Posts Tagged ‘ Toys ’

I was at New York Comic Con part of this weekend, although for considerably less time than previous years. I skipped preview night on Thursday and went to see Real Steel instead (which was far, far better than it had any right to be thanks to some great performances from the two leads, Hugh Jackman and 11 year old Dakota Goyo, and also due to Evangeline Lilly wearing some very short shorts). Friday I spent a few hours on the show floor before heading home as my wife was coming back from a two week business trip, Saturday I spent most of the afternoon in the IGN Theater for movie and TV panels, and Sunday I didn’t go at all, instead staying home with the family.

It’s probably a good thing, too; the lure of Comic Con is strong when it comes to spending money on things I do not need and have no room for – witness the completely pointless Compound Hulk that I bought Friday.

See? Completely pointless.

However, I do see a point in time where buying these things “for Jack” will be a legitimate excuse as, hopefully, he’ll be playing with them then.

Or if he’s not, I will at least claim he is…

Lately I’ve been spending some not inconsiderable time thinking about Lego*. It does feel like I may have traded one geeky hobby (comics) for another, but I swear – to myself at least – this isn’t the same thing. For one thing, I’m not actually spending money on it. Yet.

A few months ago while picking up some Duplo for Jack in the Lego store in Rockefeller Center I picked up a couple of those little blind minifig packets that they have.

Then next time I passed I picked up a three pack of Lego Star Wars figures on magnets.

Last week I ordered a little set of Lego Star Wars Imperials on Hoth as it was cheap on Walmart.com and I was getting a few things anyway.

And I’m seriously considering investing in some of the Lego winter sets – like the toy shop, below – to use as a Christmas diorama this year, and then getting a different one each year to add to it.

I envision creating a tradition where we build it with Jack (starting next year or the year after when he might be able to help and not eat the pieces) while It’s A Wonderful Life and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol play back-to-back on loop in the background. Possibly with eggnog and roasting walnuts somewhere. And a big Christmas sweater. And a fire roaring away. And small Victorian-dressed children running around screaming and yet being very polite at the same time.

So, basically, I’ll be having Christmas in the Nexus.

I think…I think I may have a problem.

*I know, I know; Lego should be capitalized. But I think it just looks weird if you do it all the time. I’ll do it in blog post titles, okay?

According to Marvel’s panel yesterday, Avengers Academy will be relocating to the old West Coast Avengers compound (although for some reason I thought that had been foreclosed on towards the end of that run; maybe it was just deemed unsafe due to being trashed all the time by Goliaths.

More interesting than the relocation (although I do hope the compound still has those big Doc Ock-like tentacles underneath the grounds for security) is the fact that the team will open its doors to other young heroes of the MU – such as, potentially, the Runaways – and that Julie Power is one of the first up.

I love Power Pack; the team of kids has a special place in my heart and was one of the best book Marvel put out in the 80s, a hidden gem. I like that Alex Power graduated to the New Warriors (the best book Marvel put out in the 90s) for a while, and that he now shows up in FF (definitely not one of the best books Marvel puts out right now) as part of the Future Foundation kids, even if he appears to have been deaged a bit.

Julie Power, though – Julie was awesome. She was always the smart one, the level-headed one with an inner strength. The heart of the team. She’s also apparently gay or bi, judging from a comment on the panel yesterday, which is news to me.

Any way, I’m glad to see Julie back (even if she does now appear older than Alex) – although it looks like the Avengers Academy team is short Reptil, Veil and Striker, unless this is half of a two-part cover. It looks like someone else will be joining – someone who looks a little like White Tiger, and a little like Black Panther; a White Panther?

Anyway, can we now just rebrand as the West Coast Avengers? Please?

Just had to share this awesome animated-style maquette from Entertainment Earth, featuring everybody’s favorite doctor with a PhD in horribleness:

I can only assume there’s a Captain Hammer one in the works too…

I was walking to work this morning and, being without my iPod for some reason, overheard the following conversation between a boy of about eight years and the lady walking him to school – who I assume was either his mother, grandmother or nanny.

Him: “I want the Emperor, Han Solo and Chewbacca.”
Her: “Hmm.”
Him: “But I really need the Emperor.”
Her: “Isn’t it more important that you’re playing the game rather than what dolls you have?”
Him: “They’re not dolls.”

Unfortunately at that point the people behind me headed in a different direction, but I’m pretty sure that the rest of the conversation involved a detailed description of the many, many differences between action figures and dolls, and how dolls were clearly for girls but action figures were obviously for boys.

I remember similar conversations when I was little around Star Wars toys specifically. Sure, I had a Hulk toy somewhere and maybe a Spider-Man toy, but it was the Star Wars ones which I collected almost religiously, playing with them every day.

I still remember when I was six years old and I was lying on the couch, under a blanket and off school. My dad came home and produced a Star Wars figure I’d never seen before: Han Solo in some kind of parka. On the picture on the card, he was riding some kind of weird horse that looked like nothing I’d ever seen, and the logo -

- the logo, with the original Star Wars logo wrapped around it, read The Empire Strikes Back.

It turned out that the figure was from the new movie that hadn’t been released yet. At that point, in the days before VCRs and TV showing movies a year after they’re released, I hadn’t even seen Star Wars, but I had a hardback annual reprinting the comics adaptation of the movie.

I actually think that this may have been the very first figure I got, but my memory is hazy on the point.

In any case, that Han Solo figure, and the fact that my dad had given it to me when I was sick, really paved the way for what – to his eternal confusion – became pretty much a lifelong habit.

The thing is, I think that I knew in my heart that my mum had picked the toy up and passed it to him to give to me as he came home. I knew somehow that with the hours he worked he didn’t really have time to stop in and pick something up for me, but that was on a subconscious level.

It wouldn’t really have mattered anyway. I loved that figure – and my dad – for opening the promise of a new adventure with these characters that I’d read about.

And to this day, I find myself explaining to him and my mum that they’re not dolls.

They’re action figures.

Pics from here and here.

Posted via web from Comic By Comic’s Wonderous Posterous!

Posted via web from Comic By Comic’s Wonderous Posterous!

Posted via web from Comic By Comic’s Wonderous Posterous!

…I’ve started buying a few Marvel toys. I don’t have any where to put them, but I’m concentrating on specific teams and characters, so it’s not too much of a problem. Honest.

Still, you know what would be a problem? If they made (in any format) certain characters that I know – know – they never will.

Thunderstrike, Mockingbird, US Agent, Justice, Firestar, Quasar, Starfox, Jack of Hearts, Black Goliath…you know, like these guys:

There are some figures I’d love, though – a Masters of Evil set (with Thunderbolts variants), a New Warriors set, a Clint Barton Goliath…

Lucky for me that (a) they’ll never happen, and (b) I don’t have the inclination to start customing!

Via

More great stuff from the Steampunk Star Wars reimagining of Sillof.Com – this time a Return of the Jedi wave…among them:

Jedi Luke:

Palpatine’s Royal Guard:

Jabba the Hutt, Salacious Crumb, Bib Fortuna and Slave Leia:

And an Ewok:

Seriously, if Ewoks had looked like that, they’d have sucked a whole lot less.

Just a few posts with some pics from this weekend’s New York Comic Con. I’ve decided that I’m odd with cons – I like going to panels (especially the movie and tv ones) and I like wandering the floor, taking in the booths and rummaging through back issues but…I never go and talk to creators.

I know that’s kind of weird, but its not like I’m going to get a sketch off them (nowhere to put them) or an autograph (never been that interested in that kind of thing), and going up to them and saying ‘nice job with suchabook’ just feels odd to me. Not that I don’t think that they’d appreciate it, either – I’m pretty sure everyone likes to be told people enjoy what they do – but I’m just not that kind of guy.

I also singularly failed to meet up with anyone I net-know, only bumping into David Gallaher a couple of times. Everytime I passed the Lulu table, Val wasn’t there and despite keeping a keen eye out I failed to see a Little Stuffed Bull.

Ah well. In spite of that I had a great weekend…sorry for the picture quality – need a new camera.

Union Jack – represent!

I don’t think I’d like him when he’s angry.

A good looking Hulk wave, and Elektra strikes a pose.

Two pack – Agent of SHIELD and a Hand ninja? And there’s a Fury variant? Must…resist…purchase…

I’ll have my run down of the DC solicits tomorrow but…a G’Nort figure!!

G’NORT!

I’m not one for superhero toys (because god only knows where that kind of purchasing would end!) but I have to admit – the Composite Superman/Batman from the final Loeb/McGuinness arc on that book looks kinda cool…

See now, this is why I don’t collect toys (well aside from the, er, occasional Star Wars and that Marvel Select Green Goblin dangling an unmasked Spider-Man behind him) – they’re too damn cool. There’s just too many Marvel Legends and DC Direct between them have churned out dozens of toys that I’d like.

But I am awed by Zombie Hulk! (Details just released on the Diamond Select site)