One A Day 2.0: Day #163 - Maximus Boltagon

Ideally, the Acts of Vengeance armor or the Animated cartoon suit.

I loathe the early, early looks. Not for any kind of racist implications, just because I think they’re ugly. I’d pick up the bare-chested Handbook look, but I doubt that would pass Disney/Jesse’s delicate sensibilities.
 
Enter the Mandarin is my favorite look for him. Followed by the animate series look.

Enter the Mandarin:

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I actually like the somewhat goofy classic costume. Maybe image #3 but ditch the "M" on the chest. I'd be happy to put that look with the rest of my classic villains.
The acts of Vengeance Armor is alright if Hasbro wants to go that route. Although I do think the Enter the Mandarin look is also sharp.
I think the robes are beautiful, but would make a poor action figure. Not a fan of Mandarin with green skin at all.
 
I kinda love all the Mandarin’s looks, at least a little. I guess if I had to choose it would definitely be the Animated 90s look with options for green and also human-flesh hands/head.
Visually, the stuff that would set off my yellow-peril racism alarms are less about what costume he’s wearing (like, yeah man he IS Chinese, the *last* thing they should do is whitewash him), but more in how he’s “drawn”. Like some of those earlier panels do have some cartoonishly-exaggerated features in the face/hands that read less “Chinese” and more “negative Western stereotype of Chinese”. THAT is what must be avoided, and that’s why the recently-revealed Mandarin’s ringless “claw hands” give me the “ick”. If they had rings AND long nails: OK, yeah, I can dig it, at least it’s character-specific and not just “Asian hands”. But *just* the long nails? That’s definitely a “hey give him ASIAN HANDS” thing and it’s weird, if not necessary *intentionally* racist it reeks of systemic racism in Western culture.
 
Wasn't Mandarin colored green in that specifically because they didn't want to appear racist making him yellow? Same with the guy from Defenders of the Earth.
 
Wasn't Mandarin colored green in that specifically because they didn't want to appear racist making him yellow? Same with the guy from Defenders of the Earth.
Yep, that’s absolutely correct.

Kinda hard when the character’s names are “The Mandarin” and “Ming the Merciless”.
On the other hand, we weren’t all that far past Boris Karloff and Sir Christopher Lee playing Fu Manchu in yellowface, so I get it.

Oh and I definitely do NOT watch those movies, even though those are two of my favorite actors of all time. Just . . . yikes on bikes.
 
Wasn't Ming born on the planet Mongo?

A lot of the people of Mongo were colored a bright banana yellow in the old Flash Gordon newspaper strips. I don't know because I wasn't there, but I'm not convinced that was racism. I think artist Alex Raymond wanted the people of Mongo to stand out so the readers would know instantly who they were, hence the yellow. The could very easily have been blue or red. Bear in mind that comic strips and comic books had a very limited color palette to work with in those days. No digital coloring back then.

Anyway, like I said, I wasn't there so I don't know for sure. Alex Raymond tragically died in a car accident two years before I was born so I never got to meet him. I would have loved to, though.
 
In no particular order I would like the Acts Of Vengeance armour, old face-off 2 pack look or the cartoon look.
 
Wasn't Ming born on the planet Mongo?
Oh totally, but obviously cut from the classic yellow-peril villain mold. Systemic racism social construct more than Alex Raymond being, like, intentionally proactively racist.
I’m sure the Defenders of the Earth guys were doing an “abundance of caution” thing with the green skin, and I’m *pretty* sure the 90s Iron Man cartoon guys were just copying the DotE thing.
 
Day #123 - Death Adder

Would I buy? Day #1 instant purchase
Which version? Handbook preferred.

Hasbro - more Serpents please, especially this creepy guy. Since Death Adder, Anaconda and Black Mamba appeared in Iron Man #160, they are prime candidates for an Iron Man Retro Card wave, right? RIGHT?

Roland Burroughs
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Theodore Scott

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HUGE yes to handbook Death Adder, as well as ALL the monstrous Serpent Society folks.
 
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