Batman Classic: Dawn of the Dynamic Duo Book Review
About the Book: The twisted troublemaker Two-Face is back in Gotham City, and Batman and Robin have to stop him. Read all about their first adventure as the Dynamic Duo!
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Friday, August 3, 2012
Product Spotlight: Batman Classic: Dawn of the Dynamic Duo Book
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Our Take: This early reader book is a reading level 2 Batman adventure that pits a modern Batman and Robin vs. Two Face. One of the things that will stand out to collectors is the artwork by the great Stephen E. Gordon. You may recognize Gordon's name as the man behind the X-Men Evolution cartoon and the never produced Batman: Asylum cartoon. Yeah, this one spoils us with fantastic artwork. This is a great book, with dynamic art...its great for any kid into Batman and fun for adult collectors, as well.
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Product Spotlight: Batman Classic: Reptile Rampage Book
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Our Take: Do you know what makes a terrible Batman book? Trick question..no such thing. This one is a level 2 "I can Read" feature. This one has a great Killer Croc story, easy to read for the kid in your life and it has the dynamic artwork to attract the adult collector. The artwork was done by none other than Stephen E. Gordon! You know Gordon..he was the man behind the X-Men Evolution cartoon designs and he developed the pitched, but never produced, Batman: Asylum cartoon. His Batman work is fantastic and a treat to see more of! We highly recommend this one.
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Batman Classic: Reptile Rampage Book
About the Book: A Gotham City hospital is being terrorized by Killer Croc, and it's up to Batman to save the day! Can the Caped Crusader clean the city sewers of this rotten reptile?
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Product Spotlight: Batman Classic: Fright Club Book
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Batman Classic: Fright Club Book Review
About the book: The Joker and Harley Quinn have joined forces with the Scarecrow and Jervis Tetch and are terrorizing the citizens of Gotham City. Can Batman and Robin put the Fright Club out of business or will they fall prey to the madness and mayhem as well?
Our Take: Fright Club is a storybook style Batman book that features the dynamic duo vs. Joker, Harley Quinn and the Scarecrow. The story is charming and the artwork by Andy Smith is fun. He meshes various incarnations of the characters..a more modern Robin with a classic blue and gray bats, Batman: TAS Scarecrow and a more Super Powers Joker and of course the iconic Harley Quinn. This one is a great book for a great price for kids or collectors.
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Product Spotlight: Dark Knight Rises "Tools of the Trade" Book
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You can buy this book on Amazon.com
The Dark Knight Rises: Tools of the Trade (I Can Read Book 2)
About The Book: Fighting crime in Gotham City is a dangerous job, but with his trusted tools and gadgets, Batman is up to the challenge!
Our Take: This new book in the Dark Knight Rises "I Can Read" series is a great storybook that focuses on the tools at Batman's disposal, thanks to his old pal Lucius Fox. This book features Bane and Catwoman also...and of course that exciting new batman vehicle..."The Bat". This one is a great tie-in for the new film for any kid and even for adult collectors.Image Gallery:
You can buy this book on Amazon.com
Product Spotlight: Dark Knight Rises "Batman Vs. Bane" Book
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The Dark Knight Rises: Batman versus Bane (I Can Read Book 2)
About the Book: Batman battles his toughest enemy yet—Bane. Will the Dark Knight rise to the challenge and save Gotham City?
Our Take: This great new "I Can Read" book features scenes straight out of the Dark Knight Rises interpreted for younger readers. This is a fantastic look at Bane taking on Gordon and Batman taking on Bane in an underground battle. This provides little spoiler for the new film, but a great and fun tie-in for kids and collectors alike. The artwork is great and the book is the right price at around $4 retail.
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You can purchase this book online at Amazon.com
Monday, July 30, 2012
Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla Book Review
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Our Take: Marilyn Monroe was one of the most glamorous and iconic actresses of the 20th century...no, in fact she was THE most. Her still mysterious death still enthralls fans today and her legendary icon status can be seen all around through her film work and the tons of merchandise that still invades our culture. This book is a look into her primary costume designer, William Travilla, and his work on most of her most famous films. The hardcover coffee table book showcases tons of original artwork and drawings by Travilla, test shots of Marilyn in the various costumes and more. This one is a great buy for any Marilyn fan!
How to Buy: Amazon.com
Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla Book Review
About the Book: William Travilla is one of the best costume designers of all time and Marilyn Monroe his most famous client. Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla focuses on the striking dresses that Travilla designed for Marilyn, from his early work on the thriller Don't Bother to Knock and the gorgeous pink dress in which Marilyn sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" to the legendary white dress from The Seven Year Itch, which arguably contributed to the collapse of Marilyn's marriage to Joe DiMaggio. Featuring Travilla's original sketches, rare costume test shots, dress patterns, photographs of Marilyn wearing the dresses, plus exclusive and never-before-seen extracts from interviews with Travilla, this book offers a fresh insight into the golden age of Hollywood.Our Take: Marilyn Monroe was one of the most glamorous and iconic actresses of the 20th century...no, in fact she was THE most. Her still mysterious death still enthralls fans today and her legendary icon status can be seen all around through her film work and the tons of merchandise that still invades our culture. This book is a look into her primary costume designer, William Travilla, and his work on most of her most famous films. The hardcover coffee table book showcases tons of original artwork and drawings by Travilla, test shots of Marilyn in the various costumes and more. This one is a great buy for any Marilyn fan!
How to Buy: Amazon.com
Prometheus: The Art of the Film Book Review
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Prometheus: The Art of the Film Book Review Our Take: Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The movie takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life's ultimate mystery.
With an introduction by Scott himself, this lavish book will be the only publication to accompany Prometheus. Stunning production art and behind the scenes photos will grant the reader a window on the process of creating this astounding new epic.
Our Take: We love the Alien franchise here at the Legion. Hell, we even love Alien: Resurrection, lol. Ridley Scott has re-visited the franchise that he began with a prequel of sorts to Alien that explores who the infamous "space jockey" was. This hardcover art book is a fantastic collectible from the film that provides insights (and spoilers!) into the film's sets, gadgets and various creatures. You get everything from early artwork to storyboards. This one is a must for any serious Alien fan. Prometheus was a phenominal film and this book is a great companion piece.
How to Buy: Amazon.com
Prometheus: The Art of the Film Book Review
With an introduction by Scott himself, this lavish book will be the only publication to accompany Prometheus. Stunning production art and behind the scenes photos will grant the reader a window on the process of creating this astounding new epic.
Our Take: We love the Alien franchise here at the Legion. Hell, we even love Alien: Resurrection, lol. Ridley Scott has re-visited the franchise that he began with a prequel of sorts to Alien that explores who the infamous "space jockey" was. This hardcover art book is a fantastic collectible from the film that provides insights (and spoilers!) into the film's sets, gadgets and various creatures. You get everything from early artwork to storyboards. This one is a must for any serious Alien fan. Prometheus was a phenominal film and this book is a great companion piece.
How to Buy: Amazon.com
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Product Spotlight: Dark Knight Rises "I Am Bane" Book
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You can buy this book online at Amazon.com
The Dark Knight Rises: I Am Bane
About the Book: Bane is a super-villain with a bad attitude. When he decides to take over the Gotham City Stock Exchange, the city's in big trouble! Can Batman get there in time to save the day?
Our Take: This new Dark Knight Rises book is done in the softback storybook format. The interior provides us with a great Bane story from the film and very clean and action-packed digital art. This is a great addition to any fan collection or great to include any kid in the last film in the Nolan trilogy!
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You can buy this book online at Amazon.com
Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman Book Review
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Product Spotlight: Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman Book
About the Book: Every Batman story is marked with the words “Batman created by Bob Kane.” But that isn’t the whole truth. A struggling writer named Bill Finger was involved from the beginning. Bill helped invent Batman, from concept to costume to character. He dreamed up Batman’s haunting origins and his colorful nemeses. He named Gotham. Despite his brilliance, Bill worked in obscurity, his name never appearing on a Batman comic. It was only after his death that fans went to bat for Bill, calling for DC to acknowledge him as co-creator of Batman. Their fight for justice continues to this day.
Our Take: Author and superhero blogger Marc Tyler Nobleman has undertaken a cause that we at Legions of Gotham, and hardcore fans all over the world, feel is just and true...the fact that Bob Kane did not create Batman alone. In fact, most of what we know and love about Batman is thanks to a fantastic writer named Bill Finger. This hardcover storybook style book is a fun illustrated way to learn all about Bill and his contributions to the character. I imagine that they chose this format for a few reasons. Firstly, there isn't enough content in this story to justify a large book to begin with and honestly this makes the book a lot more fun to read, almost like a comic book itself, which given the subject matter just makes a whole lotta sense. Don't be fooled, this one isn't just for kids, adults will get tons out of it too. This one is a must have for any Batman fan.
Product Spotlight: Batmobile: The Complete History Book
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You can purchase this book online at Amazon.com
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Product Spotlight: Batmobile: The Complete History Book
About the Book: Here for the first time is the complete history of the sleek, sophisticated, incomparable Batmobile. From its humble beginnings in the pages of Detective Comics, to its reimaginings every decade in the pages of DC Comics, to its unforgettable appearances on the big screen, this book explores each incarnation of the Batmobile in incredible detail and scope.
In addition to comic books, the Batmobile has been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including film, television, toys, and video games. Most recently, it was given breathtaking new life—and incredible capabilities—in Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film trilogy, which concludes with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. While each of the Batmobile’s incarnations will be explored, special attention will be paid to the "Tumbler" Batmobile from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.
With stunning gatefolds and detailed specs, blueprints, and historical comparisons, BATMOBILE: The Complete History is an informational and visual delight for auto and Batman fans alike. It’s an unparalleled and high-speed journey that will leave you breathless.
In addition to comic books, the Batmobile has been immortalized in nearly every imaginable medium, including film, television, toys, and video games. Most recently, it was given breathtaking new life—and incredible capabilities—in Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film trilogy, which concludes with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. While each of the Batmobile’s incarnations will be explored, special attention will be paid to the "Tumbler" Batmobile from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.
With stunning gatefolds and detailed specs, blueprints, and historical comparisons, BATMOBILE: The Complete History is an informational and visual delight for auto and Batman fans alike. It’s an unparalleled and high-speed journey that will leave you breathless.
Our Take: We love new Batman books here at the Legion. This new hardcover book on the history of the batmobile, by Insight Editions, is an absolute masterpiece. The book begins with a look at the early batman comic book batmobiles and continues through the 1966 Barris TV Batmobile, the 89 Burton era...all the way to the present day Tumbler! A few highlights of this book are the fantastic full color fold outs (see below) and the extensive amount of information and development artwork that are included. If I had one criticism it would be that they completely skip over the various animated incarnations of the Batmobile, which are just as iconic and important to many fans as the the movie versions. Overall, this is a great read and a must for any Batman fan.
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You can purchase this book online at Amazon.com
Links:
http://facebook.com/BatmobileCompleteHistory
http://twitter.com/BatmobileCH
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Product Spotlight: Dark Knight Rises "Batman vs. Catwoman" Book
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The Dark Knight Rises: Batman versus Catwoman
You can buy this online at Amazon.com
The Dark Knight Rises: Batman versus Catwoman
About the Book: There's a ferocious feline in town, and she's out to steal from Gotham's wealthy citizens. Unfortunately, Catwoman makes a mistake when she visits venerable citizen Bruce Wayne and takes Bruce's prized family heirloom. She thinks she made a clean escape . . . but she doesn't know who she toyed with!
Our Take: Batman vs. Catwoman is a storybook style softcover book that tells the movie-tied tale of Catwoman and Selina Kyle and her interaction with Batman/ Bruce Wayne. This one has limited spoilers and is a fantastic tie-in with the new film. Andy Smith provides great interior art and the digital coloring really makes it pop! This one is a fun gift for any young batman fan or a fun addition to any adult collection.
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You can buy this online at Amazon.com
Star Wars: Beware The Sith Book Review
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Star Wars: Beware The Sith Book Review
About the Book: Who is threatening the Galaxy? What is the power of the Force? Could YOU defeat the dark side?
Discover the secrets of the dark side and meet the most fearsome and powerful Sith Lords of the Star Wars universe! Part of the exciting new series for young readers, Star Wars: Beware the Sith takes a new look at the missions, plots, duels, and adventures of your favorite Star Wars villains like Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Count Dooku, and Emperor Palpatine. Learn how the Sith appear after 1,000 years of exile to fight the Jedi in order to gain power at any cost!
Dynamic images and interactive content present information thematically, bringing the galaxy alive and keeping young readers engaged for hours!
Dynamic images and interactive content present information thematically, bringing the galaxy alive and keeping young readers engaged for hours!
Our Take: Beware the Sith is a fantastic new book selection from DK Kids. This hardcover book is full of dynamic color photos and great layouts that will definately keep kids interested. My nine year old went CRAZY for it! He also learned a ton about his favorite Star Wars characters. This one delves into the various characters on the dark side. The book provides stats, the changes in characters, the lightsabers, the battles...the storylines...this one is a must-have for any young fan!
Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual Book Review
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Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual Book Review
About the Book: The United States Colonial Marines. Ultimate troubleshooters equipped with state-of-the-art firepower, capable of power projection across the vast expanse of deep space. They can sharpshoot a man at a thousand meters or obliterate an entire world from the safety of orbit. They reckon they are unbeatable.
But on a dirtball colony planet known only as LV-426 the unthinkable happens.
The Marines lose.
The Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual is your official guide to the equipment and organisation of the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Packed with diagrams, technical schematics and plans, the manual takes a detailed look at the guns, vehicles and ships of the USCMC, and the men and women who use them.
A must-have book for any Aliens fan, the Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual examines the technology of the movie's futuristic nightmare in every detail.
But on a dirtball colony planet known only as LV-426 the unthinkable happens.
The Marines lose.
The Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual is your official guide to the equipment and organisation of the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Packed with diagrams, technical schematics and plans, the manual takes a detailed look at the guns, vehicles and ships of the USCMC, and the men and women who use them.
A must-have book for any Aliens fan, the Aliens - Colonial Marines Technical Manual examines the technology of the movie's futuristic nightmare in every detail.
Our Take: The Aliens franchise is one of the best sci-fi tales of all time! Geiger's wicked alien is an iconic symbol of terror worldwide. Ever since the original Ridley Scott epic and the James Cameron action follow-up this franchise has had a cult following including comic books, toys, books and more! This new manual is a fantastic softcover fantasy book that delves deeply into the manuals, uniforms, procedures and weapons used by the space marines! The book is very detailed with blueprints and even color photos of uniforms. Any Aliens fanatic will be thrilled with this one!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Book Review
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Where to Buy: Amazon.com
The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Book Review
About the Book: Comic fans, young and old, can now learn everything there is to know about Marvel's very first Super Hero team, The Avengers. Making their very first appearance in The Avengers #1 in September of 1963, The Avengers have been known as the "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" ever since!
Full of stunning comic book art, DK's Avengers: The Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes allows readers to discover the backstories, powers, allegiances, and archenemies of each member of this spectacular Super Hero team including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, and many more.
Did you know Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) was born on Long Island? Or that Captain America's uniform is made of a fire-retardant material? With engaging information full of interesting character facts and a dynamic and innovative page design, Avengers: The Ultimate Guide to Earth's Mightiest Heroes is guaranteed to WOW even the most die-hard Avengers fans.
Our Take: The Avengers is the biggest movie of the year! Any good comic book fan already knows about the fantastic guides that DK books puts out on a regular basis. This new Ultimate Guide to the Avengers is more of the same great goodness! The book takes apart the key characters, story arcs and formations of this famous Marvel Comics team. You get detailed histories, key comic books and arcs to read and more. Tons of great and full info and color pics from the various eras of the comic books. I never was much on the Avengers growing up, but these new Marvel movies have sold me! This book was a great way for me to catch up on these legendary team.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Complete Price Guide to Watches 2012 Book Review
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Complete Price Guide to Watches 2012 Book Review
Where to Buy: Amazon.com
Complete Price Guide to Watches 2012 Book Review
About the Book: The most reliable and convenient guide to watches available, Complete Price Guide to Watches is the definitive guide for all levels of watch education and collection. From the amateur collector to the most prestigious auction houses, Complete Price Guide to Watches has something for everyone. This book not only provides accurate pricing on a plethora of watches and thousands of photographs for watch identification, but also historical information on a myriad of watchmakers, including company histories, movement identification, serial numbers, grade numbers, production dates and quantities. All of this information is accented by antique illustrations salvaged and lovingly reproduced from long-lost watch catalogs, advertisements and brochures. It is because of this attention to detail that Complete Price Guide to Watches has attained its near-legendary status as the go-to guide for all things watch-related.
Our Take: Now, why would one need a watch guide book? Well, a number of reasons actually. If you're a seller or a collector you may be looking to identify a certain piece..and if that is what you want to do, then this book is it! The book gives a great guide in the beginning that helps you to identify the manufacturer, information on cases..adjustments...the inner-workings..and thats not even mentioning this HUGE pictoral guide! Its nice and thick, but not so big that you can't take it with you out in the field. We HIGHLY recommend this one.
Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded Book Review
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Where to Buy: Amazon.com
Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded Book Review
About the Book: Revised and expanded!
Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide, newly revised and expanded, reveals the story of the amazing Star Wars saga in full detail. 40 new pages help to explain every detail about Star Wars from the millennia-spanning history of George Lucas's long ago, far away galaxy to the Star Wars movies and ever-expanding range of books, novels, comics, and media. Packed full of interesting facts about the world of Star Wars merchandise and fandom, astonishing pieces of art, and full-color photographs, DK's compendium is the key to knowing ALL there is to know about the iconic brand that is Star Wars!
Featuring tons of all-new content including characters, storylines, vehicles, weapons, merchandise, news, and beyond:
- LEGO® Star Wars™ sets and minifigures
- Latest seasons of the ever-popular animated series, The Clone Wars
- The Force Unleashed video games
- Blue-ray release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Updated galactic timeline and galaxy map
- And much, much more!
Our Take: We love Star Wars here at the Legion. Who doesn't, right? One of the things about a franchise that has been going strong for over 30 years is that it has a lot of different offshoots. There is the original trilogy..then the prequels..then the two animated series and the numerous graphic novels...well how do you keep track of it all, unless you're a die-hard fanatic? Well, thanks to DK and their in-depth guides, you can! I don't even know how the writers of these guides can begin to compile this level of information and organize it all, but the combination of fantastic full-color images and great in-depth info have helped me to fill in a lot of gaps that I have as a fan of Star Wars..I've learned about characaters and events I didn't even know about! This one is a great book for a Star Wars fan, young and old.
Where to Buy: Amazon.com
Spider-Man: Inside the World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero Book Review
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Where to Buy: Amazon.com
Spider-Man: Inside the World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero Book Review
About the Book: The ultimate web-slinger is back in this exciting and informative ultimate guide. Spider-Man: Inside the World of your Friendly Neighborhood Hero traces Spider-Man's entire career from his high-school beginnings as Peter Parker to his love affair with the enchanting Mary Jane.
With foreword by Stan Lee and full details of Spidey's powers granted from the bite of an irradiated spider, as well as significant adventures, battles, loves, allies, and enemies, this all-inclusive book has a strong focus on storylines and conflicts within Spider-Man's world. Come to find out how your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man came to be created in 1962 and how the character has developed over the years. Full of interesting facts and dynamic comic book art, Spider-Man: Inside the World of your Friendly Neighborhood Hero is the tell-all to the famous Amazing Spider-Man.
Our Take: We love comics here at the Legion. Marvel...Dc..Darkhorse, we don't discriminate. Spider-man is one of the most iconic Marvel heroes and this new DK book focuses on Spidey's extensive past. DK is well known for producing great guides for cartoons and comic books. This one, written by Matthew Manning, is masterfully produced and well put together. He covers all of the key characters and key plots with ease and so well organizes the extensive amount of material that we can easily learn all we need to know to get caught up to modern-day Spidey! A few of the characters, like Venom, have changed SO drastically in the past 15 years that you need book like this just to keep up! We highly recommend this one, especially with the new Spider-Man film coming out soon...no better time to brush up on your friendly neighborhood webhead!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Nineties Book Review
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McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Nineties Book Review
About the Book: The world of McDonald's® Happy Meal® collecting continues to grow! In this third volume devoted to McDonald's® toys, you will find a complete listing and updated price guide for the thousands of toys, promotional items, and other McDonald's® collectibles distributed in the United States from January 1990 through mid-1998. With hundreds of color photographs, this book lists, describes, and pictures the broad variety of Happy Meal® promotions from the 1990s, including boxes, bags, premiums, and advertising materials.The authors have established a definitive numbering system which identifies and distinguishes each of the items, and check-off boxes are provided to help you organize and document your own collection. Brief historical comments from each year chronicle the ongoing growth and success of the world-renowned McDonald's® Corporation For the fast food collector and enthusiast, this is the definitive guide to Happy Meal® toys from the 1990s! Be sure to complete your McDonald's® library with the Losonskys' companion volumes, McDonald's® Pre-Happy Meal® Toys from the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Eighties, and McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys Around the World.
Our Take: The Losonsky's are back in this great comprehensive book from the fine folks at Schiffer. This one focuses on McDonald's Happy Meal Toys from just the 1990s. This was a great era for toys featuring everything from 101 Dalmations to Hook, Barbie and what can easily be called the hottest craze of the 90s...Teanie Beanie Babies by Ty! This book is right on par with their other archives and features hundreds of full-color pictures that show you the toys, employee premiums and actual translite signs and in-store displays. The book is absolutely fantastic and a must-have for any fast food collector!
Halloween in America, 2nd Edition Book Review
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How to Buy: Amazon.com
Halloween in America, 2nd Edition Book Review
About the Book: Next to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween decorations and novelties than on any other holiday. This wonderful book has been credited with inspiring the Halloween collecting craze, giving its devotees a chance to celebrate the holiday all year round! In addition to color photography and a brand new price guide, there are also many fascinating insights into Halloween. Most people are familiar with the symbols—ghosts, Jack-O'-Lanterns, witches, bats, skeletons, and black cats—but few know about Halloween's past. Why does it exist? What is the origin of trick-or-treating? Why does it fall on October 31st? Through these pages you will experience Halloween celebrations of the past and take a look at Halloween today. For collectors, this is one of the largest collections of Halloween memorabilia.
Our Take: We love collecting here at the Legion and antiques are right up our alley! Amongst the funnest and most elusive of vintage items are antique Halloween props. This book chronicles decades of cool items from paper goods to paper mache and a helluva lotta pumpkins! Many of the items featured in this one are from the first half of the century when Halloween really took off in America. There are so many items that its hard to know whats out there and books like this one are invaluable when it comes to knowing what you're looking for. We highly recommend this one for anyone interested in collecting or if you just enjoy having a look back into the past!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Dracula Illustrated Classic Book Review
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Dracula Illustrated Classic Book Review
About the Book: Prince of the Night. Lord of the Damned. King of Vampires. He is Dracula, the most well-known vampire in the world—and this new illustrated edition of Bram Stoker’s classic tale of terror offers Dracula as you have never seen him before. Brought to life through the stunning visual artistry of Eisner Award-winning illustrator Becky Cloonan (Demo, American Virgin, Victor Von Doom), this new graphically compelling novel offers a spellbinding, edition of the book that launched the world’s enduring fascination with vampires: Bram Stoker’s complete and unabridged Dracula. Illuminated and accentuated by the visionary hand of one of America’s most gifted illustrators, Dracula is perfect for fans of the ghastly and paranormal, and unmissable for fans of True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, and Tim Burton’s macabre new film, Dark Shadows (release May 11, 2012) starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, and Jackie Earle Haley.
Our Take: This book is an absolute epic classic tale of the macabre from Bram Stoker. Who doesn't know Dracula, right? Well, this is a great re-release of the classic book in hardcover format with cool comic book style artwork by Becky Cloonan. Cloonan has done art in the past for big names like Marvel and Dark Horse....thats some cred. This one isn't a graphic novel or comic by any means..it has a very attractive illustrated cover and a great set of full-color partial page illustrations every 7 to 10 pages or so. This one is a great way to appeal to a younger audience and get them to read a classic, which can often be misconstrued as dull. We highly recommend it! Very cool.
McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Eighties Book Review
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McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Eighties Book Review
About the Book: Welcome to the world of McDonald's® Happy Meal® collecting! Within the pages of this comprehensive book you will find a complete listing and updated price guide for the thousands of toys, promotional items, and other McDonald's® collectibles distributed in the United States from June,1979 through the end of 1989. Hundreds of color photographs illustrate the wide variety of Happy Meal® promotions of this decade, including boxes, bags, premiums, and advertising materials.The authors have established a definitive numbering system which identifies and distinguishes each of the items, and check-off boxes are provided to help you organize and document your own collection. Brief historical comments from each year chronicle the phenomenal growth and success of the McDonald's® Corporation during the 1980s. For the fast food collector and enthusiast, this is the definitive guide to Happy Meal® toys from the 1980s! Be sure to complete your McDonald's library with the Losonskys' companion volumes, McDonald's® Pre-Happy Meal® Toys from the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys from the Nineties, and McDonald's® Happy Meal® Toys Around the World.
Our Take: This book is a very specialized offering from the Losonskys about McDonalds toys from just the 1980s. Its great to have a specialized book that really delves deep into cataloging from a specific decade. They also have an edition for the 1990s that we're going to review next, so watch for that. This one starts in the early 1980s, which was before they really got into licensed kids meal toys. The offerings were mostly McDonaldland characters. Then, they started to get into the Star Trek Movie and Dukes of Hazzard and it took off from there! This one covers everything from one of the best decades for toys and cartoons and is an absolute MUST have for any collector! Thanks to ebay the price guide is rather irrelevant and obsolete, but their collection of information and detailed pics of toys, happy meal boxes and employee premiums are out of sight!
Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 to 1949 Book Review
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Timeless Halloween Collectibles, 1920 to 1949 Book Review
About the Book: The definitive reference guide for vintage Halloween collectors looking for accurate information on each piece, as well as for designers looking for the best in Halloween graphics. The collectibles showcased span what some people consider the "Golden Years" of Halloween production—1920 through 1949. You'll be charmed by the artwork of the many invitations shown and wonder how a host ever survived without the myriad party helps. Dozens of die cut items have graphics so vivid they almost jump from the pages! See the artist's creativity at its best when you pore over the party games and hats. And what Halloween would be complete without the Jack-O'-Lantern? The stock number, initial release year, and object's proper name, are taken directly from holiday sales catalogs and interspersed with the author's comments. Over 350 photographs include some never-before-seen items. A value guide accompanies each entry.
Our Take: We enjoy collecting here at the Legion. We have gotten way more into the antique Halloween items in the past few years. Let me tell you, for those that don't know..the market price on these items is HIGH! Its hard to locate a lot of these items..mostly you rely on flea markets, antique walks and antique stores to find and identify what was out there. This book, published recently in 2005, chronicles items from 1920 to 1949. This great guide features hundreds of full-color items, mostly paper goods. We learned SO much about what is out there and it really helps to go through books like this, because you can train your eye to be on the lookout and know what you're seeing! We highly recommend this one for anyone interested in Halloween collectibles.
Collecting PokéMon: An Unauthorized Handbook and Price Guide
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Collecting PokéMon: An Unauthorized Handbook and Price Guide
About the Book: Meet an electric mouse and 149 of its closest friends in the volume that introduces you to the world of Pokémon collecting! Hundreds of beautiful color photographs display the hottest Pokémon collectibles produced for the American market today. Topping the list are the cards and characters from the immensely popular Trading Card Game, followed by comics, figures, toys, and electronic games sure to excite every collector. Also included in the text are brief histories of Pokémon's development in Japan and successful export to America in 1998, and of the rise of trading card games in the 1990s. As a bonus, this book explains Pokémon basics to anyone who can't figure out what all the excitement is about! Values are given for the items displayed and listed in the text.
Our Take: My wife and I are both long-time collectors. We collected Pokemon back in the day from about 1999 to 2001, both USA and Japanese items. This book was a great starter book for collecting back in the day. Published in the year 2000, this one focuses mostly on cards, since there wasn't much for other toys out there at the time. There is some mention of figure packs, plush and video games in the book. We'd love to see an updated second edition of this one, its long overdue! In the meantime, this one is a great starter for fans on where the collectibles began in this country.
McDonald's Happy Meal Toys in the U.S.A. Book Review
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McDonald's Happy Meal Toys in the U.S.A. Book Review
About the Book: Welcome to the world of McDonald's Happy Meal*r collectibles. These two books(USA and Worldwide)present a thorough list and complete Price Guide for the thousands of toys and collectibles distributed with Happy Meal*r boxes and bags. Together, they are the most authoritative references. Thousands of all-color photographs show the toys, boxes, bags, advertising materials, buttons, pins, and variations given out both in the United States (one book) and in all the other countries around the world(another book). The authors have established a definitive numbering system to identify each and every item distributed with an alphabetical/numerical listing, and a cross-reference superseding numbering systems in other books. This set of books gives a time line of McDonald's Corporation history, check-off boxes to help you organize your collection, and the catalog of the items distributed with a Happy Meal*r in the USA and worldwide. Read along and enjoy the fun!
Our Take: We have a huge love for fast food toys here at the Book Legion. My wife and I have been collecting for nearly two decades and books like this one have been haunting antique malls forever. This one covers American McDonalds toys up to 1995. This book was written by the Losonsky's, as are all three of the books we're going to cover today. They are fast food toy experts to the Nth degree and their books are so comprehensive that its unreal. I have a very extensive knowlege of McDonalds toys from 1983 onward, but this one is nice, because not only does it fill in from the 1950s onward, but it also includes a lot of employee items that I'd never seen before. For example, a Mario employee button from the Super Mario Bros. 3 series. We highly recommend this book for anyone looking to identify and learn more about McDonalds fast food premiums. This is also great for ebay sellers looking to identify items they come across! We highly recommend.
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