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 here. 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 haven’t 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 are bad. I just don’t understand what makes 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 the only one here at MajorSpoilers.com 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, our Head Honcho Stephen Schleicher can tell you everything you’d ever want to know, and maybe more! But me? Not at all! It’s cool that Stephen and his son 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, Stephen!
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! Maybe you can enlighten me as to why you like these by posting below?
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4 Comments
“Again, let me point out that I’m not saying any of the above are BAD. I just haven’t gotten into them.”
I sincerely wish more people had that kind of attitude. I don’t really like things for being popular, I just like what I like, and I don’t always understand why others like what they like, but I do at least understand that not everything is going to appeal to every person. But every so often, I come across these very insistent people who will non-stop bash people for liking one thing, or for not liking something else. Not too long ago, I was physically assaulted for buying a My Little Pony item for a friend’s birthday gift by some woman who thought it was pure evil to see a grown man buying the toy without children around.
Thank you for the kind words, Brenning!
I got the funko pops that don’t get action figures like my Big Trouble in Little China Jack Burton, Lightning, and Lo Pan. Though I do enjoy how some others look like Groot or R2D2. I’ve also got a good collection with Loot Crate and Collector Corps subscription.
I enjoy the blind box funko mystery minis much more. Trying to tell what’s in the box by weight and how it rattles takes me back to Christmas.
DC’s Bombshells- I’ve never read the comics but I do have a couple of the variant DCB covers to other series issues that were done by Des Taylor because he’s got a fantastic pop-art eye and I loved the designs he did.
Pop Vinyls. I don’t really know why I like them but they make me smile. The broad reach of the licenses too is something very appealing because you can find such a mix of fun stuff.
Lego. This is, of the 3, the one I love the most. It’s a fantastic relaxation hobby despite the cost of the licensed sets. The increase in detail and complexity of the sets is amazing too. Compared to my childhood sets, you can really see that the design and development skills of the Lego staff is superb. Meaning we can get some super cool sets.