During the four years that I worked on World’s Greatest Toys, editor Rob Chatlin and I developed a fantastic system for photographing his mind-boggling collection of Mego Super-Heroes toys. Rob has since sold off some of these toys, which he amassed during more than ten years of serious toy hunting.

Fortunately for all of us, Rob made his immaculate collection available for the book. Nearly every weekend, I would drive over to his house on the West side, and we would chow down on some scrumptious Dim Sum. By the way, if you’re ever in L.A., I strongly urge you to seek out “V.I.P. Harbour Seafood” (I believe it’s located in Westwood). The restaurant is almost always packed, but it’s well worth the wait.

After stuffing face, Rob and I would retire to his house to pack up yet another case of rare, vintage Mego goodness. Here’s a snapshot from one of those days.

Just marvel at the top row!

Each week, it was like this for me. I drooled over his Circle Suit Spider-Man figures (there are several!). I stared longingly at his Montgomery Ward-exclusive “Secret Identity” outfits… his Minty-fresh Super-Heroes. His collection of unique and special figures seemed endless. These are memories I will cherish forever.

Cheers to you, Rob. You went above and beyond — countless times — and your efforts are much appreciated.

Benjamin

As discussed in yesterday’s blog, my buddy Rob Chatlin and I sold vintage toys at the L.A. Comic Book and SciFi Con this past Sunday. During the show, an adorable young woman approached our tables and thumbed through my book, Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! She was very sweet and we chatted for a little while.

About 20 minutes later, she returned to our table and asked whether I was aware of TV’s “Deal or No Deal” or “1 vs. 100.” I confessed being a fan of both shows, and she introduced herself as a casting agent for the production company responsible for the shows. Kindly offering that she ‘liked my personality,’ she asked whether I would be interested in auditioning to appear on either show.

“The top prize is a million bucks, right?” I asked.

She nodded.

“On both shows, if I’m not mistaken” I stated, with inquisitive intonation.

“Yep, that’s right,” she confirmed.

“Uhhh, yeah. I’m in.”

I was told to call her this morning to set up the audition, which I did. Around 11am, I got the official Email inviting me to audition for both shows, at the production company’s offices inside Culver Studios in Culver City, CA. I had to be there promptly at 5pm, which is no small feat, given that I had to work today, my starting location of Burbank, and typical L.A. traffic (heavy even on this holiday Monday).

I arrived and filled out the requisite paperwork (an application and preliminary contract). Looking around the waiting room, I realized it was a “cattle call” audition. I asked around and discovered that most people were there to audition for a future game show revolving around Movie Trivia… NOT “D.O.N.D. or “1 vs. 100.” I also learned that many people had responded to an advert on CraigsList.org. I thought this was a good sign, since I was actually invited to audition.

Eventually, the entire lot of us was called into a conference room, where we were instructed to ‘go around the room’ and introduce ourselves, talk about our interests, vocation, etc. Because the audition included the as-yet unnamed Movie Trivia game show, we were also asked to state our Top Three favorite films.

I was appalled that every potential contestant — one after another — cited “Star Wars” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as two of their three favorites! I like “Star Wars” as much as the next guy (though I loathe “Lord of the Rings”), but how about a little originality, people?! The room was essentially a herd of nerd lemmings.

When it came around to me, I introduced myself as an Art Director who recently published a book about the ‘World’s Greatest Toy line’ from the 1970s. “Which,” I mockingly announced to the room, “is NOT Star Wars.”

Oooooh. BIG groan from the room. I probably shouldn’t have taken a dig at my fellow contestant wannabes, but, oh man. I enjoyed it immensely.

Anyway, copping to the fact that I wasn’t a film buff there to compete on a Movie Trivia show, I cited “Bladerunner,” “Raising Arizona” and “Somewhere in Time” as my top three. I could just as easily have said “Alien” or “Aliens,” not to mention “Contact” or “American Beauty.” But my choices were irrelevant. I’m no film nerd, and I’d probably get my butt handed to me on a Movie Trivia show.

Once everyone had spoken, the two casting agents excused themselves from the room to discuss… well, I have no idea what they discussed. Who the cutest guy was, for all I know. They returned about five minutes later, expressing how much they enjoyed everyone in the room. And that was that. We submitted our applications and we were on our way, right off the lot. But not before giving my casting agent friend a copy of the book! If I’ve learned anything while promoting this book, it’s the fact that every office seems to have an employee who knows and loves Mego. Hopefully, my book will make the rounds in the game show production offices.

Who knows if I’ll ever get a call-back? I probably won’t, but it sure was a fun experience. I figure, as long as I live in Southern California, I should take advantage of such opportunities.

“When in Rome,” and all that.

I’ll post more here if anything ever comes of it.

It was show-time today, as Rob Chatlin and I had three dealer tables at the Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention at the Shrine Auditorium.

Above: Me (left), Rob Chatlin (middle) and our Mego buddy Jay (right)

As with last month, we had a broad range of Mego figures — MOC, MIB and Loose — on display and available for purchase. We also had vintage Kenner, Mattel, Popy, Medicom and more. It was a vintage toy lover’s dream, and we sold a lot of great toys. I also had copies of the Mego book on hand, and signed seven books!

I was also approached by a casting director, who discussed testing me for TV’s “Deal or No Deal” and “1 vs. 100.” I would dig being on either show! I will audition for them tomorrow, and I’ll report more here if anything comes of it.

Rob and I will have three tables at the next show (not until May, unfortunately). Here’s the info, for future reference:

Shrine Auditorium
Expo Center
700 West 32nd St.
Los Angeles, CA

The official Web site for the con is here:

Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention

Guests included stars from TV’s “Jericho,” actress Katy Sagal and Teen Titans Year 1 Writer Amy Wolfram.

Thanks to everyone who came out and said hello. I hope to see you in May!

UPDATE: MORE PICS!

Jay sent me more pics from the show:

Above: Rob sells a copy of World’s Greatest Toys! (left) and a young Mego-head-to-be (right) peruses the book

Above: Benjamin signs a copy of World’s Greatest Toys!

Above: Rob (far right) and Benjamin hard at work selling awesome vintage toys

Above: Benjamin (left) buying a little something for himself (the Blue Mego Batcycle with both Batman and Robin… for just $70!) and one of our repeat customers (right, a high-end comic book dealer), buying a Michael Jackson “Beat It” doll MIB for his brother’s birthday

Above: A sampling of Benjamin’s side of the table… a bunch of Mego goodness

It’s show-time again!

Rob Chatlin (editor of Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys!) and I will have a dealer table at this Sunday’s (02/17/08) Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention at the Shrine Auditorium.

As with last month, we will have a broad range of Mego figures — MOC, MIB and Loose — on display and available for purchase. We’ll also have vintage Kenner, Mattel, Popy, Medicom and more. It will be a vintage toy lover’s dream. I will also have copies of the Mego book on hand and can sign books for anyone interested in acquiring an inscribed edition.

If anyone out there in Blogland is in Southern California, we’d love it if you stopped by the show. We actually have THREE tables this time, and we’d love to see you there. Here’s the info:

Shrine Auditorium Expo Center
700 West 32nd St.
Los Angeles, CA

The official Web site for the con is here:

Los Angeles Comic Book & Sci Fi Convention

Guests include stars from TV’s Jericho, Katy Sagal and Teen Titans Year 1 Writer Amy Wolfram.

Hope to see you there!

Benjamin

Geeks with kids, you may rejoice! Wizard World Los Angeles, the family friendly comics and pop culture extravaganza at the L.A. Convention Center March 14-16, announces it’s brand new “Children’s Area” on the show floor for the youngest fans.

In an effort to make the Wizard World experience the best possible one for all attendees, Wizard has expanded programming and events for children and added the following specifically for the 10 and under Wizard fan.

Be sure to bring your cameras for photo opportunities with an official Marvel Spider-Man character appearance as well as with Stormtroopers and Rebels from The 501st Legion: Vader’s Fist, The World’s Definitive Imperial Costuming Organization.

All Jedis-in-training will have a chance to participate in Lightsaber instructional classes taught by members of the New York and L.A. Jedi.

A slew of prize packages will be handed out as well as free comic books during our coloring and kids costume contest. Kids will also be able to sit down with friends to play games.

Mike Kunkel, winner of the 2007 Annie Award for best Character Design in an Animated Television Show and creator of the two-time Eisner Award-winning comic book series Herobear and the Kid (shown at right) and the critically acclaimed book “The Land of Sokmunster,” will be on hand doing sketches.

“We have always prided ourselves on making every Wizard World convention as family-friendly as possible,” said Senior Vice President of Operations Joe Yanarella. “By designating an area for our younger guests we hope to build a whole new generation of fans who share our love of comics and pop culture.”

For a complete list of events, registration forms, guests, activities, ticket prices and times, visit www.wizardworld.com.

I am so excited for this year’s Wizard World convention in Los Angeles. I’m a HUGE fan of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Wizard is boasting an appearance by none other than… drool… Summer Glau!

I hope to see you the weekend of March 16-18. For more information about the show, check out the official site:

Wizard World

Better yet, click the cool banner to the left! I hope to see you there.

Here’s what I’m listening to, which, by my own definition, is pretty cool:
1) Diana Krall, Just The Way You Are (Live in Paris, 2002)
2) John Lennon, Mind Games (John Lennon Collection, 1973)
3) The Beautiful South, Should’ve Kept My Eyes Shut (Choke, 1990)
4) The Lightning Seeds, The Life of Riley (Eponymous, 1992)
5) Marty Willson-Piper, O’Stockholm (Spirit Level, 1992)
6) The Creatures, Standing There (Boomerang, 1989)
7) Milla [Jovovich], Gentlemen Who Fell (The Divine Comedy, 1994)
Ice-T, Grand Larceny (Power, 1988)
9) The Clash, Wrong ‘Em Boyo (London Calling, 1979)
10) 10,000 Maniacs, Verdi Cries (In My Tribe, 1987)
What are you listening to?
Benjamin

I have a Google Alerts notification setting, which alerts me any time someone in the blogosphere uses the phrase, “World’s Greatest Toys.”

Tonight, I got a lovely message alerting me to a review of Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys! posted on the ever-hip Mania.com.

What pleases me is that the book received an “A+” grade. What surprises me is that the reviewer, Tim Janson, clearly read the book cover-to-cover before offering his review. The book is dense, even for hard-core collectors, so I am really impressed.

You can read the Mania.com review here.

Here’s what Tim Janson and Mania.com had to say about the book:

Mania Rating

Grade: A+

Book Review: Mego 8″ Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys!
By: Tim Janson, Columnist
Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2007

With only a week until Christmas I was literally like a kid in a toy store as I perused this book. TwoMorrows Publishing has long been one of my favorite publishers. Their books and magazines on comics are the best in the business. Yet here is a toy book…granted its about comic book heroes but I was surprised to see this offering coming from TM as opposed to someone else. Before Star Wars changed action figures like we know them today, the figures of the 60’s and 70’s were pretty similar in their design. They had joints, which moved on pins or with elastic of some kind, and they had costumes, which were made of cloth and removable. One of the few real challengers to Hasbro’s stranglehold on “boy toys” came from Mego. The company was founded in 1954 and while they put out a variety of toys it was their figural toys for which they are best remembered.

Mego produced all sorts of figures from movie characters such as Planet of the Apes, to TV personalities like Sonny & Cher and Charlie’s Angels. In an ironic bit of fate, Mego turned down the chance to license toys for Star Wars in 1976, which eventually went to Kenner. The rest is history as Kenner and now Hasbro have made a zillion dollars off the franchise while Mego went out of business in 1983. While Mego made figures in all sorts of sizes, this book focuses solely on the 8” super-hero line, a line which is filled with seemingly endless variations to the figures as well as the packaging. While cornering just this one line from Mego, TwoMorrows has delivered the most detailed and visually dynamic look yet at the World’s Greatest Super-Hero line. The book is packed with hundreds of color photos, which not only show the figures and packaging, but also zoom in to show intricate details such as the variations in stitching in the costumes, and changes in molding on boots and different paint schemes. It’s remarkable, really, the amount of detail that Holcomb has uncovered. This isn’t just a book filled with pictures but a true guide for hardcore Mego collectors. To prove this further, this isn’t a price guide, although the book does note some values on rare figures. This book concentrates on information. It features interviews with former Mego employees and vendors. Would you like to know how Mego figures were shipped from the factory, to the distribution centers and then on to the stores? Well it’s all here.

The meat of “Mego 8” Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys” lies in its exhaustive coverage of the figures themselves…each year, each wave of figures, and each figure and it’s myriad variations. As show in the first Batman section, the figure’s cape was made with a variety of materials from nylon to vinyl, all with unique textures and color differences. One of the most helpful tools for collectors is a U.S. packaging checklist. For example, from 1972 until 1979, the Batman figure appeared in 18 different packaging styles from cards to boxes, often with only minor changes to the graphics or placement of the blister pack or box window. It’s almost like looking at one of those picture puzzles where you have to spot the differences in two nearly identical pictures.

Mego started out strictly on the DC Comics side of things with Superman, Batman & Robin, Aquaman. Batgirl, Catwoman but expanded to Marvel characters very soon with Captain America and Spider-Man. Mego was always very cost-conscious and re-used molds over and over and freely substituted a Shazam head to be used for a Peter Parker Montgomery Ward’s exclusive figure. This cannibalizing of the line is what allowed Mego to sell these figures so cheap…usually for around $3 or $4 bucks, and sometimes even less when a Kresge store tossed them into a discount bin for as little as .99 cents. Boy, wouldn’t you love to be able to go back in time and scoop some of these up for a buck! Eventually Marvel figures began to dominate by the mid to late 1970’s with figures added for Iron Man, Thor, Conan, the Falcon, Green Goblin, The Lizard, The Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. I have a Conan and its truly one of the ugliest action figures ever made. Poor Conan is grimacing like he’s constipated but I still love him.

This is a wonderful book for collectors. It pictures a multitude of variations and accessories that will help build your own collection. There are also dozens of pictures of companion pieces such as vehicles, playsets, and examples of carton styles. It’s a true treasure trove for the Mego fanatic.

How cool is that?!

Don’t have the book yet? Order to Collectors Edition today!

Benjamin

The book received a nice review from Beau Smith (long-time comics pro who’s worked for Eclipse Comics, Image Comics, Todd McFarlane Productions, IDW Publishing and others) on his “Busted Knuckles” blog over at Silver Bullet Comics.

Here’s what Beau wrote:

Mego 8” Super-Heroes: World’s Greatest Toys
Written By Benjamin Holcolmb
Published by TwoMorrows Publishing
$49.99 Over-sized hard cover
http://www.twomorrows.com

By the time the 70s rolled around I was a little old to be buying toys so I really don’t know that much about them from this time period. Sure, I remember seeing ads on TV and being in toy departments, but I really didn’t have much knowledge of what was out and what was in. I remember seeing the Mego super-hero action figures and thought that they just didn’t live up to the quality of action figures of my youth like G.I. Joe and Captain Action. I fully understand that to folks 10 years younger than me that the Mego action figures are a huge part of their childhood and bring them some wonderful memories. God bless em’ because I know that feeling.

There’s some really great news for all those younger than me that loved the Mego super-hero action figures. The very fine folks at TwoMorrows Publishing have just released a killer hardcover book that has to be THE source for Mego super-hero action figures.

This large hardcover book has over 250 quality pages that detail in text and wonderful color photos the history behind these wild little 8-inch figures. Benjamin Holcomb has written and compiled an incredible amount of information and history on Mego as a company and the figures they produced. After all my years of being on the ground floor of McFarlane Toys, I found the information on the Mego company riveting. This is a top of the line book for those that love Mego figures and anyone that enjoys collecting toys. I read this cover to cover and feel that it is well worth the $49.99 cover price. This book will make a great gift for anyone on your list that has ever enjoyed action figures or super-heroes.

Pretty cool. Beau didn’t even like Mego and he still gave me a good review. That’s very manly of him, and just fine by me.

Benjamin

Appearing on Javier Hernandez’ “Planet Comic Book Radio” radio show was the most fun I’ve had in quite some time. If you couldn’t check it out live, you can now Podcast the show in two parts:

Listen to/Download: Part One

Listen to/Download: Part Two

But the real fun — for me — happened after the microphones were silenced. Javier took me to his favorite local Mexican dive. This was positively the best Mexican food I have devoured during my short tenure in Mexophilic southern California. Since moving here in 2001, I’ve had my fair share of excellent Mexican fare… but this place was the bomb. Stand-up and outdoor seating only, it was the perfect setting for Javier and me to unwind after the show.

Javier and I just let loose. On the food and the conversation. No holds barred, we enjoyed the opportunity to shoot the shit without fear of retribution or consequence. All the filthy, fascinating dirt surrounding our projects? The ones we really shouldn’t discuss? Yeah, we talked about it all.

What really happened during the making of Javier’s comic-book movie, El Muerto? What really went down with Benjamin’s first publishing offer? What’re those taboo stories about Mego? Wait: what did Wal-Mart do?!

Hanging out with Javier was a ‘highlight’ experience in a period of particularly special moments and experiences for me. Now that the book is out, I can finally enjoy the book for what it is. I no longer look at it as a task or responsibility or shamefully unfinished project. It’s done and I can finally enjoy the fruits of labor, the opportunity to meet and hang out with accomplished and incredible people like Javier Hernandez.

What a thrill! Here’s my proof it actually happened:

Above: Benjamin (left) and El Muerto creator Javier Hernandez (right), with a signed print of the original San Diego Comic Con El Muerto promotional poster.

Benjamin