Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
When it comes to comic book movie blockbusters, do you try to find all the news and secrets about the movie before it's released? Or do you want to be completely surprised by the outcome?
If you want to be surprised, you better avoid the toy aisle at your local toy store.
We all know about the show Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is the show that carries on from the Avengers movie starring Agent Phil Coulson (portrayed by Clark Gregg), as he leads a secret team investigating events around the globe. It premiered as a massive hit. Over 17 million viewers watched in the US alone. From there the ratings have dropped, but the numbers are still impressive.
Those millions and millions of viewers wanted to know one thing, how did Agent Coulson come back from the dead?
Anthony Falcone touched on this in his last column, and it is a topic I've been thinking about more and more lately - The return of Peter Parker.
There are only a mere few days left of 2013. This is the time of year where we reflect and reminisce on the year and look forward to new beginnings. 2013 has had many highs and lows or hits and misses. Here are my choices.
Christmas is just a few short days away. It's time to slow down, kick back and enjoy the holidays, that is of course if you've finished all your shopping. If you haven't... I feel for ya!
Leading up to Christmas, I like to take it easy with a nice whiskey, some homemade caramel corn and a movie. In our house we have our family favourites like "A Christmas Story" and "Jingle All The Way"... shut up... that movie is awesome.
Christmas is approaching fast, and at this time of year there are lots of things to get done. There are presents to buy. Family to visit. Christmas baking to be done… and eaten. This time of year also brings back…
Fast forward to now and you've all heard the news. The sequel to Man of Steel is going to include Batman (played by former "Daredevil" actor Ben Affleck). It will also feature Wonder Woman who will be portrayed by Gal Gadot. There are also rumours that the Arrow TV series may tie into Man of Steel 2, which will bring Arrow and The Flash into the fold. I have also heard of rumours that Nightwing may make an appearance too (this has been speculation with no confirmation... so don't shoot me).
The Death of the Family storyline crossed over into Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, Catwoman, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad and Red Hood and the Outlaws. Each title had their star "Bat-Characters" match wits against the evil and diabolical Joker, whose ultimate plan was to get rid of Batman's allies, who in Joker's mind were weakening the Dark Knight and keeping him from being the hero that Gotham (and the Joker) desperately needs.
We have been living in the age of Marvel Now! for almost two years now. On the whole, Marvel Now! has been pretty successful. There have been some great books come out under the Marvel Now! banner. Most notably those have been Thor: God of Thunder, Indestructible Hulk, and Iron Man. These titles have changed the status-quo for the characters, and have been very entertaining comic books.
On Saturday November 16th, I had the honour and pleasure to be invited to the Niagara Falls Santa Claus parade. Pulp Comics in Niagara Falls had a spot in the parade and Stephanie and myself were invited to join them…
Last week I wrote about spending the day at the latest edition of the Canadian ToyCon. I had a fascinating conversation with Roxy Lee and Gillian from www.geekxgirls.com. These ladies take the hobby of Cosplay to the next level. They are professional Cosplayers.
The latest edition of the Canadian ToyCon took place recently on November 3rd, 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto. This show returned to its roots of being a straight up toy show. Without special guests at this show, the focus was on the toys, and there was a lot of selection.
Halloween is that time of year where everyone can Cosplay. If you are nervous on showing up in costume at Fan Expo in front of 80,000 people, try Halloween first. If you show up at a Halloween party, be it a bar or house party, and there are other people dressed up in costume, nobody will even notice you or judge you (if that is something you are worried about). It is the first step in becoming a Cosplayer.
I love spy stories. There’s that element of mystery, intrigue, danger and sex appeal that just grabs me and won’t let go. I’ll kick back and watch countless hours of James Bond, Mission Impossible, Burn Notice or Archer to satisfy…
My son recently had a birthday and he wanted to have a "Marvel's Avengers" themed birthday. My wife headed over to the local "party store" to find all the Avengers merchandise we would need for the party. She picked up Avengers plates, Avengers napkins, Avengers table cloth... are you starting to see a pattern here?
When it came to the invitations, that's when she called me for help. We could buy 8 Avengers invitations for $8.99.
Batman '66 is making a resurgent comeback too. It was several months ago when I noticed in Previews that there were action figures coming out based on the series. I am not a big DC toy collector, but my love of the series immediately piqued my interest in picking these up. I have been able to locate only Batman, Riddler and Penguin at regular retail, while I have found Joker, "Surfing" Batman and "The Dynamic Duo" at a specialty store.
A few months back I wrote about the new action figures coming out to support the Iron Man 3 and Wolverine movies.
These figures were absolute garbage. Low quality paint jobs, and minimal articulation were the main reasons I wanted you to avoid buying this junk.
But today I want to talk about some figures you need to buy.
The other night a friend and I got into a discussion after leaving our favourite comic book shop. It all started with him saying "If I had a million dollars, I'd open a comic book shop." (If you want to play along, sing it to the tune of "If I Had $1,000,000" by Barenaked Ladies).
You’ve probably seen them at your local comic book shop, or at your “big box toy retailer”. Poly-bagged toys sitting there on the shelf. They’re not expensive. They are affordable. But you have no idea what is inside the bag. …
A week has gone by since Fan Expo. I’ve had time to relax (sort of) and decompress from 4 full days of Fan Expo fun. This being my third Fan Expo in a row, I can sit back and compare…