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Read Posts by CantinaDan |
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January 18th, 2010
|| dΣ ~ S2 || Ω ~ R x Σ || This past weekend I was confounded by a rift I discovered in my personal spacetime continuum. My learned AFi colleague, xrmc20, helped me to define the law of physics that has been responsible for diverting countless hours from the lives of geek-populi. Its definition can be explained best by recounting the circumstances responsible for its unique appellation . . .
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January 11th, 2010
A couple years ago the graphic design studio where I work, Esser Design, launched a self-marketing campaign that conceptually conveyed the message: Stand out from the crowd. We aimed to illustrate the theme through a series of images that portrayed a grouping of items wherein one from the group stood out. The images are simple and are only accompanied by our tag line: “Make your mark.” We liked the first series of images so last year we did a second series. A couple months ago we needed to design an ad for the Phoenix Business Journal’s Book of Lists and we decided to do one more.
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December 31st, 2009
Last year we began an anthropological study focused on the evolutionary changes visible within the species parumplasticus populus (little plastic people). Over the last several months I undertook to reexamine the fossil record. The findings range from predictable to surprising. Whereas today’s parumplasticus populus is more sophisticated in many ways, its ancestors maintain the genetic “nostalgic variation” advantage.
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December 23rd, 2009
Recently I wrote a blog about the old AD&D toy line. In the post I included a 25 year old Christmas photo that showed some of those toys under the tree. It got me thinking about how many cherished childhood playthings I actually received all those momentous December 25ths. We didn’t grow up in the lap of luxury and Mom didn’t often buy us toys on random occasions. How familiar the refrain: "Wait until Christmas!" Mom held true to her word and never once disappointed!
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November 26th, 2009
How far our modern Star Wars figure collections have come. Even an optimistic fan of the cantina characters didn’t have high hopes for getting a figure of Leesub Sirln, a.k.a. Weird Girl. But she is a part of our bar scenes now. According to her cardback bio Leesub is hiding from Imperial authorities that suspect her of having precognitive powers (Imperial speak for Force adept). I guess that explains why this lovely lady was braving the most wretched hive of scum and villainy.
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November 23rd, 2009
Looking back on all the toy lines I enjoyed as a kid LJN’s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons stands near the top. So, yeah, this blog is gonna be a gush-fest. As a youngster I made one feeble attempt at the D&D role playing game. The D&D toys held my attention much longer! The first series of toys made its way to stores in 1983 (the year of Return of the Jedi). That lands it just a year or two after G.I. Joe and Masters of the Universe hit the scene and a year or two before Super Powers, Secret Wars and Thundercats made their debuts. Heady times indeed.
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October 5th, 2009
Based on this list of products on display can you guess what toy store I visited this past weekend? My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Littlest Petshop, and Barbie. DCUC, Brave & the Bold, Movie Masters, DC Direct. NECA’s Twilight and Harry Potter. G.I. Joe 3 3/4 and 12". Marvel Legends, Marvel Select, Amazing Spiderman. Star Wars Legacy and Clone Wars. Secret Saturdays. Street Fighter, Gears of War, Castlevania and Final Fantasy. Give up? Here’s a hint:
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October 5th, 2009
The force was strong with my padawan, Johnny, when he surprised me recently with tickets to a touring show called "Star Wars in Concert". Basically this event combines the music of John Williams performed by a live orchestra and chorus with specially edited footage from the Star Wars movies played on massive screens. High society meets hard core geek. Was I to wear a shirt and tie or my Chewy is My Copilot tee shirt?
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September 19th, 2009
Please forgive what is essentially a self-indulgent travelogue. Because, really, who likes looking at other people’s vacation photos? Fortunately I was able to shadow Sgt. Rock as he embarked on a solo reconnaissance mission to Arizona’s "Red Rock" country: Sedona and its environs. Here follows a photographic recap of a week scouting in one of the Earth’s most beautiful locations. Our little East Company canvassed primarily a 12 mile stretch of scenic terrain in Oak Creek Canyon.
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September 7th, 2009
Other seemingly newsworthy events were overshadowed this past summer by the release and limited availability of a small blue articulated action figure representing Gleek the blue monkey. Indeed, the furor over his exclusivity caught many in the mainstream news media unawares. Allegedly available to attendees of the San Diego Comic-Con, this piece of plastic memorabilia found itself extinct half way through the show. What accounted for the unexpected popularity of this tribute to a blue monkey?
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September 3rd, 2009
Another Short Tale of Another Geeky Coincidence . . . Last week just before I picked up Johnny to go see G.I. Joe – The Rise of Cobra I needed to stop and buy something at the local Gap outlet store. As I was browsing around the kids clothing section a a tee shirt caught my eye. It was white and had printed on the front the old Marvel Comics cover of G.I. Joe #4. "Wow, that’s cool," I thought. There was another shirt behind it so I checked to see if it also had G.I. Joe graphics. Yup, it did. The more I stared at it the more I wondered why in the world they chose that particular image for a child’s tee shirt. It was the cover of G.I. Joe issue 22.
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September 1st, 2009
I received one of my most memorable and influential gifts on Christmas day 1983. I was 11. My older brother, Joel, got me a one year subscription to the Marvel comic G.I. Joe. It was such a trill to once a month open the mailbox and see that brown paper wrapper with my name above the address. The first issue to come – the first comic book I owned – happened to be number 21, one of comics most legendary single issues. It had an impact on me. A few years ago I was going through some old stuff and found a childhood sketch book. The first page had my rendition of this comic’s cover. Apparently it wasn’t just me. Many current comic creators cite G.I. Joe 21 as their inspiration for getting into the field.
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August 24th, 2009
This one is all about the nostalgia, folks. The moment I laid eyes on this set of figures some part of me was taken back 25 years. Even though I couldn’t remember many details of the cartoon Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, I knew it must have had an impact on my younger self – such was the strong feeling I got when seeing this trio of figures. Whether I ended up collecting the Marvel Universe line or not I would be getting this set.
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August 18th, 2009
A week or so ago I was cruising my local Target checking to see if their most recent reset was complete. I was cranking down the back isle passing board games and Nerf guns, eyes fixed on the action figure isle. A row or two before my destination I caught a glimpse in my perif of something out of the ordinary. I jammed on the brakes for a double take. Low and behold, there was a new dedicated section for "Vinyl Figures & Trading Cards". What do ya know? And, dang, if it wasn’t Bossy Bear’s neighbor Crocadoca on the bottom shelf!
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August 7th, 2009
I bought my first Justice League figure in the summer of 2003. It was Attack Armor Green Lantern. I had been eyeing the line and once I saw that cool green translucent force field I bought in. Heck, there were only 6 characters. (Hawkgirl was ify at that point if I remember correctly.) I loved the simple lines, the clean design. Even my wife thought they were cool. "These guys are going to display well," I thought to myself. And they did. Back then.
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