Heroes and Dragons >> Newsletter

New comics will arrive at Heroes and Dragons one day late (on Thursday, June 3) because of the Memorial Day holiday. As usual, we expect subscriptions to be filled and new comics to be out for sale by 3:00pm.

While Tug is away on vacation, Chad will be this week's special guest host for New Comics Day.

Pick of the Week — Tug's Greatest Hits

To those of you who missed installments of "Tug's Pick of the Week" while Dragon's Breath was on hiatus, we apologize.

For your shopping reference, we'll use this "extra" issue of Dragon's Breath to recap Tug's Picks from both April and May:

Week of MAY 23
Astonishing X-Men # 1

The "X-Men: Reload" event has been running rampant all month here at the Dragon, forcing people to pick up more books with mutants in them than they ever expected, and it’s all been leading up to this comic. This is the big one, folks. more ...

Week of MAY 16
New X-Men: Academy X # 1

There’s action! There’s unrequited crushes! There’s kids with strange powers! There’s Sentinels! There’s raging hormones! And there’s a neat hook at the end of the book! If you’re going to give one new comic a try this week, this should be it! more ...

Week of MAY 9
Fables # 25

Even if you haven’t read the book before, this issue is a great one to try out — while it is in the middle of a story, it has some of the best examples of the great characterization, humor, and sheer fun this series has to offer. more ...

Week of MAY 2
The Complete Peanuts,
Volume One: 1950-1952

Peanuts is one of the greatest comic strips of all time. Its wit, charm, and innocence can be enjoyed by anyone who ever had a childhood. more ...

Week of APRIL 25
Batman: Harley & Ivy # 1

In the world of comedy, there has always been the straight man/funny man duo, and with this series, Abbott and Costello, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and Penn and Teller can count Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy among their number. more ...

Week of APRIL 18
Adventures of Superman # 627

The characters and situations are as much realistic as they are fantastic. This is the Superman book for people who are more interested in an engaging story than nostalgia for stories that have already been told. In a nutshell, it’s just what this franchise needs. more ...

Week of APRIL 11
Spider-Man # 1

You might be thinking that I’ve lost my edge, or maybe I’m just too into Spider-Man. But if I had to pick a Spidey comic that was completely different from Amazing # 506, then Spider-Man # 1 would be it. more ...

Week of APRIL 4
The Amazing Spider-Man # 506

Ever since meeting Ezekiel, our favorite web-head has been dealing with more mystical elements than he is used to. In this issue, Ezekiel comes to warn Peter that his toughest challenge yet is coming. But is Ezekiel really to be trusted? more ...

Tug is currently taking some time off. His "Picks of the Week" will return in two weeks.

Toys of the Week — Muppets Series 7

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Muppets. I watched all the original episodes of The Muppet Show as a child, saw the movies, even was a fan of the short lived Muppets Tonight series. Thankfully, I’m not the only one, as can be proved by the success of this line.

Palisades deserves just as much credit as the characters do. They make fantastic toys: Perfectly sculpted, great character choices, consistent releases, and amazing interaction with their fan base. These are great toys, so let’s go ahead and talk about them.

Beauregard is my favorite character in the line. He is the biggest and heaviest sculpt. As with all the Muppets, the texture of the original puppets is recreated for his "skin," and it really adds a great detail to the figures. Beauregard's hair hangs perfectly; the fur on his hands and feet is well-sculpted; the wrinkles in his clothes are perfect; even his hat fits perfectly on his head. (And the magnet innovation Palisades uses for the hats works great.)

In the paint department, Johnny is the standout — as well as being the repaint in the line. This time around, Johnny comes in 3 versions: The pinstripe suit, a maroon suit, and a silver suit. You can pick your favorite or buy all three. (I’ve always thought the pinstripe suit looked best on him, so that’s the one I picked up. The stripes are all perfect, straight and consistent. It’s an impressive paint job, to say the least.)

Robin takes the prize for accessories — with a giant trunk, a sheet of stickers to apply to it, his Scout book, a backpack, a bag of trail mix, marshmallows on a stick, and a fire to roast them over. Having a lot of accessories to accompany a small figure makes him a better value.

Priced around the $10 mark, these are impressive figures for the money. You get a great sculpt, amazing accessories, good paint jobs, and fantastic articulation — all at a price that is both fair and competitive.

For Palisades to keep these figures at such a reasonable price but to keep making each series better than the last is quite a feat. For price, these figures get 5 stars!

A great line of toys. They aren’t perfect, but they are so close they may as well be. The small inconsistencies are so small that they may as well be ignored. But, to be fair to everyone, I won’t ignore them. The entire line gets 4½ stars. Well worth picking up, but make sure you get the best paint jobs you can find.

Coming Events

Site to See

Superman and Jerry Seinfeld have teamed up again — not in the pages of DC Comics Presents, but for a road trip to promote American Express.

The second of Seinfeld and Superman's internet übercommercials, "Hindsight Is 20/20," is now online at AmericanExpress.com.

New Comics Delayed Until Thursday

Pick of the Week — Tug's Greatest Hits

Toys of the Week — Muppets Series 7

Coming Events

Site to See