Dark Horse’s Jon Snow Figure will be Limted to 695 Worldwide
This weekend heralds the launch of season three of HBO’s Game of Thrones and I’m pleased to share Dark Horse Comics’ additions to their series related collection.
Last year we had an advance peek at the beautiful Deanerys Targaryen bust. This July Dark Horse will add an awesome Jon Snow (Kit Harington) sculpt with fierce companion Ghost, the direwolf. The Gentle Giant Studios produced statue will be limited to 695 numbered pieces worldwide. Direwolf Ghost
Already available from your collectibles distributors are Golden Globe Award winner Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister weilding his battle axe, Direwolf bookends to keep your ice and fire tomes between, and a 7” Iron Throne all your own. Tyrion Lannister
Dark Horse's 18 Inch Alliance Normandy SR-2 and it's Baby Brother
First up from Toy Fair 2013 is a treat for all fans of Bioware’s Mass Effect franchise. As they did last year the fine folks at Dark Horse Deluxe allowed me an advance look at their upcoming collectibles tied to this popular video game.
Size Counts…
Although last year’s announced miniature Reaper replica did not leave the prototype stage, Dark Horse did make up the difference with their astounding 18.5 inch limited edition, which sold out almost immediately.
Limited Edition Large Reaper Replica Sold Out Instantly
Based on the large Reaper’s instant success the company has just revealed its plans for a similarly sized Alliance Normandy SR-2. The 18 inch beauty, on its own base, will be coming your way in late August of 2013. It will be a limited edition of 1,500 pieces.
Dark Horse notes, “The Normandy is a Systems Alliance starship. She is a deep-scout frigate, optimized for solo reconnaissance missions, using advanced stealth technology powered by an experimental drive core.”
Additionally, “The Normandy will also include an insert card, with a unique code for each ship, that will enhance the Mass Effect experience for individual consumers.”
SX-3 Fighter Miniature Will Be Available in April 2013
You can see a nice comparison of this grand display piece and its miniature brethren in the photos. It was great to get a first hand look at the sold out Reaper and the SR-2 protoypes, as well as additional miniatures soon to be released.
Over the last several months my Toy Fair sneak peek showcasing Dark Horse’s Mass Effect Reaper Replica has been bringing in lots of looks and questions as to when it would become available, actual size and pricing.
As of today the company has announced a rethink on the original collectible (which was about 8 inches tall.) According to DH’s press release the revamped Reaper will measure a whopping 18.5 inches. 18 Inch Reaper Collectible from Dark Horse
Dark Horse says, “This craft is the flagship of the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. Responsible for leading a devastating attack on the Citadel in the original Mass Effect game, Sovereign is an enormous sentient dreadnought larger than two kilometers in length. The Dark Horse re-creation of Sovereign also has a sculpted base depicting a devastated city and planetary surface to convey its huge scale.”
It will be limited to a numbered edition of no more than 1000 and include exclusive multi-player in-game bonus (only for XBox 360 and PC versions of Mass Effect 3.) The high end collectible carries a price of $349.00 and is expected to hit th market by June 2013.
You can put a pre-order deposit of $100.00 on it at the BioWare store.
Dark Horse reprints ACG's Pre-Code "Adventures Into the Unknown"Adventures Into The Unknown: Volume One
Dark Horse Archives
Full Color, Hardcover, 216 Pages
Release Date: June 6, 2012
List Price:$49.99
What a treat and it’s not even Halloween. On June 5, 2012 Dark Horse Comics will add the first volume of reprints of American Comics Group’s Adventures Into the Unknown to its long list of awesome archive editions. This full color hardcover tome will offer up the first four issues of this before – the – comics – code title that predates the earliest E.C. ventures in horror. Geez, it even predate me!
Let’s Get Corrupted…
Writer/Artist Bruce Jones’ in-depth foreword (“Under Forbidden Covers”) sets the stage for those unaware of the historical beginnings and unfortunate ending of the horror and crime comics genres. Adventures Into The Unknown shrewdly survived the reactionary social speculations of Dr. Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent and the ensuing comics code for an unbroken 174 issue run. The tales offered in Volume 1 come from a time (1948-49) when you could blissfully enjoy a creepy tale rendered in lurid detail without being labeled a “commie”, a pervert, or run the risk of being issued a legendary “JD” (juvenile delinquent) card.
Each issue is replete with several graphic stories, a text piece, a “True Ghosts of History” strip. The “Strange Spirits” page gives capsule commentary on the “many terrifying beliefs in all parts of the world” including Voodoo and Celtic Superstitions. Issues 1 & 2 introduce a recurring villain, the seemingly unstoppable “Living Ghost.” His scary countenance is not unlike the creature in director Eddie Romero’s 1970’s Filipino “Blood Island” film series with his missing proboscis and long pin-like fangs.
Gothic Ground Zero…
A unique treat in issue 1 is the graphic novelization of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto. Broadly influential in its time and beyond the 1764 “first” gothic novel presupposes Poe, Stoker, du Maurier and others to follow. It’s a story examined more for its influence then its quality by H. P. Lovecraft in his 1927 treatise on gothicism “Supernatural Horror in Literature.” Panel for panel the art could pass as storyboards for Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, while the saturated color palette is reminiscent of Mario Bava’s set design. Creepy Creatures from "Adventures Into The Unknown" Archive 1
Who Dunnit…
In their original printing the stories and most artwork is uncredited but Darkhorse gives us the creator’s identities. Edvard Moritz, Fred Guardineer and Al Feldstein are among them. There’s a great Leonard Starr (On Stage) story in issue number 4 that has the feel of a AlfredHitchcock/Daphne du Maurier collaboration.
What? No X-Ray Specs!
Advertisements are lovingly reproduced exhorting readers to learn to play piano in one day or harmonica in 15 minutes, in the midst of brilliantly cheesy novelty classics like the “dribble glass”, “squirt ring” and “joy buzzer”.
SkeletonPete Says…
Though low on the “grue-meter” the strips offer enough depictions of supernatural creatures, spectral and skeletal presences to keep the fantasy fan entertained. Overall, Adventures Into The Unknown: Volume 1 is a fun taste of Golden Age horror that whets the appetite for more and fits in perfectly with Dark Horse’s Creepy, Eerie, and Boris Karloff’s Thriller archives.
Camilla d'Errico's "No Ordinary Love" Limited Edition Statuette Delicate Doppelganger
There were lots of exciting new items at Dark Horse Comics’ Toy Fair 2012 booth. Along with their Mass Effect Reaper prototype, they also offered a first look at the upcoming Camilla d’Errico sculptural bust.
The piece is based on the painting “No Ordinary Love”, which can be found in the d’Errico art book Femina and Fauna, also produced by Dark Horse. Camilla’s work reminds me of a blend between Margaret Keene’s iconic 60’s doe-eyed waifs and 70’s TV Anime. As the book title suggests she often juxtaposes ethereal young ladies with some unexpected wildlife eliciting a placid, though equally disquieting, beauty. If I simply described this fantasy portrait you might imagine a tentacle enrobed, raven caressing, bride of Cthulu. Thankfully my photos reflect something quite the opposite and answer the question “Can you fall in love with a girly wearing a calamari as a chapeau?” with a rousing affirmative.
Dark Horse Product Development Manager Chris Gaslin told me that the sculpt was done by Gentle Giant Studios with d’Errico supervising the prototyping. They’ve created a masterful work imbued with the detail and delicacy of the original painting. The 8 inch tall, 5 inch wide, statue will be produced in a limited edition of 950 copies for worldwide distribution. Each will be hand-numbered and collector boxed, with a certificate of authenticity. Expected release date is June 2012. Dark Horse also plans Helmetgirls a second helping of Camilla’s paintings for July publication.
