The G.I. Joe section at my Wal-Mart sure seems crowded lately. All I want to do is go to my local Wal-mart/TRU/Target and pick up the newest GI Joe figures, but I can’t. I’m sure my readers know why. There’s no room for anything new. All the first run movie toys are still fermenting away on the pegs like house guests that didn’t get the hint that it’s time to go.
The recent news from DC editorial is that Blackest Night will never end. I don’t know if you've seen this yet, but apparently this January, the main horde of Blackest Night books and their tie-ins will be taking a break. You know, because they’ve been working hard all year now, they need the rest. But don’t worry readers, because your wallet won't have to go unused. Instead of shipping the core titles and tie-ins, DC is going to resurrect a bunch of cancelled books. That’s right, no book is safe. If you stopped buying Weird Western Tales in 1977 with a complete run, then you better pick up that upcoming Previews. Not only will you not have a complete run if you don’t order it, but you’ll also never get to see how both sides of Jonah Hex’s face will match.
Some of the bigger news popping up from the 2009 Dallas Toy Fair, you know, the one not meant for us to see, is the announcement that Playmates is going to continue and expand the Star Trek license. For those who hadn’t seen the news yet, here is the press release:
So Webstor is here, and Noisy will have his review up soon, but I wanted to comment on a disturbing trend I’ve noticed in the last few MOTUCs. One of the benefits of having friends that like similar things is that you can split the cost of shipping. It also works out for the site. If one of us gets a figure that didn’t fare too well on the factory floor, maybe it was badly painted, or maybe it somehow broke in the box, or in shipping, then we have a couple other versions of that figure to choose from for the review. It’s a pretty good arrangement, at least until everyone gets a figure with problems.
Over the last few years, the LEGO company has released something very cool for Christmas: a Lego Advent Calendar. Usually, the tradition is to do a “City” theme, but last year they decided to throw caution to the wind and give us the first ever “Castle” themed calendar. The awesome didn’t stop there either. By that point in production, LEGO was taking their Castle theme further than ever before. They were making it more fantasy based, somewhat reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. With the new Castle theme chock full of knights, dwarves, skeleton warriors, and trolls, this new Advent Calendar would be one of the coolest Lego had ever released.
And then, the awesome hit a snag.
Since its Joe week here, I’ve got three Joe mini-rants to share...
1. I get that kids enjoy firing missile launchers, but can we make them a little more sensical? There are a couple of good ones like the Ice Viper’s (best one ever) or Sgt. Stone’s which looks like a remote control missile launcher. But then there are strange ones that make no sense at all. A missile launcher you hold with one hand like a revolver? I’m sure that wouldn’t rip your arm off. Or how about Helix’s absurd satellite dish missile. Is that for when you need great reception, only way over there? Then there’s the Para-Viper’s strange helicopter-thing that he can’t hold onto correctly without being cut to ribbons. Hope Cobra has a good health plan. Don’t even get me started on the suction cup that Duke can hang from. What kid hasn’t wished for one of those?
We’re going to do something a little different today. Usually, I write my articles about something that frustrates, annoys, or upsets me. Since a lot of things in this world fit into those three categories, I’m never without something to talk about. But, every great once in a while, something happens in life and I don’t quite know how to react. This is one of those times...
Last Friday, the ItsAllTrue Crew headed up to Kansas City for the 2009 G.I. Joe Convention. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Even I had a pretty good time, except for one thing: the parachute drop.
