Exclusives.
Exclusives are one of the main reasons collectors go to Comic Con.
Exclusives are rare items, having runs of only several hundred (statues) to maybe several thousand at the most (comic books), that comic book publishers, toy manufacturers, and everyone in between creates to draw Comic Con goers to their booths. Sometimes the swag costs money for the fans; sometimes the swag is free to first served.
No matter what people think of my online persona, I’m a simple man. I have limited items in my home, preferring function over clutter. The geeky items I do have hold special places in my heart. I use them sparingly. Therefore, when I go to Comic Con, I want the best of the best that speak to me and who I am.
After all, I want my home to be a representation of me—and I’m not a hoarder.
Last year I only brought home one item from my Top 5 Exclusives from Comic Con 2009! The black and white edition of The Talisman #0 Comic Con Edition. Why? Because the Stephen King/Peter Straub novel The Talisman is one of my favorite coming-of-age reads!
Well, I am back this year, hunting for coolness again, and I have selected another Top 5. I have to be honest, I feel like this year the exclusives aren’t that great. I only found 7 that I would actually want in my home, so creating my Top5 was fairly easy.
Here they are:
#5. True Blood #1 Con Edition
I’ve watched a few episodes of HBO’s True Blood. I can see what the appeal is. Sex. Vampires. The Occult. Memorable characters within various factions. All with a fresh, southern slant.
What makes this exclusive unique though is that the series creator, author Charlaine Harris, is attending Comic Con this year! While Sookie is an author creation—and a damn fine one at that, if you know what I mean—she has taken on a life of her own since being on HBO.
Now she is leaping into her own six-issue comic book series and this Comic Con edition is part of that launch this week. Also, it will be exceedingly rare to find with the amount of True Blood fans out there.
So pick this up, have Charlaine sign it, and treat it with care. Or just read it!
Cost: $5.00. Production Run: 1000. Located: IDW Publishing Booth
#4. Commander Bly Bust
Okay, I’m a sucker for Star Wars items. You’ll see that later. I also really enjoy the Clone Wars animated series, so this bust is a natural pick for me.
Commander Bly has been one of the more prominent Clone Troopers used in media; he has been featured in various books, comic books, and had a brief role in Revenge of the Sith when he follows Order 66 and kills a Jedi. The visor on this bust is connected via magnet so you can position it up, down, or remove it completely! Which I think is pretteeee cool!
Cost: $60.00. Production Run: 1500. Located: AFX Booth
#3. Alex Ross Avengers Assemble Poster
Ever since two little mini-series were published by DC and Marvel—namely titled Kingdom Come and Marvels respectively—I’ve been an avid fan of Alex Ross. He has a gorgeous style that brings out the best—and sometimes the worst, if need be—of comic book superheroes and villains.
In this print and poster, Alex Ross depicts the Avengers. Why is this cool? Because Marvel Studios is working at assembling Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and others in a live-action movie! While I stopped putting posters on my walls many years ago, it does come in a limited edition print that might be worth getting signed and framed at a later date. The prints are also big, at 45 3/4 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
Cost: Currently Unknown. Production Run: 100 prints, 250 posters. Location: Alex Ross Booth.
#2. Faun of Pan’s Labyrinth
I had a tough time putting this at #2. It should probably be #1.
Be that as it may, Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my favorite fantasy films of all time. It is dark. It is moody. It made me turn away from several of the more horrific scenes. It also carries the stamp of one of the best visual directors in the business, Guillermo del Toro, a man whose creature creation is nearly unparalleled. It is one of the reasons Peter Jackson wanted him to direct The Hobbit, after all.
Hence I give you one of those wonderful creations, the Faun. The Faun is the guardian of the labyrinth, who gives Orfelia, the main girl character in the movie, three quests to complete. In this statue you see the Faun holding the Pale Man’s dagger gained from one of the completed quests. I love this statue because it captures the Faun so well and I will be bringing it home from Comic Con.
Cost: $70.00. Production Run: 500. Location: Gentle Giant Booth.
#5. McQuarrie Darth Vader
Again, Star Wars got me this year. The history of Star Wars: A New Hope is fascinating. I’ve always been most particularly drawn to the preliminary concept artwork that went into the storyboards of Episode IV and how those initial character sketches evolved into the characters we know and love today. That means Ralph McQuarrie must be brought into the discussion—thanks to this bust! He is responsible for the bulk of those concepts, Darth Vader being one of them, and I think this is the coolest thing out there for exclusives. It has 3 different interchangeable heads and stands six inches tall. Despite the large amount, these will go quickly.
Cost: $75.00. Production Run: 2500. Location: Gentle Giant Booth.
There you have it. My Top 5 Exclusives from Comic Con 2010.
I think I am coming home with the Faun.
More soon!
