Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Batman, Comics, dc, domo, domu

What Does the Future Hold For Domo?

Published Sun, 01 Sep 2013 14:00:32 -0500

Hannah Means-Shannon, senior New York Correspondent for Bleeding Cool, writes;

There was more bling and more hype for Domo, the beloved, clueless, and ungainly Japanese public television icon turned collectible, at San Diego Comic Con than at any wide-ranging comic con in the US previously, with Funko POP Vinyl exclusives rampant and an entire, fairly dazzling Domo Shop hosted by one of the biggest US Domo licensees, Dark Horse Comics. The Funko interest was based partly on the Spring 2013 release of a line of Domo+DC Pops, including 2 versions of Domo as Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Superman. SDCC exclusives picked out the same Pops, but gave them the metallic highlight treatment, and Funko also sold Domo hero t-shirts at the con, a first for them.

Dark Horse's Domo shop focused on plush collectibles, from the Abominable Snowman to the Lizard large cuddly versions, but also revealed a few of the upcoming Domo plushes for late summer that would feature Domo+DC characters, now on sale through License 2 Play. These new hero plushes include four versions, a small, medium, large, and clip-on for Batman (blue), Batman (black), The Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman. These "limited edition" Domos almost feel like a second wave of merchandise after Funko had tested the waters for others on whether the POP Vinyls superhero Domos would sell.

But looking further ahead in the Domo forecast, Dark Horse has already posted pre-order links (via Things from Another Planet) for Domo products in tune with the holiday/winter season shipping October 23^rd, and also some merchandise geared toward emphasis on Domo's Japanese origins. For the winter season, Christmas ornaments featuring Domo in a bobsled, Domo as a Spaceman, and Domo on a snowboard, will be available. The Japanese-themed items include a coaster set, a mug, and playing cards that all depict Domo in different historical periods of warrior costume.

The crossover between Domo and DC characters was a pretty ingenious move, since many Domo fans are also comic fans, and producing historically-themed Japanese Domo artwork is another way of establishing Domo as a unique IP in pop culture as well as appealing to Manga and Samurai comic fans. But beyond that? It would be wise for licensees to keep looking for those comics connections, but where? Will we see Domo+Marvel Pop Vinyls followed by plushes? It's unlikely Domo+Marvel Pops will ever appear as things stand at the moment, since Marvel Pops do have a bobble-head feature (and Domo has no neck), but plushes, you never know. If you can think of any comic icons that Domo should cosplay, I'm sure Dark Horse wouldn't mind a tweet or two in suggestion.

Hannah Means-Shannon is senior New York Correspondent at Bleeding Cool, writes and blogs about comics for TRIP CITY and Sequart.org, and is currently working on books about Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore for Sequart. She is @hannahmenzies on Twitter and hannahmenziesblog on WordPress. Find her bio here.