Funko Pop Comikaze Exclusive Peter Parker Vinyl

I remember seeing this cover as kid and ever since then I have been fascinated by Peter Parker unmasked as Spider-Man. Some of my favorite Spider-Man stories have Spidey unmasked for one reason or another. Like when Parker caught a 24 hour flu in Amazing Spider-Man #12 and lost all his strength. He went to fight Dr. Octopus anyway because he had kidnapped Betty Brant and Peter felt like he had to save her. Because of the flu, Parker was over whelmed and unmasked. Luckily, Doc Ock thought that Parker was masquerading as Spider-Man and threw him aside.

Or probably the most famous Spider-Man unmasking, which occured in issue #39. That is the issue when the Green Goblin discovers Spider-man's true identity, with the help of a gas that dulled Spider-Man's spider sense. He didn't know he was being followed after a fight with some crooks on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, where one of the crooks, who was hired by the Goblin, threw the gas at Spider-Man. Afterward, Goblin followed Spidey and saw him change back into Peter Parker and followed him to his house. After a fight on Parker's lawn, he was subdued, roped up and dragged away by the Goblin. Also in this issue, we discover that the Goblin is Norman Osborne. (SPOILER ALERT!)

Now, ever since I found out that Funko was releasing a Unmasked Spider-Man POP Vinyl, I knew I had to have one. The fact that it was a Comikaze exclusive and that Comikaze was taking place in Los Angeles and I'm a New Yorker was irrelevant to me.I was either going to get this on eBay or I would fly out to the con and get one myself, which is just what I did.

Only the Hot Topic booth was selling this figure, a fact that I didn't know until I was at the con for about an hour and after going to booth after booth looking for one. Lucky for me, one of the dealers told me where to find one.

The first thing is the packaging. One of the things I love about the boxes is the drawing of the figure you're getting on the bottom left. The drawing on this one is very well done as usual. The coloring pops off the package. We also have the usual clear cellophane that shows off the figure as well as the number on the top and the name of the figure on the bottom.

There's the sticker that proclaims this as a Comikaze exclusive. I've said it once and I'll say it again, management needs to think of a better logo than that octopus.

As usual, the back of the box shows off the other POP's in this line. Now, if I wasn't just strictly collecting Batman and Spider-Man, I might grab that Ghost Rider POP because it looks awesome. I also like the Dr. Doom and Silver Surfer. I know that Deadpool POP is going to be a popular one as well.

Now, as much as I like the sculpting on this figure, what jumps at me right away is the paint job. The black on his boots are all over the place. I love that he is looks like he is about to spin a web and Parker has been de-masked,  but that paint job on the boots just irritates me.

The back of the figure doesn't get any better. There are white spots galore on his left hip and left shoulder area. And the boots are pretty funk-a-fied on the back as well. Unlike myself, there is not a spot of white on Parker's hair. As if being Spider-Man isn't enough for me to be jealous of Parker.

One thing I remember, there was a dispute if POP made any bobbleheads and sure enough, this one is a bobblehead. I also see that Parker has been branded. I need to find out what that marking on the bottom of his foot his. I am not sure if any of my other POP's have a number on the bottom of their feet. Again, the boots are a complete mess. It looks like Spidey has been hanging out in the mud pits over at Lallapalooza instead of fighting crime.

Overall, this is could have been a fantastic figure had it not been for the paint job on it. Somewhere, a painter is getting destroyed by his boss so bad that he is shrinking into his beret and rightfully so. There is no excuse for a company to have released a figure so badly painted as this one was. I just hope that anyone else who managed to pick one of these up has a better painted figure than the one I got. I'm still going to display this next to my regular Spider-Man POP, but man, it should have been painted better.

I'm pretty sure you guys are getting tired of reading POP reviews and I promise this one will be the last review for a bit. I can't promise you how long because I am addicted to these little guys. They're inexpensive and look great displayed. Plus, there are others I will be picking up, but in the meantime, I will be reviewing other stuff and discussing other topics for the foreseeable future. But, I dare you to try walking past these at Barnes N Noble, Toys R Us or any other of your fine retail stores. They are like Lays potato chips. Once you get one, you just can't stop. I dare you to try.

Funko POP Blackest Night Batman

I've been without internet for a week and in that time I have been going through blogging withdrawal. Thankfully, I have my internet back and I can get back to what I love to do and it's not watching dogs talk on YouTube (although that is also pretty cool).

So, since I've been back home, I have yet to review the goodies I was able to score while I was in California. So today, I will start off with the Funko Pop Vinyl Blackest Night Batman I picked up from Hot Topic in West Covina while hanging out with my girlfriend and her daughter.

Wow, isn't he the ugliest thing?

In case you guys haven't read the Blackest Night arch, Batman  "died" in Final Crisis. In Blackest Night, the villain Black Hand is seen digging up Bruce Wayne's body, stealing his skull, and recruiting it into the Black Lantern Corps. The skull was briefly reanimated as a Black Lantern, reconstructing a body in the process by Black Hand's lord, Nekron, to move against the Justice League and the Titans. After the Black Lantern Batman created several black power rings to attach to and kill the majority of the Justice League, the skull was returned to normal after Nekron explained it served its purpose as an emotional tether. 

When I originally bought the figure, I thought this was a Hot Topic exclusive, but none of these POP's I have seen has the sticker indicating that it is. However, I haven't seen this figure anywhere else, so it could be exclusive to the store. 

The back of the box shows off the rest of the POP figures in this run. I have seen the Harley Quinn POP's and I may grab one as it would look pretty cool next to my Joker POP on the shelf. I am also considering the Nightwing POP. 

Here's an up close shot of the figure loose. The sculpt on this figure is awesome. It looks like it flew off the page of the trade paperback. The paint job on this is very impressive. You can see the zombie marks on his face, but what really freaks me out is his teeth. He obviously takes care of his teeth. This is one pissed off Batman. Then again, when isn't he pissed about something? This is the same look I have when I find out someone drank my Blue Moon and ate my Double Stuffed Oreos.

The back of Batman shows off his spots. I'm assuming that his cape zombified as well and that he isn't a dalmatian. Maybe his arch villain is Cruela DeVille. Ok, that was corny. 

I have been picking up quite a few POP's lately and my collection is building. I can see myself picking up more POP Vinyls and expanding the collection. I have seen a few POP forums and when displayed, POP's are pretty sweet on a shelf. I still have one more POP to review and I'll do that in my next post.

As cool as this POP is, if I start having nightmares, this thing is history.

League Of Extraordinary Bloggers: Hake's Auction #210, Pick Your Goodies!

Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy, do I love to shop. Especially if said shopping spree is to add more pop culture goodness to the House Of Swag. Batman, Spider-Man, Comic Books, Beatles, Vintage Marvel or DC, Superman, Luke Skywalker, Star Wars, Hulk. It doesn't matter. If I like it, I want it.

This week's League assignment is for us bloggers to look through the current Hake's Americana & Collectibles Auction #210 catalog. Now, imaging you won the lottery and bought Tony Stark's mansion, what would you buy to hook up the man cave?

Hmmmm...

So, what I decided to do was to limit my spending spree to 5 items. Setting a limit will help me to decide what I really want, as opposed to buying up everything I see. Although Hake's might not mind that, I love hunting for new additions to my collection, so I would want to have something to hunt for and the money to spend it on.

Plus, I'm sure you guys don't want to read the ramblings of a mad man any longer than you have to.

Wait a minute..

1-Mego 12.25 Batman Magnetic Variant Boxed Action Figure

There are two things I know I will never pass up without either picking it up or drooling over it and that's Batman and Mego. This magnetic Batman figure has been on my wish list for a while and the thought of owning a boxed version is enough to make me get my credit card out faster than a disgruntled Batman fan go on line to complain about Ben Affleck playing the Caped Crusader. I'm assuming Burbank Toys is a toy store that is no longer in business which makes the thought of owning this piece even more appealing to me.

2-Green Hornet Metal Lunch Box With Thermos

I love the Green Hornet. I have been a fan of the T.V. series for a while now and have wanted to start a Green Hornet collection for a while, especially after meeting Van Williams this past spring. Picking up this lunch box with some brilliant art showing Williams and Bruce Lee kicking some thug butt would be a great way to start my Green Hornet collection.

3-Superman Krypto-Raygun Boxed Daisy Set

If there is one thing I really love, it's vintage toys and brother, this one fits the bill. Check out the awesome box art. To me, Superman is one of those superheroes who looked awesome the way he was drawn back in the 40's and 50's. The box beautifully captures Superman the way he was presented back in 1940. Sure the box shows wear, but to me that's part of the charm of it. I'm not sure I would open the box to take out the ray gun for fear of breaking the box. Either way, this would look fantastic on my shelf and would be the centerpiece of my growing Superman collection.

4-Ideal Bat Cave

Another piece of Bat memorabilia that causes strange stirrings in my utility belt. Released during the height of Bat-mania in 1966, this playset doubled as a carrying case for your Ideal action figures. This particular set comes with Batman, Robin and the Batmobile

This would look pretty sweet displayed in the cave among my vintage Batman merchandise. I have seen this piece go for hundreds, but hey, I'm rich now. I can afford it.

5-Rawhide Linen Mounted 3 Sheet Movie Poster

Ok, the New York Yankees fanatic in me cannot pass up the chance to own this movie poster. Why would a baseball fan want a movie poster of a western picture? Because it's the only movie that Yankee great Lou Gehrig ever appeared in. I've never seen the complete movie, just bits and pieces here and there. In the movie, Gehrig gives up baseball for the peace and quiet of the west as he visits his sister in Rawhide, MT. Once there, he encounters a group of thugs who run a protection racket through fear and violence. He teams up with an attorney to fight the bad guys. From the bits I have seen, the movie doesn't look as good as Pride Of The Yankees, but if I can ever find a complete copy of the movie, I'll watch it. This movie poster would be a very unique item to have hanging up on my wall right next to my Yankees collection.

The five items I picked would be welcome additions to the man cave and would certainly be centerpieces in their respective collections. They each represent my favorites and I would absolutely kill to own them. OK, maybe not kill. How about tickle until your sides hurt to own them? Yeah, that will do just fine. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to own at least one of the items I picked. They would definitely be going to a great home.

Check out the auction here: http://www.hakes.com/default.asp

Check out what pieces my fellow League members are drooling over:

http://jathniel-velazquez.squarespace.com/journal/11/5/2013/l4akaqa9xyxdql2zjgdm2tyjbl3pvl

http://www.ditreasures.blogspot.com/2013/11/fantasy-shopping-frenzy.html?m=1

http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2013/11/league-post-hakes-auction-210.html

http://coolandcollected.com/revving-up-for-hakes-latest-auction/

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo

About a week ago, I went back to visit my girlfriend who lives in Los Angeles County. It was a trip I was looking forward to because I missed her terribly and I wanted to spend a lot of time with her and her awesome daughter, Mariah. While I was there, I got to meet her family and go Trick or Treating with them, went to see the Last Vegas (very funny movie), watched the Jets game in a Raiders bar, eat like a pig and, oh yeah, attend Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo.

The Expo was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is right across the street from the Staples Center. I think this was the first Comikaze Expo and I have to tell you, I really enjoyed myself at the show. There was everything you could imagine at this convention. Toys, comics, apparel, artists, actors, musicians, wrestlers, cos players, movie props, games, memorabilia and yes, Stan Lee was there, although the closest I got to Stan The Man was when he took the stage to say hi and I was very far back  and couldn't get a good picture of him.

Why yes, I did take pictures while I was there. Want to see?

I am curious as to why an Octopus was included in the logo for the Expo.

That's Mariah looking at me like, what are you doing?

We arrived around 11 am Saturday morning and the place was packed.

There were some Hollywood cars making appearances.

And I managed to squeeze a pic of me in front of my two favorites

My Marla Hooch shot

R2-D2 was there as well. I asked him for an autograph and he just screamed at me. Arrogant droid.

Actually, some guy made a couple R2's and had them running around the Expo floor. He did a great job on them. Loos like the authentic droid from the movie.

The last thing I saw before passing out from being choked.

While walking around, I passed by a certain Dark Knight who was admiring the swag I was wearing. After arguing who was the real Batman (I'm Batman), we called a truce and posed for a picture.

Marvel Studios had some displays up at the Expo

You know, Chitari's look so much shorter in The Avengers.

Watching this artist create this piece was awesome. Makes me wish I had talent like this. I'd exploit it.

Mattel had some figures on display in it's booth.

Ghostbusters

DC

I'm not sure about these bears. But, if it's Batman, I will usually pick it up.

I lied. This was the closest I got to Stan Lee while I was there.

Rob...Van...Dam!

Weird Al Yankovic

Lou Ferigno was there as well and I was dying to meet him, but I really didn't want to pay the $40.00 he was charging. I am regretting it now. I hope to rectify that mistake one day.

An artist made these figures and had them on display. If you said the Spider-Man was my favorite, you would actually be wrong.

This Gene Simmons was my favorite. God Of Thunder and Rock N Rolllll!

I managed to take some pictures with a couple of displays

I managed to make it out of Comikaze with a couple of goodies

The Batman Bendie figure and the Detective Comics Batman Sketch done by Ivan Fuentes were gifts from my girlfriend. I picked up the Funko Pop Peter Parker Comikaze Exclusive. The 1966 Batman t-shirt was picked up at Target and the Batman watch was grabbed at Journey's, also gifts from my girlfriend. I grabbed the Funko Pop Blackest Night Batman Hot Topic Exclusive. I will do reviews on most of the goodies you see in the pictures.

When I left Comikaze, I came away with a couple of more important things. One, I really need to lose some weight. two, and most important was I was able to take my girlfriend's daughter to her very first comic con and she loved every minute of it.

We saw an adorable little girl dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Mariah had to take a picture with her. I got to spend a lot of time with Mariah on this trip and I discovered that she is such an intelligent young woman who I loved being around. I am just so glad I was able to take her to her first, and hopefully not her last comic con.

That smile is worth more to me than anything I could have bought at the Expo. It's a smile that says she will be back. I think I may have started her on the road to true geekdom. YES!

Plus, I got to go home with these two beautiful ladies