There were no crowds of outraged customers. No screaming matches. Not a single punch was thrown. The apocalyptic predictions proved to be unfounded. No, the Shocker Toys panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 was quite laid back and without incident... except for legal papers being served. Yeah, you read that right. Let's get into it, shall we?

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Tags Geoff Beckett, Indie Spotlight, Jerry Macaluso, mtv, MTV Geek, panel, SDCC, Shocker Toys

Shocker Toys: Champion of the Indie Action Figure or Devil in Disguise? It seems that the fan community is split on the subject and any discussion (or review as we’ve found out) becomes a spirited debate on everything from the badassery of The Maxx to missed release dates. We at MTV Geek! do our best to just look at the product, and so far we’re happy with the figures and the diverse lineup Shocker provides. Even though we normally let the toys speak for themselves, at this year’s American International Toy Fair, MTV Geek! had a chance to talk with Shocker Toys’ Senior Partner Geoff Beckett about what offerings Shocker will be delivering in the coming months:

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Tags Action Figures, Golden Age Spotlight, Indie Spotlight, mtv, MTV Geek, Shocker Toys, Toy Fair 2011, Toys

Welcome to MTV Geek’s review of The Maxx action figure! Yeah, we know it’s not the early nineties anymore; but, we’re also well aware that the Maxx is like a trashbag full of pure awesome… and hammers. Yep, a big ol’ bag of hammer-y awesomeness – that’s the Maxx! The toy in question comes to us courtesy of Shocker Toys’ Indie Spotlight Comic Book Heroes line of figures, and was the centerpiece of series 1. The actual review figure was snatched like a ninja graciously given to us from Shocker’s display at the 2011 Toy Fair, hence a lack of accessories and some paint nicks strategic weathering. Still, somehow getting an unpackaged, pre-handled figure just kind of fits the Maxx in general. On with the review!

The Maxx is the brainchild of Sam Kieth, and has existed in both comic book and animated form. In fact, this purple hobo’s cartoon can be viewed in its entirety right here on MTV Geek! Maxx is a homeless man who believes he is a superhero, defending his Jungle Queen (Julie Winters) from the forces of evil. In this case, evil takes the form of Mr. Gone and his hordes of Isz. To put it kindly, Maxx is delusional. To put it bluntly – he’s bats**t crazy! Oh, and his real name is Dave… and he might be a giant rabbit. How cool is that?!

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Tags action figure review, Action Figures, MTV Animation, MTV Geek, Shocker Toys, The Maxx, Toys

Hide your eyes from that blinding Blue Light-Special of Justice, known as the Tick! Yes, Shocker Toys has once again brought the Hero of Heroes into our homes once more in action figure from. He has recently been released in the 2nd series of Indie Spotlight Comic Book Heroes figures, and we managed to snag the man himself AND his Mucus-made clone (an Idle Hands Blog-Exclusive) during our trip to Toy Fair. Are you guys ready for a review?! Hell yes, you are! First, let’s meet the arch-enemies:

The Tick is the metaphor-spewing brainchild of Ben Edlund and is the main character in a series of comic books, animated, and live action TV series. He protects The City and all its inhabitants from evil forces of all kinds. His thirst for justice is unquenchable and his hunger to defeat evil is best served with his intimidating battle cry of “SPOOOOONNNN!”

Mucus Tick, on the other hand, is made of snot. Of course, as we all know, boogers are inherently evil and so is this doppelganger. Aliens created this monstrosity from the Tick’s old tissues. Hey, don’t get any wise ideas! These tissues were used by the Tick to blow his nose while under the attack of a nefarious cold! Anyway, Mucus Tick is nigh-unstoppable thanks to his gelatinous shape-changing abilities along with all of the Tick’s strength!

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Tags Action-Figure, Idle Hands Blog, mtv, MTV Geek, Mucus Tick, Review, Shocker Toys, The Tick, toy

Toy Fair ended last week, and a great showing was put on overall by all of the companies involved (that we cared about in our selfish little action figure-loving kinda way). Shocker Toys was among that number, and regardless of setbacks they’re still fighting the good fight when it comes to getting your favorite characters made into action figures! In fact, we here at MTV Geek! will be bringing you a number of toy reviews in the coming weeks from the company’s flagship Indie Spotlight line. First however, here’s some info on the planned rollout of Shocker’s 2011 toy lines.

Official Press Release

Indie Spotlight: The 6 inch scaled, super posable action figure series with characters ripped from the pages of your favorite independent comic books returns! Indie Spotlight Series 2 with The Tick, Dick Tracy, Ignacia, King Zombie and Jack Staff are on their way to our warehouse and will be ready to ship in no time. Indie Spotlight Series 3 with The Phantom, Zorro, Nira-X, Fist of Justice and Grendel, as well as variants for The Phantom and Grendel, will be next on deck. Indie Spotlight action figure 2 packs are on the way as well featuring Captain Action/ Madman and Lazerman/ Zen. Rounding out these lines, Shocker Toys pays respect to the comic heroes that started it all with a Golden Age action figure line featuring Dan Garret “The Blue Beetle”, The DareDevil, The Arrow, The Black Terror and The Heap with variants for The Heap and DareDevil!

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Tags Anime, Bleach, Funimation, Grendel, Indie Spotlight, Madman, Naruto, Shocker Toys, Toei, Toy Fair 2011, VIZ

“SPOOOOOOOON!”

With that incredible war-cry, The Tick bounds across the rooftops of The City and into battle! From the despicable Chairface to the decidedly evil El Seed, The Tick defeats them all with his heaping helpings of swift, blue, justice!

Bed Edlund’s greatest creation has been seen by the world in many, many forms. The Tick has graced comic books, an animated series (for which he is best known), and even a sadly shortlived live-action television series. All of these inevitably produced merchandise from t-shirts to an action figure line based off the animated incarnations of The Tick and his supporting cast. Now, the guys at Shocker Toys are releasing the pinnacle of Tick-related doodads with their own Tick action figure. The Tick is part of Shocker Toys’ newest wave of Indie Spotlight action figures, and doesn’t come alone. Nope, Shocker has seen fit to give The Tick his own archenemy in the guise of Mucus Tick, his snot-born doppleganger! Both Tick figures are in the 6” scale and feature an extra head; so, you can make your invincible crime-fighter look either slap-happy or enraged. Super articulation rules the day here, with each figure sporting multiple points of movement. Shocker Toys has steadily been upping their production quality and these figures look to keep that trend going. Read more...

Tags Action Figures, Holiday Specials, Shocker Toys, The Tick, Toys