Our look back at Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics line continues with Faker, The Evil Robot of Skeletor. Faker was first available at the 2009 New York Comic Con and then later on mattycollector.com where he sold out in a matter of hours. Thanks to a truly spectacular paint job, Faker is one of the stand out figures from the MOTUC line. As one of the earlier figures in the series, it is likely we will see him reissued at some point in 2010, assuming the sales of the reissued He-Man and Skeletor go well.
Despite his intriguing appearance, as a character, Faker has always been a bit underdeveloped. In his sole appearance in the Filmation series, he was showed as being a virtual duplicate of He-Man, without the weird blue skin and red hair sported by his action figure. Faker was very briefly introduced in the 2002 series as a robot built by Man-At-Arms when Prince Adam was captured by Skeletor. He was to have played a major part in the third season of show before it was canceled. His package bio borrows heavily from what we can suppose is the 2002 series bible and, yet, the mystery of his bizarre appearance is not addressed.
I’ll admit, this was not a character for which I was excited. To me, issuing such a blatant repaint so early in the line was a big disappointment. On top of that, Faker was never a character I liked due to his inexplicably silly appearance (How exactly was he supposed to fool anyone into thinking that he was He-Man?) So it was to my complete surprise that Faker has become one of my favorite figures in the line.
Being a repaint, he shares the same body with the earlier He-Man figure and he has armor that is from Skeletor. He differs from He-Man in the “tape-deck” application stamped on to his chest, much like his earlier figure. Where Faker shines is in his amazing paint job on both the figure and his accessories. While he is blue, he is a different shade from Skeletor. Faker is painted a funky, eye-popping electric blue. His boots are painted a deep purple with black bands. His gauntlets and belt weathered silver that really pops against the blue skin and the purple loincloth. The head sculpt that I disliked so much on He-Man here works a lot better. The angry beady-eyed stare is far better suited to a pissed-off robotic clone of He-Man than to the most powerful man in the universe, himself.
For a repaint, Faker actually comes with less accessories than He-Man. He comes with Skeletor’s armor, an orange power sword and a half-sword that connects with that of He-Man. Fortunately, the excellent painting is not limited to the figure itself. The Skeletor armor is mostly painted orange with a dark wash to give it a nice weathered appearance. My favorite part of this figure is the cross-bones at the front of the armor, which are painted a bronzy shade of orange. The same metallic color is used for the sword blades.
Masters of the Universe Classics Faker is a great example of how a new paint job can take an already good figure to the level of a great figure. Faker is much more than a simple repaint. While he is not going to be fooling anyone into thinking he is the real He-Man, Faker is certainly one of the best figures released in the line so far.
Patrick Garone
Staff Reviewer
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Top Cow has released their solicits for November 2009
NOVEMBER 2009 CHECKLIST
Pilot Season: Murderer #1 Robert Kirkman/Marc Silvestri/TBA $2.99
Tracker #1 Jonathan Lincoln/Francis Tsai/Darick Robertson $2.99
Berserker #5 Rick Loverd/Jeremy Haun/Dale Keown $2.99
Berserker #3 Keown “Rage” Edition Rick Loverd/Jeremy Haun/Dale Keown $10.00
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #5 Mark Waid/Kenneth Rocafort/Dave Finch $2.99
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 SDCC Signed Mark Waid/Kenneth Rocafort $14.99
The Darkness #81 Phil Hester/Ande Parks/Michael Broussard $2.99
Witchblade #132 Ron Marz/Stjepan Sejic/Nelson Blake II $2.99
Witchblade #128 SDCC Signed Ron Marz/Stjepan Sejic $14.99
Witchblade Origins Volume 1 TPB (New Printing) Wohl/Z/Turner $12.99
Top Cow Bible SDCC Variant Ed Top Cow’s Finest $29.99
Pilot Season: Murderer #1
(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Nelson Blake II (Cov) Marc Silvestri
From the creative minds of Image partners Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri!
Jason Sparks is cursed. His every waking moment is bombarded with the thoughts of those around him. Every dirty little secret, every hidden desire, screamed at him in a cacophony of voices in his head. The only way to silence these voices, the only thing that brings him a moment of piece... is murder. But he's trying to use his powers for good.
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 pilot issue
Expected Ship Date – November 18th, 2009
Tracker #1 (of 5)
(W) Jonathan Lincoln (A) Francis Tsai (Cov) Tsai, Darick Robertson
The first property from Top Cow and Heroes & Villains Entertainment is here!
Alex O’Roark, the FBI’s top tracker, has his perfect life ripped to shreds when a case to capture the world’s most dangerous serial killer leads him straight into the maw of a werewolf. Now, keeping his secret from his gorgeous fiancé and the FBI, he must hunt down the wolf that infected him before the disease turns him into a monster.
Cover A – Francis Tsai
Cover B – Darick Robertson
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series
Expected Ship Date – November 11th, 2009
Berserker #5
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown, Jeremy Haun
The bone-crushing new series produced by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures continues this month!
As Aaron continues his training under the watchful eye of Midgard, Farris sets himself firmly on a collision course as he vows to destroy all of the other Berserkers. When these two inexperienced, powerful Berserkers meet only blood and carnage can follow in their wake.
Featuring variant covers by series artist Jeremy Haun (Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum) and Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).
Cover A – Dale Keown
Cover B – Jeremy Haun
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series
Expected Ship Date – November 25th, 2009
Recommended for Mature Readers
Berserker#3 Keown “Rage” Edition
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown
Get this limited edition variant cover previously available only through the Top Cow Store by Dale Keown. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.
Full Color 32 pages $10.00 Top Cow Store Exclusive
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #5 (of 5)
(W) Mark Waid (A) Kenneth Rocafort (Cov) Rocafort, David Finch
Morningstar and Cyberdata’s ultimate plan is revealed in this earth-shattering conclusion. Will the Cyberforce and Hunter-Killer team members discover his true goal in time to stop it or will Morningstar emerge triumphant?
Featuring a cover by series artist Rocafort as well as a variant cover by Dave Finch (Ultimatum).
Cover A – Kenneth Rocafort
Cover B – David Finch
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series
Expected Ship Date – November 25th, 2009
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1 Rocafort San Diego Variant Cover Signed Edition
(W) Mark Waid (A) Kenneth Rocafort (Cov) Rocafort
Get this limited edition variant cover by signed series writer Mark Waid previously available only at San Diego Comic-Con. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.
Full Color 32 pages $14.99 Convention Exclusive
The Darkness #81
“Bog” Part 2 (of 2)
(W) Phil Hester (A) Phil Hester (Cov) Michael Broussard
Jackie Estacado, in his quest to destroy all of The Sovereign’s remaining vessels, must first overcome an ancient swamp creature known only as “Bog”. And if an unbeatable ancient creature wasn’t enough, Jackie will also have to contend with the unkillable mercenary known only as Scab!
Featuring a brand new cover by regular The Darkness artist Michael Broussard.
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series
Expected Ship Date – November 4th, 2009
Witchblade #132
(W) Ron Marz (A) Stjepan Sejic (Cov) Sejic, Nelson Blake II
A quiet, romantic weekend in New England turns into a terrifying mystery when Sara and Gleason are pulled into an investigation of missing children. But is this a simple missing persons case or has the Witchblade been drawn to another supernatural crime?
Featuring a cover by regular artist Sejic and a variant cover by Nelson Blake II (The Darkness)!
Cover A – Stjepan Sejic
Cover B – Nelson Blake II
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series
Expected Ship Date – November 11th, 2009
Witchblade #128 Sejic San Diego Variant Cover Signed Edition
(W) Ron Marz (A) Stjepan Sejic (Cov) Sejic
Get this limited edition variant cover by signed series artist Stjepan Sejic previously available only at San Diego Comic-Con. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.
Full Color 32 pages $14.99 Convention Exclusive
Witchblade Origins Volume 1 Trade Paperback (New Printing)
(W) David Wohl. Christina Z. (A) Michael Turner (Cov) Michael Turner
Return to the classic issues which made Witchblade Top Cow’s flagship title! Writers David Wohl (Executive Assistant Iris) and Christina Z. (Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter) and legendary artist Michael Turner (Soulfire, Fathom) introduce Sara Pezzini, Kenneth Irons, Ian Nottingham, and of course the mystical gauntlet – The Witchblade – to the world!
Collects Witchblade #1-8.
Full Color 226 pages $14.99 trade paperback
Expected Ship Date – November 18th, 2009
Top Cow Bible Trade Paperback San Diego Foil Variant Edition
(A) Top Cow’s Finest (Cov) Top Cow Finest
Get this limited edition foil stamped variant of the comprehensive bible of Top Cow’s properties previously available only at San Diego Comic-Con. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.
Full Color 176 pages $29.99 Convention Exclusive
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LIBERTY MEADOWS' Frank Cho and THE NAM legend Doug Murray announce talent search with Newsarama!
As announced at this year's San Diego Comic Con, LIBERTY MEADOWS creator Frank Cho and THE 'NAM writer Doug Murray are teaming up with Newsarama to seek out new talent for their upcoming Image Comics project, 50-GIRLS-50!
"When creating 50-GIRLS-50, Doug and I knew we wanted to go with a very different look than we've had on any previous collaboration," Cho said. "Given the immense wealth of talent online, we decided an open call would be the best way to find someone. We're open to seeing all styles for our prospective illustrator and look forward to the results."
50-GIRLS-50 will be a science fiction, action adventure miniseries conceived and written by Cho and Murray with the artist working off Cho's designs. Newsarama and Image Comics will keep contenders updated on their respective sites, with Newsarama giving you an exclusive inside look at the process and Image Comics' brand-new 50-GIRLS-50 message board playing host to the submissions. Artists will also have the opportunity to get one-on-one feedback from Murray at this year's Baltimore Comic Con, October 10th & 11th.
Murray added, "I can't say we have a definitive style in mind, which is what makes this whole process all the more exciting. We're eager to see what the emerging artists of the world have to offer."
For full details and rules on The 50-GIRLS-50 Talent Search please see http://www.newsarama.com/ and http://www.imagecomics.com/messageboard.
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