toys
Shelf Porn Saturday | Art teacher in Jersey shows off toys, comics and more
When momma said to knock you out, we’re here to comply–and so is Robt Seda-Schreiber, an artist and middle school art teacher from New Jersey. In today’s edition of Shelf Porn, Robt shares his collection of toys, action figures, comic books and graphic novels, as well as a look at his drawing area.
If you have some shelves of comics, action figures or other related collectibles you’d like to show off, send me a write-up and some jpgs at jkparkin@yahoo.com.
And now here is Robt:
Shelf Porn Saturday | Something is awesome in the state of Denmark
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, where we give fans the opportunity to show us their collections, both big and small. Today’s submission comes from artist and collector Jens Lund in Denmark, who sent in photos of his shelves, statues and art studio.
If you’d like to see more Shelf Porn, I can’t do it without you–so send your pictures and write-up to jkparkin@yahoo.com. Let’s make it happen!
And now here’s Jens …
Shelf Porn Saturday | Statues, comics and pop culture from Michigan
Welcome to another edition of Shelf Porn, where fans show off the comics, toys and other things on their shelves. Today’s submission comes from Tim in Michigan, who works at a retirement community and is also a cartoonist. Tim shows us his man-cave/drawing room, which features statues, toys, graphic novels and more.
If you have some shelves of comics, action figures or other related collectibles you’d like to show off, send me a write-up and some jpgs at jkparkin@yahoo.com.
And now here’s Tim …
Shelf Porn Saturday | Toys and TPB’s in Texas
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, where we give fans the opportunity to show us their collections. Today’s shelves come from Jesse Dobson, an English teacher in Texas who shows us his collection of trades, toys and more.
If you’d like to see your collection here, drop me a note at jkparkin@yahoo.com. Let’s make it happen!
And now here’s Jesse:
SDCC ’12 | Sunday programming schedule announced
Comic-Con
2012′s Comic-Con International wraps up on Sunday with its traditional focus on kids. Kid-friendly properties like LEGO Ninjago, video game characters Sonic and Mega Man, SpongeBob SquarePants, Carton Network’s Ben 10 and Level Up!, and many more are represented, along with creators like Raina Telgemeier, Art Baltazar and Franco, Shane Houghton and others who know a thing or two about creating great kids’ comics.
Comic publishers get their final chance to talk up their lines, as Marvel, DC Comics, Image, Archie, IDW Publishing and more are represented. The schedule also includes spotlight panels for Jason Shiga, Angelo Torres, Tom Yeates and Alison Bechdel.
Here are some of the comics-related highlights below; visit the Comic-Con website to see the complete schedule.
SDCC ’12 | Saturday programming schedule released
Saturday’s programming for this year’s Comic-Con International continues the grand “big movie panels” tradition typically associated with the third day of the con. Both Warner Bros. and Marvel Studios are on the schedule for Hall H; no doubt Marvel will have more than just Iron Man 3 to talk about at that 6 p.m. slot. Warner Bros., meanwhile, will talk about Man of Steel in their panel, which will also include The Hobbit and Pacific Rim.
Comic publishers are well represented, with BOOM!, Marvel, DC Comics, Archie, Archaia, Dark Horse, Image, Top Cow, Drawn & Quarterly, Skybound, Vertigo, Top Shelf and more scheduled for various panels on Saturday. CCI also puts the spotlight on Mark Waid, Morrie Turner, Klaus Janson, Stan Goldberg, Gary Gianni, Jim Lee and many more creators, and celebrates anniversaries for Funky Winkerbean, Love & Rockets, Bob the Angry Flower, Courtney Crumrin and the Gays in Comics panel. And don’t forget about the always entertaining masquerade.
Here are some of the comics-related highlights below; visit the Comic-Con website to see the complete schedule.
DC partners with Sonic Drive-In for Justice League Tots
Have you heard? Some maniacal super villain has kidnapped the Justice League and turned them into… tater tots? Don’t worry, super friends, it’s all part of a unique promotion DC is doing with the fast food chain Sonic Drive-In.
Sonic Justice League Tots
Available “for a limited time only” with purchase of one of Sonic’s Wacky Pack Kids’ Meals, these “Super Tots” come in 10 varieties: Superman, Clark Kent, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Supergirl, Bizarro, and Plastic Man. Batman and Green Lantern are conspicuously absent, but I’d chalk that up to the adult world of licensing agreements and what not given their recent movies.
This isn’t the first time comic heroes have shown up in fast food kids meals, but it’s arguably one of the most deliciously cute ones in recent memory. Check out all the little guys after the jump, courtesy of Sonic.
DC Heroes get the spud treatment this year
The Caped Cru-tater
The annual Toy Fair is happening this week in New York, and with it comes all sorts of announcements and pictures of various toys you’ll be able to buy later this year, from Avengers Legos to Back to the Future hoverboards.
And joining Spider-Man, Elvis, Optimus Prime, R2D2 and a whole bunch of other pop culture icons in becoming spuds are Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, who get the Mr. Potato Head treatment this year. According to USA Today, the trio of tators is just the tip of the iceberg, as more DC heroes and villains are set to become Potato Heads next year.
Marvel’s lawyers toy with humanity of mutants
Marvel’s lawyers want you to know that the publisher’s merry mutants are in no way human — at least when it comes to toys.
According to a recent Radiolab Podcast, in order to get a 5.2-percent tax cut on Marvel’s imported action figures, the company’s lawyers successfully argued the toys represent “animals or other non-human creatures (for example, robots and monsters)” as defined by the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, a tome that determines tariff classifications for all goods imported into the United States.
Confused? There’s a lot of legalese involved, so here’s the way it breaks down: There’s a distinction between two categories of products imported into the U.S. “Dolls” are toys representing humans, whereas “toys” represent non-humans. While dolls are taxed at 12.8 percent, toys are taxed at just 6.8 percent. Two shrewd trade attorneys noticed the distinction and successfully argued to U.S. Customs officials that Marvel’s licensed products don’t represent human beings.
Shelf Porn Saturday | End-of-the-year shelves!
Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn! It’s been awhile since we had someone’s shelves to feature, and what a great way to end 2011 by posting someone’s collection.
Today’s shelves come to us from, simply, “The Dork,” who blogs regularly over at The Dork Review. “This is a collection of my stuff (minus the Yoda stuff; which is my wife’s) that I have been collecting since I was a kid,” he told me via email. He had previously posted it on his own site, and you can see that post right here.
If you would like to contribute some shelves, it’s easy — just send pictures and a brief description to jkparkin@yahoo.com.
And now, onto the shelves!
Comics A.M. | DC Comics named one of America’s Hottest Brands
Action Comics
Publishing | DC Comics joins the Kia Soul, Goldfish, My Little Pony and several others on Advertising Age’s annual list of America’s Hottest Brands: “With decades of stories under their capes and utility belts, Superman — and other DC characters, including Aquaman and the Flash — had ossified. Though relaunching its entire cast and making their adventures available to print and electronic audiences might alienate some hard-core DC fans, it might also gain plenty of new ones. Making DC characters more popular is crucial for its parent company. While the comic-book business is way down from its heyday, its characters fuel big-ticket Hollywood movies that can generate millions of dollars in revenue and licensing. The pressure may be on DC because rival Marvel, now owned by Disney, has churned out superhero film properties on a regular basis for years.” [Advertising Age]
Broadway | Producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have changed their tune on the $75 million musical; previously they predicted they wouldn’t make back the money invested in the show without franchising it in other cities and countries, but now they predict they’ll make it back entirely from the Broadway run. They also are considering adding in new scenes and a new musical number to the production every year, “making it akin to a new comic book edition, and then urging the show’s fans to buy tickets again.” [The New York Times]
By Blackest (Friday) Night, no bargain shall escape my sight …
If you’re like me, instead of heading out to the mall to face the hectic Black Friday crowds (some of whom are apparently armed with pepper spray), you’re sitting at home nursing a turkey hangover and looking for good deals on the internet. Here are a few places you may want to check out for your gift-giving or personal shopping needs, and if you’re up for adventuring outdoors, Bleeding Cool has a great roundup of shops holding sales today.
Blackest Friday
ComiXology has a bunch of digital comics for 99 cents today. DC Comics is holding a Blackest Friday sale, allowing you to buy each issue of the Blackest Night crossover for 99 cents each. Marvel has Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four issues on sale for 99 cents, while IDW has their Star Trek comics on sale.
Batman, Joker get BLOXed in new vinyl figure line
Batman Blox
Funko, the company whose Pop Vinyl figure line includes everyone from Mickey Mouse to Yoda to Spider-Man to the Ramones, has a new line called BLOX that features “2D-image ‘thickened’ into a boxy 3D-figure.” The figures stand seven inches tall and feature Batman, Joker, Gene Simmons and several cereal mascots.
You can see all of them in all their glory over on the Funko site, or head to Entertainment Earth to pre-order them.
NYCC | Jim Lee vs. Spy vs. Spy
Jim Lee's Spy vs. Spy custom toy
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Mad Magazine feature “Spy vs. Spy,” and to celebrate, the magazine created a blank “Spy vs. Spy” toy and asked various artists to customize it. They’ve been sharing them over on their blog since around the time of the San Diego Comic Con, and in New York this weekend they’re unveiling one by DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee.
You can find more of them on the Mad blog The Idiotical, or in person at the New York Comic Con.
Miles Morales to get his very own Marvel Minimate
Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man Minimate
His costume is already set to appear next month in the Spider-Man: Edge of Time video game, but Miles Morales will follow that with a Minimate of his very own.
The new Ultimate Spider-Man will join Diamond Select Toys’ line of Marvel Minimates next summer with a 2-inch figure that comes with two heads a removable mask, so you can showcase the character with or without his identity concealed. There’s also a “webline accessory.” The figure will be available exclusively at Toys “R” Us in a two-pack with a classic Spider-Man villain that will be revealed later.