Those of you who know me know that I have a burning passion for the film "Jaws". Until recently, there has been only a few notable collectibles available of the beast known simply as “Bruce”, and all of them have left me wanting in some fashion or another. There’s the McFarlane Movie Maniacs box set, which is impressive for what it is, and the shark is actually pretty on-model, but the scale is way out of whack, and you only get 1/3 of the title character. There’s also the Sideshow Jaws maquette, which clocks in at 27” long and almost 25 pounds. Unfortunately, it’s not very on-model or accurate to any of the film used props, as it’s designed to look primarily like the original schematic drawings. Sideshow’s efforts represent A shark, not THE shark. Not the shark that killed Chrissie Watkins, and certainly not the shark that ate the little Kintner boy.  It’s been pretty slim pickings….until now…..

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There has always been something I’ve found fascinating about Silver Surfer’s origin story hinging on a wanderlust inspired act of self-sacrifice. There is something I enjoy about his less-is-more aesthetic. There is something I relate to in his unassailable yet melancholy morality. He is a loner, reclusive and suffering. At the same time he is soulful and capable of great love. I really feel that Jack Kirby succeeded in creating a character that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the greats in the pantheon of mankind’s collective mythologies.

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Earlier this evening I attended the All-Star Superman movie premiere hosted at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, presented by Warner Home Video. The film is obviously based on the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely comic of the same name, the latest in  a string of direct to video animated films set in the ever-expanding DC Universe. It will be released on DVD/Blu-Ray and multiple media formats on February 22nd.

The source material for the film is one of the most highly acclaimed and well-regarded comic books in recent history. A crossover hit into the mainstream media if ever there was one. Unfortunately, as well-versed as I try to be in comic-books and chic sub-cultures in general, I had overlooked this title. Afraid of buying into the hype, I avoided reading it. But, being a man that always judges a book by its cover, I was always highly intrigued by the cover art of the now hard to find first issue.

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The winner of the Panthor contest is Michael Giaritelli (no forum nickname was given). Thanks for playing, Michael!!

Stay tuned as there will be more giveaways coming soon!

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 All Star Superman is one of my favorite recent stories.  Like Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, I’m glad to see it getting the animated movie treatment.  I’ve been trying to think of what other stories I’d like to see.

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Sonic the Hedgehog is something of a big deal in our household. I’ve written about this before (right here), but 2011 is something special: the 20th Anniversary of Sonic!

First off, wow. Does that make me feel old! It’s hard to believe that Sonic has been a part of my life, not to mention the pop culture landscape for two decades now. That’s crazy.

I haven’t heard much about Sega’s plans for the 20th anniversary, but I know that Florida-based toymaker Jazwares has a slate of 20th Anniversary-themed toys planned for 2011 and I’m super-stoked!

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Howdy howdy, and welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight!  For your consideration today is the other catalog I have relating to how Kenner promoted their toy lines.  This one is from 1985, and was given to Kenner accounts probably either by a representative, salesman or directly at their Toy Fair showroom.  It details all of the various giveaways and purchase incentives that customers would have when buying Super Powers (as well as other) product put out for sale by Kenner Toys back in 1985.   Of note are the changes made to the fan club kit as opposed to the 1984 edition and the specific noted use of the DC comic series as a vehicle to promote the toys.  On to the images…so enjoy!

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Welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight!  Today I’m showcasing 16 black and white hand-drawn pencil logo concepts that were pitched to represent the line on the figure card backs.  Thanks to a former Kenner employee 24 of these survived destruction when Kenner closed down it’s offices for good.   Oddly enough one was never recovered for what proved to be the final design, but the last one shown in this blog is the closest one to the one used. It is also the only one mounted on an acetate overlay.  Enjoy this glimpse into the early development of the line!

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Over at DC Comics .com , in their blog today, we got the news we’ve been waiting for.  More DC Direct action figures are on their way.  Fans have been concerned and rumors of the line’s demise have been swirling since the last round of DC comic book solicitations came out without any DC figures shown.  This was the first time in years that has happened.  Without more waiting, here is the next batch of figures from DC Direct!

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Recent primatological findings lend support to the theory that humans evolved, not from an ape-like ancestor, but from Ewoks. The dominant view amongst scientists concerning the origin of anatomically modern humans is the "Out of Endor" hypothesis. It is estimated that Humans and Wookies branched off from their common hominid ancestor, the Ewok, about 5 – 7 million years ago. Or, in the vernacular: a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

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Last year AFi forum member, H-Balm, started a thread called “Vintage Guilt.” This was an intriguing title. He made the point that, once a line ends, the amount of existing carded samples of a given figure are now, quite obviously, limited. And each time a collector decides to open one of these, the rarity of carded samples increases. So H-Balm posed the questions: have you ever done this and, if so, did you hesitate and did you felt guilty about it? A good discussion followed.

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