SCORCHING EXCLUSIVES

Ask yourselves this: Why wait until the holidays? The summer brings sunshine and red-hot pop culture goodies to add to your collection.

BY CHRIS CUMMINS

Time, the casually cruel thing that it is, continues to insist on only moving in one direction. Thus, we once again find ourselves smack dab in the middle of summer. Yes, school is out, and the beaches are open (much to Chief Brody’s dismay), but these long sunny days are also a bouillabaisse of heat and discomfort. So it evens out? One thing we all can take some joy in is the fact that this season is also rich with a fresh crop of exclusives—be it from retailers or much-demanded souvenirs from marquee fandom conventions. With that in mind, here’s an overview of the latest and greatest exclusive merch that will be controlling your mind and wallet from now until Labor Day.

INDIANA JONES HEADPIECE OF THE STAFF OF RA PERPETUAL CALENDAR (Hallmark, $29.99)

As part of its product line released in conjunction with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Hallmark has unleashed all manner of Indy merch. Our favorite is this desk calendar, styled after the Staff of Ra from Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring movable magnets you can use to keep track of the month and year.

MARS ATTACKS: GLOW IN THE DARK MARTIAN ACTION FIGURE (Super7, $17.99)

Ack Ack! Available exclusively at Target stores this summer is this glow-in-the-dark Mars Attacks figure that wears its nostalgic influences on its murderous, dog-destroying sleeve. The figure is based on Topps’ trading card line (the basis for Tim Burton’s movie), but an extra level of detail is how the cardback is an homage to Remco’s old monster action figure line.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER: CROSSROADS OF DESTINY (Funko, $32.99)

With 12 replayable combat challenges and 15 narrative encounters, Funko Games’ Avatar: the Last Airbender: Crossroads of Destiny utilizes imagery from the globally loved TV series to immerse participants in the environment of the Four Nations. One of the best licensed games ever.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III SET (NECA, $150)

Nearly 40 years since they made their indie comics debut, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are still an unstoppable franchise. So much so that even originally maligned projects featuring the characters like 1993’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III have been re-evaluated by fans and subsequently become merchandising juggernauts. All of which leads us to NECA’s San Diego Comic-Con exclusive four pack of Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael in their Samurai attire. These 7” figures come with a mind-blowing number of accessories and throwback VHS-inspired packaging that further illustrate that it is always turtle time – regardless of the decade.

G.I. JOE: COLD SLITHER PINS (Icon Heroes, $60)

When pop culture meets capitalism, magical things happen. Case in point: Icon Heroes’ set of hard enamel pins replicating the magical G.I. Joe episode where Zartan and the Dreadnoks posed as the heavy metal group Cold Slither (“You’ll be joining us soon!”) to use subliminal messages embedded in their music to take over the world. It is one of the most fondly remembered installments of the series, and this set includes four pins of the band members and an 8” x 8” print of the faux album cover, packaged in a deluxe collector’s box that doesn’t go to 11 but will make you the envy of your authority-shunning circle.

Tron Action Figure And Lightcycle

($34.99,

Super7)

While you wait anxiously for further information about the next Tron film, consider picking up this remarkably retro collectible. Available exclusively at Disney Parks and through shopDisney, this set features a glow-in-the-dark 3¾” Tron action figure and an eyecatching lightcycle. Part of a larger line of Tron figures and vehicles from Super7 and Disney, we won’t rest until we have this in our hands.

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE PIN SET (Figpin, $124.99)

Exclusive to AMC, this set of pins from Across the Spider-Verse showcases the characters Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Punk, Spider-Gwen, SpiderWoman, and Scarlet Spider. (We don’t envy whoever had to limit the film’s endless characters down to just those six). Created by Figpin and limited to 1,000 sets, we recommend thwipping on over to AMC’s website and grabbing these before they are gone.