Delivery is happening - Let's talk CONTENT

[rchatlin]

Now that books are in hand, and en route,
let's dig into all the goodness.

As a primarily loose figure collector,
I learned so much about packaging is still boggles my mind.
First issues, Fist Fighters, Mailers - Boxes and cards and variations, oh my!

One of my favorite images is the proto Batgirl in the Alden's catalog,
but all the catalog shots are a little nuggets of history.

Did I mention all the lovely First Issue cards scattered throughout the book?

r
o
b

[namtab29]

this is my review from the aquaman shrine:

>>Most of you reading this are already familiar with this book--it's been a long time coming and every Mego fan has been anxiously awaiting its release.

It's my pal Ben Holcomb's giant-sized, full-color tribute to Mego Toys' classic "World's Greatest Super-Heroes" 8" action figure line, which of course counted Aquaman as one of its inaugural efforts.

My copy arrived on my doorstep yesterday, and my original plan was to wait until Saturday to sit down and dip into it, but as it sat there on my art table it called out to me and I just couldn't resist.

After reading the first twenty pages or so, I brought it with me to bed and a few hours later, I found myself hitting the back cover--I had finished the entire book, mostly in one sitting. I kept telling myself "just one more character", later "just one more chapter", then "just one more year" until I realized I simply couldn't put it down.

To say this book is fun is to understate the word. First up, the presentation is nigh-perfect: big, glossy, and easy to read. The design is flawless; these toys *pop* off the pages and I bet if you handed this book to a kid who's never seen Megos you'd create a new fan within an hour. So many books about toy lines are dry, text-laden treatises that do nothing to get across why these toys(whatever they are) are so fun and cool; this book upends that and makes the Megos look as exciting as they did in those Mego catalogs that all of us drooled over as children.

The writing is detailed yet breezy; even though the detail is exhausting(an examination of the different kinds of costume fasteners?!) it never reads as boring. And even if loads of detail on the costumes and accessories don't thrill you, the book also provides a year-to-year history of the Mego company, and Ben finds some amazing quotes from former employees and little bits of arcana that I simply can't believe are still around(cancelled royalty checks?!). I've read history books that aren't this well-researched.

Plus, Ben throws in some details on the toy biz at that time that I never knew before, like how most department stores only maintained toy aisles near Christmas until the late 70s, and other nitty-gritty of the toy industry that have such an effect on what you eventually see on your local store shelves. It makes for fascinating reading, and is a great bonus to all the fun Mego goodness.

Of course, Aquaman and Mego's histories are intertwined; he was one of Mego's first four WGSH figures, and Aquaman's simplicity of design and high pop-culture awareness afforded Mego a(relatively) easily figure to execute and promote; in turn, he was again at the ground floor of a soon-to-be hugely popular part of pop culture.

While never a good seller, Mego's Aquaman hung in there(even getting his own, now-impossible-to-find playset!), and he's one of the easier Megos to find today. I distinctly remember having an Aquaman doll as a kid, and seeing all these photos--glorious in their bright, cheery colors--was a trip back in time.

I'm more than happy to be a shill for something I like, and I liked this book, a lot. Ben's achievement--from initial idea to a fully-realized book you can hold in your hands--is awesome, and maybe one day I'll be capable of such a feat. Ben's book is an inspiration. I recommend it anyone who loves these wonderful toys, and you can order it via Amazon here.

In addition, we'll be doing an interview with Ben about the book here on the Shrine shortly. In Mego we go!<<


congrats to all involved! the only downside is now there will never be a book this deep about the rest of Mego, because their biggest claim to fame has already been explored!

rob!

[palitoy]

The Hong Kong toy store window image is one I wasn't expecting.

[rchatlin]

Brian,
that picture came courtesy Mego's 1979 Annual Report.

r
o
b

[nvmbrsdoom5]

As I'd told Ben back at MegoMeet '06, I'm a big reader (aka book nerd!) and as much as I knew the photography was going to be stellar in this book, I'd hoped there'd be plenty of interesting text to read as well. I wasn't let down in the slightest. As much as I thought I knew already about Mego corp. and the WGSH, I've found so much interesting info and suprising little bits of behind-the-scenes stuff, and I'm only barely halfway through reading the book! As I'm reading it I find myself thinking now and again, "Good lord how many hours upon hours did he put into researching all this stuff?!" Even my wife, who is not a collector herself, has picked up the book once or twice and made comments about things she found interesting to note. I predominantly collect WGSH, and only dabble a bit in other Mego lines, but I can say that if Ben were to put out more books on other Mego toy lines, I would read them in a heartbeat, because I know they'd be compelling to read and view even if it weren't Mego toys I was an avid collector of.

Visually, the two big surprises for me have been Otto's amazing art, and the photos of the Mego department people hanging out and working together, etc. Though I haven't gotten to read the full text yet to go along with that section, just looking at the pics was a pleasant surprise. I hadn't really realised, I guess, just how in depth Ben was going to go with this book. And I was already expecting it to totally rock as it was! Bravo, man.

On a different note, one thing that this book makes me realise is that I could NEVER have the patience and tenacity to seek out and collect all of those packaging variations!! To you guys who are able to do that and have the love and determination to go after that kind of collection, my hat's off to you!

[WannabeMego]

...Wonder Woman Invisible Plane...

The Hong Kong toy store window image is one I wasn't expecting.

Did you notice the Wonder Woman Invisible Plane...?!

...I don't recall anyone mentioning this and I haven't even started reading the book yet.

Wooopps...My Bad...it's for the Pocket Heroes, not the WGSH Line.

Sorry

[palitoy]

Wooopps...My Bad...it's for the Pocket Heroes, not the WGSH Line.

Ahem, Comic Action Heroes.

that picture came courtesy Mego's 1979 Annual Report.

Odd, I have a photocopy of that one save for that page it seems, only the best one. The Mego 1981 annual report hasn't got one picture sadly.

[megoscott]

I am still working my way slowly through book between baby feedings and changings and sleep....heh.

But the opening of the book with it's detailed history of Mego was terrific. I liked hearing about David and Maddie Abrams, Lion Rock and Hong Kong, seeing the old photos from overseas. I hadn't understood the chronology of taking the company public and generating the cash to make the leap from hush-up toys to the big-time. Excellent stuff.

The Stan Weston feature was also golden. Stunning to think that his idea of a Super hero line was rejected by so many others before landing at Mego. Great research and footwork.

[palitoy]

The Stan Weston feature was also golden. Stunning to think that his idea of a Super hero line was rejected by so many others before landing at Mego. Great research and footwork.

That's a "what if" in itself, can you imagine Mattel, Hasbro or Kenner getting the license?

[WannabeMego]

Ahem, Comic Action Heroes.

...Double Ooopps...

[rchatlin]

Odd, I have a photocopy of that one save for that page it seems, only the best one. The Mego 1981 annual report hasn't got one picture sadly.

Brian,
my source is the 1979 Mego International Inc. Annual Report.
It has a white cover with a MI logo filled with toys.

Is yours the same, or a different version that's Mego Corp (USA)?

r
o
b

[palitoy]

You know what, I think it's a Mego Corp USA as it had a pretty color cover. At the time I didn't want to spring for it (my friend wanted $100!) but he let me photocopy it. I still kick myself over that one.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I am still working my way slowly through book between baby feedings and changings and sleep....heh.

You and me both, brother!

I got my copy yesterday (I don't think I even looked across the highway as I skipped back from the mailbox). I'm really impressed with the information in this book! Visually, it is on par with Batman Collected, but it trumps that beloved book on actual info, which I eat up


Chris

[megozilla13]

I finished reading it last night. I enjoyed it tremendously especially the insights of ex employees. The amount of information on package and figure variations is a little overwhelming to get the first time, I'll have to go back again and read it a few more times.

Was wondering, will there be any debate on the accuracy of some of the info or would it be a faux pas to bring it up. Not to knock Ben, or his research, or the book, just think it would make an interesting discussion, especially the dates.


mikej

[The Toyroom]

I got mine today from Amazon ( 2 days earlier than they said). It's supposed to be a Christmas gift but I snuck a couple of peeks anyway! Holy crap! I don't think I can wait another 15 days to "officially" crack it open....so I'll be glancing through it on a nightly basis after everyone's gone to bed...like "Mego Porn".