Every Funko Pop! Thing bobblehead

How's everyone doing? Staying safe, I hope? Here's to staying in and catching up on the mountain of comics that I'm sure everyone has waiting for them. In the meantime, let's take a look at some toys I have.

I've talked about my thoughts on Funko Pops before, but it bears a brief recap: I don't know what someone would do if THESE are what he or she decided to collect. There are literally thousands of these things, and yet I know there are some out there who try and get every single one. What kind of warehouses do these people own?

For my own part, I like to think of myself as someone who is kind of ambivalent about Funko in general. I'm not particularly taken with the molds and the whole thing has a Beanie Baby flavor to it.

AND YET!

And yet. With the license to almost every property ever, it's hard to avoid buying at least a few of them, right? I never thought I'd have many, but then they made Fantastic Four Pops. And Futurama Pops. And Space Ghost Pops. And Firefly Pops. And Tick Pops. And Pittsburgh Steelers Pops! Last year, they made two Weird Al Pops. It seems that they've got my number, except that they've also got almost everyone else's number, too! It really is something.

Because of Marvel's self-imposed clamping down on all things Fantastic Four, Marvel's First Family went underrepresented at Funko for several years. But now that the embargo has been lifted, they're catching up. A few months ago, the first FF Pops since 2011 showed up, and there have been quite a few. I've gotten some of them, but naturally, the first priority for me was to get the new Thing Pops. Since Target released its 10-inch Thing exclusive a few weeks ago, I've now got all of them that have been released, and I thought I'd take some pictures of them to show here on this very important blog. Let's take a look!

This is the first Thing Pop made, part of the first wave of Pops based on Marvel characters. The Thing is number nine in the set! I bought this at a comic shop when it first came out, naturally, and I'm glad I did. It soon went out of production and is hard to find (and is kind of expensive). I've got this one in one of the protective cases that Funko makes (which, I know, is another way they get you), but for years, it was just in a box with some other Thing toys. It's got a little scratch on the box, but, honestly, whatever.

Here's a look from the side.

Next is a black and white exclusive from Gemini Collectibles. I got this online and, for whatever reason, it seems like this one is the easiest to find of all the original Thing figures.

And here it is from the side. This one has the same number as the regular figure. Funko took a different tactic in later years and gave individual numbers to all different variations.

This is the metallic San Diego Comic-Con exclusive from 2011. It is, unbelievably, one of the most valuable items I own. I picked this up at a small convention in Pittsburgh sometime around 2014 or '15. It was listed at, I think, $30, and I tried to talk the seller down to $20, and at the end of the show, I succeeded. Now this thing, limited to 480 pieces, is listed at around $1000. That's ridiculous, and if I had any sense in my head, I'd sell it now because there's no way it'll retain that value. But I can't get rid of a Thing figure. You're all welcome to think of me as an idiot, because it's probably true.

There is, supposedly, a version of this figure out there with black eyes instead of blue. I've even heard that all of them got shipped to one Hot Topic store in Chicago (but who knows if that's true). I'm not sure if the black eyes were a mistake or if it was meant to be a different figure altogether. I've never seen a picture of one, so I don't even know for sure if they actually exist. But I'm not really concerned about that. Is my collection incomplete without one? I don't know - maybe, but I'm okay with not having it.

Until this year, the only Fantastic Four Pops out there were the previous Thing figures and Dr. Doom, which had a regular and metallic version (there was a Silver Surfer Pop made as well, if you count that). In January, though, Funko got the green light to start releasing FF figures again, and they went all out in doing so. There have been three new Thing figures so far, and I expect them to release more versions in the future.

The first one is the regular version. In the nine years between figures, the Thing looks a little more detailed with a longer face. This one is numbered 560, and I think that number represents all of the figures released in the Marvel line.

Here's the side view.

Barnes and Noble landed one exclusive, and went with the Thing in a trench coat, an old FF staple. This one was easy to find - I walked into a store once I knew they were on sale and picked one off the shelf.

Here's the view from the side.

This last one is the most recent, just released in February. It's a super-sized, 10-inch figure exclusive to Target. Your friend (and mine) Larry helped me out by picking one up on the day they landed in our local stores, and let me tell you...this thing is massive. Why is it so big? Where am I going to put it? It's huge. This one cost $30, as opposed to the usual $10-$15.

And here it is from the side. It has an ever-so-slightly different pose from the regular figure, and is numbered 570.

Some of the other FF members got exclusive figures made, from the Collector Corps subscription box, to GameStop, to Hot Topic...Dr. Doom just had one branded with the cancelled Emerald City Comic Con logo. Fantastic Four merchandise is quickly making its way back to stores. These are just a few Things among many.

Q&A with Fubar's Jeff McComsey, part 2

Today I'll finish up my conversation with Jeff McComsey, man of many talents who also has a great looking beard.  Seriously, he must have started growing that thing years ago.

You can read the first part of this question-and-answer session here!

McClelland: As a writer/artist, you might look at the creation process a bit differently than someone who just does one or the other.  Do you ever draw first with the intention of adding dialogue later?  What differences do you notice with your style when drawing from someone else's script as opposed to being in control of the entire process?

McComsey: I like to switch up between working from my own writing to someone else’s finished scripts.  Sitting down and banging out a little short story by myself is very satisfying but I find that good comic writers know how to move a story a lot better than I do when I kind of make it up as I go along.  My stuff tends to meander along when I write my own stuff. 


McClelland : What do you enjoy about working from some else's script?


McComsey: I love different peoples' pacing from panel to panel. I know that working from a script usually has me stretching away from my comfort zone more often than when I just roll with my stuff.

McClelland: Who are some of your artistic influences in the comic industry (or otherwise)?

McComsey: I’m a big fan of British writers and artists. 2000AD is a personal favorite of mine. I love guys like Dave Gibbon, Colin Wilson and Garth Ennis.  I constantly find myself inspired by my small press brothers and sisters who have been turning out some excellent work.

Film is a big influence, particularly when I’m composing a shot. Older films are great sources of reference on how to frame shots and stage lighting.

McClelland: What are your thoughts on sandwich meat?  Do you have a favorite and why?

McComsey: I like a good sandwich. I like deli ham sliced very thin. That’s the key. I feel like the flavor and texture are much nicer when it’s thinly sliced. I find the older I get the spicier I like my Deli meats.  The other key to a good sandwich is good bread/roll.

McClelland: Feel free to use this last question to sell a potential reader on FUBAR.  What should they expect?  Why should they buy it?  Where can they get it?  WILL THERE BE ANOTHER?!

McComsey: FUBAR has something for all comic fans. If you like zombie books, you’ll like FUBAR. If you love World War II comics, you’ll love FUBAR. If you love indie comic art, you’ll love FUBAR. It’s 15 short stories that collect into a 184 page book for $12.00. I feel that FUBAR contains some work from guys and girls who will be prolific creators in the near future worth keeping an eye on.  FUBAR is available at your local comic shops or online via amazon.com or through Barnes and Noble.  We will be releasing a second volume of FUBAR in the early fall of 2011. Stay tuned!

Many thanks for Jeff for answering all of my weird questions...especially the one about sandwich meat, which was actually pretty interesting now that I read the whole thing again.  I'm more of an oven-roasted turkey guy myself, all things considered.

Be sure to pick up volume one of FUBAR from your local comic shop or from Amazon.com, and check out Jeff's websites here and here!

"Eye of the Beholder" webcomic with Ruben Cordero, page 8

Here we are at the end of this particular story.  Yes, it's a sad occasion, but weep not - I write other stuff, too.  Like Teddy and the Yeti.  You should totally buy it.

And speaking of shelling out good money for things with my name attached them, "Eye of the Beholder" is published in the collection Strip Search from Dark Horse Comics.  This book is available at lots of places, like Amazon (click on the links!), Things from Another World, Mile High Comics, Midtown Comics, heck...if you give 'em the ISBN (1593070993), big stores like Barnes and Noble will order it for you!

I'm really lucky to have been a part of this project, and I can't thank talented individuals like editor Adam Gallardo and, of course, artist Ruben Cordero, who is a heck of an artist and a heck of a guy, enough for everything they did to bring this dream to life.  This is the story that convinced me to try to make comics on a semi-regular basis, and I'm thankful for the opportunities it's granted.  May everyone who wants one have their own "Eye of the Beholder".

I'll post some "extra" stuff in a few days - character designs, sketches, pages in progress, etc. - things that haven't been published before.  It should be a fun way to wrap this short story up.