Author: Rob

Lego Friends – Emma’s Fashion Design Studio – 3936

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By Chuck and Rebecca Suffel

 

79 pieces, 31 steps, about 20 minutes
Difficulty very low

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My daughter Becca turned six this month and was inundated with Lego Friends sets. I’ve come out against these sets in the past but I must admit I was wrong. The sets are simple and overpriced (what Lego’s aren’t overpriced?) but as for whether or not it’s a good thing to have sets for girls I think it is. Becca and I have been building sets together since she’s been about 4. In the beginning of course she looked at the pictures and tried to find me the pieces. Slowly but surely though she began putting pieces together with me and now with these new sets I’m turning pages in the manual and watching her build.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yup, that’s it two bags and a manual. Thirty one steps and you’re done. Definitely not the set to buy if your daughter is looking for a challenging build. In fact if you child is at the top of the age range for this set (the range is from 5 – 12) warn them, this set takes very little time to put together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s talk about the completed set “Emma’s Fashion Design Studio” is comprised of a drafting table with a ruler, a set of drawers (that open), a project board, another table with a seat, and a step stool. As I said the assembly was easy (I did mention that right?)but as soon as she was done she had to start playing with it. These sets are similar in size to her Polly Pocket’s or her Strawberry Shortcake toys. She kept telling me how cool it is, it’s like a little city. I know my next project is going to be to buy a bunch of Lego boards and boxes to set them up in so all her girls (and boys) can visit and do things together. Oh what I wouldn’t give for a good sized table that we could keep all this stuff laid out on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have four more of these piled up ready to build so you can be sure we’ll let you know how the rest shape up!

 

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel

Byrne and Wrightson strike again!

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John Byrne and Bernie Wrightson both return with new series!

 

 

IDW Publishing is ecstatic to announce new projects from legendary creators JOHN BYRNE and BERNIE WRIGHTSON!  This May, Byrne will be smashing into stands with a brand-new, creator-owned superhero series, TRIO.  TRIO follows the exploits of three super-powered heroes known as Rock, Paper, and Scissors on a series of explosive adventures!

Along the way, beloved inkers who have finished off Byrne’s pencils in the past will be inking variant covers for the series, starting with “Joltin’” Joe Sinnott on issue 1, and Byrne’s Silver Surfer/X-Men: The Hidden Years cohort Tom Palmer on #2.

“Trio really is Byrne’s return to superheroic form,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. Ryall will be editing Trio himself. He added that “fans who’ve loved Byrne at all stages of his career, from his beloved and influential superhero comics to his more recent work with us on Star Trek and Next Men, will love what he’s bringing to bear on this series.”

In FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! Wrightson teams up with one of his greatest collaborators, STEVE NILES to continue the legacy of one of his greatest works.  This sequel to Wrightson’s acclaimed 1983 illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein was scripted by Niles and will feature Wrightson’s inimitable brushwork in addition to heaps of engrossing supplemental material like interviews, essays, and a serialization of Shelley’s original work.

And just to show how thrilled we are about these new series, IDW is throwing its full weight behind TRIO and FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! and making each debut issue fully returnable for retailers.

“Both Byrne and Wrightson are not only legends in the comics field,” Ryall said, “but they’re also doing work here that stacks up nicely alongside their very best comics from the past, and we want retailers to know we stand behind these books in a big way. Hopefully the returnability of the issues really speaks to how strongly we feel about these books being a good bet for comic shops.”

This May, join IDW in welcoming these iconoclasts back to genres they helped define and experience time-tested comics greatness firsthand!

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

Charismagic #5 Review

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by Charles Suffel

http://comicbuzz.com/files/2012/02/CHARISMAGIC-05b-SiyaOum.jpg

Aspen Comics – Charismagic Issue 5 – The Witching
Created & Written by: Vince Hernandez
Character Designs & Illustrations by: Khary Randolph
Additional pencil assissts: Lori Hanson
Colors by: Emilio Lopez
Letters by: Josh Reed
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

From aspencomics.com:

 “Everything you know about magic will…vanish. Hank Medley was at the top of his game. As a Las Vegas magician, or as he preferred to be called– “An Entertainer,” his life was filled with fame, wealth, and excitement. Yet, his fortune and stardom quickly disappeared faster than his world famous vanishing trick. Soon, Hank discovers that magic, something he thought only existed in his fictitious Vegas show, is far more real than he ever could have imagined on stage. And this shocking realization sends him on a deadly quest filled with wizards, sorcerers, druids, witches and mythical creatures of magic– to not only save humanity from a deadly catastrophic form of evil, but also to transform everything he knew about himself in the process.”

Previously (in Charismagic #4): Hank, along with Sudana and Sparkles, has made his way jungles of Costa Rica in search of Kon. What they find are The Guardians, protectors of Kon’s temple, will they be friend or foe? Meanwhile Kon battles Samsun but the battle isn’t going very well. Hector and Alle get captured in the Void Realm, can they survive?

This book is beautiful, Randolph and Hanson’s pencils with Lopez’s colors compliment each other perfectly, This book has an epic sky battle, lush jungles and gorgeous fight scenes. As for the story? It’s always hard to jump into a miniseries several issues in but after reading the book twice I’m definitely ready to say, this series is really well done! This is an intricate well crafted story of magic and other realms. The plot is kind of complicated but I was able to grasp it and I’m no rocket scientist. The characters are relate-able and interesting, the interactions between them read smoothly the dialogue is very well written. I don’t know if I’d say jump in on issue five of a six issue series but if you can find the back issues this ones a definite read!

Aspen has a habit of running in volumes so maybe this ones got a volume two on the horizon?

 

Follow Chuck on Twitter @Chuck_Suffel