Exclusive!
This is a word that is used often by Funko, but many people believe this word is used very loosely, especially in reference to Pop! figures. When the Pop! figure line was just beginning, exclusives seemed to actually be exclusive. Pop! figures such as GITD Green Lantern and the Blue Metallic Batman come to mind. This does not seem to be the case recently.
Let’s look at the Hot Topic exclusives as an example. I often stare in wonder at their Pop! wall, slack jawed, a little drool hanging from my open mouth, but then I snap out of it after seeing things that should not be there. Why is X-Force Wolverine sitting next to Pinkie Pie again? I thought she moved on to Unmasked Deathstroke. I’m not complaining, because I often take advantage of this by getting some that I missed. It just seems if something is exclusive then it should not be released numerous times. Not to mention the ones like the exclusives by Fugitive Toys, Gemini Collectibles, Game Stop, and various other retailers can also be found on foreign sites.
IT'S "JUST A LABEL": Even some of the San Diego Comic-Con Pop! figures, which I plan on writing about soon, are not just exclusive to SDCC. Many of them will be released at Hot Topic as well as Barnes and Noble on the day SDCC starts, July 9, 2015. No complaints from me. I want my Captain America Unmasked, but I don’t want to stand next to someone in a smelly Batman suit for 3 hours to get it. I realize that even the ones that are being sold at retailers will not be re-released, but the word exclusive still does not seem to fit with some, not all, of the Pop! figures being offered at SDCC. Besides SDCC and a few other cons, I do think there is one place to still get exclusives, Marvel Collectors Corps. (attn: spoiler image below)
I know on the Avengers run this service had more kinks than 50 Shades of Grey, but they seem to be ironing them out. The Hulkbuster Pop! may not seem exclusive since there are so many, but I feel like this is more of an issue of them not knowing what to expect than anything. They made a ton of them, not wanting to be short. Now they have to do something with them. With the Ant-Man box I think they are getting the hang of this. There may be a few extra boxes they sell because they have some left over, but I think they will also remedy this problem in the future. I also doubt these Funko products will ever be up on Popcultcha or other sites, so let’s talk about the new box and its contents.
First, I’ll give a little history lesson on Ant-Man for those of us who are not cool enough to study comic book characters. In the comics Ant-Man is the persona of a few characters, most notably Hank Pym and Scott Lang at different times. Hank Pym was the first, but Lang is Ant-Man in the new movie. What Ant-Man does is alter his size, control ants with a helmet, and fights enemies like Yellowjacket. You know, pretty basic stuff. But enough with the history lesson, let’s talk about the box! (watch for additional images to be added right here in the coming 24 hours).
The box is adorned with Ant-Man, much like the last Avengers box showing Captain America on the top. What a majority of fans seem to be excited about with this box is the Pop! figure, and they have good reason. If you purchased this box you will be getting an Unmasked Ant-Man with a mini Ant-Man, which Funko claims is the smallest bobblehead in the world. Coincidentally there have been a lot of people complaining about all of the unmasked Pop! figures lately, but I think they are great. You will also receive an Ant-Man t-shirt, 2 mystery mini figures, a comic, a pin, and a patch. These are, obviously, all Ant-Man items and all exclusive to this box. With the exception of the Dorbz Ultron in the last box and the mystery mini figures in this box, these two are very similar, which is awesome. These boxes are great value for any Funko fan. $24.99 plus shipping is hard to beat for all of this stuff! What will the next box be? We won’t know until July, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of Marvel’s Netflix shows or Secret Wars related. Whatever it is, according to Funko, it is sure to be exclusive! Let’s hope this means it won’t show up anywhere else. So far nothing in the Avengers box has. Back in April GOFN covered a p/review for the premiere release in case you missed it the first time around!
Will Funko exclusives ever live up to the "exclusive" name attached? If they are selling this much of a product then probably not very often, but some things may actually stay exclusive. I have no problem with an influx of a product and maybe I’m looking at exclusives the wrong way, because those stickers do not say rare. In my mind, among the other atrocities that float around in there, these exclusives should run their course and be done, but this would not make business sense. Funko is, after all, trying to make the most money possible. Some of their practices with exclusives may alienate some, but they make many more collectors happy. For this, I cannot fault them.
POSTSCRIPT
If you own a few real deal exclusives Funko the company has finally released their very own official Premium Plastic Protectors - these have some thickness to them, so they may not be the best alternative for those you have in normal Pop Protectors that you may have gotten from Retroprotection or through Fugitive Toys. Also the lid comes on and off instead of snaps - so it's like a total airtite enclosure. When we first saw these they had the Funko logo embossed on them, though that does not appear in the ad image - so we will wait and see. These Pop! Protectors are now available for pre-order and will deliver next month!