I've asked my husband to take some wide-angle shots of the room with his super-duper Nikon camera. I'll try to give some comments on each one. If you'd like to see how much things have changed, you can take a gander at this post: http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2009/11/karen-says-welcome-to-sanctum-part-1.html, from way back in 2009. I still have a lot of the items pictured there (like the comfy chair) but a lot of new goodies too. Most everything is modern; all the toys and models I had as a child got tossed when I moved out of my parents' house (by me, not them). So the stuff I have here has all been accumulated in the last ten years or so.
Here's a shot as you enter the room:
From left to right we have Star Trek items, Planet of the Apes, various science fiction film characters, my Avengers mini-mates, the Cap shield, the Frankenstein shelf, the Creature shelf (and Universal monsters below him), then assorted 50s' sci-fi critters on top of right-hand glass case, a Frankenstein-Dracula-Wolfman face-off, some Star Wars figures, and Adam Warlock.
The next view is looking from the comfy chair:
Here you can see Galactus and the Silver Surfer hanging out on the sub-woofer, the TV (obviously), and the assortment of posters that cover the walls and closet doors. Most of the smaller comic posters are from either the Asgard press calendars or the Eaglemoss figurine magazines. Hiding behind the TV is the shelves with some smaller figures, mainly super-heroes. This next shot shows that shelving a bit better:
All of my Avengers Eaglemoss lead figures are on the top shelf. I got the Black Panther for Christmas. The only figure I still really want now is Hercules. The Justice League have their own shelf a little further down.
Here's a shot of the Frankenstein and Creature shelves. I got back into the classic monsters in a big way a few years ago, and these two are my favorites (like you couldn't tell).
A continuation of the Frankenstein theme carries over to the shelf below the top one, where we also have Marvel's Zombie hanging out. I really love this Bowen mini-bust and statue.
Next up a shot of the southwest corner glass case and bookcase with a lot of my larger figures on top.My trades and masterworks are all below. I'm at the point though where I need a bigger bookcase for them all.
I'd like to end with a look at my mini-mates. I know, probably too cutesy for most of you guys, but I love the little buggers. And a big plus -they don't take up a lot of space!
I hope you enjoyed your tour through my little hideaway. If you have any questions about anything, please ask away!
Edit: Since some of you asked to see my trades, here's a shot of them:
20 comments:
Near as I can tell from a closer examination of the top of that first photo, you've had your picture taken with both Capt. Kirk and Lt. (later also Capt.) Sulu. Tres, tres cool.
Otherwise, what I personally zeroed in on were the tantalizingly few shots of your bookshelves. That's one of my personality quirks: if I were to ever hypothetically visit your house and enter that room, I would pretty much ignore everything else until I thoroughly browsed through all of your books.
Wow and WOW. Karen, LOVE the framed comic cover images.
Those Creature and comic statues are awesome, quite a collection.
Thank you much for sharing..!!
Karen, I LOVE it :) Thank you for sharing that beautiful collection!
Man, SO much here for the rest of us to like and aspire to! You've somehow brilliantly synthesized the (usually mutually exclusive)motifs of neat & clean & organized with fields & islands of delightful visual clutter. REALLY like the white walls, too (Doug, you're walls were white/bright also,yes? Mine are, as well.). Guys- in the past, at least- always seem to go dark and cave-like (cliche' as that may sound). Wood paneling, dark red or purple wall paint, I remember a couple of guys w/ black walls, even.
Man, and your high-end display cases and acrylic (?) shelf units are VERY much items of envy for a lot of us shmoes out here-!
But boy, I just can't get over how clean you've managed to keep it. HUGE falling-down point on my turf. Clutter, clutter, clutter-- and then one long-box comes off the shelves, and a third of the room is displaced in the aftermath. . .
Thanks much for sharing this with us, eh?
HB
Thanks for the kind remarks guys. I re-read what I wrote and I realize some of it sounded a bit weird. I put the post together late last night, as it took some time to get all the pictures from my husband. I didn't mean to imply I had left my parents' nest just ten years ago -that was actually 26 years ago; I just started collecting figures about ten years ago.
HB, some of that "white wall space" is actually pull down blinds, particularly behind the King Kong -Predator -robots area. Being in Arizona and having large picture windows in a room is a liability, especially if you are trying to watch TV. So we have two blinds in that room that stay down nearly 100% of the time. I wish I could put pictures on them -it would be more interesting than the plain white background.
Edo, you have sharp eyes.I did have a picture taken with Shatner, which I had to pay for. But he was nice enough, if reserved. Takei on the other hand, I just walked up to and started talking to at a show (this must have been around 1999-2000) and we wound up taking a photo together. A year later I saw him at another con and asked him to sign it and he said, "Oh, I remember this!" and started chatting again. Super nice guy.
Sorry about the lack of bookshelf shots; I don't think hubby thought those would be of interest!
Hey, all --
LOVE the pictures, Karen! And I'll agree fully with HB at the neatness of the space. It is very inviting, and truly looks as if it could be the dwelling place of the God of Four Colors!
HB, in answer to your question about the walls in my room: The top half of the room is painted in a light shade of gray, and then there is a wallpaper border around the middle (about 3 feet above the floor moulding) that is pictures of classic Marvel Comics covers. The bottom portion of the walls is painted in a bright royal blue.
I like Karen's room better than mine! It's a wonderful scene of sensory-overload, isn't it?
Doug
If you weren't around when I ran the post that shows the wallpaper I have, here's a link to an image of said wallpaper:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Ltf4wLTstY/TVcJxLSsspI/AAAAAAAAC1A/4N_-2Hnn1PQ/s1600/spidercomicborder.jpg
Doug
Hey Karen, love your Creature and Frankenstein figurines, especially the big one of the Creature swimming!
I'd like to see more of your TPBs.
Karen, nice story about George Takei - he really seems like a nice guy in all of the interviews and whatnot I've seen him in, and you just confirmed that. Also, I can't get over the fact that he's now in his mid-70s (just a little younger than my parents) - he's a seriously spry dude.
HB, re: clutter. I hear you there. Our house is pretty small, and we're both bibliophiles, so over packed, cluttered bookshelves and boxes of books are our everyday reality. In fact, if we had an extra room like Karen's (or Doug's) the color of the paint on the walls would be irrelevant, because it would be bookshelves floor to ceiling bookshelves.
I updated the post with a shot of my trades. What's not in that case are my Origins of Marvel Comics, Son of Origins, etc, and various other books on comics, like the Sean Howe book or the Starlin book I reviewed some time back.
Karen, you didn't have to, but thanks for posting that additional photo of your bookshelf! I enjoyed perusing it while thinking to myself, "have that!" and, much more often, "oooh, want that!" and "oooh, *really* want that!"
Wow! Lots of great stuff to love here!
I have a pipe dream of remodeling my attic one day and turning it into a comics room. Won't happen any time soon (too expensive!), but you've given me something to shoot for!
So....so....jelous...right...now.....
Thanks for the trades shot, Karen. 3 volumes of Marvel Firsts in the 1970s--I didn't know there were that many.
Also I see a few new books, like Walking Dead. I enjoyed the first 48 issues in the Compendium, and bought some trades after that, then finally it became more grim and I left the series. If you and Doug ever review some modern books it would be interesting to see your take on them.
Oh ... my ...God Karen!
Seriously, that is some totally awesome stuff you got there! I've heard of man caves but you got a flat out super tricked out nerd woman cave there girl - and I mean that as the greatest of compliments! If I had all those figurines I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have them so neatly displayed like yours!
Like Edo, I'm a bibliophile and most of my stuff (comics & magazines) are all tucked away in little storage bins. Don't have action figures (but my brother has a few Star Trek spaceship models lying around); mostly chess sets (another crazy hobby) scattered around my room.
Looking at all the cool stuff you have brings out the inner nerd in me. I'm middle aged, but dang the inner child in me would love to come over by your house and play with all those cool toys!
- Mike 'OK I'll have a display like Karen's - in about 85 years!' from Trinidad & Tobago
I like your "chained up King Kong" (even though we all know gorillas gotta be free) in fact your entire monster collection is cool!
Mike W.
Garett --
There's a Marvel Firsts coming out very soon that will feature tons of Marvel's WWII-era heroes. A 1980's volume has been rumored; I'd be interested in that.
I am not really all that interested in reviewing modern comics -- certainly not from the standpoint of having to spend my own money on them. I quit buying new stuff around 6-7 years ago and don't regret it -- not one bit. I tend to check out the solicitations each month, and the storylines and especially the price point leave me super-cold. Like Polar Boy cold. I won't speak for Karen, but you won't see me going past the Busiek-Perez Avengers or maybe some of Bendis's Ultimate Spider-Man.
Doug
PS: The more I look at Karen's pix, the better they get!!
I know I should be drooling over the astonishing collectibles pictured here, but--
Must. have. comfy chair of my own.
Sorry, rather late to the party here, just been too busy over the holidays..
I remember meeting both Walter Koenig and George Takei back in '77 at a Milwaukee convention. George was INCREDIBLY nice and was genuinely curious as to how I knew about his city hall work where he lived in CA; I of course mentioned reading it in Starlog, which probably helped make him an early fan of the magazine..
Walter in contrast was a bit dour and just wanted my name to sign my picture. Still awesome memories.
Scott Squires was there too, having just completed effects work with John Dykstra on a small, soon-to-be-released movie called 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.
Comicsfan -be warned: the comfy chair will make it tough to get any reading done, as it will put you to sleep about 20 minutes after you settle into it!
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