Marvel's X-men 1994 ToyBiz figure: 2nd Edition Shatterstar with Dual Sword Slashing!

Though he is supposedly a genetically engineered humanoid from Mojoworld in the future, there is a great deal of mystery surrounding Shatterstar’s origins. Why did he share the memories and appearance of a mutant named Benjamin Russell? Is he possibly the son of former X-men Longshot and Dazzler? Enquiring minds want to know.

In 2009 Shatterstar was brought to the forefront of more controversy as X-Factor writer Peter David had him kiss Rictor in issue 45. Rob Liefeld, the co-creator of Shatterstar, was adamantly against this new development of Shatterstar’s sexuality. Though Liefeld had stated that he has “nothing against gays”, he admitted that he “can’t wait to somdeday undo this”. Apparently it had been Liefeld’s desire that Shatterstar forever remain asexual like a Smurf. Ironically, Liefeld also went on to state, “Shatterstar is akin to Maximus in Gladiator… a warrior, a Spartan…” despite the fact that ancient Romans didn’t have much of a hang-up on sexual orientation and frequently engaged in sexual behavior with members of the same sex. 

The backboard has some wear and is severely warped in one corner. However, the figure is still in excellent condition as the package has never been opened.

The 1994 Fleer Ultra X-men trading card that comes in the package features Shatterstar along with his former X-Force teammate Boomer.

Shatterstar’s powers endow him with superhuman strength, speed, agility, and intelligence. They also give him the ability to send shock waves through his blades and teleport individuals across long distances. With hollow bones like that of his rumored father, Longshot, he is also able to perform acrobatic combat moves with ease.

If you are interested in the character that has become the bane of Rob Liefeld's existence, you can find it for sale on... Will be posting soon.

Marvel's X-men 1993 ToyBiz figure: Strong Guy with Power Punch Action!

I must admit that I was never much of a Strong Guy fan when he first appeared in the New Mutants or even after he joined X-Factor in the early 90’s. It was mainly because I found him to be too much of an odd looking character. He had the frame of the Hulk but only in the upper half of his body. He looked as if he was drawn by Rob Liefeld in every comic book even when Liefeld wasn’t the artist. I could have probably looked past his deformed body but why did they also have to draw him with such a deformed face? He was usually drawn with a small pug nose and a huge philtrum (the area between your upper lip and your nostrils) which made him look like a hairless chimpanzee. Well, I guess I should say “almost” hairless. What was the deal with the few strands of white hair sprouting out from the center of his forehead? He had to have the worst hairdo of any character I have known to date. Fortunately, these days he is drawn much better and he has even lost that strange hairdo of his.

Despite his odd looking characteristics, Strong Guy wasn’t short on fans due largely impart to the character’s story. Guido Carosella, a.k.a. Strong Guy, is not your typical guido from Jersey Shore nor is he your typical superhero. As a nerd in school he never fit in with the rest of his classmates though he desperately tried to. During an incident in school in which he received a beating from several kids after being laughed at by his childhood crush his mutant power began to manifest and he was hit by a bus. Talk about your bad luck. Not knowing how to control his powers his body become permanently disfigured. Not only did this make him more of an outcast but his powers now cause him to be in constant pain. Forever trying to fit in though, he hides the pain from his X-Factor teammates fearing that they may only end up pitying him. Strong Guy is the hero you are constantly routing for as an underdog and is the soul of X-factor. Unfortunately however, he recently lost his soul after confessing his love for Monet. Dang, the poor guy has never had an easy time with the ladies.

Well, for all the Strong Guy fans out there here is a Toy Biz 1993 Marvel X-men action figure of Strong Guy with Power Punch action!

The backboard has some wear and is slightly warped from storage. However, the package has never been opened. The X-men: Series 2 card that comes in the package features his X-factor teammate Rictor.

Strong Guy’s mutant powers allow him to increase his physical strength and durability by absorbing kinetic energy. Unfortunately, as his strength grows so does portions of his body which can result in permanent disfigurement if he doesn’t release that energy in a timely manner. The incident in which he was hit by a buy as a child resulted in his disproportionately larger upper body. At full power Strong Guy has managed to move the immovable Blob and briefly trade blows with a rampaging Hulk before the side effects of his powers put a strain on his heart.

If you are interested in this figure of X-Factor's strong guy, Strong Guy, you can find it for sale on... Will be posting soon.