Take a look at what was in this month’s Comic Bento subscription box.
For more information on Comic Bento, click here.
To purchase these comics from Things from Another World, click the individual titles below:
Divinity TPB (Valiant)
The Life After Vol. 1 TPB (Oni Press)
Marvel Universe Ant-Man Digest TPB (Marvel)
Project Superpowers Vol. 1 TPB (Dynamite)
Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Vol. 1 TPB (Dynamite)
James Patterson’s Witch & Wizard: Battle Shadowland HC Graphic Novel (IDW)
This story should be called “Man Living in a Cave for 30 Years Takes Daughters to Target.” Or maybe “Man Projects Sexual Fantasy Onto Children.”
Fox 29 News in Philadelphia ran a remarkable story on 13 July 2015, entitled “Star Wars Action Figure Has Parents Furious.” A man shopping in the Deptford, Pennsylvania, Target store with his two daughters saw the Hasbro Black Series 6″ action figure for Princess Leia in her “slave” outfit—basically a bikini with a chain around her neck—from Return of the Jedi.
He told the news station, “That’s pretty inappropriate. I got two daughters I don’t need seeing that crap.” Other parents interviewed by the news station were also apparently “furious”:
Return of the Jedi itself was released in 1983 with a “PG” rating but heavily marketed to kids (Ewoks, anyone?) during the conservative Reagan 1980s. Yet there were no complaints at that time about Leia’s bikini on the real-life Carrie Fisher.
In the last thirty-two years, that “golden bikini” has become a pop culture force unto itself. Yes, to a large degree that force is adult male sexual fantasy. This was even exploited on the hit prime-time network television show Friends almost twenty years ago: “The One With The Princess Leia Fantasy,” which aired on 19 September 1996.
The parents who object to this toy—and according to Target this is the only complaint they have ever received since the action figure was released in 2013—are viewing the toy within this sexual framework. Young children, as I myself was when I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater in 1983, do not have this framework. Children see Princess Leia in that outfit within the context of the movie plot: she is a prisoner of a bad guy (Jabba the Hutt), who she eventually kills. The chain has a purpose in the movie—it is the hallmark of a prisoner, not sexual perversion.
To children, the golden bikini worn by Princess Leia is no more sexual than any of the bikinis worn by Barbie or other dolls of that ilk. It should be noted, however, that the bikini worn by the Leia action figure is permanently attached to her body. Unlike Barbie, Leia will never be naked.
Does Barbie’s ability to be rendered completely nude (albeit anatomically incorrect) have Target shoppers similarly “furious”? Or is it simply that Barbie does not turn them on as much as Princess Leia?
It’s hard to believe that the Secret War II crossover event began thirty years ago this month—in July 1985. This was the first big crossover event in Marvel history, with parts of the story spreading out over nearly all of Marvel’s titles. Some critics don’t review the story very positively, but as a child of the 1980s reading the story in the 1980s, I loved it. Even the Beyonder’s mullet.
Here is a checklist of all of the Secret War II tie-in issues.
Chronological:
July 1985:
New Mutants #30
Captain America #308
Uncanny X-Men #196
Iron Man #197
August 1985:
Web of Spider-Man #6
Amazing Spider-Man #268
Fantastic Four #282
September 1985:
Daredevil #223
Incredible Hulk #312
Avengers #260
October 1985:
Dazzler #40
Alpha Flight #28
Rom #72
Avengers #261
November 1985:
Thing #30
Doctor Strange #74
Fantastic Four #285
December 1985:
Cloak and Dagger #4
Power Pack #18
Micronauts #16
Thor #363
Power Man and Iron Fist #121
January 1986:
New Mutants #36
Amazing Spider-Man #273
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #111
Defenders #152
Uncanny X-Men #202
February 1986:
New Mutants #37
Amazing Spider-Man #274
Avengers #265
Uncanny X-Men #203
Fantastic Four #288
March 1986:
Avengers #266
Alphabetical:
Alpha Flight #28
Amazing Spider-Man #268
Amazing Spider-Man #273
Amazing Spider-Man #274
Avengers #260
Avengers #261
Avengers #265
Avengers #266
Captain America #308
Cloak and Dagger #4
Daredevil #223
Dazzler #40
Doctor Strange #74
Fantastic Four #282
Fantastic Four #285
Fantastic Four #288
Incredible Hulk #312
Iron Man #197
Micronauts #16
New Defenders #152
New Mutants #30
New Mutants #36
New Mutants #37
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #111
Power Man and Iron Fist #121
Power Pack #18
Rom #72
Thing #30
Thor #363
Uncanny X-Men #196
Uncanny X-Men #202
Uncanny X-Men #203
Web of Spider-Man #6
Entertainment Earth has announced two very cool new exclusive Funko ReAction 3-3/4 inch action figures in the Star Trek original series line: Beaming Capt. Kirk and Beaming Spock. These figures will be available in August 2015 and are currently available for pre-order using the links above or by clicking on the images below.
The ReAction toy line features on-card action figures resembling the popular figures of the 1970s and 1980s created for franchises like Star Wars, G. I. Joe, etc.
Funko is a pop culture licensed-focused toy company located in Everett, WA. Funko currently holds more than 150 licenses including, but not limited to; Lucas Films, Marvel, Hasbro, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, DC Comics, NBA, Sanrio, and Disney. Funko’s Pop! Vinyl is the number one stylized vinyl collectible in the world with over 10 million units sold in the last three years.
Bryan Singer should be a household name to fans of comic books and movies. The director of the critically acclaimed X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns, and X-Men: Days of Future Past movies is no stranger to comic book adaptations. Singer’s production company Bad Hat Harry also produced X-Men: First Class and The Wolverine, in addition to the television series House, M. D.
Bryan Singer’s first movie, 1995’s The Usual Suspects, may be his most renowned. Christopher McQuarrie won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and Kevin Spacey won the Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film. In addition to the official recognition, Suspects achieved an almost instant cult status due primarily to the main villain/anti-hero Spacey’s “Verbal” Kint/Keyser Soze. Little is actually revealed about Soze during the film: even his identity is only revealed in the last few minutes.
This will change in early 2016. Bad Hat Harry Productions and Red 5 Comics have announced a series of graphic novels focused on Keyser Soze. The first issue of Keyser Soze: Scorched Earth will recount how Soze builds his drug empire during the 1980s’ “War on Drugs,” nine years prior to the events of the film.
Some fun new comics this week! Check out what Mary and I picked up, including our $1 box back issues.
After the video, click on the links to purchase any of the new issues from Things from Another World, most at 10% off cover price!
(These are affiliate links. Clicking on these links will provide ClutterStuff with a small commission, but it does not affect your prices.)
New Issues
Archie vs. Sharknado #1 (Archie Comics)
Fight Club 2 #3 (Dark Horse Comics)
Future Imperfect #3 (Marvel)
Marvel Zombies #2 (Marvel)
Old Man Logan #3 (Marvel)
Weirdworld #1 (Marvel)
Weirdworld #2 (Marvel)
Back Issues
Dazzler #40 (1985, Marvel)
The Defenders #152 (1986, Marvel)
Deadpool vs. X-Force #4 (2014, Marvel)
Drunken Fist #10 (1989, Jademan Comics)
Check out what Mary and I picked up last week!
Read below the video for links to purchase these comics from Things from Another World, most for 10% off the cover price.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from Things from Another Planet using these links, I will receive a small commission. Your cost will not change.
New Comics Releases
21st Century Tank Girl #1 (Titan Comics)
21st Century Tank Girl #2 (Titan Comics)
Aliens vs. Zombies #1 [Cover C] (Zenescope)
Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders #1 (Marvel)
Korvac Saga #2 (Marvel)
Planet Hulk #3 (Marvel)
Secret Wars: Battleworld #3 (Marvel)
Back Issues
28 Days Later #1 – Cover C (2009, BOOM! Studios)
28 Days Later #2 – Cover B (2009, BOOM! Studios)
28 Days Later #3 – Cover B (2009, BOOM! Studios)
Avengers #343 (1992, Marvel)
Avengers #347 (1992, Marvel)
Avengers #348 (1992, Marvel)
Avengers #350 (1992, Marvel)
Avengers #357 (1992, Marvel)
Avengers West Coast #74 (1991, Marvel)
Avengers #6 (2013, Marvel)
Avengers #11 (2013, Marvel)
Funko Pop!
Lance Ulanoff recently wrote an “analysis” post on Mashable entitled, “Enough, already, with the superhero movies.” Mr. Ulanoff states that he “spent so much of [his] adolescence praying for superhero movies,” but feels that there are just too many on the schedule for the next few years.
To me, this piece highlights one of the biggest problems with the current popularity of superheroes and geek/nerd culture in general. Merging a decades-old subculture into mainstream American culture gives rise to criticism from outsiders who think they know. It is clear to me, from reading this article, that either Mr. Ulanoff is a newcomer to the comic book genre or is well older than the target audience for the upcoming movies. He quotes his 20-year-old son—much closer to this target audience—but again we don’t know whether his son is a true fan of the genre.
The post continues with what he calls “The Golden Age”: a history of superheroes on film and TV. Mr. Ulanoff’s praise of Adam West’s Batman and George Reeves’s Superman decries his age. Today’s superhero movies are not designed for 50-somethings, as Ulanoff must be given these references and his 20-year-old son. Of course many 50-something fanboys (“fanmen”?) love them, but one can’t expect everyone to do so.
According to Mr. Ulanoff, “TV flirted with superheroes in the mid 1970’s with The Greatest American Hero — but like the character, the show barely got off the ground.” He then launches into deserved recognition of 1978’s Superman franchise. In Mr. Ulanoff’s version of events, nothing else happened between the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise and the 1990s Batman series, then nothing else until Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002.
Um, what about TV’s Wonder Woman, airing 60 episodes from 1975 to 1979? Or The Incredible Hulk, a hit from 1978 to 1982 that inspired three made-for-TV movies in the late 1980s (of sadly and steeply decreasing quality)? What about Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, airing from 1993 to 1997? What about Smallville, which was a huge hit from 2001 to 2011? DC’s first attempt at The Flash didn’t last long in 1990, but it still existed.
Heck—if you count The Great American Hero, wouldn’t you also count The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman from the 1970s? The early 1990s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers certainly seem a lot like superheroes. How about Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the late 1990s? Alias? Dark Angel? Heroes?
The history of comic books on film is of course far more spotty: 1982’s Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven (and its campy 1989 sequel The Return of Swamp Thing), 1984’s The Toxic Avenger by Troma Entertainment (and its several sequels), 1989’s The Punisher with Dolph Lundgren, and 1995’s Tank Girl with Lori Petty did not have large blockbuster audiences but have achieved cult movie status over the years. (Personally I love Lundgren’s Punisher.) The Crow in 1994 was quite popular at the time, due in part to Brandon Lee’s tragic fate and in part to its alternative rock soundtrack, but has likewise developed a cult-like following in he decades since.
Roger Corman’s 1994 The Fantastic Four may be a paragon of bad movies, but it stands on many geeks’ shelves next to the equally awful 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. Mr. Ulanoff at least acknowledges the third and fourth installments of the ’90s Batman films, even though they were not so good.
The late 1990s also saw film adaptations of Todd MacFarlane’s Spawn and the beginning of a movie franchise featuring Wesley Snipes as Blade. The 1999 Ben Stiller comedy Mystery Men is very popular with the fanboy crowd. In 2000 Fox’s first X-Men movie may have been the first modern blockbuster superhero hit.
Again moving away from the comic book adaptations, other superhero movies include 1990’s Darkman and Robert Townsend’s 1993 The Meteor Man. M. Night Shyamalan’s 2000 Unbreakable is unquestionably a top-notch film.
So did Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man really start the superhero movie trend or, as Mr. Ulanoff asserts, “single-handedly reviv[e] the superhero movie”? If so, why was the trend of film studios buying up the movie rights to every comic book property the main plot of Kevin Smith’s 2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back?
No, what actually appears to be the case is that Mr. Ulanoff does not like comic books or comic book movies.
Mr. Ulanoff doesn’t understand how, year after year since the turn of the millennium, superhero movies have been among the top grossing films worldwide. The fans have clearly spoken—we want superhero movies, so studios are delivering. And if we stop going in record-breaking droves to see them, studios will stop making them. Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
Mr. Ulanoff doesn’t understand that comic book characters inhabit the same world and sometimes meet each other and form super-teams. It’s only natural for comic book movies to begin to display comic book tropes.
Mr. Ulanoff doesn’t understand that comic book readers collect their favorite titles for years, faithfully buying those new releases every month. With our beloved superheros now appearing in cinematic universes, we will faithfully sit in those theaters every single time. Will we always love every film? No. Will we watch them anyway? Probably.
Yes, there are many comic book-inspired movies currently in development for release over the next five years or so. Is it too many? Not for me. And not for many other comic book fans.
If Mr. Ulanoff doesn’t want to watch them, he doesn’t have to do so. If enough people agree with him, the movies will stop being made. But then, and only then, can anyone say there are too many superhero movies.
If you don’t read the Dinosaur Dracula blog, you are missing out! The author focuses on retro toys—usually the 1980s and 1990s (so he must be about my age or a few years younger). It is one of my favorite blogs. I get very nostalgic looking at some of his toy finds (at flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, etc.) and remembering when I had—or really, really wanted—those old toys.
Each month DinoDrac puts together a box of small vintage items—toys, trading cards, etc.—and snacks. It’s not a “surprise”/”mystery” box, because he tells us what is in it. Of course, you don’t have to read that particular post, and you can subscribe by setting up Paypal for an automatic monthly payment.
Anyway, here is the video of Mary and I unboxing the DinoDrac Fun Pack #12 for July 2015. We had a lot of fun, and it was a very cool package—especially trying to explain to her about some of those very lo-tech toys from the 1980s! This box will be at the top of my list of monthly purchases from here on out.
Follow the Dinosaur Dracula blog at http://dinosaurdracula.com/.
We here at ClutterStuff, like most of our readers, love cool T-shirts. We love the exclusive T-shirt designs that come in many of the subscription boxes we receive. The more unique the better.
Of course, the popularity of subscription boxes means that those shirts in Loot Crate and Nerd Block may be exclusive, but you might bump into someone else with the same shirt. Especially at a comic or sci-fi convention, where other subscribers might tend to congregate.
If you want truly unique T-shirts, how about a shirt that is only available in one store, for just 24 hours? At the end of the day, the shirt is retired forever? Believe it or not, there are actually a couple of online stores that offer exactly that.
RIPT Apparel offers three new designs every day, available from midnight to midnight, U. S. Central time. Designs may be available for an additional twelve hours the following day at a higher price. The designs can be printed on T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, posters, and coasters. Here are a couple recent favorites, but also take a look at the Graveyard for recently deceased designs. (Occasionally a design might rise from the dead for a limited time.)
Tee Fury offers two new T-shirt designs each day, from midnight to midnight, U. S. Eastern time. They also offer exclusive designs on posters, leggings, and shoes. Some old designs are brought back to life and available for sale at a higher price. Here are a few recent designs:
ShirtPunch offers four daily designs, from midnight to midnight, U. S. Eastern time. The designs can be printed on T-shirts, fitted shirts, pullover hoodies, or zippered hoodies. There is no way to see past or future designs, or purchase past designs. Here are a few recent designs saved at the time they were available. (FYI: They are also the driving force behind Nerd Block.)
Qwertee offers two daily designs from 11pm to 11pm GMT Greenwich Meantime (6pm US Eastern Time) or until they sell out. The previous day’s designs might be available on a “Last Chance” basis on the following day, at a slightly higher price. They allow you to vote on future designs so we have a voice in the process. You can also vote to “bring back” past designs. They also have a lot of giveaways—chances to win free T-shirts for supporters. They are based in the UK, but ship to many countries, including the United States. Here are a few recent designs:
TeeTee is based in Italy, but they ship worldwide. They offer a new T-shirt design every day for 24 hours, from midnight to midnight in Italy (or 6pm U. S. Eastern). Designs are selected by users voting for those that they like the best. Designs can be purchased on the following day (as an “Overtime Tee“) for a slightly higher price. After a design expires, it goes to the “Sanctuary.” Here are some recent designs:
teeVillain offers a new design every 24 hours, from midnight to midnight U. S. Eastern time. The designs are fun and a bit “macabre.” They print to T-shirts, tank tops, stickers, and limited edition prints. Some designs are available in some formats for a longer (but unpredictable) period of time in the siniStore. You can visit past designs in the Gallery. Here a few recent designs:
ClutterStuff 