Collectible Time #31: Shipman Black Widow/Hulk and Boba Fett prints

Obtained two new Gary Shipman 11" x 17" prints through Etsy, and both are Disney blockbuster related...

First we have a sprawling rendering of those two avenging love birds, Black Widow and Hulk!!!

Yep, one can certainly feel both the love and rage in this depiction. I also like the positioning of the full-figure Hulk next to the Window's haunting "Night Gallery"-ish portrait: an interesting and impressive combination. 

And for a little intergalactic splash, here's that legendary, planet-hopping bounty hunter...Boba Fett!!! He looks quite set for his offshoot film outing (assuming it's still on). I like the dusty aura this rendering projects, particularly with Shipman's superb use of a hazy Slave I in the backdrop.

Both artistic endeavors stir a sweeping sense of adventure, certainly enough to get one psyched for those sequels/prequels yet to come!!!

I saw Ultron come of age...

Joss Whedon's new Avengers adventure, "Age of Ultron", has arrived, and our favorites are back: Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans); Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr); Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo); Thor (Chris Hemsworth); War Machine/James Rhodes (Don Cheadle); Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner); Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson); the Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie)...and a special appearance by SHIELD's fatherly force, Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson). 

New to the mix is Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff (Aaron "Kick-Ass" Taylor-Johnson), though not to be confused with Evan Peter's hero in "Days of Future Past"; the Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and the majestic android, the Vision (Paul Bettany, who also voices Stark's digital butler, JARVIS). 

The computer angle is big in this sequel, with a robot army on the loose, led by the power-hungry Ultron (voiced by James Spader). However, the concept of fickle technology isn't new in science-fiction/fantasy fables. We've seen it depicted in "Terminator", "2001: a Space Odyssey, and "Colossus: the Forbin Project". As far as acrobatic robots dominating the landscape goes, we've seen that, too, thanks to the RoboCop and Transformers sagas, but "Age of Ultron" somehow manages to keep things fresh, despite the recycled trimmings. 

On the flip side, as significant as the mechanical infiltraton is, it never dominates our heroes' presence or their sense of family. Sure, the members possess enough variance to be dysfunctional, but they also subscribe to a common cause: keep Earth safe.

As seized from Hydra's Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), the technology involved is culled from Loki's scepter: its harbored "artificial intelligence" deemed worthy of implantation in Stark's defense project, designed (ironically) to protect us from villainous penetration.

Ultron, a creation fashioned as a learner/watcher of sorts within the expansive program, develops an egomaniacal consciousness, which then constructs a body and breaks free to take over the world with a league of his own. He's also quite a sight to behold: a towering cross between Superman's Brainiac and a pumped-up Terminator prototype. 

Stark is, perhaps, the most adversely affected by the robot rebellion, for having activated the computerized Frankensteins, which leads Rogers to push further toward the Avengers forefront. Considering that Ultron and his army are equivalents to Nazis, Commies, and any other variety of on-and-off-again evil-doers, Cap's prominent presence feels right. After all, this is a war-time mission, and through his cordial relationship with Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), he increases the Avengers' chance for victory with his stalwart perspective. 

With this established, the movie advocates that we, as cognitive, freedom-loving creatures, have full right to combat and destroy such cold, calculating monsters. To fight is essential and all-out war (particularly under the film's harrowing circumstances) a non-debatable necessity. 

All the same, this staunch angle will likely unsettle negotiation advocates, but as the turmoil mounts under Whedon's emotional script and tense direction, "Age of Ultron" can't help but inspire one's righteous angst: the need to shout out a hardy "action not appeasement". Its message, though seemingly simple, should prove profound for anyone with any sort of practical, moral conviction. 

Philosophy aside,the movie is jammed with vivacious action sequences. The prelude is one of the best rendered (and that's saying a lot considering how sleek the Bond intros have been), and the battle between a confused Hulk and Stark's Hulk Buster is a grand feast in it own right, guaranteed to rattle one's senses with rumbles and roars, heightening the adventure to near Wagnerian proportions. 

I can't yet say that "Age of Ultron" surpasses the original "Avengers", which had the charming novelty of bringing the gang together, and it's certainly nowhere near as politically intricate as "Winter Soldier". It does, however, soar consistently high, never losing its momentum even when it dares to spotlight the relationships between Hawkeye and his wife, or the burgeoning one between Widow and Banner/Hulk. (The latter scenarios surely could have derailed the film, as had the superfluous romance in "Amazing Spider-man 2".)

Regardless of what the future holds for the Avengers, this current chapter does an admirable job of nurturing the traditional comic-book format. That should certainly please purists. The movie is also a terrific way to start the spring/summer blockbuster season, delivering thrills, chills and above all, a sense of wonderment. So, don't delay; jump on board and join the fun!!!

Collectible Time #22: Titan Hero Tech Hulk/Hulk Buster and Gary Shipman Hulk Print

As a further warm-up to "Age of Ultron", I decided to go for several new Hulk items.

First up (to go along with my Titan Hero Tech Captain America, referenced in Collectible Time "21) is the Mark Ruffalo 12" Hulk. When you press Hulk's tummy, he grunts such cool things as "Hulk crush tin man", "Hulk's the strongest" and "Hulk smash puny robot", along with a series of calamitous sound effects. The facial structure is certainly Ruffalo, and in keeping with comic-book tradition, the sculpt is both imposing and enraged. 

To interact with the Hulk, I also purchased the 13" Titan Hero Tech Hulk Buster. In essence, Hulk Buster is a pumped-up version of Iron Man, right down to an expansion of Tony Stark's trademark coloring. 

In addition to the figure's "jackhammer" punch activation, lights and sound effects, it spouts such phrases as "Avengers assemble", "Hulk Buster powering up" and "Oh, yeah, this is power". When set to interact with the Hulk figure, it says things like "Whoa, big guy," "Hulk, stop tearing up my armor" and (my personal favorite) "Bruce, it's time to calm down". 

Hulk Buster is quite a fine looking hunk of plastic, and for the $40 price range, well worth the purchase. (I'm also certain that many a kid--and adult--will have fun staging these two figures against each other.)

Next up is a rippling 11" x 17" Gary Shipman Hulk print (a nice addition to the Cap and Winter Soldier prints, also referenced in Collectible Time #21). Due to Gary's immense talent, this representation aptly captures the Hulk's imposing muscularity and rage-wrought expression: a fine salute if ever there was one to the big, green fighting machine. 

The above gives one some insight of Shipman's impressive design, but in no way captures the full fury that the piece invokes when one sees it in person. The same can also be said of the Cap/Bucky prints. (If you have a chance, do yourself a favor and check out the Esty site for more awe-inspiring Shipman prints.) 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE GOOD OL' INCREDIBLE HULK!!!