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Adult Swim: Venture Bros. Costume Contest Video

August 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Released on Adult Swim is video footage from the Venture Bros. Costume Contest at San Diego Comic-Con. Hosted by Jackson Publick and Doc hammer and juried by James Urbaniak and Mathew Senreich, contestants received original production art from the Venture Brothers. This Adult Swim lounge party was held at Quality Social on Friday, July 22nd and featured a special performance by Flying Lotus.



» Venture Bros. Cosplay at SDCC 2011
» Professional Venture Bros. Cosplayers
» 100 Best Venture Bros. Cosplay Pics

Photo Credit: Adam Rose

[Venture Bros. Blog]

Filed Under: Adult Swim, Conventions, Doc Hammer, Doc Hammer Blog, Fan Blog, Fandom, Jackson Publick, Jackson Publick Blog, James Urbaniak, San Diego Comic-Con Tagged With: 2011, Adult Swim, Comic Con, Cosplay, Costume Contest, Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick, James Urbaniak, Quality Social, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC, The Venture Bros., Video

SDCC Interview with Bif Bang Pow (Part 2)

August 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

« Continued from Part One

VBB: We love the lunchbox packaging. It’s a great tie in to the show.

JL: Yeah. I hope fans believe in us and get how genuine we are about the series. These are flashback characters with little screen time and to make them a convention exclusive… I hope fans get how were winking at them.

VBB: With references on the show, some fans were disappointed there was no Rusty Venture thermos.

JL: [Laughs] Then I would put this to the fans, would you rather have one figure and a thermos or two figures and a lunchbox? Yeah. Have them answer that and maybe next year we’ll have less toys and maybe a thermos.

VBB: What can you tell us about the art on the lunch box?

JL: Stephen DeStefano and Liz Artinian did the art on the lunch box. When we started discussing the idea, there wasn’t a whole lot of art we could use for the lunch box and the guys made it happen. This is all new original art contracted for this product. We didn’t pulled off a design disc or something. It was made for the lunch box.

VBB: That’s fantastic.

JL: I’m just floored that here we are talking about a lunchbox that existed in a show within another show and that’s where it gets kinda meta if you will.

VBB: It makes the Rusty Venture show real to fans. It’s something they can use everyday.

JL: Yeah, I guess it’s like a Simpsons or Looney Tunes thing with their fictional products.

VBB: Let’s talk about the Venture Bros. 3-3/4″ action figures reveal here at Comic-Con.

JL: Surprised you, didn’t it?

VBB: Great reveal. Fans weren’t expecting it.

JL: We always say with Bif Bang Pow, expect the unexpected.

VBB: The figures are a welcomed surprise that many fans at the convention have been talking about. Prototypes on display include Dr. Mrs. the Monarch, Brock Samson and the Venture Brothers with hover bikes. Can you tell us a little how this line came about?

JL: As you know, the first conversations we had with Doc and Jackson were about producing an 8 inch retro line and once we had nailed that down, I sorta had a revelation which grew from some feedback floating around the internet. I got on the phone with him (Jackson) one day and I said in a little while we do make a 3-3/4 scale, but just to be retro again and piss everyone off [Laughs], we’ll make ‘em with 5 points of articulation. It’ll have shoulders, hips and neck (movement) and it’ll be just like the old Star Wars figures and he laughed. So it kinda came out of that, sorta a joke. And we explored it more and we were gonna mention it at Toy Fair but we didn’t want to take any energy away from the 8 inch scale figures we revealed.

Now, as excited as everybody is and I don’t mean to pee in anybody’s internet cornflakes, these are not green lit. We are not definitely going to make these yet. It all depends on audience interest and cost. With this scale, we are dealing with a different material and we would be doing everything from scratch. Each part of the figure has to have it’s own laser cut mold and it can get very costly. So it’s a question of whether there’s enough support from the fans to make the minimum needed.

VBB: I believe there is a strong interest for these new figures. This scale also seems vehicle friendly.

JL: Yeah, that was our intention. If we were to go full force on this like a G.I. Joe type line, then we could do vehicles and play sets and things like that. And again it will all depend on interest. Hopefully, there will be enough support to make these figures. I think with the show getting renewed and the buzz surrounding the figures on the internet, we will be able to make these figures.

VBB: What can fans expect from the Venture Bros. toyline in the near future?

JL: Argh! I really want to tell you this idea I have, which is so cool. I’m afraid I’ll shoot myself in the foot. So, I’m not going talk about that. But instead I will tell you about things we are doing currently.

In addition to the 8 inch prototypes you see here, I’m hoping to get another wave out. Knock on wood, we are going to see the 3-3/4 figures hit and if that happens, you’re gonna see more figure release dates, rather than build up to Comic-Con or the Spring. Were gonna keep it peppered throughout the year. That way, there isn’t too many lulls and fans don’t have to wait too long for new figures. And the lunch box is something that gets the network really excited about what were doing. We are trying to go beyond bobbles and action figures. If you look at our Doctor Who and Twilight Zone line, we have lunch boxes, water bottles, magnets and other merchandise. We hope to do more fun stuff like that for the line.

Bif Bang Pow’s Venture Bros. Series 4 (Hank Venture & Dr. Girlfriend) and Series 5 (Dr. Orpheus & Phantom Limb) are now available on Entertainment Earth. The Rusty Venture Action Figure Set and Tin Tote is also available for pre-order and ships in November.

Special thanks to Jason Lenzi and Jason Labowitz of Bif Bang Pow!

Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow @VentureBrosBlog on Twitter and be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook for the latest Venture Bros. news!

[Venture Bros. Blog]

Filed Under: Action Figures, San Diego Comic-Con, Toys Tagged With: 2011, Action Figures, Bif Bang Pow!, Comic Con, Entertainment earth, Jason Lenzi, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC, The Venture Bros., Toys

SDCC Interview with Bif Bang Pow!

August 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Revealed at Comic-Con are new Venture Bros. 3-3/4″ scale action figures. The prototypes on display include Brock Samson, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch and the Venture Bros, Hank and Dean. Figures are about the same size as Star Wars action figures and come with accessories and vehicles. These are strictly prototypes and no release date has been announced. Also on display at the convention are the new 8 inch retro-style action figures (SPHINX Brock, Molotov Cocktease, Dr. Henry Killinger, Billy Quizboy) and the Rusty Venture Comic-Con Exclusive.

Bif Bang Pow’s mission is to provide high-quality action figures, toys, and collectibles to cult audiences and kids of all ages. The company produces first-rate collectibles for popular properties like Dexter, Lost, Californication, The Venture Bros., The Twilight Zone, The Big Lebowski, and Flash Gordon.

Founder Jason Lenzi took the fan’s perspective when he started the company in 2005. He wanted to bring items to the marketplace that he himself would want in his collection. We talk with Jason Lenzi about the new wave of action figures and prototypes on display at Comic-Con.

Venture Bros. Blog: What figure series are on display at the booth? Series 4, 5 and 6?

Jason Lenzi: You can look at them two ways. Last year was sorta wave one, which was four characters and two exclusives. On display now is wave two, with four more characters and our lunch box exclusive. We call them a series based on how they’re paired up. This would be series 4, 5 and 6.

VBB: We noticed there’s a Limited Edition holographic sticker on the card backing. 3000 units per character?

JL: Yes. Properties like Transformers or Pirates of the Caribbean, they’re making 20 or 30 thousand of each of that character. These are big franchises and the figures go to major retailers nationwide. Compared to this property and these characters, it’s still very much cult thing. I don’t know the specific number on each character but they are a limited run.

VBB: I kinda like that it’s limited run. Kinda makes the figures more rare and collectible.

JL: [Laughs] If we do run out and the demand is there, we might consider making more.

VBB: Revealed at Toy Fair and on display here at Comic-Con is the upcoming wave of 8 inch figures. What can you tell me about these prototypes?

JL: Yeah, we have Molotov, Killinger, Billy and Brock in the S.P.H.I.N.X. outfit.

VBB: Any particular reason why you guys decided to go with S.P.H.I.N.X. Brock versus a more classic Brock?

VBB: Our thinking behind this Brock is to eventually get more of the SPHINX guys out there. Jackson was real keen on introducing SPHINX as a concept in the toy range. It’s kinda like Orpheus and the Triad, rather than put everyone out at once, the idea is to get fans excited about having more Triad figures.

VBB: We would love to complete the Triad! Jefferson Twilight would rock!

JL: In the toy world, it’s a all about teasing. We are not trying rip anybody off or like say this isn’t going to happen. We are doing it to tease the audience and make it exciting. You may be going ‘Oh wow, if they’re doing that outfit, then I bet you they’re gonna do this or this is gonna lead to something else.’

I remember as a kid waiting for the next Star Wars movie to come out. And before the movie premiered, some of the action figures were released. And I’ll never forget going to Target and all I wanted was Han Solo. I finally found him and he was in his winter (Hoth) outfit. I wonder what the movie was about. I was so disappointed but kinda intrigued. I thought he would look the same as in the first movie but he didn’t. Han Solo only wore that outfit in two scenes of the film, but the figure was a tease of upcoming toys. There are more Han Solo’s that are gonna come out, this was just the one they were putting out at that time. And that’s kinda what we’re doing. The idea is in the next waves we’ll have more SPHINX characters.

VBB: We are all very impress with the new figures.

JL: Thanks.

VBB: We really like that they have more accessories this time around.

JL: That was sorta an editorial decision. What would make sense for the character to have? There are elements of the show that are constant and there are things that show up once or twice, so it gets a bit tricky. Also, it’s a cost question as well. You would be surprised how much it changes the cost of a figure. We are trying to make these figures as affordable as we can and keep fans happy.

VBB: Fans here at the convention are really excited about the Rusty Venture action figure set and lunch box.

JL: Yeah!

VBB: We think it’s one of the best things to come out of the Venture toy line so far.

JL: Thank you. There was a Topless Robot article on Top 18 Convention Exclusives and we were number one. Number eight was our Doctor Who retro figures and number one was the lunchbox. I’m very proud about that.

» Continue Reading Our SDCC Interview with Bif Bang Pow’s Jason Lenzi

[Venture Bros. Blog]

Filed Under: Bif Bang Pow!, Entertainment Earth, Mego Dolls, Memorabilia, Merchandise, Preview, San Diego Comic-Con Tagged With: 2011, Action Figures, Bif Bang Pow! Jason Lenzi, Conventions, Entertainment earth, Interview, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC, The Venture Bros., Toyline, Toys

SDCC Interview with Sideshow Collectibles

August 2, 2011 By admin 2 Comments

Sideshow Collectibles is a specialty manufacturer of licensed and proprietary collectible products. With Sideshow’s dedication to accuracy and artistry, their products reflect a passion for creating unique, highly sought after figure collectibles, as well as film prop replicas and fine art pieces. Sideshow artisans are renowned sculptors, experienced model makers, painters and costumers whose combined efforts result in the creation of outstanding original designs and intricately detailed likenesses of pop culture icons, including film and television monsters, villains, heroes, mystical creatures of fantasy, and legendary figures from history.

Last August, Sideshow Collectibles acquired the license to produce 12″ Venture Bros. polystone statues. Brock Samson and Molotov Cocktease have been revealed online and are now available for pre-order. The team at Sideshow Collectibles are huge fans of the animated series and say that it’s a great property to work on.

 

We talk with Jon Rasmussen, Product Coordinator at Sideshow Collectibles about the Venture Bros. statues on exhibit and what fans can look forward to from figure line in the future.

Venture Bros. Blog: Tell us about Sideshow’s Venture Bros. statue line?

Jon Rasmussen: Doc Hammer worked directly with us on poses and expression and how it’s suppose go altogether. It was really cool because unlike other licenses, who have someone who they hire, we were able to collaborate with him on the design. We sent him pictures and he made suggestions on the sculpts and worked with us the whole way through.

VBB: Awesome, it’s good to know that creators themselves are involved in the process.

VBB: Revealed online and exhibited here at Comic-Con, the Brock Samson & Molotov Cocktease polystone statues. What can you tell me about these?

JR: Brock and Molotov are currently available for pre-order and they ship in the third (Brock) and fourth quarter (Molotov).

VBB: Can you give us a specific release date?

JR: Unfortunately not. Because when we deal with the factory, it’s when they can complete the total run. Third quarter is a rough release date.

VBB: Teased along with the Brock and Molotov statues are silhouettes of upcoming sculpts, which appears to be Dr. Venture with H.E.L.P.eR. and the Venture Brothers. When will these sculptures be revealed?

JR: I believe the Venture Bros. are next to be revealed and they are currently in sculpt.

 

VBB: Why did Sideshow start with Molotov Cocktease? Why not a more popular character like the Monarch?

JR: Molotov is just a great companion piece. We wanted to launch the line with a statue you can display with Brock and go into the brothers from there. After Dr. Venture, we imagine statues of Monarch, Dr. Girlfriend and obviously the Henchmen.

VBB: The base of the statues are logos from the show. Brock is standing on the Venture Bros. skull logo and Molotov is on the Black Hearts logo. Was this an idea you guys wanted to do from the very beginning?

JR: When we were first conceptualizing the designs, we were planning on giving them a standard Venture logo base and we were gonna do it with all of them. And then we just really started getting into characters and giving them more character specific bases. The Venture Bros. will come on a large Venture Industries logo and they’ll be in their ‘Go Team Venture’ pose. And I haven’t seen the base design for Dr. Venture sculpt, but I know he’s sitting down and H.E.L.P.eR. is tending to him.

VBB: A sculpt we would love to see is Brock from the Joy Can episode (Eeney Meeney Miney… Magic). Imagine Brock Samson on a giant pile dead ninjas and dinosaurs. That would be a great statue!

JR: Yes! Brock Samson is definitely our favorite. He’s the A character in the whole line. I guarantee you this won’t be the only Brock Samson statue we do.

VBB: We at the Venture Bros. Blog hear that the creative team are big fans of the show and were eager to work with this property. Could you tell us how you and the crew were introduced to the series?

JR: We’re big Adult Swim fans. The moment the Venture Bros. aired it had that old school Johnny Quest, Hanna-Barbera feel to it. It was just a great show we all got into. We would actually get together and watch the show. We’ve loved the show from the beginning and have been watching ever since.

VBB: What would be Sideshow Collectibles’ favorite Venture Bros. episode?

JR: It would have to be episode one (Dia de los Dangerous!). Brock is so badass in that one. Monarch henchmen hit him with a truck and he slaughters them in the end. From there it was just golden television.

 

VBB: With the Venture Bros. and Dr. Venture on the horizon, what else can fans expects from Sideshow Collectibles?

JR: We are hoping to hit everything. It’s a vast world for the Venture Bros., the property has a lot of characters. It may take us a a while to get there, but we would love to touch all the characters, including Sgt. Hatred.

VBB: We are very excited about Sideshow’s statue line and can not wait for new sculpts!

Brock Samson and Molotov Cocktease are currently available for pre-order. The Brock Samson statue depicts the Swedish Murder Machine in outstanding detail, down to his trademark mullet. The Molotov Cocktease statue captures every curve of the Russian beauty. Each statue is crafted in 1:5 scale, each piece is individually painted and finished and each with its own unique quality and detail.

These statues are an outstanding addition to any Venture Bros. collection! Pre-order them today!

Special thanks to Jon Rasmussen and Marissa Black of Sideshow Collectibles.

Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow @VentureBrosBlog on Twitter and be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook for the latest Venture Bros. news!

[Venture Bros. Blog]

Filed Under: Doc Hammer, Memorabilia, Merchandise, New Mechandise, San Diego Comic-Con, Sideshow Collectibles Tagged With: 2011, Comic Con, Interview, Memorabilia, Merchandise, San Diego Comic-Con, Sideshow Collectibles, Statues, The Venture Bros., The Venture Brothers, Venture Brothers

Machinima SDCC Venture Bros. Interview

August 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Jackson Publick, Doc Hammer and James Urbaniak of Venture Bros. chats with Khail of Machinima as part of their extra video coverage from San Diego Comic-Con.

Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow @VentureBrosBlog on Twitter and be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook for the latest Venture Bros. convention news!

[Venture Bros. Blog]

Filed Under: Doc Hammer, Doc Hammer Blog, Interview, Jackson Publick, Jackson Publick Blog, San Diego Comic-Con Tagged With: 2011, Comic Con, Doc Hammer, Interview, Jackson Publick, Machinima, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC, The Venture Bros., The Venture Brothers, Venture Brothers
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