Penguicon!

by David Willis on April 26, 2010 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog

There’s been a dearth of toy talk from me recently, but only because I gots no new toys to talk about!  It’s a very dead period for me, apparently.  There’s gonna be some new Transformers soon, right?  Some G.I. Joes?  Oh, lord, please, yes.

Just because I’m not gabbing about toys doesn’t mean I’m not keeping myself busy.  This weekend I’m going up to Troy, Michigan, for Penguicon.  Really, I’m just helping out Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary) and his wife at their table.  They’re Distinguished Guests at the convention, and so they both have panels they gotta be on, and thus need a dude to hold down the fort.  In exchange for helping them out, I get a corner to do my thing.

It’s been a while since Howard and I have tangoed, so I’m looking forward to it.  There’s the usual ice-breaking “your mom” joke, followed by the usual “my mother is already passed away” retort, followed by my usual awkward silence…

Why does Howard tolerate me again?

Also, I’ll get to see my favorite highway signage in all the land, Big Beaver Road, Exit 69.  Oh, how I’ve missed you.


└ Tags: , , , ,
12 Comments

Shortpacked! TNI #191

by David Willis on April 25, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Posted In: Blog

Witness the most hilarious packaging ever.


└ Tags: , , , , , ,
5 Comments

Joyce and Walky!

by David Willis on April 23, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Posted In: Blog

FTP for the old site still won’t let me in.  Grargh. So have Joyce and Walky! here again.


└ Tags: , , ,
5 Comments

Oh, FP, you wacky bastards.

by David Willis on April 22, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Posted In: Blog

So, woo!  The BotCon 2010 site is up!  It’s beautiful.

Funny story: This morning, folks found images of one of the BotCon 2010 set’s toys, Streetwise, on the BotCon.com server.  D’oh!  But then later in the day, a second image was found on the server, this time a badly photoshopped image of Universe Tankor as Clench.

And oh, some websites thought they had an awesome scoop!  And man, were people angry.  What a terrible choice for Clench!  And why doesn’t he have a new head?  BotCon is RUINED!

Of course, it was all a joke played by Fun Publications.  (At least, the second part.)  And about half an hour after the image was “leaked,” the BotCon.com site updated to reflect the theme of the year’s set, plus an awesome new Guido Guidi illustration of Spark and the real Clench toy.

The real Clench is apparently a redecoed Universe Onslaught with a new head.  Suitably large, since he’s Decepticon leader, and the little details we can spot in this illustration make him look super rad.  The blue on his legs sparkle, which is very important for Clench, and there’s his Tron-like circuit patterns on his abdomen.  Here’s hoping for his anti-wolf deco and his Texas license plate!

Streetwise Streetstar, the other reveal, is okay.  It’s cool that we’re getting a toy of an unreleased Generation 2 character, but I really wish the toy had more detail.  I mean, it’s super-accurate to the original toy, but the original toy was kinda dull, too.  He just needs some more color somewhere.  But hey, at least it reminds folks that G2 wasn’t all dayglo playskool neon.  And the tampograph on his windshield is awesome.


└ Tags: , , , , ,
4 Comments

Last Stand of the Wreckers #4

by David Willis on April 21, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Posted In: Blog

Once a month for five months, God finds time to bless our planet with his holy ejaculate.  This is month four, and so today the latest issue of Last Stand of the Wreckers is now splashed warmly across our faces.

Sure, the immediate highlight of the issue is a single panel (spoilers) that packs more fanwankery into itself than should be physically possible.  But something more subtle I’d like to bring up, nospoilery-like, is this: Transformers are robots.  They lose arms, they lose heads, they suffer all sorts of damage.  I’m kinda numb to the idea.  But, man, in Last Stand of the Wreckers, when physical damage happens, I wince.  It’s gross.  It looks painful.  It takes an emotional toll.

This is probably due to both the writing and the art.  I think of the characters as real beings, not only due to the strong characterization, but also in the way in which they are drawn.  They don’t look like a pile of boxes being maneuvered around by the artist like a marionette.  They’re singular entities.  And, man, if they get an ouchie, you can tell by the look on their faces.

I really like that.

And, man, Last Stand of the Wreckers really is an orgy of violence.  It’s crude and dark and terrible.  Many Transformers stories attempt this, but most feel hollow.   This does not.  That’s a feat in itself, above and beyond the easy geeky cameos.


└ Tags: , , ,
15 Comments