Green Lantern toys are on display at the Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley.

Green Lantern, an intergalactic peace officer who stars in comic books from DC Comics, has probably his highest profile ever this month.

Ryan Reynolds will star as Hal Jordan, Earth’s defender in the Green Lantern Corps, in the movie “Green Lantern” opening Friday, June 17.

The Toy & Action Figure Museum, 111 S Chickasaw St. in Pauls Valley, is celebrating the release with a weekend-long event starting Saturday, June 11.

And DC Comics announced a brand-new “Green Lantern” No. 1 comic for September, written by Geoff Johns, the company’s chief creative officer, who has been involved in the film adaptation.

“It’s building off the Green Lantern stories I’ve done since ‘Rebirth,’”Johns told The Associated Press about the series, which features art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy. “Taking it in a very new direction that we’ve never seen in ‘Green Lantern’ before.”

Green Lantern first appeared in the 1940s as Alan Scott. This first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell. He first appeared in July 1940′s All-American Comics No. 16, and he had a magically powered Green Lantern ring.

“Of all the Green Lanterns, he really stands out,” said Kevin Stark, curator of the Toy & Action Figure Museum. “He’s got the cape, he’s got the red shirt. He’s really totally different from all the Green Lanterns.”

After superheroes fell out of favor in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Green Lantern disappeared from comic book racks.

But the concept would return, this time with a science fiction tinge.

Hal Jordan first appeared in “Showcase” No. 22 in October 1959 as part of the so-called “Silver Age” revamp of the DC Comics characters. Hal Jordan, a test pilot, became Green Lantern when a dying

Green Lantern in "Showcase" No. 22

alien selected Jordan to replace him as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

“I do like the Hal Jordan Green Lantern a lot also,” Stark said. “I like the whole concept of this space police force. Having a lot of characters … where they carry a theme throughout the costume, the costumes are variations on a theme, I really like that. I think that’s cool.”

There have been other Green Lanterns featured in DC Comics through the years, including Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner and John Stewart, all of whom still appear in the comics and will be involved in new series in September. “Green Lantern Corps,” featuring Guy Gardner and John Stewart will be written by Peter J. Tomasi and illustrated by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. “Green Lantern: The New Guardians,” starring Kyle Rayner will be written by Tony Bedard and illustrated by Tyler Kirkham and Batt.

Fans who dress as any Green Lantern will receive free admission to the Toy & Action Figure Museum from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. If you can’t swing an entire costume, wearing green will get you $1 off museum admission.

The museum has a new Green Lantern display and will have giveaways of items related to the upcoming film.

For more information, go to www.actionfiguremuseum.com.

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

From left, Amanda Arroyo, Brady Moran, and Kiley O'Brien, first-graders at Cumberland Hills Elementary School, wrap up G.I. Joe figures that were launched with parachutes from the rotunda of the Rhode Island Statehouse in Providence, R.I., to open the 2010 International G.I. Joe Collectors' Convention, Friday, April 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

From Hasbro:

Providence, RI – April 30, 2010 – The world’s first action figure comes home to Rhode Island for the 17th annual G.I. JOE Convention, hosted by the G.I. JOE Collectors’ Club and Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS).  To celebrate the homegrown hero and its fans, Rhode Island Governor, Donald L. Carcieri, proclaimed today as “G.I. JOE Day” as Rhode Island schoolchildren were on hand for the celebration in the State House rotunda.  The Governor was also joined by Hasbro’s President and CEO, Brian Goldner, as well as 250 parachuting G.I. JOE action figures that descended from the upper level of the domed structure, kicking off the official and largest convention of G.I. JOE enthusiasts.

Thousands of G.I. JOE fans will converge on the Rhode Island Convention Center on May 1st and 2nd to participate in events and activities that surround the brand’s 45-plus year history that includes action figures, comic books, animated series and a blockbuster movie.

“We are excited to have the G.I. JOE brand and its many legions of fans come to Providence for its annual convention this year,” said Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri. “We are proud to have such an internationally iconic hero call Rhode Island home.”

This year’s convention will feature some of the original G.I. JOE vs. COBRA creators, industry guests, artists, and the Hasbro G.I. JOE brand and design team. The convention will celebrate G.I. JOE, the original action figure, and its journey through the decades from the 1960s, all the way through last summer’s blockbuster, G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, and beyond.

“Hasbro is thrilled to celebrate the G.I. JOE brand in Rhode Island” said Brian Goldner, President and CEO of Hasbro, Inc.  “G.I. JOE is a property that was created and developed here at Hasbro in Rhode Island over 45 years ago and is now known around the world. This year’s convention will showcase the full history of the G.I. JOE brand, with special emphasis on the future of the iconic action and adventure property.  We’re thrilled that Governor Carcieri has bestowed such an honor to the world’s first action figure hero and we’re excited to celebrate “G.I. JOE Day” with our employees, fans and fellow Rhode Island residents.”

The convention is being held at the Rhode Island Convention Center located at 1 Sabin Street in Providence, Rhode Island. General admission tickets are available at the door, $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 5-12 (free child’s admission with a paid adult). And, as always, admission is free for those 4 years old and under. General Admission tickets provide access to the showroom on Saturday, May 1st from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or on Sunday, May 2nd from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional details and pre-registration information can be found at gijoecon.com, or by calling (817) 448-9863.

Hasbro inaugurated the G.I. JOE Collectors’ Convention in 1994 to bring collectors, fans and the G.I. JOE team together to share in the history of the brand. The annual event attracts thousands of people for G.I. JOE-related presentations and activities, along with buying, selling and trading rare and vintage G.I. JOE action figures.

Click past the cut for more pictures from the GI Joe Day celebration.

Toymakers are aiming for the next generation of “Star Trek” fans with a new line of toys based on the J.J. Abrams film. Gareb Shamus, publisher of Toy Wishes (www.toywishes.com), says director Abrams will bring a contemporary feel to a classic property.

“For this brand especially, by bringing in somebody like J.J. Abrams, who has been an amazing contemporary director-producer in this decade, with hits like ‘Alias’ and ‘Lost’ … he’s able to appeal to today’s core fan, and (the) masses, as somebody who’s … innovative and exciting in what he does,” Shamus said.

“What they want to do is introduce Star Trek to a whole new generation of kids, and also appeal to the core fans they’ve had all these years.”

The Playmates Toys’ products, coming to stores this spring, will be available in three different sizes – 3 ¾ inches, 6 inches and 12 inches. The company is also teaming with Mattel to offer “Star Trek” Barbies.

The 3 ¾ inch line is expected to retail at around $7 and feature the characters from the new film, including Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

“Especially in today’s economic times, there’s definitely a trend for all toy companies to offer less expensive price point items,” Shamus said. “There’s no question that especially with the ‘Star Trek’ line, they want to create an entry point that can get as many people interested in and excited about the toys as possible.”

The smaller line also makes it more affordable to build sets and accessories, like playsets for the Bridge and Transporter Room of the Enterprise.

“‘Star Trek’ has history that can be built upon, so that when you see it for the first time, you feel like it’s a very rich, exciting franchise,” Shamus said. “This is a great chance for them to introduce the movie to a lot of kids that haven’t been exposed to it.”

– By Matthew Price
From Wednesday’s The Oklahoman

PAULS VALLEY – Oklahoma cartoonists and famous toy lines were among the honorees Saturday as the Toy and Action Figure Museum, 111 S. Chickasaw, celebrated its third anniversary.

Joining the museum’s action figure Hall of Fame were two action-figure lines that took the 1980s by storm: Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Masters of the Universe were supremely muscled characters who lived on the planet Eternia. The star of this line was He-Man, who gained his strength when he held aloft his magic sword and repeated the phrase “by the power of Grayskull.”

“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was a 1980s update of the classic Joe action figure, which had been a 12-inch figure. “A Real American Hero” was in the 3 and ¾-inch size and introduced G.I. Joe, a special missions force for the U.S. military, who defended freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. Rather than just one “G.I. Joe,” the brand now introduced a line full of characters, developed by comics and animation writer Larry Hama, including the ninja Snake-Eyes, leader Duke and counter-intelligence specialist Scarlett.

Introduced into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection Hall of Fame were four cartoonists – and it came as a surprise to one of them. Museum curator Kevin Stark, creator of the comic strip and comic book “Geezer,” was named to the Hall of Fame. “Geezer” ran for seven years in the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat, and further comic books are in development.

Also honored:

Russell Myers, the creator of “Broom Hilda,” who was raised and attended college in Tulsa.

George Storm, who created adventure strips “Phil Hardy” in 1925 and “Bobby Thatcher” in 1927. He co-created The Hangman for MLJ and drew Bugs Bunny for Dell. He died in 1976.

Terry Tidwell, who was born and raised in Claremore. He worked on “The Green Hornet” and “Conan.” Tidwell, who was in attendance at the ceremony, also co-created the Tulsa-based hero “The Twilight Avenger.”

– Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

SAN DIEGO — Indiana Jones was on hand at Comic-Con International in brick form. Toymaker LEGO showcased the adventurer both as a giant LEGO figure, and in displays from the latest line featuring the character.

– Matt Price

DC Direct revealed action figures and busts based on “Watchmen,” the upcoming film directed by Zack Snyder.  The world-premiere of the figures was at the DC Booth on Thursday afternoon at Comic-Con International.

– Matt Price

– Matt Price

– Matt Price

Overall impressions: A great start of things to come. You can see from this first wave the potential that exists within this line. Mattel’s plan is to produce 5 waves per year for the next 5 years and then possibly more from there if they renew their contract with DC. Mattel has addressed a couple of the issues I had with the DC Superheroes line. The neck articulation is spot on and all the joints have great range of motion.

Collecting all the figures in the wave allows fans to build their own Metamorpho figure. Future plans for the DC Classics line include a “Gorilla Grodd” series featuring figures of Superman and Firestorm, and a “Solomon Grundy” line with Hal Jordan and Sinestro.

– Matt Price

Carney is a little town that was hit hard by the ice storm. Driving through, it looked like a tornado had come through and just missed all the houses.

Some folks found lodging in other cities where the power had already returned, but a lot of Carney residents stayed right where they are to take care of their town and the people in it.

The hot-spot — literally, since they have a generator working — is the Carney Fire Department. Some people sleep there and many stop by throughout the day for a hot meal. They were making chili while I was there.

With reports that power might not return to Carney until after Christmas, I took note of what they had done to make life bearable inside the station. The kitchen was pumping out food. Cell phone chargers snaked out of every available outlet.

And, standing next to the TV, was one of these:

Because the outage be damned, those kids were going to play some Guitar Hero.

– Greg Elwell

Heather Warlick writes for the Oklahoman about the opening of the Military display for the Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley.

Today, on Pearl Harbor Day, the museum will open free to the public to unveil a new room dedicated to the heroes of World War II.

“We’ve always had a military section in the museum, but we have a lot of veterans come through and we really wanted to honor them with the display,” curator Kevin Stark told the  Oklahoman.

Find more about the museum at www.actionfiguremuseum.com.

- Matt Price