Latest Figure Hauls: TOHO Eiga Godzilla 54, 62, and 64

Alright, so about a week ago I had this Movie Monsters Godzilla 1974 in my watch list. With the $30 I had earned from helping pull weeds for a neighbor, I thought I would get this figure. As the ending of the bid approached, I decided not to get it. Why? Well, I already had a 1975 Godzilla from the Memorial Box, so I didn't really need another version of practically the same thing when $30 could go toward something new. (I'll still get the Movie Monsters version one day, it's one of my favorite suits.) I originally was watching a Y-MSF Kumonga, but when I went over the newly listed section, I ran into this three pack. It featured a Godzilla 1954, 1962, and 1964. All were a pretty great size too, about seven inches each. I've been wanting a G 62 and a 64, so this would be a good chance to get them. I had never heard of the brand 'TOHO Eiga.' I later learned on the TOHO Kingdom forums that it was a non-licensed brand, these figures were made in China. Bootleg Godzilla figures as you would. With that in mind, I asked the seller if he would be interested in a buy it now of $35. (The buy it now was $50.) I was declined, but the next day I saw it was lowered to $40, so my message must have done something. So I bought them. Aside from a mishap with G 54 (more on that soon) a pretty good purchase. First up, the main reason why I bought it, the Godzilla 1962.

All three of these guys are statues, with only the tail being movable. These 'bootlegs' have done a great job capturing the likeness of the looks. G 62 is an amazing figure. The quality is a step above the usual Bandai. After watching King Kong vs. Godzilla again, the suit in that film has grown on me, one of my personal favorites now. This figure captures the very odd-looking head well, and the actual pose is great. I'm also a big fan of the dorsal plates on it. In terms of size, they all are slightly bigger than a Bandai 6 inch, but not quite as big as some of the 8 inch scale ones. I gotta get a Bandai King Kong to go along with this.

Now time for G 64.

This one is unique. The pose is like he's getting attacked, it matches some of the classic shots from the film. I've read that a lot of people like this figure, it's easy to see why. It feels like an X-Plus figure. The teeth are sculpted and not 'painted on' like a lot of the Bandais, good stuff. It's a unique figure, I like it a lot.

Finally, G 54.

You know that mishap I was talking about? Well, this figure came with his head broken off. (Apparently in transit.) Thanks to the saving grace of glue, the figure was saved. So this figure captures the derangeness of the 54 suit really well upon closer inspection. On side-view the head looks fantastic. I like the pose with the hands also, overall this figure is a great likeness to the original Godzilla.

So were these figures worth the $40 purchase? With their bootleg nature, I think they should have cost $10 each. But yes, I'm pretty happy with the purchase, probably the only time I could find a standard size G 62 that's not the old Bandai one. Plus these figures are kinda rare, you don't see these popping up often. So yes, I'm happy with the purchase. Three high quality Godzillas. You can never have too many Godzillas in your collection!

Monster of the Week: Gigan (Millennium)

This Gigan is a space monster that came to earth 12,000 years ago. While the Showa version was more of a  bully than a world destroyer, this one was the latter. This Gigan pretty much destroyed everything before Mothra intervened. After a great battle she defeated Gigan and he was turned into a mummy. 12,000 years later he is discovered and brought to  a research lab. That is where the events of Godzilla: Final Wars takes place...

This Gigan is a complete showoff. Then again, he has every right to be. He knows he's awesome and pretty powerful, but unlike the honorable Battra, he just loves to act 'cool.' Sometimes I think he's more concerned with looking cool than actually winning a fight. Apparently the Xiliens knew Gigan, cause the leader knew him by name. "Gigan.....rise!!!!!" That is what he said. (It is possible that it was the Xiliens that originally sent the cyborg.) After that quote, Gigan's visor lit up and he started shaking his claws. He was back, and he was happy about it, already making some poses attempting to look cool. Then he slashed the roof open, and just like that he was back in the world. He roared a roar saying he was back. Unlike his Showa counterpart, this one actually liked to use his beam. On the way he decided to blow up a rather tall building. How can an evil monster not blow up a tall building? Later in the day ol' chicken-head (okay, to be fair, this version looks a lot less like a chicken than his Showa counterpart) was called in to destroy the Gotengo, which was going to awake Godzilla. Gigan is a loyal, arrogant monster. He'll get the job done while looking cool. Gigan was pretty much laughing to himself as the Gotengo's missiles didn't hit him. Of course he hadn't expected them to melt Godzilla's icy prison. Gigan was caught off guard by a sudden blast of atomic radiation. Godzilla was then occupied by blowing up a building, but Gigan was quick to retaliate, showing Godzilla his own beam. After a blast he landed, roaring. He knew he was cool, and he thought Godzilla knew that too. Despite what you might think, Gigan isn't one to 'play around' with his victims like his serial killer Showa counterpart, he's a serious fighter, but likes to look cool along the way. He likes to show his opponent who's boss. He's also merciless, his opponents die slow painful deaths from that buzzsaw, Godzilla would be the next. Or so he thought. After he managed to tie Godzilla's neck, he shouted a roar of knowing he had this in the bag and started up his buzzsaw as he reeled Godzilla in. He then roared a roar of mockery to Godzilla.Though Gigan has one very sensitive area, his head. One good blast, and it's destroyed. That's exactly what Godzilla did. A blast of atomic radiation easily destroyed his head, rendering him powerless. However, that wouldn't be the end of our Millennium friend, if you thought he couldn't get cooler, you were wrong.

While Godzilla was dealing with Monster X, Mothra was arriving to help out. Of course, can't have two earth monsters ganging up on ol' Monster X. So the Xilien leader sent out a new and improved upgraded Gigan, complete with chainsaws. And he loved them, already showcasing them as he left the Xilien mothership. However, he's not one to waste too much time, his mission was to destroy Mothra. And he was pretty happy about it, he could exact revenge on his old rival. He flew toward her and they went at it. Then they both went to the ground some distance between them. Gigan roared and got into a battle stance, anticipating his battle with Mothra, and then her death. Gigan didn't consider Mothra to be a respectable rival like Battra did, she was nothing more than a bother to him, an extreme bother. Mothra kept roaring at her old enemy. Gigan lifted one of his chainsaw claws, he had a plan. He zoomed and managed to grab Mothra's abdomen with his tail and swung her away like rag doll. Gigan like I said before is a serious fighter, but when it comes to Mothra, it's a grudge fight. Right after Mothra flew into the air, he was hot on her tail, clipping one of her annoying wings off. She fell, defeated.. Once she was down, only thing left was Godzilla. So he stepped in to assist his ally Monster X. (See the reference to when his Showa counterpart teamed up with Ghidorah back in 72?) After a beam of letting know he was here, he landed and started up his chainsaws, making another 'cool' pose. This guy was really full of himself. He knows two against one isn't honorable, but he doesn't care about that stuff. He just wants to get the fight over with. And look cool while doing it. After Monster X managed to subdue Godzilla, Gigan roared in thrill as he approached. He showed Godzilla his chainsaw as if saying you're about to feel a lot of pain, and then laid a blow. Of course, being how smart is, Godzilla spun around Monster X and Gigan struck him insead. However, the two didn't argue, it was a mistake. Unlike his Showa counterpart, this Gigan knew what it meant have an ally and when mistakes happen. Then Mothra came and knocked them both down. Of course, since she was back, she was once again Gigan's main target. After chasing after her, Mothra went beind him and shouted something like "Hey!" Gigan turned around, struck another pose, then shot out two ninja stars, Mothra easily avoided them, but Gigan unexpectedly shot a beam, setting fire all around. With the explosion in the background, he turned around, looking 'cool' while roaring a roar of victory and bragging about it. Sadly for him, as embarrassing as it sounds, his arrogance got the best of him, he forgot about his ninja stars and they came back and decapitated him. Yes, he was decapitated twice in the film. A little bit of a running gag. However, this upgraded version could actually still operate without the head, but 'Fire Mothra' emerged and went sraight into Gigan, blowing him up and ending his reign of terror for good.


That was the end of the Final Wars Gigan. Comparing to his Showa counterpart, this one was obviously faster, loves to show off, and just generally cooler. (It's no surprise that he's my favorite kaiju.) While he was the running joke of the film, there's no denying that he made a great impression with what is by far the coolest monster design (or re-design in this case) ever. With his arrogance, show-off persona, and look, the Millennium Gigan will never be forgotten, despite being decapitated twice in the same film. 

Weekly Comic Reviews

Hey all, I have three comic reviews for you this time around. Before I begin, I think I'll take some of this space to talk about something pretty interesting. Thanks to my, I quote, 'stunning work and dedication' of my work over at Unleash the Fanboy, I'm getting a free trade paperback of my choice! I ended up choosing the original Secret Wars story. (I was deciding between that and Marvel Zombies.) Hard work and dedication pays off. So yeah, now that I bored you long enough, onto the reviews. Here we have the Lizard taking over, Namor attacking, and Batman getting pummeled...

Amazing Spider-Man #689

Official Description

• Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Curt Connors, and the Lizard. The stars of this summer’s big blockbuster movie are right here! • Morbius the Living Vampire is on the loose and no one at Horizon Labs is safe—including a recently cured Curt Connors. • But if Curt Connors is cured, who or what is that new Lizard creature? It’s definitely someone Spider-Man knows…

Review

Never Turning Back is shaping up to be the best Lizard story of all time, and the best Spidey story in awhile. It feels like something from the late 80's, and that's a good thing. This version of Lizard is by far the best we've seen, Slott's writing for him is savage yet incredibly smart. However, other than the whole Lizard thing, Morbius takes a central role here. My favoriote part of the issue is when after he bit into Sajani's neck, Spidey was on the scene and attacked. The writing is stronger than ever, in fact, it's the strongest aspect. I just want to say the plot point of having Connors' mind out of commission in place of the Lizard's is such a unique and awesome thing. I'll be disappointed if this arc ends with the generic amd cheesy 'Conners mind eventually takes over and wins.' The art is very good, I wouldn't mind seeing it for the rest of the Spidey issues.


Overall it's another great issue. Never Turning Back looks to be a classic, this issue shouldn't be missed.

9/10

Avengers vs. X-Men #7

Official Description

• Cyclops changes the game with these three words: “No More Avengers!”

Review

With Marvel NOW being announced, everyone's wondering how exactly the ending of Avengers vs. X-Men leads into it. While technically not much happened in this issue, it was still very good. For once Cyclops doesn't come off as rather insane, his reasoning and logic makes sense. The tension between him and Namor was pretty intense, these Phoenix Five are getting pretty shady with each other, it makes the story a whole lot more interesting. Scarlet Witch is turning out to be one of the best characters in this event, it's interesting how she is really the only one that's able to keep the X-Men at bay. It makes for a great story when the heroes are on the losing side. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all ends. And...someone dies! Or...not. Oliver Coipel's art works better for this event than John Romita Jr.'s.

Overall not much is progressed, but still another fantastic issue in this event.

9/10

Detective Comics #11

Official Description

• The connection between HYPNOTIC and the attacks on Wayne Enterprises is revealed! • Plus, the latest chapter in the TWO-FACE backup story. 

Review

The previous issue in this series had renewed faith for me, I was on the verge of dropping it. Detective Comics has been a pretty 'loose' series, sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's pretty bad. The next part in this arc thankfully keeps up the good. First off, I just want to say that I'm really enjoying Mr Toxic as the antagonist, I hope he keeps popping up in future issues. My only minor gripe is Batman's portrayal, he's coming off more as a dark Spider-Man than Batman. The way the story progress is interesting, Batman doesn't know what Mr. Toxic is doing, but at the same time the latter's plan isn't exactly going as planned. Interesting plot points there. The art is once again one of the strongest aspects of the book, one of the best covers I've seen in awhile.

Overall it's another great issue, this arc with Mr. Toxic has been the best since the first story with Joker and Dollmaker.

9/10

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Ten years ago Spider-Man came into theaters. How time flies, right? Just ten years later we have a reboot. Like many, when I heard that Spider-Man 4 was canned in favor of a reboot, I thought it was a pretty bad decision. Spider-Man 3 came out four years ago, was this really necessary? I was also a bit annoyed that they didn't go The Incredible Hulk route and make it a reboot-continuation. No need for the origin, just had it in the opening credits. That's exactly how this film should have gone. Everyone knows Spider-Man, having him established already with the origin in the opening credits I still think would have been a better way to do it. The original trilogy I will never forget, despite Sony wanting everyone to do now. I remember my dad taking me to watch Spider-Man in the theater, I would be six years old. I remember when I saw the two sequels, I liked the actors, all of them. Even today, I still like them despite what others think. This film is meant to be an origin story for a new audience, for all the six year olds out there that's their first time seeing Spidey on the big screen. While I will always be attached to Raimi's Spidey films, I will not deny the new directions with this film is exciting. It's great to see a new take.

The story as told from Columbia Pictures:

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

So, how exactly does one review this film? Am I supposed to forget that there was a series of films with the last one being just four years ago? I wasn't too thrilled to be seeing all of this stuff again, the spider bite, Uncle Ben dying, it's already been done in modern times. However, things have quite changed since 2002. The film's tone is darker, gritter, and not attempting to have any comedic moments. This is Spider-Man for a new generation, so in that way, a new origin is welcome. Of course for people like me, the real question was going to be if it would be engaging enough. What would it do to improve upon the origin story of the original? Well, Spider-Man is better. Probably some of the reason is nostalgia, but that film's light tone and the actors captured the classic Spidey comics' tone and atmosphere. This film is almost like an else-worlds version. Let me put it in brief: this is a remake of Spider-Man, nothing more, nothing less. The whole 'Untold Story' nonsense was just trying to appeal to the fans that grew up with the old trilogy, that we would be getting something new. That isn't the case. False advertising aside, this film did a better job with following the comics' canon than the first film did. Peter in high school, Gwen Stacy, no sign of Mary Jane, this film is building a better established universe than the Raimi films did. I feel like it's going to be like Marvel's Cinematic Universe, everything feels nicely intertwined with hints of things to come. The casting is one of the most important parts in the film.

The race for who was going to play Spider-Man was pretty big two years ago. In the end, Andrew Garfield was picked. I've never seen him in anything, but people did like him from The Social Network. I personally was a little disappointed that the whole film would be taking place in high school, but it works here. These days people seem to be in favor of a teenage Spider-Man. But it follows the comics, we'll probably see him graduate in the next one. Anyways, Garfield's portrayal was pretty...good for the most part. What fans didn't like about Maguire's portrayal of the Web-Head was his lack of signature wisecracks. I think there could have been more wisecracks, but he's still the definitive Spidey. Garfield brings something new to the table however. I can't quite put my finger on it, he was good but there were some out-of-character moments. First off, he seemed well, for a lack of better term, rather mean. Spidey uses his wisecracks, but not in such a mean manner. Also, Peter isn't one to be an initiative when it comes to the lovey-dovey stuff, I think they're tweaking his character a little too much in that aspect, Maguire's portrayal had a sense of niceness and respect I liked which conveyed Spidey (well, from the older comics) well. That's not to say Garfield is a bad Spidey. With this film's gritty tone, he's the perfect choice. I liked him for the most part. The lovely Emma Stone is Gwen Stacy. While Stacy was completely shoehorned into Spidey 3, here she's Spidey's first girlfriend, just like in the comics. I'll be honest, with the high school setting, I wasn't expecting much other than the stereotypical stuff. (For some reason when a film takes place in high school, I automatically assume the acting will be sub-par at best.) But I assumed wrong, she turned out to be one of the better characters. It'll be sad to see her leave once the Green Goblin inevitably throws her off the bridge. (That's going to be one heck of a thing to adapt.) It's hard to replace Aunt May and Uncle Ben from Raimi's movies, but this film made it possible. I was a bit sad the whole time knowing Uncle Ben was going to die, he was one of the best characters in the whole thing, all of his dialogue was great. While no one could replace Aunt May with her many quotes of wisdom from the Raimi films, the one here does a pretty good job. Captain Stacy was also a pretty good character. Rather than be a stereotypical captain who wants Spidey captured for little-to-no reason, he comes off as 'real.' One of the best dialogue scenes was between him and Peter at dinner. Now, for the antagonist. Rhys Ifans portrays Curt Conners, better known as the Lizard. He was pretty good, nothing great, but good. He doesn't quite match up to William Dafoe as the Green Goblin or Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. Those villains were really well established, the Lizard isn't quite as well established, they could have done a much better job with that. It doesn't help the fact that the Lizard looks extremely lame, I'm really surprised they didn't go with the more reptilian snout look, it would have looked so much better. 

Seeing the new costume helped me realize the same thing I've thought before: the classic one would have looked better. This one isn't bad, (spider logo on the back is pretty awesome) but looks a little strange in my opinion. Of course, this new costume helps separate itself from the Raimi films, so that's something. The fights with the Lizard was good, but could have been longer and more satisfying. The Avengers did a great job with its fun and excellent choreographed fights, the fights against Lizard I felt was a bit disappointing. While the film is pretty much dark, (picture a Spidey story in Gotham City) there are a few pretty funny instances. This Stan Lee cameo may be his best one yet. In the early stages when Peter looks surprised at how he made some things break (his reaction to the bent football goal post is priceless) is some funny stuff. Spidey never managed to catch the burglar who killed Uncle Ben, I guess that plot point will be saved for a future film. The death of Captain Stacy I think should have been saved for the sequel with the classic words from the comic "Take care of Gwen" rather than him dying him asking Peter to promise that he'll stay away from Gwen. The soundtrack was rather disappointing. While comic book films pretty much never have stellar soundtracks, this one was just bland, nothing stood out. At least the Raimi films had that catchy Spidey theme, not here.

Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man is an origin story whether you like it or not. There's no 'untold story,' it's about Peter becoming the Web-Slinger. Despite some questionable character moments, bland soundtrack, and lame Lizard design, The Amazing Spider-Man is a very good film. I look forward to seeing what Andrew Garfield will do with the role in the sequel. It is a good day to be a Spidey fan. Plus it has a Godzilla reference, so there's that.

9/10

Why a New Godzilla Film is Necessary

About a week ago someone on Twitter asked me why there is a need for a new Godzilla film. I was taken off guard by this, how can one ask such a question? Why is there a need for a new 007 film? Or Spider-Man? Either the person asking me hasn't seen a Godzilla film or thinks since there are 28 of them already, why the need for another one? Yes, exactly why do we need another Godzilla film? Why should anyone care? I'll answer that for all those wondering why we need to see the King of the Monsters back on the big screen in America.

First off, I want to ask you a question. Who do you think Godzilla is? What do you think he is? Today's generation will probably answer something like with "A giant monster," "A giant monster that attacked Japan," "A dinosaur." but the main thing that is associated with Godzilla's name here in the States is 'cheesy, campy, and kid's stuff.' Yes loyal reader, that's what Godzilla is known for here in the States. That's how a lot of adults who saw the 70's films (mainly Godzilla vs. Megalon) on TV when they were kids see the big G as. Only the Godzilla fan, like myself, knows what Godzilla originally stood for. His heroic adventures was just part of an era, but that's how most people know him by, something not to be taken seriously, something to chuckle at. Now I'm not going to be hard-nosed or anything, there's plenty of stuff to chuckle and have fun with in this series. The 70's mainly with its many crazy moments. (Godzilla using his atomic breath to fly? Never gets old. ) But after that era, the series returned to darker roots. Sadly, Americans don't remember 1985, and releasing the rest of the Heisei films to direct-to-DVD didn't help matters. In fact, I'm sad to say that a lot of Americans have only seen the 98 abomination. Another reason to dislike the big G. I've talked to quite a few people who have only seen the 98 American film, which goes to show they really have no clue about the franchise.

Apparently GODZILLA 2000 was released in theaters. I would be five years old, always wondered why I never saw it in the cinema. The sad part is that it pretty much bombed over here. When people think of Godzilla, they think of "The guy who directed Independence Day directed it, right?" "That giant iguana with the Jurassic Park raptor spawn." That's how they know him, from a lackluster film with a monster that could be defeated by conventional means.Today, despite a new comic series, Godzilla isn't even as close to being taken seriously as Star Wars, 007, or really any longtime series. Godzilla is often looked down upon as something completely aimed at kids with no hidden messages or deepness.

There was once a time when comic book movies weren't respected, they were looked down as something made just for kids. That was until films like Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and The Avengers came along. Now these type of films are enjoying a renaissance, no one thought The Avengers would become the third highest grossing film of all time. That is why we need a new Godzilla film, to re-define giant monster movies in America. To re-introduce the King of the Monsters to the American audience. This could make him something to be taken seriously. Now coming from a Godzilla fan's standpoint, this film is necessary to bring new light to the merchandise. Imagine walking into Wal-Mart to see promos and shirts for it! Godzilla fans like myself could use this opportunity to share knowledge with people going to see the film. Today, if you're a Godzilla who's reading this, chances are you don't know anyone in person who knows/cares about the franchise. I'm in that same boat, unable to share my passion with anyone in person. A new Godzilla film is necessary so that everyone here could see him more than just an old cheesy Japanese hero that flies using his atomic breath.

My Godzilla Figure Collection

Did I really spend $125 on just a figure? Yes, yes I did. Godzilla figure collecting is surprisingly a pretty recent hobby. I've had a Bandai Creation Godzilla 54 and a Bandai Creation Showa Gigan for over ten years, but never started 'collecting' until this past January. Being part of the TOHO Kingdom forums was a huge influence in my decision to start collecting. As a Godzilla fan, I really wanted to start collecting these things. At first, I thought it was going to be a one-shot thing, In January I had purchased a $20 Movie Monsters Destoroyah. But then I saw this wonderful looking $60 Mecha King Ghidorah. But the price, how was I going to get it? Well, I eventually did manage to get it, like a week later I had mustered enough money. Ever since, I've been collecting. It's to the point where spending $100 on a single figure feels normal! Now for the fun part, below are photos from my still-growing collection, which was actually featured over at ComicBookMovie. Let the fun begin...

The main Godzillas will of course kick it off.

Some more Gs.

You can never have too many Godzillas!

A bunch of  6 inch Bandai figures, led by Titanosaurus.

Another angle showcasing Gamera, Zetton, and Kiryu.

Various figures

Fake Godzilla and Gorosaurus look EPIC in this pic.

Some cool figures, Y-MSF Megalon especially looks impressive here.

Showa Baragon taking center stage.

My personal favorite Rodan figure.

Isn't Anguirus just cute?!

The three main Ghidorahs.

The 'big boy,' the largest figure I own, the large scale Godzilla 91.

My most expensive ($125) and favorite figure, Keizer Ghidorah, taking center stage.

Monster of the Week: Antlar (Original)

Antlar is the most cunning and awesome opponent Ultraman has ever faced. This stag beetle or ant lion or whatever you want to call him was the first actually tough opponent for ol' Ultra. In fact, he never beat the 'Magnetic Monster' without the help of the Blue Stone of Baraj. Antlar, unlike a lot of the monsters in the Ultra-verse at the time, was really smart and made plans when fighting. It's no surprise that he's my favorite Ultra kaiju. The Stag Beetle had woke up to once again to terrorize the lost City of Baraji, that is where the events of the The Blue Stone of Baraj takes place.

Antlar had been living outside the lost City of Baraj in the desert, occasionally terrorizing it for years. However, when a meteor struck the ground, the always-ready ant lion had once again risen. What he hadn't expected was to see a plane there. Before he went to destroy it, he popped up his massive head to see what was inside it. It turns out it was Ito, who is scared silly by him. (Then again, who wouldn't be scared to see this massive head pop in from out of nowhere outside your window?) By the time Ito had brought the other Science Patrol members back,. Antlar had already buried their ship. However, Antlar isn't one to bury stuff then call it a day. These humans were new and new to him meant possible threat. So he had waited patiently in the ground when they had appeared. Once he heard Arashi getting stuck in a hole and yelling for help, the Magnetic Monster started to rise. When Captain Mura fired a ray at him, he was surprised. He had never encountered a beam like that before. But it didn't truly matter, the beam tickled at most. Antlar had decided to use his magnetic ray, which took away the gun. Seeing the humans retreat, Antlar went back into the ground to hang out for a bit before doing his final assault on the lost City...

Today was the day Antlar was finally going to destroy the lost City. Perhaps it was the new humans that had provoked him, but he had arrived, destroying the opening building. He knew the people feared him, as he kept hammering down the opening building. Of course, the Science Patrol were the first to attack with their ray guns. The beams didn't truly bother Antlar, they were just a nuisance easily taken care of thanks to his Magnetic Ray. Why bother running after and stomping on them when you could just use a magnetic ray to do things simpler and faster? Antlar went, destroying every single building he could. By this time, Hayata had transformed into Ultraman and went to confront Antlar in what would be his toughest battle yet.

Antlar had heard something was coming and turned around, roaring his Rodan roar in readiness. Antlar isn't big on attacking head-on at first, he likes to slowly bring down his opponent's strength with surprising and burrowing. By blinding Ultraman with a cloud of dirt, he already had the advantage. First, he managed to sneak up behind Ultraman and trip him with his pincers. Don't think Antlar is an ultra serious or honorable fighter like Battra, he has a sense of arrogance and curiosity. As he rises out of the ground he roars at Ultraman, almost like he's analyzing him. Before Antlar could make contact, Ultraman flew into the air. Antlar, thinking of a new plan, slowly retreated back into the ground. When Ultraman landed he had no clue where his cunning opponent had went. Not to overuse the term, bur Antlar displays his cunning best in his next attack. He quietly rises up behind Ultraman and unleashed his magnetic ray. The plan was to lure Ultraman into his pincers, and was he ready. As Ultraman went closer and closer you could see the killer within Antlar as he eagerly awaited to pincer his opponent to death. But Ultraman was no mere opponent, he barely escaped death by ducking. Antlar roared in defiance then the hand-to-hand battle begun, or rather hand-to-pincer. Antlar kept roaring as if he's saying "You're going to lose" "You're going to lose" and then Ultraman finally released his Spacium Ray. However, unlike all the other monsters before him, the ray had no effect. In fact, it had provoked Antlar to charge into his opponent. This resulted in a wrestling match until Ultraman broke his right pincer. Antlar was then on the ground most likely laughing it up as Ultraman really tried his best to stop him. But alas, Anltar just kept overwhelming him, and he knew that, he could sense Ultraman slowly dying. He now had Ultraman on the defensive, laughing it up cause he knew had this in the bag. However, the last thing he was expecting was to get thrown at himself was the Blue Stone. This happens to be his only weakness. The impact from the Stone killed him. So no, Ultraman wasn't the one to stop him, it was the Blue Stone of Baraj that defeated Antlar. This makes him one of the show's strongest villains, only behind Zetton and Gomora.

Antlar had one of the more dignified ends in the show. He's shown to be cunning, patient, and extremely durable. (Well, not his pincers anyway, those things are delicate.) But he shrugged off Ultraman's Spacium Ray like a true boss, that ray has destroyed whole monsters in the past. Antlar never quite reached the fame of Red King and Gomora, but in my eyes he's the most awesome Ultra kaiju out there.