One company, Two Characters, Three Cool Announcements!

California-Based Sideshow Collectibles, Inc. has recently announced three new projects based on two of your favorite Star Wars characters!

Sideshow was formed in 1993 as a designer toy and collectible studio under the name Sideshow Productions. At that time, it was a motion picture prop and special effect firm. In 1994, the company shifted it's focus exclusively to the collectibles market. The company typically produces licensed products from movies, television, animation, and comics.

In collaboration with Medicom Toys, Sideshow has recently released a stylized C-3PO vinyl toy. Approximately 8" in height, the toy has 11 points of articulation. While it was designed to fit in with some of Medicom's previous Star Wars releases. Here's the rub, to get the toy to have C-3PO's distinguishable golden shine the company had to made this 'vinyl toy' out of...plastic!

Now, 8" is certainly nice...but how about 66"!? Sideshow announced today they would also be accepting pre-orders for two other special releases: A life size C-3PO and R2-D2!

Made of fiberglass and other quality materials, these robots feature both light and sound functionality for that extra level of robot realism!

Unfortunately, the robot celebrities do not walk around. But here's hoping that they give you some relationship advice after your wife leaves you for dropping over $5,000 each on two robot statues to decorate your living room.

Season 2 of The Boondocks

For those of you unfamiliar with 'The Boondocks', it is a widely popular animated television series created for the Adult Swim block on the Cartoon Network. Created by Aaron McGruder, and based off his successful web-comic of the same name, this satirical cartoon has definitely reached a certain level of fame.

The show bases itself off the Freeman family, including Huey, Riley and Robert - the first two being 10 years and 8 years respectively, and the third being their ultra-active grandfather - a black family in an upper-class white neighborhood. Hilarity ensues!

The show itself has come under fire numerous times from it's liberal use of a certain 'N' word in all it's forms, however despite the criticism the show has earned numerous positive reviews from critics!

Personally I think Uncle Ruckus - a black white-supremacist - to be absolutely priceless in terms of comedic value. Look for the second season of this show to be out on shelves on June 10th this year! Also keep an eye out, cause in this DVD set, you will also get 2 never-before-aired episodes!

It's on my list - what about yours?

Hong Kong's Ultraman presents: Ultraking!

Hong Kong designer Ultraman has been working in collaboration with Play Imaginative to present us with his newest toy: Ultraking.

This stylish primate is dressed to the 9s with his studded leather jacket, shades, pompadour and pinky rings. He reeks of bananas and cool.

Either he's replicating Nelly's late 90's style, or Ultraking has been in a recent brawl. He sports a (stylish?) double bandage on the right cheek. While it's unconfirmed, this writer believes the wound may have happened during a recent battle with his lifelong enemy: Megatron.

...or maybe not.

Still, while it's only in the prototype stage, it's looking to be one of the Goliath!? favorites for 2008!

Oxford Comma

In an effort to maximize literary relevance, Goliath!? has the following announcement:

Effective immediately, Goliath!? will no longer use the Oxford comma in any writings. This decision was made in an effort to become consistent with popular western literary style guides.

Contrary to popular rumors, the forward-thinking folk at Goliath!? will continue to use double punctuation indefinitely..

Slo-Bots!

If there is one not-so-secret passion that your friendly Goliath!? staffer has besides alternative party snack foods, it would likely be robots. (really?)

In the epic battle of pirates vs. ninjas, robots would win.

So naturally, we got rather excited in finding Mike Heisler's Slo-Bots on the interweb today. Heisler builds many of these custom constructs using salvaged parts from other vinyl toys like Munnys, Qees, and even Mighty Muggs!

Heisler is quite the talented artist, and I look forward to seeing his future creations. His popularity is certainly growing: upon writing, he had 1078 Myspace friends!

Afterburn

Tobey Maguire of Spider-man fame will have a shot at producing (through Maguire Entertainment) the movie adaptation of Red 5 Comics' 'Afterburn' title. Niel Moritz from Original Films will also be teaming up with Tobey for this one.

Here's the kicker:

This title's first book hit the shops in January this year! But if any comic book were to sound like a wicked movie, this would be it! Treasure Hunters in a post-apocalyptic earth setting, scouring the eastern hemisphere (which is nice and crispy because of a massive solar flare) for relics like the crown jewels, etc., all the while competing against rival treasure hunters, pirates, radiated mutants, and other obstacles.


Honestly, how cool is that? The answer, by the way, is pretty-freakin'-cool.

Red 5 Comics is actually brought to us by ComingSoon.net, and SuperheroHype.com, both of which I frequent. The company was created by Paul Ens (former director of Lucasfilm's StarWars.com, and of Lucas Online) and Scott Chitwood (co-founder of TheForce.net and contributor to ComingSoon.net and SuperheroHype.com.)

The company itself is based in good old Alberta, Canada, in the fine city of Calgary.

You also might recognize the label for another little comic called Atomic Robo - also very popular!

This book is officially on my to-read list!

Guys and Dolls: An Ugly Remake

While many may view them as nothing more than pillows with personality, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim's Uglydolls are a force to be reckoned with.

Released in 2002, the cute yet ugly plush toys have taken the world by storm. Seen in movies to music videos, the toys have built up a solid foundation of loyal followers.

For some, common sense might dictate that the dolls' collectors would be predominantly female, or 50/50 at best. An interesting article posted in the New York Times contends that statement, though.

The New York Times' Donald McNeal Jr. takes some time to write in depth about his young son's obsession with the toys, branching out to what he sees as a wide fan-base of boys. He paints a great picture, and it's certainly worth the 5-minute read.

Stan Lee: New York Comic Legend

Stan "The Man" Lee, father of the Marvel Universe of comic books, co-creator of some of the most memorable characters in comic book history, will be receiving the first ever New York Comic Legends Award according to the New York Comic Con.

The Award was created by the New York Comic Con as a form of appreciation for the greatest people to influence the comic book industry who hail from the Big Apple. The award will be handed to Mr. Marvel himself at the Virgin Megastore on Times Square at a special VIP party. A limited amount of tickets for entry will be made available and can be found via the New York Comic Con website on March 28th.

It's quite obvious to see why Mr. Lee deserves this award. Even non-comic book fans know who Stan Lee is! His work to light a fire in the comic book industry will never be forgotten. For decades in the past and for decades in the future, Stan's character driven stories will live on. Perhaps you know some of them. There's that spider guy, those mutants, that huge green fellow, and even that lovable family of heroes.

If you want to read more about Stan's life, you can do so here!

Indy's got that whole Nazi problem covered!

I'm sure everyone must tip their hats at the mere mention of the world's greatest hero - Indiana Jones! I've even heard they're making a movie about him! Or something like that...

But this just in! Literally on the heels of this dramatic new release of the Indy franchise, comes a new comic book series to be released by Dark Horse Comics! Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1 is set to be released on June 29, 2008, written by Rob Williams and penciled by Steve Scott.

The story itself will find earth's most awesome professor duking it out once again to hinder the Nazi regime's plan to capture and exploit the ancient powers of the world! I don't know about anybody else, but I really can't wait to read every last whip-cracking page of this new series!

Indiana Jones > Han Solo.

Any day. Bring it.

The US Credit Crunch may claim another victim...

It's been hard to miss in the news. Nearly every newspaper, blog, newscast, and magazine has covered it at one point or another: the US credit crunch.

While economists are still unsure if the market is in full recession mode or not, anyone living in North America (if not many parts of the world) have dealt with the repercussions of the credit problems the US has been facing.

In order to grow the business (or stay afloat) many companies use borrowed funds (or leverage) to meet their financial needs. Borders is no exception. The company has been on the forefront of the manga movement in book stores, offering one of the most diverse selections of graphic novels in store in relation to it's peers.

Borders (NYSE:BGP) realized a nearly 29% loss in share price today upon announcing that it would be suspending it's dividend and would be looking for alternative financing options. Borders CEO George Jones noted that "the current credit environment has made many of these alternatives prohibitively expensive or entirely unavailable."

Investors can expect an announcement within the next two weeks if Borders can find successful financing.

There is a Canadian twist: rumor has it that Canadian retailer Indigo Books (TSE:IDG) may be interested in purchasing the floundering company. While this is only speculation at the moment, it could be a great opportunity for the Canadian bookseller to expand into the US markets.

Comics are the Work of the Devil!

Perhaps comparing comic books to Hitler would make us laugh in this day and age, but a half-decade ago millions of people were taking it very seriously. Frank Werthham wrote in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent that comic books bred juvenile delinquency. This book set into action a chain of events that led to many American children being forced to throw their beloved comic books into church-held community bonfires.

Shortly after World War 2, comic books were a hit. The comics industry employed over 1000 writers and artists, and an estimated 80 to 100 million comic books were sold each week.

The major comic book publisher at the time, EC Comics, did work mostly in the horror and crime genres. Many of the published titles included gruesome artwork such as severed heads and pools of blood. As time went on, concerned parents, backed by religious and community leaders, revolted. The climax was when EC's publisher Bill Gaines stood in front of a senate committee to explain how an illustration of a man holding a severed head could be in good taste.

David Hajdu's new book, The Ten-cent Plague, details the trials and tribulations of the comic book industry in the decade after World War 2. It is a spectacularly frightening look into a witch hunt that cost many their livelihoods.

Many of us were not alive when these events transpired. Others were likely very young and could not comprehend what was going on around them. Regardless of who you are, I urge you to pick up this book and read it from beginning to end. No other books better capture the events that have so greatly influenced North American culture.

Edgar Wright + Michael Cera = Scott Pilgrim Movie

WOW! A Scott Pilgrim movie! I never knew about it! And even better: it's being done by Edgar Wright!

For all of you out there who don't know this fellow, he is the mind behind Shaun of the Dead and last years hit Hot Fuzz. This unique talent is also the guy behind the Marvel Comics movie adaptation of Ant Man due for production as well. I have no fear that Edgar is going to take the concept of "Scott Pilgrim Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life", and make it something amazing, something worthy what Bryan Lee O'Malley's work.

The story itself finds the main character, Scott, meeting the woman of his dreams, however the only way to win her is to battle and defeat her 7 evil ex-boyfriends! Wacky, hey!?




The actor they got to play the title role is none other than Arrested Development star, Michael Cera. For those who have never seen that show, he has also had a leading role in Superbad and a supporting role in Juno.

Apparently he's some sort of phenomenon, because for some reason lots of people like him.

I honestly can't see him as doing this role justice. Maybe it's the lack of emotion in his acting style.

Regardless, he's been chosen to fill the role, and I'm assuming that Mr. O'Malley approves, therefore I digress. Cheers to this movie's success!

100 days of monster

Verdict: If only inkblots were this cool when we were in therapy.

Stephan G Bucher is German native who moved to California and earned his degree from Art Center College of Design in 1996. While Bucher has been taking on diverse projects from CD packaging to book design for many years, he is most known recently for his hit Daily Monster.

Bucher begins with a simple blob of ink and a quick burst of air. From there, he freestyles a sharpie and coloured felt creation based on the blob's pattern. While this is certainly cool, what seals the deal is that every single drawing is meticulously filmed and posted online for your viewing pleasure. The cherry on the cake is the success Bucher has seen by allowing fans to write stories about each of the creations.

After the concept's popularity, Bucher has decided the time is right to release a book based on his creations. Entitled 100 days of Monster, the book includes 100 of Bucher's monsters, over 250 stories, and a DVD packed with the videos for all of them.

Indie Spotlight!

Goliath enjoys the simple pleasures in life. Two of his favorite are comics and toys. He squeals in glee with every whiff of fresh vinyl while opening the recyclable plastic packaging surrounding his new toy. He reads comics on the bus with no shame, often showing the cool fight scenes to the pleasant old lady sitting next to him.

Goliath is particularly fond of The Maxx by Sam Keith. Something about the purple and yellow behemoth reminds him of his mother. But Goliath has diverse tastes, and often indulges in reading the antics of Francine and Katchoo in Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise. That Katchoo is such a spitfire, she is.

Naturally, you can understand Goliath's excitement upon hearing the announcement of Shocker Toys' new line: Indie Spotlight! Including the aforementioned The Maxx and Katchoo, the series also includes other lovable characters such as Skud the Disposable Assassin, Shadowhawk, and Kabuki.

The toys are due out in Summer 2008, but that hasn't stopped Shocker Toys from announcing series 2: The Tick, Zombie King, Dick Tracey, and more!

The All Powerful Loonie

Don MacPherson over at Eye on Comics posted yesterday a bit of interesting news from the DC front. Though a number of months behind Marvel's switch, DC has decided to begin reflecting Canada's stronger dollar into their periodical comic rates, making them effectively cheaper for Canadians.

Don continues on to contemplate on a number of issues revolving around the key word 'periodical' and whether graphic novels and volume compilations will also reflect the stronger buying power of the loonie.

I really do hope so. Graphic novels are pretty close to my main purchasing focus, as I highly enjoy filling my book shelf with things other than flimsy pamphlet issues. Regardless, pennies saved are pennies earned!


Also I'll take a second to point out the new Scott Pilgrim themed banner. Scott Pilgrim, created by Bryan Lee O'Malley is definitely on my favorites list and I'll definitely enjoy meeting the creator at the Calgary Comicon in April.

Big Battel!

No, that's not a spelling error. Kaiju Big Battel began as a video project from students at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The purposeful mis-spelling of 'battle' was due to a mis-printing on t-shirts early in the creation.

The toupe has periodic Big Battels that reference both professional wrestling and Japan's tokusatsu and kaiju movies. As time goes on, more and more characters have been introduced, swelling the ranks to over 70 unique characters including names such as Robox, Dr. Cube, Uchu Chu, and Kung Fu Chicken Noodle.

The crew recently announced the coming release of a new toy, Vegetius. Working in collaboration with Marmit, the toy is slated for release later this year. This is Kaiju's second vinyl release, after the success of their San Diego Comic-con 2007 release - Sky Deviler.

In related news, Bloc Party collaborated with Kaiju to produce the music video for their new song Flux.

Diary of a Wimpy (Yet Seemingly Popular) Kid

USA Today's most recent top-selling book charts has Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" volumes 1 and 2 both in the top 20 of 150. The second volume Rodrick Rules holds the 7th place spot, while the first self titled volume holds the 18th position. This could be due to the hype surrounding Fox 2000's purchase of the series for movie rights!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows the exploits of the 7th grade student Greg Heffley through a comical medium. The idea began as an internet-based comic and evolved into an apparent book-selling phenomenon. The book itself switches between comic book illustration and hand written text.

I myself haven't read the series as of yet, however the news that it may turn into a full length movie and the fact it is clearly getting rave reviews and an honorable spot in the best-selling list has definitely put these two volumes onto my 'to-read' list!

Cartoon Network x Kidrobot

Fans of Cartoon Network's late night Adult Swim rejoice! Kidrobot has announced a collaboration with the esteemed television network to produce a series of 16 toys based on 8 of the shows.

The A-list roster includes The Venture Bros. 'Dr. Girlfriend' and 'The Monarch,' Aqua Teen Hunger Force 'Carl' and 'Ignignokt and Err,' Squidbillies 'Grandma' and 'Lil,' and many more! Additionally, there are two secret rare toys that will be in circulation.


The toys will be sold blind box for $7.95 each on the Kidrobot store starting in April.

Who's excited? This guy.

Tokyopop to Release Video-Game Manga

Manga producer Tokyopop has recently announced the production of some new video-game based volumes to be released later this year.

In August and November, expect the first two volumes (out of three) of a Starcraft anthology series to be on the shelves. This could definitely help build some hype for the new Starcraft game still in production over at Blizzard!

Also, for all you Castlevania fans out there, a two-volume series will be released in September, building on the already 20-year old franchise.

Now here's the kicker. Tokyopop will also be producing a four-volume anthology of Warcraft. The online game World of Warcraft has recently hit the 10 million subscriber mark and is still rolling along. Three volumes of this anticipated anthology are due out in August, October, and December!

Happy reading this fall!

Tokyopop has plans for another Warcraft manga series sometime in 2009.

Paul Pope x DKNY: Collaboration!

It's often been said that comic books are gaining wider recognition and acceptance in North America. The Goliath!? crew has been seeing this for years! It's evident every time you walk into your local bookstore: manga and graphic novels are showing up everywhere, and are finding their way into much more prominent locations in the stores.

Much of this growth can be attributed to the onslaught of comic related movie releases in the last few years. While this is nothing new, the sheer volume of releases since the late 90s has certainly helped publishers establish their characters into the North American psyche.

Japan has had a close relationship to comics for years. As many of the Japanese creations became run-away hits in North America, the publishers realized they were on to something. In Japan, it is not uncommon to see a businessman read manga on the train to work or a housewife reading manga while watching her children at the park. It is the hope of many to eventually see the same level of acceptance on our shores one day.

Paul Pope, the legendary comic book artist and creator of hits such as Batman: Year 100 and THB, has recently announced a collaboration with DKNY for a series of clothing featuring his illustrations. While comics have influenced designs in streetwear for some time now, this new collaboration has been the first time a major player in the industry has taken an active role in it's creation.

Read the lengthy Wall Street Journal article on the announcement here.

Controversy: Comic World Murder, circa 1990

The prosecutors office and township police for Macomb County, Michigan charged comic shop owner Michael George with the 1990 murder of his wife Barbara George. The trial has continued for a number of months and has been a topic of interest in the Goliath!? circles as of late.

Barbara George was found dead in the back room of their comic store: Comic World back in 1990. The case went cold for nearly 17 year before being re-opened after a critical piece of evidence was realized: The testimony of Mike Renaud stating that he had called the store at approximately 5:15 or 5:30 the day of the murder when Michael George answered the phone, seemingly rushed. This small bit of information has created doubt to George's alibi of being miles away from the store at the time of the murder.

Recent testimony from Kimberly Koliba, the employee of a neighboring nail salon to the Georges', states that she often heard Michael and Barbara George arguing in the months leading up to the murder. Notably, she called the argument on the day of the murder particularly 'violent'

Read Jameson Cook's recent article at The Macomb Daily for the whole story.

Heartless Machine

From Christopher Locke's Heartless Machine come these incredible scissor spiders! Running a cool $250, each of these arachnids are made from salvaged scissors that were confiscated at US airports. At 6" and 9" across, respectively, these metal marvels are bound to have your vinyl running in fear.

For those who are interested, be sure to check out Christopher's blog to find out how it was all made!

Free toys: Speakerdog!

Friends, we here at Goliath Industries feel strongly about your right to free stuff. Sure, you can pay a mean $70 Canadian on the latest cute vinyl toy...but what if you want all the cute, but not all of that vinyl?

It is my pleasure to present to you the Speakerdog paper toys by Ben the Illustrator and friends! Now into it's 5th series, Speakerdog may be a name you have heard before. The most recent series includes works from Ben the Illustrator, Doktor A, Fivegalloncan, Garry Milne, Hellofreaks, J3 Concepts, NiceBunny, Phil Toys, Triclops Studio, and Tim Robot!

So how does it work? You simply download the toy of your choice from Ben's website. Then you print it on high quality card stock, cut on the lines, and fold where necessary!

'Bone' Goes to Warner Bros.

'Bone', the 55 issue comic series drawn and written by Jeff Smith, has recently had it's rights bought by Warner Bros. Studios! The books had their run from 1991-2004, and prior to this new development had been under the eye of Nickelodeon, who at one point had wanted to make a children's animated television series of it; however they did not due to the protest of the creator, Jeff.

I personally think Warner Bros. has a chance of doing justice to this series. It's definitely been a comic series I've made time to dabble in over it's course. Although it started with a bit more comedy, the series really turned into a sort of high-fantasy with adventure throughout.

For those who are unfamiliar with Bone lore, the series centers around the Bone family. They are creatures who are small, bald, white, and big-nosed. "Phoney" Bone, Smiley Bone and (everyone's favorite) Fone Bone, originating from Boneville (though you never get to see boneville, oddly enough), get thrown into a world of adventure after being cast out form their village.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm intrigued as to what Warner Bros. has in store for this series. Finger's crossed!

Free Comic Books!

While this may be old news for some of you, I recently stumbled upon Vertigo's recently released website which offers the first issue online for many of their current publications...completely free!

Ever since Vertigo was created in the 1980s by the masterful hand of DC, it has been a major contributor to the industry for some seriously edgy and controversial material. The all-star line-up has included such hits as V for Vendetta, Hellblazer, Sandman, and more.

Just today, I finally read the last issues of Vertigo's American Virgin and Y: The Last Man. While the former of the two had a lackluster ending, I was still thoroughly impressed by both stories. I'm still working on Transmetropolitan and 100 Bullets, and I'm interested starting Army@Love any time now.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of the great work. It might just spark your interest in something new and exciting.

UBIQ & Secret Base Collaboration - Ghost

Not much is certain in these crazy times which we live. But one constant - a beacon of hope in a hopeless world - is that the Japanese make some damn cool toys.

Don't get me wrong, I love the works of many North American artists. Artists such as Frank Kozik, Huck Gee, Sucklord, and many others continue to release fresh and fun toys for our enjoyment every year.

With that being said, I always hold a special place in my heart for many of the Japanese releases. Even with all of the cultural differences that a 10,500 km distance brings, I find that many of their toys hold the same relevance no matter what your location.

Perhaps that's a bit too epic of an introduction for the newest release from Tokyo's Secret Base. The new collaboration between them and UBIQ is certainly cool with it's jelly-covered zombie alien ghost good looks. But is it really THAT special?

Sometimes, all a person wants is a really cool toy to put on their desk at work or to add to their collection at home. For that person, we have Ghost.

Marvel Facebook, Part 2

Hey so I just went on there and was reading some Cable & Deadpool. When you begin to read, a pop-up shows up in the bottom corner, informing the reader of the comic's availability in your local comic store! How neat is that?

And just as a side note. A decent number of comics you can view completely free cover to cover. However, many of the newer ones are only half-available for online viewing. A subscription to the MDUU site, however, takes care of that. 60 bucks a year for unlimited reading of all the posted titles start to finish uninterrupted. Not shabby considering the amount of reading material.

Excuse me, I'm going to go read some and then quite possibly go and buy some!

Marvel on Facebook

Marvel Comics has entered into the Facebook App. fold. Yesterday, 'Marvel Digital Comics' came online for any Facebook user to add to their applications list. The app itself opens up the availability of over 3000 Marvel Digital Universe Unlimited titles (the collection of which ICv2 has posted here).

Another feature of the application is the "My Must Reads" option, where you may post your favorite comics on there for your friends to see. From there you may also note your friends and their recommended comics. Marvel news will also be posted on the app's home page, as well as image galleries, videos, and information on other marvel entertainment ventures.

I know what some are thinking: if comics are released online to read, won't purchasing go down and eventually be wiped out? Actually no! The titles that will be released on the Facebook app are all the titles that are released through Marvel Digital Universe Unlimited, as mentioned. However, comics are only added to that list 6 months after publication, leaving a very healthy amount of time on the store shelf before being available to view (but not own or download) online.

I think this is an incredible idea to draw back the readers of comics who have left over time, and also a good way for readers to catch up on their series before plunging back into a comic store to buy the newest one!

Here's the link to the MDUU website! Go! Read!

Over There

72 hours of no sleep...

2,700 participants...

1,200 ideas...

$15,000 in prizes...

Kluster is a a community-driven platform to get ideas heard. It offers the opportunity to contribute your ideas and have others help build off of them. It was announced at this year's TED conference.

To kick things off, they had a 72 hour challenge to create a product, any product, that may change the world. Lofty goals, to be sure. But what they developed is certainly intriguing.

The game is called Over There and is based on the 2006 talk by prominent American philosopher, Dan Dennett. There are 21 stops on the route that correspond to 3 types of cards: chances, actions, and questions.

The idea behind the game is that different organizations are able to customize the cards to help raise awareness for their cause.

The website is a brilliant concept, and I'm excited to see how organizations may use the game as a platform to raise awareness. As well, if you haven't already visited, the TED Conference website offers hours and hours of speeches and demonstrations from some of the world's greatest minds. Click through and expand your mind.

R.I.P. Gary Gygax

The Dungeon Master himself, Ernest Gary Gygax, died yesterday. Aged 69, Gary co-created possibly the most interactive table-top role-playing game in history - Dungeons and Dragons - with Dave Arneson.

I can't even begin to tell you how many authors, designers and artists he's influenced over the course of his creation's career thus far, how many imaginations he's sparked. It's good to know that his work will live on long after him, with the highly anticipated 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons due to come out soon.

I take solace in the belief that Gary is now rolling his d20's in a better place.

You will be missed, Mr. Gygax.

Pearls Before Swine

"Neither cast ye your pearls before swine"

--- Matthew 7:6

The daily chronicle of four anthropomorphic animals: a megalomaniac rat, a dim-witted pig, diplomatic zebra, and intellectual goat; Pearls Before Swine is a delicious look into their unique and ever-changing lives.

Written and illustrated by ex-litigation attorney Stephan Pastis, Pearls was syndicated on December 31, 2001. Shortly after, Pastis chose to leave his job a pursue his now budding career in newspaper comics.

Pearls has become a daily staple in over 400 newspapers and has won awards recently from The National Cartoonists Society. Many praise Pastis' simple drawing style (most characters have stick limbs, dots for eyes, and often no mouths) as revolutionary. Pastis' states, "People say that they like my strip's simplicity, but I'm doing the best I can to just to get up to that level. I'm not dumbing the art down."

Crown Mickey

Medicom is a Japanese toy company that specializes in highly styled and ultra cool toys for all ages. Recently, they collaborated with both Disney and Japanese clothing brand Roen to bring us the extremely stylish Roen Crown Mickey. The design is based on a limited edition collaboration tee that Roen did with Disney.

Disney seems to be taking an interest in collaborations as of late. I think it's fantastic that such a big company is allowing re-interpretations of one of its classic characters and hopefully we'll see even more of this in the future. Disney has developed such a diverse set of characters in it's long history, I am excited to see what might be next.

Medicom has released their share of interesting collectibles in the past, but this one is definitely up there as one of my favorites.

Sam & Max

I just purchased a copy of "Sam & Max Surfin' the Highway" (Limited Edition Harcover).

Let me introduce you all to a brief history of Sam & Max.

Picture a 1960's black and white DeSoto Adventurer cruising down the street at break-neck speed, a 'hyperkinetic rabbity thing' hanging out the driver window wielding a Luger, and a 6-foot-tall dog-detective clutching his hat on the passenger side - all the while engaging in an extremely witty dialogue. You have now met the loveable duo of Sam & Max - the former being Max and the latter being Sam!

Created by Stever Purcell in the late 80's, the two characters are thrown into the oddest of situations, with only sheer wit and somewhat nihilistic humor as their allies. Also guns.

Kids of the 90's may even remember the television series based off of Steve's works (which was dimmed down a bit for child audiences) airing on Fox Kids for a 24 episode run. Or even more may remember the successful video game in 1993: Sam & Max Hit the Road. Although I was a child when these premiered, even I could understand the potential of underlaying adult comedy of incredible quality.

Telltale Games, a veritable Sam & Max oasis in the dessert that is the internets, was kind enough to keep the legend of these two characters alive over the past decade, selling merchandise, posting a (particularly) delightful mini-series web comic (which sadly seems to have finished its run long ago), and even creating it's own new material - Sam & Max episodic games (with the help of Mr. Purcell).

Don't just stand there, go and check out the site. The wit is always sharp, and the art is always fantastic in my humble opinion. I can't wait for my copy of the revamped "Surfin' the Highway" (with new content), to arrive!

A review on it to come!