Comic-Con 2012 sounds like one of the most massively exciting, probably-chaotic, and assuredly-fragrant gatherings of film geeks, comic nerds, and costumed weirdoes ever assembled.  People from all over the globe are converging on San Diego this Wednesday, and—for the first time ever—your humble Limited Paper scribe has given in and consented to join that undulating mass of geekery.  But it ain’t because Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gonna be there, and it ain’t because Django Unchained footage is screening.  It ain’t even because Peter Jackson’s got Hobbit stuff to share.  No, I’m going for the limited paper…and if you’ll meet me after the jump, I’ll tell you (just about) everything I know about what the poster-collecting community can expect from Comic-Con 2012 which includes Olly Moss, Daniel Danger, Tom Whalen, Dave Perillo and more.

If you’re anything like us here at Collider.com HQ, you’ve spent the past week in a dual-tizzy, with one side of your brain devoted to the awesomeness that was Mondo Mystery Movie 10…and the other half devoted to the forthcoming awesomeness of the 2012 San Diego Comic Con.  For weeks now, we’ve been packing our bags, fine-tuning our poster-acquisition strategies, and keeping an ear to the ground for any announcements, rumors, or gossip regarding potential poster-drops.

As a result, I have heard many things, some of which can be shared right this minute!  If you’re going to Comic Con 2012—or if you’ve got a poster-buddy headed there in your stead—we’ve got some info here that may or may not be of interest to you.  Let’s go through it a section at a time (and be aware that the information below is just a scratch on the surface of a screenprint-covered glacier, one roughly the size of Nikki Minaj’s ass:  there is so much more to come, and we’ll be keeping you informed all week).

HUCKLEBERRY JOINS FORCES WITH TODDLAND TO “MAKE RAD STUFF”, SUCCEEDS

First up, here’s some news from a company we weren’t actively familiar with…but one we’re going to be paying very close attention to going forward:  Huckleberry.  Rather than blather on about what these guys are up to, let’s let them tell you in their own words:

Huckleberry (booth #3449) has partnered up this year with the fine folks of toddland to bring a whole new level of radness to san diego comic con. (SDCC12)  Huckleberry joined up with the toddland design team to bring their own clever and quirky spin some items for SDCC this year and you won't be disappointed.  With awesome artist friends like Whalen, Doyle, and Perillo, toddland has a roster of some pretty special limited releases, and an arsenal of things than you need to take home with you before it sells out.  As always with toddland, everything is super limited, and with Adventure Time, Yo Gabba Gabba, and the Aquabats in the mix, what we've seen so far is all pretty awesome and definitely won't last long.  Coming from the company whose mission statement is, "make rad stuff", you're going to be pretty stoked with what they came up with over at the toddland labs to share with their comic con friends.

Now, you’re probably reading that and thinking, “OK, that sounds reasonably kick-ass”, but wait’ll you see the prints they’re talking about…especially Tom Whalen’s.  As Dave Bowman might say:  “My god, it’s full of stars”.  Let’s get started.  First up, let’s talk about The Aquabats! (exclamation point theirs).

  • The Aquabats! screenprint by Dave Perillo
  • Regular edition of 250, $25 apiece
  • “The Sandfleas!” Variant edition of 40, $35

Also, Huckleberry tells us that the Aquabats (!) themselves (?) are going to be available in-person for photos and autograph/poster signing from 11AM to 1PM on Saturday (the 14th), so keep that in mind if you’re interested in getting your Perillo signed while you’re there.  These look awesome!  But, wait, there’s more!

  • H.R. Pufnstuf screenprint by Dave Perillo
  • Blue (Regular) edition of 125, $50
  • Red (Variant) edition of 75, $75

So, looks like the stoner market has been handily covered by Perillo, eh?  Next up…

  • Yo Gabba Gabba Muno screenprint by Tim Doyle
  • 1st in a series of Yo Gabba Gabba screenprints by Doyle
  • Regular edition of 130, $40
  • Glow-in-The-Dark Variant edition of 30, $60
Huckleberry-Tim-Doyle-YoGabbaGabba

 

Apparently, both Doyles are identical save for the GID inks.  And, last—but in no way least—is Tom Whalen’s Land of The Lost print.  The first time I saw these prints, my head asploded from the sheer awesomeness of Whalen-rendered Sleestaks (it was messy).  Without further ado…

  • Land of The Lost screenprint by Tom Whalen
  • Green (Regular) edition of 125, $60
  • Purple (Variant) edition of 75, $85
Huckleberry-Tom-Whalen-Land-of-the-Lost-reg

 

Huckleberry-Tom-Whalen-Land-of-the-Lost-variant

 

Holy Mary Mother of God, that is an amazing piece.  Whalen’s a Mondo regular—as many of you already know—and may well have some work with that company to share during the Con…but I’m finding it hard to believe that he’ll be able to top himself on this piece:  that Land of The Lost ranks amongs Whalen’s very best work, as far as I’m concerned.  Maybe I’m a bit biased because I specifically remember watching the show every Saturday morning as a kid, but…whatever.  This is getting purchased, no question about it.

Click over to Page 2 for info on Olly Moss, Daniel Danger, and more

OLLY MOSS AND DANIEL DANGER JOIN FORCES TO MELT YOUR FACE WITH KICKASSERY

Now, here’s some amazing stuff.  If you’re a longtime collector—or, hell, even if you’re a newcomer—there’s every reason to believe that you’re already familiar with the work being done by screenprint heavyweights Olly Moss and Daniel Danger.  These are two of the biggest names in the screenprinting business, and with damn good reason:  these guys produce gorgeous, jaw-dropping, stop-you-in-your-tracks-even-if-you’re-in-the-middle-of-a-crowded-intersection-during-the-apocalypse artwork, and they deserve every bit of respect they’ve earned over the years (is there a vacuum on in here?).

And so, it’s with great excitement that I can relay the following to you, the gentle Limited Paper readers of the world:  Moss and Danger have teamed up for a very special project for the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, and the previews we’ve seen from this unholy pairing are simply incredible.  Like what?  Like this:

Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Daniel-Danger-Defective-Comics

“What the hell is that?!”, you ask?

That, my friends, is an announcement of sorts.  This still-not-fully-unveiled series will have some sort of presence at SDCC this year, but—for the time being—we’re still not completely clear on when, where, or how it will become available.  The basic gist seems to be, “Batman in mundane locations”, but with Moss and Danger behind the wheel, I’m guessing that the series will be even more elaborate than that.  Two prints showed up online earlier this week as part of a Moss/Comic Con preview…

Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Daniel-Danger-Batman-PizzaHut-Regular

 

Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Daniel-Danger-Batman-Jiffy-Lube

…and one of them was later turned into this (though I’m still unclear if this adjustment was Moss/Danger’s doing)…

Batman’s looking a bit like Schwarzenegger in Junior in this one, eh?  Right now, information is limited about this series.  I’m hearing some pretty wild behind-the-scenes rumors and whispers about the plan for this collection at Comic Con, but until I’ve heard something a bit more concrete….we’re just going to have to enjoy looking these over and slowly working ourselves into a frenzy over the idea of missing a single one.  Speaking of:  my favorite amongst those previewed thus far?  Gotta be this one:

If I were all of you (and according to this LSD, I might be), I’d be keeping my ear very close to the ground on further information about this series.   Whatever happens with them at Comic Con is sure to be…unique.   Much like, say, these other two preview pics that have been getting feverishly passed along within the poster community this week:

Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Spiderman-Boobies
Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Half-Life
Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Final-Fantasy

 

As you can see, that first one (which I personally glimpsed for the first time over at the incomparable InsideTheRockPosterFrame.com, a site I’m sure all of you know to be keeping tabs on…even though you secretly prefer Limited Paper, of course) combines two things I think we’re all big fans of:  Spiderman and tittaes.  The second one?  Sure to cause a stir amongst fans of Valve’s Half-Life, the video game series and perennial no-show at…well, virtually every big video game convention/conference it’s always supposedly “going to debut” at.  That’s Half-Life star Gordon Freeman, and—if you look really closely—you’ll see that this interpretation of the character is accompanied by one of Freeman’s Half-Life co-stars (hint:  think “Facehugger”).   Also:  dig that reflection in his glasses.

Comic-Con-Olly-Moss-Adventure-Time

On top of that, this little side-by-side comparison’s been making the rounds this week, and seems to indicate that Moss has an Adventure Time piece in the works as well…or does he?  And will all of these pieces be up for grabs at SDCC?  The official answer at the time of this writing seems to be “let’s hope so”, but you can bet your ass that we’re going to be keeping you updated as the Con commences and unfolds.  Which reminds me:  what can you expect from Limited Paper at Comic Con this year?

A CHILDREN’S TREASURY OF POTENTIALLY EMPTY PROMISES RE: WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM LIMITED PAPER AT COMIC CON

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received a number of PM’s, emails, texts, or phone calls (and—in one particularly troubling case—a singing telegram) which could fell into one of two categories:  “People who want to know what I’ve heard is dropping at SDCC” and “People who want to know what we’re going to be covering at SDCC (follow-up question:  ‘What have you heard is dropping at the Con?’)”.

Obviously, I can’t really spill my guts by regurgitating the flagrant rumormongering and “anonymous tips” that’ve arrived in my inbox, but I’ll be happy to share what we’re planning to deliver here at Limited Paper during the Con.

For starters, I’m attending this year’s Comic Con to cover posters—first and foremost.  It’s possible that I’ll be compelled to, say, catch a screening, interview some celebrity (“So, Robert Downey Jr., I’ve always wanted to know:  would you mind conducting this interview in line at the Mondo booth?”), or sit baffled while the Twi-hards cheer Robert Pattinson’s haircut over in Hall H, but my main goal—the primary objective—is to keep all of you constantly informed about what’s happening in the world of posters and screenprints on the SDCC floor.

That means that—as we speak—I’m working on lining up interviews with artists who have been confirmed as “Attending”, as well as a few Q&A’s with the guys who sell us our beloved screenprints.  You can also expect a series of dispatches covering each day’s biggest drops (look for these at least once per day, and maybe twice depending on how crazy things get), and we’ll also have some video footage of these drops at their craziest:  you won’t quite be able to smell the Con, but you’ll see it, hear it, and be bummed that you’re not in the middle of it—you’re welcome.

Oh, and there’s one last thing I’m putting together that I think will appeal to most of the collectors out there:  an in-depth look at what it’s like for one of the industry’s biggest poster-retailers when they randomly announce a new print has gone on sale.  When do they decide to announce those drops?   Who makes that call? What does the wave of humanity look like when it’s coming towards the table, dollars and thick, cardboard tubes in-hand?  And just how hard are poster nerds to deal with, anyway?   If everything goes according to plan, we’ll have a really cool, up-close-and-personal look at one of the Con’s biggest drops… from the other side of the table.  Fingers crossed, and I’ll see ya there (you can look for me on my sweet, new Limited Paper-branded Rascal scooter)!

It’s going to be a busy week, but we’re going to keep you informed, updated, and hopelessly depressed that you couldn’t make it every step of the way.  As always, if you’re a poster-retailer, art gallery, artist, or someone with a hot tip who’d like to see their wares shared with the Limited Paper readership, please drop me a line at the newly-launched Limited Paper email account, LimitedPaper@gmail.com.  We’re committed to keeping the community informed about everything worth knowing that’s happening within the poster-industry, so drop us a line if you’ve got something to say!

Everyone else?  Stay tuned for Limited Paper @ Comic Con this week, and sound off in the comments section below if you’ve got anything you’d like to add to all this!

Finally, if you’ve missed any of our previous Limited Paper columns: