Stuck on Green Lantern

Today’s collectible is something simple that all of us enjoyed as kids: stickers!

This collection of Justice League stickers from Trends International features many DC Comics heroes, and of course, Green Lantern is among them.

As expected, it’s the modern, pre-Flashpoint incarnation of Hal Jordan. The first sticker looks like it was drawn by Jim Lee Ed Benes (thanks to Eddie Hargreaves for the correction), and the second by Alan Davis. If anyone can confirm or deny this, please let me know! There’s also a simple Green Lantern symbol sticker, and Hal appears in a group shot alongside Batman, Superman, and the Flash. (I’m not sure who illustrated that.)

Not a bad set of stickers; they ought to make many a young comics fan very happy.

I need to thank the Irredeemable Shag from Firestorm Fan for bringing this sticker pack to my attention. Aside from covering Firestorm’s appearance within the stickers, he also graciously provided scans of the Green Lantern pieces for this post.

Aside from Shag, the omnipresent Frank Lee Delano also talked about the stickers on a bunch of his blogs (seriously, how many does this dude have?!), so here’s a complete list for your reading pleasure:

• Martian Manhunter – The Idol-Head of Diabolu
• Batman, Zatanna, and Vixen – Justice League Detroit
• Wonder Woman – Diana Prince is the New Wonder Woman

Shag and Frank covered these over a week ago, but I was too caught up in that Green Lantern: Circle of Fire stuff. Bah, I’m always late to the party!

Now go out and get these stickers, and plaster them all over your math notebook.

Power ring collecting, part 5

(Don’t forget to check out parts one, two, three, and four of this series!)

It’s that time again, in which I detail a bunch of replica power rings. I’ve got three offerings for you today, and in keeping with the holiday, one of these rings comes from a Halloween costume. Let’s go!

Our first ring is one included with Comic Heroes magazine issue #7. It’s solid plastic with a split back band, and it’s about a size 7. It’s a bit small, but kids will love it…especially since it glows in the dark!

Yes. That greenish blob is a glowing power ring.

Not bad for a freebie, huh? It’s hard to tell from a picture, but it’s actually got a slimmer design than most other Green Lantern rings out there. I dig that, as it’s a welcome change of pace from the chunky, often oversized rings that we’re used to.

Next, we’ve got a ring packaged as part of a Wal-Mart exclusive edition of the Green Lantern movie DVD. To the best of my knowledge, this is the exact same ring that the Noble Collection will be shipping in December. In fact, that’s the reason I bought this. I was going to buy the ring this winter anyway, and since the price after shipping is about the same as the exclusive DVD pack…why not get it now? I just gave the DVD to a friend of mine, as I already bought the Green Lantern Blu-ray Disc combo pack on release day.

Anyway, it’s about a size 10 with a split back band. While the internal electronics are clearly visible through the central jewel, it’s still got a nice bright green light.

The ring is switched on inside the band, and you can even replace the battery by removing a soft plastic panel on the top.

For a plastic pack-in, this is quite a high-quality item. The detailing is nice for a plastic replica, and the ring has a good solid feel. I definitely recommend it.

Last — and definitely least — is a ring made by Rubie’s for Halloween. It’s about a size 7, and designed to go along with their child-sized Green Lantern movie costumes (even though most of the latter include rings anyway).

This is one of those rings that I knew would be crappy, yet I only bought it for my collection. What’s so bad about it? When lit, the LED is visible inside of the thin plastic shell, slightly offset to one side.

I darkened the room a bit so you might better view the crappiness.

There’s no detail other than basic sculpting on the face, and the paint job on the band is absolutely terrible. The entire ring was molded in green, which is fine, but silver and black paint was haphazardly applied to the band in order to make it look like a different material. It’s uneven, blotchy, and some of the paint even ended up on the face’s edges! Whatever machine painted this needs to be retired.

Put simply…this ring is a piece of shit. Its one saving grace is that it’s a basic costume ring for kids, and most of ‘em won’t care if it’s any good or not as long as it lights up. (It’s activated by a button inside the band, and of course, the battery is not replaceable.) I plan to modify mine by cleaning off the slapdash black and silver and repainting it from scratch.

That’s all for today; until I acquire at least three more, you can await the inevitable part six of my power ring collecting series.

Batjeepster’s low-profile Indigo Tribe power ring

You’ve all seen Batjeepster’s Green Lantern movie-style power ring, but this time the fan favorite ring forger has sent me something even more appropriate.

It’s about time that a blog named after the Indigo Tribe spotlighted the eponymous ring, eh? Before we dig in, let me offer the usual disclaimer/excuses: I’m by no means a skilled photographer, and the photos in the post were taken with a point-and-shoot digital camera on my kitchen table. In addition, correctly reproducing shades of indigo on a computer screen can be a colossal pain in the ass, but I’ve tried to do the best I can.

Onward and upward! While Batjeepster did design this new ring style, it’s not hand carved this time around. Instead, he created the model using Solidworks, and the physical ring was produced by Shapeways. The rings are manufactured using a 3D printer and Shapeways’ standard polymer. The end result is a very lightweight yet solid ring with a slightly rough texture.

Batjeepster has not yet subjected these rings to rigorous physical tests, so he’s not certain if they’ll hold up to abuse as well as the previous models he constructed with impact-resistant resin. It does seem super-light, so I’m not going to put it through its paces, either; with my luck, I’d crack the ring in half by bumping into a door frame. The ring still works well as a display piece, though.

As you can see, the face design is reminiscent of the rings from Green Lantern: First Flight, with the three notches on either side. These help to focus attention on the face and its emblem. You’ll also notice that the emblem itself is recessed into the face, rather than embossed like most other rings. This unique look really helps the ring stand out, as does the slight modification to the emblem itself (the “arrows” are bumped right up against the outer circle, and there’s a second hollow circle in the center).

So why is this ring considered “low-profile”? Take a look at the top-down view:

The face is the same thickness as the band, so there’s not a big chunky piece on the front. This may not be comic-accurate, but it’s much more comfortable to wear. Since it’s so light, it barely feels like you’re wearing the ring at all.

If this plastic ring is too flimsy for you, Batjeepster and Shapeways have a solution:

Yep, that’s stainless steel. Aside from being much heavier and stronger than its plastic counterpart, the steel ring also offers more detail and texture. Batjeepster also goes an extra step with the steel ring, as he adds extra detail by hand. He sands the ring to add the “damaged” look, the color is painted on with nail polish, and finally the ring is sprayed with a durable matte finish to protect it.

I definitely dig the weathered look here. It seems as this ring has seen a lot of use. One could imagine its wielder has been through many trials and tribulations, indeed!

This ring represents the Indigo Tribe, of course, but Batjeepster does offer rings for all of the other Corps. Aside from plastic and stainless steel, other material options include translucent resin and silver. Unless you’re hung up on comic book accuracy (which changes from issue to issue based on the artist, anyway), the low-profile power ring is a solid addition to any fan’s collection.

Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur,
Natromo faan tornek wot ur.
Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,
Taan lek lek nok — Formorrow Sur!

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Batjeepster has been working on custom power rings since early 2010. He started by modifying a Green Lantern: Mosaic promotional ring, then worked his way up to resin casting, metal/resin hybrids, and even silver designs. Be sure to check out his fan page on Facebook; you can see all of the various rings he’s created, plus tons of of fan and celebrity photos. If you want to get in touch with him and acquire a ring for yourself, that’s the best way to do it!

Alternatively, you can find Batjeepster’s work on eBay. Bids tend to get pretty high for his work, but you might just find some rare pieces there.

Thanks again to Batjeepster for the rings!

Green Lantern LEGO

LEGO announced last week that it has acquired both the DC Comics and Marvel Comics licenses, showcasing the new minifigures at San Diego Comic-Con. Aside from legendary characters like Wolverine, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, and Superman, you bet your ass that Green Lantern is part of the lineup.

Here’s what Hal Jordan looks like in LEGO form; it looks pretty good to me!

(pics from LEGO Super Heroes)

I don’t think the faces are variants; many modern LEGO minifigures have faces painted on the front and back of their heads so you can change them at a whim.

Of course, no power ring is visible, but that’s to be expected. Painting a tiny dot on a single minifigure hand is a ridiculous cost. I know power rings are integral to Green Lanterns, but in this case, we can give it a pass. You’ll also noticed that Hal’s uniform is very clearly based on the movie design, not any of the comic book costumes.

Hal is a natural choice for the first Green Lantern minifigure, but let’s hope some other Lanterns will soon follow, such as the other three Earthmen and aliens like Kilowog and Salaak.

I’ve always been a big LEGO fan, and I collected sets often during my childhood and as recently as a few years ago. I had to stop as the stuff just takes up too much space! However, with this latest announcement I might just have to dip my toes back into the pond, for no other reason than to collect the minifigures.

(Want to see pictures of other heroes? You can see a whole shit-ton of them on Eurobricks.)

Power ring collecting, part 4 (movie edition)

(Don’t forget to check out parts one, two, and three of this series!)

In celebration of the Green Lantern film now playing in theaters all over the place, we’re going to examine five movie-style rings. That’s a lot of jewelry, so buckle up!

First up is the ring included with the Mattel’s Toys R Us exclusive “early bird” Hal Jordan action figure. Only 2,814 of these figures were produced, and as such they commanded nearly a $30 price tag. Yes, I bought one just to get the ring. Stop snickering. (In case anyone was wondering, my figure is #1098.) The ring is about a size 12, which makes sense as it and the figure are marketed towards the adult collector. The band is steel with a plastic face, both with a nice finish, and you can even see the “radiant” effect beneath the outer ring of the face.

For fans unwilling to shell out the hefty amounts of cash necessary to acquire the limited edition figure and ring, I’ve got a solution for you. Toys R Us is also selling power ring keychains at a third of the price, which contain the exact same ring. (And yes, the chain is removable.) Either way you choose to get it, I highly recommend this ring. It really looks great, and the metal band gives it some nice heft.

Next, here’s the ring included with Mattel’s basic Green Lantern movie action figures. It’s much simpler in appearance than the previous one, and all plastic. The split band is also very thick, making the ring about a size 4. Before you complain, try to remember that this was clearly made for kids. If you want to wear it yourself, I suggest using a rotary tool and patience. Anyway, for a cheap ring included with an action figure, it’s decent. They’re certainly a step up from the rings included with the original DC Direct figures!

This ring is part of Mattel’s mask and ring costume set. (Mask photo not included, because it certainly does not fit on my massive head.) Since it’s another kids’ offering, the ring is a size 5, also with a split band. But, of course, this ring lights up!

Pressing the center of the face will cause the ring to glow and fade for a few seconds. Not bad; expect to see a lot of kids wearing the mask and ring this fall for Halloween. If you’re an adult, though, forget about wearing it; the light hardware is contained within the band, so trying to resize it with a rotary tool will destroy it.

One light-up ring is never enough, so here’s another one, this time made by NECA. Unlike the last ring, this one will fit on many adult fingers, as it’s a size 10. This ring has a bit of an odd color scheme; gray and green are the correct colors, but the shades are far too light.

I guess we can’t grumble about it it too much, though, as it’s the most inexpensive ring on the list. The tiny panel-mount LED inside is rather bright, too; you can see it as a little square right through the transparent face.

Time for another NECA ring, and you may wonder why this one looks absolutely ridiculous. Did the ring fall into a black hole? Is it the terrible offspring of a regular ring and Plastic Man? No, my friends. This ring has a built-in projector, which displays the Green Lantern symbol on surfaces “up to fifty feet” away. (NECA’s words, not mine.)

The ring actually does project a good distance, but is best used in a darkened room; even then, the farther away from the wall you are, the dimmer the symbol will appear. I tried taking some pictures, but the room was so dark that my camera just didn’t pick things up that well, even when shooting in “night mode.” Oh well.

The projection is also a bit off-kilter, but perhaps that’s specific to the ring I picked up. Mine’s offset by about forty-five degrees; if you get one with a more properly-aligned projection, let me know.

The ring’s a bit small at size 9, mainly due to the extra thick band; the button to activate the projector is on the very back. I suppose you could use this to trigger the ring while your hand is closed into a fist, but the button’s tiny.

What about the kids who’d love to play with this, but it’s too big for their fingers? NECA wisely included a soft plastic resizer with this ring, which brings it down to about a size 6.

Sure, the projection feature doesn’t work well in a properly-lit area, but it’s still pretty cool. If nothing else, the ring definitely has a very unique and weird look.

You might be wondering why the DC Direct Green Lantern movie power ring prop replica is not here among its brethren. It was originally solicited for release on June 1, then pushed back to June 15. Unfortunately, Diamond Comic Distributors forgot to ship them to my local comic book shop. Myself and a few others who ordered them were not pleased, but there was nothing we could do. The owner put in new orders for us, but they have not yet arrived, so I’ll do a separate post on that ring when it finally does show up. Sorry!

Whew! Five movie rings seems like an overload, but there’s even more out there, like the replicas given out to celebrities. There’s others coming in the future, too; a slightly different variation is included with DC Direct’s power battery prop replica, and I’m sure the Noble Collection will produce a nice expensive ring. Whether you want a toy version, an official replica, or a custom ring, you’ve got a wide variety of choices when adding a movie-style Green Lantern power ring to your collection.