X3 Wolverine/Phoenix

As we've said previously, only one of the three X-Men: The Last Stand sets in Minimates Series 14 featured both a true hero and a true villain. One of the remaining sets features two heroes, while the third kind of... splits the difference, offering one character who's kind of heroic when it suits, and one character who's sort of an unwilling villain. Considering the sheer number of Wolverines that Art Asylum has already put out - this is, what, #12? - it is a constant source of amazement that they're not just mixing and matching old parts to create new versions. X3 Wolverine, for instance, uses all-new pieces. New hair? Check. New Hugh Jackman-influenced face? Check. New claws? Surprisingly, yes. All the other Wolverines have used the same clawed little hands, but these are new. The claws are shorter and have a different shape - they look nice. Wolverine's storyarc in the movie, as in the first two, was him growing to accept his role on the team. Therefore, he's wearing the black X-Uniform, though for the figure it's more of a dark grey. There are a few thin black lines to suggest detail, and the piping is a rich yellow. Everything is very crisp, and they didn't skimp on the sides of the figure, like on some Minimates. The fact that Minimates are modular means you can make your own movie "civilian" Logan just by swapping heads. Logan's partner/rival in this set is also his unrequited love interest, Jean Grey. Or Phoenix. Though they are technically the same person - none of this crazy "body swapping" stuff from the comics. The Phoenix was just another facet of Jean's psyche, a secondary personality created to allow teen Jean to control her immense powers. X3 deserves praise just for being able to pare "The Dark Phoenix Saga" down into a managable movie storyline. In the movie, Phoenix wore a long burgundy dress. Unlike Mariko and her one-piece kimono, Jean's ankle-length ensemble still allows for (some) articulation. Her top is just painted with details, while her skirt is a separate piece that fits into the waist. It does block her hips and knees slightly, but there's still a little bit of wiggle room there. Her hair is a new piece and the likeness, such as it is, certainly looks like Famke Janssen. Or maybe Angelina Jolie. One down side is the general color of the figure - she should be much darker, not the bright red we got. All Minimates share the same 14 points of movement: neck, waist, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. As we said, Jean's legs are a bit restrained by her dress, but not terribly so. There's also a "Dark Phoenix" variant of Jean, which sees her cast mostly from translucent red plastic. What? In any case, despite coming with yet another Wolverine, this is a good set, and one in which the standard version is better than the chase. Comic, cartoon or movie - what's your favorite version of The Dark Phoenix Saga? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.

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