 |
Read Posts by Jeff Cope |
|
August 1st, 2010
I just got home from a little excursion to PulpFest 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. PulpFest is a convention dedicated to the history, preservation and collecting of the pulp fiction stories of the early 20th century. Characters such as The Shadow, Doc Savage, Tarzan, and more made their first appearances in the pulps. Pulps got their name because of the cheap paper that was used to produce them. There were magazines from every genre imaginable: science fiction, fantasy, horror, detective stories, westerns and even romance. They all told stories that captured the imaginations of Americans for decades until they fell out of favor with the publication of the first paperback books around World War II. They finally faded away altogether with the advent of television, which quickly became the chosen entertainment of the land.
|
|
July 31st, 2010
Early Friday morning I’ll be making the 3 hour trek to Indianapolis, IN for Gen Con, the Best Four Days in Gaming! Gen Con is THE big show when it comes to gaming conventions, and is the place where many companies release their big products. This year is no exception. This week, as I look towards the big con I’ll be sharing some of the new releases that have got me jazzed.
|
|
July 26th, 2010
I just watched the new trailer for the upcoming DC Universe Online game coming to PCs and PS3s everywhere this November. All I can say is WOW. I would seriously pay to sit in a darkened theater for two hours of something like this. Outside of Pixar’s The Incredibles why …
|
|
July 25th, 2010
It’s official. I need to find a job. You see, I’ve been a stay at home daddy for the past couple years since closing down the comic book / game store I owned here in the Columbus, Ohio area back in October 2008. It’s the best job in the world, except the pay stinks. Here’s my problem. Hasbro is going to own me in 2011.
|
|
July 24th, 2010
Yesterday Mattel held their big DC/Mattel: A Heroic Partnership panel at the 2010 Comic Con International in San Diego. Like many fans of the 3-3/4" DC Universe Infinite Heroes line I anxiously awaited news about the line. It’s been a bumpy road since the lines debut two years ago with problems with distribution, sculpting, articulation, breakage, choices in character selection, and more. Still the faithful held in there. There were still so many key moments and characters in DC Comics history needing representation in this line (ahem…Darkseid!), but going into Comic Con the future seemed bleak. Our hopes were somewhat bolstered by some comments in recent Mattel Q&As about their commitment to the 3-3/4" scale, big plans in the works, etc. So, what was the news out of yesterdays big panel? "Infinite Heroes will be Green Lantern-centric in 2011" That’s it. Move along now.
|
|
July 21st, 2010
If this is the Apocalypse, then bring it on! The Four Horsemen, the Fab Four of the toy industry, have unveiled their latest creations on the Eve of Comic Con International. On their Fantastic Forums late last night fans were given their first look at one of the upcoming Symbiotech figures: Tygos and Tygolith. I was already excited about this line, but after seeing the images….this is going to be one freakin’ awesome toyline!
|
|
July 20th, 2010
I can’t believe it’s Comic Con time already! I can’t believe that it’s already been a year since I, along with my wife and daughter, visited that fabled city by the sea. Last year was my first time back to Comic Con in about 5 years. In that 5 years attendance had doubled. I admit that I was completely overwhelmed by the crowds there. I’m not a big fan of crowds to begin with, so I’ve always had something of a love/hate relationship with conventions. But, last years Comic Con was rough. So much so that I declared on several occasions that it was likely my last visit to Comic Con International. So, here we are. One year later. I’m sitting behind my computer in my home in rural Delaware, Ohio finding myself wishing I was out in my home state of California, preparing to enter the hallowed halls of the San Diego Convention Center. Yeah, I’m regretting not going. There’s no way it could have happened this year, really, anyway. Too much stuff going on around the old farm here. But, boy, I sure do wish I was going to be there. Thank goodness for on-the-spot coverage from AFi! So, what am I hoping to see pop up on my monitor over the next few days?
|
|
July 4th, 2010
God bless the USA! Have a safe and happy fourth of July, everyone! Take a moment to remember the sacrifices of those who have allowed us the freedoms we enjoy today! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVU4HURKEXs[/youtube]
|
|
June 30th, 2010
Ray Harryhausen turned 90 years old on June 29th. If the name isn’t familiar to you, Harryhausen was the master of stop motion animation, creating a bounty of some of the most imaginative motion pictures of the 50s, 60s and 70s. While crude by today’s CGI standards of cinematic effects, …
|
|
June 16th, 2010
A couple of columns back I wrote about Privateer Press’s upcoming Voltron Miniatures Battle Game that is launching in July. In that I mentioned that the game was a fully-compatible spin-off with another game from Privateer called Monsterpocalypse. Monsterpocalypse is a table-top miniatures game of giant monster combat. It’s every kaiju movie come to life on your dining room table. It features pre-painted miniatures of a whole host of giant monsters (as well as smaller support units) from a variety of different factions. There’s also models of various buildings that serve as objectives and sources of power ups for your (or your opponents) monsters.
|
|
June 14th, 2010
I’ve been collecting toys for longer than I care to admit. Most of the time when I was a kid you found out about a new toys was to be surprised by it when you saw it in a store. Back then (and we’re talkin’ the 70s here) there were only a few ways to hear about toys before they hit stores. The biggest ones for me were the Christmas catalogs from Sears, Montgomery Wards and JC Penney, the BEST catalog (now defunct catalog-based store chain) and, especially, the Heroes World ads that ran in comic books at the time.
|
|
June 11th, 2010
A new movie-based action figure line has recently hit the toy store shelves, and with it came the requisite round of internet complaining. Complaints ranged from the sculpting, to the paint apps, to the articulation. Comments ranged from "some of the worst executed tiny line figures ever" to "horrendous" to "the fact that they have a sticker on the front stating that they are ‘highly articulated’ is totally bogus" to "they look like they’re carved from soap"
|
|
June 9th, 2010
So now Voltron’s coming back, eh? The 80s renaissance continues as a new animated series, Voltron Force, was announced this week along with an accompanying toyline from Mattel. Now, I was never a huge Voltron fan. I’m typically not into giant robots (which is odd, considering how much I loved Shogun Warriors back in the 70s). I watched the original series on and off. I never picked up any of the toys. Yet, I am finding myself looking forward to this new series and toyline. There’s another upcoming piece of Voltron merchandise that I am really looking forward to. Beating everyone to the punch in this Voltron resurgence is game company Privateer Press, makers of the popular miniatures games Warmachine, Hordes and Monsterpocalypse.
|
|
June 7th, 2010
I’m getting older. There’s been definite signs. They’re impossible to miss, as much as I have tried to. My continued interest, nay, obsession with toys isn’t one of them. There’s the expected like forgetting things more often than I used to. Becoming tired sooner than I used to. My body aches more often (and easier) than it used to. I find myself making involuntary noises when I sit or get up off the sofa. Things like that. But, something I’ve noticed lately is that I have found myself looking back more than I look forward when it comes to entertainment.
|
|
May 24th, 2010
Welcome to the latest installment of Game On!, my blog within a blog covering the wonderful world of tabletop gaming. Like many collectors, I tend to have a fairly obsessive personality. So, when something really catches my interest I can easily develop tunnel vision. Ever since the Four Horsemen’s announcement, less than a month ago, about acquiring the license to The Outer Space Men I’ve found myself thinking about them more often than I should, pouring over Mel Birnkrant’s incredible website (surely the most exhaustive website pertaining to a vintage toyline that I’ve ever seen), sitting on Amazon.com with The Outer Space Men graphic novel in my cart (with only it’s pricepoint and my current lack of funds preventing me from ‘pulling the trigger’)and looking for old sci-fi novellas and short stories from the 30s through the 60s to read and get in the OSM vibe. Yeah, I got it pretty bad.
|
« Previous Page — Next Page »
|
