Our 8 Favorite Pop-Cultural Artifacts of 2022: Part 2
Toymakers went more retro-active than ever this year
Last time, we took a look at the first four of our favorite pop-cultural artifacts of the year. In this edition, we’ll take a look at four additional gems from the year, from giant mecha to a Bombastic Bag-Man.
1. DC Direct Super Powers Batwing ($29.97, McFarlane Toys)
Kenner was behind the highly popular DC Super Powers line of the 1980s, and this year, McFarlane Toys brought it back with a fleet of figures and ships. Our favorite is this Batwing, which has a certain elegance and interactivity that will appeal to both the current generation of kiddos and those of us actually alive in the ’80s.
This is despite the fact that the stunning box for this thing says “12+.” It’s a mystery to us why it’s rated that way, as any child could find joy in Batman’s “Air Combat Vehicle”:
2. HG 1/144 Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury Aerial Gundam Model Kit ($51.99, BANDAI NAMCO)
It took 43 years, but the Gundam franchise produced its first primary female protagonist this year in Suletta Mercury, in the new series Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. As you can imagine, this made the model of her primary mech suit, XVX-016 Gundam Aerial, quite popular.
Thankfully, Aerial was given a gorgeous, progressive design for the series, fitting for such a groundbreaking move: A glimmering "Shell Unit" for the chest of the suit offers the luminescence displayed in the show, and its shield can be separated into 11 parts.
3. Marvel Legends Series Bombastic Bag-Man Action Figure (Target Exclusive) ($22.99, Hasbro)
File this one under “Beautifully Esoteric.”
Blame it on writer Tom DeFalco, who concocted The Amazing Spider-Man #258 in 1984. In the issue, Peter Parker is stuck in the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building without the Spidey suit and needs a spare costume. The resulting gag is one that has reappeared in the years since—most notably in as unlockable skins in various Spider-Man video games.
The most gorgeous rendering of it arrived in the game Marvel’s Spider-Man:
Reportedly, one of the suit’s influences for DeFalco was Murray Langston, the comedian who would go on The Gong Show in the ’70s and ’80s as The Unknown Comic. He usually appeared with a paper bag over his head, but unlike the Bombastic Bag-Man, he kept the gag going for years.
4. Star Wars The Vintage Collection Migs Mayfeld (Morak) (Target Exclusive)($14.99, Hasbro)
Honestly, I think it’s just funny that Bill Burr has a Star Wars figure, though he is responsible for one of the biggest highlights in The Mandalorian thus far: