Nessex

I feel very similarly to most peeps in this thread. For me, growing up, comics were easy enough to follow. Each little thing that needed explaining had a bubble with two lines of text from the editor letting you know something had happened in a previous issue. I always felt that the 'jumping on' points were often the X-Men Annuals. They were bigger than a standard issue, and usually told a self-contained, focusing on a few key characters. You got a real sense of who you were reading and what the conflict was. My first was Uncanny X-Men Annual from 1994. A lot of backstory that I had never read existed for this one issue. To be 100% up to speed you would have had to have read Mutant Massacre & the Apocalypse/Archangle story, but you got enough from the issue to know what had happened. I'll echo what most others have said - Marvel could have me back if they were consistent with their storytelling and paid an iota of attention to their timelines. Wolverine can't really function on 4 teams at once. I don't mind the occasional big cross-over event. But I don't need it twice a year as an obvious attempt to get X-Men readers to buy Avengers comics and vice-versa. I hope Marvel have fun with their new launch and that they find some stability. For the fans' sake.

You know which figure really needs to appear in a complimentary TRU wave? Spawn Nightwatch!

Well - everything is kinda Mad Max.... which gets a bit steampunk!

Ooooh - but are they *about to be* featured in an X-Men movie?!?!?!

2 queries: 1) did you just question my gender? LOL 2) what is the gag about 'petrol station'?

Funny you should mention them... Yeah - I thought this at the time as well. Like, they just needed a little extra sculpting to push them over the top. A bbandanna and a new mullet for Bishop and sculpted glasses for Jubes. Agree about Polaris too. The costume is good, but I always thought she had one of those generic, pretty, blank faces that some of the earlier women sometimes got. I'd like to see more character and definition in her face.

Luke - will you be dropping hints about next month's character any time soon? or is it still to early?

I wanted to like it. I wanted to like it sooooooo bad that perhaps i jinxed myself. I went to opening night here in Australia, which i never do because i generally don't like the cinema when it's packed out. There's a lot of good in the film. The supporting cast is pretty amazing. Michael B Jordan was great to watch. Angela Bassett was great. In fact, all of the female cast were great. I wish we had had more of Danai Gurira. She's freaking fantastic. The film had a bit of a slower pace than I was expecting (which is not always a bad thing). I guess my problem is that I found Chadwick Boseman the least interesting/charismatic character in a movie that is all about him. I wish they had gone in a bit harder with the socio/political messaging, but I understand that can be difficult for a very mainstream film. This film is by no means unenjoyable.... but i feel like about 25 minutes of character development for T'Challa could have been used more effectively. The costume design is vibrant and beautiful. The sound design is solid. The soundtrack is pretty good. The locations are amazing. I guess I just wanted to love it more. I would rank this above The Dark World and The First Avenger. It might need a re-watch in a less crowded cinema for me to get fully on board. See it, but don't believe the hype. Judge it for yourself.

I think Sonic will look a little less 'lanky' when posed in a crouched/running stance. Can't wait to see Knuckles and Shadow.

No-one knows what a Balaclava is? Is it an uncommon word in the States? Every time someone robs a petrol station or a liqour shop in Australia, we read about Balaclavas in the paper or hear about them on the news. Having said that - I am a middle-aged man.... perhaps the word isn't as common amongst children (who I have to keep reminding myself are the actual target audience for these products)

YAASSSSS! Thank you DST!!!! Shriek, Demogoblin & Doppleganger have been wants of mine for a while, and I'm freaking stoked about them. There is some awesome new sculpting in this wave. Doppy gets little minimate claws for all his hands. Goblins Glider looks awesome! Cloak even has a new .... cloak. It looks like Carnage gets Lady Deathstrikes hands too, which are perfect for him! Great distribution of characters, too. Male, female, villains, heroes, new characters, updates of classics. It's a decent mix. I know this is not the full line-up from Maximum Carnage, but it's the bigger players. I wouldn't rule our seeing the supporting cast showing up in the future either. We have already seen carrion at TRU. Stay tuned - I reckon Deathlok will be at TRU in the near future!

This could be a super fun licence. So many bright, colourful characters. I had Sonic & S2 on my Sega Master System II as a kid. I might have to grab one or two figs from this line.

Loves it. The Sentinel backdrop is a particularly good choice.

While the statues themselves don't really do a lot for me, that packaging takes me back to happier days...

Wasp. I really want an updated Wasp. Something with newly designed wings, and modified chest-block that allows for wings, without any additional height/bulk. The versatility of the original was great, and she is by no means a bad figure, but I would love a more sleek look/design with more detailed printing. I wouldn't say no to her black and yellow look, either.

Many, many, many.... many happy returns BHM

I mean - he's not just any Australian... He *was* the PM. Points for knowing the story though. I'm impressed!

I mean.... There is Laura as Wolverine. Like there's Rachel Summers as the Phoenix or Marvel Girl, Jane as Thor or how Sam and Bucky have both been Captain America.... Some of these are mantles, handed down. The Symbiote is a weird one, as almost a character of it's own, with a whole slew of host bodies.

Also - i'm not sure, but i suspect the kid in the yellow (flipping someone off) might be

Teaser has dropped. There are a few extra characters shown in the trailer who haven't been mentioned yet that could really pad out a wave of Minimates: Aside from Deadpool, Colossus, NTW, Domino & Cable, we see glimpses of what i'm pretty sure are:

Agreed. That box set is beautiful. It's hard to imagine it being made in the current climate. Each of those figures was so nice. This is my go-to Namor.

He's usually a shirtless arrogant jerk in green trunks. While he's integral to Marvel history, he's not very relatable, and hasn't had a leading role in anything since.... 2011? I wasn't a huge fan of Marvel trying to shoe-horn him into the X-Men. I haven't read him much outside of his appearances in X-Men, but he comes across as one of those 'old guard' super heroes that has trouble holding currency in modern comics. He's a powerhouse, and doesn't have some of the more interesting weaknesses or character development that make modern comics deeper. Having said that - he has gotten 3 616 figures. Falcon has 6 figures, but half of them are from film/tv appearances. Black Widow has 2 non-film/tv minimates. Wasp has 1. I think given his standing, he's actually doing ok.

I would happily take any of the crazy, brightly coloured Symbiotes from the Lethal Protector series (Scream, Phage, Lasher, Agony, ect...) - but I'd really rather see the unmade cast of Maximum Carnage get some love first. Doppleganger, Shriek, Demogoblin, all need a figure - especially now that we have a Carrion. If I had to pick just one Symbiote tho...

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, but will future figures be available outside the subscription?

New trailer is also out, with a sneak peek at what looks like the villain,