I wanted to talk about these guys last Christmas, but ha ha ha ha ha funny story

no not really

So I really like Community, right?  And I really like toys?  So hell yeah I'm gonna preorder some Community figurines from the NBC/Universal online store.  I preordered these guys in October, with an announced ship date of November/early Decemberish.  It's been a while.  But, you know, before Christmas.  I felt pretty secure in this order!  NBC/Universal is a large company that pays people whose entire job is to mail stuff.  It's like my job minus the actual cartooning and website management and people interaction and convention going.  Just putting stuff in boxes with shipping labels!

Mid December hits, and I'm wondering, okay, where are my preordered figurines.  I check the website.  Oh ho.  These figurines came in two sets.  Well, one set was canceled!  Apparently!  Well, just the order was canceled.  The product still existed on the website and was available for ordering, listed as "in stock."  The other of the two sets was, um, in limbo?  I forget their exact term for "we're thinking of mailing it soon."  EDIT: Oh, right.  "Processing."  Okay.  Well.  That's weird.  I re-order the canceled one and ask about the in-limbo one.  The in-limbo one ships.

The re-ordered set does not.

It goes into the same limbo as the other set.

Christmas passes.

I send an email perhaps once a week, asking if the other set will please ship.  Every time they tell me they will totally tell the shipping people to ship me my stuff.  The second set remains in "processing" status, which is infuriating.

January passes.

So I'm pretty angry by now!  These were supposed to be for Christmas!  Anyway, I throw a fit on Twitter, and my pal Rob who physically works at 30 Rockefeller goes downstairs, buys the three guys I'm missing from the NBC/Universal store, and mails them to me himself.  Because he's awesome.

Of course, they arrive the same day that the online store's set arrived.  Grargh.  It is February.

Anyway, the figurines are all right.  I like them.  I'm never ever ever using the online NBC/Universal store ever again.   Screw those guys.

Rob is fantastic.

Merry Christmas.

Today's strip was about "Spine Buster" Batman, but it's far from the weirdest thing in the current Batman: Brave and the Bold wave of action figures. It's not even the only thing related to spinal injury infliction! There's also "Spine Shocker" Batman, who comes with a giant serrated taser weapon. And let's not forget "Chainsaw Attack" Batman who, yes, comes with a giant chainsaw. Batman's parents weren't killed by a giant chainsaw, so hacking his enemies' limbs off one by one is well within his moral code.

But, really, the strangest is "Kickpuncher" The Joker. I was in the middle of my honeymoon when my friend Graham alerted me to this toy's existence. It was that important. See, Kickpuncher is a B-movie superhero within the world of NBC's Community, which is absolutely the best thing on television. Kickpuncher's superpower is that his punches have the power of kicks. He is amazing and it is a crime that NBC's webstore has zero Kickpuncher merchandise.

"Kickpuncher" The Joker has to be a reference to Kickpuncher of NBC's Community.  I mean, come on.  What the hell else would explain this?  It's insane.  It's absolutely insane.  And it's so bittersweet.  Mattel was sure to put a "TM" symbol after Kickpuncher, so unless Mattel cranks out some Community toys, any Kickpuncher toy is gonna have some legal hurdles.  It's awesome and terrible at the same time.  My soul burns.

"Kickpuncher" The Joker comes with a giant hand-held Bat-shaped brass knuckles weapon.  It's obviously recycled from some previous Batman figure, because, well, it's a Bat-shaped brass knuckles weapon.  Which he holds like a gun or crossbow.  Look, I don't know.  Just go with it.

It doesn't seem fair, what with Batman coming after his spine with chainsaws.

I went back to see if that Batgirl/Nightwing/Penguin three-pack was still at that Target.  It was!  Everything I'd left behind was still there.  Am I the last person alive still looking for these things?  Since these toys should be impossible to find, much less leave unattended for 24 hours, I'm starting to think so.

AND OH MY GOD I'M WATCHING COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW AND IT IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN EVER

(Note: in the photos, all the old versions are on the left and the new versions are on the right)

I bought this set because Batgirl comes with a stand.  The Batgirl I had was an exclusive extra for the Rise of Sin Tsu video game.  It's the only release in her "real" colors.  (Kinda dickish.)  But she has gimpy legs (continuity nod?), a crazy look on her eyes, and no peghole in her foot for a stand.  This new version solves two of those problems!  Gimpy legs remain, but her paint is better on her face, meaning she looks less like she wants to eat your brains, plus a peghole in her foot and a stand!  A stand!  A STAND!  Hallelujah, she'll be able to stand.  Out of all the myriad of DCAU toys in my collection, she is the not-standiest.

And, hey, as a bonus, her paint is better.  I like the thicker, more defined symbol and belt, and I guess her taller boots are all right.  The back of her cape's blue instead of black, which isn't what I prefer, but small price to pay.   (Unlike what JLU three-packs cost these days.)

The other two guys aren't as much of an improvement.  With Nightwing, you can really tell the difference in plastic quality between when I got him probably a decade and now.  The new one is more rubbery, so he came out of the package all bent and unstandable.  I borrowed my old Batgirl's sticky-tack for his photo.  His bird deco on his chest is also narrower so it doesn't require paint on his arms, which probably costs extra.  On the other hand, I like the color his skin is painted better.  But I'll probably still choose the old one for display since he stands and because I like his bird deco better.

The Penguin is basically the same other than some deco choices.  The bottom of his shirt is a darker gray and instead of molding his head in fleshtone and painting black, his head is molded in black and his skin is painted on.  This might be an improvement (for those who don't like shiny fleshtone plastic) if the paint didn't thin up by his forehead.  It doesn't look so good.  So I'll keep using the old one.

In summary: Noncrazy Batgirl who can stand.