Today’s my bachelor party, and we’re starting off with an Imax showing of The Dark Knight. After that, I have no idea what the plans are…but don’t expect any more updates this weekend.
Incidentally, Pete of Fanwank gets married this weekend, so let’s all wish him the best!
In the meantime, feel free to use the comments below as a discussion thread. I recommend holding off on the Dark Knight talk until my post on it next week, so let me give you some topics:
When trying to sell a product–like an action figure line–to a larger retailer like Toys R’ Us or Target, do you show them sales figures from specialty shops and online retailers as a way to persuade them to buy the line?
Feel free to email me or comment anonymously below.
One of the questions I brought up in my interview with Richard Gottlieb was whether it’s better for toy collectors to buy action figures at brick-and-mortar retail stores rather than, say, ordering them from online retailers. The idea is that this will encourage those stores (such as Target and Wal-Mart) to order more product, and since these retailers deal in huge numbers, that will help ensure the success of the line. This was Richard’s response:
My feeling is that anyone who is hunting at brick-and-mortar stores is doing so because they love the thrill of the hunt. For example, I used to collect first and rare edition Oz books and I experienced great fun, excitement and anticipation in walking into a used book store and not knowing what piece of treasure I might find. Therefore, I don’t think collectors should concern themselves with their impact on buying decisions so much as engaging in their passion.
In the comment thread for the interview, my fellow OAFE “Rustin Parr” wrote this: (more…)
In keeping with this week’s theme, please to enjoy these nuggets of vernacular wisdom from the demon defender of diabolical descent.
#5
Fox: You carry the Sword of Storms, and it has tasted the blood of demons. That is all you need to know. For now.
Hellboy: Sure…’Cause that’s just so much to absorb all at once.
–Hellboy: Sword of Storms (click here to buy via Amazon)
#4
—Hellboy: The Island (click here to buy via Amazon)
#3
–Hellboy: Wake the Devil (click here to buy via Amazon)
#2
(To a monster) “Hey, Stinky! Kitchen’s closed. Whatcha having? Six library guards, raw, plus belts and boots. Man…you’re gonna need some heavy fiber to move that out. “
—Hellboy (click here to buy via Amazon)
#1
(To Hecate) “Lady, I was gonna cut you some slack, ’cause you’re a major mythological figure–but now you’ve just gone nuts!”
–Hellboy: Wake the Devil (click here to buy via Amazon)
In honor of the impending release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I’ll be putting up a few HB-related posts this week. Enjoy!
Ten Things About Life I Learned from Hellboy
Don’t judge a demon by his bright red skin, tail, horns, or habit of occasionally almost bringing about the apocalypse.
If you slam a wooden pole into a vampire charging at you on his undead horse, he will explode.
If it has huge tentacles, breathes fire, or crawls into your world through an extradimensional gate, shoot it–preferably with the largest handgun ever made.
I’m fireproof. You’re not.
Recently-resurrected vampires spouting arch dialogue are difficult to take seriously when they’re not wearing pants.
If you find yourself getting down because your mom was a sixteenth-century witch and your dad is an archduke of Hell, just remember–every family has issues.
Never trust anyone whose head flies off in the middle of the night. It’s just common sense.
For absolute comfort, nothing beats the feel of a heavy trenchcoat over one’s bare chest.
Homunculi are people too. Well, sort of. I guess technically they’re homunculi, but…you know what I mean.
When all else fails, hit it with your rock-like fist again and again and again.
Check out the latest Fanwank strip at the link below and please tell me…what is that figure of the main sea creature (the one who gets stabbed by Namor)? It looks really familiar, but I can’t remember what it is or what line it’s from. It’s driving me nuts.
FANWANK FILLER FOURTH OF JULY SPECTACULAR!
UPDATE: yo go re of OAFE identified it as being from the House of the Dead line. Now I just have to track one down…
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. (more…)
Let’s see what we’ve got in this month’s issue of ToyFare!
Keep in mind, this isn’t intended to be a comprehensive breakdown of every single page of the issue–just a few of the highlights that particularly interested me.
Page 4 – Inside the Monkeyhouse: Gotta love Zach’s old-school Toy Biz Batman outfit. There’s the requisite nipple joke as well, of course.
Page 10 – Customizing 101: Heheh. Dick Rider.
Page 16-17 – Incoming: Marvel Legends. Why hasn’t Hasbro released any good press photos of these figures? Particularly Red Hulk. Lovin’ that black-suit Wolverine. Why does the Silver Savage have a jewel on his right nipple?
Page 18 – Incoming: Marvel Legends 2-Packs. Dude, that is totally the Rock. Looks like Hasbro is following Toy Biz’s tendency to make likenesses that vaguely resemble famous actors (Brad Pitt as Angel, anyone?).
Page 20 – DC Direct’s Watchmen movie figures look great, but I must admit what I really want are the comic-based figures they showed way back in 2000 or so. One more casualty of Alan Moore’s conflicts with the mainstream comic biz. (more…)
I’m on a little mini-vacation right now, using up my vacation days at work before they expire on July 1. I took yesterday off, as well as the first two days of next week. So rather than do anything even mildly constructive yesterday, I headed off to a local comic shop, Comicazi. Comicazi has two locations–one in Somerville, Massachusetts, which I’ve visited many times, and another in Arlington. I’d never been to the Arlington one and, having nothing better to do, decided to see what was there.
What was there, my friends, was an action figure heaven. Racks upon racks of toys, both old and new–toys from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s right up to today. I should have taken photos–I didn’t have my camera–but here’s just a random sampling of what I saw from memory: Resaurus Duke Nukem figures, McFarlane’s Nitro Riders, vintage Doctor Who figures, Galoob 3 3/4″ Star Trek: the Next Generation figures, an entire wall of Playmates Star Trek figures, Kenner Beetlejuice figures, and tons of 1990s Toy Biz Marvel figures. Again, that’s just a small sampling, and all of this was MOC. (more…)
Today marks the four-year anniversary of the day Mrs. Ghostal-to-Be and I started dating. This will probably be the last time we really celebrate this date, since, well, she’ll no longer be Mrs. G2B come August but just Mrs. Ghostal (actually, she may want me calling her “Dr. Ghostal,” since she’ll get her degree in biochemistry next month. Busy year for us!).
But I wanted to pay a small tribute to Mrs. G2B on this occasion, as she has always been not only tolerant but supportive of my hobbies. Our first toy-related interaction that I can remember came before we were dating, when we were just roommates (with two other people as well–long story). Anyway, I had managed to string up my DC Direct Superman on fishing wire, making it appear he was hovering, and in attempt to be friendly (I won’t degrade the concept of flirting by calling it that), I made a point to show her. She was clearly unimpressed, but as she later told me, it wasn’t because she couldn’t believe this guy was showing off how he’d made one of his little toys look like it was flying, but because she’d been thinking, “Yeah, well, of course you used fishing wire–how else would you have done it?”
Mrs. G2B met me just in time for my years-long obsession with Hellboy, though she’s been privy to fads for Lord of the Rings, horror films, Halo and, most recently, Batman and DCUC since then. And she’s always been supportive–as some of you may recall, she even knitted me a Batman doll.
That’s not to say she won’t use my love of toys as a source of endless personal amusement at my expense, but it’s all in fun. I think.
Four years ago, I took one of the most important steps in my life. And I think I knew it, even then, but I’ve certainly become more and more sure of it ever since.
OK, end OT sappiness…