"Odin's Eye" Nordic Lucky Cat NYCC Exclusive for Tenacious Toys

    

     After a bit of a hiatus, New York Comic Con is  back.  Personally, I'm still not at the point where I want to be in a huge crowd of people or ride New Jersey Transit.  Sitting on the train into New York was always an adventure in germs before the pandemic and I've witnessed some of the grossest things in life on that 45 minute ride.  One of the worst was when this guy that looked like a less successful Machine Gun Kelly made his girlfriend stand up the whole way so he could lay his cheeseburger down in the seat next to him.  His unwrapped, unprotected cheeseburger sitting bare bunned on the molded plastic seat.  Periodically he'd pick it up, take a bite, and return it to its resting place.  I felt bad for the girl but then realized he'd be dead of some unknown illness in less than a week and could only hope she'd see the gift that was her new found freedom.  

      While I won't be physically at New York Comic Con, I will be there in spirit via my Nordic Lucky Cats.  These are the Odin's Eye edition and will be available exclusively through Tenacious Toys.  They are a tri colored marbled resin, standing 4 inches tall and limited to 10 signed and numbered pieces. And they also glow under blacklight!!!  Are they filled with ghosts?  Probably!

     Produced by DuBose Art, each one is completely unique and a virtual steal at only $40 each.  Find them and tons of other amazing figures at booth # 1579 during the show and make sure to keep an eye on www.tenacioustoys.com afterwards to score any leftovers. 

Tenacious Toys NYCC Exclusives Available Now

 

     The idea of actually attending a convention and being in a crowd of wall to wall people seems way less appealing than dental surgery to me right now.  New York Comic Con was a yearly tradition for my wife and I but thankfully it was cancelled this year in an effort to keep everyone healthy.  Well, it's not cancelled cancelled, as they've moved the festivities online.  Tenacious Toys has a virtual booth at this year's iteration and they're exclusives are available right now.  You can get all the treasures you want without waiting in line, or eating weird convention food, of playing "guess who or what just created that smell."  Check out the pics and get yourself something nice at www.tenacioustoys.com You deserve it.  

James Gunn's Funko Pop Vinyl Raffle to Aid Puerto Rico

    New York Comic Con has come and gone and one of the hottest pieces of the entire show was this James Gunn Pop Vinyl figure from Funko.  The Guardians of the Galaxy director was nearly impossible to get and a lot of them ended up on eBay for prices that exceed my monthly car payment.  But there is hope for all of you collectors out there who may have missed out and it all benefits a great cause.  James and Funko were able to get ten total figures together in a raffle to aid the folks of Puerto Rico who are still struggling after being decimated by a hurricane.  Tickets to enter are only $1 each or you can get 12 tickets for $10 and they can be purchased by visiting this link.   Each figure comes signed and all of the proceeds will go directly to help out those in need.   

Black Drove Leftovers from NYCC Online Now

    The Black Drove booth that was part of the Tenacious Toys Collective at New York Comic Con was like a great mixtape made for you by your high school sweetheart.  By far the most diverse offerings to be found at The Block, those of you that missed it now have your chance to get your mitts on what remains of their exclusives by checking out http://blackdrove.bigcartel.com.  

New York Comic Con 2017 Wrap Up

    New York Comic Con 2017 was a weird one for me.  Just three days prior Sharon and I had returned from a week in Yellowstone and vicinity so we were still pretty worn out by the time we boarded the train to New York.  Day one was spent partly in frustration in a sea of people, while day two certainly made up for it.  Here are my thoughts on this annual pilgrimage of nerd-dom and sweaty folks:

- The Javitts Center was on lock down all weekend, with metal detectors at every entrance and the SWAT team roaming around with heavy weaponry.   The level of security was due to the craziness in Las Vegas and I was glad to see that they took everyone's safety so seriously, so kudos to the organizers.

-  The best cosplay I've ever seen involved a mother and father with two very tiny twins in a double stroller.  They had all dressed like characters from The Shining and it was awesome.

-  The Block, which is the area that features designer toys and is what I'm personally most interested in, was pushed from their normal spacious area to a small corner in the back by the loading docks.  This made visiting with people I wanted to a near impossibility as the tide of the crowd funneled through such small aisles would move you whichever way they were going.  I'm not terribly claustrophobic, but I was starting to feel it.


-  We randomly ran into former WWE wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts by an escalator on day one. He was extremely nice and we talked for a bit about what he was up to and how he was doing after his documentary.  In case you haven't seen it a camera crew followed him around as Diamond Dallas Page tried to help him get his life back together while battling serious addiction.  He even asked us if we'd like to take a picture with him, which we were happy to do.  On day two when we saw him again it was clear that the happy ending of his film wasn't as black and white as he had made it seem.  He hit on my wife in a manner that would have been offensive had it not been so utterly hilarious and pathetic.  It reminded me of some internet troll hiding in the safety of his mother's basement and anonymously behind a computer screen as he harassed young girls without the benefit of a filter on his thoughts.  Actually, I would have been offended had I not felt sorry for the guy knowing the reality that he would have to live with long after the convention floor had closed and the adulation of his fans had once again disappeared.

-  We randomly bumped into Michael Ian Black in one of the aisles on day two.  He did not sexually harass my wife.

-  I spent the least amount of money I ever had at the convention as the releases were much fewer this year.  I don't know whether Five Points affected this or the event that was simultaneously going on in Taiwan, or whether so much focus has just been shifted to Designer Con.  Either way it felt different than the past incarnations of comic con, as if this convention has become more of an afterthought for the world of designer toys.

- We saw some really inspiring stuff in the artist's alley this year.  Lots of original work that was more fine art rather than just another version of Harley Quinn.

-  There were some cool prototypes for toys that I'd be happy to own.  Here's some photos so you can start planning your finances:

The Tenacious Toys mascot is going from resin to vinyl in the near future.  Looked to be around five inches tall, so it's gonna be a pretty hefty chunk of plastic.

Super7 is releasing these amazing Misfits Reaction figures soon.  Available in red or black, I'm gonna need both of these pretty badly.  And I heard that there's gonna be a King Diamond figure too!!!!

Tara McPherson's Skullflower prototype was on display from Toy Qube.  Loved the smaller version and being that I have almost every other toy she's released this one is a must.  

-  Sharon was most excited to meet Swatch, the shop dog from Mood fabric stores.  That's where all of the contestants shop for their materials on Project Runway and that little pup is always there being buds with Tim Gunn.  We now have pictures with two famous animals as they were sleeping, with Grumpy Cat being the other.  Hobbies keep you out of jail.

-  The thing that keeps me coming back every year despite any negative things I may have pointed out are the intangibles that go beyond buying an item or meeting a celebrity.  One of my favorite things is to grab lunch and sit on the floor in one of the big halls and just people watch. We'll sit for an hour or so and look at the costumes and listen to the camaraderie that forms between two people from merely being a fan of the same franchise.  When you buy a ticket in you're buying an experience and as long as I remember that I always enjoy myself.

-  I saw a guy on the train make his girlfriend stand so he could use the seat next to him to eat his dinner.  He would literally sit him hamburger on the unprotected cushion rather than the wrapper that it came in.  I'm sure he was either murdered by his girlfriend later that not after she processed this indignity or the special strain of New Jersey Transit bacteria ravaged his guts and brought him to an unceremonious end.  Either way, he is no longer with us.

    Well, that about does it.  There was sweat, thankfully no blood, and certainly no tears.  Except for that dude on the train, who probably cried a lot when he made it to the nearest bathroom.

Check out www.facebook.com/thetoyviking for all of the pictures.

The Tenacious Toys Collective for New York Comic Con

    It's hard to believe that the day is almost here for me to trek to New York and give myself a financial seizure at Comic Con.  Every year I trick myself by looking at the exclusives beforehand online and feeling comfortable that by obtaining one or two things I will be content enough when its over.  But then I walk onto the show floor and am blindsided by all of the unexpected things I see.  Things that weren't in the plan I formulated in my head as the train enters Manhattan with fellow attendees.  I am here to forewarn you that Tenacious Toys is great at dealing in lethal surprises.

   This year at both #780 is no different, though some of the components that make it up may be.  There's a lot of different names involved this year, but the one I'm most excited to see is Black Drove.  They collect the craziest mixture of sofubi and resin releases from all over the globe that will both blow your mind and your credit limits.  Check out the artists that will be represented:

Horrible Adorables Releases for New York Comic Con

    I just got back from visiting Yellowstone National Park and if you ever have the chance to go you better take it.  The scenery is breathtaking and there's critters everywhere.  I saw my first ever bear in the wild, along with a host of elk, pronghorns, mule deer, and buffalo.  And I hand fed a raven one of those Nature Valley granola bars.  He was working the parking lot trying to pick up scraps when he bounced over to my car.  I gave him a couple of pieces and with each one I got him closer and closer until finally I just held my hand out.  He would fill his beak, take his bounty to somewhere I couldn't see, then fly back and continue to peck at my hand.  I know they tell you not to feed the animals but I was pretty sure that a) he couldn't hurt me that badly and b) take me to forest jail if you must because it was too tempting to resist.  Will forest jail accept your bail money in pine cones?

    I did not see any critters of the Horrible Adorables variety while I was there, but I will see some in a few days at New York Comic Con, more specifically at the PIQ! booth #745.  Gaze upon these wondrous beasts and bring home some animal friendly taxidermy to spruce up your living space.

    

NYCC Exclusive Zack Ryder WWE Pop Vinyl from Funko

    New York Comic Con is right around the corner and you're looking at the best exclusive to be offered the entire weekend.  Professional wrestler, toy collector, and all around Hype Bro Zack Ryder is finally getting the Pop Vinyl treatment.  Is this bigger than his ladder match win for the Intercontinental title at Wrestlemania?  I'm sure it ranks up there, though when he won that match I cried with happiness a little bit inside my body.  It's a skill I've picked up during my many years of extreme manliness.  

    Funko has a lottery system for anyone attending the convention that you have to enter on line and you can bet I'm gonna try to get one of these.  I'm gonna put him on my desk and he's going to inspire me to keep working hard.  Not verbally of course, unless the one I get happens to be haunted for some weird reason.  Like someone fell into the vat of plastic just as they were making these figures and his soul is trapped in mine.  This just took a dark turn.  

    Oh, and the Hype Bros deserve to be tag team champions in case anyone is reading this that has the power to make that happen and is easily persuaded by my lack of argument.  

La Maudite Resin Figure from Naomi Knaff

    For me, Naomi Knaff is at the top of the resin game.  Her work is 100% original, surreal as it gets, and never dull to look at.  Calling them "figures" is a bit misleading I suppose, as each one is a bizarre little work of art.  Her latest release, La Maudite, perfectly captures all those attributes.  Standing at 6 inches tall, each figure is hand cast and painted by their creator.  The first three of these one-off sculptures will be available tonight (Sunday, September 10) at 6pm est, while two more will be available next month at New York Comic Con.  Pick one up at http://www.naomiknaff.com for $70 plus shipping.

Super7's NYCC Exclusives Are Available Online Now

   
    Somehow I have resisted the urge to put these micro Mummy Boy and Rose Vampire toys in my nose.  They are the perfect size to just shove right up there if you were so inclined, but again, I have not done it.  If you want to though, and weren't able to attend New York Comic Con, Super7 is making it easier because these and their other remaining exclusives are available right now.  Just check out www.super7store.com and in no time you could be sitting in the emergency room waiting for them to extract one of these from your nostrils.  How you explain it to them is all up to you.

First Look: Kidrobot's Upcoming Madballs Collection

   Madballs are back, suckas!  Well, almost, cause they don't come out until the end of the year, but anyone who was at New York Comic Con got to see Kidrobot's upcoming release of this classic series.  Utilizing the original designs from toy wizard James Groman (who I was told designed the Kidrobot mascot version you see above) these are faithful to the originals while offering up some different incarnations for modern collectors. 

    Of course the well remembered foam versions will be available so you can throw them at each other without significant risk of injury to people and property, or so you can easily replace the one you used to have that was ingested by your childhood dog.  

    The mascot and Horn Head will be available as larger sized vinyl figures, complete with stands so they're easy to display without you having to rearrange your current setup.  The other cool thing about them is they sit kind of high so you'll have plenty of room to surround them with:

    The Madball mini series figures!  There's a whole bunch of these to collect and they will be sold blind boxed style.  All of them looked amazing and brought back memories of seeing them in Toys R Us and desperately wanting every one of them because of how gross and weird they were.  Not much has changed since then I suppose. 

     See more pictures of these and other stuff from Comic Con by visiting www.facebook.com/TheToyViking.  

Post New York Comic Con 2016 Wrap Up

    Another New York Comic Con has come and gone and nothing could sum it up more perfectly than this picture.  For one, my wife's face perfectly depicts how she felt about the things I bought (she has grown to love the Cinema Monster from Splurrt).  And she also spent a lot of time waiting outside of bathrooms as I tried passing a kidney stone for two days (of which I was successful on the second).  Here are my thoughts about this year's version of the convention:

1.)  This is the first time I've ever waited in a line that was wrapped around an entire city block.  It wasn't unpleasant though, cause it moved rather quickly and the faces of the people that were part of the SECOND coil around the building really put our situation into perspective.  Literally, the line to get in wrapped around twice.  

2.)  I was able to get everything I wanted and then some, which is easier to do when you cut your want list down to just a few things.  Sharon is pictured with my major score of the convention, which I still can't get her to kiss on the lips.  For some reason, she doesn't like fun.

3.)  Twelve year old me lost his mind when I got to meet Ric Flair and Animal from The Road Warriors.  I resisted all urges to yell "Wooooooooo" unlike everyone else who passed by.  Instead, I just acted awkward, which I've determined is my finishing move should I ever become a professional wrestler.

4.)  I used the restroom at the Javitts Center more on the second day than I have collectively in the years I've been going to Comic Con.  I also lost more blood than I ever had in the most inglorious fashion.  But I feel pretty good that somewhere in the sewers there's a rat that found my kidney stone and has added it to his pile of treasures, possibly worshiping it as a gift from his rodent deity. You're welcome, little dude.

5.)  New York smells weird.  Not like bad weird, unless you pass over one of those steaming grates that smell like someone is deep frying excrement.  Or if you step in one of those puddles that seem to hang around even if it hasn't rained in a while and they're a strange color and pretty much force you to buy new shoes.  That's bad weird.

6.)  It may just be me getting old, but I don't know how people make it through all four days.  I went for two and was ready to stop at the emergency room on the way home (and not just because of the blood pee).  I think next year I may get a gym membership and get swole before we go so my muscles don't feel like they hate me.

7.)  Dunkin Donuts is my favorite food group.  I probably shouldn't have put this right next to the one about being out of shape.  

8.)  I got to meet lots of cool folks that I've known for a long time on the internet but never met in person.  I won't mention them in case they didn't actually get permission from their parole officers to be there.  I don't snitch.

    That pretty much sums up my Comic Con experience.  If you'd like to see pictures of all the really cool stuff I saw you can do that by heading over to www.facebook.com/TheToyViking.  

Post NYCC Suck Salon with the Sucklord

   I could only go to New York Comic Con for two days, which is plenty for me because I felt like I was training to become a cage fighter by the end.  How do people make it through all four days?  My legs hurt, my mind is completely overloaded by all there is to see, and I crave the normalcy of cleaning litter boxes and wanting to kill myself while working with the public.  Familiarity is the meat of the hamburger of life.

   I met the Sucklord at Comic Con and he told me about this shindig he was throwing that is gonna involve adult beverages, and toys, and probably some pictures you won't be able to post on any but you're most secretive of social media.  And you can buy stuff, which is the best kinda party there is.  Think about when your mom used to go to Tupperware parties and she would be all turnt up and let you stay up to watch Nick at Nite until she came home and the babysitter was mad cute in a "Who's the Boss" era Alyssa Milano type of way and you would try to do stunts to impress her cause you think that's how you get a wife?

 It's not like that at all. 

    Tons of stuff will be for sale, and by tons I mean anything you can get on the subway or in a cab or an Uber.  Cash is king and you can be too with all your new Suckadelic stuff.  The details are in the photo, so you should go and create memories that will last a lifetime/until you sober up.    

NYCC Exclusives from Super7

   

    Ooooooh New York Comic Con is just a few days away and I've moved some money here, ignored some bills there, and I'm ready to come home with a ton of new stuff.  Some of that stuff will hopefully be from Super7.  Take a look at what they will have and see if you can guess what I want.  (Here's a hint:  it's the Micro Mummy Boy and Rose Vampire).  All of these and more will be available at booth #126.

NYCC Exclusives from Renone x Tenacious Toys

   

    Renone has been burning that midnight oil and breathing in those resin fumes as he gets ready to drop a menagerie of exclusives at New York Comic Con.   The only place to find them (or him if you happen to be there Thursday) is at the Tenacious Toys booth #309 in The Block, which is where the cool kids hang out, fyi. 

Bigshot Toyworks Exclusives for NYCC

 

     Bigshot Toyworks never fails to deliver a diverse offering of items when they make an appearance at New York Comic Con, but this year they've got everything from a half dissected black metal gnome, to a familiar looking fried chicken baron, to a jacked up unicorn that's more pit fighter than Lisa Frank notebook cover.  Check out some photos of what will be available and pay them a visit at booth #309 during the convention.

NYCC Exclusives from Rampage Toys x Tenacious Toys

    Jon Malmstedt is moving his Rampage Toys operation from Japan back to the United States and his first stop is gonna be at New York Comic Con.  He'll have a ton of exclusives available at the Tenacious Toys booth # 309 and these are just some of what you'll be able to score.  He'll also be bringing more with him when he makes an appearance on Saturday.  Check out the pictures and start saving your lunch money.  Or steal someone else's and that way you can eat and have money too.  That makes more sense.