IDOL PURSUITS : "TOYS NIGHT OUT". A RECAP and PRELUDE EDITION

---

IT FIGURES... this is going to be a multi-purpose post.

No, I'm not complaining or being sarcastic about anything.

"IT FIGURES" was the name I originally used as a subject header / tag-line for a continuing series of blog-posts that deal with "Action Figures", figurines and statuary. I soon realized that in keeping with the mystic nature of this blog's focus (i.e; Doctor Strange and the various magic characters which I collect), that "IDOL PURSUITS" would make more sense, since I am often in pursuit of these plastic (plaster, resin, rubber and/or paper) "idols".

One of the first series of posts when I began this blog were the "Idol Pursuits", wherein I started an extensive look into every action figure, figurine and statue of Doctor Strange, Man-Thing, Rom; Spaceknight and assorted other "6-Dimensions" characters.
However, somewhere in my 2nd year I got sidetracked into other posts (many epic essays and in-depth looks into the comics) and never got back to the "Idol Pursuits".

While I've been meaning to get back to it, I've sadly neglected to do so.

UNTIL NOW...

Since, as of late, I've been spending what (little) free time I have working on fixing up my "Sanctum Sanctorum" (man-cave), I've been surrounded by all of the many, MANY assorted "idols" that are stored within.

And so I feel compelled to light the candles on those alters and continue to pay homage to them here once again.

Just a glimpse of a VERY FEW of the many figures to be showcased in the weeks to come.


Since it has been a few years since I last posted an entry in the "IDOL PURSUITS" category, I feel it best to give a recap / run-down on what has come before with some pics and links to previous posts.

But then, make sure to continue on and read the comic story "TOYS NIGHT OUT" which was first printed as a back-up story in MARVEL FANFARE # 56 - and then come back next time for an IDOL PURSUITS SPECIAL EDITION deluxe entry!


So now in preparation of the continuance of the "IDOL PURSUITS" series, here's your recap of the posts dedicated to presenting detailed and comprehensive histories of DOCTOR STRANGE (and "6-Dimensions" characters) figures/statues/standees etc...:

---

Part 1) - 1979 Ben Cooper “dangler” figure – [HERE]

---

Part 1a) - ADDENDUM:  The pre-“Action Figure” figures
(Marvel World standees and "Rub-n-Play" standee) – [HERE]

---

Part 2) – The DOCTOR STRANGE MEGO figure that almost was – [HERE]

---

Part 3-A) – Gaming figures: TSR Standees – [HERE]

---

Part 3-B) – Gaming Figures: TSR Metal Figurines – [HERE]

---

Part 4) – The PVC Figurines: DOCTOR STRANGE – [HERE]

---

Part 4a) The PVC Figurines - addendum 1: “MAN-THING” – [HERE]

---

Part 4b) – The PVC Figurines  - addendum 2: “DEFENDERS” – [HERE]

---

Special Editions:

Idol Pursuits: ROM SPACEKNIGHT "action figure" toy – [HERE]

---

Idol Pursuits: ROM SPACEKNIGHT model kits: full size and bust - [HERE]

---

Idol Pursuits: DR. ORPHEUS bobblehead - [HERE]

Of course, there were OTHER entries in the IDOL PURSUITS series (mostly ancillary and preview posts), but if you want to see ALL of the entries in the series (in reverse order) just click [HERE].

---

Well. Before you go up and start clickety-clicking all those links, and (re)reading those previous entries, I'll post a special comic story here for you!

Originally printed in MARVEL FANFARE # 56, this is a story of a kid who can't seem to get his room in order and it's because he spends too much time playing with his... (NO, you filthy-minded people!) Action Figures.

But don't fret... there's a very good reason this story is being showcased here!

But don't worry, I won't spoil it here. I'll recap at the end...

Written by BILL MANTLO with art by DON HECK, enjoy...

 "TOYS NIGHT OUT".

---

So, did you figure out WHY this is on my blog?

Not only is it a pseudo-biographical tale of my working on my "Sanctum" (well... except I don't have a mother breathing down my neck about it, and my wife is smarter than to threaten to "take my toys away") but it also comes down to DOCTOR STRANGE (and Dormammu) to save the day!

If only MY action figures and statues would do that.

I've got HUNDREDS of them... it would be a snap for them.

Better go check to see if any of their hands are smoking.

So, remember to come back next time for an IDOL PURSUITS SPECIAL EDITION deluxe entry - where I present the 

DOCTOR STRANGE BOARD GAME 

(Which was OFFICIALLY produced by MARVEL)!!

that YOU can download and print out!

[HERE]

ASTEROID 2012 DA14 - ARMAGEDDON OUTTA HERE! -or- KISS YOUR ASTEROID GOODBYE!

---

ASTEROID 2012 da14

 ...streaks through the heavens on a rendezvous with Earth!

SHALL THIS BE THE DOOMSDAY WE HAVE BEEN AWAITING?!? *

NOT IF EARTH'S HEROES HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!

OK, all hyperbole and over-dramatization aside, the very fact that an asteroid is coming so close to the planet (between the atmosphere and our artificial satellites!) is a pretty big deal and the stuff that sci-fi movies and comic book drama is made!

However, just to show that this event is nothing new under the sun (ha... see what I did there?) for our favorite heroes, I'll present just a few glimpses into their interactions with similar situations!

ROM: SPACEKNIGHT - his initial landing on Earth looked, to all who may have witnessed it, to be a comet or meteor careening down to impact on Earth.

"OK. Maybe next time I'll go with the valet parking."

Not only that, but while out in space, he had many instances to hop a ride aboard a passing asteroid.
He even buried one of his friends on an asteroid (Gloriole). Asteroids are a convenience, kids!

 "...and y'see kids? This is how hobo-Spaceknights of yore used to ride the 'roids."

 But no matter what. We should never fear, for whether on Earth or out in space, ROM: SPACEKNIGHT is ever vigilant to shoot incoming space debris out of the sky before it ever strikes Earth!

 "pew! pew!"

Asteroids are no big deal; not only to a star-spanning, card carrying, Guardian of the Galaxy**, but also to mystic masters as well.

---

DOCTOR STRANGE has encountered space rocks on more than one occasion, and to him, it's all small stuff compared to the "big picture" which is evident to a mystic.
Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange says; "Stay serene. Simply stop sweating small stuff". See?
 

Kosmic!

 (There were several other space adventures with Strange blasting and dodging asteroids and stuff - [like the whole 2nd half of Doctor Strange v2 # 4, or chunks of Doctor Strange v3 # 80 or...], but THIS one pic is all that's really needed. 'nuff said!)

---

And lest ye think that a swamp dweller like MAN-THING has no experience with asteroids, I should inform you that of ALL these heroes, he has the MOST experience!

For you see, once while battling against ghost-pirates in space (yes. I said GHOST PIRATES. IN SPACE!) he fell off the ghost ship and froze in the depths of the void to fall back to the Earth.

Watch that first step... it's a doozy!

2 balls of mud adrift in an endless cosmos.

Whoever Knows Fear 

(or Friction from Atmospheric Re-Entry)

Burns at the Touch of Man-Thing!

 Remind yourself... WHAT is an asteroid? A hunk of minerals and dirt and (frozen) water.
WHAT is MAN-THING? A hunk of minerals and dirt and (in his descent from space, frozen) water!

So you see... MAN-THING has BEEN an asteroid!

---

Thus, there is nothing to fear from Asteroid 2012DA14...

we'll live to see another day *** ...
...THANKS TO OUR HEROES!

 ---

* - We here at the blog gave two recent disappointing "doomsdays" their own posts [HERE] & [HERE]. Stupid Mayans!


** - No. ROM wasn't a member of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" TEAM. He was a literal G.o.t.G. - though he doesn't really carry a card that says so.
(But tying into possible Guardians of the Galaxy film web-search traffic couldn't hurt.)


*** - SUCK IT, DINOSAURS!

SAVE THE EARTH : the SUPER-HERO WAY EARTH DAY 2012

EARTH DAY!

The day when we especially try to do our very best to protect and preserve our planet: Earth.
We, as regular folks, can do many things to try and ensure the long, harmonious existence of our world; such as: Recycling, composting, abstaining from littering, avoiding water waste, using electricity and fossil fuels sparingly, and such.

However, our 4-color heroes have a higher level to maintain; such as: preventing world destruction and stuff like that.

In order to achieve this, some heroes have set up satellite watchtowers, or partnered with law-enforcement to establish sky-borne alert signals so as to help keep a bigger view on trouble than they might otherwise be able to root out on their own.

Still others set up elaborate detection devices that scan the globe for danger-zones.

Doctor Strange has long employed such a device.
In lieu of his Orb of Agamotto (think: crystal ball that can see into other dimensions) he often would use an enchanted globe, upon which evil would manifest as a glowing red or black point of "light".

As far back as his earliest appearances in 'Strange Tales' from the 1960's he would use this Earth image to root out evil that might endanger our world.

The Earth Orb as seen on the cover envelope of the

 1983 Doctor Strange portfolio by Michael Golden.

Strange continued to use the enchanted globe on other occasions, such as the time that he had (seemingly) destroyed the Orb of Agamotto and his other talismans of power (at the end of the 'Master of the Mystic Arts' series and into the 'Strange Tales' v2 era) in order to defeat an otherworldly menace.

Of course, he had soon regretted his decision to destroy his talismans, as that act once again let loose all the ancient evils to the face of the Earth.

Defeating them one after another, gaining their powers (and darker energies) to himself, he eventually made his way down to the lowest depths of existence to confront and combat the ultimate of the ancient evils; Shuma Gorath.

Despite the fact that by this point, Dr. Strange was nearly godlike in power, he still remembered the Earth and his vow to protect it - at all costs.

"At all costs" usually means that the hero will suffer all manifestations of sorcerous slings and metaphysical arrows to protect the person (or in this case billions of people) to which he has sworn safety.

Of course... "at all costs" can kind of go both ways... so if it takes destroying the Earth (metaphysically, anyway) in order to save it from a worse evil, then that's just how some heroes might have to roll.

Boom goes Shuma Gorath - and the mystically linked Earth.
OK. So, sometimes, protecting the Earth doesn't always go as planned.


Let's take a look at another hero; ROM: SPACEKNIGHT!
Here we see that he has constructed a "wraith-finder" in order to detect the alien threat of the Dire Wraiths anywhere on the Earth.

With this he would be able to stand as a solitary sentinel against the hidden menace of shape-changing monsters who would try to kill us all and take over our world.

This image is a metaphorical image. ROM isn't a super-giant cyborg whose right foot is crushing millions of Canadians.
But, it's a visual shorthand for the sort of long-winded vow that ROM espouses (as seen below) detailing that he will stay and defeat the wraith menace no matter how long it takes.

Now THAT's a HEROIC ideal to saving the Earth from evil menaces!
ROM is a hero we can count on!

Well, at least for a few more issues, until he cleanses the world of the specific menace that he came to eradicate. Then, he ditches us to hot-foot it back into space.


Thanks ROM... I guess it would have been too much to hang around and fight other world-threats.
But, it's cool... the Spaceknight Union won't allow you to touch anything non-Wraith oriented.
See ya around.


OK, so maybe Super Heroes aren't always all that good about the whole "Save the Earth" thing.
But that doesn't mean that WE can't still try.

---

* BONUS EXTRA *

On the subject of "Earth Day" and all things "green" - this past Friday was April 20th; otherwise known as 4-20 or "green day".

This is an unofficial "holiday" by pot aficionados to "celebrate" their use of "the green".
Man-Thing, being a swamp creature (and mostly composed of weeds, and such) has a word or three for those who would otherwise "partake"...

"Just Say No"

When offered an hallucinogenic tuber by Swamp-Thing (or in this case; "Swamp-THANG", as it was an issue of the spoof-comic; "What The---?", #6 to be exact), Man-Thing (or in this case; "Man-THANG") decides not to bow to peer pressure.

Anyway, however you decide to celebrate our beautiful planet; EVERY DAY should be Earth Day... so... Have Many HAPPY EARTH (and GREEN) DAYS!

ROM Swiped-Knight -or-ROM LIEFELD -or Rob Liefeld obviously owns some ROM comics

---

Lately, I find that I unintentionally give less attention on this blog to ROM SPACEKNIGHT than I would like.

Oh, no.
Not at all.

 ROM SPACEKNIGHT cover art by Frank Miller.

It isn't that I like ROM any less than the other characters that garner my interests (Doctor Strange & Man-Thing, among others).

Oh, no.
Not at all.

In fact, ROM was integral to my discovering Doctor Strange (as related in this blog post [HERE]).

However, since ROM is sort out of the public eye (no comic in many decades and with the rights tied up in legal limbo - no comic soon to be forthcoming either), it's easy to focus more on characters that are still current.

But that isn't to say that others don't keep ROM fresh in their sight.

Oh, no.
Not at all.

Many comic creators still dabble with the various ROM characters; the Dire Wraiths, Hybrid and so on, who ARE properties of Marvel comics.

And still, some creators keep their ROM comics out where they can obviously be used as creative fodder.

Rob Liefeld is such a creator.

He obviously has a copy of ROM # 17 lying around.
How do I know?
Well... take a look at this cover that Rob Liefeld drew for the current issue of HAWK and DOVE (# 7).

Look familiar?
Take a closer look and then check out the cover of ROM # 17 at the top of the post.
Sure, he changed some of it a little... but that is a swipe of the ROM cover if ever I saw one.

For those who may not be privy to the term, a "swipe" is when an artist basically copies another, earlier work and doesn't give any proper credit to the original artist. They just copy it and call it their own.
That is not to be confused with an "homage". An homage is an intentional replication, with some alterations, as needed, intended to remind viewers of the earlier piece - or just give a creative "nod" to the one that came before.

Homages are tributes to great artists who came before.
Swipes are not.

Oh, no.
Not at all.

When I first saw the cover to Hawk and Dove # 7, I immediately did a "double-take", saying essentially; "What-the-wha?"
I KNEW I saw that cover pose before.

The arm position of Hawk, with one clawed hand swiping down.
Heck, Hawk's entire body is in the same position as Wolverine's.

The furtive, helpless pose of Dove, held aloft by a much more powerful captor, standing spread-legged in a power-pose.
I KNEW it... but I originally thought it was a swipe of a Spider-Man cover.

But then, it hit me.
ROM.

Because, it is not the first time that Mr. Liefeld used a ROM cover for his own ends.

Oh, no.
Not at all.

Take a look below.

New Mutants v1 # 91
See the background?
The stone cavern wall with the skull lodged in it, and the skeletal remains in the water?
Even the pose of CABLE and the fact that his enemies lurk around the corner...

Now take a look below, at the cover of ROM # 9, by Michael Golden.

Yeah...

Rob Liefeld isn't very good.

Oh, no.
Not at all.

GRAVEN IMAGES : 01 Featuring: THE MARVEL TEAM-UP POSTER - 1983 -

Taking a break from other blog topics, I am posting this next entry in response to several requests to see this particular item.

Far be it for me to deny the fans that for which they clamor, even though this was originally to be posted later - as both; a part of a series of posts about the various Posters in the Sanctum, as well as a series about all the various weird items that feature ROM; SPACEKNIGHT.

However, this item is one that not only showcases ROM, but would (almost *) be the 1st ** that would feature all 3 of my blog's "Founding Fathers":
DOCTOR STRANGE, ROM: Spaceknight, and the MAN-THING.

MARVEL TEAM-UP: STARRING SPIDER-MAN

 POSTER

from 1983

A rare promotional item, measuring 34" x 22", from 1983, when Marvel was still publishing their MARVEL TEAM-UP title.

Sent to comic shoppes at that time, this wasn't something that most fans would have been able to get their hands on, as it was usually displayed in the comic store until destroyed by time, faded by the sun, or simply discarded for the next promotional push.

The weird thing is, ROM never made it to be featured as a guest star in Marvel Team-Up!
He did, eventually make it as a gust star in the companion title; Marvel Two-In-One (starring The THING) in issue # 99, but never was there a Spider-Man / ROM team up.

Man-Thing was featured, at least twice, in the series, and Doctor Strange was a guest, several times over.

Now, I can hear everyone saying; "Now wait-a-minute... I can see Doctor Strange and ROM, but I don't see the Man-Thing." And you'd be correct.

Which is why I noted above with the asterisk  " * ".

* For you see, the poster in its final - printed - incarnation is not what was originally intended.
No. For next you shall see the original pencilled artwork, by Ron Frenz, of what he had originally designed the poster to be.

You'll note that many of the characters in the original penciled version are either in different, some might note; less-dramatic poses, or are shifted around with other characters when it came to produce the final piece.

Note: Doctor Strange is more menacing, but with no spell-casting gesture, ROM has no Neutralizer being used and Man-Thing is present just behind the hooded cowl of Moon Knight.
Other characters are also less dynamic or are totally relocated or deleted - compare and contrast with the printed version to see all the differences!

The final product is indeed better than the original layout, with more action-oriented poses and characters flying in the air (as I'd imagine Ron Frenz wasn't sure how much room was needed up top for logos and type copy), but alas... poor Man-Thing was omitted.

I can ALSO hear you saying; "Hey! Didn't the 'MARVEL UNIVERSE' poster come out first?"
Well, no.

As I noted above with my double-asterisk" ** " was that I was intending to get to that as well.

** In the interest of providing all the info that you might want to know - since I did mention it - while released AFTER the TEAM-UP poster,  the FIRST (and only) poster to feature all 3 of my "Blog Founding Fathers" would be the famous, and highly sought giant-sized mega-poster of:

THE MARVEL UNIVERSE POSTER

from 1985

I am only showing this version - where I highlighted THE THREE, as I will be posting a solo entry for this poster eventually.

This GIANT poster (seriously, it's like 4 feet high by 4 feet wide!) is what was designed for the original 1982 - 1984 series of the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK of the MARVEL UNIVERSE, by Ed Hannigan - and inked by Joe Rubinstein. When all 12 original issues were placed in order, their wrap-around cover art would form this image (with some differences, as a few costume designs and artistic tweaks would be made when this poster was printed, in 1985).

This poster would be re-released twice more - once in 1988 and again in the 1990's (iirc?)  in conjunction with Dymanic Forces. The way to tell the original is by the date printed on the side.
Also, the Dynamic Forces version has a Marvel and DF logo on the bottom left and I believe is much smaller than the original.

But even THIS poster would have been a not-so-distant third to another poster that ALMOST edged out both of the above images...

THE MERRY MARVEL MARCHING CONFUSION POSTER

1982 - By Michael Golden.

Here, in Michael Golden's illustration are featured but two of "THE THREE" - this time with ROM not present, as ROM was a licensed property and not one of Marvel's own characters.

This 11" x 17" print was first available as a mail-away offer (for 50cents) found in many comics in 1982. The print came folded (2 folds) along with promotional materials from other publishers and outlets.

The print was later made available in the 1998 as a prestige edition litho by Dynamic Forces with all new computerized coloring and effects.

Like the M.I. poster above, I'll be devoting a post to this wondrous poster, its history and incarnations at a later date.


Now, can't you see why I was originally intending to wait before posting this item?
;-)