Showing posts with label umbrella academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label umbrella academy. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Photos: Toy Fair 2009

2009 marked Geekanerd's first trip to the American International Toy Fair, held at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Toy Fair is a magical place where men and women in suits walk down endless hallways of brightly colored toys, with nary a child in sight - no one under eighteen is even allowed in the door. Hardcore.

Plenty of new toys were on display, including original painted prototypes of Mezco's upcoming line of 2-inch LittleBigPlanet figures. Good. Grief. The cuteness, it burns!

More Sackboy, plus Star Wars, Tim Burton, Simpsons, Qee, Watchmen, Umbrella Academy, and oh so much more, after the jump...


*Featuring color commentary in italics by Gnerd contributor, Sarah B....

Sackboy as an little angry cowboy. Again, this is an original painted sculpt, but it would be awesome if the vinyl figures can capture this much personality.

Sarah B: He looks mean.

Again, amazing paint job.

You ARE a PIRATE!


Plastic Sackboy key chains, including a Sackgirl. Girl Sackboy? Yeah. I don't think that one with the tongue sticking out really captures what this game is about.

You can pick which Sackboy you want on your keys. In late '09.

Lots of Hellboy stuff this year, including these figures by Mezco's Mez-itz line. I know this looks like a Web 2.0 photo shop job with the shadow and everything, but it's totally real. Nice paint job on the gun.

I'm not a fan of Count Dooku nor am I fan of the Clone Wars series in general, but this is a beautiful sculpt. Whoever lit this display should be promoted.

Ana's photo makes it look like Count Dooku is playing Don Corleone in a Godfather remake.

I have no particular affinity for Freddy Krueger, but I can safely say this piece by Gentle Giant was the best looking toy (sorry, Animaquette) I saw all day. The cartoony designs really capture the tension and energy of the scene - and bonus points for making the girl cute without going crazy with proportions, as toy makers tend to do. There's a wonderful sense of motion in this figure - from the girl's perky position ("Did I hear something?" she seems to say...), to the carefully balanced way Freddy is rearing back for the strike. And look, she's even got a little Jason plushie, and is wearing a Camp Crystal Lake t-shirt! $150? Sure, why not?

This looks scary and awful! Who would want this on their desk? I'm not buying vacation properties from a guy with this in his office, I tell you what.

A new line of Simpsons PVC toys. The even mildly observant fan will note these are all from the episode that shows how Homer and Marge got together; we've got Prom Homer, teenage Patty, streaking Barney, and middle aged-Abe. Barney is not anatomically correct, in case you can't tell, or intentionally averted your eyes.

This naked Barney really captivated me. So yellow.

These Uglydoll blind assortment figurines were also on display at Comic Con, but here they are again. I got to play with them this time, they've got a great sturdy feel, and the waist articulation is a really nice touch. I like how Wedgehead is best displayed upside down.

Ugly dolls made an appearance. naturally. They're like, we're here y'all.

A few Uglies got their own displays, for some reason, although it looks like Trunko is crashing the party. For those of you are love Ox as much as I do, please note that his description on the sign is SLIGHTLY different that the one that comes on his name tag.

OX is my favorite ugly doll.

Ice Bat busted out of the display case to take a coffee break.

He's got to limit his caffeine intake. It looks like he's dosing really high at this point. I've been there.


Oh my God! Real life Slurm! You probably want to buy this - well it's by Boston America Corp, but that website site seems to cater to retailers...but whatever, if you buy like, ten cases, I'm sure they'll negotiate.

We're now entering the Star Wars Science section, a new property by Uncle Milton toys. They've created all sorts of Star Wars-related science fair fare, including this old standard, the model Volcano. But wait- it's Obi Wan and Anakin! The volcano is Mustafar! You put a little orange dye in with that baking soda, and you're in for a seriously good time.

Why couldn't Anakin have just gotten control over himself?

Here's what I actually came to the Toy Fair to see....The Force Trainer. You may have already see video of this thing in action, but basically this toy teaches you how to move things with your mind. I'm serious. No, I'm serious. I did it. I have the Force. I'll be leaving to train as soon as I find a Jedi Master accepting students (tips@geekanerdblog.com, if you know someone).

That got levitated by Ana.

This is the official logo of Star Wars Science....but what is it? It looks a little like the Galactic Republic logo crossed with the Rebel Insignia, but with a star in the middle. Can anyone help me out?

These toys have really fantastic product design, in a distinctly Old Republic style. Apparently the Uncle Milton company designs everything, and Lucasfilm only gives approval and input. I wish I had spoken to a designer while I was there, but honestly I was a little shaken after learning I was Force sensitive.

Several toys are designed to be put together by kids so they learn about the inner workings of machines, in this case, Darth Vader's robot arm. Not this is not life sized, but about the size of a young kid's arm, perhaps the better to stick through your shirt. You can actually move the arm with controls on the shoulder side, and pick up and release objects. Excellent detail work.

The PR rep said that kids would build this themselves so as to learn about science. Did Darth Vader have to build his arm himself? Probably not because Palpatine probably had a storm trooper get him one from the store. So in conclu, kids will be more fierce than James Earl Half-arm, in a sense, if they put this together themselves.

Nightmare Before Christmas has turned out to be the little property that just won't die. This has to be the cutest rendering of Oogie Boogie I've ever seen.

This ghost appears happy to have shuffled off.

A life-sized replica of Kirk's chair, with tribble. There are buttons on the side, but they don't do anything. Could they have figured out how to mash a universal remote on there?

A guy next to us asked to sit in this chair. The Diamond rep said no, you have to buy it. The guy said, how much. The rep said 2200 dollars. The guy said, this would be a nice office chair. Then he said, but it would repel all women. The rep was like, yeah. The guy was like, this would be a magical women-repelling chair. The rep was like, but if you had enough money to buy it, you probably wouldn't have a problem with women. I was thinking, you guys are squares. But truefax, you could probably get a decently made-up trophy type chick if you had enough dinero to drop 2200 on a Star Trek captain's chair. But would she really understand you? Would she really care if you were doing fine or feeling sad, cause maybe you or Ice Bat spilled coffee on your Star Trek chair and the stain won't come out?

Excellent Umbrella Academy figures from Dark Horse that I "figure" will be flying off the shelves upon their release in May 09. The Umbrella Academy is the best new series of the last few years, and these designs by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba look absolutely perfect off the page.

Detail on Space Boy's head sculpt...

...and Krakken as well. That's a scary looking little knife.

CHUBSTER! Are Chubbys the new Mighty Muggs? I'll leave that to you, the consumer. Wait, $59.99? For serious?

All those shame-eaten donuts.

The Leia line of Chubbys...kind of funny they put her Boushh costume in there, as opposed to, oh, I don't know, WHITE DRESS AND CINNABON HAIR? Actually, having the Thermal Detonator in there is pretty awesome, so it's all good. These are by Gentle Giant via Diamond Direct, and are

Didn't need to see cutified, ovular slave Leia, didn't.

Can you stand any more of these? Look that at X-Wing Pilot...could it be...Porkins? I like to think so. Eh, I'm pretty sure it's actually Wedge. These toy designers have no sense of humor.

These are kinda cute though.

Just when I thought I would never have anything to do with Guitar Hero again, McFarlane Toys comes out with these adorable Rock Band avatar toys. Look at Izzy Sparks! His beautiful locks kind of look like a melted soft-serve. But that's okay; If the actual CG avatars looked like this and not half-baked polygonal warcrimes, I might take a break from Rock Band and get back to basics.

This photo doesn't do these sculpts justice, but I think you get the idea. These are the original models for the PVC line

These looked great in real life.

Everyone at Geekanerd loves Giant Microbes. Especially the dangerous ones. But these little guys don't look dangerous at all. They just want to make a baby, is that so wrong? They're in love!

The sperm's like I GOT A JOB TO DO. The egg's like, me? Ok.

Anthrax! Now that's what I'm talking about - dangerous! If I put this in an envelope and mailed it to someone, would I go to jail?

These microbes are really cute. The anthrax has sorry eyes.

This is just a 2-D mock-up of an upcoming keychain from Applehead factory. It's a TOFU ZOMBIE in case you can't tell, "cuted up" from his original, more terrifying toy design. I like it.

Great looking floor mat for the Watchmen movie...the first of many apparently kid-oriented pieces of Watchmen merchandise from Neca.

That Under The Hood book is without a doubt the best piece of Watchmen merchadise I've ever seen. Fantastic 60s cover design, and look how the corners are "aged" - this is genius. When I first saw it, I said aloud, "IS THIS REAL?". It's just a blank notebook inside but still - someone in the Neca design department must have some serious geek cred to come up with a toy based on such an obscure reference.

In the middle there, in plastic, are LiveStrong-style bracelets with the names of the different watchmen. For preteens? Also there's a lighter.

These lunchboxes are presumably for hipsters, and not actual grade schoolers. Because surely no responsible parent would let their child each lunch of of something adorned by the image of a hateful, reactionary, violently psychotic vigilante. And no Batman jokes, please, Rorschach is a totally different kind of crazy.

Dr. Manhattan doesn't eat lunch though, right? He looks sad here cause he can't relate to your need to eat a sandwich or taco every day at noon..

I love Qee toys, and I really love it when people imagine the anatomy of cartoon characters. Here's a cross-section of the iconic Qee Bear.

Also a detailed skeleton. Notice: no neck.

Some adorable Qee sculpts. They're available now, so go get em.

Cute eggs.

Nice looking custom Baby Qee, titled Splatter Bear. Toy2R is a great company, they had a pop-up shop in Brooklyn not to long ago...really sweet gift bags.

And because every convention at the Javits Center has to have a stormtrooper.....bang.

This storm trooper had his convention badge stuck to his back. Kind of slightly messed up the effect.

For more photos, high res versions, and more detail shots, check out our Flickr Set.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Snap Judgments - Mighty Avengers #5, The Umbrella Academy #2, The Sword #1, The Programme #4

Mighty Avengers #5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Frank Cho, Colors by Jason Keith
Gets an A- from Albo

As much as I want to give this book a negative review for being so late all the time, I can't resist its charms. Cho's art is so clean and clever and beautiful (helped immensely by Jason Keith's colors) I'm tempted to take the book apart and hang the individual pages on my wall. The panels alone tell the story, Bendis' words are just icing on the cake. Flavor text, if you will. I will give Bendis credit for making Thor-lite B-stringer Ares into a really fun character. The problem here is that the first issue came out almost eight months ago and this is only the fifth issue, and only a couple of hours have passed in the story. It's slowww going. Cho has announced he's leaving after issue six, which makes me really sad because this book won't be nearly as good with Ultimate Spiderman's (gag! spat! yak!) Mark Bagley behind the reigns. But considering that the next arc has to do with the symbiote invasion that is happening RIGHT NOW in New Avengers, I guess things have to get moving.

The Umbrella Academy #2 and The Programme #4, after the jump...


The Umbrella Academy #2
Written by Gerard Way
Art by Gabriel Ba, Colors by Dave Stewart
Gets an A from AHR

Some people, both on the internet and amongst the Geekanerd staff, have complained that this book is hard to follow. The script has an unrefined energy of a writer not too concerned with three act structures, but this is more a strength than a weakness. Judging from these first two issues, The Umbrella Academy is a book about ideas. Ideas about violin-based superpowers, highly destructive robots that look like Weebles, and the perils of underage time travel. Gripping stuff, and it would be a shame to lose any of it for simplicity's sake. Besides, all the plot threads are wrapped up pretty neatly by the last page, setting the stage for a big old fight scene in issue three. Be there or be square.

The Sword #1
By The Luna Brothers

Gets a C from AHR

You know how trailers for thriller movies always start out with syrupy music and a shot of a the lead actor lifting his four-year-old into the air..."James Roman had the perfect life." The first half of this issue is like that. Protagonist Dara is a handicapable young art student, with a ridiculously happy home life that includes the sort of pleasant family dinner conversations that only occur right before tragedy strikes. So of course tragedy does strike, and while it's suitably upsetting (particularly due to the Lunas ability to capture subtle, realistic facial expressions), it's also very well worn territory. The bad guys are typically cold and nasty, and Dara comes off as a typically nice, innocent, heroine who reluctantly receives the call to adventure. Where's the hook?

The Programme #4
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by CP Smith, Colors by Jonny Rench
Gets a C from Albo

I guess my love affair with the book that no one else is talking about couldn't last forever. I've been on board for the first three issues because the story felt like it was building towards something big and the art had such a unique mood to it I couldn't resist it. But now it appears the story isn't going anywhere fast, and this issue's art lacked a certain spark the past issues had. In fact, it comes off looking sparse and extremely confusing. It was fun while it lasted, Programme. Best of luck to you.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Panel Discussion: The Week in Comic Book Scans

Most Awesomest Historical Figure Turned Supervillain - Zombie-Robot Gustave Eiffel, Umbrella Academy #1
What would the designer of the Eiffel Tower and structural engineer of New York's Statue of Liberty say if he knew he was being re-envisioned as a zombie robot in a comic book? "Maudit enfants!" ("damn kids!") probably sums it up.

Hit the jump for some motivation from Eclipso, harsh words from Bucky, Wii confessions from the Black Fox, and more!

Best Motivational Speaker
- Eclipso, Countdown to Mystery #1Eclipso's latest plot is to become the Tony Robbins of the DC universe.

Most Unpleasant Title Page - World War Hulk #4What's the point here? Though it has some panels from last ish, it's way too vague to work as a recap for someone that didn' t read last issue. The weird Photoshoppy blood (click to see the full res where you'll see the blood is rockin' a PS bezel) plus the weird Photoshop sketch of Strange drinking Zomjuice (which two out of three readers I informally polled in a dream thought was Tony Stark boozing) makes the whole thing seem very amateurish, like a fan wallpaper cobbled together from Romita's panels.

Best Comeback - Winter Soldier, Capitan America #30
"Know me? You don't know jack, Fatty!" I love that Bucky, though now an out of control outlaw vigilante, still uses insults from his child-sidekick days.

Movie Moment - Penance: Relentless #1
This illustration of Penance's Stamford guilt is a direct homage to the most terrifying scene in Terminator 2. Remember, the one where Sarah Conner dreams she's looking at a playground through a chain link fence, and after a moment a nuke goes off and everyone is burned alive? That scared the shit out of me when I was a kid, but you can watch it now if you'd like to compare it to the page above, and if you don't mind having a few nuclear dreams of your own.

Satisfying Conclusion to a Running Gag - Black Fox's Wii Theft Confession, Irredeemable Ant-Man #12
If you haven't been following this saga, first we saw Ant-Man and the Black Fox enjoying some Wii time, then the Black Fox snuck in during World War Hulk to steal the sexy white console, and now, after Ant-Man has thrown Fox to the S.H.I.E.L.D. wolves to save his own ass, Fox confesses. Hopefully the Black Fox can escape from the helicarrier in time to play Super Mario Galaxy on launch day.

Check out our past Panel Discussions while you're at it!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Snap Judgments - Comic Reviews for 9/19/07

This week we're trying out a new format for our Snap Judgment reviews. Namely, they're way snappier. If anybody has an opinion as to which they like better let us know and we'll probably listen to you. Commence judgment!

Umbrella Academy #1

Only yesterday did I realize the comic world has been waiting with baited breath to see if Gerard Way can write as well as he can wear black eyeliner and sing about cancer. I dug out my Umbrella Academy preview from Free Comic Book day, which I had skipped over in my Owly-induced trance. Well, I loved the FCB ish and this first issue is a joyride as well. It's got a nice darkly comedic attitude, and I particularly enjoyed how the superhero team's father-figure, a wryly detached and somewhat mean-spirited old man. This makes sense because Gerard comes from the world of emo, where all authority must be distrusted and or/sneered at. I kid because I love. Gabriel Ba's art slightly recalls the cartoon-industrial feel of Mike Mignola or Duncan Rouleau, and it's bolstered by Dave Stewart's color palette, so we're talking some very pretty pictures. -AHR

The Verdict: A

The Programme #3

Another month, another recommendation from me to go out and pick up The Programme. I was surprised when I saw that this was only issue three, as the story is so dense it felt like I'd been reading it for much longer. But with this issue things are finally all starting to make sense, and even the difficult but rewarding art is getting easier to digest without losing it's heavy atmosphere. Or perhaps I'm just getting more used to it. Either way, if you aren't reading this yet I heartily recommend tracking down the first two issues and getting to it. -Albo

The Verdict: A-

Robin #166


Robin has been great throughout Adam Beechen's run, although I never got into the most recent on-going plot, namely the saga of Dodge. It's been one of those "annoying wannabe sidekick is rejected only to become an arch-enemy" stories, which can run the risk of either making the hero seem genuinely insensitive or making the sidekick annoying enough to turn off the audience. Dodge was a case of the latter, although in this issue Beechen does a good job redeeming the character, and I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed upon the issue's conclusion. One final nerdpick - in this issue we see Tim Drake cannot play tennis. Bullshit. If the Joker threw a grenade at him and he had to whack it away with a tennis racket, I don't think there would be a problem. -AHR

The Verdict: B

The Irredeemable Ant-Man #12

Last issue seemed to be a perfectly good send off for the series we loved so much. This issue serves not as a conclusion but as a segue into a new iteration of the character that will appear in other Marvel books (it would be a spoiler to say which books...). I seriously doubt I will love the character in another book as much as I liked him in this Kirkman series, so after the satisfying conclusion of last issue this one felt a little like someone resurrecting my dead grandmother and telling me she's gonna work the streets for extra zombie cash. -Albo

The Verdict: C-


SECOND OPINION: Robert Kirkman, no! You said you would never redeem your deplorable non-hero, but in this final outing Eric O'Grady appears to have had a spiritual awakening. It's as if Eric himself knew of his impending cancellation and, fearing the fires of disposed character hell, he felt he had to throw the mea culpas around to save his fictional soul. Still, a disconcerting last issue doesn't erase the fond memories of what has been my favorite Marvel book of the last year. Here's hoping he'll find new fans as a guest-star in other titles. -AHR

The Verdict: A+ for the series, a reluctant D for the issue

Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #2 (of 2)

After last issue's questionable merit, I was a little wary to pick this ish up. But I love Sam Keith's art and I figured it'd be worth it just for that. Unfortunately Sam phoned this baby in, with a couple interes
ting touches doing little to make up for the overwhelmingly bland (and sometimes downright ugly) visuals. The story's a total waste of time, too, so really save your six bucks if you're thinking of picking this one up. -Albo

The Verdict: D-

Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special #1

There are two kinds of events in a comic book. One, the more common one, is where the universe explodes, or someone dies, or is raped, or is slowly lowered into a pit of acid. The other is where someone gets married! This means lots of in-jokes, characters getting page-time with people they'd never regularly get to hang with, and tons of in-jokes. Make the happy couple the two two horn-doggiest members of the JLA, and you also get lots TV-14 rated raunch. Judd Winick manages to keep the tone goofy and light (well, with one notable exception). Even when the requisite big fight scene starts, the madcap comedy keeps rolling right through the cartoon violence. I was disapointed not to see the actual VOWS at this freakin' wedding, but maybe that's for some sort of Green Arrow Black Canary Vow Special, soon to be followed with the Green Arrow Black Canary Feed Wedding Cake To Each Other Special, and the Green Arrow Black Canary Do The Chicken Dance Special. -AHR

The Verdict: A+

Countdown to Mystery #1

Score! I took a chance on this Countdown tie-in solely based on the fact it features Eclipso, who I like simply because the character is currently inhabiting the body of Jean Loring, Ray Palmer's brain-stomping ex who is just my kind of crazy. I didn't realize this issue features two stories, the first of which opens with a shot of the Dr. Fate helmet shooting through the stratosphere like a wayward meteorite and crashing on the Las Vegas strip. That is a good way to open a DC book, and it just gets better from there. The second shorter story is the one with Eclipso, as well as our old, dead friend from Gotham Central (and former partner to Renee Montoya)...Crispis Allen! He's the Spectre's current host (making this book all about mystical entities and the humans they glomp on to, I guess?), and we even get to see him help dole out some patented Ironic Justice. Stephen Jorge Segovia's art for this second story is outstanding, made stronger by Dan Brown's masterful colors. Some of the best art of the week right here, no kidding. -AHR

The Verdict: A

World War Hulk #4 (of 5)

I feel really bad about dishing so many negative reviews this week, but when you walk out of the shop with as many stinkers as I did you have to vent a little. I've known WWH was getting worse since the second issue, so I can't say I was surprised to find this month's installment lacking even more than last month's. The rest of the Marvel Universe has already moved on from this "Mega Event," which leaves the proceedings feeling more and more irrelevant. The stakes keep getting lower (Hulk not killing anyone showed right off the bat that he will one day rejoin the rest of the heroes without consequence), Hulk keeps getting less angry, and even Romita Jr.'s art, which I've been totally into up till now, is getting sloppy. Add to that an inevitable conclusion that has been broadcast since the first issue and you've got yourself one suckbag of a book. -Albo

The Verdict: D+