Lorbo!

I've been a fan of Jim Woodring for years, ever since I picked up an issue of "Frank" at the local comic shop. I must have been around 13 at the time, I remember getting an issue of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and the latest issue of The Maxx, possibly Cerebus as well. The owner of the shop remarked to me that I had good taste, which for a 13 year old nerd was incredibly gratifying to hear. Anyway, over the years I continued to pick up more work from Woodring, including several graphic novels (which I read countless times), a t-shirt (that I wore until the print was cracked and faded), and even a used CD that had one of his original illustrations on the cover. The actual music was pretty mediocre, but for a couple of bucks I was happy to have another odd little collectible.

Woodring has actually designed quite a few toys, based on both his established characters, like Frank & Pupshaw, as well as a whole assortment of unique creatures made exclusively as vinyl collectibles. They are all awesome, but my favorite has to be Lorbo.

SD Dokuwashi

Described as the "Guardian of Ghostland" this little guy is a "super deformed" mini version of the full size Dokuwashi vinyl figure designed by Brian Flynn. While the full size Doku is a more traditional vinyl toy, the SD version is a limited, hand painted resin piece.

I'm a total sucker for anything that Brian Flynn designs, especially when it's Ghostland related. I have a humble collection of his toys, and lately I've been doing my best to pick up some of the recent releases from Super7, as well as quite a few of their earlier releases. Unfortunately, when this was originally released I just didn't have the funds and had to pass on it, like I do with so many amazing figures that just don't fit into my toy budget.

To my great surprise and delight, my wonderful fiancee Alicia surprised me on Christmas by letting me know she had ordered one for me! (Just one of many reasons I'm marrying her.)