#toynews: THE DEATH-RAY HERO DOLL by Daniel Clowes x Presspop Toy
Now this was certainly a surprise pop-up on my socials: Introducing THE DEATH-RAY HERO DOLL from Presspop Toy, featuring Daniel Clowes' character creation from comicbook-page to 3-dimensional collectible!
From the image+video revealed, the figure uses a decidedly vintage body form, apt for the character in Clowes' comics, and totally unlike the mega-buffed superheroes in popular fiction = I love it! I also do love the connection it has to my (now) distant "indie-comics past"...
"Teen outcast Andy is an orphaned nobody with only one friend, the obnoxious―but loyal―Louie. They roam school halls and city streets, invisible to everyone but bullies and tormentors, until the glorious day when Andy takes his first puff on a cigarette. That night he wakes, heart pounding, soaked in sweat, and finds himself suddenly overcome with the peculiar notion that he can do anything. Indeed, he can, and as he learns the extent of his new powers, he discovers a terrible and seductive gadget―a hideous compliment to his seething rage―that forever changes everything."
"The Death-Ray utilizes the classic staples of the superhero genre―origin, costume, ray gun, sidekick, fight scene―and reconfigures them in a story that is anything but morally simplistic. With subtle comedy, deft mastery, and an obvious affection for the bold pop-art exuberance of comic book design, Daniel Clowes delivers a contemporary meditation on the darkness of the human psyche."
Scheduled to be released around May, I will attempt to update as soon as more is revealed ... meanwhile, you might want to stay connected to Insta @presspoptoy and even @daniel_clowes for further updates!
"The Death Ray is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Daniel Clowes that first appeared in issue #23 of Clowes's comic book Eightball in 2004, and then as a standalone book in 2011. (Wiki / Buy Hardcover on Amazon).
Oh wow. And while I am very familiar with his Eightball comics (The earlier issues I own are the pride of my Indie Comics Collection, thanks), I am wholly unfamiliar with "The Death Ray" and am quite excited to know more, although I am scared to dip my toes back in...
