DC Comics Trading Cards

DC Comics Trading Cards

Cosmic Cards/Cosmic Teams

Impel - 1992/1993

 

 

Impel's Marvel Universe Series II trading cards was what really introduced me to the larger world of comic books and superheroes growing up.  Classic, colorful heroes on one side and a mini-biography with power stats and trivia questions on the other...sold by the pack at my local grocery store (you know, the ones before Neighborhood Markets or any other chains.). 

 

As I grew up and grew apart from Marvel (damn Spider-clones) I started to lean into the older parts of the DC universe.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this series of cards, but up til about a month ago, I had no idea they existed!  The same card company, similar layouts, classic characters... but in DC comics flavor!  I guess they were a little late to the game, and my grocery store didn't carry them.  Thank goodness for Ebay!  I scored a sealed box for about $20 shipped.  36 packs with 12 cards each! 

Now, I do love these cards, but there are some negatives.  Compared to the Marvel cards, they're a bit drab.  I mean, a gray border? Really?  Also there are no Batman, Bat-family (save for Nightwing), or Bat-rogues cards as they were licensed by Topps at the time.  Maybe it was being the older comics company or maybe it was being a couple of card series behind, but for whatever reason, DC made this set a whopping 180 cards! The negative is that you'd be lucky to get one complete set per box where you might get 2 or even 3 with a standard series.





 

The box labels DC Cosmic Cards as the "inaugural series." Ha!  Save for a spin-off the following year with "Cosmic Teams," this could also be labeled the "final series!".  I would have liked these to continue on, mostly to include Batman, but I guess it was not meant to be.  It was fun while it lasted: several hours of tearing open vintage card packs, searching for holograms, sorting, cataloging. Ah, simpler times!

"TWO holograms?!"

Justice League Batmobile

Justice League Batmobile

Mattel -DC Multiverse

Well, I can throw my Batman V Superman Batmobile in the trash... because Mattel treated us to a more in-scale, more detailed Justice League Batmobile!  It may be a bare-bones version of the $250 RC version out now, but it retains all the style at a fraction of the cost.  Worth the $60?  Hell, being able to fit 6 and 7-inch scale figures in the cockpit with minimal swearing is value enough.

It's got an opening cockpit with some detail around the side consoles, the steering wheel and seat are appropriately Batman-like, and there's enough legroom for Mattel or slightly larger DC collectibles figures.  After opening it up, I grabbed 3 Batmen to do a fitting:  Superfriends Batman, Rebirth Batman, and Arkham Origins Batman.

 

Superfiends Batman is the smallest of the 3 and he has a cloth cape.  Like most vehicles in this scale, it's the capes that make or break them.  As with the Flying Fox, Superfiends Batman may be the go-to figure if you want room to spare. 

Rebirth Batman is a bit wider than SF Batman and he has a plastic cape.  Luckily, the cape is very flexible and flows straight down in the back.  The only difficult thing about it is the sides of the cape flare out, so to get him to fit in the car, you have to wrap it around his feet and hope it doesn't come undone as you slide him inside.  If done right, Batman is ready to roll.

 

The final Batman is the largest of the three.  Arkham Origins is closer to the 7-inch scale and is quite beefy in his armor.  In getting this car, I had the highest hopes that this one would fit.  He is one of my favorite Batman figures and I feel fits the aesthetic of this Batmobile best...as I frequently refer to this car as the "Arkham Light."  His cape is very flexible as well and flows straight down.   You've got to make sure it doesn't bunch up in the back as you put him it.  It also takes a bit of work to get his arms/shoulders in.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Popping the cape off this figure before putting him in the vehicle is easy enough, but I wish I didn't have to.  Not very Batman-like.  Oh well, I can live with it.  The other alternative is experimenting with giving him a custom cloth cape.  Maybe later.

 

Anyway, let's talk the other features besides actually being able to carry a figure.  It sports the new canon where the passenger side should be.  It can be rotated and moved up and down.  It has two hood machine guns and the missile launching hood ornament from BVS.  They all rotate and can be removed easily.  I know what you're thinking..."Batman doesn't kill."  Well, I guess Parademon life is not on the same level as human life, so blast away?

Aside from ammunition, the car has flip-up metal plates on the grill.  The wheels roll and the front two can pivot together for turns. The detailing is nice with some scoring/silver paint here and there.  It's definitely a more true shade of gray, whereas the BVS model had a bit of gunmetal bronze to it. 

 

I am happy with this upgrade, though my Batcave is getting a bit crowded these days.  Can Batman have too many wonderful toys?  Nah!  Especially with the true Arkham Knight and 1989 Batmobiles needed in this scale.

Parademons

Parademons

DC Universe Classics/Justice League Basics

Mattel

 

While I'm not really into collecting movie figures, I can't pass up cheap army builders.  The Justice League basic figures are $10 each and are detailed and fun enough to serve that purpose.  The wings are movable and removable and the movie look suggests it's comic counterpart, though a little less tech and a little too organic for my tastes.

 

Mattel released 2 comic Parademons years back; one in yellow/green, the other the red demon redesign from the Super Powers days.  I would love to have an army of these, but I was lucky enough to find one of each back when shipping and distribution from Mattel was hit and miss.  I did come across another green/yellow Parademon recently at a local comic store, loose and cheap.  Since they are outnumbered, they will serve Darkseid as commanders for the movie versions.

Sting

Sting

WWE basic figure

Mattel



 

This! Is! STING! WCW's answer to Hulk Hogan... until they bought Hogan out, that is.  Okay, maybe, with the facepaint and wild colors, he was the answer to his Blade Runner buddy, the Dingo Ultimate Warrior?  Oh, wait... they bought him out, too.  Man, Sting deserved better than to be pushed into the background!  I actually really enjoyed WCW before Ted Turner went nuts with the pocketbook.  Sting, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, The Horsemen, The Rock and Roll Express, the Midnight Express, the Fabulous Freebirds, The Road Warriors... heck I would even say that the brief tenure of the Shockmaster was more fun than years of NWO repetitiveness. 

Sting was the anchor, the crowd favorite.  And he was never better than in his earlier, surfer look era.  Sorry, "Crow" fans. While not quite as eclectic as the Macho Man, Sting had quite a number of costume changes.  This is the third Surfer Sting from Mattel, and it is so far the best.  The head scan on the previous releases really failed to capture Steve Borden.  Even though this one lacks the screaming intensity, it's pretty spot-on with who it's supposed to represent. 

 

This color scheme also has the other Sting figures beat.  The orange and blue really pops... so "90s!" The scorpion graphic is clean and clear.  Paint all around is pretty good on this figure.  The only downside I can see is that it's a basic figure and not Elite articulated.  Although it means giving Mattel easy outs with paint redecos, I would gladly welcome more surfer variations into my growing Sting army.

Galvatron Shapeways Upgrades

Shapeways Upgrade for

Titans Return Galvatron

Shapeways.com/Hasbro

 

Hasbro's Titans Return Voyager Class Galvatron is the best modern G1 of the character you could hope for... except for his "helmet." The removable Headmaster gimmick (while his little guy resembling G1 Megatron is pretty awesome) kills it.  The flip-up mask doesn't quite sit flush with his face and since he can't turn his face with it up, he only looks decent facing forward.

Thank goodness for fan customs and the advent of 3-D printing!  Shapeways.com is full of Transformers upgrades and add-ons. Ariel's Customs came up with 2 versions of Galvie's helmet (G1 and IDW comics version) and a cool arm port to help his canon rest to the side of his arm as it should.

I got both pieces for $13 shipped and am very happy with the way they look.  The helmet fits perfectly snug over the Headmaster, allowing for his head to turn freely.  The arm port also fits snug and has been designed to look like a natural piece of Transformer tech.  The only negative I can see is that the shade of purple doesn't match the rest of the figure, so new paint it required.  All in all, an excellent set.  Megatron is dead! Long live Galvatron!