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2010 Philadelphia Comic Con
6-16-2010Philadelphia Comic Con)
Philly Comic Con 2010 It took a little longer than I thought to write this update for Friday at the 2010 Philadelphia Comic Con so hopefully you followed us on Twitter where we did have some live posts from the floor and the Big Toy Panel. The ConventionFormerly known as Wizard World Philadelphia, the newly named Philadelphia Comic Con celebrated it's 10th anniversary this year with a large guest list, plenty of artists and lots of merchandise for sale. This year's show had one of the larger guest lists that we've seen. Well represented were the Star Trek franchise (Sir Patrick Stewart!), Buffy the Vampire Slayer and professional wrestling. Both Adam West and Julie Newmar, and the Batmobile, were big draws for Batman fans while horror and B-movie fans could look forward to Bruce Campbell. Sci-fi fans could speak with Linda Hamilton, Jake Busey and Ernie Hudson. Artist Alley was full of a diverse group of known artists and up-and-comers. My travelling buddy, Joe K., picked up three sketches for his book and all of them looked fantastic. If you go to a show like Comic Con, or any of the other conventions around the country, make sure to stop in Artist Alley because the enthusiasm of the artists is always on high. )
Comics The vendor floor had a decent mix of toys and comics while several booths had higher end busts and statues. The comic selection was decent with prices ranging from $1 all the way up to multiple hundreds for high graded vintage books. I made a killing in the dollar bins, crossing off large swaths of back issues from several runs. The toy sellers were not much of a draw for us this year but we did look through several booths that had prices ranging from affordable to head-scratching heights. Zenescope Entertainment, Avatar Press and GeekChicDaily.com were on site but overall there was a lack of big press. No Marvel, DC, Aspen or Dark Horse in attendance this year. Even the Wizard booth wasn't located where it was indicated on the map, and I never did find it. Big Toy PanelThis year I made it a priority to attend the Big Toy Industry Panel which was moderated by Justin Aclin. In attendance were Georg Brewer of DC Direct, Jeremy Padawer from JAKKS Pacific, Scott Neitlich of Mattel, Eric Treadaway of Four Horsemen Studios, Geoff Beckett of Shocker Toys and Robert Tonner of Tonner Doll.
All six guests of the panel debuted photos of upcoming product, some we'd seen before and some new. After reading the recap, make sure to check out the slideshows linked at the top for a look at some key slides presented during the panel. Mattel)
Chief Carnivus One of the highlights for those in attendance was a first look at Mattel's September Masters of the Universe release, Chief Carnivus. Mattel also has an oversized Gygor for September, a second weapon pack (titled Great Wars) in October, and King Grayskull (redeco) and an Army Builder 2-pack in November. Mattel will have more previews at San Diego Comic-Con along with subscriptions for the 2011 Club Eternia. Mattel will have 12 monthly figures for 2011, four quarterly a-list variants, oversized beasts and army builder packs and a subscription figure. Both Battle Cat and Trap Jaw will be reissued, Mattel will issue more stands and Ghostbusters toys will be at Toys-R-Us this Fall. One of the big questions during the panel related to Mattel's MattyCollector.com website and its availability during the monthly sales. According to Scott Neitlich, Mattel is committed to improving the site but the downtime is indicative of how popular their lines are. One thing that should help, Mattel will be offering a subscription for Ghostbusters figures in the near future. JAKKS PacificJAKKS Pacific showed off new UFC figures and had some info on a new line of toys and a cartoon called Monsuno. While JAAKS no longer has the WWE license, they do have TNA and showed off a new wrestling ring called the Hulkamania Ring. New action figures include Velvet Sky, Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan and Shark Boy, along with fan favorites Sting and Kevin Nash. Tonner DollRobert Tonner spoke about how his company helped to create a new crossover market for fans of both toys and high end collectible dolls. Because of that niche market, it's allowed his company to go after licenses for films and television that may already have deals with other companies both in the action figure and bust/statue arenas. Part of his slideshow presentation included photos of dolls from new licenses such as "Firefly," and "Dr. Who," along with Jonah Hex and Lord of the Rings. DC DirectDC continues to release action figures and statues that represent some of the most loved superheroes in the comic industry. Shown off Friday were new busts representing characters from the recent Blackest Night storyline, new statues in the Ame-Comi Heroine Series, two series of Batman Arkham Asylum figures and an All-Star Superman set which includes Superman and Bizarro Superman. ToyFare AwardsThis year's ToyFare Awards took place right after the Big Toy Panel. This year's inductees included Robert Tonner, Jeremy Padawer and Georg Brewer along with the Masters of the Universe which was the new toy line inducted. Each of the award winners spoke briefly about their history in the industry and thanked ToyFare and the fans for inducting them and supporting the companies that each work for. Scott Neitlich, representing Mattel and the MotU line, gave credit to the original team members at Mattel who were responsible for creating the toy line and the cartoon and how the popularity of the franchise today started with the fun and creativity that they instilled in the line. People)
Garrison Carida The crowd at this year's Comic Con seemed energetic about meeting the guests and buying, I saw a lot of people walking around with bags and backpacks full of comics and toys. There were some fans in costume but maybe not as many as in previous years, at least not on Friday. Garrison Carida was trooping all day and not only was Darth Vader in attendance, but there was also a decent selection of Troopers and fringe characters like Tuskens and Jawas. There was also an excellent Jango Fett and Darth Revan. Wrap-up)
Shopping I enjoyed Friday at Philadelphia Comic Con. I was interested in buying back issues of comics and attending the two toy related panels, both of which were fun and interesting. Artists Alley was well attended and anyone interested in a sketch had plenty of talented people to chose from. The guest list was diverse and fans of Star Trek really had an exciting line-up to visit. The most noticeable thing about Comic Con was what wasn't there, the large press. Without Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and even Aspen, or their representatives, it's hard to have a really successful comic convention. The diverse nature of these types shows nowadays helps Wizard to have a fun con, but without those comic creators there is a different vibe to the show. Whatever the reasons are behind the non-attendance of the big houses, I hope that Wizard can work it out so they come back in future years. Make no mistake, I want there to be future years of Philadelphia Comic Con. I've attended all 10 years of the show and while this may not have been the best year, it was far from the worst. The show program has dates listed for 2011 (June 10-13) and I hope for good things next year.
6-11-2010Comic Con
Today is the first day of the 2010 Philadelphia Comic Con at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. This is the 10th anniversary of Comic Con and the guest list is pretty impressive. From Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, Linda Hamilton and Adam West to James Marsters, Avery Brooks and Walter Koenig, this is one of the best lineups of guests I think we've seen. For wrestling fans, there will also be plenty of former WWE superstars in the house. Comic writers and artists will also be a huge draw, both at the various company booths and in Artists Alley. Shopping is always a huge draw of any comic con and Philly will be no different. There are over 400 dealers scheduled to be on the floor selling everything from comics to toys to busts and statues. The two big events we hope to cover today are the Big Toy Industry Panel and The ToyFare Awards. This years inductees to the ToyFare Hall of Fame are Georg Brewer of DC Direct, Jeremy Padawer of JAKKS Pacific, Inc., and Robert Tonner of Tonner Dolls, Inc. This years toy line is Masters of the Universe and will be represented by Scott Neitlich of Mattel. We should have live photos from the floor and updates both throughout the day and tomorrow after we have a chance to process more of our photos. For the latest info, please check us out on Twitter with the userid ImpHolocron. |
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