| When
Comics, Toys and Indie Bands Merge...
It's TOY FUSION!
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It's
not official without a stormtrooper...
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When
I showed up at the Illusive Arts booth at SuperCon a couple
of weeks ago, the CFO Anna Warren Boersig handed me a flyer
for a show called Toy Fusion. She was sending Ray Boersig,
artist on Dorothy, to the show by himself, and
wondered if I'd be interested in tagging along.
Since
it was in Sacramento, I had mixed emotions. Though a good
chance to visit some family in the valley, it was also a
long drive to be making on Father's Day weekend. What kind
of Dad would I be if I deprived my children of the chance
to serve me cereal in bed and give me some token of geekdom
(for the record -- the PS2 Fantastic Four: Rise of the
Silver Surfer)?
Then
Ray injured himself on a camping trip, and Illusive would
have no representation at Toy Fusion if I didn't go. (Get
well, Ray -- remember, Bedrock is only fun on The Flintstones.)
So, copies of Tony Loco in hand, I attended Toy
Fusion in a rare role for me. Don't laugh -- it was as a
comics professional.
Toy
Fusion isn't just a show; it's a marketplace. Actually located
in Rancho Cordova just outside Sacramento, the place consists
of four stores, three hubbed off of the main one, with a
huge warehouse space in back. That's where Toy Fusion mastermind
Anthony Leano got a vision -- fill this warehouse with people
that love comics, sci fi, toys, whatever and show them
a good time!
And
so it was. Gathering local talent including Mike Hampton
(Captain A**hole) and Chris Wisnia (Doris
Danger, Ojo, Tabloia), Anthony set up a mini-mall of
signings and paraphenalia. Though they didn't stay for the
whole thing, headliners Ron Lim (Fantastic Five, Silver
Surfer) and horror film host Mister Lobo spent time
chatting with fans and with each other.
It
was the right balance, as local band The Kimberly Trip played
their CDs softly while fans wandered. Later, they rocked
the house with a live show.
Groovie
Ghoulies frontman Kepi brought his t-shirts to sell, as
well as CDs of both his bands (GG and The Haints). New self-publisher
Joe Fenton had a pretty impressive display for his book
Journey of Descent, next to the Zerga family's
Hotaru: A Day in the Life.
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Ron
Lim and Marvel Girl.
He drew her once, didn't he?
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No,
it wasn't huge, but it was pretty busy throughout the day.
As a kick-off event, it made a nice start and will only
get bigger. Lim, apparently local to the area, may display
his art there on a semi-permanent basis, and it is a good
place for music.
But
the focus is still comics, and the Toy Fusion comic shop
run by Noel Serrato and Richard Zerga has a good selection
of books. You just have to wade through a lot of toys to
get there. Yeah, boo hoo, because toy-wise, they've got
just about everything.
I
look forward to my return.
Toy
Fusion can be found at:
3501
Sunrise Blvd #3, Rancho Cordova, Ca 95742
Check
out their website as well. If you live in the area, you'll
want to know what's going on there...
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