Lego Review: 76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro

Alrighty, RegularVince here with my first content post of 2015: my review for the new Lego DC Super heroes set: 76025 Green Lantern vs. Sinestro.

I wish I could say I've really been waiting for this set, but what I've really been waiting for is a legit Green Lantern that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I really like my arms and legs. I use them regularly.

Back to the set at hand, for the MSRP of $19.99, you get 174 pieces, including three all-new minifigures in Green Lantern, Sinestro, and Space Batman. Yes, Space Batman. He's one of my favorite super heroes, but I really don't think we needed another Batman minifigure to round out this set. I would have much rather seen another member of the Sinestro Corps, or, since this year's DC line seems to be all about full-sized figures, an Anti-Monitor figure. 

You need any more ideas, Lego? You know where to find me.

So let's start things off with the minifigures, and our titular hero: Green Lantern.

As you can see, the minifigure design is based off the more classic Hal Jordan look. Not that this is a problem, I just felt like I needed to point it out, since depending on when you were into the DC properties, he might not be the Green Lantern you're most familiar with. The design of this mini is rather clean, and far less busy than the 2011 SDCC exclusive figure, so it's definitely an improvement. And as you can see, GL comes with a double-sided head, featuring a stern look and a more playful smirk.

My one gripe is an almost non-issue, but it did bother me. The translucent green stud I have GL pictured with is supposed to be his power ring. Pretty simple, right? Well, maybe it was too simple, because Lego didn't actually include this in the set. That stud is just a left over from one of my other builds. Trivial? Yes, but it's something so simple that it's amazing it wasn't included, especially since a quick Google search for Green Lantern shows almost every image with his power ring lit up.

Next up we have Sinestro, GL's most famous villain, even though he's been known to act as the occasional anti-hero, when the mood strikes him. Sinestro also comes with a double-sided head; one stern look, the other a menacing grimace. He also comes with a yellow battle-staff contruct, The minifigure's design is based on his yellow lantern/Sinestro Corps outfit, which I think looks fantastic, but I also would've loved to see him in his classic blue and black outfit. Maybe we'll see this in a later release, since Lego does love to release different versions of the same figure.

Speaking of different versions of the same figure, here we have yet another Batman to add to our already extensive Bat-collection, this time sporting a space outfit to protect him from the harsh vacuum of space. Now why is Batman in space?

Why not?

Anyway, you can probably tell I'm not super excited to be getting another Batman minifigure, but I must say the design is pretty cool, and the amount of accessories he comes with is staggering. Bats comes with two heads: a full-on mask and a double-sided head, displaying a stern look and his trademark smirk; a helmet, two sets of wings, in the open and closed position; a jet-pack, which is actually designed to keep the wing in place, and the new super jumper. giving him the ability to leap into action at a moments notice.

Admittedly, it does have a greater range than seen above, that's just the first video I got, and I thought it was hilarious.

I do have to issue a huge warning about the super jumper: it will damage your minifigure. Not because launching it across the room can ding it, and it can, but because of the way jumper itself is designed.

Behind the pegs where you place the minifigure, the plastic juts out just enough to apply pressure to the minifigure.

As you can see, the damage in my particular case wasn't that extensive, as it simply slightly dented the back of the legs, but I have heard cases online of the legs cracking and splitting because of the super jumper.

You have been warned.

Moving on to the rest of the set, I'll start off with Sinestro's power battery Cage.

I suppose I could've listed this as an accessory for Green Lantern, but this set also comes with his power battery, which he uses to power up his power ring. And since Sinestro is the baddie in this set, of course he wants all the power. So what we have here is a construct used to house the power battery.

The build is pretty simple, but what I love the most is the dome on top of the build. Since it's on a hinge, it keeps the build closed when in the down position, and allows it to be opened up when it's not. The hinge is also loose enough to allow it to be opened with a direct hit from GL ship.

So now that you've seen that cool action feature, let's talk about Green Lantern's ship.

Here we have Green Lantern's fighter jet, what I'm assuming is supposed to be a construct of his power ring, and apart from me wishing there were more clear elements integrated into the build, or better yet, that it was completely made of clear elements, I like the design. It's simple, but honestly, it doesn't need to be anymore complicated, as it perfectly showcases what it's supposed to be.

There are a lot of great design elements built into this ship. The stud shooters are a new design, and built into the wings. I also love how the extra stud "bullets" are built into the wing design. This is something that most sets featuring these types of weapons don't do. And geniusly, the spring loaded missiles are housed within the cockpit, activated by a gear and crank system that runs through to the back of the ship.

As you can see, turning the knob on the back triggers the spring loaded missiles. And because of the way it's designed, you can fire both missiles relatively quickly and reload them without opening the ship. Brilliant.

The missiles also have pretty good range, launching between 6 and 10 feet.

Final Verdict

While I'm not thrilled with having Batman shoehorned into this set, and I'm certainly upset over inadvertently damaging my minifigures with the super jumper, I still think this is a great set to have. Green Lantern and Sinestro have pretty simple designs, but they are based on pretty simple characters, at least from a design standpoint. While I usually don't buy Lego sets for their action features, I can definitely see how this set would appeal to children, which makes the ease of this build all the better. It probably took me about 30 minutes to complete this build, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

So while it does have it's problems, the DC Super Heroes: Green Lantern vs. Sinestro is worth picking up. 

My thoughts on Batgirl 35

Batgirl 35 hit this week, and if the internet is to be believed, this is the biggest thing to be released since sliced bread. 

This book wasn't on my radar, and hasn't been since the New 52 launched and Barbara Gordon suddenly stood up out of her wheelchair and decided physically fighting crime was more exciting than doing it from behind a computer screen. But the buzz was big enough on this book to make me rethink my stance. I decided to give it a chance. And while I didn't think the book was bad, I think I'd prefer the sliced bread. 

First thing's first, the art is absolutely gorgeous. Babs Tarr knocks it out of the park, doing a fantastic job of setting this title apart from the grim and gritty look that usually accompanies the members of the Bat-family. The book is filled with bright colors and dynamic set pieces that pop off the page. And while I didn't much care for Batgirl's suit redesign at first, it's growing on me. It really works with the book's color scheme, and I love that it's much more simplistic than most costumes in the New 52. 

But this a comic book, and the comic is more than just the art. And that's where this book falters. There is an interesting story here, especially in the light of recent events. It just isn't executed well.  It almost seems as if Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart are trying too hard to hammer home that Batgirl and her new friends are cool and hip. 

Batgirl has gone from being a young superhero to a "young superhero who gets drunk enough to not remember who she's made out with and wakes up hungover and has to excuse herself to throw up in between bouts of being a badass."

Her new roommate isn't just her outgoing new friend, she's the girl that "throws crazy parties and is super cool and uses hip language and cool nicknames and is supposed to be a lesbian but enjoys making out with dudes too."

Even the villain is turned up, as he's a "DJ and club owner who speaks in hashtag and has his tattoo-and-piercing game cranked to eleven."

I just feel like it's trying too hard to be relevant to a younger audience, as if it's written to appeal to a teenage audience that thinks this is what being in college is like. In that regards, it works. 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm probably not the target audience. And that's ok. As great as it looks, this book just isn't for me. 

But my girlfriend really liked it, and she IS a 21 year old college student. 

So it's got that going for it. 

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: September 26, 2014

End of the week, end of the month, and another bunch of comics to add to my ever-growing stack. I decided not to provide any pictures today (partly because my work space is covered in Lego, mostly because I'm too lazy to move things). I didn't buy anything other than comics this week, so I'm just gonna jump into that.

• Batman Eternal #25
• Chew #43
• Cyclops #5
• Guardians of the Galaxy #19
• Inhuman #6
• Loki: Agent of Asgard #6
• Magneto #10
• New Avengers #24
• Red Sonja #12
• Saga #23
• Secret Avengers #8
• Storm #3
• Superman Doomed #2

So Superman Doomed #2 finally came out, after about a month of being delayed. I really enjoyed the ending, even though the journey to get here was a little wonky and inconsistent (I'm looking at you, Scott Lobdell). And the implications with the DC Multiverse are really exciting. I don't want to go into much detail, but it looks like Superman, somewhere, is wearing his underwear on the outside!

And that's all I've read so far. I'm going back to playing Destiny and building the Star Destroyer I bought last week. And wearing my Pikachu beanie, cause I'm a boss like that.

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: September 5, 2014

Kicking off the month of September with a couple big comic releases in the Death of Wolverine #1 and Original Sin #8. And against all odds, the Superman: DOOMED storyline still hasn't come to a conclusion, even though I've seen it solicited for the past two weeks, and plugged it on my podcast for the past two weeks...

Anyway, I also bought more Lego. Where you expecting any less?

So here's my comics pull, with my picks of the week in bold and my digital purchases in italics, cause I'm fancy like that.

• All-New Doop #5
• Avengers Worlds #12
• Batman Eternal #22
• Black Widow #10
• Captain America #24
• Death of Wolverine #1
• Grayson: Future's End #1
• Green Arrow: Future's End #1
• Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #6
• Legendary Star-Lord #3
• Moon Knight #7
• Original Sin #8
• The Punisher #10
• Robocop #3
• Rocket Raccoon #3
• She-Hulk #8
• Spider-Man 2099 #3
• The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #15
• Swamp Thing: Future's End #1
• Uncanny X-Men #25

Death of Wolverine was actually pretty good, which isn't surprising since Charles Soule was at the helm. That man write anything and it'll be amazing. Original Sin, on the other hand, was a bit lackluster, and in true Marvel fashion, another event comic that doesn't so much end as it sets up what books you need to buy to get the rest of the story.

I also bought this bad boy, the Lego AT-AT. At over 1100 pieces, I can't wait to rip into this bad boy.

And for spending at least $99 at the Lego Store this week, I also got the White Lego Spaceman give away,

I made an unboxing video since I thought the set was neat. Definitely a step up from Lego's normal polybag give aways. I'm embedding the video here so you can check it out if you like.

So that's it for this week. Catch y'all next time!

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: August 29, 2014

This was a pretty big week for me, so let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Here's what I pulled from the comic stands this week, along with what comics I bought digitally. 

• Adventure Time: Fionna  & Cake #1-6 (digital)
• Adventure Time: Marceline and the Scream Queens #1-6 (digital)
• All-New X-Men #31
• Avengers #34
• Batman Eternal #21
• Bee and Puppycat #1-2 (digital)
• Black Science #8 (digital)
• Cyclops #4
• Doc Unknown Vol. 1 (digital)
• Guardians of the Galaxy #18
• Inhuman #4
• Lumberjanes #1-3 (digital)
• The Manhattan Projects #23
• Original Sin #5.4
• Saga #22
• Silver Surfer #5
• Superman #34
• Uncanny Avengers #23

As you can see I bought a good amount of comics this week. So far I've only read Avengers #34 and Superman #34, both were great reads.

And Avengers #34 has got me absolutely stoked for Time Runs Out, the crossover event bringing Jonathan Hickman's Avengers and New Avengers runs together to drastically change the Marvel Universe. Can't wait.

I also bought all of Mixels Series 3 from Lego this week. Twice, actually. I always buy doubles of Mixels. 

I'm not sure what their official release date is since they're still not showing up on Lego's online shop but the physical stores have them for sale. Keep a look out in the coming weeks, I plan on reviewing the each of the three tribes (that's colors for the uninitiated).

And lastly, I decided to pick up this Lego City accessory set. It's arctic camping gear to match their new Lego City Arctic line. I'll be posting a review soon, but here's a teaser: I'm greatly disappointed. 

So that's it for this week, catch y'all next time!

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: August 22, 2014

This was a pretty small week for me. My comics stack was pretty light and I didn't spend an obscene amount of money on Lego. I did find a couple rad ReAction figures though, so not all was lost.

Here's my weekly pull list. I'm super excited about Grant Morrison's Multiversity, and with this week's Supergirl, DC's Superman: Doomed storyline is beginning to wrap up. I'm also interested in seeing how All-New Ghost Rider will fare now that Tradd Moore is off the title. I also finished off my Fatale and Locke & Key runs thanks to a couple Comixology sales.

• All-New Ghost Rider #6
• Batman and Robin #34
• Batman Eternal #20
• Daredevil #7
• Elektra #5
• The Fade Out #1 (Digital)
• Magneto #8
• Ms. Marvel #7
• Multiversity #1
• New Avengers #23
• Secret Avengers #7
• Storm #2
• Supergirl #34
• Unwritten: Apocalypse #8

I've been picking up these ReAction Figures lately. It's funny, I have no intention of buying all of them or even opening the packages. In all honesty, these kinda look godawful, but I still love them. It's the combo on the packaging, info card, and the old-school look of the figures that I really find appealing.

Just look at how awesome that looks.

On a side note, I need to figure out a way to soften the lighting around my house. I guess it's to Google I go.

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: August 8, 2014

This week's comics haul was pretty big for me. I kinda wish DC would do a better job of spacing out their major releases. It's always a pain in the ass to not get any Superman: Doomed books for a while then have three tie-in issues drop on one day, two of them being $4.99 annuals.

Anyway, here's what I bought, and I'm bolding what I'm most excited to read:

• Action Comics #34
• Action Comics Annual #3
• Batman Eternal #18
• Black Widow #9
• Detective Comics #34
• Green Arrow #34
• Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #5
• Legendary Star Lord #2
• Moon Knight #6
• New Avengers #22
• Original Sin #5.3
• Original Sin #3.4
• The Punisher #9
• Rocket Raccoon #2
• She-Hulk #7
• The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #14
• Superior Spider-Man #32
• Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1
• Swamp Thing #34

I also bought some digital titles:

• Grayson #2
• Robocop #2
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2008) #1-25

Heads up, Robocop was awesome.

I picked up a Funko Marty McFly ReAction figure. The throwback appeal really called out to me, and I love the "Adult Collectible - Not a Toy" warning printed across the top. I like the line because it reminds me of the action figures I used to get as a kid, although I'm pretty sure I never had a Back to the Future toy. A Doc Brown figure should be out but my comic shop didn't have any.

I picked up Boba Fett last week, so grabbing Han Solo was a no brainer. I'm not sure where I'm gonna put these guys as I've run out of space a long time ago, but I wanted it, and I'm an adult, so I bought it. Yay!

Rounding out my haul this week, I also bought some more Lego. I got two Exo Suits, which I reviewed earlier this week. It's a really cool set and I'm really glad I got one. And even happier that I got two. The second set is the Research Institute, which I will be reviewing next week. I also got the mini MINI Cooper for spending over $100 at the Lego Store.

That's it for this week.

Be Jealous :P

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: August 1, 2014

Another week, another trip to the comic shop and beyond.

This was a pretty big week for me as far as comics go, picking up 19 different titles. Have I read anything yet? Hell no, these comics are going to be added to the pile on my desk that's at least 50 deep. I think I may have a problem...

So here's what I bought:

• All-New Ghost Rider #5
• Avengers #33
• Avengers World #10
• Batman Eternal #17
• Chew Warrior Chicken Poyo #1
• Cyclops #3
• Detective Comics Annual #3
• Guardians of the Galaxy #17
• Hawkeye #19
• The Manhattan Projects #22
• New Avengers #21
• Original Sin #3.3
• Red Sonja #0
• Secret Avengers #6
• Uncanny Avengers #22
• Uncanny X-Men #24
• The Wake #10
• X-Men #17

Goddamn that's a long list.

Since last week was Batman Week, Amazon was selling the Ultimate Dark Knight Collection for 60% off, so I picked it up. It's a pretty good set, has all three movies plus special features, an art book, a pretty nice, yet inconveniently sized hardcover that houses the blu-rays, five mini villain posters, and replica models of the tumbler, bat-pod, and bat wing. All in all it was a great deal for one of the best comic book movie trilogies to date.

I also stumbled across a 7" Boba Fett from Hasbro's Star Wars: The Black Series line of action figures. I haven't seen one of these in the wild, or at a reasonable price online, in months, so I snatched this bad boy up as soon as I saw it on the shelf. Haven't opened it yet but I will eventually, probably when I find space for it.

And that's it for this week. As always, I'm interested to see what the next week will bring.

My SDCC 2014 wrap up, and I didn't even go

Another San Diego Comic Con has come to a close, another year where I didn't attend. I mean, it's expensive, and probably loud, and almost certainly smelly. It looks like fun, but seriously, it's hard to get convention stink off you.

So today I just want to focus on some of the announcements and news that broke over the weekend. I'm not touching every subject, just tossing in my two cents on a few bits of info that struck me as awesome.

First off, Marvel revealed a teaser image of what Vision will look like in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Apart from the mass of Ultron robots and a pretty cool shot of Quicksilver that reminds of his stint in The Ultimates 2, you can see Vision floating above the battle field in what looks like his classic yellow, green, and red attire. Super cool stuff. I'm excited that Paul Bettany will be voicing our favorite android, but I'm a bit disappointed Clark Gregg won't be able to take a crack at him.

Next up we have our first look at Wonder Woman from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I gotta say, Gal Gadot looks pretty good as Wonder Woman. Definitely looks like she put on a little muscle for the role. Not that she didn't always look fit, she just doesn't look as long and slender as I was expecting her to be. Although I doubt she'll be standing taller than Batman or Superman in the final cut of the movie.

I also heard some interesting things about the teaser trailer for BvS: DoJ (HA!). Seems as if Batman will be rocking the power armor he wore in his battle against Supes in The Dark Knight Returns. I'm sure it'll be neat to watch, but I can't honestly say I'm looking forward to Superman fighting Batman, even if it's an older, grizzled Batman. Seriously, can't we all just get along?

On the comic book front, I'm actually interested in the new Avengers title set to release in November, titled Captain America and the Might Avengers. It's supposed to reunite Luke Cage, Jennifer Jones, and Spider-Man under [new] team leader Captain America (the Sam Wilson version). It'll be written by Al Ewing, who writes a mean Loki in Agent of Asgard, with art by Luke Ross. 

It looks like Deathlok will be getting a new solo series with Nathan Edmondson at the helm. If it's anything like his Black Widow it'll be a great series.

Charles Soule seems to be willing to continue crushing Swamp Thing and Superman/Wonder Woman, which I'm super stoked about. What I'm still not excited about is Meredith and David Finch taking over Wonder Woman after Brian Azzarello finishes his run. I have nothing against Meredith, as I'm not familiar with her work, but I'm just not the fan of David's artwork that I used to be.

Speaking of artists I'm not a fan of, Greg Land is slated to be the artist on a new ongoing Spider-Woman title. I just don't know how the man continues to get work. I don't get how someone can have all his art look the same across multiple titles, yet different in the same book. It's perplexing.

Back to movie news, Marvel already announced Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for a July 2017 release, which isn't that surprising considering buzz around the interwebs is that Guardians of the Galaxy is the best Marvel movie to date. Which means Marvel has a tremendous track record for release "best movies."

I'm also excited about Mad Max: Fury Road. Here's the trailer if you're interested.

And last but not least, on the SDCC exclusive front, here's an image of the Lego Rocket Raccoon Warbird exclusive.

This set, which is 160 something pieces and supposed to "retail" for $39.99, is already going for over $200 on ebay, so I'm probably not gonna be getting this one, no matter how badly I want it.  

And that's it for what stuck out to me at this year's Comic Con.

Until next time!

Vinnie's Weekly Haul: July 24, 2014

I usually make my weekly comic shop run on Thursdays, so I decided to do a little showcase of the comics and collectibles I picked up. 

This was a fairly light comic week for me. Not that it matters, I've got a stack of comics on my desk at least 50 deep that I need to work through. But don't worry, I'll get there.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo bring their Batman: Zero Year storyline to a close, which I'm sure will be fantastic, as Snyder hasn't written anything less than stellar when it comes to Batman. We also celebrated Batman Day on Wednesday, commemorating his first appearance in Detective Comics 27. So of course I picked up a few bat titles.

A couple other notable releases are Wonder Woman 33, marking the beginning of the end of Brian Azzarelo's run on the title. I'm interested in seeing how Dan Slott tie's Amazing Spider-Man into the Original Sin storyline. I also picked up Afterlife with Archie 6 digitally, which is an amazing yet creepy read. Roberto Aguirre Sacasa is absolutely crushing it with his zombie meets Archie tale.

I picked up a new statue this week, a Green Arrow minibust based on Jim Lee's artwork.

I'm pretty happy with the purchase. The colors are vibrant and the piece itself is well painted. Giving it a flatter color scheme would bring it closer to how Arrow is portrayed in his comic series, and I would've loved if the figure was hooded, but that's nitpicking. 

But most importantly, he'll look great next to my Hawkeye and Taskmaster statues. Archers FTW!

And to round out the week, of course I bought Lego.

I wasn't expecting these newer Star Wars sets to be out until August 1st, but thanks to Lego's penchant for soft roll outs, the Lego Store had these in stock. I'll be reviewing these sets in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out.

So that's it as far as what I spent my money on this week. Hope y'all enjoyed :P

The name's Grayson, Dick Grayson

After a nice, albeit short vacation, I'm back with a review of a new New 52 title focusing on Gotham's favorite son. I was hoping to have this up about a week ago, but what can I say? VACATION!

Grayson #1
Written and plotted by Tim Seeley and Tom King
Drawn by Mikel Janin

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I dropped Nightwing a couple years back because it wasn't speaking to me and avoided Forever Evil like the plague. With the ads in place, I knew they were setting Dick Grayson up for something big, and DC has never been one to shy away from changing the status quo, especially when it comes to Batman's favorite ward, and it really seems like they've delivered. Grayson #1 is a pretty big departure from the Dick we know and love but doesn't veer too far away from what makes him the character he is.

Grayson starts off very high energy and doesn't really let up, allowing for the action and setting to speak for itself. It avoids a long, drawn out explanation as to why Dick Grayson is now an international man of mystery and merely thrusts you into this world that he's found himself in, and it's much better for it. It did leave me with a few questions but I suppose that's the hook to keep me coming back. I was also surprised to see a few familiar faces, and I won't spoil who they are, but I am interested in seeing how they'll factor into the series, especially since I'm not familiar with their New 52 incarnations. 

Along with the action, Tim Seeley also injects the book with a good amount of humor that doesn't come off as forced, given the situation. It plays well with the more light-heated character that Dick is normally portrayed as. The last thing I would've wanted is a serious, brooding Dick Grayson in response to his newly acquired "deceased" status. 

Mikel Janin also does a great job on the art side of things, bringing a great sense of motion into his artwork, which works magnificently with acrobatic nature of the title character. His artwork conveys a lot of motion and seems to have a lot of weight behind it. The colorist Jeremy Cox also gives the book a good psychedelic vibe that plays into the story and adds to the spy movie feel of this issue.

For a first issue, there's a lot going on here, but it doesn't make you feel like you're missing something if you didn't read anything leading up to this book. I was worried I'd be lost, especially since DC isn't the best at catching new readers up on what's going on, but it works well here. I'm very interested in seeing where this series goes, and the ending definitely has me wondering where it will take our hero.

_____________________________________________________

Now for a little housekeeping. I should have a review of the Lego Ghostbusters Ecto-1 set up by Wednesday. Also be on the lookout for my thoughts on the X-Men vs the Sentinel and Guardians of the Galaxy Milano Spaceship Rescue Lego sets.

I'm planning of having more than just Lego and comic reviews coming up but I'm still trying to get into the swing of things.