San Diego Comic Con Exclusives - Diamond Select Toys

As each SDCC exclusive is announced it hurts just a little bit more that I will not be there. Today we look at some of the Minimates exclusives that Diamond Select toys will have at their booth.

Minimates have become very popular over the last few years, basically they are miniature action figures which include articulation and switchable heads. They come in pairs or four packs. Many of  Marvels most popular heros and events have been produced by Diamond Select. The SDCC exclusives continue the trend.

Marvel Minimates X-Men Days of Future Past Exclusive Box Set
If you haven't seen the newest X-Men movie yet then stop reading this post and go out right now to see it, we'll still be here when you get back.
Okay now that we are on the same page, remember how Wolverine went back in time to the 70's Diamond Select is doing the same thing with these minimates exclusives, all the way back to 1981. That is the year comic legend John Bryne brought us Uncanny X-Men  #141, the beginning of the Days of Futures Past story arc.
DST is playing homage to this great moment in comic history with a  4-pack of Minimates that includes key characters from the story, Future Wolverine, Future Kitty Pryde, Mystique and a Future Sentinel.  Each of these figures stand 2 inches tall and feature interchangeable parts and accessories. They are Limited to 3,000 pieces and will retail for $20. 

X-Men #23 “Days of Future Past” Minimates Cover
To compliment the Minimates box set Diamond Select Toys will also have a variants cover of X-Men #23. Cover includes minimates  style versions of Wolverine and Kitty Pride, an excellent homage to the original John Bryne cover to Uncanny X-Men #141 (compare it below). The new artwork is by Barry Bradfield and is available at comic retailers for $3.99.

To see more of Diamond Select Toys many great items check out their blog for all their upcoming releases DST Blog

If you are going to SDCC reach out to me would like to make some trades for NYCC exclusives Hunter/gatherer email

Good luck on your SDCC hunt!
#jointhehunt

Comic Shop Review - Famous Faces and Funnies, Melbourne FL

We will be looking at some comic book shops we recently visited in Florida, starting with Famous Faces and Funnies Comics and Toys. Located in Melbourne Florida the store is large, both in space and inventory.

One of the things I liked most about FFF is they carry a lot of older toys. If you have visited most any comic shop lately older toys do not hold any shelf space. FFF is not the norm. I picked up a Justice League Unlimited 3-pack for $12. They also had a bunch of old Star Wars and Star Trek toys. Plus many new Toys from Marvel, DC and of course Walking Dead.

FFF also had a large selection on Funko POP Vinyl figures. All the different lines Funko is currently putting out are here: DC, Marvel, Disney, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, movies, TV and cartoons. A great place to find that one Pop! Vinyl you missed. I picked up a Darkseid I have been searching for,two cons and three shops.

If your looking for back issues and current issues FFF has these to. Many boxes of back issues in title order reasonable priced. Got a New Mutants #100 for $2.

How was the hunt? A genuinely good place to hunt old toys and ack issues. We found a couple of toys and comics we were looking for. The Pop! Vinyl Darkseid was a big find as was the Justice League Unlimited 3-pack (Superman, Amazo and Star Man).

It is worth a visit if you are hunting anything old or new.

Thing gathered on this hunt = 3

Comic Shop Grade = B+

Finally I am not sure why everyone doesn't have a stuffed Mr. Mxyzptlk in their collection. Go out and get one right now. It's worth the $12. Just don't say his name backwards because he will disappear.

Take a trip to Famous Faces and Funnies Comics and Games
Enjoy your hunt!
#jointhehunt

Wednesday Whacked Comic Cover - Captain Marvel Adventures #75

Sometimes the cover of a comic book just captures the essence of not only the issue in hand but also the character which stars in the issue. Think of some of the great 1940's Captain America issues.
Captain Marvel #75 does neither of these, why you might ask? I do not think fighting a big pile of yeast, yes yeast, makes for a menace or is it astonishing.

With a great selection of villains, such as, Black Adam, Mister Mind, and Captain Nazi why did Fawcett Publications decide to go with yeast as the main villain. Fighting a huge pile of yeast is bad enough using it as the selling point on the newsstand makes for one whacked out cover. We have chosen this cover because it confuses us and raises many questions. Was yeast a big threat in 1947?  Did they run out of ideas for villains? Did they have to use 75% of the cover to show the yeast? Eternal question which can only be answered by cover artist C.C.Beck, who we can thank for a whacked out cover.

If your looking to hunt this issue down it can be found for a couple of hundred dollars, but I recently saw one in fine condition for only $30. You can own one of the whacked cover stories for three ten dollar bills, what are you waiting for?

Brief history lesson on Captain Marvel:
 Created by Fawcett Comic in 1940 based on the success of DC Comics Superman Captain Marvel became the top selling comic book in the 1940's. His rise to the top was attributed to the fact that Captain Marvel is actually Billy Batson, a young boy who when he says the words "SHAZAM!" turns into a magical superhero.
Unfortunately for Fawcett, DC comics felt that the character was to similar to Superman so they sued for copyright infringement. Fawcett was forced to cease publishing Captain Marvel-related comics in 1953. In 1972, DC licensed the Marvel Family characters and returned them to publication, acquiring all rights to the characters by 1991. 

Whacked cover of the week and a comic history lesson all in one post.
Enjoy your hunt!
#jointhehunt

Rennigers Flea Market - On the Hunt in Florida

If you ate a true hunter/gatherer you are always on the look-out for things to add to your collection. This week we are blogging from Melbourne Florida. Our first stop on the hunt in Melbourne was the Rennigers Flea Market.

Flea markets are a great place to get some REAL deals. I mean some old items cheap or some items you never knew existed at a price you can't believe.

At Rennigers we found vendors with dollar comic boxes and toy dealers with dollar bins. There were about 40 dollar boxes filled with comics from the 1990's. There were about 10 toy dealers along with many other dealers that had a couple of toys scattered on their table.

We ended up spending about $25. Walked away with 21 comics to add to the collection, a Captain Cold happy meal toy and 3 DVD's. My daughter, who is turning in to an excellent hunter, bought some Star Wars figures and costum badges from here favorite shows.

Run down of what we picked up in the dollar bins:

Cable #1 (1993),  Guy Gardner Warrior #15, 26, 30, 35 (1993-1995),  Justice League America Vol. 2 #60, 88, 107, Annual 6 (1992-1996), Legion of the Superheroes #288 (1982), Elongated Man #1, 2 (1992), Mister Miracle Vol.3 #6 (1996), Salvation Run #2, 6, 7 (2008), The New Teen Titans #14 (1985), Lobo #1 (1990), Brigade #1 (1992), X-Force #2 (1991), Invaders #2 (1993)

As I have mentioned many times before I enjoy the humor that was found throughout DC comics in the early 1990's, so I picked up the Elongated Man issues, which I didn't even know existed and the Guy Gardner Warrior ones, I have started putting this run together.

Was able to fill in some more of the Justice League Vol. 2 run. I just figured it is so closely related to the Justice League Europe( lots of crossovers) that it just makes sense.

Cable #1 and Lobo #1 seemed like steals for a dollar. Both characters were very popular in the mid-90's. I think of these as key issues during comics big boom. Both heroes are in that gray not really a hero but not a villain area.

The New Teen Titans issue is a Crisis tie-in. Crisis of Infinite Earths was one of my favorite DCU events, it changed the complexion of the entire universe. Some heroes died others were elevated to stardom. If you never read it pick it up next time your shopping. I am looking for all the cross-over issues.

Salvation Run stars the a Flashes rogues and I have been on the look out for the 7 issue limited series.  I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the villains.

 X-Force is filled with Rob Liefeld goodness. I really enjoyed the art back when these first came out. such detail. I also recently picked up a copy of issue #1 at Special Edition:NYC. Think I might piece together an entire run. Plus X-Force #2 is the second apperance of Deadpool. We all love Deadpool.

Same goes for the Invaders, I picked up a copy of #1 recently so why not start another title search, one book at a time.

I has never heard of the Brigade but it has. Liefeld cover and looked like one of the great attempts at heroes by Image. We'll get deep into Image in a future post.

Finally the Legion of the Superheroes was just because. Never read the title but have heard so many good things about it. Time to give it a try.




We also picked up three DVDs for .75 each. Batman Begins, Catwoman and the Hulk. We are planning on watching every Superhero movie ever made this coming summer. We are starting with the 1966 Batman and ending with Guardians of the Galaxy. We will be creating a video blog to give our reviews so keep an eye out for more updates.

Good luck in your Hunt
#jointhehunt

San Diego Comic Con Exclusives - Monogram International

I really should start titling these post, "Why SDCC exclusives kill my wallet each year?" Monogram International has a bunch of exclusives for SDCC.

If you recall we reported a couple of days ago that Action Figure Express would have a Flashpoint paperweight exclusive at SDCC, turns out they are releasing it in conjunction with Monogram International.

Monogram international is also releasing an additional 4-piece DC heroes paperweight set. This one will include Superman, Batman (different then Flashpoint one), Wonder woman and the Joker. Priced at $100, it will also be limited to 1,000 pieces. Each bust measures 5.25 inches tall. You can walk away from SDCC with 6 DC Universe busts- Awesome!

Monogram international will also have a tree piece Incredible Hulk vinyl bank set, the set includes Green, Grey and Red versions of the Hulk. It is limited to only 200 pieces and can be picked up at booth #3645. Who doesn't want a RULK bank in their collection?


I can pretty much guarantee that there will be more exclusives news in the next couple of days. Time to take out a loan or sell a kidney. Anyone know what I can get for a slightly used kidney these days?

Enjoy your hunt!
#jointhehunt

Favorite Russian Superhero - Rocket Red

On a recent hunt at Special Edition- NYC I had Keith Giffin sign a copy of Justice League Europe #1. The Justice League Europe roster of heroes was an excellent mix of personalities which of
throughout the series led to comedy. One of the most interesting characters and my favorite
Russian was Rocket Red.

Rocket Red from the Justice League Europe run was Dmitri Pushkin who was Rocket Red #4. He formed a connection with Buddy Baker, Animal Man, during his time with the JLE. Dimitri was the only European on the team initially. He retired from the JLE for a many year before coming out of retirement and being killed in The Omac project. Rocket Red self-destructed in-order to save the other members of the old JLI. His last words to Booster Gold were "My wife and children, Michael ... tell them I love them." He came back as a Black Lantern during the Blackest Night story arc.

Along with appearing in comics Rocket Red was also on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon and had an action figure as a result.

If you are a fan of the greatest Russian hero go hunting for Rocket Red in the pages of Justice League Europe and also Captain Atom Annual #2 (1988), Booster Gold (vol. 2) #20 (July 2009), Blackest Night #3 (September 2009), Justice League: Generation Lost #4, 8, 21, 24 (2010), Justice League International (vol. 3) #1, 5, 7(2011) 

Good luck on your hunt comrades!
#jointhehunt

Sunday Salute to the Troops- World's Finest #8

Each Sunday we will look at an issue that in some way pays tribute to the troops. This week we look at the issue I personally think of when I imagine a comic book cover that was created to salute the troops- World's Finest #8.

Released on October 39, 1942, which was right smack  in the middle of World War II, this issue of World's Finest does contain a couple of stories that directly relates to the troops overseas and one fantastic cover that advised those of us who were still at home to buy War Bonds. The cover shows Batman, Superman and Robin inside a stand handing out war bonds to a group of boys.

If you haven't heard of war bonds before, War bonds are debt securities issued by the government to finance military operations and other expenditure during World War II and at other times of war. Basically the government is asking civilians to help finances of the war effort. During World War II
Bond rallies were held throughout the country with famous celebrities, and comic books were used to reach out to children to also play their part in helping our troops. A true sulfate to the troops. Over the course of the war 85 million Americans purchased bonds totalling approximately $185 billion.

DC comics played a large role in helping sell War Bonds, they used many of their most popular characters in the effort. The cover of World's Finest #8 is a prime example. 

If your ever on the hunt for this issue, which original sold for .15 on the newsstand, it will cost you based on recent sales between $400 and $600. 

The issue contains 11 separate stories. 1. Talent Unlimited (Superman) -- 2. Tanks For The Memory (Drafty) -- 3. The Magic Lantern (Zatara) -- 4. Private Pete -- 5. Stripesy, Solo Sleuth Inc. (Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy) -- 6. The Luck of the Lepparts (Boy Commandos) -- 7. The Unluckiest Man In The World (Green Arrow) -- 8. The Minuteman Answers the Call -- 9. Smoked Out -- 10. A Double For Trouble (The King) -- 11. Brothers In Law (Batman)

I includee an image of the first page of the Boy Commandoes story the Luck of Leeparts because it was done by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, two kings of the comics.

Good luck on your hunt.
#jointhehunt