The Geek Parent Gift Guide 2009
by Toy Whimsy at 11:17 PM PST, November 19, 2009
You're a nerd, and that is hip. Seriously, geeks are great right now- just look at the success of a little show called Glee (yes, I am a big fan). So this geek parent got to thinking, "What should I, a nerd parent, buy my kids this year?" So I made a list so you can embrace your inner geek and buy your kids some fun toys that might also inspire them to become a nerd in your own image. Because after all, don't nerds rule the world? example one:
enough said. 2009 Geek Parent Gift Guide:1. The Chemistry Set - Nothing better than a chemistry set to inspire the next generation of cancer fighters and inventors of just about everything. Here are a few good ones. Thames and Kosmos The Dangerous Book for Boys Chemistry Set
2. Robots- Every geek needs a robot, a friend, a compadre, someone to bring them another Jolt cola... Here are a couple we like. Pleo Dinosaur - A UGOBE Life Form
3. A building set - It is well known that nerds love to build stuff. Future engineers need the tools to get started. Here are a few sets we love. Eitech Deluxe Solar Powered Metal Building Kit
4. Stuffed Creatures- Even nerds need something to hug. Correct?
5. Math Games - Playing is the best way for children to learn so why not play with numbers? Math games can be fun, educational, geeky-goodness. Sum Swamp Addition and Subtraction Game Learning Resources Totally Tut Math Operations Game
Mythmatical Battles Norse/Egyptian Double Deck Set
6. Electric Circuit Toys - These toys are great for safely exploring electricity (and keeping young explorers from tearing up the walls to explore your home's electrical network).
I hope this list helps my fellow nerds to buy some awesome presents this year. I am sure I forgot some nerd-o-rific gifts, so help me out and leave me a comment with suggestions. Also, don't forget to check out our Holiday Toy List for all kinds of great gift ideas. Happy Holidays! --Laura M. Go Ahead...Touch It
by Toy Whimsy at 11:22 AM PST, November 17, 2009
Sometimes a toy comes along that gets lost in the shuffle and you need to actually see it to understand what it does. Such is the case with the Rubik's Touchcube. At first glance it looks like just another variation of the classic Rubik's Cube. But this new version has some cool technology built in to it, using LED lighting to change the various colored squares -- just by touching it. Sure it's a little pricey, but it's a cool way to take your geek quotient to a new high. Check out the video below to see how it works. -- E. Christian Moore
Graphic Novel Friday: 'Tis the Season for Alan Moore
by Omnivoracious.com at 7:36 AM PST, November 13, 2009
This holiday season, are you looking for that perfect gift to give to the comics fan in your life? You have my sympathies. We are an admittedly obsessive, persnickety bunch. Our interests are byzantine, but there is a great equalizer in Alan Moore. No matter the distance he has put between himself and mainstream comics of late, Moore's catalog is still unrivaled in its scope, reach, and influence. That said, when a body of work is as vast as his, even Alan Moore fans can play favorites. It's with this in mind that DC Comics wisely peppered the 2009 holiday season with a feast for all Moore fans. 
If your favorite comics fan prefers the dystopian Alan Moore, a la Watchmen , then look no further than Absolute V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd's bleak depiction of a totalitarian United Kingdom in need of a revolution. The Absolute V for Vendetta boasts over 100 more pages than the trade paperback, including an expanded sketchbook section, Lloyd's "silent" pages (collected here for the first time), as well as a slipcase, a new dust-jacket, and all the supplemental goodies (intros by Moore and Lloyd, and an long afterward by Moore) collected elsewhere. Plenty of ink went into the enlarged artwork here, featuring some of the best coloring I've seen of this story, and it's all presented on thick, durable pages. 
If that favorite comics fan prefers his or her stories with a touch of magic, then you can't go wrong with Absolute Promethea: Volume 1. In an earlier Omni post, I recounted my love for this series in (embarrassing) detail, but I never thought I'd see this underrated story in the Absolute format. This is Moore's most personal and most ambitious work, and it all starts within this volume, which collects the first 12 issues on an oversized canvas. Artist J.H. Williams III's artwork can only be fully appreciated in such a package. This edition, while slimmer than V, comes housed in a stunning slipcover (featured at left), and, in possibly a first for the Absolute line, without a dust-jacket. To be honest, I'm always worried about tearing the jacket every time I put them back into the slipcase. Plus, J.H. Williams III has crafted an all-new wraparound image for the hardcover, complete with a complex spot varnish, so who needs a dust-jacket? Bestselling author Brad Meltzer provides an afterword, but that's it for extras. Since this is only the first in a promised three-volume set, I have to believe that DC is saving the extras to pad the final two volumes. [Note: In a conversation with DC, they confirmed that not only will Volume 3 feature the most extras, including the "Little Margie" stories and a section on the making of issue #32, but that Volume 2 will have approximately 25-30 pages devoted to an art gallery, plus pages of sketches, pinups, commissions, and more. The breakup of extras across the latter two volumes was due to storytelling purposes. So be good for goodness' sake.] 
Let's say you are on a tighter budget, and your special someone has a flair for adventure--then allow me introduce you to Promethea's sister (or is that brother?) book, Tom Strong. Along with Promethea, Alan Moore created Tom Strong in a fit of creativity, where he devised an entire universe of linked characters and worlds (see also the Omni spotlight on the series). Tom Strong boasts a hefty cast, and this Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 features put-'em-up! action and artwork by co-creator Chris Sprouse. The first 12 issues are rip-roaring and cheery, and Sprouse turns over the reins for flashback sequences by Art Adams, Dave Gibbons, Rick Veitch, Jerry Ordway, and more. Aside from the slightly oversized format, there is a light sketchbook section here as well, mostly notable for the teaser image of Sprouse's forthcoming 2010 continuation of the series. 
There's a very select but vocal corner of fans who wickedly call Moore's run on Swamp Thing their favorite work. Be advised that this is adult material, not to mention Horror comics at their finest. As a child, I was mistakenly given one of these issues, and I think it’s the basis for some of the worst nightmares I still have (it involves a creature with its hand sewn into his back). Initially collected across six paperbacks, Moore's (very) graphic epic is getting the hardcover treatment from DC's Vertigo imprint. Now on Book 2, these hardcovers collect over 200 pages each, with art by series staples Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. To be released in early December, Book 2 features a newly-restored forward by Neil Gaiman, plus the famous, bizarre, Mature Readers-labeled "Rite of Spring" chapter. Book 1 is a must-have precursor to this second collection, and it features the never-before-collected first issue of Moore's run. There isn't another comics creator who has a spectrum so fully covered this holiday, and for the Alan Moore fan who has everything, 'tis the season.
In topics: Collectibles, Collector's Edition, Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Supernatural
Monopoly - Flash Back Friday
by Toy Whimsy at 4:16 PM PST, November 6, 2009
"The history of Monopoly can be traced back to 1904, when a Quaker woman named Elizabeth (Lizzie) J. Magie Phillips created a game through which she hoped to be able to explain the single tax theory of Henry George (it was intended to illustrate the negative aspects of concentrating land in private monopolies). Her game, The Landlord's Game, was commercially published a few years later. Other interested game players redeveloped the game and some made their own sets. Phillips herself patented a revised edition of the game in 1904, and similar games of this nature were published commercially. By 1935 a board game named Monopoly was created much like the version of Monopoly sold by Parker Brothers and its parent companies throughout the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st. The Parker Brothers' version was created by Charles Todd but sold to them by Charles Darrow. Several people, mostly in the U.S. Midwest and near the U.S. East Coast, contributed to the game's design and evolution. In 1941 the British Secret Service had John Waddington Ltd., the licensed manufacturer of the game outside the U.S., create a special edition for World War II prisoners of war held by the Nazis. Hidden inside these games were maps, compasses, real money, and other objects useful for escaping. They were distributed to prisoners by secret service created fake charity groups."
For even more about Monopoly see the official Monopoly site. You can also see all the Monopoly versions Amazon offers here. --Laura McMullan Teddy Bears - Flash Back Friday
by Toy Whimsy at 10:29 AM PDT, October 31, 2009
There is just something about a teddy bear isn't there? I mean, who can resist the cute, soft, squishy love of a teddy bear? This year we have a new Amazon.com 2009 Gund Teddy Bear with tan fur and a cute red hat with the Amazon.com logo. He's cute, and collectible!
The name Teddy Bear comes from former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy". The name originated from an incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier, cornered, clubbed, and tied an American Black Bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he should shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike,[2] but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery, and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.[3] While the initial cartoon of an adult black bear lassoed by a white handler and a disgusted Roosevelt had symbolic overtones, later issues of that and other Berryman cartoons made the bear smaller and cuter. Morris Michtom saw the drawing of Roosevelt and the bear cub and was inspired to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub and put it in his shop window with a sign that read "Teddy's bear," after sending the bear to Roosevelt and receiving permission to sell the bears. The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., which still exists today.[2] At the same time, in Germany the Steiff firm, unaware of Michtom's bear, produced a stuffed bear from Richard Steiff's designs. They exhibited the toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903 and exported 3000 to the United States. By 1906 manufacturers other than Michtom and Steiff had joined in and the craze for Teddy Bears was such that ladies carried them everywhere, children were photographed with them, and Roosevelt used one as a mascot in his bid for re-election. When I was growing up, the department store in my home town in Indiana was a store called Lazurus. Every year they had a bear called "Lazzie Bear" that you could get when you purchased a certain dollar ammount, Every year I begged my mother for that bear, and one year I got one. I loved that bear- he was white with a big red hat and bow and was so soft. Teddy bears hold a special place in the heart of all children- they are just loveable, plain and simple. Everyone has had a teddy bear! Share some memories with us in the comments below.
Lionel Trains - Flash Back Friday
by Toy Whimsy at 1:57 PM PDT, October 16, 2009
With the holidays approaching fast, (at least it feels fast around here!) one of the iconic toys of the season is a toy train. And who else do you think of when you think of toy trains? Lionel of course!
"The original Lionel Corporation was founded in 1900 by Joshua Lionel Cowen and Harry C. Grant in New York City. The company's devotees disagree over the date of incorporation, as the official paperwork gives a date of September 5, but the paperwork was not filed until September 22, more than two weeks later. Initially, the company specialized in electrical novelties, such as fans and lighting devices. Lionel's first train, the Electric Express, was not intended for sale to consumers, but rather, as a storefront display. Delivered in 1901, it ran on a brass track and was powered by a battery and a motor Cowen originally intended to use in an electric fan. Cowen hoped to use the public's fascination with railroads and electricity to capture the public's attention and direct it to the goods for sale. Members of the public started approaching store owners about buying the trains instead, prompting Lionel to begin making toy trains for the general public. Lionel ended up selling 12 examples of the Electric Express. Lionel's earliest trains were larger than the sizes commonly available today, running on two-rail track with the rails 2 7/8 inches apart. In 1906, Lionel began offering a three-rail track that simplified wiring of reverse loops and accessories. Its outer rails were 2 1/8 inches apart, which did not match any of the existing standards that other manufacturers had been using since 1891. Whether this was an accidental misreading of Märklin's Gauge 2 specifications or an intentional incompatibility is unclear, but Lionel named this non-standard track Standard Gauge, and then trademarked the name. When other U.S. companies began using Lionel's standard, they usually called it Wide gauge. Starting in 1915, Lionel followed most of its U.S. competitors and adopted the smaller O gauge standard for its budget-level trains. By the end of World War I, Lionel was one of three major U.S. manufacturers of toy trains, and it grew rapidly due to shrewd marketing. Cowen began getting department stores to incorporate his toy trains as part of their Christmas tree displays, linking toy trains to Christmas and making them into popular Christmas presents. Lionel made its trains larger than anyone else, making them appear to be better values. When competitors criticized the realism of Lionel's trains--Cowen had been unwilling to invest in the equipment necessary for lithography, so its early offerings were simply painted with solid colors of enamel paint with brass detail parts--Lionel targeted advertising at children, telling children its products were the most realistic toy trains. Additionally, Lionel criticized the durability of competitors' products in ads targeted at parents"
You can read more about the Lionel Story here, at the Lionel Train History Page. Enjoy your weekend! Graphic Novel Friday: "The Umbrella Academy" Returns!
by Omnivoracious.com at 8:43 AM PDT, October 16, 2009
 There are anticipated comics, and then there are anticipated comics. Apocalypse Suite, the debut volume of The Umbrella Academy, won the 2008 Eisner for Best Finite/Limited series, and gave notice to fans that big things were brewing (and we named it our No. #1 pick for Best Graphic Novel of 2008). But writer Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá left big shoes to fill for their encore. I'm happy to say that, yes, Way and rising-star artist Gabriel Bá have silenced any doubts of a sophomore slump. Umbrella Academy: Dallas fires up the action, humor, and intrigue, while throwing in a little time travel. New villains are introduced: the frighteningly violent but aloof Hazel and Cha-Cha, two hired guns with giant heads that look like something out of a sports team mascot's worst nightmare; an origin is revealed: we finally learn the secret(s) behind Number 5; national monuments are once again razed: this time, the team battles the Lincoln Memorial; and did I mention time travel? Members of the Academy mistakenly wind up in 1960s Vietnam, where they have to wait three years before they can travel to Dallas in an attempt to prevent JFK's assassination by one of their own. It walks a fine, manic line between full-tilt storytelling and tact. To celebrate the return of the series, Dark Horse Comics has released the Dallas collection in two formats: the standard trade paperback and a limited edition, slipcased hardcover. Collectors will note that Apocalypse Suite received similar treatment, but the first volume's limited edition sold out so quickly that few were able to take advantage of its deluxe treatment. The limited edition for Dallas is no less impressive: oversized with 40 extra pages, including a new piece of artwork commissioned only for this edition, plus an extended supplemental art section, featuring work by both Way and Bá, as well as promotional materials and a sewn-in bookmark. On this enlarged canvas (think DC's Absolute editions), Bá's artwork is consuming. His crowd scenes and backgrounds are full of tiny details, while his more splash-y pages are vibrant and kinetic [click pic at left for a magnified image from the limited edition]. Dave Stewart's colors do both the story and art many favors, especially in the Vietnam scenes and Spaceboy's dream sequences. All that said, the standard edition is no slouch. It contains an introduction by Neil Gaiman and separate afterwards by Way and Bá, as well as a backup story, "Anywhere But Here," which fleshes out the relationship between The Kraken and Vanya (all of which are also included in the limited edition). It's so refreshing to see a series like this continue to reward its readers. Way breathed fresh life into the concept of a "superhero team book." Dallas ups the ante again, while deftly avoiding any obvious attempts to outdo it predecessor. Way and Bá have already announced a third installment, Hotel Oblivion, for 2010, and the anticipation continues. --Alex Heidi Klum Barbie Doll
by Toy Whimsy at 5:04 PM PDT, October 14, 2009
One of the world's most beautiful women has had quite a month. First she delivers her fourth child, a girl, Lou Sulola Samuel and now she has her own Barbie. And here she is: in a word: Beautiful. Congrats Heidi! --Laura McMullan The Toys of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 - Flash Back Friday
by Toy Whimsy at 12:32 PM PDT, October 2, 2009
This weekend, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are coming back to theaters as a 3D double feature to get everyone excited for next summer's blockbuster, Toy Story 3. Toy Story, to me, is a great movie because both my kids and I can connect with it because we all love toys, and some of the toys are classics that I remember from my own childhood. While Woody, Jessie, Buzz and others like Rex, are all based on classic toys, while some of the toys in the film are actual brand-name classic toys. Today, I thought we would revisit some of these classics...
"Slinky is a toy dachshund with a metal slinky for a mid-section. He was voiced by Jim Varney. He is based on Slinky Dog, a pull toy by James Industries, which was popular in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. With the permission of James Industries, Slinky Dog was redesigned for the film by Pixar artist Bud Luckey to make him more appealing as an animated character."
A Wrestler action figure
Here's the Toy Story 3 Teaser Trailer for your Friday enjoyment.
--Laura McMullan Graphic Novel Friday: October with the "Nocturnals"
by Omnivoracious.com at 10:25 AM PDT, October 2, 2009
A few months ago, I read an interview over at comicbookresources with creator Dan Brereton. I was familiar with Brereton's artwork thanks to the DC Elseworlds tale, Batman: Thrillkiller. But I apparently missed his pride and joy: Nocturnals, whose follow-up, The Dark Forever and Other Tales, was recently published by Image Comics over the summer. Nocturnals began in the mid-90s and follows Doc Horror, brilliant scientist turned mob enforcer, who fled his home with daughter Evening (a.k.a. "Halloween Girl") and built a refuge for creature misfits. Bandit, part-mobster, part-raccoon; Polychrome, a shapely wraith; Firelion, a sword-wielding firestarter; Starfish, a not-so-little mermaid; and more outcasts join Team Horror as they battle mad scientists, vampires, and Lovecraftian beasts. The stand-out character is The Gunwitch, an undead gunslinger who wears a witch's hat and has his mouth sewn shut. He serves as bodyguard to Halloween Girl and gets an adventure all his own in Volume 2. After reading the interview, I had to find Volume 1. Sadly, it's either out of print or very difficult to find, and after I exhausted my usual haunts, I did a little trick-or-treating and unearthed a copy. Brereton's color palette sets the stories in a perpetual state of autumn, with plenty of orange, red, and gold hues illuminated by a full moon. If you can't find a copy, don't worry: the stories between Volume 1 and 2 are not entirely linear, and readers can pick up the readily available latter volume and dig in. 
Volume 1 was published by Olympian Publishing, and they did a fantastic job in giving this dark gem a deserved polishing. What Image Comics has done, however, is just as impressive, as they took Olympian's deluxe format and faithfully transferred it over to Volume 2. The thick, durable black cover is here, and so is the heavy, black-trimmed paper-stock. The golden metallic cover text is also reproduced, lending a touch of class to these low-life characters. Sitting side-by-side on a shelf, the two collections could very well be from the same publisher, despite their unique packages. Now that's a commitment to both the property and fans. Volume 2 opens with an All Hallow's Eve Gala Event, with contributions by Bruce Timm, Stan Sakai, Kieron Dwyer, Arthur Adams (!) and more (watch for Usagi Yojimbo's cameo). Brereton has plenty of room, however, to spread his brush, and the title story, "The Dark Forever," is easily my favorite and packs the two-fisted dialogue: Starfish: "Hello, Bandit." Bandit: "They don't call me that anymore...." Starfish: "They'll be calling you 'Stumpy' if you don't move your hammy paw off my shoulder." The artwork in Volume 2 is even richer than in Volume 1 (Image's reproduction is vibrant). There are subtle tonal shifts in color per scene depending on the focal character; backgrounds are fully rendered, spooky, and detailed; and the action is fluid--a feat for fully painted artwork like this, where rapid-fire movements can come across as stilted. This is the supernatural made natural. Get your hammy paws on either or both of these volumes this October for a perfect blend of horror, crime, and weird. Call it Monster Noir. It's enough to make a pumpkin grin.
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