The March 2016 Loot Crate, tagged “VS,” may have been the most anticipated Loot Crate in recent months; with its promise of items related to Batman v Superman, Aliens vs. Predator, Spock vs. Mirror Universe Spock, Daredevil vs. Punisher, and “Harley Quinn vs…everyone,” the fandoms of many were piqued by this crate. And, in Loot Crate fashion, expectations were blown away by the actual contents of the subscription box. Everything in here will satisfy a particular fandom crave.
The first thing that comes out of the box is the Mirror, Mirror T-Shirt made by Quantum Mechanix, and based on a nerd-famous poster created by the artist Juan Ortiz. The t-shirt is a rich off-white that contrasts well with the yellow and orange poster art of Spock and Mirror Universe Spock, and like most Loot Crate clothing, it is a soft and comfortable cotton/polyester blend that will feel comfortable all year round. This isn’t the first time this year that Loot Crate has shown some love for Star Trek: The Original Series characters, as the January LVL UP+, The Invasion Collection, had an awesome Star Trek Friendship Necklace that was inscribed with a quote from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Star Trek : The Original Series fans take note—you can’t get these stylish fashions anywhere except Loot Crate and the resale market.
The next thing out of the VS crate is also a wearable item: the exclusive Daredevil / Punisher reversible beanie designed by Bioworld. As you can see, one side is red, the other is black, and both sides are embroidered with the iconic symbols of Marvel’s characters. The weather is warming up, and you won’t be building any snowmen while wearing this hat until next year, but the low temperature most mornings will give you an excuse to wear this one well into the Spring. And this beanie is so great, you might leave it on forever like a South Park character.
The exclusive Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Mighty Wallet made by Dynomighty is a great accessory that Looters will love, as it contains not only the now well-known movie poster images of Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, defaced by their respective icons, the inside also has Batman v Superman mock graffiti art, and a $5 coupon code to use at Loot Crate on orders of $30 or more. This is my first time handling a Mighty Wallet outside of the packaging, and I’m impressed by the strength and durability of the recyclable Tyvek construction. Batman v Superman may not be doing too well on Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic right now, but this wallet gets two thumbs up from me.
Inside the AVP: Alen Vs. Predator blind box from Titan Merchandise is one of two exclusive Alien Vs. Predator 4.5 inch vinyl figures: either an Alien Xenomorph with glow in the dark decorations on its head or the Predator. Both of these figures are exclusive to Loot Crate, and there’s an ad on the back of the box that advises that an AVP collection is coming in 2016 from Titan.
This month’s issue of LC Magazine is pretty sweet, with entertaining articles like “What’s in Harley’s Purse, Puddin?”, “Spot the Spock,” “My Fight Story,” “That Evil Doppelganger Look,” and “The Tea on Our Tee,” a short interview with Juan Ortiz, the aforementioned designer of this month’s t-shirt.
The VS Loot Pin is an Aliens Vs Predator cloisonne pin, and domestic subscribers get with it a free Vudu rental of either Aliens or Predator, while international subscribers get Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War #1 from comiXology. This is my favorite of the new Loot Crate cloisonne pins, as it has precise imaging and seven different colors of paint that come together very well. These new pins are going to start a new subgenre of Loot Crate collecting, as Loot Crate pin collectors start to buy pin trading books or pin display cases like Disney pin collectors do. What will help this fad take off is if we see more licensed characters appear on the cloisonne pins.
Here we see an ad for Loot Crate’s newest app store offering, Word Gush, which has in app purchases but is free to download. Loot Crate subscribers get free, exclusive, bonus content in April.
I saved the best for last. As a long time reader and enthusiast of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti’s Harley Quinn, as well as their other DC Comics work, I was extremely pleased to see this exclusive Harley Quinn comic book. Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool is reporting high interest on eBay for this comic book—going for significantly higher than the cost of a Loot Crate—which he attributes to other Harley Quinn fans trying to complete their collections. The irony here is that this comic will undoubtedly be the best selling and most plentiful comic of March 2016, but even with that many copies in existence, due to its unique distribution method which puts it out of reach for traditional comic collectors that go to the comic shop for their pull list, this may well be one of the most collectible comics of 2016. (However, if you don’t mind waiting five or ten years or even longer, at some future point all these copies may get recirculated back into back issue bins as non-collectors try to unload their copies, and this may make this comic as collectible as Superman Meets The Quik Bunny or Major Inapak the Space Ace.) I considered reviewing the comic here—a review within a review, if you will—but to avoid spoilers for other Loot Crate subscribers that haven’t received their copy yet, check back in a week or so, instead. Suffice to say, it’s a hilarious story with the cover and seventeen of the twenty pages drawn by Amanda Conner, whose abilities with physical comedy and facial expressions will no doubt make half a million Looters realize that comic books can make you feel something.
Loot Crate’s 2016 offerings have been unparalleled, and Loot Crate remains one of the premier subscription boxes. As of this writing, the theme for April 2016 has not been announced, but you can be sure that next month’s Loot Crate will be chock full of nerdy goodness, as usual. But it will be hard for them to beat this month’s “VS” crate, as it was epic, with not only exclusive fashions, but exclusive reading material that can’t be read outside of the subscription service. And it isn’t just an exclusive comic book, it’s a really good exclusive comic book. With sales guaranteed by Loot Crate, Conner, Palmiotti, Hardin, Mounts, and Sinclair just had to show up, but instead they delivered a good read that may swell the Harley Quinn readership with a few new readers. If Loot Crate continues to provide not only exclusive fashions and collectibles, but also exclusive curated creative content, it will become the HBO of subscription boxes.
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