Convention: Baltimore Comic Con 2010

I don't get a chance to go to conventions as much as I'd like, but I did make the trek to the Baltimore Comic Con last weekend! This convention has grown quite a bit since last year with a few big-name artists like Todd McFarlane (who wasn't signing on the day I went, unfortunately), lots of vendors (although the action figure fare was pretty homogenous... most of the booths were just variations on the same MOTUC, DCUC, and Star Wars stuff that you see everywhere else) and plenty of cosplayers (a substantial increase since last year). I managed to get a few pictures of some of the cooler cosplayers, as well as score some pretty cool autographs from my favorite comic artists. Lets check them out!

Dork Dimension: Year Two

Today is the two-year anniversary of the Dork Dimension! Unlike the first year in which I was still feeling out my vision for the site, not much has changed in the past year other than a few relatively superficial design updates. The biggest change has been the implementation of navigation pages like this one for the Toy Reviews. The pages give me the opportunity to list the articles alphabetically, while also including scores for the reviews for easy perusal. But there's also been plenty of new content, so let's check out the top ten most popular articles in the past year. The results might surprise you...

Toy Tribute: Borg

There's a fine line between collecting and obsessing, and I think I've crossed it with Playmates Star Trek: The Next Generation figures. My previous lackadaisical habit of buying just a few TNG figures here and there has exploded into a completist fanaticism. But there are always gray areas so I needed a boundary to define what I consider to be a "complete" collection. I really only want figures that are TNG-specific and that are seen on screen, so I came up with the following definition: every 5" figure that is reasonably representative of a character from a Star Trek: TNG episode/movie and the costume/design for whom originated in TNG. I'm not going to worry about getting variants and all the accessories, for down that road lies madness. And as I work to complete my collection, I'll post Toy Tributes featuring TNG figures of a certain theme. For the first theme, let's start with the most distinctive TNG villains: the Borg!

Toy Review: Two-Face as Batman (Batman Reborn)

I've griped time and again about the DC Universe Classics line here on the Dork Dimension. I share many of the complaints others have with the line, but ultimately I realized that my main problem lies with the sculpts themselves. It's not the reuse of parts that's the issue (although that is a huge problem in and of itself) it's the fact that the caricatures often seem generic and don't exude the fun abstraction and detailing that artists employ to make the characters so visually exciting in the comic books. Obviously, Mattel wasn't meeting my DC superhero action figure requirements, so I decided to branch out of the DCUC box and explore other options. That's why I picked up this Two-Face as Batman from the Batman: Reborn comic series. Let's check him out!

Artwork: SlimeSkull (TGB Customs)

Here's another header card for the latest Glyos-related release from TGB Customs: SlimeSkull! The skull head was designed by Marty's son, MJ, and was placed on top of a Glyos Buildman body. For this header card, I decided to play up the skull aspect of SlimeSkull, mainly because skulls are all kinds of awesome.

Toy Pix: Glyos System Solaris Armodoc, Callgrim

It seems like the Glyos gang has been on a "glow-in-the-dark red" kick recently. (There must be something in the water because even DST is getting in on the act.) From the latest releases of Glyos and Callgrim, I picked up Solaris Armodoc and Callgrim. Let's check them out in a few more photos.

Toy Tribute: Action Figure Price Tags

When I told my wife about this article, she looked at me with a blank, incredulous stare. "You're blogging about price tags?" I'm sure there are a few of you thinking the same thing. But to me, action figure price tags remind me not only of the great toy stores from my childhood, but also of the fun I used to have browsing through those toy aisles. And many price tags are almost iconic symbols of the stores in which they were used. So let's check out a few price tags from yesteryear!

Toy Pix: Jabba the Hutt (Hasbro, 2004)

With all the hoopla regarding Hasbro's new Jabba the Hutt, I thought it would be interesting to check out this Jabba from the 2004 Ultra Assortment. It's already made an appearance on the Dork Dimension in my tribute to my favorite modern Star Wars figures, but it deserves a closer look... especially since it has been the best Jabba for the past 6 years, and the new figure threatens that title.