As previously mentioned, I somehow managed to miss every Free Comic Book Day up until now. I am happy to report that the curse has been lifted! With the promise of Tusken Raider cosplay fresh in mind, I made the effort to venture to my nearest comic shop today and I had a grand time overall. Here are 15 random pictures that loosely illustrate my adventure:
While I may be the type of guy that can wax poetic about Kenner action figures and how awesome it is that my Transformers: the Movie VHS looks battle-scarred after frequent childhood use, there are some ways in which I've completely failed at this whole "geek" thing. The first step to overcoming a problem is admitting you have it, right? Well then, I suppose it's time I fess up:
I've never participated in Free Comic Book Day.
With the recent news that Cyborg will be featured in Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman & Superman movie, I felt a Cyborg FanArt Frenzy was in order! My other character-specific showcases have been Marvel focused thus far (with Captain America and Moon Knight) so I'm pleased to finally give DC Comics some love. Enough babble, you came here for fan art! Don't just stand there, let's get to it:
Look out, it's FanArt Frenzy time once again! Last week's installment focused solely on Captain America illustrations to celebrate the new Cap movie's release. This time around we're taking it to a slightly darker corner of the Marvel universe: Moon Knight!
In space, no one can hear you boogie...unless you're Tony Stark, DISCO ASTRONAUT!
Protected by a suit of rare metals from the planet of Funk, he's ready to GET DOWN...to the bottom of interstellar crime!
Ahem. I'm sorry, but that's all I see when I look at the Silver Centurion Iron Man armor. Even so, I love it. This is one of those 1980's designs that tugs at my nostalgic heart strings in just the right way. Lucky for me, it made for a pretty nice addition to the Iron Man 2 Comic Series toyline:
Extreme!!! This Rob Liefeld inspired madness is an idea I've had for a while now and I'm quite happy to finally get it out into the wild. Here's hoping this is the first of many Pouch Force installments to come!
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This week's FanArt Frenzy will break from the established format a bit to focus only on Captain America drawings! No need for flowery introductions, let's get right to it!
I like Captain America. LIKE. He may not be my favorite character, but he's always been a part of my life in some form or another. He even made his way into several of my earliest childhood drawings:
Even so, as time went on it seems I often pushed good 'ol Cap aside in favor of other characters. For shame.
At the beginning of last year, I started a new blog project: Bad Batman Drawing! Every day, once a day, I aimed to post crappy drawings of Batman and other related characters. Crappy drawings like this:
I like a little bit of everything and I have enough hobbies to fill several lifetimes. I know all too well that this is nothing unique. I have many friends that love taking in various forms of media just as much as I do. However, a lot of them seem able to manage all of those interests much more effectively. When I see them able to discuss what feels like everything under the sun in a passionate and well-informed manner, I often wonder how in the world they pull it off!
As my backlog of comic books, cartoons, movies, video games, live action television series, anime, and even freakin' music grows, thoughts regarding how much of an absolute bastard time can be continually fill my head. Having a myriad of other highly time-draining interests (guitar, illustration, video editing, bedazzling, you name it!) certainly doesn't help the matter. There just isn't enough time to go around.
In the summer of 1989, Tim Burton's film adaptation of Batman came along and kicked all kinds of box-office ass. No matter what you think of the flick, it was quite a pop-culture phenomenon. As you would expect, the advertising campaign was vicious. After Batman was a proven hit, well, ca-ching! Good lawd was there ever money to be made, and the opportunity wasn't passed up. Bat-logos ended up being slapped onto just about everything. It's no surprise this Bat-flood of Bat-products (ouch, that was painful) carried over into the cereal aisle as well.
It's not uncommon for toy collectors and "kid-at-heart" types to look back fondly on their action figure vehicles. From Technodromes to T.I.E. Fighters, the various pimped-out rides of our heroes and villains were often among the most coveted pieces of our collections. However, not every vehicle was worthy of such affection. In fact, some were downright nonsensical! Let's take a look at five of the goofiest vehicles (and vehicle assortments) ever:
Whether you know these plushie-riddled prisons as Claw Machines, UFO Catchers, or "Those Damn Money-Stealing Bastards", you must have noticed that they are absolutely EVERYWHERE, and their contents are often as varied as the day is long. Being a person of the "geeky" persuasion, my eye is usually caught when some of my favorite characters such as the Batman trio above are included. I'm never intrigued enough to gamble my money, but I get at least a moment's joy out of spotting them. It appears I'm also obsessed with taking photos of them with my ancient phone.
Hmm, I was going somewhere with this, wasn't I? Ah, the point emerges: I really do see all kinds of interesting toys in Claw Machines. In the words of the Immortal Milk Daddy, the proof is in the motherfuckin' puddin':
As seen at Toy Fair 2014, the above assortment of figures is meant to be the last hurrah of the long running 6-inch DC Universe Classics toyline from Mattel and Four Horsemen Studios. At first glance, they might not appear all that special. After all, aside from Mr. Mxyzptlk, this is essentially a bunch of redecos of already frequently redecoed molds! The true beauty lies within the intent: a giant, mushy homage to Kenner's legendary Super Powers Collection toyline from the mid-80s.
Aimed at new and old readers alike, the first wave of SEASON ONE stories featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and the X-Men brings readers a complete story, modernizing the seminal origins of these characters while also offering new revelations for long-time fans. There will be one graphic novel on sale each month starting February 2012.Spider-Man: Season One will be the last release, coming in May 2012. If you're interested, keep it on your radar.
