REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: Legendary Comic Book Heroes SERIES 1

Legendary Comic Book Heroes Series 1 review sponsored by BigBadToyStore.com.

Want a chance to win the first series of Legendary Comic Book Heroes? Enter our Legendary Comic Book Heroes Giveaway today!

Wow. Seriously. Marvel Toys has done it. Even though they have lost the license to do toys based on Marvel Comics, and in turn lost the Marvel Legends line which was their bread and butter, they discovered that there are other companies who would love the chance to see their comic creations turned into Legends-style figures. And they did just that with the release of the first two waves of Legendary Comic Book Heroes.

Now, while a lot of these characters may not be familiar to the mainstream public, that’s not going to matter because here are basically all new waves of Marvel Legends that collectors are going to go nuts over. And considering that they have continued the build a figure style, it just doesn’t get any better than this. Let’s look at first wave of figures.

Let’s start out with Witchblade. The story goes like this, and I will quote from the back of the card.

"New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini is the reluctant bearer of the Witchblade, an ancient and mysterious mystical gauntlet that has bonded itself to her. Only one woman in a generation is chosen to bear the enigmatic weapon, but at great cost, Sara must resist the gauntlets all-consuming thirst for battle, all the while solving the city’s strangest crimes, many of which seem to lead back to the Witchblade!"

These figures are amazing. The level of detail on Sara alone is spectacular. The one I picked up had a couple of glaring problems though, and I’m sure it was just my luck to pick up the messed-up one. Her paint application on her face is a little weird, and her left hand was put on backwards. But beyond that this figure is simply stunning. The amount of detail in the armor on her is great. And this being a Legends style figure, her articulation is top notch of course. And she’s in a skimpy outfit…come on, skin sells!

The packaging is just as amazing. The series logo is powerful and eye catching. And the inserts are great. The piece that sits to the right of the package shows some of the amazing covers to each of the seven characters in this series, including the build a figure. And the bottom insert that tells you who you be getting’ is great as well. A powerful picture of the Witchblade and its bearer, and a picture of the toy itself and what piece of the build a figure it comes with.

Sara comes with the upper torso of Pitt, and he is going to be amazing when I have him all completed. The amount of detail on the upper torso alone makes me giddy with excitement to see the final figure all put together. This build a figure is simply stunning. Or at least, it will be once I but the other figures. $9.99 a pop is a bit much when you times that by six figures. My fiancée would have had my head on a platter!

Moving on, we come to Madman.

"Created by Michael Allred Madman, aka Madman of Snap City, aka Frank Einstein, is a re-animated corpse who was a black ops agent for a shadow government organization called Tri-eye in his previous life. Found as a “Jon Doe” by two scientists experimenting with the secrets of Life and Death, he was given a fresh start and a new chance at life. The technology that brought him a new life also gave him advanced reflexes and enhanced skills and also heightened senses including a third eye that allows him to see the thoughts and feelings of others. Now he works for one of the scientists, Dr. Flem, helping him with his experiments in space and time travel and spends his spare time with his girlfriend, former lab assistant, Joe Lombard."

I really think that this is the shining figure of the line. I have always loved the simple design of the character, and this design lends itself so well to the Legends line. His paint is dead on and amazing, and though there isn’t a whole lot of detail in this figure, it’s the attitude of the character that really stands out for me. His articulation is what you would expect in a figure from this wave. And he comes with a gun, which fits perfectly in his articulated hand and fingers…that’s the one thing Marvel toys did to ALL of their figures that I hope Hasbro figures out is that having articulated fingers on the hand makes the figures that much more special.

Madman also comes with the lower torso of Pitt. And even though it’s a big honkin’ monster butt with a chain, it’s still amazingly detailed. The texture on the pants is utterly stunning. And the chains on this figure look amazing. It also has these little padlocks on the chains, which are separate pieces and can move on the chain. It’s the little touches, really. And the fact that he also comes with a non-articulated version of Timmy, who is Pitt’s brother…that my friend is another story. But like I said, it’s the little touches really.

The packaging matches Withcblades in its design. And I love the backs of the packaging. It gives you the synopsis of the character, as well as showing the comic book covers of the characters in the wave. Only the cover of the character you hold in your hand is in color and the rest are in this blue-toned wash. The packaging is a simple blue design which I think really helps it stand out from other items on the pegs. Among all the other items I saw on the shelf, these caught my eye simply because they are so brilliantly designed.

We move on to Judge Dredd.

"Mega-City One, 2129 AD. This vast urban nightmare is situated along the eastern coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated wasteland known as the Cursed Earth to the west and polluted Black Atlantic to the east. Home to 400 million citizens, crammed into gigantic city-blocks, overcrowding is rife, unemployment endemic and boredom universal. Tensions run a constant knife-edge, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges can prevent total anarchy. Empowered to dispense instant justice, these lawmen are judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law!"

Well, I may have over-reacted to Madman, because the Judge is awesome! We will start at the head. Now, his helmet doesn’t come off, but you can see that Marvel Toys took the time to sculpt the full head underneath which once again, it’s the little touches that stand out. His two shoulder pads could have used some better detailing, but a small nag. The helmet is very cool looking and extremely accurate.

And his belt and buckle is spot on perfect. His hands are okay, as the fingers aren’t articulated like with the other figures in the line. That being said, you kind of have to force his guns or his knife into his hands.
This leads me next, to his weapons. They are a great addition to this figure, and the fact that one of the guns and the knife fit into holders attached to the boots, and the larger gun fits into a pouch on the belt at the back of the figure make Judge Dredd a killer figure!

The Judge does come with the right leg and right leg chain for Pitt, which is phenomenal!

Next up is Ripclaw!

"Orphaned in his youth, Robert Bearclaw was raised by the Shaman of his tribe and taught through ritual how to enter another plane of existence, allowing, among other things, for visions of the past, present, and future. Robert’s life was changed forever when captured by the evil Cyberdata Corporation, whose experiments bonded Robert’s body with cybernetic implants based on alien technology, giving rise to the hero known as RIPCLAW. Now Robert’s innate ability to assume animalistic attributes at will, coupled with the alien cybernetic replacements of his hands, which he can now transform into razor sharp claws, are a force to be reckoned with. After breaking free of the yoke of Cyberdata’s control, Robert joined the ragtag group of heroes known as Cyberforce where Robert’s fierce beliefs are put to the test in the life or death struggle to protect the human race."

Ripclaw is a great figure. I have only a small issue with the figure, but I will get to that in a moment. The detail on the figure is outstanding. The texture of the figures upper body is great, and the details on the boots and his cybernetic hands are really nice. Add to those the fabric sculpted coming off from around his arms and you have some really good points. I like the fact that each blade, minus the thumb blade of course, is articulated.

The bad point is I’m just not a fan personally of the paint applications on him. It almost looks like, as you look at the red stripes on his chest and arms, that you are looking at a not so great custom figure instead of a store bought one. Add to the face that there isn’t enough color to really bring out a lot of the details in his face and chest. Sure, there are some blue in with the white, but they are just really soft colors that don’t fit well to me for some reason. A really decent figure, but we could have had a little better I think. Still no reason not to pick him up, though.

Ripclaw comes with the right arm of Pitt.

Next up is The Savage Dragon!

"Dragon was found by Lieutenant Fred Darling in a burning lot in Chicago, with no memory of his past. Darling was taken by Dragon and offered his friendship. He knew Dragon’s superhuman strength, bullet-proof skin and ability to regenerate would help combat Chicago’s criminal gang, Vicious Circle. He attempted to recruit the Dragon into the police force, but he declined. When the Vicious Circle attempted to extort money from Lt. Darling, Dragon leapt into action and easily defeated the gang’s thugs. When Fred lost his life in an explosion at the scene, Dragon decided to reconsider the offer to join the police force. He stepped into the role of the city’s premiere hero, pitting himself against the Vicious Circle and all other criminal threats, while he searches for details of his past."

The Dragon has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve always loved what Eric Larson was able to create with the Dragon and his tales. It’s nice to finally get a GOOD figure of him. The sculpting on this figure is another piece of work. Now, Dragon is kind of plain. He has some blue jeans on, and some black tennis shoes, both of which have some nice detail to them. His head is nicely done, and the hair on his arms and chest is painted on, which is okay. It’s his hands that are really cool. Not only are all his fingers articulated once at the knuckle…but they are articulated again at the middle phalanx of the finger which gives the figure much more movement in his hands than any of the other figures from Marvel, Hasbro OR Toy Biz that I have seen.

On top of the regular figure, we get a great variant that is just a nice. Same figure, with his head fin not as warped. Not sure if it’s sculpted that way, or mine is just warped plastic. We also get him wearing a white muscle shirt! The only bad thing on mine I saw was that the point where the top of the shirt meets at the shoulders they didn’t paint it all the way and it looks a little tacky if you ask me. But ehhh…other than that I really dig both versions of Dragon!

Both versions of the Dragon come with the Left leg and left leg chain of Pitt.

And last, but certainly not least…we get to the SuperPatriot!

"SuperPatriot was once Johnny Armstrong, a soldier in World War II. He was captured by the enemy and used as a guinea pig for scientific experiments, which gave him superhuman powers. He destroyed the enemy’s base, donned an American flag-styled costume and defended the world against evil as SuperPatriot. After a savage attack by one of his foes, his body was taken to Cyberdata, a corporation of underground scientists who transformed him into a powerful cyborg. He continues to use his powers to save the world."

I LOVE this figure. Maybe it’s because I just enjoy the design of the character. Maybe it doesn’t really matter in the long run. SuperPatriot may not be the best detailed figure in the wave; I would have to give that honor to Judge Dredd. He is the most fun to look at. From the kind of creepy looking mask, to the color and design of his tights down to the detail in his cybernetic legs and arms. SP is really just a great figure.

The gun would be nice if it was removable, but you win some and you loose some. I like the fact that his shoulder pads are actually articulated as well. On Dredd they are attached to the upper arm. Here they are articulated so they can move up or down depending on the movement and placement of the arms giving it a nice touch.

His paint and articulation is top notch. What I think I like the most is that the variant of this figure is almost like a completely different figure. The variant is sans mask, showing off his scarred face. Add to the fact that it’s a different gun attachment, on the left side instead of on the right on the regular figure. Plus you get a right hand this time that is WAY different than the regular figure’s left hand. They are both great figures, and shouldn’t be left out of your collection.

Both versions come with the left arm of Pitt.

I can’t say enough about this line. Go out and pick these up. They fit right in with all your Marvel Legends. Go get them, for the love of Stan Lee!

CLICK HERE for a Legendary Comic Book Heroes Series 1 photo gallery tour!

Review and Images by Jason Devall

Review Samples Courtesy of BigBadToyStore.com

Want a chance to win the first series of Legendary Comic Book Heroes? Enter our Legendary Comic Book Heroes Giveaway today!