue like this.

Tony Hoard & Rory: I'd like to say that I saved the best for last, but I actually saved the worst for last. Tony Hoard and Rory had a pretty impressive audition the first time out but they should have been cut two times already. After their second audition in which Rory dropped many of the Frisbees he was thrown and the entire act was neither entertaining or amusing, it was a complete abomination when Sharon Osbourne passed them through. Osbourne loves dogs, she has like 50 dogs and since the power rested solely in her hands, she put an absolutely lousy dog act through. It's a shame too because the show actually HAD a decent dog act on the show in Pam Martin's Top Dogs. Pam Martin's show could have easily been a Vegas headline act. I wouldn't pay Tony Hoard and Rory $5 to cut my grass. They'll be cut this next round.

Over the new couple of days you should be seeing a vast number of improvements to Infinite Hollywood as I try to make this website more enjoyable for you. With that out of the way I want to introduce today's toy review as we take a look at our first DC Direct figure in this site's history, Red Son Superman.



Red Son Superman comes from the Elseworlds 2003 comic series entitled "Superman: Red Son". The basic premise of the story is "What would happen if Superman was born in communist Russia instead of America?" It presents an interesting what if, type of story where Superman stands for "Champion of the common worker who fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact" as opposed to "Truth, Justice and the American way" as the more traditional Superman stands for. DC Direct is the only company thus far to tackle this alternate universe story and it's a perfect fit for the company.

Packaging:
This package is massive. It's wastefully big. I can't get over how gigantic this package is. It's the same width as three GI Joe Rise of Cobra packages stacked side to side. It's a very girthy package as well with a ton of wasted plastic. I have no idea why DC Direct has made this package so big. Even the figure inside looks pretty small on the card.



This is a standard bubble card with a decent sized cardboard backing. The back of the package shows some other figures in the Elseworlds series, but only one other figure, Wonder Woman, actually comes from this particular story. There isn't anything particularly flashy or eye catching about the package, other than it's enormous size to make you want to get it.



DC Direct is a speciality market toy company and as such you probably won't see these figures in stores. I suppose that's why they designed the giganto packaging. However some Toys R Us stores do carry a small amount of DC Direct figures and I can't imagine any of them could find shelf space for a figure's package this big.

Articulation:
Through the years DC Direct have earned a rather bad reputation for their articulation. By no means are they as bad as McFarlane figures but they have never gotten their articulation levels quite as high as most mass market toylines. For this particular figure we see a few decent portions of articulation but it certainly could be better, even the articulation that's included could be better.



The head is a simple cut which is always somewhat disappointing with Superman figures since he's supposed to look up when he's flying. The shoulders are ball joints which is nice. These are true ball joints as opposed to pin/post style and offer up a decent range of movement. The arms are simple hinges but interestingly I'm a tad disappointed as they don't have a great level of movement. Typically elbow hinges are fine with me but in this case the elbow just doesn't bend enough.

He does has swivel wrists which is a nice addition but the lack of swivel arms will likely alienate a fair number of fans. Moving down he has a T-crotch and I have to point out that I hate the way DC Direct does their T-crotches. It's not so much that I hate a T-crotch, but DC Direct has a nasty habit of having a really small T in the T-crotch as opposed to the more traditional wider T shape. To me it looks a bit like male genitalia at best and god knows what at worst.



Finally he has hinge knees. This is all very basic articulation. While it's certainly more articulation than you get on your standard McFarlane figure or a DC Super Powers figure, it's not quite as much as I would have liked. Of course DC Direct tends to make their action figures more as poseable statues than action figures, so I guess one can understand why they have chosen the limited articulation levels that they have.

Sculpt:
The sculpt is where this figure really shines at. There is something definitively Superman about this figure. He looks a lot like George Reeves to me. Not necessarily the real George Reeves, but if George Reeves had been put onto a page of a comic book. This is a more barrel chested Superman than say your typical buff Superman physique.



That's not to say this guy isn't loaded down with muscles, but he looks more like a 1950's strongman than a 2000-era steroid bodybuilder. Of course his actual chest has some weird refinement on it that's not natural. I don't know if humans actually have muscles where he seems to, but it compliments the musclebound look.


In Communist Russia, Flag waves you!
Superman's face is the best part with a big strong bold chin and bigger ears than we typically see on the Man of Steel. Superman has bright blue eyes that are really well painted. His hair is perfectly parted, so much so that it's actually sculpted into the head. The back of the neck is a little wonky looking as the hair is just painted on there but it still completes a pretty impressive design.



Unfortunately this figure is almost definatively sculpted to be looking to the side. As such part of his neck muscles are already tilted in that direction. You can make him look forwards and it doesn't look too bad but if you're actually studying it, you can tell he's meant to be looking to the side. That goes back to the "action statue" I was talking about before with DC Direct. Sometimes they intend you to pose the figure in a specific fashion.

The rest of the sculpt is pretty plain, nothing too fancy to write home about. I like the belt buckle but the legs annoy me a bit as one is slightly turned to the side again to help out the pose they "want" you to put him in. Paint work is very strong with very little slop throughout. His body has a few scuffs and rubs throughout but I think those came from the twist ties holding him in.

Accessories:
DC Direct isn't known for their accessories but Superman does get a couple. Since he's Superman there isn't much you can give him. He has a big Soviet Union flag. It's a very cool accessory and he looks good holding it. That is, if you can get him to hold it. I had quite a bit of trouble getting it into his hand. Once it was in there it looked good, but it took far too much effort to get it in.



His only other "accessory" is the stand. It's a decent little stand but nothing too impressive. DC Direct almost always includes a stand. For what it's worth though, the figure stands fine on his own. Would have been cool to get a few more accessories.



Additional Notes:
I'm almost surprised that Mattel hasn't considered doing this figure since you could almost easily replicate him with a repaint but they may not have the license to do Elseworlds stuff or they might have some fears about putting a figure on the market that promotes communism.



This is the perfect type of figure that DC Direct should be making. It's from a limited run of comics and probably won't ever get made into a mass market line. It's artist specific and that's something that DC Direct has been doing for years. He runs right at 7 inches so he's really not compatible with DC Universe Classics.

Value:
This figure retailed for around $12-$15 depending on where you got him at the time he was released. He's a few years old now but expect to pay around the same price. You might be able to find him on clearance if you know where to look and your local comic shops may have him at a variety of different prices. I believe I paid under $10 for him a while back and I'm quite content with the figure at that price, even a little more. To me he does seem a bit like a statue. I can pose him some, but he's more of a desk trinket than something I'd get down on the floor and play with.



Score Recap:
Packaging - 5
Sculpting - 7
Articulation - 6
Accessories - Soviet Flag, Stand
Value - 7
Overall - 6 out of 10

If you're looking for a Red Son Superman, this is a great figure. They made a President version of him too which has a spiffier costume. I liked the Red Son storyline well enough, but I didn't care for all the alternate versions of everyone else. Red Son's storyline essentially becomes a revamp of the entire DC Universe and I much prefer the idea of a Russian Superman, which is why I bought this guy. He has a lot of the typical DC Direct flaws, but since I only wanted him I'm okay with it.



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Over 4 million people downloaded or streamed the new trailer of James Cameron's new Avatar movie this past weekend. Some people are saying it's going to be the future of movies. Everyone says it's amazing... What do I think?



Honestly, it looks mildly interesting. However the special effects look like cartoons in many of the shots. CGI has come a long way and this is supposed to be like the best CGI? Then why do some of the scenes look more like cartoons than The Phantom Menace?

I think CGI needs to be more properly implemented. So far I think only Guillermo del Toro truly understands how to use CGI melded with traditional suitimation, but maybe Cameron will prove me wrong. What do you say?

What has become of Gallifrey? Who are the marauding outliers? What lurks beneath the marsh? That was the billing for the Radio Times TV Guide in England on October 25 1980 in what would be the start of the E-Space Trilogy in Doctor Who. Tom Baker's stint as the Fourth Doctor begins to wrap up as we review today's DVD episode, Full Circle.



This is the beginning of the end for the 4th Doctor, K-9 and Romana. Come along as we review part 1 of the E-Space Trilogy, FULL CIRCLE!

The Plot:
The Doctor tells Romana that it's time to go home as she's being summonged by the Time Lords, but soon the TARDIS is yanked through to another dimension. Instead of being on the planet Alzarius in an alternate universe. As the Doctor tries to figure out what's wrong with the TARDIS we're introduced to the Outlers, rebels on the planet who refuse to become a part of the soceity which appears to have been built around a crash landing.



Among the Outlers is Adric, who while trying to earn his place in the gang ends up watching as the leader of the Terradonians (Adric & the Outler's race) is killed by a mysterious swamp creature. Adric ends up finding the Doctor and Romana and tells them of the leader's death as a result of Mistfall, a strange periodic change to the planet's environments.

The Doctor goes to investigate with K-9 when he comes across some of the swamp creatures. They are known as the Marsh Men. The Doctor is off to find off more about them while Adric returns the Outlers to the TARDIS. Once there the TARDIS is carried off by the Marsh Men.



The Doctor is forced to go to the Terradon's village where they have retreated into their spaceship as a result of Mistfall. Soon the Doctor realizes that all is not as it appears on the spaceship as the elders appear to be keeping their people in a constant state of rebuilding the spaceship. According to legend they're rebuilding the ship to return to Terradon but they've been repairing it for CENTURIES!



Eventually a strange spider bites Romana and she becomes infected with a strange illness that makes her relate to the Marsh Men. The Doctor works on a cure while trying to convince the leaders of the Terradons, known as the Deciders, to leave the Marsh Men alone and leave Alzarius as their ship is clearly repaired and has been for some time.



Soon Marsh Men have broke into the ship, decapitated K-9 and are running amok. It's up to the Doctor with a little help from Adric to defeat the Marsh Men and convince the Deciders to overcome their fears of flight and pilot their spaceship off of Alzarius. Along the way we learn the true secret of the Marsh Men and the real reason that the Terradons have never left Alzarius.



The Verdict:
A clever idea for a story (spoilers ahead) as the Terradons are a fictional race. Evolved from Alzarius, they kept their people in line by having them constantly rebuild a ship that wasn't broken. Presumably these people are Alzarians who evolved from the Marsh Men.



There are a few flaws in logic there and perhaps the story would have been better served if they were truly crash landed aliens as opposed to the natural inhabitants of Alzarius. It's not until the final act that the last little secret is revealed and while it does end up messing some of the logic up, it doesn't hinder the strong story otherwise.

Unfortunately things do get a bit bogged down in this four parter as Adric's side plot doesn't seem very well served. Romana getting infected helps to move the Marsh Men into the main plot, but it doesn't really seem to serve much other purpose. The Marsh Men themselves look pretty good at points and other times they look like crappy rubber suits. They're also probably the least interesting monsters in all of Doctor Who.


What the hell are you doing with K-9's head, Doctor?
The story shows the end and bit of a decline of an era and even Tom Baker doesn't look like he was having a whole lot of fun doing this one. Of course the story is pretty strong if not very well executed and if you can look past some of the weaker points you can enjoy a decent but hardly top notch story.

Bonus Grade: 7 out of 10

I really liked Romana's "possessed" makeup. It doesn't look like much in the pictures, but they did a cool effect where you can see the colors pulsating through her face. Very cool use of an archaic effect to maximum potential. Poor K-9 gets no love in this episode. Oh and the part where the Doctor is using K-9's head to ward off the Marsh Men is very surreal and not in a good way. At the time Lalla Ward and Tom Baker were divorcing and you can almost feel it in the episode.

Bonus Features:
This DVD comes as part of a 3-disc set but you can also get it individually. Surprisingly there are a decent amount of features. In addition to all four parts, you get a 24 minute documentary on the making of the episode.



This episode is important for a few reasons, first Adric becomes a new assistant and second that the story was written by 19 year old Andrew Smith. This was the beginning of an end of an era and the beginning of a new era as well. The title Full Circle is somewhat appropriate as a result.



Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot to focus on about the episode and a large portion of it is spent on the flaws. Everyone sort of bags on Adric and how the writers failed to write well enough for him and some even blame Matthew Waterhouse for his performance as him. We get interviews from some of the usual suspects as well as Andrew Smith, Lalla Ward (Romana) and even a few cameramen. It's a nice little feature although I wish they'd spent more time actually discussing the episode itself, such as the creatures and spaceship design.



Next we have a small feature on K-9 and the subsequent removal of him from the series. Again a large portion of the people interviewed rag on K-9, which is somewhat hilarious considering his popularity with a lot of fans. John Leeson the voice of K-9 laments how the writers stopped carrying about the character and started trying to get rid of him long before they actually did.



Then we have a rather long 14 minute documentary on the possibility of "E-Space" and if parallel universes such as the one they arrived in via a Charged Vacuum Emboitment can exist. It's a pretty interesting study on the theory behind some of these ideas and they include interviews with some brilliant scientist guy who knew Albert Einstein. He wears a monicle and thus looks like a James Bond villain.



That documentary feels a little long though and really isn't as interesting as it could be. It's cool if you like science and such, but it's not like the "E-Space" itself was at all a focal point of this serial.



Finally we have a Swap Shop episode featuring Matthew Waterhouse. Swap Shop is some sort of kiddie version of TRL as best I can tell and it's absolutely ridiculous. I've seen a few of these on the DVDs and they suck so bad. Kids who appear mentally retarded call in and ask how old the actors playing the Doctors are in every one of these I've seen. Seriously kids, why do you care? The host is the biggest douche ever too, asking a question as if he knows all and then seemingly spacing out when the answer is presented. Matthew Waterhouse is actually a pretty fantastic interview here with far more charm and charisma than he ever had as Adric which makes me wonder if what was said above about the writers screwing up Adric isn't correct. Waterhouse takes charge of the interview and shills a bunch of Doctor Who toys that I wish I had.

Bonus Grade: 7 out of 10