Mattel: DCUC Recovery Suit Superman

DCUC Recovery Suit Superman

In my previous post, I touched upon the topic of Superman's death. For this post, I'm going to talk about his spectacular comeback. While DC decided to kill Superman and briefly explored a World without Superman, they also made plans in place on how to bring him back. This powerless Superman in a new suit is Mattel's initial Superman figure for their relaunched DC Universe Classics line. This post will be all about the Recovery Suit Superman.

Superman, Back form the Dead

Mattel must have securely thought that their DCSH Superman would be enough for collectors to own and incorporate in the DC Universe Classics collection. They went for the surprising choice of releasing this Recovery Suit Superman and the Mullet Haired Superman (Post Return of Superman appearance) for their DC Universe Classics toy line. This Recovery Suit Superman served as the variant one. I will be focusing on this figure and will dedicate a separate post for the Mullet Haired Superman. When DC started the Return of Superman storyline, they made it a mystery as to who is the Real Superman by coming up with four new Supermen who had either a resemblance or a common characteristic to the real Superman. The Four Supermen (which will be reviewed in future posts) were The Last Son of Krypton/Eradicator, Steel, Superboy, and The Cyborg Superman. These four for much of the entire run of the storyline were the prominent characters in the four separate Superman comic books namely, Action Comics (Eradicator), Superman: Man of Steel (Steel), The New Adventures of Superman (Superboy), and Superman (Cybrog Superman). It was easily revealed in the storyline that Superboy (which was a clone of Superman) and Steel (A mortal in a powered armor inspired by Superman) were not the real Superman. Readers were forced to choose between Eradicator/The Last Son of Krypton and Cyborg Superman as to who was the real Superman between them. Both possessed Superman's memories and some Kryptonian DNA albeit questionable at times (Back then, I thought that The Last Son of Krypton was the real Superman, though I preferred Cyborg Superman as the new Superman because of the popularity of the Terminator at that time). And as the readers were treated to the mystery of the real Superman, a fifth one emerged during the final quarter of the storyline. This Superman was the real deal, Kal El himself, but the twist was that he was rendered powerless. It was revealed that Eradicator stole Superman's body and put him in a regeneration matrix to resurrect Superman and keep him alive while drawing Superman's powers to himself. Cyborg Superman on the other hand was actually Hank Henshaw, a villain who harbored hatred for Superman because he blames Superman for the death of his wife. More of The Return of Superman storyline will be featured below.

Black Suit and Powerless

The Action Figure: The Recovery Suit Superman is perhaps the most common body mold for male DC Universe Classics figures. What I like about this figure is that Mattel kept a very simplistic approach in producing this figure. The body is mostly made up of black plastics with painted skin color on the neck, painted silver colored S shield on the chest, a sliver colored wrist gauntlet and a silver colored toe. Though some would say that the figure looks nothing special, I like it because it shows the basic anatomy of a DCUC action figure. What I hated about the figure though is the lack of accessories. With The Recovery Suit Superman being powerless, DC armed this Superman with guns. Mattel unfortunately failed to include the guns in this figure. It also does not help that the figure came with a clenched fist, taking out the option to accessorize the figure with guns. Some toy collectors though modified this figure by interchanging this figure's hands with that of Black Lightning. The figure comes with the same articulation with that of other DCUC figures. It features a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows, knees, and ankles, and double pivot hips. This figure could have been perfect if only Mattel gave it some guns. But I have no further complaints because this figure is an centerpiece if you want to display him alongside the four replacement Supermen.

The Return of Superman

Defining Comic Book in my collection featuring this figure: Of course, this version of Superman only appeared in The Return of Superman story arc. After the Death of Superman, DC had an almost a year long story arc featuring a world without Superman. This story arc dealt with the fallout of Superman's Death as various co-Superheroes, friends, and family dealt with the loss of Superman in their own respective capacities. The last issue of this story arc featured a story of how Jonathan Kent (Superman's adoptive father) suffered a heart attack while dealing with depression due to his son's death. He traversed the afterlife seeing Superman and convinces him to come back. In the ensuing encounter, Pa Kent pulls Superman back with him as he was brought to life by the attending doctors. He wakes up from the coma proclaiming that Clark Kent/Superman is alive. After this event, DC put in place four new Supermen to take over the Superman titles. The four featured the various characteristics of Superman with Steel being the most grounded version in terms of Superman's traits. Superboy was more arrogant and reckless, The Last Son of Krypton was more ruthless and aggressive in dealing with crime, and the Cyborg Superman was the most reserved and mysterious one. For the most part of the year, each of these new Supermen dealt with their own adventures. It was quickly established that Steel and Superboy were not the real Superman. Steel was John Henry Irons, who Superman saved in one of his earlier adventures. He was inspired to take on the identity of Steel after Superman's death to help battle crime. Superboy on the other hand in actuality was a clone of Superman. A creation of the underground scientific lab Cadmus Project, Superboy was prematurely set free during his cloning process, thus stunting him from developing into a full grown Superman clone. The Last Son of Krypton meanwhile was revealed to be the Eradicator, a reformed Superman villain whose task was to preserve the last remaining Kryptonian life form. He stole Superman's body from the mausoleum and put him in a regeneration matrix in the Fortress of Solitude to heal and keep Superman alive from the fatal wounds that he suffered against Doomsday. The Cyborg Superman was then finally revealed as Hank Henshaw, a distressed former astronaut who turned villain that blames Superman for the death of his wife after a rescue mission that went awry.

Reign of the Supermen

Henshaw would then collude with the intergalactic warlord, Mongul, to create engine cities all over Earth. Coast City (the home of Green Lantern Hal Jordan) was the first casualty of this attack. Henshaw put in place a plan in eliminating the other Supermen by first framing the Last Son of Krypton/Eradicator as the main culprit for the destruction of Coast City. He first defeats the Last son of Krypton by betraying him. He also does the same to Superboy and captures him. As the story picked up steam, a fifth Superman appeared, this time the real deal. Superman was kept alive through Eradicator's effort by putting him in a regeneration matrix in the Fortress of Solitude but without his powers because Eradicator siphoned it for himself. Superman monitors the recurring events of the four Supermen and decides to head off to Metropolis using a Kryptonian Battle Suit. Superboy meanwhile escapes from the Engine City prison and heads off to Metropolis to warn the city of Henshaw's plan of transforming it into another Engine City. As Superboy arrives in Metropolis, both him and Steel (along with Supergirl) faced off a huge Battle Robot who is actually piloted by Superman (now sporting a mullet hair). When Superboy finally revealed Cybrog's plans, Superman, Steel, Superboy, and Supergirl heads off to Engine City to thwart The Cyborg's plan. A badly beaten Eradicator on the other hand returns to the Fortress of Solitude to recharge, only to discover that Superman and the Kryptonian Battle Suit is gone. He funnels all of The Fortress of Solitude's powers for himself leaving it destroyed but with his powers recharged as he heads off to the Engine City. During the heroes' final stand, they are joined by Green Lantern as he discovers that his Coast City is no more. Cyborg launches a huge missile towards Metropolis, with Superboy chasing it and dismantling it before it reaches Metropolis. The other heroes on the other hand faces off against Cyborg and Mongul with Superman and Eradicator sealed off from the others as both faced the Cyborg/Henshaw. Cyborg blasts Superman with Kryptonite energies which was powering the Engine City but the Eradicator shields Superman, killing him but not before transferring Superman's power back to Superman himself. Superman defeats the Cyborg in the final battle. In the epilogue of the story arc, Clark Kent was revealed to be alive during the tussle with Doomsday as he was trapped in a rubble. This Clark Kent was actually a disguised Supergirl/Matrix who shape shifts into Clark to come up with an alibi that Clark is still alive after all those months of being missing. I'm reenacting some of the major events of the Return of Superman story arc below:

Superman in his Kryptonian Battle Suit

Superman Returns

"Metropolis! Over my Dead Body"

Eradicator's Last Stand. and the Return of Superman's Powers

Full Strength

The Final Battle

With Jon Bogdanove's Superman Art

The Return of Superman

I'll be dealing with Superman's return bout with Doomsday in my next entry, hope to see you soon.

Michael Jordan at 50, A Tribute

Michael Jordan at 50

February 17, 1963, the day The Greatest Basketball Player ever lived was born. 50 years later, the legacy remains untarnished. But there's a growing challenge of making people remember that the greatest basketball feats that was ever done can only be credited to Michael Jordan. Standing at 6 ft 6, few dominated the game like him. Whether it's scoring (10 time NBA Scoring Champion), defending (9 time NBA All-Defensive 1st team, 1 time Defensive Player of the Year, 3 time steals champion), being an All-Star (14 time NBA All-Star), being the Most Valuable Player in a season (5 time MVP), and being an NBA Champion (6 time NBA Champion and Finals MVP), there is only one Michael "Air" Jordan. And as his 50th Birthday comes, let us look back and celebrate Michael Jordan's extraordinary career.

Jordan leads North Carolina past Ewing and Georgetown

A Legend is Born: Michael Jordan's legendary beginnings began when he was cut from making the high school varsity team. Deeply hurt by not making the varsity team, Jordan came back with a vengeance. He rigorously trained and improved his game to prove his doubters wrong. And when he finally made the varsity team, Jordan averaged no less than 20 points per game. He then made a tremendous feat by averaging a triple double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in his senior year, making it to the McDonald's All American Team. Jordan joined North Carolina in his college years and was among the team's top scorers. As a Freshman, he was named ACC Freshmen of the year for his stellar play. In the 1982 NCAA Championship game against a Georgetown team led by future NBA Superstar Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan buried a game winning jump shot. This shot became the turning point of his career as his legendary basketball career began to grow. He was named to the NCAA All-American First team in both his sophomore and junior years and was named the Naismith and Wooden college player of the year. With his college basketball career coming to a close, Jordan turned Pro by deciding to join the NBA Draft in his senior year.

Jordan dunks over fellow rookie Hakeem Olajuwon

Rookie of the Year: Michael Jordan entered the NBA Draft and was eventually pick third by the Chicago Bulls. Two teams ahead of the Bulls in the Draft Pick, Houston and Portland, chose to use their pick on Centers Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie respectively. But the season neither belonged to the two. Jordan put up monster numbers (28 points per game on 51% shooting) as a rookie. He wowed the audience with his high flying acrobatic dunks and his unbelievable shots, earning him a berth in the annual NBA All-Star game. Jordan would carry the Bulls on his shoulders as they barged into the Playoffs only to loose to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year, besting both Olajuwon and Bowie.

Michael Jordan scores 63 points in a single game

God came down to play basketball: Jordan's sophomore season in the NBA was cut short by injuries. Limited to playing in just 18 games, Jordan led the Bulls just in time to make it to the playoffs despite a mediocre regular season record. There they faced a tough veteran Boston Celtics team led by sharpshooting living legend Larry Bird. This Celtics team is considered as among the greatest teams in the NBA.  But this Celtics team could not stop Jordan from scoring 63 points (the most for a single playoff game in NBA history) in Game 2 of their playoff showdown. Though the Bulls were beaten badly and swept from the Playoffs, Jordan's legendary scoring prowess was beginning to grow. In the post game interview, Larry Bird would lament that it is as if God came down to play Basketball by disguising himself as Michael Jordan.

Jordan versus his greatest scoring rival, Dominique Wilkins

Slam Dunk Champion: Michael Jordan would win back to back slam dunk championships in 1987 and 1988, besting Dominique Wilkins in 1988 in one of the greatest slam dunk competitions ever. Dominique Wilkins was one of his greatest rivals when it comes to scoring and putting up exciting plays. Wilkins was dubbed as the Human Highlight Film for his breathtaking power dunks. If Jordan was praised for his graceful dunks, Wilkins was praised for his power dunks. In the 1988 Slam Dunk contest, Jordan would beat Wilkins by soaring from the free throw line, scoring a 50 and besting Wilkins by two points.

Jordan and Pippen goes up against future teammate Dennis Rodman

Jordan finally gets past Isiah Thomas and his Bad Boys in 1991

Heartbreak courtesy of the Bad Boys: Despite his popularity and his scoring titles, Jordan still found no playoff success. The Detroit Pistons, known as the Bad Boys for their overtly physical style of play, would frustrate Jordan over and over again. For three consecutive years, the Pistons would eliminate Jordan by utilizing their so called "Jordan Rules". This defensive method calls for the Pistons players to frustrate Jordan by double and triple teaming him, forcing Jordan to either pass the ball or force a low percentage shot. The Pistons would also bully Jordan's younger teammates Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. But in their fourth encounter, Jordan and the Bulls finally prevailed by overwhelming the Pistons team with Jordan's scoring prowess and his teammates' new found confidence. In the controversial final game between the two teams, the Pistons team walked off the court even before the final buzzer sounded.

Jordan nets his First NBA title courtesy of Magic Johnson

The First NBA Championship: With the Pistons team vanquished, Jordan proceeded to face Magic Johnson and his Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson (along with rival Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics) had been dominating the NBA in the 80's, and finding himself against Jordan in the NBA Finals meant that the usurping future Basketball Hall of Fame in Jordan is clearly on the verge of making the future now. But there was little that Johnson could do. The NBA Finals was hyped as a battle between two NBA Superstars who represents the face of the NBA, one from past and present (Johnson) and one from the present to the future (Jordan). Though Magic and the Lakers would edge Jordan and the Bulls in Game One of the 1991 NBA Finals, there was little Magic and the Lakers could do as Jordan and the Bulls swept the succeeding games en route to their first NBA Championship Title. Jordan's Championship collection (and Finals MVP awards) was just beginning. And he didn't wait for the torch to be passed to him, he gladly took it away from Johnson.

Jordan versus Ewing, Same Results

Air Jordan v.s. Clyde the Glide

Back-to-Back NBA Champions: With the Bulls winning their first NBA Title in the previous year, NBA teams began gunning at them. Chief among them was the New York Knicks (led by one of Jordan's best friends and nemesis Patrick Ewing) and the Portland Trailblazers (led by Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, who shared an almost similar style of play with Jordan). In the Playoffs, Jordan's Bulls team would face Ewing's New York team in the second round. This New York team is out for revenge as both their leaders (Ewing for the NCAA Championship loss to Jordan, and Coach Pat Riley for his former team the Lakers' loss to Jordan in the previous year) had a score to settle with Jordan. In a grueling and physical series that went to a full seven games, Jordan would face a very physical New York team reminiscent of the Detroit Pistons' style of play. But buoyed by his teammates in the first few games, Jordan would take over in the final few games, vanquishing Ewing and the Knicks. Jordan and the Bulls would went on to their second straight NBA Finals appearance, going up against Clyde Drexler and his Portland Trailblazers team. In game one, Jordan would score six three point shots in the first half and finishing with 35 points in the half. His dominance was evident. Jordan and the Bulls would finish Drexler and the Trailblazers in 6 games, nailing their second NBA Title.

Jordan scores over Charles Barkley

Three-Peat, and Jordan says Goodbye: In the summer of 1992, right after winning his second NBA Championship, Jordan would join Magic, Bird, Ewing, Barkley, and other NBA Superstars in the Olympics as they represent Team USA in the basketball event. More popularly known as the Dream Team, they swept the competition en route to a gold medal win by beating opposing teams for an average of 44 points per game. Jordan though wasn't the leading scorer in that squad, that honor belonged to Charles Barkley. Barkley would go on to win the 1993 NBA Regular Season MVP award, denying Jordan his third consecutive MVP award. Barkley and his Phoenix Suns would also be his nemesis in the NBA Finals. After a grueling scoring shootout with Barkley, Jordan and the Bulls prevailed in six games, bringing home their third consecutive NBA Title. This NBA Title though would be the last that Jordan would share with his father.

Jordan's brief flirtation with Baseball

Retirement and Baseball: In the summer after Jordan would win his third consecutive NBA title, his father James Jordan was discovered to be murdered. This (along with Jordan's growing fatigue for the game of Basketball) would become one of Jordan's primary point of decision in stepping away from the game of Basketball. Jordan retired from the NBA at the top of his game, sending shockwaves across the world. Months later, Jordan would resurface in another sport, the sport of Baseball. Fostering dreams of making it to the Major League Baseball (behind the dream of his late father), Jordan signed with a minor league baseball team with the hopes of landing a roster spot in the Major League. His horrible play and the looming Baseball strike would force Jordan to rethink his options. After a year and a half away from Basketball, Jordan finally returned to the NBA via a two worded fax message that simply stated "I'm Back". Jordan rejoined the Chicago Bulls team that he once left behind, dropping 55 points in a game against New York, scoring a game winner against Atlanta, and winning the first round playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets. But he was humiliated in the second round by an up and coming Orlando Magic team. Considered as the team of the future, this Orlando Magic team was led by Shaquille O' Neal, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, and former Chicago Bull Horace Grant. The Bulls were finished off in six games. Ending Jordan's attempt at making it back to the top.

Jordan joins the hilarious Bugs Bunny and co. in Space Jam

Space Jam: Jordan got himself back in his usual Basketball game shape during the filming of Space Jam. In the off-season after his defeat, Jordan would do scrimmages against a select NBA All Star squad in between his filming for his debut big screen movie Space Jam. The movie Space Jam is actually a semi autobiographical movie about Jordan's life away from Basketball and his eventual return to it. Mixed with humor and actual game footage, Space Jam was a big hit because not only does the film stars Michael Jordan, it also starts Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes buddies. In the film, Bugs kidnaps Jordan in an attempt to convince him to play for his Tune Squad team against a team of aliens who stole the talents of some of the NBA Superstars. The wager was that if the Tune Squad lose, Jordan, Bugs, and company would become slaves. Of course with Jordan on their team, losing was not an option. This game of basketball with the Looney Tunes would eventually inspire Jordan to return to the game of Basketball in the movie. The movie served as an alternate story to Jordan's return to the NBA.  

Jordan and his Bulls destroys Shaq and Penny

Not even the combined talents of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton could stop Jordan

The Greatest Team Ever: Jordan's comeback was now in full swing. After having a full training camp and finally being able to work himself to his game shape, Jordan led his Bulls team to perhaps the greatest season ever in any sports history. This magical season produced a 72 win and 10 loss record, the winningest team in NBA history. Jordan never had much fun before as this season was. The arrival of longtime nemesis Dennis Rodman helped Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc, and company rise back to the top. Jordan and the Bulls racked up wins after wins, putting out the greatest show ever as arenas were packed to watch Jordan's amazing comeback. In the playoffs, Jordan and the Bulls would have their revenge as they faced off against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Jordan and the Bulls easily destroyed the so called team of the future, dismantling Orlando by sweeping them. This utter embarrassment and Jordan's dominance would lead Shaq to transfer to the Western Conference in the off season. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and out of Jordan's way. Jordan and the Bulls would then square off against a Seattle Supersonics team that was led by Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton in the NBA Finals. And as dominating as ever, Jordan and the Bulls finished off the Supersonics in six games, netting their fourth NBA Championship. Afterward, an emotional Jordan would clutch the game ball as this was his first NBA championship without his father, which was incidentally won on a Father's Day.  

Michael Jordan was a 14 time NBA All-Star

NBA All-Star's First Ever Triple Double: Jordan for his career was a 14 time NBA All-Star. But none possibly could be more memorable than the All-Star game that netted him and the NBA the first ever triple double in an All-Star Game. During his second season since his first retirement, Jordan posted a triple double in the annual All-Star game by posting 14 points, 11 Rebounds, and 11 Assists. Jordan though did not win the All-Star MVP as the award went to Glenn Rice who scored 24 points in a half, the most by anyone in an All-Star Game. Despite not winning the award, Jordan went on to have a successful season. He led his Bulls team with a 69 wins and 13 loss record, the second best in NBA history (second to their record setting 72 wins in the previous season).

Jordan and the famous Flu Game

Second Back to Back: As previously mentioned, Jordan's second season from his first retirement continued to be a huge success. Though he didn't win the All-Star MVP award and the Regular Season Award (the award went to Utah Jazz's Karl Malone), Jordan and the Bulls still posted a 69 win season. In the NBA Finals, Jordan and the Bulls would face Karl Malone and John Stockton's Utah Jazz. Karl Malone was one of NBA History's most prolific scorers. So a scoring showdown with Jordan was inevitable. During the crucial fifth game of the NBA Finals series with the series tied at 2-2 apiece, Jordan would suffer a stomach virus. Famously known as the "Flu Game" Jordan played the game despite being dehydrated. Jordan finished with 38 points, including the game deciding three pointer with 25 seconds left. Jordan had to be helped off the court by his teammates during time outs. This remarkable feat changed the course of the series and in Game Six, the Bulls finally finished off the Utah Jazz. This was Jordan and the Bulls 5th NBA title and their second back to back.

1998 NBA Finals: The Last Shot!

The Chicago Bulls team that won the repeat three-peat

The Last Waltz: Brewing frustrations and disappointments with the Bulls management became the central theme of Jordan's final season as a Chicago Bull. It did not help that this distraction and injuries to Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc would force Jordan to carry the Bulls team on his shoulders again for much of the season. Dennis Rodman's off court distractions also became an annoyance. But despite these, Jordan still managed to lead the Bulls to a 62-20 record. Pippen and Kukoc would rejoin Jordan just in time as the Bulls made their final push in the Playoff standings. Jordan and the Bulls faced a grueling seven game series against Reggie Miller and his Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, surviving the showdown in seven games. In the NBA Finals, a familiar opponent was waiting. Karl Malone and John Stockton's Utah Jazz was hungry for a rematch. With an injured Scottie Pippen playing a sub-par series, Jordan once again had to carry much of the load. In the waning seconds of Game 6, down by three, Jordan drove past an array of Jazz defenders and cut the deficit to one. On the ensuing play, Jordan spectacularly stole the ball from Malone and set up the final play of his Chicago Bulls career. Dribbling the ball up court and nixing any time out call, Jordan scored a buzzer beating jump shot on a hapless Bryon Russell, swishing nothing but net. This final shot punctuated Michael Jordan's career as a Chicago Bull. Jordan and the Bulls won their Sixth NBA Title. During the Off Season an NBA Players lockout happened. The team was eventually broken up as Coach Phil Jackson retired and Pippen opted to be traded. Jordan eventually decided to retire the second time around due to these three developments. (More 1998 NBA Finals The Last Shot photos here  http://actionfigureplanet.blogspot.com/2015/09/1998-nba-finals-last-shot.html)

Jordan goes up against Kobe Bryant in the All Star Game

The Final Comeback: Jordan didn't stay away from the game of Basketball that long. In 2001, Jordan joined the Washington Wizards in the front office and as part owner and as President for Basketball Operations. Jordan re organized the team roster, trading away veterans in exchange for having rebuilding plans utilizing draft picks and rookies as the cornerstone for his program. Jordan Drafted athletic high schooler Kwame Brown as their No. 1 pick (who became a bust). At this time, the league was dominated by Shaquille O' Neal and young Superstar Kobe Bryant under the guidance of Jordan's most successful coach who won him six NBA titles, Phil Jackson and his crew. But his Washington Wizards continued to have a languishing losing record, Jordan's competitive fire was reawakened. In the following season, he eventually decided to make his second comeback. He hired one of his former Chicago Bulls coach Doug Collins and re organized the roster once more. Jordan traded away young talented shooting guard Richard Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse, bringing in a win now mentality. However, Jordan's career as a Washington Wizard lasted only two seasons and without any team success. In his first season, Jordan suffered injuries, playing only in 60 games. But despite that, Jordan led the team in scoring by averaging close to 23 points per game. He also averaged 5.2 assists and 1.42 steals per game. The Wizards ended up with a losing record and failed to make the playoffs. In the following season, Jordan came back stronger and healthier. Jordan played in all 82 regular season games and averaged 20 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also played his final All-Star game, netting 20 points and nearly won the game for the Eastern Conference team behind his patented buzzer beating jump shots. The East though would lose in a double overtime thriller as Jordan's go ahead jump shot was put to waste because of a team mate's error in fouling Kobe Bryant, who sent the game to overtime. In Jordan's final season, arenas were packed as fans from all over America filled the arenas to see Jordan one last time. When the season ended, Jordan (who was about to return to his role as President for Basketball Operations) was fired by Wizards majority owner Abe Pollin. This ended Jordan's stint with Washington.

Jordan spends much of his free time playing Golf

A new team, a new beginning: In his third retirement, Jordan would spend much of his time playing golf while also tending to his multi-million business, the Air Jordan Brand which is a subsidiary of Sports footwear and apparel giant, Nike. In 2006, Jordan bought a minority stake as Charlotte Bobcats owner. This became the stepping stone for Jordan to eventually purchase the team. Bringing in a group of investors, Jordan bought the majority stake, making him the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan's wrong decisions continue to haunt him. As Bobcats owner, Jordan was influential in drafting Gonzaga star Adam Morrison, whom he thought would be the second coming of Larry Bird. Morrison was a dud, and the Bobcats continued to lose. They did experience success when they acquired a group of veterans through trades. In 2010, they clinched a Playoff spot under the coaching of Larry Brown and were led on the court by Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, only to lose in the first round of the Playoffs. This success would not last long however, and Jordan and his advisers decided to break up the team. In the abbreviated 2011-2012 NBA Season, the Bobcats finished the season with a record as the worst team in NBA history. So far Jordan's success as a basketball player is still yet to be translated to his front office work. But like the Jordan we know, he is taking this setback as a challenge. With the current make up of the team, composed of young and promising talents, Jordan hopes one day that his team will finally find success. Jordan to this very day still laces up his Air Jordans from time to time and play one on one games with his younger players. And as what current Jordan draftee Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said, Jordan still has it. And Kidd-Gilchrist was one of his victims as Jordan beat him in a one-on-one game.        

We could only dream of this matchup

Chasing Michael Jordan's Legacy: There were a lot of  names that were touted to be the successor to Jordan's throne. Names such as Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, and a host of others. But none were as worthy as Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and now Lebron James of the Miami Heat. I will not be surprised to know if ever that Jordan did his Washington Wizards comeback because he wanted to derail Shaq and Kobe's dominance in the NBA. Kobe Bryant who largely patterned his game to Jordan's began winning multiple titles. With Shaq, he won three, and without Shaq he won two. Kobe now possesses 5 NBA titles, one shy from Jordan's Kobe is also largely known as a ruthless scorer, the type not seen since Jordan's playing years. Kobe has been breaking scoring records and the younger generation who have not seen Jordan play, is starting to state their case that Kobe is better than Jordan. Lebron James on the other hand has just won his first NBA title last season, almost the same age when Jordan won his first. Lebron has become the most dominant basketball player in the NBA today, perhaps even supplanting an aging Kobe Bryant. But for me, these two guys still has long ways to go before they can usurp Jordan's title as arguably the greatest basketball player in NBA and basketball history. Both might overtake Jordan in statistical points as both started playing in the NBA at a much younger age than Jordan, but that should not be enough to be considered as a basis. Jordan revolutionized the game of Basketball. Jordan was more than just a superstar, he was larger than basketball itself. Kobe and Lebron is still yet to reach Jordan's influential status. Both doesn't even have a successful shoe brand in the same way how Jordan's Air Jordan became one of Nike's top selling shoe line. Jordan also played in an era when players were more physical. I'm not sure if Kobe or Lebron could have even beaten Detroit's Bad Boys style of defending Jordan. I'm sure just about now as Jordan pushes 50, he still wishes that he could turn back the clock and engage Kobe and Lebron in an epic basketball game. But sadly that will never happen. For now, we could only celebrate Michael Jordan's Legacy as a Basketball Player on his 50th birthday. Happy 50th Birthday Michael Jordan. Thanks for inspiring me to learn how to play Basketball.


In 2009, Michael Jordan was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Here's a list of his accomplishments (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009 2 Olympic gold medals – 1984, 1992 6× NBA Champion 6× NBA Finals MVP 5× NBA MVP 10 NBA Scoring Titles 3× steals leader 3× minutes leader 14 NBA All-Star Selections 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP 11 All-NBA Selections 9 All-Defensive First Team Selections 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion – 1987, 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year – 1984–85 NBA Defensive Player of the Year – 1987–88 NCAA National Championship – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 1981–82 ACC Freshman of the Year – 1981–82 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team – 1982–83, 1983–84 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year – 1983–84 USBWA College Player of the Year – 1983–84 Naismith College Player of the Year – 1983–84 John R. Wooden Award – 1983–84 Adolph Rupp Trophy – 1983–84 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991 Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 Ranked No.1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time Ranked No.1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century Elected to North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

    

 Check out Jordan's complete list of Achievements here

Mattel: DC Universe Classics Superman

DC Universe Classics Superman

Mattel made their second go round of a highly detailed and articulated six inch Superman action figure through the DC Universe Classics toy line. Since they have already released one before via the DCSH line, Mattel opted to release the Mullet haired Superman version (post Death and Return of Superman) with the Black Recovery Suited Superman as the variant one (or is it the other way around?) instead. But due to the clamor of the DCUC fans, Mattel eventually released the regular haired one, first via a two pack set with Brainiac with Superman sporting red eyes, and then as part of the 5 pack Gotham City Box Set with Batman, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, and Riddler with this one featuring the normal eyes. This figure was also released in the future as a single pack in the re-issues wave called DC All-Stars wave as well as in a two pack with He-Man for the DC Universe versus Masters of the Universe two packs.

Dan Jurgens' Superman

So is this the best 6 inch Superman for me?  Maybe? or Maybe not. But for sure this has got to be the best highly articulated 6 inch Superman in my collection. Saying that is a no brainer because DC Direct's figures are not as durable and as articulated as Mattel's. Mattel also improved their Superman by fixing the wide legged stance of the near perfect DCSH Superman. But what makes me love this figure more is that the Four Horsemen (the main sculptors of the DCUC toy line) might have taken inspiration in creating this Superman from Dan Jurgens' Superman art. I'm not sure if this is so, but personally for me, this is the Dan Jurgens Superman in my collection. Now let me state this again, Dan Jurgens is my all time favorite Superman writer/artist. Yes, being a fan of the Modern Age Superman, John Byrne should have been the most logical choice, but I've always liked Jurgens' Superman stories better. His stories are always action packed and were more suitable to my tastes. He is the creator of the DC Superhero known as Booster Gold and was also the man responsible in creating Doomsday (the brute force that killed Superman) and Cybrog Superman (a.k.a Hank Henshaw). Jurgens was one of those who took over the Superman titles from John Byrne and was one of the main architects of Superman's stories post John Byrne. He is responsible for giving us such classic stories as Superman: Panic in the Sky, The Death and Return of Superman, Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey, Death of Clark Kent, DC Crossover Series Zero Hour, Superman Blue/Red, Superman v.s. Aliens, and a number of other Superman stories, spanning a 10 year career as both Superman writer/artist. In fact, the bulk of my Superman collections are from him. I even bought his entire 6 issue run of the New 52 Superman even if I hated the rebooted Superman because I wanted to check out his take on the new 52 Superman (Superman might have appeared different, but his writing style is still very much the same).  

Red Eyes DCUC Superman

The Action Figures: DC improved this Superman largely when compared to the DCSH Superman (to check out the evolution, visit this entry). Among the changes; the wide legged stance is gone, the S shield on Superman's chest is now smaller, the head sculpt looks less chiseled, and he also now comes in a darker shade of blue. This change in color hue is due to the fact that this figure was originally released as the mullet haired Superman. Superman sported the darker shade of blue after his return from death. This maybe so to parallel the costume colors of the live action Superman T.V. series at that time called Lois and Clark. This exact Superman figure (short haired one) was released a number of times that I now lost count of. But there were only two significant versions released featuring this figure. It was initially released sporting red eyes as a two pack with Brainiac and followed with a regular eyed one in the Gotham City 5 pack box set. There was a significant third one but it went unreleased. That third one could have been the perfect Superman action figure in 6 inch scale. It shared the same exact head and body sculpt but it sported a lighter shade of blue (see picture of the comic book above), reminiscent of the Pre-death of Superman costume. I'm kicking myself now for not buying that one when I once saw it on the overrun bins. I thought that it would eventually be released as a two pack with Bizarro as what Mattel planned to do. But alas, it went unreleased. What keeps both the DCSH and this DCUC Superman from being perfect is the costume colors. DCSH had a purplish color on his costume while DCUC had the post Death of Superman costume.

Regular Eyes DCUC Superman

Now for the action figure proper, DCUC basically shares the same articulation with DCSH except for the rocker ankles. The same features can be found here; a ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows, knees, and ankles, and double pivot hips. Mattel must have thought that the rocker ankles were no longer needed because it can already stand straight. Whereas compared to the DCSH Superman, the wide legged stance that it had made it difficult for the figure to stand if it does not have the rocker ankles. The head sculpt is also much more refined compared to the DCSH Superman because The Four Horsemen decided to do away with the more chiseled look that DCSH had, giving this Superman figure a much more smoother look. The cape is also significantly shorter than that of the DCSH Superman. The DCUC Superman's red colors also looks much more closer to the comic books when compared to DCSH Superman's maroon hued colors. I really wanted this to be the perfect Superman figure but his darker shade of blue prevents me from making this as the definite 6 inch Superman. If only I bought that unreleased DCUC Superman with the lighter shade of blue...(more comparison photos and action shots below)    

DCUC Red Eyes Superman and Normal Eyes Superman

DCUC Superman from the Superman vs Brainiac 2 pack

Heat Vision!

DCUC Superman from the Gotham City 5 Pack

Flight!

Death of Superman TPB First Print

Defining Comic Book in my collection featuring this figure: I decided to review this figure ahead of the Mullet haired one because I wanted to put him in sync with perhaps the most shocking comic book event of the 90's, The Death of Superman. The Modern Age Superman (after making it through the half decade mark from the relaunch) was killed by his writers and editors. The Superman editor and writers at that time decided to kill the Modern Age Superman when their story direction hit a dead end. Since the late 80's, DC and it's writers and editors were building up a story plot centering on the progressing romantic relationship between Superman and Lois Lane. The 90's was supposed to be the marked date for their imminent wedding, but the highly successful The New Adventures of Superman: Lois and Clark TV series ruined their plans. Time-Warner TV executives already made plans to have Lois and Clark/Superman get married on their TV show, leaving the DC Comics Superman editorial board in disarray. With no other existing story lines to choose from (and with the Superman comic books losing it's appeal), the editors and writers decided to just kill Superman. And the plotting was on. Superman writers Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Karl Kesel and editor Mike Carlin plotted on a multi year event that would bring about the Death, the World without, and the eventual Return of Superman.

Farewell Superman?

For the past few years (since John Byrne left), the world has been taking Superman for granted, so the writers and editors decided to write a story about a world without Superman. Kicking off that event was The Death of Superman. Jurgens created a brute monster called Doomsday as the main adversary of Superman in his battle for his life. Doomsday had little to no back story at this point. He just came out of nowhere (in an underground prison) and began a path of destruction. Laying waste to anything that he could lay his hands on and anyone that was blocking his path of destruction. The Justice League of America (besides Superman at that point was mainly composed of lower tier superheroes such as Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Fire, Ice, Bloodwynd, and Maxima) responds to a distress call and went up against an unstoppable force, with them being thoroughly destroyed easily by Doomsday. Superman responds to the League's call for help and went on an interstate slug fest with Doomsday. Key structures and organizations in the 90's that the Superman writers established such as War World and Cadmus were not spared as Superman and Doomsday's battle brought these organizations in shambles. The destruction though had to end in Metropolis (Superman's adopted city). With Doomsday reaching the Metropolis city limits, Superman decided that it was time to give it his all. With his family and friends watching, Superman made his final stand and engaged Doomsday in an all out brawl. Matching his fury against his fury. Mustering all their strength, Superman and Doomsday delivered death blows against each other. Both died on that day. But more than Doomsday's death, it became the day that Superman died.           

The Death of Superman re-enacted

  

Justice League of America v.s. Doomsday

Superman takes the fight to Doomsday

Brawl!

Exchanges of killer blows

The final blows

The Death of Superman

The Death of Superman was mostly acknowledged as a comic book company's gimmick of killing it's Superhero to garner sales (a line of thinking that I guess came from bitter comic book value speculators).  The Death of Superman brought in curious non-comic book readers to speculate and buy the comic books thinking that these copies would someday be worth something, but they got it wrong. The Death of Superman nearly brought the Death of Superhero Comic Books (which is actually just apt because Superman started the whole Superhero comic books). Speculators (who should have speculated on stocks share than comic books) went on a buying spree, speculating on the next big thing. The Death of Superman raked in more than 2 million copies, many coming from speculators. This sales volume made DC, Marvel, and Image comics produce comic books catered to the speculator market. They started to overproduce from the normal volume. This overproduction made a lot of comic book shops to lose money because of the unsaleable copies/inventories that they carried. The comic book industry nearly went bankrupt because they could no longer sell their overproduced copies, because suddenly, the speculator market realized that there weren't any money making opportunities in the foreseeable future that can be taken from purchasing comic books. History would judge the Death of Superman as a money making gimmick. But for me, The Death of Superman was what got me started to seriously collect and read comic books. And I certainly do not agree with how history has judged The Death of Superman. It was not DC's fault that overeager speculators ventured into comic book investments, they merely whetted the speculators' mistaken appetite. But for all intents and purposes, it was written to show the world what a world without Superman could be.

The saga continues on my next post, A World without Superman and The Return of Superman. Stay Tuned!