IDW PUBLISHING
GI Joe #11, $3.99
Transformers Best Of The UK Prey #4 (of 5), $3.99

Merchandise
GI Joe Movie Action Figure Collection 1 Assortment 200903, AR
Star Wars Action Figure Battle Pack Assortment 200903, AR
Star Wars Ralph Mcquarrie AF Set Assortment, AR
Star Wars Ralph Mcquarrie AF Set Assortment, AR
Transformers Movie Voyager Action Figure Assortment 200904, $139.96
Where The Wild Things Are Kubrick 24 Pc Blind Mini Box Display, AR

It's time once again to thumb through the toy section of this month's Previews, and see what goodies we can uncover. Scheduled to start shipping in January.

Our first listing isn't actually a toy, but it is related. On page 108, DC's new comic Joe the Barbarian is one of those "toys come to life" stories that are all the rage right now, but in this one, the toys that come to life include a big trucky robot and an all-black commando with a sword.

DC Direct has another on of their re-release box sets on page 125: the Detective Comics box set includes Silver Age versions of Batman, Robin, Riddler, Batgirl and Batmite.

History of the DC Universe series 4 is here on page 128 with Captain Atom, Nightwing (the Superman disguise one) Martian Manhunter and Kobra.

McToys has NFL and NHL figures on page 158, but what's this stuff about "Collector Level" figures?

The Mister Amperduke graphic novel on page 206 will appeal to Lego enthusiasts.

Also not strictly toy-related, but IDW's Cobra II series is starting. The first series was some truly excellent spy fiction, so the sequel is probably going to be big, as well. Page 235.

Hey, look, the Clerks Inaction Figures are making a return from the grave - literally. on page 306, you can order the Night of the Living Kev zombie Kevin Smith toy.

Ghostbusters Series 3 box set is on page 313, with the long-awaited Walter Peck, secretary Janine and gooey Ego and Zeddemore.

On page 314, you can order the Spider-Man's Friends and Foes Minimates, with Black Cat, Vulture, Doc Ock and yet another battle damaged Spider-Man.

More Battlestar Galactica toys? Admiral Cain, Dr. Baltar and Mustache Adama wait on page 315.

There's going to be a Marvel Select Iron Man based on Iron Man 2, with a flip-up mask to reveal Robert Downey Jr.'s face. Check out page 316 to see him.

Page 318 is a big one. You get Futurama Series 8 (Mom and Chef Bender), Smurfs things that sound like Superhero Squad style, the GI Joe Cobra Island packs and then new Rise of Cobra toys: polar assault Duke, Deep Freeze Destro, Frost Bite Polar Commando, Night Fight Storm Shadow, Desert Pilot Ripcord and Desert Zartan.

Speaking of Rise of Cobra, page 319 has two new GI Joe vehicles: Cobra Fury and Wolf Hound. There's also a listing for DC Universe Series 12, if you want to pay 20-effing dollars per figure.

There's a new Wolfman Mez-Itz on page 324, right next to the Marvel Legends two-packs.

There is a TON of Transformers stuff on page 329-330, including new Mighty Muggs, and movie toys in every size class!

In today's (well, technically tomorrow's, in about 10 minutes) review of the Ghostbusters 2 Louis Tully & Slimer Minimates, yo said that the promo photos made "Ecto Cooler" Slimer look like a muddy mess. And yes, that's true, the thing is a mess. But if you compare the prototype to the released figure, the reason becomes clear: there were two separate paint maps applied to the proto.

Look at the image below:


The Slimer on the left is the image we were shown when the series was announced. See what a mess he is? The lines run over each other and everything's crowded. But the Slimer on the right is what's left if you remove everything that appears on the final product. The cheeks open up, and he no longer has a lip going over his tongue.

I don't know how a mistake like that happened, but obviously Slimer somehow got two paint apps. Will the one on the right make an appearance someday? Can't say. Is it better than the one we got in the set? That's up to you - just be glad that one of the designs was removed, or else Ecto Cooler Slimer wouldn't have been worth buying at all.

The OAFEnet Email Update is more popular than Saw VI.

(but then, so is everything else)

This is the final OEU in Horror Month, but it's not the end of the scares. There will be a few more Halloween reviews next week, so keep checking in.

We began the week big, with a killer robot, an evil clone, and an unearthed cadaver. Horror Month at its finest on Joe Friday!

Saturday was a popular character from a long-running series who's never really done anything of note. How's that work? If we knew that, OAFEnet would be much higher in the internet hierarchy than we are now.

Last week, email readers got an advance look at this very old piece. Remember, if you join our mailing list, you get sneak peeks, too.

For Marvel Monday, we had to increase the size of the review by 50%, thanks to the odd choices made behind the scenes.

Transformers Tuesday was big, bad, and every 8-year-old boy's dream toy.

Our next review, like Forrest Gump's Lt. Dan, "ain't got no legs."

And finally, a very Halloween-y treat, a sexy lady dressed up like a cat. That's what the holiday is all about (at least, according to our corporate overlords at the Monsanto Costume Corporation, who would never steer us wrong).

Like we said, there will be Horror Month reviews in the next OAFEnet Email Update, so stay tuned. Until then, we follow Fox News' lead and remain Scare and Balanced.

DC COMICS
Blammoids Series 1 Promo Poster, AR

DIAMOND PUBLICATIONS
Previews #254 (November 2009), $4.50

IDW PUBLISHING
GI Joe Cobra TP, $19.99

IMAGE COMICS
Halo Odd Pods Series 2 Figure Assorted, AR

Videos
G.I. Joe Rise Of Cobra DVD Special Edition, AR
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen DVD Special Edition, AR

Merchandise
Futurama AF Series 7 Assortment, AR
Star Wars Basic Action Figure Assortment 200905, AR

The OAFEnet Email Update was abandoned down a well!

JOE FRIDAY! Since movie Zartan doesn't use masks, the figure doesn't include one. However, you can still change his appearance thanks to the inclusion of a complete second head. The alternate head is blonde, like Zartan, but has a distinctly different face: different nose, different jawline... basically, this is the guy Storm Shadow cut down.

The sculpts and paint applications were crude even by contemporary standards and there was nary a point of articulation to be found on them, but when I was a kid that hardly mattered. The rubbery feel of the dinosaurs' skin, coupled with their Godzilla-like indestructibility, made them the preeminent dinosaur toys of my youth...

Most of the ghosts in this set are designed to be built from a specific (and uncommon) set of Minimate pieces. The entire Gruesome Ghosts kit was designed around two box sets: "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" and "The Spirit." Both sets were only available through the specialty market, so it's not like you can go grab one at Toys "R" Us or Suncoast...

MARVEL MONDAY! When was the last time Hobgoblin showed up? A decade ago, maybe? Well before Norman Osborn was outed as Green Goblin, that's for sure. Kingsley's just been living it up on some tropical island since then. In other words, not exactly a character who's on everyone's lips. The Marvel Universe line seems to be flirting with re-creating...

MARVEL MONDAY! Julia's new costume made its debut when she joined Omega Flight, a fancied-up version of her old I-can't-believe-it's-not-a-symbiote Spider-Woman look, with the white spider symbol enlarged to cover her whole torso (and mirrored on the back), with the legs extending over her arms and legs in the form of long, angular stripes...

TRANSFORMERS TUESDAY! Mags' accessories are a bit different than Convoy's: he has the gun and all the same hands, but he doesn't have the Matrix of Leadership; to make up for that, he has a new hand/accessory, which allows he and convoy to clasp hands in a totally hetero and non-romantic way. You know, like Maverick and Iceman in "Top Gun"...

TRANSFORMERS TUESDAY! Constructin' Devastator (yes, that's really his name, not "Construction" or "Constructicon" - Constructin') actually does a decent job of duplicating the movie design, in its own simple way. The figure is 4 3/4" tall, and his limbs connect to the torso via balljoints - the only articulation anywhere on the figure...

Nowadays there's a new crop of porn megastarlets doing the rounds, and Jenna's more or less retired to sitting in an office raking in the cash as a studio head (and spending it on not entirely successful face jobs, sadly), but at the turn of the millennium when Plastic Fantasy came onto the scene (zing), she was still the biggest name on the front lines...

The robot in "Metropolis" isn't actually named Maria. In the film she's referred to as "Maschinenmensch," and is only called Maria by characters who don't know she isn't the real woman. In the novel, her inventor (the unfortunately named Rotwang) calls her "Futura ... Parody whatever you like to call it. Also: Delusion ... In short a woman." He had issues...

DARK HORSE
Bruce Campbell 12 Inch Figure, $59.99

DC COMICS
Ame Comi Batgirl V.2 Vinyl Figure, $59.99
Ame Comi Catwoman V.2 Vinyl Figure, $59.99
Blackest Night Series 1 Alpha Lantern Boodikka Action Figure, AR
Blackest Night Series 1 Black Lantern Earth 2 Superman Action Figure, AR
Blackest Night Series 1 Blue Lantern Saint Walker Action Figure, AR
Blackest Night Series 1 Red Lantern Atrocitus Action Figure, AR
World Of Warcraft Deluxe Collector Figure Illidan Demon Form, AR

IDW PUBLISHING
GI Joe #10, $3.99
GI Joe Movie Snake Eyes #1, $3.99
Transformers Tales Of The Fallen #3, $3.99

IMAGE COMICS
Halo Mongoose ATV Figure Assortment, AR
Halo Series 6 Action Figure Assortment, AR

PAPERCUTZ
Bionicle Box Set Vol 1-4, $29.95

TOMART PUBLICATIONS
Tomarts Action Figure Digest #181, $5.95

Videos
Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen DVD Widescreen, AR

Merchandise
Mega Bloks Halo Wars Battle Pack Assortment, AR
Mega Bloks Halo Wars Battlefield, AR
Mega Bloks Halo Wars Scorpion, AR
Mega Bloks Halo Wars Vehicle Assortment, AR
WWE Classic Superstars Series 26 Action Figure Assortment, AR
WWE ECW Series 5 Action Figure Assortment, AR
WWE Ruthless Aggression Series 41 Action Figure Assortment, AR

Prepare for the Rob Zombie remake of the OAFEnet Email Update.

Horror Month at OAFE rolls merrily along, and we've even got the Halloween decorations up. Visit any page on OAFEnet and you'll see how we celebrate.

Some may question whether or not Joe Friday is really horror-related. A demonic ghost-ninja with powers from beyond the grave? That's a Halloween costume waiting to happen!

And speaking of costumes, Saturday's review has the word right there in the title - well, as long as you can translate it from its original language.

The beginning of the month means it's time to see what's available in the new Previews catalog. It's a slim month, but there's at least one item that's never been announced before.

Last week we wrapped things up with a related pair of reviews, and we added one more to the set this week. This is easily the most important of the three, the one to get even if you ignore all others.

Marvel Monday takes a look at a character a lot of fans have been waiting for - and also the guy who is lucky enough to share his two-pack and thus have guaranteed sales.

With someone wearing pieces of a corpse, the power of a longtime villain, and a looming threat from the herald of the darkest force in all of creation, this Transformers Tuesday may be the most terrifying we've ever run.

We went digging to the bottom of the toybox for Wednesday's review, an old toy with even older inspirations.

And we end the week with a review that isn't actually a toy and isn't actually horror, but once you see it, you won't care about either of those.

Remember, you can keep up on all our Horror Month goodness by visiting the dedicated section linked from every page on the site. Scare yourself silly!

ACTION FIGURE NEWS & TOY REVIEW
Lees Toy Review #203 (Oct 2009), $5.95

DC COMICS
JLA Identity Crisis Classics Series 1 Batman Action Figure, AR
JLA Identity Crisis Classics Series 1 Flash Action Figure, AR
JLA Identity Crisis Classics Series 1 Green Arrow Action Figure, AR
JLA Identity Crisis Classics Series 1 Superman Action Figure, AR

IDW PUBLISHING
GI Joe Origins #8, $3.99
Transformers All Hail Megatron #16, $3.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT
Toyfare #148 (Tonner Twilight Figures Cover), $4.99

Merchandise
GI Joe Movie Action Figure Collection 1 Assortment 200902, AR
GI Joe Movie Action Figure Collection 2 Assortment 200902, AR
Marvel Select Kree Mar-vell Action Figure, $19.99
Transformers Movie Human Alliance Assortment 200902, AR
Wolverine Super Hero Squad Battle Pk Assortment 200903, AR

It's time once again to thumb through the toy section of this month's Previews, and see what goodies we can uncover. Scheduled to start shipping in December.

On page 127, DC Direct has an interesting idea: DC Origins two-packs, which feature Batman, Nightwing, Joker and Catwoman, all in "classic" and modern versions. All the figures are re-releases, but the pairings are new.

Not strictly a toy, but toy-related: page 260 reveals that IDW's GI Joe comic will be going bi-weekly in December.

The Lego Book on page 312 looks like an interesting retrospective and a handy Christmas gift idea.

A great new series of Marvel Minimates is listed on page 342. Series 33 will be Thor/Loki, Marvel Girl/Sentinel, and Anti-Venom/Menace. Great stuff!

New Marvel Universe Secret Wars two-packs are listed on page 352. You can choose from Thor/Enchantress, Hawkeye/Piledriver or Reed Richards/Ultron.

It's hard to tell what's new and what's old, but you can get pictures of upcoming Star Wars toys on page 355.

Similarly, there are some really nice-looking Transformers on page 358.

NECA is all over page 359, with both Resident Evil and Army of Two toys. Interestingly, Halo is back here now, too.

The OAFEnet Email Update wants to suck your blood.

October! Horror Month! 31 days of creepy reviews, just like every year. But before we get to the new stuff, here's something old. In honor of the movie finally being released on DVD, start this week by reading our old review of Trick 'r Treat icon Sam.

Our first review takes its "October" connection the lazy way. It's Joe Friday, of course, and we used the same gag last year, too.

The Seventh Kingdom reviews continued, with Poe doing this series' designated bad girl.

Ever wanted to play Frankenstein and build your own monster? Here's your chance.

Marvel Monday has been held up for at least a month - every time it was about to be posted, something else came along and bumped it. At last, it makes its presence known.

More info on the news Artemis shared last week about Diamond Select's new toyline.

You may wonder how Transformers Tuesday could possibly relate to "horror," but consider what it is - a twisted, evil clone? How is that not horror?

Artemis, no surprise, found a way to make Horror Month devastatingly sexy.

And, staying on-topic, we switch from yuri to yaoi. If you still find that devastatingly sexy, hey, more power to you.

IDW PUBLISHING
Transformers Best Of The UK Prey #3, $3.99

Merchandise
Dexter 7-inch Action Figure (resolicited), AR
GI Joe Movie Alpha Vehicle Assortment 200902, AR
Marvel 25th Anniversary Secret Wars 2-pk Assortment 200902, AR
Star Wars Deluxe Figure & Vehicle Assortment 200902, AR
Star Wars Titanium Assortment 200904, AR
Star Wars Basic Action Figure Assortment 200904, AR
Star Wars Clone Wars Basic Assortment 200906, AR
Star Wars Clone Wars Basic Assortment 200907, AR
Star Wars Clone Wars Basic Assortment 200908, AR
Star Wars Saga Legends Assortment 200905, AR
Terminator 2 7-in Series 2 Assortment, AR
Transformers Movie Deluxe Assortment 200905, AR

Prepare for the OAFEnet Email Update to scare your socks off!

Well, not yet. "Prepare" as in "it's going to happen later." October means Horror Month, but this update covers the end of September.

We've been working on this week's Joe Friday for quite a while - it's a massive beast, and technically the second half of one we posted before.

If we'd been thinking ahead, we would have saved this review for five days, because it would have worked perfectly for Horror Month. This guy is basically a voodoo priest, right? He's raising zombies all over the place, and they do his bidding. What else do you call that?

Sunday's Star Wars review has a reused body that's been seen over and over in the past, but surprisingly, it's not a Stormtrooper or an R2 unit.

Want to see a little bit of yo's toy collection? Here's a small photo.

If you're a fan of misleading, out-of-context excerpts, then you'll love Marvel Monday, which drew attention with the phrase "golden boob-bang." It's exactly what it sounds like.

Everyone loves a sexy biker chick - that's why Artemis was in charge of this week's Transformers Tuesday.

And speaking of Artemis, have you heard the big news in female action figures? DST is going to be making "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose" toys. That's "big" news in more ways than one!

Poe came through with another DC review this week, one that's not really Horror Month-ready, but does have a bit of a connection to the weather lately.

And finally, our first official 2009 Horror Month review - after all, what's more traditionally Halloweeny than melanoailurophobia?

yo sez:

My wife and I recently bought a house and moved (thank you, Obama!), which means aaaaalllllll the toys had to be packed up, and now they're aaaaalllllll being unpacked again. The toys live in the basement, which is ridiculously '70s chic (what with the wood paneling on the walls and all), but at least there will be room for them. Eventually. Anyway, I made this little display:

The Marvel Select boxes are all empty, and the packaged figures are all there only until I open them - arranged like this, it makes it easier to see what there is to review. Still, it's so cool to walk downstairs and see stuff arranged nicely, waiting to be played with. Go toys!

--yo

DC COMICS
JLI Series 2 Blue Beetle Action Figure, AR
JLI Series 2 Booster Gold Action Figure, AR
JLI Series 2 Fire Action Figure, AR
JLI Series 2 Martian Manhunter Action Figure, AR

DIAMOND PUBLICATIONS
Previews #253 (October 2009), $4.50

IDW PUBLISHING
GI Joe Cobra Special #1, $3.99

Merchandise
BSG Battle-damaged Cylon Action Figure 2-Pack, AR
Hellboy Animated 10-in Roto Figure W/Trenchcoat, AR
Mega Bloks Halo Wars Metalons Assortment, AR
Seventh Kingdom Rhino Warrior Action Figure, AR
New Moon 7-in Action Figure Assortment, AR