retrospective look on last year's offerings
POPs of the day 035
2017 SDCC exclusives
Thank you, Franklyn FM McInnis for inspiring me yet again with your own in-depth retrospective of last year's SDCC that I can finally have an entry for this segment that actually would be current:
There are a bunch of great to middling solo exclusives for the last convention but here is my top picks from the bunch:
the young Ford's one-of-a-kind robot face under another face and the pinpoint perfect flocked Tigger, adding something more to the regular version to merit the sticker.
Recolouring that made sense for the characters are Nega-Scott for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the Joker Batman below while that Interplanetary Batman is something unique altogether, making one whole POP for one cover-page appearance (it wasn't used in the issue itself, right?).
I will always appreciate whole new sculpts for those who are willing to spend the time and money to get them, and that Baxter Stockman and Man-Bat are perfect for a nostalgia trip down the cult classic animated series of TMNT and Batman. Last but not least, Luna Lovegood is perfectly represented yet again with that funky clothing and that wacky magic spectacles.
Having two 6 inch POPs coming out at the same time is rare as it is but it was much more delightful when both of them are such beautiful products! The Mega Zord was something that fans had been clamouring for and it was perfectly represented in its giant, bright form while Occamy from Fantastic Beasts is such a fantastic surprise considering its short screentime, as his shimmering skin with bright neon colours are beautifully brought to life in POP form.
I had to include some negatives to highlight that Funko still make mistakes such as the most pointless recolouring of Captain America's basic sculpt when Bucky was holding the shield, being both a poor representation of the comic counterpart and such an apparent cash grab with the most minimal work. Ares from the movie Wonder Woman is just an uninteresting villain and if he is bigger than the usual POP to mirror the original size, that could've made up for it a little bit. Without any weapon though, he looks so silly just holding up his hands like that. This chrome Batman is a the Holy Grail for the last convention as it was one of the hardest to get for the collectors and even though it was another recolour, the admittedly beautiful shiny surface coupled with the coveted sticker makes it that much more valuable, hence the ridiculous price being asked for it on ebay.
Pairing up Princess Leia with R2-D2 makes sense and would make a perfect two pack for Star Wars fans (although Leia alone should've already being released already, post hologram) while Ren and Stimpy's pack is made that much special with Stimpy's pink eyes caused by that contraption on his head as Ren turning it on with his remote control. The Wonder Twins cater to the more diehard fans and even though they do not look like much, representing much more obscure comic properties is a commendable act in and of itself. Although Chip and Dale looks too familiar with the Kingdom Hearts predecessors, the flock certainly makes up for it and the same can be said for CatDog. Having the regular version sans-flocked coming out not too far down the line after that could be a bit disheartening for those who were chasing it thinking that it would be a unique POP on its own.
We still don't know what's coming out for this year and it is for the better since they won't be a fervour to chase them down again in the heat of the convention, making them take a breather when the con fever has subsided before embarking on another one. What do you wish would come out? Do you think it would be better than last year?
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