The new year...

[Shanester]

So, My year started out poorly, but I optimistically feel like I was just getting some minor bad out of the way or it was 2016's last stab in my back.  On New Years Eve, I got really sick and was in bad shape until about the 5th.  I wouldn't wish that crud on even Buttheadsmate!

Feeling new and ready to hit the shops again, I am looking at the new stuff including non-Minimates and assessing shelf space to determine my collecting path.  There is some cool stuff coming out.  I particularly like the direction Aliens and Predator have been going.  More Muppets would be nice.  A return to Classic Marvel would make me happy.  I am digging the statues DST are doing and already have a couple.  My brother sent me a pic of the Hulk piece and I didn't even know it was out yet.

I'd love to hear the thoughts/plans of my fellow collectors.

[Nervous Rex]

18 minutes ago, Shanester said:

So, My year started out poorly, but I optimistically feel like I was just getting some minor bad out of the way or it was 2016's last stab in my back.  On New Years Eve, I got really sick and was in bad shape until about the 5th.  I wouldn't wish that crud on even Buttheadsmate!

Feeling new and ready to hit the shops again, I am looking at the new stuff including non-Minimates and assessing shelf space to determine my collecting path.  There is some cool stuff coming out.  I particularly like the direction Aliens and Predator have been going.  More Muppets would be nice.  A return to Classic Marvel would make me happy.  I am digging the statues DST are doing and already have a couple.  My brother sent me a pic of the Hulk piece and I didn't even know it was out yet.

I'd love to hear the thoughts/plans of my fellow collectors.

Glad you are feeling better (?) ... I hope it wasn't due to Krimpet overload!

 

This is looking like a pretty pivotal year in collecting for me. I am very mixed on whether I want to keep going or not. There are a few things I am waiting to see before I take my next step ... a few things I am crossing my fingers for, which I am trying to keep a very positive attitude towards, and hope the ( my gut feeling )let down will not be too severe.

[Shanester]

I am feeling WAY better and coming down to the kitchen for a Krimpet was the height of my day.  Almost gone!

There is a lot going on with Minimates.  There are so many, I just can't get them all.

[luke314pi]

After moving to a new house last year, my Minimate collection is still in boxes (the only thing still left unpacked). I need to mount some shelves again, or possibly switch to a glass case display like I use for my 12" figures. And with that, I also need to figure out what I want to actually display. So that is what is on my mind n the new year as far as my own collection goes. I have been taking a ton of Minimate pictures over the past year, and I have more Minimate comics planned, so I always need access to my mates. But taking certain figures out of a display, and trying to put them back in later is always a pain in the butt. I either end up knocking over several mates along the way (despite them being on stands or using display putty), or else they get set aside and never make it back to the shelf. And I like to have my shelves looking neat and organized.

I am considering keeping my Marvel stuff in bins, since I take pictures of them the most, and they will be the stars of my upcoming comics anyways. I could put stuff on the shelves that I would rarely take pictures of, like my custom waves (Doctor Who, Dead Alive, Fifth Element, etc), specific Marvel eras like AoA and Fear Itself, Charitymates, and promo mates. I also need to trim down my collection in general. I have already decided to sell most of my DC, Star Trek, Walking Dead, and Ghostbusters mates, with a few exceptions that are special to me. I really only want to keep the Minimates that make me happy. The rest can go.

[Kostisfire]

 Well, my New Year wasn't that. I got bronxytis on the 25th when I went to see Rogue One, and then I got laryngitis and faryngitis on the 27th from my sick uncles and aunts, and I've been sick since. I'm not entirely well still, but I have to leave because I have a single Lab Class that the assholes at my Uni postponed, and if I don't attend it, I'll loose the semester. And the road from my hometown to where I'm currently staying is six hours, and we have to drive up and down a whole mountain. Meanwhile, it's so snowing so much most roads are closed, and we've had quite a few earthquakes. My grandma also had a stroke and she's in a nursing home now, as nobody can really take care of her (she's better now, so there's that).

 (Lots of venting, my year was pretty bad by normal standards):

 

 What else, um... My PC broke down because it was poorly built (it was a custom by our family technician, since I thought it'd be cheaper and better than a store-bought one), so I had it fixed. Then a power outage happened, my PC broke down again, and I had him fixed once again. I bought a UPS after that, so I think I'm done with this particular problem. Apart from that, well, an Earthquake happened and knocked down all my custom made figs, ruining some. Apart from that, it turns out the dentist who did my braces did a poor job, and now I have all-new, all-different braces once again! And also, Universities here are even more corrupt and awful than schools! Yeah, it's as if they're trying to one-up themselves!

 The real kicker, is that I got my Uni books towards the end of November, and my syllabus includes: 700pgs of Physics, 700pgs of Chemistry, 500pgs of Linear Algebra, 400pgs of Analytical Geometry, 600pgs of Vectorial Analysis, 400pgs of C++ Programming, 100pgs of Fortran Programming, and two Lab Classes (Physics and Programming). So far, Ive gone through the Physics part, the Physics Lab, and C++. I'll probably go through Fortran as well. And the grrrreat news is, my Finals start in 14 days! Yeah! Semesters are 3 months here! And they contain 7 subjects or so! That you can't even choose, as they're mandatory! 

 I am looking forward to certain CBMs, and the new minimate licenses, but I've kinda lost my interest in comics. I mean, I'm spending >50 euros every month, and I hate the Marvel books, while I find Batman boring and Hellblazer an insult, leaving only the indies as enjoyable (plus Deathstroke & Moon Knight). And in such a situation, 50 bucks is a lot (euros and dollars as pretty much the same nowadays). I might cut some stuff, truth be told. As for the mates, I liked a lot of things this year, but I didn't buy a whole lot. The only mates I bought all year were Waves 64 & 65. I've got some codes for Luke's, but I aint got enough to add to buy something, so they're... standing there. 

 Honestly, I'm just chugging through until my studies end and I'm able to move on. Education here is awful, mainly because the syllabus is huge, and new subjects are added each year so that the professors will make some extra dough. On top of the extra dough they make by blackmailing students and the other extra dough they make by selling notes close to the finals. So, basically, you need to be studying 24/7 for just a passing grade. I mean, Quantum Physics is in my 4th Semester! 4th! 

 But yeah, it's a pretty miserable life. I've got no heating so I'm always stuck next to my portable heater, and the humidity is so awful, I have a dehumidifier. I can't cook because I both don't have a kitchen and my time is limited, so I'm forced to eat small portions of delivery cooked meals, which are bad for my stomach, leading me to take enzymes every day. I also don't have any friends, because nobody has any time to socialize, and I almost never go to the Uni anymore (the classes were nothing more than a complete waste of time). My PC is far too weak to handle any games, and my time too limited, so that's one more thing I used to enjoy that's gone. And add the already existing problems, like the Jihadists approaching from Albany and Erdogan making demands for our few islands, and you've got a "jolly" atmosphere...

 Generally, I spend every day sitting in the cold, next to my portable heater, in my small room, studying things that are too much in volume that I'll never truly master, and I'll always be behind other European/American/Austrlian students in my field. My only "joy"/free time are two episodes (I'm watching Mad Men currently) per day.

 So, uh, yeah. I don't really have anything particularly good to share. Every year gets suckier and suckier as time goes on. I mean, sure, others have it worse, but still, you know... Well, venting is useful, so thanks for the opportunity. To be honest, I guess the fact that I didn't spend Christmas and New Year's in the Hospital like last time is kind of a good thing... I guess I can hope for a Netflix MK show announcement.

 PS: Also I got banned from CBR yesterday. A guy was pestering me for how my taste was bad, because I didn't like Black Panther (when I'd explained many times that my problems with this run, like with many others, stems from the fact that it's extremely insulting to past BP vols and the mythos as a whole). In the end, I responded with the American Psycho "smooch" gif, which was deemed innapropriate, and a Mod went all high and mighty telling me to "thank him for allowing my petulant ass to keep posting", and that I should never use gifs again, as I'm an "imbecile who doesn't have a clue how to properly handle them". I sent him a True Detective gif of Rust flipping the bird and got done with it. It felt kinda good, to be fair. Most people I've known from there got banned over the years, and the ones that go around insulting everyone because they're not overjoyed with the recent Marvel books are still around, so, whatever.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Kostisfire

[MisterPL]

Last year ended with various members of my family falling so ill that we stayed in for both Christmas and New Year's Eve instead of taking the usual trek to see in-laws. We're all better now but, yeah, it was like one last kick in the gut from 2016.

 

As for collecting, Minimates got big competition for my disposable income last year; DC Collectibles Batman Animated figures. I've been waiting patiently for DC Minimates to come back and while Gotham, iZombie, and Watchmen give me hope, nostalgia is pulling me toward the Timmverse. Loved the original show, the comics based on it, and its spinoffs. I collected the Kenner/Hasbro lines but, let's face it, they haven't aged well. In fact they were one of the first lines I stopped collecting out of frustration. (I literally couldn't stand them up.)

 

So at a $28 MSRP, these will be eating into my 'mates budget. I've always been pretty selective about which Minimates properties I collect, passing on some, being a completist on others, and cherry-picking the rest. Unless another Minimates property comes along that's as big as Marvel, I'll be a little less tempted to jump into future lines.

[bigvis497]

I'm very excited for 2017. My Marvel collection is almost complete, which is kind of a weird feeling. I got into this hobby fairly late in the game and part of the fun was hunting down all the stuff I missed. Now that I'm almost done, there's this weird "what's next" feeling. Once the hunt is over, is the thrill still there? Do I start something else? I'm not entirely sure. I am sure that I'm going to be happy with the Marvel releases this year based on the info I have, so I'll always be up for the current game. I may start collecting those new retro Hasbro-style WWE figures. That could always lead to me going back and buying all the ones I had as a kid....

What else? I just started work as a set designer for a local high school drama club and I love it. My first play is Willy Wonka which we'll be showing in March. Hopefully this leads to more work down the road. I'm doing this in addition to my full time job and also in addition to returning to school full-time, so 2017 will probably fly by in the blink of an eye. I'm soooooo busy. It's a good kind of busy though.

I recorded the first episode of the Epic Marvel podcast which focuses on one Marvel Epic Collection per episode. I'm a rotating co-host for the show and we'll be doing an official launch once we have a few episodes in the can. These things have really rekindled my love for comics and it's always fun to talk about topics that haven't been covered to death elsewhere.

I also want to run a half marathon for the first time this year so once the weather gets a little warmer I'll start training for that. I'd also like to spend some more time in the mountains this year as last year I didn't get up there as much as I would like. My parents just retired and they're looking for new hobbies, I've been bringing them hiking on some smaller mountains. I'm proud that I may have given them a new hobby so hopefully we'll do some more this year.

2017 is looking good!

[MisterPL]

19 hours ago, Kostisfire said:

  (Lots of venting, my year was pretty bad by normal standards):  

  Hide contents

 

Wow, Kostis. I don't have the words. I know too many people who'd have given up with less than half the shit you've been through in one year. I hope things get better for you and yours immediately.

[SCW]

21 hours ago, luke314pi said:

I could put stuff on the shelves that I would rarely take pictures of, like my custom waves (Doctor Who, Dead Alive, Fifth Element, etc), specific Marvel eras like AoA and Fear Itself, Charitymates, and promo mates. I also need to trim down my collection in general. I have already decided to sell most of my DC, Star Trek, Walking Dead, and Ghostbusters mates, with a few exceptions that are special to me. I really only want to keep the Minimates that make me happy. The rest can go.

Sell me your Doctor Who Minimates! Or at least your awesome 4th Doctor stuff. Problem solved!

I've decided smaller is better. For the past few years my collecting habits have been all over the place. I didn't collect one single line of anything, just a smattering of a lot of stuff. Scales all over the place. I became only interested in buying what interested me, which has been a pretty good policy but it also created a few buying splurges where I hadn't bought anything in a while and I would buy something odd just because I wanted something.

But for this year, I'm going to focus on mostly what I did at the tail end of 2016, which means small stuff. Lots of Glyos and Minimates mostly. I might pick up an odd thing that's not small, here or there, but with a basement full of crap in boxes I think I'm pretty much done with larger scaled stuff. I just don't have the room or the patience anymore.

[Kostisfire]

2 hours ago, MisterPL said:

 

Wow, Kostis. I don't have the words. I know too many people who'd have given up with less than half the shit you've been through in one year. I hope things get better for you and yours immediately.

 Thanks man, I appreciate it, truly. I also hope things will be better, but, honestly, they won't. At least here. I'm just trying to leave before either things explode, or get even worse. And it's pretty much a given one of the two will happen, eventually. I just need to get done with this "Physics" Uni. It's awful, teaches me nothing I'll use and the syllabus is both huge and disjointed, but I need it for a good Post-Grad.

[karamazov80]

Sorry you were sick during the holidays, Shane.  I'll be in your neck of the woods this weekend for a conference.  Let me know if you'll have some time on Saturday to have a beer.

My collecting impulses are not what they once were.  My interest in Minimates is almost gone altogether, sadly.  And right after getting so many great releases from Predator, Alien, Muppets, and Marvel!  But, it is what it is.  Same goes, to a lesser extent, for 1/6 figures, 1/4 scale statues, and my MP Transformers, which is pretty much all I collect nowadays.  If I can get motivated, I'll be selling a huge chunk of my collection soon.  Minimates included, though I can't imagine I'll ever sell the awesome Luke customs I have, some other great custom gifts I've received over the years, and my core DC and Marvel guys, though.

Edited January 10, 2017 by karamazov80

[pk13]

Like many, 2016 was a year of dodging and counter-punching for me and most of my family and friends. But there were plenty of good times too, and I hope to see more of those in 2017. And I hope that you all have many good times in 2017 as well. This is my favorite forum by far and I hope to see its continued success, (as well as all of its members), in the new year!

As far as collecting goes, I'm inching ever closer to my vision of a "complete" Minimate collection. It's been an odd mix of feast or famine with tracking down old items that I'm looking for lately, but it's been a lot of fun doing so. The down times in Minimates releases has led me into other toy collecting areas. I've picked up several of the Funko Mystery Mini figures. That's been a very different experience as I feel no need to "have them all". And it's been fun to have some toy representation for some very cool licences that I just don't see on the Minimates radar like Fallout and some of the horror movies and Harry Potter, etc... I've also dipped my toes back into the 6" scale with the DCC Animated Batman figures. I've had an awesome time opening those while having BtAS playing in the background. After getting out of Marvel Legends and DCUC a few years ago, I kind of thought that I wouldn't get anything in that scale ever again. But the Batman line has sucked me right in. And the Batmobile from that line is one of my favorite toys ever. Here's hoping that after the Batman line has run dry that DCC starts up a Justice League/JLU line. Because I would buy the hell out of that.

I'm very optimistic that this will be a great year for Minimates. As I mentioned earlier, I'm closing in on some of my Minimates Grails, and am looking to *finally* start work on my toy room and give my collection a proper display. I really hope to have that room completed by the end of the year. As far as the toys go, DST has already revealed Spiral, Mojo, & Silver Samurai, so I feel like I'm starting off the year with an ace in the hole. If I had a Marvel wishlist, then those would have been in the top 10. As for non-Marvel, I'm hoping for some out of left field goodness. I'd love to see some licences that I thought I would never see, (I will never stop hoping for Twin Peaks Minimates, dammit!), or to be pleasantly surprised by a new license that I didn't know I would like so much, like The Muppets has ended up being for me.

[The Scarlet Spider]

I really like this thread. Sometimes it seems as though the forum are the only people besides my girlfriend that I talk to! I'm hoping this year is better than the last but my girlfriend just moved about two hours away because she recently had to leave where she was staying due to  money issues :/ Now she lives with her mom and is hopefully pursuing her career until we can live together after this semester. This semester is full of tough classes and I have to keep my GPA at at least a 3.0, but I think Kostis just made me thankful for the American University system. And I feel you about the heating problems though, buddy, space heater bros for life. My heat is non existent here as well.  Best of luck in your studies too!

i too am on the fence about continuing to collect. Marvel mates as well as new comics. With the return of Ben Reilly, my favorite character tied with Pete I don't really know what to think. His new costume is super spidercide like and I'm not sure if it was on purpose but to me it kinda looks silly. Especially with his little mouth in the mask. I've been waiting for the clone conspiracy trade to see what's been going on but it feels like yet another gimmick by marvel. I hate the new symbiotes taking over thing. I hate giving Deadpool the costume to milk his popularity. Thompson was actually interesting and I wanted it to continue in that direction.

As far as mates go distribution, distribution, and distribution. I'm fed up with scalpers and not being able to find minimates and blind bags and even when I find the chases they aren't complete and DST doesn't do anything to fix it. I don't want to give up and I suppose these complaints about minimates are minor but the small things add up especially when you're a supporter of the company and have to work and put in extra effort to give them your money. I'm so close to just being able to only buy new waves so I don't want to quit but if blind bags continue in marvel I guess it'll at least save me quite a bit of cash. 

[Kostisfire]

1 hour ago, The Scarlet Spider said:

I really like this thread. Sometimes it seems as though the forum are the only people besides my girlfriend that I talk to! I'm hoping this year is better than the last but my girlfriend just moved about two hours away because she recently had to leave where she was staying due to  money issues :/ Now she lives with her mom and is hopefully pursuing her career until we can live together after this semester. This semester is full of tough classes and I have to keep my GPA at at least a 3.0, but I think Kostis just made me thankful for the American University system. And I feel you about the heating problems though, buddy, space heater bros for life. My heat is non existent here as well.  Best of luck in your studies too!

i too am on the fence about continuing to collect. Marvel mates as well as new comics. With the return of Ben Reilly, my favorite character tied with Pete I don't really know what to think. His new costume is super spidercide like and I'm not sure if it was on purpose but to me it kinda looks silly. Especially with his little mouth in the mask. I've been waiting for the clone conspiracy trade to see what's been going on but it feels like yet another gimmick by marvel. I hate the new symbiotes taking over thing. I hate giving Deadpool the costume to milk his popularity. Thompson was actually interesting and I wanted it to continue in that direction.

  Space-Heater Bros! Also, if you don't mind me asking, what are you studying?

 As for the Ben book, eh, I might give it a shot. I'll be dropping Star Wars and probably Hellblazer, so I can squeeze that in. He's a classic character and I'm trying to support as many of them as I can. And honestly, I could use a more "traditional" Spider-Book, since TASM has basically become Iron Man, especially now that both IM titles are... "strange". Either way, the Creative Team, plus the revival of a beloved relic from the 90s and whatnot will probably be enough for me. Compared to the GotG announcement that did nothing for me, this SS book is a step in the sorta-right direction.

[The Scarlet Spider]

6 hours ago, Kostisfire said:

  Space-Heater Bros! Also, if you don't mind me asking, what are you studying?

 As for the Ben book, eh, I might give it a shot. I'll be dropping Star Wars and probably Hellblazer, so I can squeeze that in. He's a classic character and I'm trying to support as many of them as I can. And honestly, I could use a more "traditional" Spider-Book, since TASM has basically become Iron Man, especially now that both IM titles are... "strange". Either way, the Creative Team, plus the revival of a beloved relic from the 90s and whatnot will probably be enough for me. Compared to the GotG announcement that did nothing for me, this SS book is a step in the sorta-right direction.

I know it may sound like mad science or science fiction to some people (although isn't that what most of us spend our time reading about with comics?) but I want to go into Bio-Gerontology. There are some companies making some headway in stopping/slowing aging. I've always feared death so i figured if I'm gonna have a career it might as well be something I deem worth spending my life on and something I'm passionate about. I mean it'd be like having a super power if I was ever successful. Don't get me wrong people with reservations about the ability to stop aging are right to have them, as there's a lot of involved in achieving something like this as aging is multifaceted, but I've already done quite a few research papers on it and I wouldn't be spending thousands of dollars at university if I didn't think it had a chance of happening, haha . The program I hope to get into this next semester will give me useful experience to get a starting position at one of the major companies after I graduate. 

Edited January 11, 2017 by The Scarlet Spider

[NerdyTrev]

Let me first say that I am sorry to hear about everyone's tough times. I know starting a new year off on a bad foot can be terrible and the transition from the crappy old year doesn't help much either. 

My 2016 wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I guess the major stuff would be me rethinking my life completely. I've been big on acting since I was about twelve years old and haven't stopped since that first show, but recently I've felt unfulfilled with it. I still enjoy it and want to keep doing it, but it feels like a Saturday where all you did was watch reruns of Seinfeld of TV. It was nice, but you probably should've done something else. I still act and wouldn't mind continuing to, but I've realized that my true passion is comic books. Been a fan since my dad passed his old issues of Detective Comics and Batman to me when I was around three or four. After having comic books in my life for so long, I've started to grow more and more attached to them. As if they're a separate part of me. With that being said, I want to write comic books. I want to tell the stories I told with my action figures on my basement carpet when I was so young. I want to create adventures for my favorite characters. Comic books have always been there for me, now I want to be there for them. 

In regards to new books that are being released, I've never been too big into buying Marvel books but I enjoy getting the TPBs of older books like the Claremont X-Men or classic Avengers, hence why I'm so big on classic Marvel Minis. Modern Marvel just doesn't do it for me. I feel like most of the books are all the same and they all try so hard to reflect the film universe (which isn't a bad idea, its great marketing, I just don't think the films are the best representations of the characters to go off of). Like I said, most books are like this. I do think there are a few diamonds in the rough. For example, I enjoyed the Black Panther run from this year. Kostis, I know you weren't a huge fan, but it was written by someone who does editorials for "The Atlantic" which is my favorite magazine. Also the Hellcat run from this year was fun. I think the idea of a rebooted Young Avengers is cool with Chulk, Nova and past Cyclops (even though the timeline shouldn't even exist if Cyclops wasn't in the past to do all the stuff he did, but that's beside the point), but I just haven't gotten completely behind it. I've picked up a few titles from DC Rebirth and have enjoyed them. Justice League is interesting how all the heroes are reacting to post-Crisis Superman. Aquaman is good, Flash isn't bad and Snyder's All Star Batman is great. I also tried to get into the new Doom Patrol book, but couldn't find an issue past issue 1. I don't now how good it is, can someone tell me so I can decide whether or not to track down the other issues? That's a bout it for the world of comics.

Minimates, on the other hand, are becoming difficult to keep track of. I've fallen out of the Marvel game because very few waves are interesting to me anymore, Aliens has become a hassle with all the different character variants and vehicle variants etc. etc. and I still yearn for the continuation of the DC property. I find myself looking on eBay for DC mates every so often just hoping that I'll find a new pack float up. It'll never happen, but nothing wrong with wishful thinking. Like many others, I've started collecting the Batman Animated figures. Not much, though as I only want a few characters. Once they release a regular Freeze, I'll be content. DC Icons has been a good line for me. I have most of those figures. Good sculpts and character selection, but a little lacking in articulation. Not bad for me, they make great display pieces. 

Thats pretty much my 2016 in a nutshell. Best of luck to everyone in the new year. Goodbye and good luck.

[Kostisfire]

6 hours ago, The Scarlet Spider said:

I know it may sound like mad science or science fiction to some people (although isn't that what most of us spend our time reading about with comics?) but I want to go into Bio-Gerontology. There are some companies making some headway in stopping/slowing aging. I've always feared death so i figured if I'm gonna have a career it might as well be something I deem worth spending my life on and something I'm passionate about. I mean it'd be like having a super power if I was ever successful. Don't get me wrong people with reservations about the ability to stop aging are right to have them, as there's a lot of involved in achieving something like this as aging is multifaceted, but I've already done quite a few research papers on it and I wouldn't be spending thousands of dollars at university if I didn't think it had a chance of happening, haha . The program I hope to get into this next semester will give me useful experience to get a starting position at one of the major companies after I graduate. 

 That sounds very interesting indeed! I wish you the very best of luck and hey, I don't think it's too outlandish, especially in the world we're currently living in.

 Me, I'm mostly leaning towards either Astrophysics or Nanotech, but fields and whatnot are kinda... "weird" here, so I still have to look into it. I've got time either way, but it's nice to have a set goal well before the time to choose comes.

5 hours ago, NerdyTrev said:

Let me first say that I am sorry to hear about everyone's tough times. I know starting a new year off on a bad foot can be terrible and the transition from the crappy old year doesn't help much either. 

My 2016 wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I guess the major stuff would be me rethinking my life completely. I've been big on acting since I was about twelve years old and haven't stopped since that first show, but recently I've felt unfulfilled with it. I still enjoy it and want to keep doing it, but it feels like a Saturday where all you did was watch reruns of Seinfeld of TV. It was nice, but you probably should've done something else. I still act and wouldn't mind continuing to, but I've realized that my true passion is comic books. Been a fan since my dad passed his old issues of Detective Comics and Batman to me when I was around three or four. After having comic books in my life for so long, I've started to grow more and more attached to them. As if they're a separate part of me. With that being said, I want to write comic books. I want to tell the stories I told with my action figures on my basement carpet when I was so young. I want to create adventures for my favorite characters. Comic books have always been there for me, now I want to be there for them. 

In regards to new books that are being released, I've never been too big into buying Marvel books but I enjoy getting the TPBs of older books like the Claremont X-Men or classic Avengers, hence why I'm so big on classic Marvel Minis. Modern Marvel just doesn't do it for me. I feel like most of the books are all the same and they all try so hard to reflect the film universe (which isn't a bad idea, its great marketing, I just don't think the films are the best representations of the characters to go off of). Like I said, most books are like this. I do think there are a few diamonds in the rough. For example, I enjoyed the Black Panther run from this year. Kostis, I know you weren't a huge fan, but it was written by someone who does editorials for "The Atlantic" which is my favorite magazine. Also the Hellcat run from this year was fun. I think the idea of a rebooted Young Avengers is cool with Chulk, Nova and past Cyclops (even though the timeline shouldn't even exist if Cyclops wasn't in the past to do all the stuff he did, but that's beside the point), but I just haven't gotten completely behind it. I've picked up a few titles from DC Rebirth and have enjoyed them. Justice League is interesting how all the heroes are reacting to post-Crisis Superman. Aquaman is good, Flash isn't bad and Snyder's All Star Batman is great. I also tried to get into the new Doom Patrol book, but couldn't find an issue past issue 1. I don't now how good it is, can someone tell me so I can decide whether or not to track down the other issues? That's a bout it for the world of comics.

Minimates, on the other hand, are becoming difficult to keep track of. I've fallen out of the Marvel game because very few waves are interesting to me anymore, Aliens has become a hassle with all the different character variants and vehicle variants etc. etc. and I still yearn for the continuation of the DC property. I find myself looking on eBay for DC mates every so often just hoping that I'll find a new pack float up. It'll never happen, but nothing wrong with wishful thinking. Like many others, I've started collecting the Batman Animated figures. Not much, though as I only want a few characters. Once they release a regular Freeze, I'll be content. DC Icons has been a good line for me. I have most of those figures. Good sculpts and character selection, but a little lacking in articulation. Not bad for me, they make great display pieces. 

Thats pretty much my 2016 in a nutshell. Best of luck to everyone in the new year. Goodbye and good luck.

 That's a hell of a dream. It takes courage to wander into the woods of comic books, but I genuinely hope we can all be reading your Marvel/DC/Indie work some day in the future. Best of luck!

 As for the Coates BP run, well... I hate it. I really do. As a BP fan, it hurts me to see that printed in the pages of a BP ongoing. I can't comment on his book writting, but as a BP writer, he's an insult to longtime fans of the character. Honestly, Marvel should've just given him the books he wanted. When he came onboard, he wanted to write Spider-Man & X-Men, but Marvel wanted him tied to BP, due to CW, his book and all that. Nice synergy, but I think if he wrote characters he actually cared about and knew, he'd have produced a better run. I hope he stays in the game and picks another book to work on, though.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Kostisfire

[NerdyTrev]

I understand your reservations and I agree with your feelings to an extent. I don't think that's the best character for him to do, but as I said he's one of my favorite modern writers in general (specifically his articles in "The Atlantic") so I still found a way to enjoy it. I hope he'll get to tackle Spider-Man in the future, I'd be really interested to see his take on that extensive Mythos.

[The Scarlet Spider]

I wish you luck too NerdyTrev! I feel like Marvel NEEDS fresh blood. Like i said with one word on the other thread ... bendis... yes he had a good run writing comics but I feel like Marvel is drowning in the ink of some of its senior writers. I'd take Luke's Minimate Comic over a lot of new stuff that Marvel's been pumping out and Luke's Comic was only a tiny run without much room for character development but it was fresh. i make stories with my mates too but I'll probably always be too eh to post em. I definitely look forward to seeing any new minimate comics that are put up though, I know Luke is working on some and I hope you do as well!