As the world continues to grapple with the spread of a novel form of coronavirus causing the deadly disease known as COVID-19, Emerald City Comic Con, set to take place in one week in Seattle, at the heart of the largest known outbreak in the U.S., is now reportedly offering refunds to Artist Alley exhibitors who no longer plan to attend the show. In the past week, we've seen major exhibitors such as DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Penguin Random House, CGC, Oni Press, and more announce they would pull out of the event, in addition to many of the independent comic book creators who were planning to table in Artists Alley. Even Bad Idea Comics doesn't think it's a good idea to be at ECCC.
Due to concerns surrounding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, BAD IDEA must regrettably withdrawal from this year's @emeraldcitycon.
We love Seattle and look forward to attending in 2021 and beyond.#ECCC#ECCC2020
— Bad Idea, Only Available In Comic Book Stores (@badideahello) March 4, 2020
Yesterday, ECCC released a statement offering to refund ticketholders who no longer plan to attend the show, but they did not yet have any information for exhibitors who wanted to request refunds. However, it seems emails have been going out to individual exhibitors offering refunds while continuing to insist the show will go on as planned and that ReedPOP is following safety precautions to protect attendees from infection. San Francisco Bay Area creator Der-Shing Helmer posted a screencap of one such email.
In case you missed this email last night, ECCC Artist Alley exhibitors can now receive a full refund for their table if they are uncomfortable with attending given the current COVID-19 situation in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/VZQHw6jvv7
"If you're not comfortable attending Emerald City Comic Con," the email reads, "we are happy to fully refund your Artist Alley table price. This community is one of the most important aspects of our event, and we all want you to feel good about your decision to attend or not attend. Your decision to not attend will have absolutely no impact on your status with ECCC or any Reedpop event going forward."
We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation as it develops.
As ReedPOP prepares to hold ECCC next week in the middle of an active virus outbreak, creators and companies are backing out left and right. However, some are hanging in there and excited for the upcoming event … like J. Scott Campbell. Tuesday night where many other creators were jumping ship, J. Scott announced he will be there and is looking forward to it, planning to bring new exclusives with him.
— J. Scott Campbell♠️π¨ (@JScottCampbell) March 4, 2020
Many though are still expecting a cancelation from ReedPOP, as we are now exactly a week away, with some very much feeling ReedPop needs to cancel ECCC with #CancelECCC now on Twitter,
With most companies having pulled out of exhibiting at ECCC, it does become a question as to why ReedPOP would still go forward with a greatly reduced Dealer Room and Artist Ally. However, those questioning that and thinking that it is forgone conclusion that ECCC will shut down with no companies there forget that one big company has not pulled out of ECCC, and likely will not … Funko.
Why? Well the Funko founding headquarters in Everett, Washington is only 28 miles away from the Washington Convention Center where ECCC will be held,
So all their employees and representatives are just at risk at work as they are at ECCC. Over the years as ECCC has grown, Funko's presence has increased because of the closeness of the convention and the mothership for all things Funko being so close. ECCC is also one of the very few conventions Funko directly retails at, and their presence, and the exclusives will have people showing up as long as ECCC goes forward next week.
(They will even have the Coronavirus afflicted Pop…
Next week sees the launch of Funko's Spring Convention Exclusive wave, and while many retailers are partnered up with Funko to get few of the exclusives to sell, only ECCC will have all of them to sell starting next Thursday at ECCC for those who go. With Funko at ECCC, ECCC is very likely to start a week from today. If you personally plan to get any of the ECCC Funko exclusives on eBay, make sure the listing promises it will be "Coronavirus Free!"
As the Coronavirus gains more footing in the United States, it is likely that conventions may start to see creators and companies stay local, and not willing to venture outside their states, or even out of their cities for a while.
Bleeding Cool will have "live" coverage from ECCC starting next week, unless Seattle descends into apocalyptic like conditions beforehand…
Funko is no stranger to giving us collectibles from some of the hottest shows out there. This time Funko is celebrating the second season of Altered Carbon with three special Pop Vinyls! Takeshi Kovacs is the main protagonist of the series and with the idea of transferable consciousness, all three of these figures are technically the same character. We will be getting his original body, his new body from season 1 and the newest one from season 2. All are sleek, packed with simple Funko detail and ready for some sci-fi action.
All three Altered Carbon Funko Pops are set as common releases. Each one is already available online for pre-order and you can find them all located here. I don't think we will see more come out of this wave and I am fine with that as this defines the show just fine.
"The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice."
Coming Soon: Pop! Television – Altered Carbon
"Peace is an illusion and no matter how tranquil the world seems peace doesn't last long. Peace is a struggle against our very nature." Celebrate theNetflixseries, produced bySkydanceand go on an adventure over 300 years into the future with your favorite Altered Carbon characters. Bring home Pop! Takeshi Kovacs (Elias Ryker), Pop! Takeshi Kovacs (Birth Kovacs) and season 2's Pop! Takeshi Kovacs (Wedge Sleve) as portrayed by Anthony Mackie.
Welcome to the pretty-much-mostly-daily Lying In The Gutters. A run around the day before and the day ahead. You can sign up to receive it as an e-mail here.
Things are about to get yellow as Funko announces new Minions Pops are headed our way. This time these Funko Pops are based on their newest film, Minions: The Rise of Gru. While we all have to wait till July till the movie premieres we have some Minions collectibles to look for. There are 8 figures announced in this release with 1 special 10" and one retailer exclusive. Of course, you can have Funko Pop Minions without Minions so Hob, Stuart, Otto, and Kevin are Back once again with some hilarious figures. From braces, roller skates, and disco outfits these 80s themed creatures are sure to make anyone smile. Little Gru makes an appearance this wave too with his luscious locks. Minions will also be getting a set of Funk Mystery Mini figures too. Most are the same designs and the pops but with new poses. One of the cuties minis you could probably own is the yellow suit bob!
All of these Minions Funko Pop figures are set to release in May 2020. Pre-orders for each besides the FYE exclusive Pop Glowing Kevin are available online. You can find links for them located here.
Be one with the Gru.
Pop! Movies – Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
Take a trip back to the 1970's and be sure to bring along Pop! Young Gru, Pop! 70's Bob, Pop! Roller Skating Stuart, Pop! Pet Rock Otto, Pop! Kung Fu Kevin, and Pop! Pajama Bob, and a 10'' Pop! Roller Skating Stuart.
A Pop! Glow in the Dark Kung Fu Kevin will be available exclusively at FYE.
Make sure to pick your favorite characters as Mystery Minis featuring Young Gru, Pilot Kevin, Tim Bear, Kung Fu Kevin, Pajama Bob, Roller Skating Stuart, Pajama Stuart, 70's Bob, Pajama Bob, Track Suit Otto, Pet Rock Otto, and Flight Attendant Bob.
Take your favorite Minions on the road with Pop! Keychain featuring Pet Rock Otto, Pajama Bob, Rolling Skating Stuart, and Kung Fu Kevin.
SNAPSIES TM lets kids snap-and-match, creating thousands of variations in a brand rollout with experience-based machines designed to disrupt the toy aisle
EVERETT, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)--Funko, Inc. (“Funko” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FNKO), a leading pop culture consumer products company, today announced it is entering the toy category starting with an innovative product line called Snapsies TM.
With Snapsies, Funko has developed a toyline kids will love engaging with, because each snap creates a custom character that makes the Snapsie truly unique. The patent pending snap-and-match technology allows kids to add an extra layer of personalization to an already diverse lineup of characters like rock star unicorn Jett, super-athletic mountain goat Billie, and hedgehog Boe, the baker.
To support this line, Funko has created an innovative delivery system with a touchscreen-display retail machine that lets kids immerse themselves in the world of Snapsies through video shorts created by Funko Animation Studios. From the machine a toy capsule is dispensed for instant unwrap, snap, and play.
“Funko is taking our experience in pop culture and entertainment licensed merchandise and bringing it to the toy aisle with an innovative delivery system and product line that will engage kids and increase dwell time at retail,” said Brian Mariotti, Chief Executive Officer at Funko.
For more information, follow Funko’s social channels: @originalfunko on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook; or @funkohollywood on Facebook.
ABOUT FUNKO
Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, action toys, plush, apparel, board games, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters. Learn more at https://www.funko.com/, and follow us on Twitter (@OriginalFunko) and Instagram (@OriginalFunko).
Look, I never thought I'd be walking the Wolverine dick beat. I thought I'd show up at C2E2, lob some softball questions at creators, eat an Italian Beef or five, haunt Artist Alley til I got all the things signed I brought, then head back home again the way I came to Chicago, a stranger to the world of multiple-dicked Canadian superheroes.
Clearly, I thought wrong.
The weekend started off well. As I was walking back to Artist Alley, I saw Chris Claremont's table and he only had two people there. I got in line, spoke with him a bit, got a signature and a sketch on a blank variant of Marvel Comics #1000, then moved on. If I had only known what the higher-ups at Bleeding Cool were looking into, I could have asked – would have asked – Claremont how many dicks Wolverine had when he, Claremont, was writing the character. Alas, I didn't, and the opportunity never presented itself again.
You all know by now what happened. I asked about Wolverine's dicks at the Marvel X-Men Creator Signing and got stonewalled not once, but twice. At least I assume you've heard about it. I've been dining on that story all con. Okay, I've been telling that story to food service workers all con.
But the whole thing got me thinking. What if there were another way to see how many dicks Wolverine has? What if Wolverine toys could show us how many dicks Wolverine has?
I knew what I had to do. I had to search the show floor for Wolverine toys with two dicks.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Dave, you're thinking, wouldn't a Wolverine toy with two dicks be caught before it got released to the market? Well, first, I'm a David, not a Dave. Second, let me tell you a little story about the Billy Ripken F**k Face baseball card.
The year is 1989.Billy Ripken, known for being the brother of a more famous baseball player and the son of a more famous baseball manager, poses for his Fleer baseball card. Unbeknownst to anyone, even the photographer, his teammates have written the words "F**k Face" on the knob of his bat. Ripken holds the bat in a manner that the picture easily captures the words, the card is produced and printed and packaged and sent out into the world, where the words are quickly discovered. Fleer quickly acted to correct the mistake, but collectors knew about the card and the price skyrocketed so high that today it is worth well over a million zillion dollars. Or $150.
Now, again, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking Dave, uhm, David, what does this have to do with anything? Well, Emmy – I know your name is probably not Emmy, but the particular Emmy I know has been told NUMEROUS TIMES that I'm writing for Bleeding Cool this weekend and should be reading my posts and I wanted to make sure she had at least one shout out coming her way. So, Emmy, let me tell you why this is relevant.
We don't know if Billy Ripken was widely regarded to have a F**k Face. In all probability, he didn't, because if he did, the good folks at Fleer would have been on the lookout for any sort of F**k Face mentions on his card. He wasn't, they weren't, and the rest is card collecting history. How does this apply?
If Wolverine truly only has one dick, then manufacturers wouldn't be on the lookout to make sure his toys only had one dick. Because they weren't on the lookout, eventually a two-dicked Wolverine toy would hit the market. It's science. Or math. One of the two.
So, I set out to find two-dicked Wolverine toys on the con floor, knowing that if I found one it would be proof positive that Wolverine only has one dick. Again, science. Or biology, probably.
Did I find any? No. Indeed, every time I asked an exhibitor if they had any Wolverine toys with two dicks, they treated me as if I had stumbled onto a great secret that they could not reveal. Several even threatened to contact security, an action that made me confident they were hiding something. But what could it be? Would the fact that a reporter had stumbled onto the fact that Wolverine has two dicks be enough to justify calling security? Or was something deeper going on?
That's when it hit me. It wasn't just the case that I didn't find any Wolverine toys with two dicks, it was the case that there were very few Wolverine toys to be found at all. This absence of Wolverine toys, a character once as ubiquitous in the toy world as he was in the comics world, wasn't just interesting, it was suspicious.
Rows and rows and only one Logan, no Wolverines
Why were there few Wolverine toys to be found? The answer had to be that all the manufacturers had created new lines of two-dicked Wolverine toys, only to have Marvel step in and halt everything from going to market. That had to be it. As Sherlock Holmes once said, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, has to be the truth. Or something like that. I haven't read any of those books in years and it's too late at night and I'm too pumped up on caffeine and sugar to Google the exact quote.
I was tempted to go back and ask about my discovery, but I knew what awaited me if I did. Calls to 'security' – in all probability Marvel staffers – and my detainment and disappearance. So I'm here, putting this out for all to know on Bleeding Cool, and then heavily investing in a new web site designed to sell black market two-dicked Wolverine toys.
One interesting fact that came out the New York Toy Fair is that Anime is the second highest top selling Funko Pop category. This is honestly no surprise when it comes to popular anime shows like Cowboy Bebop, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, and Naruto. These shows have such strong following that any collectible given to them is just perfect. Funko has does this before with given uncommon TV shows collectibles and just moving it on over to anime is just an untapped gold mine. My Hero Academia is currently one of my favorite series and I love all the characters Funko is making. A new exclusive figure came out recently with GameStop and he is ready for his time to shine with our newest review.
"Maybe I failed this time, but… I'm not giving up. I'll show them I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of you."Hitoshi Shinso is here and ready to outshine Class 1A in the U.A.Sports Festival. This is a great choice for a character to get his own Funko figure. He made such a stunning appearance in the first season too. This hero has the power of controlling any opponent who talks back to them. He almost pushed Deku out of the arena but his strong will stopped him. This My Hero Academia Figure is a GameStop exclusive and it does have the sticker on it. Nothing is really special about the package as it is the same as the rest of the line. Check it out below:
Now for Hitoshi himself, he is pretty awesome. His blue spikey hair is on its own level and it's super! The costume is the same as the My Hero Academia Sports Festival too. He is a very basic character but it's nice to see more of these smaller heroes and villains getting their own special Funko Pop. Hitoshi's face is pretty close to that of the anime even in Pop Form. The bags around his eyes are what bring it all together.
This is a GameStop exclusive figure and you can find him located here. I'm sure with the success of the My Hero Academia line we will start seeing more and more figures come out. I can't wait till we have all the members of class 1A out. This series is a great way to continue to bring new characters and moments into the gold and keep the other figures limited and rare. Go Beyond!
Dr. Pepper recently has a reward for people who bought up 3 bottles of their iconic soda. If you did that you were able to attempt and lock down an exclusive Funko. This Funko Pop is based on their hilarious Diet Dr. Pepper commercial icon, Lil Sweet. I was surprised to see it show up so fast and with it, in hand, it's time to check him out up close.
Right off the bat, his box is colored like a Diet Dr. Pepper with that silver accent. The logo is shown at the top and it even has a can shared exclusive sticker on the Funko Pop window. I really like this sticker on this guy and with such a unique gift it fires perfectly. Nothing is shown of the back except for Lil Sweet's catchphrase, "It's the sweet one."
Moving away from the box, it's time to look at Lil Sweet himself. The figure is nicely sculpted and beautifully colored. He even has hints of glitter on his scarf, which gives him a little extra pizzazz. The Funko is holding a Diet Dr. Pepper in his hand which is cheesy but awesome at the same time. His clothes are nicely shown and his red flowing hair really stands out. This is a great collaboration between two great companies. The Funko Ad Icon line is pretty great and with the extension to more food icons, it's exciting to see what will be next. This Funko could already be sold out but check out Dr. Pepper for updates on if more will come out. I wonder what company will take the next step at the Funko game and bring their mascot alive. What would you guys and girls like to see be the next Ad Icon??
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-bC8NYEQ0/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2584.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-R7GV21mU/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2585.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-97KHvD6y/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2588.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-d5GDbkwo/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2590.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-Up97-36J/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2586.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-te20S4AR/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2593.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-6Ucn7AW9/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2594.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-pB9ybrBZ/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2595.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-ngNBdUgb/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2596.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-rudhMi_W/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2597.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-xYgbDm9T/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2598.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-wja417mc/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2599.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-UZjGbjnS/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2600.jpg)
![Funko Gets Refreshing With the Dr. Pepper Lil Sweet Pop [Review]](https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHA-74U1PH3A/w:auto/h:auto/q:90/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_2601.jpg)