the dark knight rises – skeletonpete.com

mezco toyz, one:12 collective, judge dredd — Mezco Toyz Offers Judgement in One Twelve Scale. (Image Courtesy of Mezco Toyz)

Here Comes The Judge…
Hot on the heels of their One:12 Collective Dark Knight Returns Batman action figure Mezco Toyz keeps the gears grinding with the announcement of an equally stupendous Judge Dredd on the horizon.

mezco toyz, judge dread, one:12 collective, action figures — A Riot of Gear is Included with the One:12 Scale Judge (Photo Courtesty of Mezco Toyz)

These Boots are made for Stomping…
Like the Frank Miller based Batman, the digitally sculpted character closely adheres to comic book portrayal and features a real fabric uniform with working zipper. Mezco lists a treasure trove of accessories and interchangeable parts to keep things interesting in play and on display.
Here’s their breakdown:
The One:12 Collective Judge Dredd features:
– Iconic helmet with translucent visor
– Real leather-like fabric uniform
– Equipment belt with working compartments for grenades and ammo magazine
– Boots with holster and knife sheath
– Boot knife
– Handcuffs
– Lawgiver pistol
– Lawgiver ammo magazine
– Daystick
– Two grenades
– One set of fists
– One gun/holding hand
– One open hand
– One pointing hand
– One choking hand
– Display base and posing post

The deluxe easy removal collector’s box gives you the best of both worlds for display and archival purposes.Pre-orders can be placed here.

judge dredd, rebellion, maga collection — Spruce Up Your Bookshelf with this Dredd Mega Collection from Rebellion.

Street Fighting Man…
For print fans, the UK’s Rebellion/2000 AD is keeping collectors knee deep in Dredd, with their upcoming Mega-Collection. Here’s how they describe it.

“With stories that have never before been reprinted, The Mega Collection will give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the development of classic characters, scenes and storylines with specially commissioned feature content exploring Dredd’s world, interviews with the creators and previously unseen sketches and designs.

This is the definitive collection of Judge Dredd and his world, packaged in beautifully produced hardback editions whose spines, once assembled, form a special brand new image that will bring the law to any fan’s bookshelves.”

Gotham, on order…
We reported on the awesome Batman One:12 a while back, but here’s a few extra images from Mezco’s New York Comic Con booth to enjoy.

mezco toyz, one:12 collective, action figures, dark knight, batman, frank miller — The One:12 Dark Knight is Fully Equipped to Tackle Crime in Gotham City.

Click Any Image to Launch Gallery

AdamsONeil_0712_6 — "Leaping Tall Buildings" Graphic Novel Discussion at Housing Works Cafe

On the cusp of the release of “The Dark Knight Rises” The Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby Street, New York, New York) hosted an enjoyable and informative panel discussion aimed at graphic novel/comic book fans. The event shared it’s name with the recently released hardcover Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics published by Powerhouse Books. Authored by writer Christopher Irving and photographer Seth Kushner, previously of the Graphic NY website, the volume features interviews with key figures in the industry from golden age to underground. In addition to the book Irving edits an online ‘zine The Drawn Word, which is of equal interest to genre fans and collectors.

DC’s Dynamic Duo, The Other One…
Graciously on hand for the charitable event were writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams who discussed their early 1970’s revitalization of Batman and Green Arrow. Though the popularity of the 1960’s Batman TV series boosted the caped crusader’s profile in popular culture the “Biff, Bang, Pow” campiness and commensurate decline in quality of the actual comic books soon left the DC editors with a less than compelling character.

In 1971 Editor Julius Schwartz brought the writer and artist together with an intention to “avoid the crap.” O’Neil created a set of guidelines harking back to the stealthy crime fighter of the earliest Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson stories. Noting Science Fiction author Alfred Bester’s “obessed” characters as inspiration O’Neil outlined a psychological key to the Dark Knight persona. This consistency of personality was a giant leap beyond the “anything goes” loopy spin of DC scripts at the time. As O’Neil said during the panel talk “Batman doesn’t fight dinosaurs… doesn’t time travel.” He deliberately avoided using outre villains like The Joker, Riddler and Two-Face. Adams’ sinewy depictions perfectly complimented the reality driven stories and a real life DC dynamic duo was born.

AdamsONeil_0712_24 — O'Neil and Adams inscribed "Leaping Tall Buildings" for Fans. All Proceeds went to the Housing Works Community

Clearly iconoclasts in a time when drug stories and ethnic diversity in comic books was nearly unheard of O’Neil and Adams went on to create now classic barrier breaking moments in comics history. During the evening the two gave an extemporaneous good cop/bad cop view of those accomplishments and behind the scenes business. Adams generally leaned toward unvarnished recollections with “F-Bomb” punctuation, while O’Neil was willing to apply a bit of balm to the memories – though he did believe ignorance of writer Alfred Bester a knock-out worthy offense. They both enjoyed teasing the audience with supposed spoilers based on their premiere night viewing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Publisher Powerhouse Books donated copies of Leaping Tall Buildings which quickly sold out as attendees took the opportunity to have them inscribed by Adams, O’Neil and the authors. All proceeds from the event went to the benefit of Housing Works.

How It Works, How You Help…
Housing Works is a not-for-profit organization the mission of which is “to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts.” The Cafe offers a regular series of talks on an eclectic number of subjects and serves to draw attention to the charity, which is exactly what it did for me. All proceeds from the cafe and the various satellite thrift shops throughout NYC’s boroughs go directly for support. Please consider a donation to Housing Works whether it be monetary, volunteer work or salable items, or drop by the cafe to have a brew and buy a book, CD or DVD.

AdamsONeil_0712_32 — Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Christopher Irving, Amanda Bullock, Seth Kushner

SkeletonPete Says…
The event was a great introduction to the programs at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe and the organization’s cause. It was also a wonderful opportunity to hear the anecdotes and opinions of two respected graphics professionals, catch up with Chris Irving and share some personal remeniscences with like-minded folks. It was a sweet reminder of the spirit of early 70’s NY ComiCons and a perfect example of how fandom can come together for a good cause. Simple but effective everyday heroism. Thanks to Amanda, Director of Public Programming at the Bookstore Cafe, for the warm welcome on my first visit.

Ken Pierce of the PiercingMetal website was also on board to cover the event. He’s a long time comics fan and collector and you can read his coverage here.