During last winter's New York Toy Fair, it was announced that Tod McFarlane would be designing characters for the Ultima Online Role-playing Game (see 'McFarlane's Diverse Lineup, Part II'), and that McFarlane Toys would be creating a line of action figures based on those designs.  The launch of the game has been delayed until February of 2002, but along with the release of Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge McFarlane Toys will release a collection of six action figures and two comics.  The first of these promotional comics will have a limited release prior to the launch of the game (primarily in computer and video game venues), while the second comic will be exclusive to the Lord Blackthorn's Revenge game package.

 

The first batch of action figures based on Lord Blackthorn's Revenge will include six of the more than 30 characters that are involved in the saga.  The first wave of McFarlane toys should include: Juggernaut, who is equal parts man and machine;  Kabur, the warlord of the Juka clan;  Blackthorn, the man technoprophet; Captain Dasha, the beautiful and dangerous sorceress; Adranath, the ferocious undead demon; and a spectacular Dragon figure.  These figures were designed by McFarlane and hence carry the gothic flavor of Spawn to this online roleplaying saga of forces scheming to control Brittanica.

 

Another group of action figures that McFarlane Toys announced at Toy Fair, figures based on the biomechanical designs of Swiss artist H.R. Giger are still in the approval process.  They will be spectacular, but don't expect the first Giger figure or diorama any earlier than the second quarter of 2002.