Toys for the Big Boys

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the Ateneo-La Salle game in the MOA Arena and I was able to talk to current Alaska Point Guard and Blue Eagle Legend, LA Tenorio. I had just come from Comic-Con and he was telling me he was the biggest Iron Man fan. I had seen his posts on Instagram and he does have this awesome Iron Man collection. For his birthday, he recently got the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark V figure and he was raving about it. But what he asked me was if I saw the Mark VII Avengers edition displayed. I actually saw it! See the picture below.

I asked LA what was so special about the whole Hot Toys craze and he said in 2 words, "Astig siya..." The toys are highly detailed and they can't get any more detailed. They're not the 6 inch figures we normally see. These are the 12 inch doll types but very detailed. 

A couple of days later, I saw an announcement of the Mark VII pre-orders and here were the pictures Hot Toys released.

Robert Downey Jr. in Hot Toys form - can this be any more detailed?

This bad boy was selling for around $240 and it comes out next year during the 1st Quarter. I told LA immediately that the toy was up for pre-order. Should I get into this Hot Toys thing? :/ I think I'll stick to comics for now.

Hot Toys Limited is a Hong Kong based production house for designing and manufacturing super detailed toys. Almost all of their toys are in the 1:6 scale. Hot Toys sell for a lot money and there are just so many collectors here in the Philippines hungry to get these items.

For more info, you can visit the Hot Toys website and see what other cool stuff they sell. You have to see the Batman Line! They have a Batmobile and it is AWESOME! They were selling the Tumbler at ToyCon last year for 80,000 Pesos! http://www.hottoys.com.hk/

Comic Book ABC's: A is for Astonishing X-Men

In order for me to come up with more material for this blog, I've decided to give out my recommendations on what comics to read. From A-Z. Hopefully I've read something with a Q in the beginning. 

Anyway, let's start with A. 

I'm HIGHLY recommending ASTONISHING X-MEN by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. The run is 24 issues with one Giant-Size Issue in the end. 

The Astonishing X-Men

Astonishing X-Men is probably the definitive run in the new millenium and Whedon selects a unique group of mutants for this specific team. Composed of Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Emma Frost aka The White Queen and Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat. 

I've read the omnibus in a span of 3 days and it was just a joy to read. When I read them monthly, of course it was exciting with all the cliffhangers but I got to appreciate the whole run in a short span of time. I really got to appreciate the whole story. Whedon puts a lot of geek moments, very funny moments, and of course, plenty of holy sh*t moments. The run has 4 arcs, GIFTED, DANGEROUS, TORN, and UNSTOPPABLE. 

Scott Summers / Cyclops

I really can't dwell on the arcs after "Gifted" not to spoil those who haven't read it but basically it starts with the setting that they have found to eliminate the X-GENE. Cyclops then forms a new team to deal with this Mutant Threat. A new villain is introduced in the mix with Ord of the Breakworld giving stress and problems to the X-Men.

Ord of the Breakworld

That's where it all starts. Ord plays a key role throughout the whole run of Whedon and Cassaday. But what's really great about this book is that it will make you love the X-Men. You know how Cyclops is annoying? He's actually pretty bad ass! There's tension between Kitty and Emma since Emma was a former villain and now she's Cyclops' lover. Kitty spent her first day as an X-Man fighting Emma Frost and that's something she will never forget.  

The roster is a unique one but their chemistry is what made me really enjoy the book. Wolverine is an awesome support role in the book and he's doing what he does best. Kitty with her phasing powers/ walking through walls bit may seem lame but Whedon defines Kitty Pryde in the story. She's one tough chick you wouldn't want to mess with. Dr. Hank McCoy aka BEAST is troubled since he feels he's "devolving". He still wants that cure somehow. Emma on the other hand is the mystery character. Is she a good person or not? Of course there are lots of twists and turns in the book but to sum up the arcs, GIFTED brings a key character from the past and it's an awesome return! Jean Grey? Hmm... DANGEROUS reveals a secret from the history of the X-Men. TORN is all about Emma Frost and UNSTOPPABLE rounds up the whole story.

Whedon couldn't have done this without the brilliant John Cassaday. When I read Astonishing X-Men back in 2004, I've never seen comic book art like Cassaday's before. Everything's just gorgeous. He drew the best X-Men costumes for me and the covers are just so damn awesome. 

If you'll read Astonishing X-Men, I suggest you get the Omnibus since you can read it in one go. 

You thought that the Avengers movie was cool? Wait til you read this!

Doing things different in Comic-Con

This year in San Diego, I decided to make my trip a little different. I wanted to attend some panels but also maximize each day. You see, San Diego will make your feet hurt so bad. But if it doesn't hurt, it means you're not having fun. At times, 3 hours before the convention day ends, you'd want to rest as much as possible. But year, I woke up earlier. Last year I was at the 9th-11th lines in the Sails Pavillion in the morning. This time, I was in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. It wasn't bad at all. I got all the stuff I wanted because of the early bird mentality.

So probably the highlight of the different things I did were attending the panels. I wasn't able to attend the Marvel's Cup 'O Joe panel last year because the premiere of "The Legend of Korra" was right after that panel. The non-comic fans were in Cup 'O Joe which sucked.

My goal was to attend that Marvel Panel! So I had to be there 2 hours earlier. I saw a TV pilot of the scary Park Avenue show and the Gears of War panel. Luckily the Gears of War panel wasn't so bad since Morgan Webb hosted that panel. OK, so I was able to get in Cup 'O Joe and it was well attended. CCO Joe Quesada was there, MARVEL TV Head Jeph Loeb, SVP for Creative and Content Development CB Cebulski, and EIC Axel Alonso.

 JOE QUESADA ENTERS AND WELCOMES EVERYONE

Asks the crowd who the Cup O Joe virgins are

 Jeph Loeb

 CB Cebulski

Axel Alonso

The panel was all about MARVEL NOW! The relaunch will happen in October and I'm excited for it. I think the writer-artist roster shake up is healthy. Uncanny Avengers should be interesting. The memorable part of the panel was the question if Scott Summers aka Cyclops should die in AVX. There was this group of Cyclops haters and the room went wild. But it was explained that Axel Alonso's favorite character is Cyclops so Scott dying maybe out of the question.

Sunday had an interesting panel. I went to mass at 730 to catch the 12nn panel of Image. It was Image's 20th Anniversary Panel and I wanted to witness that occasion. 

In attendance were 5 of the 7 Co-Founders. Rob Liefeld, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Marc Silvestri, and Whilce Portacio. They were also joined by Mr. Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman. Not in attendance were Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane.

They were 7 superstar artists who left MARVEL to form their own. Image Comics still stands today being a venue for creators to share their voice and express their creativity.

The comics under Image can be anything! Now, you have The Walking Dead, SAGA, Chew, Manhattan Projects, and Invincible just making wonders.

It was an interesting panel with the guys telling their stories. But the surprise was Comic-Con International was they gave the panel the Inkpot award! They all got 1!

The Panel

Old School 

My take is that you attend the panels you really want. You can't do everything in Comic-Con. Panels are a good way to rest your feet and have fun. At the end of the day, the exhibit hall is the place to be!

COMIC CON 2012

So I made it back to San Diego and it was still awesome! Although I wish Jonty could have gone since it would have been more fun with him there. Anyway, just wanted to share with you guys some photos from my recent trip to Comic-Con 2012. Above you can see the MARVEL Booth which displayed the "Hall of Armor" from the upcoming Iron Man 3 movie. My friend Gerard who was with me called it. When we were on the way there, he predicted that Marvel would display Tony Stark's armors. I think it's so cool that you can see Marks I-VII in the photo :)

Below are photos in chronological order :)

When you go to Comic-Con, prepare to WAIT IN LINE. Seriously, not for the non-fan. You will be bored. Falling in line in Comic-Con requires a certain type of passion. That's the only way you can be patient. For Preview Night, we got there at around 12:30 and we waited until 5:30. Not cool... But entering the halls of Comic-Con washes the pain away!

You'll never know who you'll run into so be sure not to be shy. I saw G4TV's Blair Butler (who also wrote a 4 issue limited series for Image called HEART) She happens to review comics for G4 also and she's a cool geek! I really like her comic book recommendations. 

Behind me is the side of the MARVEL Booth. They're displaying MARVEL NOW! (It's their relaunch this October. See Cyclops? His eyes are shaped like an X!

Crazy prices for comics right? But tell me, where can you get a 9.8 copy of X-Men 1 and a 9.6 of the 1st appearance of Iron Man? ONLY AT COMIC-CON!

With CHEW Artist Rob Guillory. He's a really nice guy! Can't wait for the Chew TV Series to come out! Rob was also interested in visiting the Philippines :)

I just had to have my photo taken with the SILVER SURFER! I saw this dude last year and he's awesome! SILVER PAINT YO!

This is Axel Alonso. He just happens to be the Editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics! :) Booyah! Tall guy too! I couldn't believe no one was talking to this man! Seriously... Axel's doing an amazing job. I told him I'd support MARVEL NOW all the way.

Forner WWE Champion JEFF HARDY!!! SWANTON BOMB!!! Aww yeah!!! 

Slave Leias reunion

This is Sergio Aragones. He writes and draws Groo. I'll put him in "One of the Nicest Guys" list. We actually talked about his visit to the Philippines a looooong time ago. He said he was great friends with the legendary Alfredo Alcala :)

Thought the X-Men and Tales of Suspense prices were crazy? These are even crazier. Behold, Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman graded at 5.5 and a copy of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman graded at a super high grade of 6.5 for a golden age book! Yes, more than half a million each! Men in suits were behind this glass case and asked me if I wanted to hold it. Damn... drool... drool... drool...

My dream comic... AMAZING FANTASY #15

This year at Comic-Con, I attended more panels. I had to stay in 2 panels just to get in Marvel's Cup 'O Joe panel. It was worth it! Jeph Loeb was hilarious!

This is Olivier Coipel. He's a French superstar artist for Marvel and I love his art! Super love his art! 

They were displaying the Batmobiles outside Comic-Con so I decided to visit the exhibit and check out the badass Batman cars. Behind me you'll see Christian Bale's Tumbler and below you'll see my favorite Batmobile which was Michael Keaton's. Love the Keaton Batmobile. SUPER BADASS! That's THE Batmobile.

Badass right? 

Dinner with my Comic-Con friends! Next to me are Philip and Kristine Tan, Gerard Poa and Kristine's cousin Oliver. We hung out with them last year and this was a mini-reunion. Philip took us to this awesome seafood restaurant that served super awesome clams!

I met Anthony Bourdain! I met him at the DC Booth since he wrote a comic book called "Get Jiro" which was sold out in Comic-Con. I got his autograph on my notebook.

Presenting the debut of the Mark VIII from the upcoming Iron Man 3 movie! I'm not into the gold though... I think it's too much gold for my taste. We'll have to wait and see how cool it is.

Lucas Scott! Este, Chad Michael Murray. I was a fan of One Tree Hill when I was in college. I have to admit. Chad's promoting his comic book EVERLAST. I got Misha a copy with his autograph.

Also in attendance is SUPERSTAR Leinil Yu and LEGEND Alex Nino :) I think this picture is awesome! (Nil, feel free to get this pic :) )

RVD! Nuff said.

Do you guys watch Ancient Aliens on the History Channel? :) This guy is awesome! Love watching him on that show! "TSOUKALICIOUS!" Hahaha!

With the coolest and nicest guy in MARVEL COMICS! I swear, this man is just way too awesome! CB CEBULSKI Ladies and Gentlemen. He brought me inside the Marvel Booth!

With the 2012 Eisner Award BEST WRITER! MARK WAID! 

Was I the droid he was looking for?

Guys, if you're planning to go to the 2013 Comic-Con, please feel free to ask me questions and I'd gladly give tips! All I can say is that Disneyland is NOT the happiest place on earth... It's the San Diego Comic-Con!

Can't wait for 2013? You're in luck! Why don't you join the National Book Store NEW YORK COMIC-CON Promo? :) Click on the banner on the top page for more details :)

The "Reverse Pasalubong" - Beyond Borders and Guimaras Chocolates

Happy Independence Day!

I thought today was a good day to write about this. I think that the Department of Tourism is really doing something to help improve this nation. I was fortunate enough to meet a man who works under the DOT. Mr. Enchong Formoso taught me the concept of "Reverse Pasalubong" and it was brilliant! You see, there are A LOT of balikbayans. They come here bringing pasalubong from the US, the Middle East, the UK, etc. But when they go back there, what do they bring to their American friends? That's where "reverse pasalubong" comes in. 

Balikbayans have a lot of power if you think about it. They have a lot of power marketing our great country. Mr. Formoso let me try this unique Milk Chocolate called "Guimaras" and it's a chocolate filled with Philippine Mango. I'm sorry I wasn't able to take a personal photo but it was exquisite! You can get that at Duty Free Philippines. 

Anyway, this concept of reverse pasalubong gives us a chance to tell our balikbayan friends what to bring to whatever part of the world the Philippines has to offer. A few weeks ago, my friend Marga asked me if I could write something in the blog. It was her product/advocacy. It's interesting because I told her that apart from geeks, there were Moms and Girls who actually read this blog and this part is actually for the great Moms and lovely women who read my blog. (Thank you Moms and Ladies, I am humbled)

Marga gave me some products for my mom and their woven blankets from Ilocos! Marga is part of "Beyond Borders" and they make blankets, placemats, linens, and throws. Guys, sorry, I also don't know what throws are either... Hahaha. But anyway, Marga works with Ilocano women and they are preserving an old Filipino Tradition. She sent a really nice Yellow Blanket for my mom.

I was really amazed that Marga was helping out Ilocano women and preserving an old Filipino Tradition. Here was a friend from school living out an advocacy. I'm really proud of her for doing this for the Philippines. 

Here's the press release from Beyond Borders.

Beyond Borders was born out three Filipinas' pride in their culture and its traditions and a sincere desire to preserve them. With an eye-catching product line handmade by Ilocano women and men on antique looms, Beyond Borders makes preserving tradition surprisingly modern.

"Abel" in Ilocano translates to "weave", and it is a craft that has been passed down orally to today's weavers by their elders. Younger generations have been more reluctant to sit at the loom because weaving takes patience and skill, and they are convinced they can earn more hunting for jobs in the city. But, with every item sold, Beyond Borders and its growing customer base prove them wrong! There is a future in keeping crafts alive.

Today, we are focused on raising awareness about the beauty and durability of Abel. We strive to design and innovate products that appeal to the urban markets while maintaining the integrity of traditional hand-weaving. Each product by Beyond Borders is a piece of the Filipino heritage. By supporting the brand and owning the products, you are doing your part to help us get closer to eternally preserving our Filipino tradition of Abel weaving.

Here's the THROW! Marga sent one for me. Now I know what it is. Haha! Thanks Margs! Check out http://www.facebook.com/beyondbordersphilippines for more information.

If you are a balikbayan reading this blog, thanks for taking time! I highly recommend that you have a pasalubong for your friends when you go back to whatever part of the world you're going back to. You really have the power to bring tourists here in the Philippines. I suggest products from Beyond Borders and Guimaras chocolates.

Have any other ideas for reverse pasalubong? :)