Making sense of the DC Extended Universe

Disclaimer: This article is going to be my very personal take on the DCEU so far. This might not be that palatable to some. But I just need to vent out this angst that I've been carrying since I saw the Justice League movie. So I don't think this is a review of the film. And hopefully you won't think that I'm defending Zack Snyder (even if it would sound like I'm a Snyder apologist), because I'm just writing this piece to get my head straight on whatever happened to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in terms of how I took Snyder's vision when he started this whole thing. With that said. Justice League didn't work for me. I really do appreciate and I'm glad that a lot of fans and general audience seems to love this movie compared to the past DC movie outings (not including Wonder Woman) that had Snyder involved in one way or another. Sure Justice League was fun. It had humor. It had a Superman that for once in this iteration is acting like how Superman should be acting. And I'm truly happy to those who genuinely love the movie. However, Warner Brothers' attempt to give in to the formulaic demands of the general movie going audience fell flat on their face when it comes to the weekend box office numbers that they expected to match Avengers money. It was a no win situation at all the moment Snyder's name was involved in the movie. Despite trying to give in to the superhero movie standards dictated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) formula. Despite bringing in one billion dollars producing Avengers director Joss Whedon himself to save the movie. DCEU's attempt to go toe to toe with Marvel was just totally wrong from the inception. And that is me saying if the outright expectations of those involved that they could match Marvel's Cinematic Universe on the get go. Why? Because everyone could not wait for their own Cinematic Universe to develop. Everyone expected a lot in a fledgling Five film DC Cinematic Universe. Let me illustrate:


The Box Office Numbers

Given that DC was a late comer to the whole cinematic universe thing, they have outpaced the MCU in its initial 5 movie run while Marvel hit the One Billion mark with Avengers after a relative 5 movie build up. This with Justice League still in theaters and we still are far off from getting the final numbers. We also should omit the profit and loss in this argument for the meantime because we are not really privy to the actual costs. That being said, it is relatively unfair for Justice League to expect an Avengers like number box office number considering that there were no proper build up to each of the Justice League members in the same way that Marvel gave Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor their solo movies (I omitted Hulk because only a few could remember that the Edward Norton Hulk was actually one and the same with the MCU Mark Ruffalo Hulk). There was no audience empathy for the Justice League characters. And the very few characters like Superman and Batman, was far from being likable because both characters started on the wrong foot. Only Wonder Woman was truly loved by the viewing public. Superman and Batman were characters whose mythology in the DCEU was incomplete as of the moment. Whose mythology I believe would have come full circle if only Zack Snyder was allowed to complete his vision for the DCEU. Remember, Justice League was supposed to be a two-part movie. So to expect Justice League to achieve Avengers like money is ridiculous even if both of these teams are the premier superhero teams for both companies. So let's not use the Box office numbers when saying which film is superior. After all, we are not the Business executives who invested on these movies. I also don't want to touch on critics' opinions. Because their opinion is as good as yours and mine.


Superman Returns

Now much have been said about how flawed Snyder's vision of the beloved superhero characters. But from DCEU's initial inception, they were already playing catch up to Marvel's well executed cinematic universe. The MCU was already shifting its gears for the culmination of their cinematic universe's phase one when DC decided to enter the superhero cinematic universe game. While they were highly successful with their Chris Nolan Batman trilogy, that "Nolanverse" was a standalone trilogy that was too perfect for its own good. There was no way you could see that Batman interact with gods, immortals, and meta humans. DC had to start from scratch. And Superman was the chosen focal point for an expanding DCEU. Now Superman is not relatively an unknown cinematic figure like Iron Man was. Superman himself is dragged down by a heavy baggage full of nostalgia with the untouchable Christopher Reeve Superman mythology casting a heavy shadow over the cinematic character. Remember, DC tried to restore that Reeve Superman via the Brandon Routh starred Superman Returns. Director Bryan Singer tried to tug the heart strings of those who still love the Reeve Superman. And true enough, for a generation of critics who still love the Reeve Superman version, they gave the film favorable reviews. The movie however did not connect well with the "modern" audience. I for one generally like the movie, but I personally wanted to see more action. And that's also the sentiments of the majority of the viewing public during that time. DC could have opted to move the story forward and allow the character to progress, but they eventually pulled the plug for Singer's (and also to an extent Reeve's Superman) Superman. So what to do? Enter Zack Snyder.

Zack Snyder's Superman

Zack Snyder was a highly critcized visionary director who had previously made polarizing adaptations of classic DC comics property like Frank Miller's 300 and Alan Moore's Watchmen. To kick start the DCEU, Snyder and WB agreed to follow the tone of Christopher Nolan's highly successful Batman Dark Knight trilogy. The chosen tone was to ground Superman in realism in the same way Nolan's Batman was rooted in. And Superman, as an alien, would bring the unknown, fear, uncertainty to the world in a post 9/11 world. Instead of being given a Superman that wears bright colors and be accepted easily by humanity as a superhero from the get go, we are given a fresh take on his mythology. Unfortunately this darker tone did not sit well for many Superman fans and superhero fans in general who grew more accustomed to Marvel's way of presenting their superheroes. Which is, light, fun, humorous, and easily well loved by the end of their solo movies. But to give credit where credit is due, at least Snyder was brave enough to break the traditional mold of superheroes. After all, DC's superhero mythology (except Batman of course) is more larger than life when compared to Marvel's superheroes. Man of Steel was generally an alien invasion story, where an alien (Superman) is trying to find his way in a world that he wasn't born in. Perhaps, trying to bring in the ultimate immigrant story, Snyder was building a Superman mythology where our beloved hero is acting (or feeling) his way in a world where his place is unsure yet. I was totally sold in Snyder's vision that we can't just easily accept an alien in our world. And in the movie, Superman pretty much acts like his shoulder is heavily weighed by the dilemma of saving/resurrecting his home planet (and his entire species) or saving a world where he is alien to. So obviously, we won't be seeing the grand majestic Superman that we are accustomed to. And by the end of the movie, there emerged a Superman that was more menacing than lovable. Despite the fact that he saved the world from utter destruction and annihilation. But his story does not end there. And if you have understood his version of Superman, then you'd probably understood why Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice had to happen.

Build up to Justice League

Snyder's Superman would only bring two responses from humanity. One out of fear, and another one out of appreciation. Now I'm not saying that Batman V Superman was a movie without flaws. But there was a good narrative that Snyder intended to deliver but unfortunately was poorly executed in the theatrical version. One should watch the extended cut to fully appreciate the narrative that Snyder intended to communicate to the audiences. Batman's basic motivation was dealing justice and stopping the alien Superman from creating more destruction and damage to the world. He sees Superman as a threat. He wanted to keep this godlike alien in check. Superman on the other hand was a clueless superhero wanna be who wanted to save the world in ways that he knows. Perhaps to the point of being too naive to think he can save the world by himself. As per Snyder's iteration of this Superman, he's just a year and a half in his career as Superman. These concepts were not delivered by Snyder very well and perhaps were just too deep for audiences to consume after being spoiled by simpler superhero movies like the Marvel formula. The movie culminates with the Death of Superman. A payoff that I personally think kind of felt hollow because Superman wasn't that Super to the audiences at this point. It also didn't help that the introduction and cameos of the Justice League made the movie convoluted. Though DC fans surely got a kick seeing a couple of teases and concepts that served as a peek of a larger DCEU. Snyder pushing Superman's death imagery as hope and inspiration to Batman and Wonder Woman was a step in the right direction. Something which I personally think the pretty condensed Justice League movie ruined. A quick run down of Snyder's succeeding DCEU movies would give us Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman. Suicide Squad was the U.S. government's answer to build a meta human team (albeit by using villains) under their beck and call to be their weapon to fight against meta human threats. Their immediate answer to Superman's death. A plan that failed, which eventually gave Batman even more motivation to form his own meta human team. Wonder Woman on the other hand didn't do much in terms of pushing the DCEU forward as the movie basically happened in Wonder Woman's past. It does however tell the back story on how she eventually kept her heroic self from being involved in the world until that fateful night when she had to reveal herself to the world again by fighting alongside Batman and Superman in thwarting Doomzod (I don't wanna call it Doomsday because Snyder ruined the chance to make a more compelling Death of Superman movie adaptation by bringing in Doomsday too early in the game).

Joss Whedon's Justice League, Where did it go wrong?

So that brings us to Justice League. Whedon's Justice League. Again the movie was fun, exciting, and they got their heroes and tone right. A lot of my friends are raving about Superman finally being Superman. In fact, I totally love the fact that my son has now become a Superman fan when he used to gravitate towards Batman even if his Dad is a huge Superman fan with countless Superman collections littered all over our home. But now I just realized by writing this article, to appreciate Justice League, one would have to erase Snyder's previous works from being connected with Justice League. Because everything no longer makes any sense. Justice League is said to be a course correction. Let's just view it as a stand alone movie, a beginning of a new DCEU and forget about Snyder. Which is well and good for those who genuinely love the movie. But for someone like me who is totally invested on Snyder's vision, however flawed and incomplete it might be, JL ruined a much more interesting DCEU. A DCEU in the long haul that would have made more cinematic relevance than any Marvel movie in the past could ever do. Whedon had to stitch the movie within a limited time and resources to try to correct Snyder's Justice League. A tall order for someone who might not be totally into Snyder's vision. Snyder's DCEU world building is supposed to be rooted in a deeper and more meaningful mythology that would bring Superhero movie appreciation to a more mature level. I believe Snyder's Justice League would have redeemed his Superman in the right way possible to bring him to become the Superman that we are more familiar with. Originally intended as a two part movie, we would have seen a resurrected black suit Superman (under Steppenwolf's influence) fighting the league in Justice League Part One. Thus wonderfully connecting to Batman's Knightmare dream sequence from BVS. The Lois Lane as the key pay off would have even more meaning as revealed by Flash in Batman's dream sequence in BVS if it didn't feel so rushed like what happened in the JL movie. How could you explain the closing scenes in BVS where the dirt on Superman's casket began to float. Steppenwolf surely had a hand on it. And in the course of the movie, for sure Superman would have been redeemed and helped the League in combating Steppenwolf. And the talks about Superman being a symbol of hope, and inspiration, would have even more meaning. You see, I've been told many times too often by non-Superman fans about the ridiculousness of the idea of Superman as hope and inspiration to humanity. Inspiration for what? To choose to do good even at the face of insurmountable odds? They mockingly tell me that Superman is an immortal while we are only human. Superman can do heroic stuffs and not die unlike us mere mortals. What hope and inspiration are we talking about they tell me. But in the context of Snyder's DCEU, Superman is the symbolism of Hope and Inspiration for the Justice League to rally on. There must be a grand plan of Snyder on how to make this work. And a brighter, more heroic DCEU would have began with Superman. DC Heroes' inspiration for truth and justice. The people's hope that Superman could rally other meta humans to do good instead of turning into a life of crime. And this would have opened a floodgate of DCEU movies rooted on Superman as the anchor, inspiration, and moral compass in their respective movies. Warner's impatience ruined this opportunity to fix a darker DCEU through more meaningful means. By letting a half baked Whedon "repair" Justice League, it only ruined Snyder's DCEU movie building. We now have before us a Justice League movie that is fun, humorous, exciting, full of fan service, but has an empty soul. No one could seriously connect Whedon's Justice League to any of Snyder's past movies. It's a stand alone Justice League movie, period. Therein lies my disdain for the Justice League movie before me. Perhaps by being too "invested" on Snyder's vision, I've ruined myself from thoroughly enjoying the movie. To me the movie felt empty. Disposable as a one off fun popcorn feel good movie and then totally forget about it in the succeeding years to come. It won't be as meaningful as say Reeve's Superman movie.
               
Flashpoint Is The Key

The best thing WB could have done was to at least let Snyder finish his Superman trilogy. Flashpoint is just around the corner to clean up the mess in case Snyder continues to screw up. Flashpoint was the best "course correction" vehicle for WB to pick up/build new universes where they could probably follow the Marvel formula without ruining the Snyder DCEU's mythology. It's a clean slate where they could push a new narrative for their DCEU. They could even use the "Dark" Snyder DCEU as Flash's motivation to set things right. There's a reason why I totally love Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past so much. That movie totally rebooted their X-Men franchise without ruining the well loved original X-Men trilogy. Not only that, but by introducing alternate timelines, they are afforded to come up with stand alone movies like Deadpool and Logan without muddling their cinematic universe. It also gave directors creative freedom to do what they want to do with other X-Men properties without sacrificing the tone of their main cinematic universe. Imagine the possibilities if Flashpoint became the rebooting vehicle for DCEU. But then the Flashpoint movie is still currently in flux. They might still go the rebooting way like how I said it, but there's a real danger that Flashpoint would be cancelled if JL's final box office tally won't satisfy WB. To move forward in this highly contentious and debatable "course correction" for DCEU, Warner Brothers should exercise more patience. During the production of Justice League, Warner was still unsure on the direction that they would want their DC properties to take. Now that they have chosen a path with this course correction via JL, it would be best for them to follow through from Justice League and not second guess themselves on what course to take. If they want to follow the Marvel Formula because they believe that this is what the audience wants, then the hell just do it. Just make sure that DCEU won't be a pale comparison to Marvel's Cinematic Universe. And they also better hope and pray that sticking to a certain formula for superhero movies won't cause the eventual implosion of the Superhero movie genre. As for Snyder, win or lose, at least the guy attempted to break the traditional superhero movie mold. And for that, I appreciate his bravery in trying to present a much mature and realistic take on the Superhero movie mythology. I'm still gonna watch Justice League for the second time around. And this time, I'm gonna be disabusing myself from Snyder's vision and treat JL as a stand alone movie. Maybe this time, with a fresh set of mindset, I would be able to appreciate Justice League more.

A Retrospective of the Justice League in Toy Form

Super Friends

1.) 1980's Kenner Super Powers
Kenner Super Powers was a toy merchandise that was derived from the success of the DC Super Friends show. This 5 inch toy line eventually had its own animated T.V. Shows called Super Friends: the Legendary Super Powers and Super Powers Show: Galactic Guardians. The toy line is expansive in terms of characters produced for the D.C. Universe. Scattered over 3 series and 34 action figures in total (not counting the play sets and the vehicles). The great thing about this toy line is that each action figure is packed with an action feature gimmick that activates a range of motions for each character. Each figures also comes with a Mini-Comic. Which further expands the characters' introduction to kids apart from the animated show tie-in. This toy line is well loved by collectors even up to this day. DC also released a couple of comic book mini-series help expand the popularity of this toy line. (I apologize however that I used a Kenner Michael Keaton Batman as a stand in for Batman. I couldn't find a decent Super Powers Batman figure at a good price. But the Keaton Bats were reused body from the Super Powers Batman)

Total Justice and JLA

2.) 1996 Kenner Total Justice/1998 Hasbro JLA 
Fresh from the success of the JLA comic book series relaunch under Grant Morrison, Kenner once again dived their fingers on releasing a new DC Universe Action Figure series since the success of Super Powers. Batman: Total Justice is a series of 5 inch Ultra-Stylized Action Figures that features the DC Heroes in great musculature sculpting detail and some wacky futuristic weapons and armors. However, this was not as well loved by collectors and fans alike when compared to the Super Powers toy line. On a personal note however, this was my favorite toy collection during that time because this happens to be the first Superman action figure that I owned. Total Justice lasted for Three Waves and 19 figures all in all before Hasbro revived the toy line two years later and re-named the line simply as JLA. JLA lasted 4 series with a total of 24 figures, 4 box sets of 5 figures, and a couple of 12 inch figures. DC also released a 3-issue limited series comic book based on this toy line which they simply called Total Justice.   

Justice League Unlimited

3.) 2003 Mattel Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection
In 2003, Mattel would capitalize on the successful Justice League animated series and released a toy line based on the show. Simply called JLU, this 5 inch toy line features five points of articulation for each figure and is a fan favorite. Though the action figure's design are cartoonish (which remained faithful to the show), this toy line rivaled the level of popularity of the Kenner Super Powers toy line for toy collectors. The appeal and success could perhaps be attributed to the wide range of characters released in this toy line. You could effectively complete the whole DC Universe if you were able to complete this toy line. You could probable see all of the characters released in these websites JL and JLU. To many new generation of DC fans, the show put John Stewart as the definitive Green Lantern for the new generation. The show lasted for 5 seasons and is one of the longest running Justice League animated TV series ever that featured recurring themes and story continuity. There was also a comic book series released based on the show.

DCUC/DC Direct JLA

DCUC/DC Direct JLI

4.) 2006 Various Mattel DCUC/1998 DC Direct Collectibles.
I decided to lump together both Mattel DCUC and DC Direct 6 inch action figure toy line because of the sheer number of toy lines produced for this line. And my DC Universe 6 inch action figure is a cherry picked mix of various DC 6 inch toy lines because my purpose was to seek out and collect as many DC Universe characters that I could. Retaining at least one version per character (except a couple of multiple characters like Superman from various toy lines). Mattel initially started their 6 inch toy line via DC Super Heroes which basically was a Superman and Batman centric toy line. The success of this highly poseable action figure (which features an average of 23 points of articulation per figure) would led them to even further the expansion of their characters via DC Universe Classics. For a comprehensive checklist you can visit DC Classics because I have lost count on the waves and characters released in this toy line. DC Direct on the other hand was a premium format highly detailed action figure toy line that features limited points of articulation but features highly detailed sculpts. I consider them as poseable statues because each figure possess unique and exclusive sculpt from the other. There are no rehash nor reuse of the action figure's body. Through the years, DC Direct would feature comic book artist centric action figures and each series or waves would be inspired from a specific comic book artist. Perhaps the best among them all is the action figure series based on Alex Ross' Justice and Kingdom Come comic book maxi series. 

The Batman Justice League

5.) 2008 Mattel The Batman Justice League
Batman's continued popularity over the years for DC would spawn a new animated series after the end of the JLU animated series. Just like JLU, which initially spawned from the Bruce Timm produced Batman: The Animated Series cartoons, The Batman animated series would introduce the Justice League on it's 5th and final season. Their appearance however were short lived and was limited to a couple of solo team up episodes with Batman as well as a final two-part episode that pitted a powerless JL team against robots bearing the stolen powers of the JL. The 5.5 inch action figures marked an improvement compared to the JLU ones as it now featured elbow and knee joints. In the photo above, I sneaked in a JLU Green Arrow because he was part of the JL team in this animated series but curiously was never given his own action figure in this toy line. You can also see the points of articulation comparison above. Though some JLU characters featured knee and elbow joints, but most JLU figures shared the points of articulation of the Green Arrow figure above. The Batman would also have its own short live comic book series to support the show.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

6.) 2008 Mattel Batman: The Brave and the Bold
The reason why The Batman animated series was ended was because Fox kids decided to come up with a new Batman animated series that would expand Batman's adventures by teaming him up with various DC characters. Batman: The Brave and the Bold was a Batman centric animated series that featured one shot episodes that would feature Batman teaming up with a DC Superhero. This mirrored the last season the The Batman animated series but the difference was the story direction of this animated series was geared more towards kids as compared to its predecessor. The show lasted for 3 seasons only. The bright spot however is that this 5.5 inch toy line would feature a good number of DC Superheroes that were featured in the show. The action figures lacked the knee articulation and had this ugly looking holes in arms and back of the figures that were supposed to be used for interchangeable weapons. Mattel would also later release re-sculpts of these figures as part of DC's New 52 relaunch. There was also a comic book series released for this show.

The New 52 Justice League

7.) 2014 DC Collectibles New 52 Justice League Box Set
The birth of the New 52 DC Universe in the DC Comics would also signal a rebirth in the DC action figures department. DC Comics re-branded their DC Direct into DC Collectibles and launched their new 7 inch action figures based on the revamped Justice League Comic Book series based on superstar artist Jim Lee's art. The new action figures marked an improved in terms of the quality of its plastic as it now featured a more softer and rubbery plastic. The problem with the old DC Direct action figures was the high breakage due to the hard plastic becoming brittle overtime. The change in the quality of its plastic would address that issue for toy collectors. DC Collectibles would also follow the DC Direct model where they base their action figures on a comic book artist's art. And the success of this new toy line can clearly be seen by DC Collectibles artist centric releases like the most notable of them all, a Bruce Timm action figure series based on the Batman: The Animated series TV show. This for sure modernized the vintage 5 inch Kenner Batman action figures released 20 years ago. Perhaps a modernized JLU action figure series based on the old JLU animated series might not be far off. If this happens, I'm sure DC toy collectors would go nuts!

Bonus:  

Jollibee Justice League

1.) Jollibee Justice League Kiddie Meal Toy
In the Philippines, the success of the JLU animated series would grant a local fast food chain its own toy merchandise that came with its kiddie meal. The Justice League Kiddie Meal toys were bigger compared to the official JLU action figures and stand around 5.5 inch. These are more in scale with The Batman and the Batman: The Brave and the Bold toy lines. Each figure comes with its own action feature gimmick that stayed true to the earlier concept of the Kenner Super Powers toy line.
These are one of my favorite JL toy collections that I have because of its rarity in the action figure world. This kiddie meal toy also had a second series that didn't include Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter.

The New 52 Action League

2.) Batman: The Brave and the Bold Action League
For toy collectors who are into cute stuffs (like Funko Pops?), Mattel was also able to release a 2 inch toy line based on the Batman: The Brave and the Bold Action League. This toy line was released to rival Marvel's Superhero Squad toy line. I included this in my feature because I think this toy line was so underrated and it is sad that it didn't start a trend/craze the way Funko Pops captured the cutesy market.

So this wraps up my Justice League toy feature. The photos I used here were old photos I found while I was trying to clean up my photo files in my computer. This gave me an idea to write a new article to help hyped up the upcoming Justice League Movie. I haven't written that much of late because I was becoming too lazy to shoot photos and write blogs. Here's hoping however that I could relight my passion to write in this blog. Hopefully I could follow it up by writing about the DC Multiverse Justice League Movie Action Figures that I recently acquired. Man I'm so hyped by the movie!

Birth of the Dragon movie Review

Birth of the Dragon

Being a huge Bruce Lee fan, I made it a point to be able to watch any films that would re-tell the legend and the story of Bruce Lee. And one such controversial film was released this week. Amidst the controversy and the negative reviews, I decided to give it a go even if Bruce Lee's own daughter, Shannon Lee abhors the film. The movie Birth of the Dragon is said to be inspired by the events of the legendary underground fight between a Pre-Jeet Kune do Bruce Lee and Northern Shaolin master Wong Jack Man. much of the controversy of this film was borne from the deceiving trailer which presented the movie as a Bruce Lee Bio-Pic. When in truth, it was only a semi-biopic that is blemished with fictional characters and an expanded story line. The events of the film is seen through the eyes of a fictional character named Steve Mckee (probably based on hollywood movie star and one time Bruce Lee student Steve Mcqueen). Mckee served as the bridge between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man's epic fight. Critics lambasted the film for whitewashing (a hollywood term for exchanging Asian characters in favor of Caucasian ones). While the Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man fight indeed happened, the cheesy climax ruined the film for me. I came to watch the film because of the Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man fight, which was based on the article "Bruce Lee's toughest fight" written by Michael Dorgan. The well researched article neither confirmed nor denied whether Bruce Lee indeed won the fight against Wong as what is more popularly known to the public. And the movie handled that part of the story well. At least for me. I don't need to go into details about the other expanded fictional stories of the movie, because honestly, those parts ruined the film for me. They could have just stayed true to the narrative of that legendary fight and kept it at that with probably some improvements on the story for more dramatic effect. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story which was a semi-autobiographical film about Bruce Lee back in the 90's have handled that part deftly. Though that movie also had additional fictional stories in their narrative (most notably a scene depicting Lee and Wong having a rematch in public which actually never happened), but at least it remained true to their intentions for the majority of the movie. Not unlike in this movie where we have an eastern-western Romeo and Juliet love story that did nothing to push the film forward. In fact it only made Lee and Wong comical in the climax. I was also annoyed at the Bruce Lee actor Philip Ng's forced portrayal and imitation of Lee. I get it that the producers were looking for someone who looks like Bruce Lee but his facial expressions sometimes gives me the laughs. Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee story actor) was the better actor, as he was able to convey the dramatic parts of the movie as well as the fight scenes. Yu Xia who plays Wong jack man on the other hand handled his role deftly as he was able to showcase his fight choreography flawlessly for someone who does not have a martial arts background. Birth of the Dragon also turned off a lot of Bruce Lee fans because of their portrayal of Lee as an arrogant person. Though that is not that much of an issue for me, because men with too much self-confidence are always cast/misunderstood as arrogant (see Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan as an example). What I do like about the film are the references and Easter eggs of significant Bruce Lee moments like the one inch punch and Lee's battle with a henchmen who wore knuckle claws (perhaps a nod to Enter the Dragon). Fight scenes were handled just fine. When it comes to Bruce Lee films, nothing still beats the original. When you watch films such as these, you should never compare and base your criticisms on the actor's martial arts skills or the fight scenes. Because comparing them with Bruce Lee is unfair. To conclude, Birth of the Dragon is an interesting film about Bruce Lee if you could skip all the unnecessary additions to the story. However, if you are looking for a semi-autobiographical film that is well done and stays true to its intentions, then Dragon: The Bruce Lee story is the better film.

Philip Ng as Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee v.s. Wong jack man (Yu Xia)

The Legendary Fight

ToyCon 2016: POP LIFE FAN EXPERIENCE

The Philippine ToyCon season for the year finally came to pass last weekend. And for all it's worth (and criticisms), I generally believe it was still a success. The moment the ticket prices were announced, the Facebook page of Toycon Ph was flooded with criticisms and hate posts because of the steep amount of raise for the ticket prices. Ticket Prices were raised by more than double, leaving a lot of regular ToyCon patrons disappointed and disheartened. But personally, I could see the point of the organizers. Now before you accuse me of being a Toy Con apologist, I'm not. Because I had some controversial posts before too that kinda riled up one of the organizers. The fact of the matter is, ToyCon 2016 is no longer really about the Toys now. The organizers felt that ToyCon had to evolve (and they may have taken their cue from the success of Asia Pop Comic Con held here last year). If you look at San Diego Comic Con (or other related events), it is not only about the toys, the comic books, or cosplaying. Events like those are all encompassing with special highlight being given to the "Fan Experience!". I believe this was the goal in sight by the ToyCon 2016 organizers. And this goal worked for me personally. We can try to be sarcastic and nitpick about the term "TOYCON" and argue that the name itself talks about Toys, but take note of the "POP LIFE FAN EXPERIENCE" title too. Because if we understood what ToyCon 2016 tried to bring, then we would not have been disappointed. Though I agree that the event was far from perfect, and there were procedures, processes, setup, and other concerns that needs to be improved on, ToyCon still managed to bring in a pretty good "Fan Experience". For one, they managed to bring in Coolrain Lee, a popular toy art design creator responsible for a number of impressive artistic toy designs. You could purchase some of his creations on his booth and have it signed afterwards. Mindstyle also brought in their famous Funko Pops! with a variety of ToyCon exclusives and rare stuffs that can only be purchased at ToyCon. Even Mario Maurer, the Thai hearthrob, was in attendance to launch his Mario Maurer Funko Pops. For comic book enthusiasts, Valiant Comics was giving out free comic books to ToyCon attendees, giving us a glimpse of the new and exciting reboot of the Valiant Universe. Transformers comic book super artist Pat Lee was also in attendance to give out free sketches and autographs to his fans. Legendary Zombie comic book artist Arthur Suydam of the Walking Dead and Marvel Zombies fame was also there to sign autographs and do some sketches with a fee. If you are a fanboy (or girl) of syndicated T.V. series, or the Star Wars movies, then you can feast your eyes on Hodor of a Game of Thrones, Superman himself Dean Cain from the Lois and Clark 90's TV series, and Daniel Logan the young Bobba Fett of Star Wars, in the flesh and ready to answer your questions and have photos taken with you. If you love fresh music, ranging from JPOP, acoustic, and R&B, there were a number of JPOP artist and DJs ready to dance with you and bring good beats. Acoustic artist Heffron Drive and R&B artist Frankie J (though I don't know who the hell they are lol!) also brought a lot of shrieking from their female fans. Not to mention the special appearances of local acts Itchyworms and Tanya Markova to close the evening. Although Parokya ni Edgar cancelled in the closing program of the final day, Hodor surprisingly climbed up the stage and gave us a sampling of his rave music mix "Rave of Thrones!" The ones I mentioned above are just samplings of what you could experience in ToyCon 2016. There's a more palatable set of fanboy geekery and more that is for your pickings to satiate your fanboy appetites. And I'm sharing some of my favorites parts of ToyCon 2016 below.        

The Giant VOLTES V statue!

That is probably 30 feet of Voltes V goodness! I know Filipinos will always have a soft spot for this legendary robot. And ToyCon 2016 was all about Voltes V for fans of the robot. Legendary ticket holders were given a 22 inch Vinyl limited edition Battle Damaged Voltes V statue that is said to be limited to 500 pieces worldwide. I'm hoping someday that this would be a treasure!

Stan Lee Exhibit

The organizers tried to bring Stan Lee in, unfortunately Stan Lee is already too old to go on a transpacific travel. The best they could manage was to bring in some of Stan Lee's personal collections while also having a video conference call with Stan Lee on the main stage and had him interact with the fans on the ToyCon venue. The collection exhibit was featured for three days while Stan Lee's video conference happened on a Saturday. Too bad I missed his video conference. Also, a lot of comic book fans felt short changed by Stan Lee's personal collection exhibit because most of the items exhibited were newer ones and mostly movie merchandises. I personally would have loved to see the older stuffs. Die-hard comic book fans for sure would share the same sentiments.

Toy Collections Exhibit

Street Fighter

Custom Made President Duterte 

Lego!

Nano Blocks!

Final Fantasy X Nano Blocks

Enterbay Kobe Bryant

1996 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars Starters (who's the fifth guy by the way?) 

His Airness Michael Jordan

1996-1998 Chicago Bulls

NBA Finals 2016: Stephen Curry v.s. Lebron James

Michael Jordan Flight!

Benny the Bull with Fanboy Redgie 

NBA Legends

Custom 1/6 Samurai X

One Punch Man

G.I. Joes

There were a lot more different toy lines on display but I took particular interest in the Street Fighter display. They had a good assortment but they somehow missed out on the vintage G.I. Joe Street Fighters which I happen to own a complete set. Maybe I could volunteer it for display in the next ToyCon? Hmm... There is also a custom made President Rodrigo Duterte bobble heads selling at P1,000 each. This guy is becoming a larger than life Pop-Culture Phenomenon like Che Guevara. There is also this pretty impressive Square Enix inspired Nano Blocks that was created from scratch from my good friend Randy Chua. I never had any patience with Lego, much more this smaller version. So that's pretty impressive. That 1/6 Samurai X diorama looks quite cool also.  

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad, DC's upcoming film based on a comic book about a rag tag band of villains formed together to save the world also had a tattoo giving session where ToyCon goers can have a tattoo of their favorite Suicide Squad characters. There was a Joker cosplayer lurking somewhere but I couldn't find him in time for this photo. I'm excited to see this movie and hope that this could help build DC's cinematic universe.

Star Wars light saber battles

Star Wars fans were treated to an intense light saber battle by this group. The choreography was pretty good. These guys will do the Jedi and Sith lords proud.

Pat Lee Autograph signing and Art Sketching session

Pat Lee and his Optimus Prime sketch at ToyCon

Pat Lee is a pretty much a low key guy. Most of the time he was just sitting in his Artist Corner booth waiting for people to visit him for an autograph or sketch, or even a small chitchat. I actually was looking for him on the first and second day but couldn't find him. Good thing I bumped into one of the ToyCon organizers and asked about Pat Lee's booth. To those who don't know him that well, Pat shot to comic book fame when he started working on the Transformers Franchise. This led him to come up with his own comic book publishing company Dream Wave productions which unfortunately did not last long as it encountered dire financial straits. Rumors had it that Pat mismanaged the company's funds, eventually leading to the shutting down of the company that left many in-house artists unpaid for their services. The end of Dream Wave however did not curtail Pat's work as a work for hire artist for DC, Image, and Marvel. Despite the controversies, it cannot be denied that Pat does have the talent and the skill to be one of the best in the business. His art style leans more towards the Japanese Manga art form or the Chinese Manhua art form. His creator owned Warlands comic book series gained a cult following back in the 2000s. I remember back in his heydays, he was consistently one of the top artists in the Wizard Magazine's monthly best of countdown. He currently resides in Hong Kong and is continuing his work on creator owned projects that he hopes would get a good following in China.

Some of Pat Lee's work on exhibit in his table. He said he bought this at ToyCon and is not selling them.

Pat browses my X-Men/Cyberforce copy

When I reached his booth, I saw that Pat was alone and killing time as he waited for people to visit his space. I spent some time talking to him to keep him company and handed him my X-Men/Cyberforce Crossover comic book for autograph. He was amazed that I still own a copy because he could no longer find one and that he no longer owns one. Before signing it, he browsed the pages of the comic book first while relating to me the memories he had with the book. Soon after, there were some Pat Lee fans who came and brought along a handful of Transformers comic books by Pat and had it signed. That guy also asked Pat to do some sketch on his blank cover Transformers comic book to which Pat obliged. It was then that I knew Pat was willing to sketch for free. I actually brought along a blank cover of Superman: Doomed for the purpose of trying to ask Dean Cain to do me his best Superman sketch but when I knew Pat was willing to do some sketching, I handed it to him instead. Pat is no stranger to Superman as he once did a short run in the Superman/Batman comic book. Pat's sketch of Superman in my blank cover made it look so easy. People were blown at the way he drew the lines and shades. By this time, more and more people were beginning to flock by his space that I funnily took the opportunity to introduce him to some of the curious public. He told me he appreciated my efforts. I was glad to help out because this guy is a natural artist. And if he has done mistakes in the past, maybe giving him a second chance ain't that bad. My conversations with him were basically centered on his thoughts on the comic book industry. How tough it is to capture the mainstream audience with creator owned projects because as he said, people would still go back to the mainstream titles like Superman, Batman, Avengers, X-Men, and the likes. He also shared that his main focus nowadays is to at least get a good audience in the China market.  

With the signed copy of X-Men/Cyberforce

That looked easy

Almost done

Working on the Details

Shading

And it's done! Superman by Pat Lee!

The Dean Cain Fan Experience

There was only one thing that I was after in this year's ToyCon. And that thing was the opportunity to have a Meet and Greet session with Dean Cain, the 90's Superman who graced the small screen with his dazzling adventures and the dashing romance with Lois Lane. For those who are following my blog, I haven't been shy in my Superman fandom as I lap up any Superman news, action figures, comic books, and what not. So I would not let this opportunity escape me. Initially, before it was announced that they would be having Dean Cain as guest, I was unsure about attending ToyCon because of two main reasons. One, it is farther from my place, and Two, the spike in ticket prices (with the assumption that things remain the same) kind of turned me off initially. When they revealed the guests that they were bringing in, I began to understand, but it was not enough to coax me to spend P500 ticket entrance per day. But when Dean Cain was announced, along with the ticket schemes to avail the meet and greet, I didn't think twice about getting the Legendary Pass. I'm not a fan of Game of Thrones so I was basically just meh on Hodor. But I would never miss Dean Cain.  

Lois and Clark Graphic Novel signed by Dean Cain

I already expected beforehand that Meet and Greet events don't usually happen on time and you'd have to make an effort to make it happen if you really want to get the opportunity. So in the first day, I went to ToyCon late in the afternoon to check out if Dean was there. Lo and behold he was there, along with Hodor. Noticeably, Hodor's line was longer. People might no longer remember who Dean Cain is because the Lois and Clark TV series ended some 20 years ago. This was a welcome development for me because it would mean that I get to have my meet and greet opportunity faster than I expected it to be. When I reached his table, I complimented him for his work as Superman and asked some stuffs about Lois/Teri Hatcher. I've always had this high school crush on Lois. I came in prepared by bringing along with me my prized possession of a Lois and Clark graphic novel cover which compiles some choice stories from the Superman comic books in the 90's. Dean was pretty much impressed that I got this 20 year old graphic novel in still very good condition. He was happy to see this old book, it must have brought him memories of his work as Superman. The other people lining up to get their autographs were mostly bringing along random Superman stuffs, so I guess seeing his face on a Superman merchandise might have left him quite proud. Later on someone shared to me that while Dean was having dinner with some of the ToyCon organizers, he was sharing to them how he was astounded by some guy who brought along a 20 year old graphic novel with his face on it. I mean this is not the U.S. This is a third world country that is on the opposite side of the world. And to see someone possess a very old copy of a merchandise with you on the cover, of course you'd feel astounded by the amount of reverence that is given to you. Dean was basically warm and did small talk and was all smiles as he entertained all those who came to have their autograph signatures and photos taken.

Superman 700 and the Lois and Clark Season 1 DVD

I came back on the second day with a fresh batch of merchandise that I wanted Dean to sign on. I own tons of Superman comic books and had to carefully choose which comic books would basically fit Dean Cain. I chose Superman 700. The Anniversary issue that would reunite Superman and Lois after Superman does a long walk all over America. The images in the comic book highlighted the action and the romance that was pretty much done in the tradition of the Lois and Clark TV series. I also brought along my Season One Lois And Clark DVD set. I'm regretting that I didn't purchase the whole four seasons while they were still on sale in the DVD shops here. I envy some kids from Thailand who came all the way from Thailand and brought along their DVDs just to have their meet and greet with Dean Cain. The second day was again productive as I went home with a fresh batch of signed merchandises. And oh by the way, Dean Cain recognized me, that I was that guy from yesterday who brought along those Lois and Clark graphic novel. It's a good feeling to be recognized by someone who once played Superman on TV.

On the third day, I still didn't care about the other meet and greet opportunities with other guest artists. I again waited for Dean to show up. His time on stage was cancelled because Dean wasn't able to arrive on schedule. So no more on stage meet and greet with the general audience (which he graciously did give on the first day and the second day). The photo op with him through the official ToyCon photographer also did not happen as it was canceled due to time constraints. If there was one thing that I was to be disappointed with, then this would be it. But I wouldn't let it dampen the Fan Experience as a whole, because on the third day, I again lined up for Dean with another batch of fresh merchandise that I brought along for another batch of autographs. Good thing I have extra copies of the choice comic books that I wanted for signature and still in line with the Lois and Clark theme. I chose to bring Superman: The Man of Tomorrow 1 because this is the classic Superman of the 90's which ran in conjunction with the Lois and Clark T.V. series. This Superman sported a longer mullet hair, which keen observers should notice that in the first few episodes of Lois and Clark, Dean sported a longer mullet hair. An issue of the Free Comic Book Day Superman that featured the first issue of the Last Son story arc was also another comic book choice I made to have Dean signed because in the Final episode of Lois and Clark, there was a mysterious baby left in the doorsteps of Lois and Clark's home. This story arc was never finished because the series was cancelled after four seasons, leaving a cliffhanger ending to the whole series. The Last Son story arc meanwhile tells about a mysterious boy that Superman and Lois decided to adopt and act as guardians. So yeah it serves a good bridge to the TV series. The last comic book I brought was Action Comics 900. This was a special issue that features a good number of mini-stories. The main story featured Doomsday, the monster that killed Superman back in the 90's as well as the four new Supermen that emerged after Superman's death. Back in the 90's, DC comics had plans to finally have a Lois and Clark wedding in their comic book. But since the Lois and Clark TV series was still running on air, Warner saw it more important to gain mainstream media mileage by having Lois and Clark get married on TV first. This left the Superman comic book writers on a dead end with regards to their stories and decided one day to just kill him off. This started to gain huge publicity as Superman is said to have finally died at the hands of a monster called Doomsday. All of the central characters of that event are reunited in this issue, so having Dean sign it is a nod of that 90's connection. The last item I brought was a T-Shirt that seems to have shrank on me. These four were the final item I had Dean Cain signed and before leaving, I asked him if he could bring Lois/Teri Hatcher with him in his next trip. Or if not, Supergirl Melissa Benoist would do! Dean was all game, laughing and telling me he'll try, and that Melissa is such a sweet girl. Dean was all warm to everyone and all smiles. During the three day event, he was always gracious with the fans. That day ended my Dean Cain weekend Pop Life Fan experience. And I could say it was a weekend well spent as I finally get to meet and greet one of the Supermen.          

Dean Cain's special message to my Sister-in-Law (with my suggestion lol!)

Who's stronger? Superman or Superfan?

The Toy Hauls

Things you get from the Legendary Pass

Well it wouldn't be ToyCon without the toy hauls. Lately I have been laying low in purchasing action figures because most of my money is now spent on comic books. I seem to have rekindled my love for comic books. I purchased a number of comic books in ToyCon but I'm too lazy to shoot photos of it. Let me start instead with the freebies that came with the Legendary Pass.

The highlight of the items that came with the Legendary Pass is the massive 22inch Limited Edition Battle Damage Voltes V. This vinyl made statue is said to be numbered at only 500 pieces worldwide and was selling at ToyCon for P8,000.

There are two version of these Voltes V with the other one being the Normal version. Personally, the Battle damage version looks better because it came with rusting details and the likes, making this Voltes V look metallic. The normal version looks too plastic because of the clean white colors. It is also being sold at P500 lesser than the battle damage version.

Battle Damage version

Normal Version

Included also is a rare number 8 Jersey Kobe Bryant Funko Pop which is the variant version of the Number 24 Kobe. I don't exactly know how rare this Funko Pop is but I saw a number being displayed at the venue.

There is also a ToyCon exclusive Stan Lee Funko Pop included for Legendary Pass holders. I'm pretty sure if Stan Lee made an appearance, then people would be lining up to have this Funko Pop signed by Stan Lee.

And lastly, a Manny Pacquiao Lithograph. There were different designs given away and you could not choose a particular design. I wanted a more real looking Pacquiao Lithograph but got this instead.

For regular ticket holders, a P500 ticket would entitle you to freebies such as these Movie Posters courtesy of SM Cinema. Unfortunately they ran out of Captain America.

There were also a couple of free posters being given away, mostly featuring the foreign celebrity guests. There was also a Program Guide Magazine for the attendees, a Valiant comic book, and other assorted on site activities that would net you different prizes. I got a cool shades from Jack TV in their booth, as well as some T-Shirts and stuffs. P500 ain't that bad if you get to avail all of the freebies.

Mindstyle's Coolrain Eraserheads were also being sold at rock bottom prizes as they try to move out their remaining inventories. I purchased a set for my brother. The Eraserheads are the so called Beatles of the Philippines and I think is the only Filipino besides Pacquiao to have been given the Mindstyle treatment.  

I also purchased a couple of assorted action figures at the price I'm willing to pay. These ranges from DC, Marvel, WWE, and a Vintage Rambo Force of Freedom character. I'm now only missing KAI, Black Dragon, and Turbo to complete the vintage Rambo set.

I'm pretty overjoyed by this find, a Vintage Kenner Starting Line Up Michael Jordan figure that I bought for only P50. Yes that's right, Michael Jordan at only P50! You just need to have the patience of digging up the toy bins to find treasures like this.

Marvel Legends was also represented when I finally was able to purchase this Hasbro Captain America to update my Toybiz Marvel Legends Captain America. I've been eyeing this figure for quite some time but only at the price that I am willing to pay for. In ToyCon I got him at the price I want.

Still overjoyed with this Dean Cain signed graphic novel

Well that wraps up my 2016 ToyCon experience. To summarize, ToyCon really is anything to anyone. for the past 14 years, it has brought joy and excitement to the hobby but the 2016 ToyCon was really an effort to level up the ToyCon experience. I know there was a good number of complaints from the regular patrons due to the ticket prices, but this above all was about the Pop Life Fan Experience. And it worked for me. I believe there was everything available for everyone. Be it for toy collectors, cosplay enthusiasts, fanboys and fangirls. There was enough to satisfy the needs of the regular goers as well. I'll be waiting for the 2017 ToyCon with the hopes that Teri Hatcher, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, or anyone from any Superman related movies and TV to make an appearance. If that happens, then a 2017 ToyCon attendance will again be a must for me. As Stan Lee says... Nuff Said!