Update your links!

FarePlay, the official ToyFare blog, has a brand new home! Update your links if you want to get the latest ToyFare news to fareplay.wizardworld.com. See you over there!

ToyFare #150: On sale 12/9!

150 issues, y’all! Where did the time go? Oh, right, it went to over 12 years of awesome toy coverage and hilarious fart jokes. As a guy who was merely a really big fan for the first several years of the magazine’s existence, I’d like to say how proud I am of ToyFare making it to the big 1-5-0, and I give full credit to the folks who came before me who made the magazine great from the get-go: Pat, Doug, Tom, Zach and everyone else.

But enough about the past, this is about the future! The very near future, that is! ToyFare #150 hits stores tomorrow, with the following inside:

• A cover story on Mattel’s expansive new WWE line, including your world-premiere look at Elite Series 2 (like Triple H here, above)!

•An interview with the masterminds behind DC Direct’s red-hot Blackest Night toys, including Blackest Night writer Geoff Johns! Plus, your world-premiere look at some new Blackest Night figures! You’re gonna want to see these…

• 2010 preview looks at the hottest movies and video games we’re looking forward to in the new year!

• The epic conclusion to our Twisted ToyFare Theatre three-parter! Will Doom become the new Sorcerer Supreme? What will become of Dr. Strange? What would it be like to learn magic from Mr. Fantastic? The answers lie within!

• Over in Incoming, we world-premiere (it’s a theme!) new DC Universe Classics two-packs and the latest Masters of the Universe Classics figure (Evil-Lyn), plus more from DC Direct, Sideshow and more!

• In honor of issue #150, the debut of our new Market Watch section! Make sure to drop us a line at fanfare [at] wizardent.com to let us know what you think.

• Also, more! Always more.

ToyFare #149: On sale now!

Two covers for you this month: Mattel’s Avatar (featuring a FREE augmented reality I-Tag for you to try with your webcam) or Hasbro’s Iron Man 2 (image but not final cover glimpsed above. It’s gorgeous).

And inside those covers? I thought you’d never ask…

• Hasbro talks about their plans for Iron Man 2, Marvel Universe, Marvel Legends and more in 2010 and beyond!

• An interview with Avatar producer Jon Landau on the movie, the toys and taking technology to the next level.

Just a quick housekeeping note before you run out to buy your issue: Wizard is in the process of transferring all of our editorial content online rom wizarduniverse.com to wizardworld.com. That means that, sometime in the future, this blog will disappear. Rest assured we will be starting one up at wizardworld.com. So if you suddenly find yourself FarePlay-less, head over to wizardworld.com and see if the new blog has started up yet. Thanks, guys. You’re the best.

ToyFare #148: On sale 10/14

Quite a different cover for us, eh? Stunning, though! Whether or not you’re a fan of Twilight (or Tonner’s very, very pretty character figures), there’s tons of stuff for you to enjoy in the new issue of ToyFare!

•I’m really friggin’ excited about the new Twisted ToyFare Theatre storyline that kicks off in this issue. When Dr. Strange pisses off the Ancient One, he decides to train a new Sorcerer Supreme. A man by the name of…Victor Von Doom! All you Mego Doom fans are going to be pleased with this one…

• The long-awaited new Star Wars Fan Choice Poll kicks off in this issue! See the nominees in this issue, then check out wizarduniverse.com tomorrow to cast your vote!

• Find out how Tonner’s Character Figures are made, and check out our Guy’s Guide to Twilight so you can be conversant on the phenomenon!

• Horror fans, check out our horror movie preview and our retro feature on the horrific ’80s toy line, the Inhumanoids!

• We catch up with our Robot Chicken buds Matt Senreich and Tom Root about their new Adult Swim show, Titan Maximum!

• Plus, new DC Direct statues, Incoming, newly expanded Big Shots and much more!

ToyFare # 147: On sale 9/10!

So new comics come out on Thursday instead of Wednesday this week. But never fear, beloved readers. We used that extra day to make ToyFare #147 THAT MUCH more awesome for you! Here’s what you’ll find beneath that amazing Mattel Batman cover (amazing covers being the new trend for us)…

• With Batman on the cover, Incoming goes DC Universe Classics CRAZY! Incoming kicks off with five pages of DCUC coverage, including the WORLD PREMIERE of Wave 12! That’s right. If that weren’t enough, we’re also world-debuting a new toy line from DC Direct! It’s a good month to be a DC toy fan (and ToyFare reader).

• Speaking of Batman, we take a look at the awesome character designs of the villains in the new Arkham Asylum video game and talk to the man who gives voice to Batman in that, the new animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and just about everything else that’s awesome: Kevin Conroy! Want to know what Kevin thinks of Christian Bales’ Bat-growl? Find out here!

• Speaking of Arkham, we’re blowing out our video game coverage this month, with a look at NECA’s eagerly anticipated Bioshock toys and a run-down of the hottest games coming out this season (plus their toy tie-ins, of course)! Plus, what toys would video game visionary (and Brutal Legend creator) Tim Schafer like to see made of his characters? And what video games would we like to see made of classic toy lines?

• In Twisted ToyFare Theatre, our G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover wraps up with a road trip, a wedding and a death. Who makes a love connection, and who kicks the bucket?

• All this, plus our usual columns, price guide, the world’s best editor’s letter and more more more!

The Great Star Wars Fan Poll

Hopefully by now you’ve read and loved ToyFare #146 and you’re asking yourself, “Hey, where can I vote on all those Star Wars fan polls I read about?” Well, here’s the link!

For those of you who haven’t read the issue (for shame), we contacted Hasbro, Diamond Select Toys, FunKo, Kotobukiya and Gentle Giant about letting you, the fans, decide which characters they should pick for their next products. So let your voice be heard!

–TJ

ToyFare # 146: On sale 8/12!

Star Wars is Forever! So said the poster that used to hang on my bedroom wall, and that poster has proven to be incredibly prescient! Now, in a non-movie year, ToyFare checks in with the folks who make the Star Wars collectibles you love to find out what’s coming next. Plus, the chance to affect what’s coming next for yourself… Read on!

• Our amazing cover features the new Quarter Scale Darth Vader by Diamond Select Toys. Inside, find out how DST put this amazing new line together!

• The great Star Wars fan poll! Vote on upcoming collectibles from Hasbro, DST, FunKo, Kotobukiya and Gentle Giant!

• An exclusive preview of DK’s new Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary!

• We chat with Lucas Licensing’s Chris Spitale and Star Wars collector Steve Sansweet to find out how these products get made, and what the craziest products ever have been!

• Behind the scenes of the new Clone Wars: Republic Commandos video game – we find out how Lucasarts works with the other branches to create a unified product!

• The latest Star Wars products fro Hasbro, Uncle Milton, Revell, Medicom, Sideshow and more!

Plus, totally non-Star Wars-related stuff!

• Retro feature: Exo-Squad. Whatever became of this beloved early-’90s toy line and cartoon?

• Twisted ToyFare Theatre: At long last…G.I. Joe Vs. Transformers. Or at least, some Joes and Cobras and Transformers Vs. other oes and Cobras and Transformers. Check it out for yourself!

• Plus, Incoming, Big Shots, Hot Plate and all the other usual goodies you know, love and crave on a monthly basis!

Why didn’t anybody TELL me Twisted ToyFare vol. 10 is out?

Holy crap! So TTT volume 10 was supposed to ship at the end of July, but apparently Diamond got in early and just decided to ship it out to comic shops a couple of weeks ago. So if you haven’t seen it at your LCS yet, make sure you ask for it by name!

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

TWISTED TOYFARE THEATRE 10
We’re finally graduating into double digits with the mind-shattering tenth 104-page book full of the funniest award-winning “TTT” comic strips from ToyFare magazine! Whether you’re a die-hard Twistie (which we just decided our fans are called right this moment) or a drooling noob, this book’s got something for you!

PLUS:
o “TTT” STRIPS!
“Twisted ToyFare Theatre Volume 10″ is guaranteed to be the only place where you can see Megatron detained at the Mexican border as an illegal firearm and new Decepticon leader Starscream facing a massive walkout!

Plus: Captain America gets killed, and it’s up to his non-threatening sidekick Bucky to replace him…if training to be a badass (and dressing like one) doesn’t kill him first!

Master Chief and 300 Spartan warriors do battle against the God-King Mario. Can they defeat his army of turtles, mushrooms and different types of turtles?

Spider-Man gets unwillingly recruited into a cosmic police force. Stallone and Schwarzenegger wreak bloody vengeance on Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme. And Chewbacca’s son Lumpy shoots Princess Leia.

Mark Hammill says, “If there’s a more outrageous, consistently funny comic strip out there, I’d love to see it.” Are you gonna tell Luke freakin’ Skywalker he’s wrong?

o THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE “TTT” UNIVERSE
Just to prove that we are paying attention to this crap. Get your fill of the most obscure ephemera about your favorite “Twisted ToyFare” characters!

o CUSTOMIZING 101
Find out how to make your OWN Megos with our intrepid customizer, Vince Callaghan!

Definitely pick this one up, and let us know what you think!

ToyFare # 145: On sale 7/8!

Holy moley, wouldja look at that cover? But that’s nothing compared to the great stuff (G.I. Joe-related and otherwise) that lies inside! To wit:

• Our second annual DC Universe Classics fan poll! Who will join The Question as the next fan’s choice winner? Heck, who’s even nominated? Read the issue to find out!

• An interview with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra screenwriter Stuart Beattie and another interview with actors Sienna Miller, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and Rachel Nichols!

• An interview with the Joe toy team, including a look at the upcoming movie Destro and Cobra Commander figures!

• Secrets of the Joes revealed from Joe historian and author Mark Bellomo. How does G.I. Joe owe its existence to Donald Duck?

• A talk with the team behind the upcoming Joe video game – what secrets does it have in store for old-school fans?

• A G.I. Joe-themed price guide, complete with the return of sequential Big Shots!

• Twisted ToyFare Theatre: Part 2 of the epic showdown between nature’s deadliest enemies – Ewoks and Stormtroopers!

• A look at the brawlers who make up Jakks Pacific’s eagerly anticipated UFC line!

• Customizing 101 – how to customize your MiniMates!

• A brief chat with Hard Hero about their upcoming Thundercats statues and busts!

• Plus tons more toys in Incoming, the usual great sections and, of course, ROM and Kate Plus Eight!

Shocker SDCC Exclusive Emo Kid Mallow!

In ToyFare #145 (on shelves July 8th!) you can get a look at Shocker’s new designer Mallow toys, but only as a computer image (damn deadlines). Anyway, Shocker just sent us these images of the aptly dubbed Emo Kid Mallow which will be an exclusive at SDCC where the entire line will be launched.