NYCC 2014: Kotobukiya Brings The Magic To Manhattan

Kotobukiya had another great showing at NYCC, with plenty of new reveals for fans of comic books, Star Wars, bishoujo and more.

Those Japanese kings of collectibles at Kotobukiya had an exciting showcase and panel at New York Comic Con, featuring new additions to their Art FX+ and bishoujo collections, along with many more high end statues and other collectibles.

I’ve been a big supporter of Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo Collection for a while, and I’m very glad to see that the best is still yet to come!  She-Hulk made her debut at NYCC, and the sculpt was incredible– like every Bishoujo release, this figure features a uniquely sculpted body, complete with musculature and proportions befitting Jennifer Walters.  Kotobukiya’s sculptors are always great at creating appropriate body proportions for the characters in this series, but She-Hulk pushed the envelope more than most, rendering her defined and sizeable muscles while ensuring she remains completely feminine.  It’s a great statue!

Also on display was Jubilee, who will feature an alternate pair of sunglasses for her first production run, and new DC additions including the upcoming Starfire and Zatanna, who made her debut at the show as an unpainted prototype.  The final version of Zatanna will feature actual netting for her fishnet stockings, much like the Black Canary figure who is still being worked on.

During their panel, Kotobukiya also revealed the next Street Fighter Bishoujo– Poison– and confirmed we will see more figures in the horror collection, following the Freddy and Jason inspired statues coming this fall.  And the Mass Effect line will continue with Tali coming in 2015.

The Art FX+ New 52 and Avengers collections looked truly impressive when fully assembled in Koto’s display, and both Marvel and DC will expand going forward.  Batwoman’s sculpt looked incredible, and will feature a swappable unmasked head, while Red Hood will join the ranks in 2015, alongside a Flash in Art FX scale to go along with the previously revealed Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

On the Marvel front, with the Marvel Now! Avengers team completed, Kotobukiya will shift their focus to a set of modern X-Men in the same scale, featuring Beast, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Rogue, Wolverine, Magik and Magneto in their Marvel Now! attire.

While there were no images available yet, Kotobukiya also had two very exciting announcements for the 1:10 scale Art FX collection.  First off, they will be producing a series based on the Aliens franchise, starting with an Art FX+ Alien from Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi horror classic.  I cannot wait to see the rendering of this iconic creature from Kotobukiya’s talented team of sculptors!

The other big reveal was a new line of DC Art FX+ statues, sure to be a hit with 80s kids like me… Super Powers!  Yes, Kotobukiya will launch a collection of statues based on the 80s toy line by Kenner, featuring the heroes and villains of the DC universe as they appeared in that collection.  While the non-poseable statues won’t include the vintage toys’ action features, Kotobukiya will include alternate pieces which can swap out to replicate each character’s action feature.  So a Superman, for example, could come with a second set of punching arms, while a Flash could include running legs.  It’s a very clever way to call back those great action features in this new format.

Between their great properties, cool concepts and amazing sculpts, Kotobukiya has earned their place among the very best collectible companies in the market, and based on what we saw at NYCC, it looks like 2015 may be their most exciting year yet!