General Marvel Legends

Alt said:
To add to that last paragraph: I think it has to do with the way that DC house style during the '80s and '90s handled the cinematography of the panels. It wasn't as dynamic and in your face as Marvel was becoming, and I mean that complimentary. Their books had like a room to breathe and felt a little more grounded even given the power levels at play.
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The common interpretation at the time is that Marvel was action and DC was talking heads.
 
Yes. It was used to explain why Marvel was selling better. DC turned it around a bit with Knightfall and Death of Superman. Then in the oughts Dad Didio turned everyone mean to shake off the goody two-shoes image. It was... an overcorrection.
 
I kept current with dc through borrowing from my friends in the '90s, but it wasn't until infinite Crisis that I made an effort to keep an active pull list. And then I was working for a review site when new 52 hit... Or was it rebirth? I forget which one hit first. It would have been whichever one was first. And then when they announced they were rebooting it again. I just walked away for a while.
 
Some of this depends on what type of figures were available at the time - when the main superhero toys were the 8" Mego in the 1970's there were no action features, just the figure in the fabric outfit over the generic body. DC had Batman with his Batcave, vehicles, etc. Superman, WW, Flash were perfect for this line as they didn't need power effects. There were a few extras for Spidey if I recall, but it was weird stuff like his Spider Car. Characters like Human Torch and Thor didn't translate great to the fabric.

The Mego DC stuff was good for recreating the Batman TV show or the Superfriends cartoon, I never quite felt the same for the Marvel trying to be Spidey or the FF.
 
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As a kid, I never associated either Marvel or DC with better playability. For me, playability was almost always tied into articulation, action features, and "stuff." Intrusive action figures were ones I did not enjoy playing with. Think Web Racer Spider-Man who lacked any arm articulation - he sucked. The multijointed Spider-Man, on the other hand, my favorite toy to play with as a kid. The old Super Powers toys were pretty enjoyable as were the Kenner Batman figures. The Toy Biz Marvel, X-Men, and Spider-Man lines were all hit and miss, but my fandom meant I had a ton from those waves so there was plenty of playable options. Some of the figures that always remained in my hands as a kid were Wolverine II, Cyclops (both), Sabretooth I, and Apocalypse II. By today's standards, the articulation was bad, but back then if it had elbow joints then that seemed like a dream. Apocalypse had fun, arm-swapping, accessories and I always enjoyed the light-up features of the Cyclops figures even if it meant he lost all head articulation. Kenner Batman usually lacked elbow articulation, but I had a Batmobile, copter, and other vehicles and sets that added to the fun. I also didn't buy much DC after that line. I think I got one figure from the BTAS line (Robin) and one figure from the Superman Returns line (mullet, flying Superman) and that was it until DC Direct. And those figures were definitely not very playable.
 
Chooch555 said:
It was... an overcorrection.
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To put it mildly.

I got random DC books in my youth, but collected Superman and many other DC books from Crisis forward until the month before the Nu52 launched. Skipped Flashpoint as well. That was just the impetus I needed to jump ship. I suppose I should thank him for saving me money on comics through the subsequent years.
 
I liked a lot of things about that 90s X-Men toy line.

The card backs are probably my second favorite of all time behind GI Joe.

Kid me liked how they called the various figures "second edition" or "third edition" etc. It was a fun way for me to keep track and I kept score on who got more "editions" than others. Wolverine and Cable were, of course, the leaders.

My favorites included:

Cyclops 2nd edition--Jim Lee costume with the light up visor was peak.

Iceman--went in the freezer a LOT for the color change feature.

Bishop---had a great sculpt and his action feature was kind of neat.

Beast---his flip feature never worked but the fact that he had a great sculpt and the fact that he was "rare" and I still found in at TRU overshadowed that fact

Apocalypse 2nd edition with the change out-arms.

Professor X--his hover chair made him so unique.

Fun stuff.
 
I can't remember the last time I was as excited for a Marvel Legend as I am for that new Classified Lara Croft. There have been so many versions of Spider-Man and Wolverine released that are good but maybe not good enough to really stand apart to me. I was pretty excited about Gamerverse Wolverine, but it ended up being kinda massive.

This is the Tomb Raider figure I wanted for 30 years. Its so well executed. I've gotten pretty great Spider-Men and Wolverines over the years, its tough to release a new one that truly, truly stands out. Is that a good or bad thing?

This whole day has made me look at the Legends I'm getting and what truly makes me excited over them. There are red and blue Spider-Men I would be excited to get, but nothing that would be a huge game changer. Maximum Spider-Man was... I don't know. It was okay - price not withstanding... it didnt feel like the revelation is was probably intended to be.
 
AceofKnaves said:
I only backed one, and yes it was the figure(s) that drew me in.

Still missing the Maddy and Robbie heads, but honestly the way way waaaaaaaaay better Mephisto we are getting almost makes me grateful the thing fizzled, although I feel bad for those who really wanted that car. AND I GET IT!!: if it was Johnny’s bike and that felt like it was our only shot and we missed it, I would be pretty crushed.
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It's the same Mephisto, isn't it? I remember looking at them side-by-side, and I'm pretty sure it's exactly the same sculpt. It just comes with the throne (which I concede is better).
 
Damien said:
I once missed out on the LotR Isildur figure and couldn't find it locally, and I was incensed to pay the OUTRAGEOUS price of 20 dollars to get him.
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That was a pretty hefty markup though when you consider those figures were retailing for like $6 at the big box stores.
But that TB LoTR line was really fun and for the most part inexpensive. Alas it was a line I decided just wasn't "core" for me to keep and I eventually sold them all off... though I think I still have the electronic Tree Beard around here some where.
 
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