Editorial POP!
Much like Mr. Kofford my friends are now here, but they are not books and they are not at my home; they are my new collection of Funko Pop!s in my office at IVP.
If you remember the tiny cliff-hanger I left in last week’s seemingly random “Puss in Boots, Editor in Suits” rant, I eluded to the fact that my staff and colleagues really lift me up and keep me going on the job, and these cute little Funko Pops collectables sitting on the shelves of my office are their avatars. (No, not blue, odd-looking CGI creatures from Pandora.)
Each of the 12 Funkos represent the staffers, freelancers, and a couple of my colleagues at IVP, for very positive and (what I think are) wonderful reasons; a compliment-ary assessment through the lens of (yours and) their friendly IVP Editor.
It all started with me nicknaming our speedy copy editor, Lizbeth Meza, as DC’s “The Flash.” I cannot stress enough how much of a lynchpin asset Lizbeth and her quick page-building skills are, as is that of her Yuma-counterpart, Jesus aka “Squirtle.” While Lizbeth moves at lightning-speed, Jesus is calculating and full of personality, like the cute little blue Pokémon that stands a few feet from my desk (plus “I like turtles” almost as much as I like otters). Without those two I am sunk, so it’s only fitting that one swims and the other can run on water.
Our editorial assistant Mia and freelancer Sharon – who both love cats – are, of course, DC’s Catwoman and Marvel’s Black Cat, respectively. (Adding to the humor, the black, mesh-looking cat-burglar hood that Catwoman wears was the exact same color and material as the sweater Mia was wearing when I presented that particular Funko in a recent editorial meeting.)
Our Sports team, Odett and Tom Ronco – with their mentor-mentee relationship – are Kate Bishop and Hawkeye. Hawkeye is the old pro and Bishop is the new kid on the block, learning from Hawkeye how to be an even more expert archer (but with a pen/keyboard, not a bow and arrows). Katie is an overachiever in everything she does, which is pretty Odett-like, and Hawkeye has kind of been-there and done-that, yet still does it with precision and expertise. KB is molded by Hawkeye and, later, by the leader of the (Young) Avengers, who is a super-soldier (foreshadowing). They’re my straight-shot operatives, always hitting their targets.
Being our border-reporter, Elizabeth is of course America Chavez, the amazing Latina who can punch through reality and create portals to be anywhere instantaneously. Unlike the movie iteration, EMC is far from the damsel in distress, but by the final part of the Doctor Strange movie once Chavez gets the hang of her powers, she is super powerful.
Marcie Landeros is Rogue from X-Men (animated series version). A bit of a siren but super strong, Rogue’s underestimated power is that she is an empath, which in superhero terms means she can touch someone and borrow their powers, but translates in the news world as Marcie’s skills enabling to her always get the quotes and story, using her Rogue-ish Southern gal charm as necessary.
Rogue, Chavez, and Kate Bishop all have some sort of “get there quick” ability – be it flight, portals, or teleporting – in other words, wherever I send them they get there quick and get things done.
Bryan Hellios is a different breed, so because of his motorcycle-riding ways, he is Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider brings down the bad guys, sending them to hell if he has to (you know, Hell-ios) for them to face justice. That’s definitely Bryan to me; plus the mischievous grin on the only Dorbz monito of the group reminds me of him for some reason.
The only mild-mannered character of the group is the most “newsy”: Peter Parker’s editor J. Jonah Jameson. Though Arturo Bojórquez doesn’t have the constantly irritated or demanding demeanor of JJJ’s personality, since he’s been in the news-game the longest here (and has some silver to prove it), so Bojórquez wins JJJ by default. (Maybe it says something about me that they all thought I was JJJ at first! I tell myself it’s only because he’s the only one holding a newspaper.)
Of course our fearless GM, Alexis Singh, is Wonder Woman, and if you know AS that one is pretty self-explanatory. She has both a shield to “Mama Bear” us as needed, but also a sword for a slicing offense if it’s called for. Someone to look up to and definitely powerful.
And me … well the leader (below WW) has to be either the leader of the Justice League or Avengers, right? I chose a young “First Avenger” version of Captain America for myself.
It’s an iteration where he is just learning his new powers, and he has a shield to protect, but his shield can also be a weapon in the right hands. Ever the gentleman, while most people focus on the outer (since he goes through a powerful physical transformation that makes him better at everything he does), Cap’s real strength has always been internal, which is what makes him a diamond in the rough. He’s a great judge of character and always does what’s right, even being a soldier who questions the government when it skews. Cap is a tactician, always on the side of good.
All in all, these cute vinyl creations remind me I have an amazing team of exceptionally talented news heroes I am surrounded by day-in and day-out, so it’s only right that I wield my shield accordingly, and proudly.
And as for the number of “villains” starting to amass? Sorry but that info is classified, True Believers.