State of the Aquaman Collection

I try to pay homage to the Aquaman Shrine once a year, usually on the anniversary of my blog, with some picks of the current status of my Aquaman Collection. Last year being the first year I dedicated a whole week, this year I was planning on filling my collection out a little more, but fell short by a couple key Aquaman toys. One being a nice looking loose Mego Aquaman, second a nice loose Superpowers, and third... I keep missing the Minimates auctions! All that aside I am happy to report that the Aquaman branch of my collection did grow this year! So in honor of one of the blogs that got me going, and a belated intro to year three I give you the State of the Aquaman Collection on Eclectorama.



First up I acquired a Black Manta from a trip to the store, I heard that the Classic Aquaman from the same series of DCUC was making an appearance at that very store... nothing but Black Manta, foiled I went home empty handed, checking back a week later, still Black Manta, I did this about three more times, finally I bought the damn Black Manta, because that was the closest I was going to get to Aquaman.



A few months later I was shopping at the "Magic Grocery Store" and stumbled upon the Modern "Chase Variant" Aquaman. I threw him in the cart and upon returning home shot Rob at the shrine an email offering him up. I was beaten by another F.O.A.M. member, so I emailed back to Rob that if he was sure, I was going to go ahead and pop him open. Because this was as close to the classic Aquaman as I was going to get.



Now it wasn't like I hadn't seen a classic version of the sea king, I had actually two days before Christmas, but the figure was horrible. The paint was really sloppy, and it has to be really sloppy for me to pass on a figure I've been looking for. So I left him at Target and went on with my Christmas shopping. I went back a week or so later and of course he was gone, I was sort of relieved as I would have felt like I was compromising quality just to get the DCUC classic figure in my hands.



So once again I find myself at the "Magic Grocery Store" and who should be swimming up from behind a pile of Superman Blue and Red, none other than a pretty decent Classic Aquaman! Yeah! I was pretty excited about getting this figure, and as a side note I am one piece away from completing my first Build a Figure ever, Gorilla Grodd. I just can't make myself buy a Blue or Red Superman, I really do not care for the character. True I have purchased a Blue Superman in the past, but man I just can't plunk down the cash for Grodd's sake. I'll probably break. A second note, this was the second and only time I have seen the Classic Aquaman in the wild.



Now Black Manta can fear both Modern and Classic Aquaman! Buhahahahaha!



Up next is Black Manta and Aquaman Man from Batman the Brave and the Bold Cartoon. These were actually sent to me from the Aqua Master himself, by way of the JLU Club! Viva the JLU Club! I know these are not JLU related, but Rob was nice enough to hunt these down for me in his neck of the woods, as they were yet to be released in these parts. Side note, whenever I receive help or order figures on line, it never fails that they suddenly appear in stores in mass. These took a little longer to trickle in, and I am happy yo report that the Aquaman figure seems to be a big seller here in Texas, he never seems to hang out on the shelves long.





Also, if you are not familiar with this line The Brave and Bold figures are made with children in mind, while they sport near perfect likenesses to the cartoon, they also have peg holes all over them so you can configure the accessories in different combinations all over their bodies. Sort of reminds me of Micronauts. Still I think they are pretty fun figures and worth it if you are interested in the style of the show.



That is the current State of the Aquaman Collection here at Eclectorama, and now I see Rob has started posting pics of F.O.A.M. member's collections on the shrine, I'll have to construct a little shrine shelf of my own and stock it with my Aquaman pretties and shoot a pic to submit.

Well hello my name is Green Lantern, and I like to do draaawings...

Wow, I can't believe it's been 10 years since I purchased this book! Crazy thing was that I could probably figure out how to adapt Bruce Timm's style to the other DC Superheroes at the time, I just am drawn (no pun intended) to these how to draw super hero books. Now this was way before Justice League, but after the Batman and Superman Animated Series had made their rounds. This book along with a magazine published around the same time really got me thinking about the other Justice League majors and minors, if there can be a Justice League minor... I mean they are all super heroes, right?

So, published in 1998 Walter Foster's "How To Draw DC Comics Super Heroes", with your hosts Green Lantern and the Flash, brought to you by Eclectorama, featuring an Aquaman Spread by the Aquaman Shrine! The book is illustrated by John Delaney and Ron Boyd, two fine artists. It was published by Walter Foster Publishing, Inc in Laguna Hills, CA. Printed in China with a finished size of 10.25" x 13.75". Of course under license of DC Comics.

First I appreciate that they had the Green Lantern of the time co host this with one of my favorite super heroes, the Flash. Mainly as the Green Lantern puts it on the first page "In my civilian identity, I'm a professional artist, so I'll teach you to draw well." that and the Flash promises that "I'll help teach you to draw in no time flat!" Sweet and double sweet, I'm going to be the fastest, professional artist out there!



So first up we gather the supplies, now being an artist I have everything on the page, probably in triplicate in some cases, but Joe Average has to get mom and dad to spring for a starter studio. Now wait I already have this stuff, and I'm buying a basic drawing book, not even that it's a starter, but hey it has DC Super Heroes in it! None of my college books have DC Super Heroes in them! I need to know this stuff.

So lets just start with a few of the pages, first thing that struck me and I thought was really cool, no Batman or Superman! That's right it is everyone else's time to shine. Here a short run down of actual instruction pages, though more heroes appear through out the book: Green Lantern, Doctor Light, Martian Manhunter, Blockbuster, Aquaman, Black Manta, Green Arrow, The Key, Huntress, Black Canary, Shazam with Black Adam, Plastic Man, Hawkman, the Gentleman Ghost, Firestorm, the Atom, Steel, Superboy (guess I spoke too soon), the Cyborg, Starman, and the Mist... phew! Mixed in are lessons on Perspective, drawing hands (still trips me up), expressions, bodies, all the basics. It really does cover a lot in a short amount of time.



So here's some favs of mine, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, Huntress and the Canary spread, and the expressions page. Now something of note, Green Arrow was never really big for me when I was a kid and it's not till recent years I really began to appreciate the character, plus the orange hood costume... not so much, but Ollie is represented in the ghost clouds and this page has a dynamic. The expressions page just cracks me up, and how could I not post the Huntress and Canary spread... last PLASTIC FREAKING MAN! Remember this guy? If you are a DC nut of course you do, but I'll say it again PLASTIC MAN! How cool is it that they threw him in?





So I have another favorite spread featuring one of my favorite little drawings in the book of Green Lantern, Scuba Lantern! To see the entire spread though I'm going to ask you to take a trip to the shrine of all things Aquaman, you will not be disappointed, it really is a beautiful layout. A shout out to Rob at the Aquaman Shrine for participating in this fun little cross blog idea of mine, Thanks ole' Shrine Keeper!



In parting I leave you with the last splash page from the book with some teaser shots of other DC Heroes you can draw, so get your pencils sharpened and ready to go and as the Green Lantern and the Flash say "Practice makes perfect!"

The Secret Mission to Spy Island!

Not too long ago I left a comment on a little blog called Plaid Stallions that was featuring some great records from my childhood. One of these records was the Peter Pan Book and Record set for GI JOE: The Secret Mission to Spy Island. When I was much younger I would sit for hours listening to this record while thumbing through the pages and when I was done I would take my GI Joe on a secret mission to the island.

I don't know where to begin with these sets. Mystery, Intrigue, Exotic Locals! These were packed full of fun and adventure at every turn. Even today I do not think there are many forms of entertainment that would compare to the rich illustrations and soundtrack (that would pause at the tone letting you know it was time to turn the page) of these book and record sets, and still have the sample appeal.

Well a friend of mine, Rob at the Aquaman Shrine (if you need to know anything about Aquaman, this is the place to visit!), saw this comment and happen to have an extra copy of this book and record set, and knew that I would give it a good home. Rob, you have never been so right in your life! It will always hold a place of honor in my collection, Thanks again Rob! and Yo Joe!