Comic-Con 2017

For all intents and purposes, 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for Thor. Not only are the Marvel Comics still going strong heading into the Legacy event, but he's also starring in one of the year’s most anticipated sequels, Thor: Ragnarok. With every new Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Hasbro's turned to the Marvel Legends line to provide some action figure excitement to tie into the big event. However, this year, Hasbro also made Thor the star of one of its Comic-Con exclusives, and the “Battle for Asgard” set is more than worthy of Odin himself.

Daredevil's history stretches back more than 50 years, though he's truly only come to relevance in the larger pop culture conversation these past few years. While it's true Matt Murdock is one of the first disabled superheroes, and has had dalliances with pop culture notoriety in the past, his arrival as the first of Marvel's Netflix heroes made him more a part of the zeitgeist than ever before. No number of successful comic book runs on his self-titled book can compare with Netflix's subscriber numbers, and his turn in the spotlight is well-deserved, if a bit late for longtime fans. With a co-starring turn on The Defenders just ahead, Hasbro gave ol' horn head a special edition release at Comic-Con, celebrating the blind hero's fame with a fantastic 12" action figure.

This week at Comic-Con, Pacific Rim Uprising got its first teaser video, finally giving us an official look at John Boyega and several of the new Jaegers in the sequel. Sadly, the bit of promotional propaganda was all too short, and it was a bit of a challenge to really grasp everything the new Jaegers would be bringing to the table. We still don’t know much about the plot for Uprising, and why there are once again so many Jaegers in commission. Not that we’re complaining. New mechs are always awesome, and thanks to Tamashii Nations, we have a much better idea of what three of the new Jaegers will look like in Uprising.

You didn't think Capcom would let a Comic-Con come and go without bringing some of that Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite flavor to the event, did you? During yesterday's Marvel gaming panel, the publisher didn't just show up to talk; it came to deliver some spectacular additions to the galaxy-spanning roster for its upcoming fighting game. We already knew MVC Infinite was going to have some comic book heavy-hitters on the roster, but new additions Spider-Man and Gamora bring some box office mojo with them, too.

On the list of companies that garner the most attention and acclaim from toy collectors, you'll find Hot Toys very close to the top. The hyper-realistic offerings from the Hong Kong company do fetch a premium price, but there aren't a lot of competitors that are able to do mixed-media one-sixth scale figures quite like Hot Toys. As always, one of the highlights of San Diego Comic-Con is seeing all the prototypes for upcoming releases at Sideshow Collectibles' (the US distributor for Hot Toys) booth. With Thor: Ragnarok, Justice League, and Star Wars licenses under its belt, Hot Toys SDCC 2017 showings already have us painfully staring at our bank accounts.

There are going to be a lot of new goodies shown off this week during San Diego Comic-Con, but few companies have us eagerly awaiting the first peeks at new products like we are with Mezco Toyz. I've been extolling the virtues of the One:12 Collective for a few years now, and Mezco continually outdoes itself with each subsequent release. With its teasers of new One:12 Collective Thor: Ragnarok figures, and more, debuting tonight at Comic-Con, that is definitely still the case.

While his appearance in The Force Awakens was basically a cameo, fans have been clamoring for a new Luke Skywalker action figure to join the rest of the cast from the current trilogy. For more than two years, the Jedi knight has remained in seclusion on Acht-To, but this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Hasbro will finally deliver Luke. Along with a new Jedi-in-training Rey, Luke will be part of The Last Jedi exclusive offered at this year’s convention.

Last year marked the 30th anniversary of James Cameron's fan-favorite xenomorphic sequel, Aliens. While NECA has been steadfast in its coverage of the Alien franchise, giving fans the most collectibles and figures encompassing nearly every film in the series. Though there are still some characters from Aliens NECA hasn't been able to procure the rights for, this week the New Jersey company delivered one of the biggest surprises for the license yet. For the first time in history, James Cameron is getting an action figure.

Last year, LEGO introduced Brick Headz to the world at San Diego Comic-Con, and the blockified-character building kits have been a staple of the company's release slate ever since. The line is still relatively small in comparison to LEGO's other vehicle and building playsets, but that Brick Headz are seeing continued support is great for LEGO fans working on a budget. This year's Comic-Con exclusives bring two more of the biggest heroes in the DC and Marvel universes to life in special two-packs focused on Supergirl and Spider-Man.

Gentle Giant has made a name for itself as the purveyor of fine sculpted collectibles over the past decade, and this year's Comic-Con exclusives should prove no different. With licenses ranging from Marvel Comics to The Walking Dead to Star Wars and beyond, Gentle Giant has a little big of something for everyone. At Comic-Con 2017, those somethings might cost you a little bit more time and money, but when it comes to cool 6" statues, it's tough to beat Gentle Giant's selection.