There is a fanboy that I see a lot at my local comic shop. His name is Eric. Eric loves the Marvel Universe line. He told me that he just thinks they are fun toys, that the lower price point makes him feel more relaxed about collecting them and that the scale was easier for him to both display and store. So, basically he was making an argument for how convenient they are. Seriously? That’s how we’re going to evaluate superhero toys now; how “easy” they are to collect? And how much “fun” they are? I’m sorry but I have no time for people that want to half ass toy collecting. If you’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to collect toys properly, then in my opinion, you don’t derserve to collect toys. I’m sorry, I really am but that’s how I feel and nobody is going to make me say otherwise. That sort of collecting disrespects the properties themselves. If you want to gripe about figures aimed at kids, like scuba Spidey, then you can’t turn around and say, “I bought this because it’s fun to play with”. That’s a double standard I can’t abide. Collect with respect or get the F outta the way.

- Cliff Francis, Costume Contumely – The Devolution of Action Figures or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Marvel Universe Figures

Tip of the hat to CBR poster Gilda Dent for linking to this piece.