Some very popular trends just pass me by at times. I see others diving headlong into what’s all the rage, but I look at the same things and wonder why.
I don’t think I’m the only one, but I realize I’m in the minority online. I thought this week I’d talk about what I see as incredibly big trends that others really love, but I just don’t get! Please understand that I’m not saying these things are BAD – I’m saying I don’t understand why others are attracted to them.
DC’S BOMBSHELLS
I mean, I understand the notion that we see women in a period piece strutting their heroic stuff, but the costumes and the takes on the characters never resonated with me at all.
So what are the Bombshells? Here’s how I’ve seen this series described: “DC Bombshells is a reality where female superheroes guard the homefront during World War II. It was originally created as a series of statuettes inspired by 1940s pinup art and dieselpunk. It later sparked two runs of themed variant covers, first in August 2014 and then again in October 2015, this time to coincide with the launch of their own series, DC Comics Bombshells (Volume 1).”
And I usually love it when the ladies are the main characters in a comic! I applaud creators who have female leads, such as in Image’s Shutter. It’s important to have a variety of personalities in women, but this group feels like their much less than their main DCU counterparts.
Sex appeal is an important part of the Bombshells’ lure, I think, but I’d hate to think that this is more important than the characters’ abilities and possibilities.
Again, it’s not that I think the Bombshells were bad. I just don’t understand what made them such a big deal.
FUNKO POPS
The new Beany Babies, Pops are everywhere! Some stores seem like half of what they have for sale are Pops. And just about every character ever imagined in comics, TV or movies has a Pop. Big heads, little bodies – Pops are the right size to put on shelves in your office or on the walls of your bedroom.
I should say that I never got into Beany Babies either. But since I have friends who are into Pops, I’ve been to more Walgreens than I can count seeking their exclusive Pops.
They’re cute and all. But at around $5 or more a figure, that can add up pretty quickly. I understand this part since I really got into statues and maquettes about 10 years ago. And I bought two of them as well – one to open, and one to keep. It’s a good thing for my wallet that I don’t buy Pops because there are literally thousands of them!
Now, if someone gave me a Hawkman, I’d take it! I have a Hawkman figure collection that’s growing each week, so this rare Pop, even out of the box, would be something I’d gladly accept!
What worries me is the way Beany Babies just completely and suddenly vanished. I used to go to a comics shop that had a ton of Beany Babies. Then one week I went there and found Anime discs had replaced them. “What happened?” I asked. The owner said that the market for Beany Babies had suddenly collapsed, so he unloaded them as quickly as he could.
Will the Pop phenomenon follow suit? Will the demand just “pop” at some point, leaving stores full of product they can’t move? Could be, but we’ll see! I worry that some shops will vanish should this trend implode. Hope not! If you like Pops, then by all means, get as many as you can at your local comics shop to keep them going!
LEGOS
I realize that I may be one of the very few fans online who doesn’t have Legos. Now, I once worked for a boss who was hugely into them, and she would spend weekends at Lego conventions building everything from musical instruments to war machines out of them. Now the convention part, that I understand!
I mean, they’re often box-shaped figures/shapes that you often have to assemble. I just don’t have time for that. And I’m also horrible with models, especially putting on decals. They’d never be right, and I’d have to keep pulling them off to try and get them straight … until they’d fall apart of not come off any longer. I’d likely be just as poor trying to build Legos.
The Legos animated adventures have touched many franchises, from Batman to Star Wars to Marvel. They’re mostly aimed at kids, which is great, but sometimes my silly meter hits the red zone pretty quickly. As one of my former co-workers used to say, it wasn’t meant for you! And that’s cool.
If you want to talk Legos, I’m sure several folks here could tell you everything you’d ever want to know, and maybe more! But me? Not at all! It’s cool that fathers and sons can do this together – bonding in this way must be great! My dad looked at comics and didn’t care for them, but he never kept me away from them, either! Watching people build Legos is like watching someone work on the computer to me. I can do it, but it doesn’t keep my attention. Sorry!
Compared to Pops, Legos have had a long, long life. I don’t see many comics stores selling Legos these days, but they can be found in Walmarts and other larger stores. That’s a sign they’ll likely be around for quite some time!
There are other comics-related trends I don’t get, like Deadpool. I read his comics for a while, but even the clever “hankerin’ for a spankerin’” kind of dialogue couldn’t hold me very long. Yes, his R-rated movie is a big success, but how he responds to unicorns is a turn OFF to me. I’m sure he has plenty of fans to keep his comics and other media going, so I’m not concerned.
Again, let me point out that I’m not saying any of the above are BAD. I just haven’t gotten into them. If you have, great! I’m more than happy for you! I’m just not at those parties, sadly!
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