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Fri 2 Jan 2009 |
 Gerard Way has managed to make quite a name for himself in the comics industry over the past year—racking up an Eisner for Best Limited Series, and a Harvey for Best New Series, for his breakthrough miniseries The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite. In tandem with series artist, multiple-Eisner winner Gabriel Bá, Way has created a bizarre world which defies the space-time continuum, and pits a dysfunctional family of super-powered siblings against animated monuments, talking chimpanzees, a secret society of robot assassins, and each other.
Right on the heels of the first issue of Way/Bá’s highly anticipated follow-up series, The Umbrella Academy: Dallas, Dark Horse Deluxe is proud to announce the release of a new figure set depicting the six members of The Umbrella Academy introduced in Apocalypse Suite, as well as a book-and-figure set that includes a hardcover edition of the first collected graphic novel and a 4-inch figure of Vanya, AKA The White Violin, the shunned UA sibling with the sinister set of strings!
 The Umbrella Academy Book and Figure Set features a previously unused cover by Gabriel Bá for the special digest-sized hardcover. The included 4-inch figure depicts Vanya as The White Violin, poised to end the world in concert with The Conductor and his evil Orchestra Verdammten! It is scheduled for release in April 2009 at a suggested retail price of $24.99.
The Umbrella Academy Figure Set features the six members of the Academy, sized to scale, with Spaceboy measuring a beastly 5-inches as the largest figure in the set, and The Boy stacking up at a small-but-substantial 2-inches. The Dark Horse Product Development team worked closely with Way and Bá, adding bold shadowing and strange angles to create uncanny likenesses that evoke the characters exactly as they appear in the comic. The final product is as unique and quirky as the story itself, encasing the six siblings in cylindrical 360-degree packaging that displays the team under an umbrella-shaped dome. See these superheroes in all of their splendor when they hit retail stores in May 2009, with a suggested price of $39.99.
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Thu 1 Jan 2009 |
We have been planning for quite some time to reveal the second of our custom figure events, this one showcasing the Justice League Unlimited figures – and after some delays, the JLU Custom Showcase is live!
The concept was simple: The key to the JLU line has always been cost-effectiveness while delivering great-looking figures, so the challenge was showing Mattel how to use simple repaints and minor tooling to make new and fan-favorite figures. And the results were fantastic! So what are you waiting for? Go check them out!
Click here for the AFI JLU Custom Showcase!
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Mon 29 Dec 2008 |
The results are finally in! Ok, ok, yeah I know, the results were in like 3 months ago, I know. But just in time for the end of 2008, here is the wrap-up of the inaugural Action Figure Insider DCUC Fan Bracket! First off, the lateness of this is all on me. Go ahead, yell, berate, throw your shoes at me, I can take it. I deserve it. But I promise, the next one will be better! Pinky-swear!
So here we are, the top eight winners of the DCUC Fan Bracket. Why the top eight, you ask? Well there’s 8 figures in a wave, my friend, including the C&C, so it just made sense. There actually is a method to our madness, at least this time. Plus, it gives Mattel a better feel for your top wants instead of just one or two final picks. So without further ado and in no particular order, here are the winners:
Black Canary
The pretty bird defeated Martian Manhunter soundly in a tough matchup of founding Justice League members. The fans want her. And as one of the few remaining JLA members yet to be made, I’m sure that Mattel is listening, as she is listed among the rumored list of figures in the Walmart system. So I’m sure we’ll be seeing Black Canary sooner rather than later.
Zatanna
The daughter of Zatara proved her worthiness against the Golden Age sorcerer Dr. Fate (who we now know is coming in wave 8). As a member of the JLA, I’m sure that Zee is on Mattel’s radar. We are supposed to see a female character in every wave in ’09, could Zatanna be on the short list? And the next question –which costume?
The Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger beat out fan-favorite Animal Man by a surprising margin. Despite DC never revealing the full character’s origins, this mysterious assistant to the DC heroes and one-time member of the Justice League of America has been a fan-favorite for years. Can the fans convince Mattel that he deserves to be made?
Swamp Thing
Beating out surprising finalist Speedy, the Swamp Thing remains at the top of many fans’ want lists. The toughest hurdle seems to be whether DC will allow Swamp Thing to be produced by Mattel, as he is currently on the “no way" list by DC. Hopefully, this will change in the near future…
Black Adam
Teth-Adam dominated the bracket, beating out the classic Brainiac (who is listed on one of the new 2-packs). Many fans assumed we’d see Black Adam in the same wave, opposite Captain Marvel, but Mattel surprised us again by holding him back. Being spotlighted in the 52 series cemented Adam at the top of DC’s villains, and his name is also included on the rumored Walmart list, so it’s only a matter of time before we see him.
Poison Ivy
A key member of Batman’s rogues gallery, Ivy beat out the Cheetah in the finals. The fans want to see both ladies, and it’s possible we may see both produced by Mattel by the end of ’09. Poison Ivy remains one of the few major Bat-villains that weren’t made in the DCSH line, and she has been at the top of wish lists since the beginning. I’m sure she’s near the top of Mattel’s list too.
Deadshot
A popular member of the Secret Six team, Deadshot beat out Ra’s Ah Ghul and has stayed at the top of the fan polls and want lists. Deadshot is also shown on the Walmart rumor list, (the third character from the Bracket winners to be on that list hmmm) so I bet we see him somewhere in ’09.
Catman
And finally, our last spot went to the popular Catman, who beat out Mirror Master. Since appearing in the Secret Six with fellow winner Deadshot, Blake’s popularity and visibility has skyrocketed, assuring his place on Mattel’s short-list. Give us a Silver Age variant too!
So there it is! The results of the Bracket were interesting, if not surprising. Most of these characters, and the other characters in the finals, have been at the top of most fans’ wish lists since the DCUC line began. It is interesting to note that a few of the top characters have been announced (Mr. Terrific, Dr. Fate, classic Brainiac, Giganta) but that might be a coincidence more than anything. Regardless, I’m sure Mattel and the 4H love to see the fans’ opinions and interest in regards to DCUC characters.
Well, we hoped you enjoyed the AFI Fan Bracket as much as we did. There were some tough matchups and choices, right from the beginning. And some results were probably decided by the positions of the seeding. Overall, we think it was a lot of fun. Yes, we had some bugs to work through and we learned a few things, but now we know for next time…and knowing is half the battle! Wait that’s GIJoe. What is the DCUC tagline? Finding it is half the battle? Ha just kidding, Mattel!
Keep your eyes peeled and let us know what you want to see – another general characters bracket, or just villains? Maybe members of teams like Titans or JSA or Legion of Superheroes? Let us know, and watch for the next AFI DCUC Fan Bracket!
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Mon 29 Dec 2008 |
 Standing approximately 2inches tall, Mezco’s new take the ever popular Hellboy and friends is sure to make even a troll smile. This case of includes twelve 2packs featuring the following figures:
* Hellboy with Big Baby- Whatever you do, don’t make Hellboy wake the baby!
*Prince Nuada- The leader of the elves.
*Hellboy in black shirt- Hellboy ponders his next move.
*Abe Sapian- Hellboy’s aquatic pal.
*Hellboy in action stance- He’s crouched down and ready to fight!
*Johan- Hellboy’s ectoplasmic teammate.
*Wink- Prince Nuada’s troll sidekick.
*Golden Army Soldier- A member of the 49,000 member supernatural army built by goblin metalsmiths.
With BPRD Buddies you relive your favorite Hellboy adventures, or create new ones of your own!
Available for pre-order now at finer retailers everywhere. Appearing in stores June 2009.
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Mon 29 Dec 2008 |
 One of the most dangerous enemies the Federation has ever encountered, the relentless biomechanical Borg are preparing a new assault on the Alpha Quadrant and they’ve got their glowing eyes set on invading your collection! Plus by collecting six of these deadly drones you will acquire the necessary components to build your own figure-sized electronic Borg Alcove!
 The first series of Borg action figures includes a Borg Drone, the Borg version of Seven of Nine as seen in the Star Trek Voyager episode "Scorpion," a recently-assimilated Half-Borg Starfleet Crewmember and the Previews Exclusive Seven of Nine in her standard maroon Voyager attire. Each figure will include one of three different Borg Alcove components, with the PX Seven of Nine and the limited Half-Borg Starfleet Crewmember sharing the same component.
Look for more news and images of the upcoming second series of Borg action figures, which will include more of your favorite Borg characters and villains. This first assortment was sculpted by Rudy Garcia and Jerry Macaluso and is scheduled to arrive in stores May 2009.
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Sun 28 Dec 2008 |
 Over the holiday break I managed to sneak away from of my loved ones long enough to crank out this sneak peek feature on the upcoming DCUC Wave 7 Big Barda figure sculpted by the Four Horsemen. You can check it out and see all of the pictures over at my blog.
And if that is not enough for you I made some fun wallpaper you can download and use as a late Christmas gift to all of you.
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Sun 28 Dec 2008 |
The day after Christmas Mattel and Matty dropped this bomb on JLU collectors all over the world:
 Hey JLU Collectors,
We already revealed quite a lot at SDCC 2008 of our 2009 line up, but wanted to give everyone a little holiday treat before the New Year. Take a gander at the image! We are not revealing where this figure fits into the line-up quite yet, but you will see her in the first half of 2009!
While she played an important part of the final season of Justice League Unlimited, I don’t think any collector REALLY expected that Mattel would ever make Amanda Waller. We can’t wait to see what else they reveal at New York Comic Con!
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Sun 28 Dec 2008 |
 Mezco presents The Spirit movie product based on the upcoming big budget December 2008 film, a sinister gut wrenching tale of a hero born, murdered and born again. Written and directed by genre-twister Frank Miller.
This deluxe 12" scale vinyl figure is fully articulated & comes with a highly detailed real cloth trench coat, removable hat & alternate hands. packaged in a collector friendly window box.
Although the figure quickly sold out on the Mezco official online store, it is available, along with the 7" Spirit figures at Toys R Us and other fine retailers.
The Spirit movie opens nationwide on Christmas day, 12/25/2008.
Photo credit Jason Jerde
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Fri 26 Dec 2008 |
It’s getting hard for a news website to keep up with it all! Below you will see the new images of the new Movie Masters figures, but in addition to that Mattel and MattyCollector launched a new Facebook page for Matty.
If you are signed up with Facebook you can find his profile here- Matty’s Facebook Profile
Matty is doing all sorts of reveals and postings over on his new page.
He has revealed images and new information on upcoming single carded Infinite Heroes figures.
  
 
On the page you can see:
Wonder Woman
Omac
Hawk Wingman
Gordon in Swat gear
Sinestro
Atom (classic costume)
Blue and Gray Batman
Crisis/70′s Supergirl
Wildcat (black costume)
Black and Silver Superman Prime
Alex Luthor
In other Infinite Heroes news they have also posted pictures of an upcoming 3-pack based on Batman: Gotham Knight the multi-story anime straight to DVD movie that came out just before the Dark Knight. In the 3 pack are Batman, Scarecrow and Deathstroke figures based on their appearance in the movie.
 
And in Justice League Unlimited news they posted pictures of carded carded samples of the MattyCollector.com exclusive Gotham Criminals 4-pack.
   
Also the have posted updated images on upcoming JLU 3-packs and singles.
 
But that’s nowhere near all you can find on Matty’s face book page. Also look for a collection of new print ads, Masters of the Universe Classics, and DCUC.
You can see larger version of all the pictures posted and more at Matty’s Facebook page. And while you are there you can sign up for AFI’s Facebook group.
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Thu 25 Dec 2008 |
We wish you all the warmest and happiest holiday season.
Thank you to everyone that reads the site, sends us info, posts on the boards, and contributes to our community. We love the site, we love toys and we love that you make our site a part of your hobby and your Internet day. We wouldn’t be here without you.
Thank you to Jason for his clear vision for the site and his friendship. You have designed and continue to improve this site into a classy place that I am proud to be a part of.
Thank you to Peter for his generosity of time, skills and dedication to a site run by a couple of guys that he has never met in person. We really wouldn’t be here doing this without your help and we can never repay you for all you do for us behind the scenes keeping us safe and up to date.
Thank you to Ryan for being such an integral part of the team and always being our "goodwill ambassador" out on the rest of the ‘net. You are a great idea man.
Thank you to Abby for her help, dedication, and for sharing me with with the site. Your video production has taken the site to another level.
Thank you to the mods. Your insight, action and discourse continue to shape this place.
Thank you to the Men of Action. We love what you are doing and I look forward to reading more of your thoughts in 2009.
Thank you to every poster, reader, lurker, informant, industry insider, friend, colleague, sponsor and anyone else I might have forgotten as I post this at 2:00am.
We love doing this and there’s no point in doing it with out you here with us.
We wish you the Happiest of Holiday Seasons!
There’s going to be a lot more awesomeness in 2009.
Jason here. Just want to second all that Daniel posted, and leave you with a heartwarming song for the Season:
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