Welcome…welcome all my little mini-collectors! Welcome to the first Collector’s Choice Awards! Now, for all of you who have only seen The People’s Choice Awards, this is going to be an entirely different, wondrous experience! I have done away with the Peoples! Who needs the Peoples when you have the greatest collector of all…moi! For untold millennia I have collected it all…the grandest treasures of the universe! I have even collected the Peoples! Now, behold in breathless wonder my choices for this year’s Collector’s Choice Awards!
Ant-Man: They’re tiny!
Wasp: They’re toony! But the Funko Pops have descended on the world like a cosmic storm!
Ant-Man: First, the winner of the Best Pop Like is:
Ant-Man: Gargoyles was a popular animated series from the 90’s and remains popular over 20 years later. The main line up can be found wherever Pops are sold.
Wasp: Exclusives include Stone Demona from Hot Topic, Stone Goliath from Walmart, a two pack Stone Hudson and Stone Bronx (isn’t he cute!) from FYE and a hard to find Angela Pop from Gamestop. And the Collector’s Choice for Best Individual Pop goes to:
Ant-Man: Audrey II, the mean green mother from outer space from the hit musical “Little Shop of Horrors! Audrey II beat out literally thousands of other contenders. Or ate them…I’m not sure which.
Captain America: Props and weapons are an integral part of many heroes. Imagine Green Lantern without his ring…
Batman: …or the Silver Surfer without his board.
Captain America: And in his early days, Thor would revert back to Dr. Don Blake if his hammer left his hand for more than 60 seconds.
Batman: This year, we have two winners for Coolest Prop…and they are:
Batman: For high end collectors we have Sideshow’s replica of Aquaman’s trident.
Captain America: And for the modest collector, the wearable, electronic Infinity Gauntlet! (try controlling reality with a pitch fork!).
Captain Marvel: Often, comics fans will fall into two categories: Marvel Fans and DC Fans…make it three categories and we’ll throw in Independents. So you’ll be seeing double award winners in some of the categories so no one feels left out.
Shazam: Our next category is The Collector’s Choice for Best Statue for 40 Bucks! The first Stanlee goes to:
Captain Marvel: Diamond Distribution has been doing a fantastic job with their Gallery Line…PVC statues that just keep getting better and better. And now we’re proud to give a second Stanlee to:
Deadpool: As you can plainly see by our next award, only me and myself were cut out to deliver an award of such high caliber! Receiving the Stanlee for our most outrageous category (a “WTF Was That” award) we have:
Domino: Hey, Mera, is it me or is it getting hot in here?
Mera: You must be feeling our next category! When Hot Toys hit the market, who would’ve thought an action figure for $250 would be so popular?
Domino: And these guys are so hot they’ll burn a hole right through your heart…and probably your wallet! With so many wonderful figures to choose from, each with stunning attention to detail, we decided to literally go for the Hottest! (wink wink nudge nudge).
Mera: And the first Collector’s Choice Award winner is someone very near and dear to me:
Domino: Beards must be in, baby, because our next Stanlee goes to:
Before we continue I must interrupt our Awards Ceremony to introduce you to our Award…the Stanlee. Little more than a month ago, the man who changed the landscape of comic books forever, a man beloved by millions of fans, a man I like to think of as Dad, was ushered through the gates of Valhalla where he will no doubt be telling his fantastic tales till the end of eternity. Stan Lee or “Stan The Man” as his friends would call him, was born Stanley Martin Lieber which he shortened to “Stan Lee” as he wished to save his birth name for when he wrote The Great American Novel. He never did go back to his full name. And instead of that Great American Novel he wrote stories and created characters that would change the face of Pop Culture for all time. Make no mistake, dear friends, the name of Stan Lee resides in history among the greats — Ernest Hemingway, Jack London, Mark Twain…and Stan Lee. When I wanted a name for my Collector’s Choice Award…something spiffy like the Academy Award’s Oscar, I thought no further than Stan. And behold! The Stanlee Award was born to take its place on the mantle next to Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. The world is a better place to have known a man — The Man — like Stan Lee!
Green Hornet: At this point we’d like to take time to recognize the people who create the collectibles.
Tick: One company rose above the others! They added new works to show they have become a force to be reckoned with! They are in this game to play!!!
Green Hornet: From their masterful Gallery lines featuring Marvel, DC, The Nightmare Before Christmas and more to their new line of statues that are both artistic and won’t break the bank. The Collector’s Choice Award for Best Company goes to….
Hellboy: All of the great stuff you’ve seen during our ceremony have one thing in common…
Abe Sapien: Yes! And that is you have to have someplace to purchase them! While you can often find some of these marvelous collectibles at your Local Comic Book Store, when it comes to one place shopping collectors turn to The Web!
Hellboy: Internet Shopping Stores are the place to go for most buyers. And, after going through several popular web stores, each with their own unique styles and presence offering specials and rewards and payment plans, The Collector has chosen one store for their discount prices and their “Pile of Loot” feature which allows you to save your pre-orders for up to 90 days then have it all shipped for only $4.00!
Abe Sapien: Yes, the “Pile of Loot” will save you from the shipping and handling charges that can amount to a lot of money. So, The Collector is proud to bestow his award to…
Daryl: Ya got comic book collectibles and ya got movie collectibles and ya even got comic book movie collectibles.
Mary: Oh, dear! What is that thing? Oh my what’s it going to do to (*faints*).
Daryl: Yeah, uh, so here’s the Stanlee for Best Collectible Based on a movie or TV series…
Kid Flash: Statues have grabbed a large segment of the collecting market.
Daredevil: I can’t see the teleprompter…
Kid Flash: From busts to statues, from small to large, the field is so large that The Collector has decided to hand out multiple Stanlees for the occasion.
Daredevil: Um, yes, uh…shall we start small and work our way up?
Kid Flash: On the 1/10 scale scene, Battle Dioramas have become popular. You can buy one statue or the whole set and put them together to form your own super hero vs super villain battle!
Daredevil: These little guys are (*crash*)…..ooops.
Superman: The time has come for our final award…
Groot: I am Groot.
Superman: Nice to meet you, Groot. I’m Clark. Now, without further…
Groot: I am Groot!
Superman: How would you like to be kindling? The last award is….
Groot: I am Groot!!!!
Superman: And the Stanlee for Best Figure goes to…
I hope you’ve enjoyed our ceremony. I certainly have! Isn’t that He-Man figure a hoot and a half? Join me back next year for the best of 2019. In the meantime, keep tuned into The Collector’s Corner for all the latest news and previews of collectibles to come. As Stan said on many an occasion: ‘Nuff said!
