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NYCC 2016 Toy and Collectible Exclusives
NYCC 2016 Toy and Collectible Exclusives
NYCC 2016 Toy and Collectible Exclusives
Next month, the annual fall gathering of the greatest comic, movie, television and collectible companies --- not to mention hundreds of creators --- will return to New York's Javitz Center for the 2016 New York Comic Con. As follows tradition, there will also be a great deal of exclusive goods at the event. To help you prepare for weekend-long deluge, we've put together this handy list of toys and collectibles that will be at the show, and more importantly, where you'll be able to find them. There's a lot of cool stuff that'll be at the show, and thankfully, it won't be quite as massive a list as there was at San Diego Comic-Con. Still, tracking all of these toys down won't be easy, but with this little collection, the burden on your shoulders might be a bit lighter.
Weekender: Zunar, Koyama Press, and Jess Fink's Sexy Robot
Weekender: Zunar, Koyama Press, and Jess Fink's Sexy Robot
Weekender: Zunar, Koyama Press, and Jess Fink's Sexy Robot
What a week! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back and read some comics. The weekend is finally here, and the world can relax and rest once more — but the comics industry has been busy too, you know, and the last seven days have seen a flurry of comics-based news and announcements fly past at high speed. ComicsAlliance has got your back, though: when it comes to comics, we never slow down, so here’s a look back and just what’s been going on. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!
 Julie Kerwin Talks 'IAmElemental' and Empowerment for Girls
Julie Kerwin Talks 'IAmElemental' and Empowerment for Girls
Julie Kerwin Talks 'IAmElemental' and Empowerment for Girls
The great thing about Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites is the ability for creators to fill a void with a product or project they're incredibly passionate about. More and more, we're seeing niche action figure and collectible creators turn to this method to get their ideas out there. It's a hard road to commercial success at retail, but if you can reach out directly to your audience, there's a chance you'll make some headway towards bigger things and wider availability. Seeing a hole in the action figure market for not just female characters, but female characters more representative of real women, IAmElemental campaigned to bring such a series to life. After a successful round of crowdfunding in 2014, the company released its first line-up, Courage, this year. We caught up with Julie Kerwin, chief elemental officer at IamElemental, at New York Comic Con to talk about the line, where it's headed, and whether or not it can succeed in a crowded market.
 Creating a New Character for Marvel's Contest of Champions
Creating a New Character for Marvel's Contest of Champions
Creating a New Character for Marvel's Contest of Champions
Developed by Kabam, mobile game Contest of Champions follows a galactic tournament where everyone from Marvel's vast catalog is duking it out for bragging rights. The game has proven to be so successful that a new comic series spinning out of Secret Wars takes place within that universe, from Al Ewing and Paco Medina. Along with that new series comes an entirely new character, Guillotine. Making her debut both in-game and in the pages of the monthly Contest of Champions book, Guillotine is one of the first entirely new characters from a Marvel video game to make the leap to the page. While at New York Comic Con, we talked with Contest of Champions' art director Gabriel Frizzera about the game, creating a new character for Marvel, and the advantages of working in Marvel's mobile space.
Exceeding All Expectations: Talking Star Wars Card Trader With Topps
Exceeding All Expectations: Talking Star Wars Card Trader With Topps
Exceeding All Expectations: Talking Star Wars Card Trader With Topps
I have a problem. That problem is my addiction to the Star Wars Card Trader app. Not once in my life did I ever expect to fall down such a deep rabbit hole for virtual trading cards I'd collect on my phone, but I also never thought Back to the Future II was capable of actually predicting (potential) World Series winners. These things happen. I freely admit that this all started when Topps sponsored some of our video content last month. Those little advertisements worked as Topps intended, and they got me to try out the app out of sheer curiosity. It's been a bad year to try and convince me not to buy something with the words "star" and "wars" on them. I've got a stack of comics and novels I'm still working through, and a lot of toys on order, much to the chagrin of my shelves. When I saw that Topps was going to be at New York Comic Con, I immediately knew I needed to head to that booth. There was bound to be some sort of cool exclusive cards, which there were, and I needed to make sure I could get them. While I was there, I figured I might as well attempt to make it look like I was working, so I also chatted up Ian Hundiak, app producer for all of Topps Digital, and Matthew Petz, one of the designers for the Star Wars Card Trader (also a 2015 Eisner nominee for his work on Top Shelf's The Leg) about the app, its success, and what to expect for the rest of 2015.
Go Hero and ARH Bring Frazetta and More to Life at NYCC
Go Hero and ARH Bring Frazetta and More to Life at NYCC
Go Hero and ARH Bring Frazetta and More to Life at NYCC
Have you longed for the day when Frank Frazetta's artwork would do more than live on the page? Does your sixth-scale collection lack the imposing threat of the Death Dealer? Friends, I have news for you that you may find welcome. Not only is Frank Frazetta's iconic executioner being remade as figures and statues, but so are a few other Frazetta classics from companies like Go Hero and ARH. What's more, they won't be alone. Plenty of comic characters that haven't gotten quite the same attention as Marvel's and DC's big guns will soon be able to stand side-by-side with Hot Toys' and Sideshow Collectibles' interpretations. You might recall Go Hero's name from a few months back. It's the company that helped Das Toyz bring the first Stan Lee sixth-scale figure to market (a new one is in development at Hot Toys now too because... reasons?). Though I'd never heard of Go Hero before, the company's showing at NYCC made me wish I had. The big name characters at larger publishers (particularly those with movies) tend to get the sixth-scale treatment from companies, but Go Hero's focus is on those that normally don't get a moment in the sun. Death Dealer probably hasn't seen a ray of light beyond a handful of collectibles over the years, but he'll have a figure from Go Hero soon enough.
A Good Problem to Have: Hasbro Talks 'Star Wars' Black Series
A Good Problem to Have: Hasbro Talks 'Star Wars' Black Series
A Good Problem to Have: Hasbro Talks 'Star Wars' Black Series
There have been Star Wars toys on the shelves at retailers consistently since the mid-1990s. With the re-releases of the classic trilogy and the actual releases of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars has managed to not only stay hot for collectors, but thrive at retail in ways many other toy lines that started in the 1970s could only dream of matching. This year is a big year for Star Wars movies, in case you hadn't heard. That also means it's a big year for Star Wars collectibles. It's such a big deal in fact, that an entire day, Force Friday, was built around the new toy releases themed around the upcoming sequel, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With figures from the upcoming film in high demand, it's a wonder the team working on Star Wars at Hasbro has any free time at all. Fortunately, we caught up with Hasbro's Star Wars team after getting a look at some of the new Star Wars Black Series collectibles coming later this year.
The Marvel Legends Team Divulges the 'Secret Sauce' at NYCC
The Marvel Legends Team Divulges the 'Secret Sauce' at NYCC
The Marvel Legends Team Divulges the 'Secret Sauce' at NYCC
Since Hasbro took over the Marvel action figure license a few years ago, the Legends line has been home to a fairly diverse cast of characters from the classic Marvel Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That trend looks to continue heading into the new year, where Hasbro already has its plans in motion for the early part of the year, including the Captain America: Civil War wave, and the first wave of the newly christened 3.75" Marvel Legends. During New York Comic Con, we were given an early look at some of Hasbro's plans for the Marvel Legends line for the upcoming year. Both the 6" and 3.75" lines will fall under the Legends banner moving forward, with new characters and some familiar faces filling out the rosters on both sides. After seeing everything that was on display, we had a chance to chat with some of Hasbro's Marvel Legends leads, Dwight Stall, senior Marvel product design manager, Mike Breslin, senior director, brand strategy and marketing, and Tony Colella, senior model artist, about Legends and its future.
Good Smile Delivers Anime & Gaming Goods in Figma Form at NYCC
Good Smile Delivers Anime & Gaming Goods in Figma Form at NYCC
Good Smile Delivers Anime & Gaming Goods in Figma Form at NYCC
When it comes to the import figure scene, few companies are as prominent as Good Smile. The company's Figma and Nendoroid lines are perennial favorites, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone that's owned at least one figure from either line. Though the new showings at New York Comic Con were limited, what Good Smile did have on hand hinted at a very strong 2016 for the Figma and Nendoroid lines. Gaming figures had the largest impact on Good Smile's booth, with new Nendoroids for Venom Snake and Marth being key stand outs. The Metal Gear Solid V star looks adorably deadly, but it's that Fulton device accessory that really sells it. Being able to attach it to any existing Nendoroid is a plus, and since Figma toys also have similar pegs in their backs, I wonder if it will work for them as well. Marth transitions to the chibi style rather well, which isn't surprising, the level of detail in his outfit is still impressive for the trimmed-down aesthetic.
Mega Bloks Travels the Galaxy and the Sewers With Star Trek and TMNT
Mega Bloks Travels the Galaxy and the Sewers With Star Trek and TMNT
Mega Bloks Travels the Galaxy and the Sewers With Star Trek and TMNT
During New York Comic Con, two all-new licenses were unveiled for the very first time by Mega Bloks. The block-building sets the company already offers run the gamut from Halo to Skylanders to Assassin's Creed and beyond, but the latest additions to the company's portfolio have long deserved their chance to shine in construction set form. Though we'd known Mega Bloks had the Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles licenses, no one had seen much of what the company had planned. Though no official TMNT sets were shown off, we did get to see the first figures across the three different series Mega Bloks is producing. There were plenty of Star Trek figures too, but the actual sets were what really caught our attention. There are going to be plenty of sets released in 2016 and beyond, but at NYCC, Mega Bloks had three different kits for Star Trek on hand. Two comprised of ships, the very impressive classic USS Enterprise and the Klingon Battlecruiser, and the third was a transporter room set. All three looked impressive even in these early stages, but the scaled down Enterprise is definitely the star of the line. Or rather, it is for now without a bridge set on the horizon. One expects it can't be too far behind considering there's a transporter room already.

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