Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Crook, The Bat and The Ugly

I just love me some group shots of figures posed together (even if it means they're just standing; there's something about strength in numbers) and these Mego styled and Retro-Action DC Super Heroes and Villains are no exception :) This blog post is aptly named "The Crook, The Bat and The Ugly".

The Crook would be The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), one of Batman's oldest foes, and an eccentric criminal mastermind, known as much for his love of ornithology and trick umbrellas as for his already shady business dealings. In most incarnations, the Penguin is a short, chubby man who wears a tuxedo, top hat, monocle, white gloves and spats. The vintage Mego Penguin 8" figure stays true to this incarnation.



The Bat of course refers to Batman. Batman didn't always operate alone. Based on Bill Finger's (co-creator of Batman with artist Bob Kane) suggestion that Batman needed a "Watson" with whom Batman could talk with, Robin was introduced in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) as Batman's kid sidekick and the Dynamic Duo was created. It got so popular then that it sparked a proliferation of "kid sidekicks."


The Ugly refers to Two-Face, hideously scarred on one side of his face by an acid attack and left completely insane, consumed by his fixation on chance; his crimes designed to prove out his diametric philosophy. In this picture playing the ugly part is the Mattel Retro-Action DC Two-Face 8" Super Villain figure (reviewed earlier)


The Penguin is known for his love of birds and his high-tech umbrellas that serve some specialized function, such as hang-gliding and weaponry. He also keeps beautiful women around him; perhaps to remind others of his monetary power or to compensate for his own grotesqueness.


In this picture, vintage Mego Robin the Boy Wonder seems to be creeping up on the creep (haha). In the campy 1960s Batman television series and its 1966 movie offshoot, Robin / Dick Grayson was played by Burt Ward. Burt's version of Robin was known for the catch phrase: "Holy [relevant pun], Batman." So if Robin ever went to Subway, he'll utter the phrase, "Holy Torpedo, Batman. It's a Sub!"


Here are some close-up shots of the crook, the bat and the ugly. Growing up in a lower-class family, Harvey Dent was raised with an instinctive dislike and mistrust for the upper-class. These harsh surroundings resulted in him developing repressed mental-illnesses of his own, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.


Vintage Mego Batman stands in front of the recently released Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Batman 8" Figure (with removable cowl and cape). In the old days, they tend to dot the eyes. Thankfully, the new released retro-action DC super heroes are not treated in the same way but have gone with the whites as eyes on the mask, just like how they looked in the comics.


Related posts:
Mattel Retro-Action Two-Face 8" Figure REVIEW
Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Batman 8" Figure with cowl and cape removed (pictures HERE)
Mattel Retro-Action DC Super Heroes Batman 8" Figure with cowl and cape (pictures HERE)
The Postman Cometh (Retro-Action DC Super Heroes) - blog post HERE
March of the Penguins - showcase of some of the Penguins a.k.a Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (super-villain and arch-enemy of Batman) that have been produced and released as a toy and action figure as a result of the movies or TV series (including the animated ones) in which they have appeared over time.
FREE Star Trek Captain Kirk Retro Mego Style Figure from STGCC 2010 posted HERE

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