KNEEL...

Zod for me was one of those characters that I knew of-- but not about-- forever. Like many, my first exposure was Terrence Stamp's Zod from the Donner Superman films. When I was 4 or 5, he didn't look scary, so I didn't take him seriously as a threat... to my pre-school mind, he was little more than a mean-looking man who screamed a lot.

Later I researched the character and grew to respect him, and now thanks to Man of Steel, I can honestly say I love him as a villain. The film made him more complex, at first bordering on anti-hero, then a full-on dark, villainous version of our Kryptonian savior... and I love that he's the catalyst for a major, never-before-seen Superman moment.

Zod's finally gotten his due.

Released from his Phantom Zone prison, Zod plots his revenge!

Completed in June 2013, General Zod is a Mattel Zod upper body with Iron Man parts kitbashed on, topped off with a movie Firefly head. It's not 100% on model, but then again, neither was Mattel's! The inner geek is still nit-picky about it, but I'm happy for the most part. I have a feeling, though, that I'll be revisiting the general in the future.

A punch from Zod sends Superman careening into a bank vault

Zod approaches to finish off The Man of Steel

Haven't really considered how Zod factors into my continuity, but he'll probably function very similar to his Man of Steel counterpart: THE Kryptonian military leader/super soldier who wants Kal-El returned, even at the expense of Earth...

Superman has Zod against the wall, Zod pulls a blade!

Superman... lives?

Zod leaves Superman for dead, but hears something; someone. Could it be?

"Can't can't be... I... killed you."

"Nothing can kill me..."

"...But that won't stop me from trying, Kal-El!"

Kal, House of El: Last Kryptonian Standing

NEXT TIME: "POSSIBLY YOU'VE HEARD THE NAME? THE GREATEST CRIMINAL MIND ON EARTH!"

THE MAN OF STEEL

Unlike my fanaticism for The Batman, I've always had mixed emotions about his Kryptonian counterpart. I LOVE the concept of Superman and how powerful he is, but also dislike the way he's always portrayed in movies and TV... a little too good; a little too wholesome. I think that's a disconnect a lot of people have with the character: NOBODY is ALL good. Each of us has a dark side, so to believe that Clark Kent is all Truth, Justice, and The American Way Boy Scout 1,000,000% 24/7/365 is hard to swallow.

David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan understood that when they created Man of Steel, easily my favorite live-action portrayal of Superman ever. Their version of Superman has so much more depth and humanity, and is truly a fully-realized take on the character. I knew I had to make one for the collection...

Originally intended to be ready in time for the Man of Steel premiere, Superman was actually, officially completed July 3rd, 2013. While doing what I thought was the final test fitting, I noticed an issue with the arms that required sculpting, sanding, repainting, etc., which set the time-table back a few days... but this also allowed me to do something really special for the 4th of July weekend: FOUR BRAND-NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN pieces, one for each day!

Kal-El here originally started as a Mattel Man of Steel Superman, though I ended up only using the upper torso & neck and upper arms. The lower body is a combination of Spider-Man and Ghost Rider's boots, GI Joe lower arms, and hands from the fodder bin. After going through at least four separate heads, I finally decided on Duke with his hair repainted black, which looks more like Henry Cavill than the official movie figure.

All of the credit for the S symbol goes to Mario Guzmeli (AKA ilkhandraconis), my best friend and master painter/sculptor who absolutely knocked it out of the park. He took my ranting and ravings and delivered absolute perfection. He does do freelance work, P.S. 

The Man of Steel

World's Finest meet in Crime Alley

While I do have a version of Superman for my own universe (to be revealed...), I loved the way he looked alongside my Gotham's Most Wanted version of Batman. My take is always the same though: Superman is the first sign of alien life known to humanity. The extent of his powers is still unknown, and though he is technically considered a vigilante by the US government, he has cooperated with them on hundreds of assignments and saved the Earth countless times. The United States knows it cannot apprehend and hold Superman, so it does not even attempt to do so...

A punch from Zod sends Superman through a bank wall...

Zod will burn...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM STRANGE LABS!

NEXT TIME: KNEEL...

THE ONLY GOOD COP IN GOTHAM CITY

"This is no place to raise a family. Maybe Gotham's all I deserve now. Maybe it's just my time in Hell."- Jim Gordon, Batman: Year One

Growing up, all I knew of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon was the version from the 1960s Batman TV show: An old dude with a cool red phone that he used to call Batman when trouble was afoot... not a bad guy, just kind of an elderly male damsel in distress. He had a better portrayal on Batman: The Animated Series, where he at least saw some action and wasn't stuck in his office all the time. By no means Dirty Harry, but better than he was 30 years earlier. 

Then I read Frank Miller's seminal Batman: Year One and disregarded everything that came before. Miller's Gordon is AWESOME, some kind of highly-trained, black ops bad-ass that is transferred to Gotham from Chicago, and is literally the only good man in the entire police department. He takes  down street punks, psychos and corrupt coworkers with ease, but can't manage to track down some loon in a bat costume-- the one person he's obsessed with catching may be the only ally he has. 

And so began my love of the character. 

Completed in June 2013, this is actually my second attempt at Gordon for my Gotham's Most Wanted "universe." This version is a Wild Bill head (he always looked dead-on like Gordon to me) on a Professor X body, AKA THE BEST SUITED BODY EVER!! with a cloth coat from the Star Wars line. 

The earlier incarnation utilized the exact same head, but on a Cobra Trooper body with movie Cobra Commander legs. While doing the photo shoot for the figure, I was displeased with the paint job and decided to start over completely with a new body.

Unused Jim Gordon Mk 1

Commissioner Gordon in my universe is very similar to Miller's, as well as Gary Oldman's fully-realized take on the character in Nolan's brilliant trilogy. He has the same bad-ass background, the same faults, and the same sense of honor and integrity. He's waging an intentionally losing "war" on The Batman... every officer has been ordered to arrest the vigilante on sight, but nobody has ever done so. 

I've always loved the friendship between Gordon and Batman, and felt that James Gordon is who Bruce Wayne would have become, had he become a cop instead of a vigilante... but Wayne is too damaged for that... 

Chasing a suspect in The Narrows

The hunt continues in a Narrows tenement...

Suspect apprehended

GCPD lock-up

"What about escalation? We start carrying semi automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing vests, they buy armor piercing rounds... and you're wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops. Take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for the theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card. Calls himself The Joker." 

COMING UP: WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MEN? 

YOU WILL BE UPGRADED!

Though I've always liked the idea of the character, I don't know a whole lot about Doctor Who, but I'm invested enough in the character to do the research and rerun analysis. I've seen enough to realize that The Doctor has some fantastic villains with amazing visuals, almost enough to rival The Batman himself... just kiddin'. While I have been commissioned to produce a number of Doctor Who's rogues, I wanted to start with the Cybermen because, well, I love robots, and, being early villains, they've got quite a history with our favorite traveler of time & space...

Completed in June 2013, Cyberman is a slightly modded, fairly basic repaint of the Marvel Universe Iron Man figure. The piece was deceptively simple, and remained about 95% done for weeks until I cracked the way to add the tubing detail to the sides of his head while retaining the figure's articulation... a true forehead-slapping moment where I saw the greebles on my bench and attached them immediately. 

"Ah-- Doctor! We have not met you in this form! YOU WILL BE UPGRADED!"

COMING UP: THE ONE HONEST COP IN GOTHAM CITY, WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN?

WHY SO SERIOUS?

Like many fans of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, I eagerly snapped up any bit of info I could about its sequel... I confess that when I read about Heath Ledger being signed to play The Batman's greatest adversary, I balked. I could honestly say that, while he was a gifted performer, he hadn't been in any movies I liked. The more I read about Ledger & Nolan's take on the character, the more I was intrigued: Glasgow smile, cheap green hair dye, filthy, no ID... then, like everybody else, I was stunned by Ledger's complete transformation into The Joker.

Not only had Ledger become Batman's worst enemy, but also one of the greatest movie villains of all-time.

Completed in May 2013, The Clown Prince of Crime was made primarily from a Marvel Universe Professor X and a third party head. This project has been YEARS in the making, as I intended to make The Joker using the same pieces when they were released as Destro from a San Diego Comic Con exclusive. However, since the set the figure comes from routinely goes for $52-$65, it wasn't exactly in the budget. Then Hasbro was awesome and re-released the figure as Professor Chuck in their Marvel Universe line!

Professor X is easily the best suited body I've ever worked with, so much so that I used him for a couple other upcoming pieces. It was definitely worth the wait, and I can't imagine using anything else. To me, this is my "Perfect" Joker, so I don't see myself revisiting this incarnation of character anytime soon. I've created my own iteration of The Joker specifically for my Batman universe, and have the perfect parts in mind... guess what I'll be using? 

Just like his nemesis (and possible love interest?), Joker's one of those characters that've inspired a number of custom pieces by me, going all the way back to grade school. I'll spare you that work, but do have a snapshot of some things a little more recent:

L to R: Dark Knight Joker mk I, "Classic" Joker, Dark Knight Joker mk II

COMING UP: WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN? THE ONE HONEST COP IN GOTHAM CITY

THE GHOST WHO WALKS

Lee Falk's Phantom is a character I remember from an early age because of the Defenders of the Earth cartoon of the mid-80s. Unlike Batman or Spider-Man, however, I didn't become obsessed with The Ghost Who Walks. I never read stacks of his comics growing up... like any great concept, I was more into the idea of The Phantom, and where I could take him and his pulp comic brethren.

Completed in Spring 2013, Kit Walker here is composed almost entirely from common table scraps on my bench: 25th Anniversary Snake Eyes upper body and lower legs/boots, random Cobra Trooper upper legs, and a Destro head. The parts were laying out, and I saw the Destro head in just the right light to sell me.

While I kept The Phantom's rings and silver pistols, I ditched the striped undies and skull buckle in favor of a military-style web belt to ground the design more in reality...  While I can see a man wearing this basic uniform without being too costume-y, I still can't explain the purple. I did try to tone down the brightness (he's a "ghost," remember?), and was in no way inspired by the costume from the terrible Billy Zane film from 20 years ago, hahaha.

Now that I've completed one Defender, there's a lot of temptation to finish the team... there's always room for a Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician... and Ming the Merciless would be an amazing rogue, worthy of even The Batman...


NEXT TIME: WHY SO SERIOUS?