The Internet has been a-buzz this month with X-Men news as work started on X-Men: Days of Future Past with some of the movie's stars spotted in Montreal for filming. Excitement has also been fuelled by director Bryan Singer tweeting some great behind-the-scenes photos (@BryanSinger), and a brilliant April Fool's Day Tweet that Lady Gaga would be joining the cast! Erstwhile Twilight actor Booboo Stewart has been enlisted – probably as Warpath – although early speculation had cast him as a young … [Read more...]
The Uncanny X-Men
I recently picked up an old X-Men Marvel comic in a second hand store – in fact, it wasn’t just any old issue, but #1 from October 1991, when they were relaunched as simply “X-Men” (rather than “Uncanny X-Men”) with pencilling and story by the much admired comic book artist Jim Lee.
This is the third of the four variant covers telling the same tale – Rubicon – and features the double page pin up spread A Blast From the Past – again by Jim Lee, together with inker Scott Williams. It actually clocks in as the biggest selling comic book of all time with over 8 million copies sold, so it’s not the rarest of finds, however, there’s still lots to enjoy for the collector – flipping the comic over there is this great vintage Toy Biz advert for the first wave of X-Men action figures!
There have been innumerable series of X-Men action figures over the years but it’s fun to take a look back at where it all started with what was a huge assortment of characters in a 9 figure line up. This original assortment included vehicles for Magneto and Wolverine and additional play sets – Wolverine was furnished with a Combat cave and Cyclops a Lightforce Arena.
- Wolverine – issued with a removable mask, a samurai sword and had special snap out claws (which meant the elbow joints didn’t bend).
- Storm – issued with a lightning bolt accessory and the lightning bolt on her chest lit up.
- Archangel – issued with two missiles which could be launched from his finger, as well as having flapping wings.
- Nightcrawler – issued with a sword and suction cups above the right knee and on left hand.
- Cyclops – issued with a visor which lit up.
- Colossus – issued with a weight bar and special power lifting action.
- Juggernaut – issued with a battering ram and with a power punch action.
- Magneto – issued with a removable helmet and cloth cape and magnetic hands and chest.
- Apocalypse – issued with a staff and magic jewel and had an extending body action.
Uncanny X-Men: Cyclops with Laser Light Eyes!
Long before Simon Cowell launched his reign of terror over TV networks the world over, in the 1980s our Cyclops here was already part of a very different X-Factor team in the Marvel Comics X-Men spin-off comic book series of the same name. One of the mutant X-Men since the very first issue in 1963, the Stan Lee / Jack Kirby creation is one of the most enduringly popular characters of the entire X-Men universe, so when Marvel relaunched the X-Men in 1991 Cyclops was swiftly incorporated back into … [Read more...]
Juggernaut with Power Punch – the Unstoppable X-Men Villain!
The brainchild of legendary comic book writer Stan Lee, and artist Jack Kirby, Juggernaut aka Cain Marko first appeared during the Silver Age of Comic Books in X-Men #12 published in 1965. When Toy Biz issued this 5-inch Juggernaut action figure as part of the Evil Mutant subset of characters in the first series of its hugely popular Uncanny X-Men line decades later in 1991, the villain was riding a surge of new notoriety thanks to the 1990s X-Men animated television show. Indeed, he got his own … [Read more...]
Trouble and Stryfe! The Uncanny X-Men villain from Toy Biz X-Force line
Marvel super villain Stryfe, leader of the Mutant Liberation Front and sworn enemy of team X-Force, first appeared in 1990 in issue #85 of X-Men spin-off comic The New Mutants. In the final issue #100 readers were in for a huge surprise when he removed his helmet and revealed himself to be none other than his own enemy the mutant Cable! Confused yet?!As Toy Biz explained on the back of the packaging for this 1992 Stryfe action figure:Stryfe is the mysterious evil mutant who could be … [Read more...]
X-Men Super-Villain Sauron with Savage Attack Wings!
When Marvel Comics launched a new super-villain in 1969 to do battle with the X-Men, writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams found themselves with the tricky task of inventing a monster that would pass the strict rules of the Comics Code Authority, a 1950s body that still censored depictions of horror or violence in comics and even banned the use of centuries old legendary figures such as vampires and werewolves. Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention, so Thomas and Adams brilliantly … [Read more...]
Snikt! Wolverine gets his claws out with Toy Biz!
Several years ago I posted a great vintage advert for the first wave of 5-inch X-Men action figures produced by Toy Biz, which appeared in issue #1 from the October 1991 relaunch of the comic book starring the mutant superhero team as simply "X-Men" (rather than "Uncanny X-Men").I finally got around to tracking down a few of these enduringly popular figures recently and will be posting them here, starting today with what seems to be everybody's favourite figure from the line – Wolverine! … [Read more...]