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Every time I sit down at my computer to peruse the
Collector Times, or any other internet site
looking for juicy tidbits about the comic
industry, my eye always catches something. For
you see, sitting on the shelf above my computer
desk is part of my mini-bust collection, and
mini-busts are very eye catching, not just to the
comic literate. Every guest that comes into our
house is impressed with the detail, and believe it
or not, the weight of these cool little collectibles,
which is my topic today; a past and present look
at mini-busts.
Mini-busts of comic-book characters
hit mainstream comic marketing with Randy Bowen,
the father of the comic mini-bust and the person
who got me interested in the minis as
collectibles. While Bowen was definitely not the
first to make comic book mini-busts, his style and
production run has set the bar for all others. In
the late 90?s Bowen struck a deal with Marvel
Comics to begin producing the busts, and by 2001
had already put out such highly detailed busts as
Hulk, Thor and Iron Man. What was truly unique
and wonderful about the Bowen line was that it was
fresh and exciting. Never before had collectors
seen such highly detailed collectibles for such a
reasonable price ($35-50). In addition, Bowen
Designs took risks with seemingly unpopular
characters who would have otherwise never seen a
production run if left in the hands of more
conservative companies. I mean, who else would
make busts for the likes of Manthing, Moleman,
Hawkeye, Powerman, and Silver Age Captain Marvel
to name a few!!? Sadly, Bowen's contract to produce
mini-busts for Marvel has not been renewed, leaving
many great characters to never see the light of
day. Thankfully, Randy Bowen was able to produce
over 60 great busts. The next generation of
mini-bust makers has come along with the likes of
Art Asylum, Palisades, Dynamic, Hard Hero and a
few others. Each company brings its own flavour
to the table, such as Hard Hero's Transformers
line, Palisades movie licenses, and Art Asylum's
extreme attention to detail.
Here are some random thoughts about the mini-bust industry.
- Art Asylum sometimes gives too much artistic license
to the creators so that the busts are too far off
the mark. In my opinion, the new Green Goblin is a
blend of too many artists interpretations, and
ultimately comes off looking bizarre. Some of
their busts have appendages coming out of weird
places, ala the Sandman and his mystery arm. The
production runs are typically higher than those of
the Bowen line, making them not as attractive for
investors. All the previous aside, they are
obviously the next big thing. The detail on these
busts are amazing. The first of the Rogue's line,
The Lizard has every single scale carved in, and a
wicked looking tongue.
- Bowen Designs, great busts, the older ones are way out of my price
range to buy today. Very strict with the
interpretations (for the most part). Bases could
have used more detail, with some being just plain
black. Production runs were based on the
expected sales, which makes some much more rare
than others, e.g. Mr.Fixit 2500 vs. Giant Man and
Wasp 6500. The boxes which these are packaged in
is another nice treat, which includes a little
background on the character in question and the
cover of their first appearance. Of note is that
Randy Bowen did not sculpt all of his line, some
were farmed out to Thomas Kuntz and others.
- DC Comics superhero bust lines? Erratic, at best.
The Green Lantern Bust/Ring props were nicely
done, but the latest line has one great
shortcoming ALL THE BASES ARE THE SAME, with some
minor repaints. Boring! The current line all
share the same rock base, which is nice for
chiseled heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman,
but will seem a little strange when they get
around to characters like Joker or Flash.
- Hard Hero: Great Transformers line, I only wished I
scooped up Optimus when he was first solicited. I
hope they can expand beyond this because they're
running out of the more popular Transformers.
- Gentle Giant/Dark Horse: Posable mini-busts?
Hmmm? Isn't this bordering on a toy and not a
bust??
Highs and lows of the Bowen Line:
First produced: Hulk
Most Expensive ? Silver Surfer Chrome edition 350 produced for San Diego Convention
My favourite ? Mr.Fixit/Rhino tie
Worst? The Fantastic Four Triple Pack
Largest: Galactus
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