Still Playing with Toys - comic books just like ma used to make!

RIP Michael Jackson...
Posted by troy on Friday, June 26 2009

Michael Jackson made a cameo appearance in SPT's comic "Only in Dreams" and creator Troy Benjamin gives his thoughts and story as to how the idea came to pass in tribute to the late-MJ:

http://www.stillplayingwithtoys.com/mblog/blog.php?bid=150

Welcome Fill in the Blank Listeners!
Posted by troy on Monday, June 22 2009

Troy is currently appearing as a guest on the podcast show, FILLintheBLANK - heard at www.fillintheblankshow.com!

Give it a listen by clicking this link, or downloading from iTunes!

Only in Dreams - Coming soon to a silver screen near you?
Posted by troy on Monday, June 22 2009
SPT is proud to announce that new wing of Fineprint Literary Management, Fineprint Productions has optioned Only in Dreams for feature film development.

Producer Brendan Deneen is attached to the project, currently one of three future films being developed by Fineprint Productions.

According to the announcement made in Publisher's Weekly:

Fineprint Literary Management has announced the creation of an offshoot film and TV production company, focused on developing books and graphic novels into feature films. Fineprint Productions will be overseen by Brendan Deneen--who, before becoming an agent, worked for Scott Rudin and Miramax/Dimension. Currently the company has three projects in development.

The first project is Demaree Inglese & Diana Gallagher's No Ordinary Heroes, a first-person account from Inglese, a prison doctor in New Orleans, of being trapped with rioting inmates during Hurricane Katrina. The second project is the graphic novel series Only in Dreams by Troy Benjamin, which Deneen dubbed "a comedic supernatural thriller in the vein of Ghostbusters" that follows a group of college-age "nightmare eliminators." The production arm is also developing Mark Elder's Edgar-nominated spy novel The Prometheus Operation, which Deneen said will be "updated in the spirit of the Jason Bourne franchise."

A quick update on issue 4 and some news...
Posted by troy on Friday, March 6 2009
Hey there SPTers... so for the (four) of you chomping at the bit to read issue 4, here's a quick update. While it was hoped that the issue would be finished at the end of February a few last minute emergency changes have caused yet another delay in the production of the book.

It is with regret that, due to personal matters, we inform you Rob Smith, our faithful colorist on the first three issues, will not be handling the coloring duties on our forth and final installment in the first volume of Still Playing with Toys Presents.

Regular artist Chris Enterline is still returning for the black and whites, and will also be handling the colors for the entire issue this go-round marking the first time that Enterline has fully illustrated an issue cover to cover.

While it's difficult to move on without Rob, I'm confident that you will find that Chris has created a very unique style for this forth issue that takes what we've done in the past and brings it to a whole other level. He's currently feverishly working to finish the remainder of his pages and we are now looking to have a finished book ready and online for you to download by the end of March.

Apologies for the delays - but I'm sure that once you see the end result, the wait will have been worth it.

It ends here tonight...
Posted by troy on Wednesday, January 21 2009

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with pride that we announce the beginning of the end...

After much delay, the final installment of our FREE comic anthology STILL PLAYING WITH TOYS PRESENTS will be made available to the public this February.

The final issue number four, with cover art illustrated by SPT artist Chris Enterline and interior art by Enterline and colorist Rob Smith features the concluding chapters of your exclusive sneak preview of ONLY IN DREAMS and ANGEL XRC.

Stay tuned later this week for a preview of the masterful fresh and new look coming to the ANGEL XRC series...

New products and an update on issue 4!
Posted by troy on Wednesday, January 7 2009
Happy New Year, SPTers! There's been a whole lot going on behind the scenes here at the workshop as we've been hard at work on issue four still. While it looked like we'd have the final issue ready for you all by December, you'll now be cracking into the fourth and final installment in the first Presents volume this February! And you'll still be doing it absolutely free (which we think we owe you for its tardiness).

In other news, we have a couple fine new clothing items for the Winter season in the SPT Swag store. Make sure you drop in and pick up a little bit of Henry Power for yourself, your significant other, and the kids!

We've got a new Performance Jacket, all the rage - I've seen Leonardo DiCaprio wearing these things like six out of the seven days a week. And if it's good enough for Leo, it should be for you. Click the image below to order for $42.99!

We've also got a zip up hoodie for those of you that have the strange phobia of pulling shirts over your heads. I hear it's more common now than it was back in the 90s, so for the greater public good, pick up a zip hoodie also for $42.99 by clicking below!

More to come, don't forget the blog is updated daily for you to procrastinate on work stuffs when you're not reading our free comics!

Separate comics and state...
Posted by troy on Monday, November 3 2008
Thanks to the magical wonders of Google AdSense, there are ridiculous ads appearing on the SPT front page endorsing John McCain/Sarah Palin and urging you to vote yes on Prop 8.

THIS IS NOT (repeat) NOT THE VIEWPOINT OR ENDORSEMENT OF THIS WEBSITE OR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES.

We sincerely apologize for the banner ads being on the SPT main page, as they are unintentional and placed (ludicrously) by Google AdSense...

It is this editor's opinion that people should be allowed to marry whomever they choose, it is not the government's job to tell us who we can and cannot love. If someone else were responsible for telling me who I should be dating and marrying, I probably would be dating the homely Country Buffet cashier that my grandmother constantly is trying to set me up with...

Don't click the ads. Don't pay any attention to them.

New Henry Power Swag!
Posted by troy on Thursday, September 25 2008
Everyone on the block will be wearing the Henry Power line of clothing, buy it while it's still hip and cool and you're original - then turn around and sell it to a vintage shop ten years later when it's cool again!

Designed by SPT Presents colorist Rob Smith with art from Chris Enterline!

White T-Shirts $21.99!

Ringer T-Shirt $20.99

Dark T-Shirts $21.99

It's here! Download Still Playing with Toys Presents #3 now!
Posted by troy on Sunday, August 24 2008

After much delay, after much hype, after Fox sued us saying that they owned the rights to everything we've ever done and that our movie would never see the light of day* - Still Playing with Toys Presents #3 is available to download for free, RIGHT this second!

24 full color pages of freeness featuring a gorgeous cover by Star Wars/Topps/Lord of the Rings artist (and all-around awesome dude) Grant Gould!

Run, don't walk to www.stillplayingwithtoys.com and download it today. You'll be glad you did, because someone at work is going to spoil it all for you tomorrow.

*Maybe not the last one, but we vaguely remember reading that somewhere.

SPT Presents Issue #3 still on the way!
Posted by troy on Thursday, May 15 2008
Sorry for the delay in the release of our third issue, we're still running running running trying to get everything done and will hopefully have a book for you all to sink your teeth into (or I guess, more appropriately your eyes but that's beside the point)... between computer crashes, and all sorts of other hardship, issue three has proven to be our cursed issue. But it's still on the way!

In the meantime, have you read Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 and #2, yet?

No??!

Hurry, before someone hears that you're not cool enough to have read the first two issues! Click here!

SPT Presents #3, coming this month!
Posted by troy on Wednesday, April 9 2008

It's coming ladies and gentlemen... and just like the first two issues, it'll be free of charge!

Keep checking back, later this month you'll be able to read the continuation of Nate, Ryan, and Henry's adventures in the dreamworld. You'll be able to see just how Lt. Jacob Axebry is able to recover from his encounter with the wrong end of a fist. You'll be able to read a comic book for FREE (and that's not half bad).

Meanwhile, Chris, Rob and I frantically work around the clock to get the issue done and move onto the fourth and final installment of the anthology series that ramps up Still Playing with Toys' flagship properties.

Stay tuned, please send Red Bull!

Sneak Peek at Still Playing with Toys Presents #3!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, March 25 2008

Head on over to our Myspace for a preview of "Only and Dreams" and "Angel XRC" from issue three! It's well worth the wait, and if you've literally been holding your breath for the new issue it'll be even better (because lack of oxygen to the brain does that kind of thing to you... or so we hear).

Not our friends on Myspace? We're hurt, you should friend us now!

A few notes from behind the scenes!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, March 25 2008
Hey there everybody, long time no see-- well we have much to tell you so I'll just get straight to it!

For those of you that ordered print version of issue number one directly through our publisher Comixpress and have still yet to receive your issues (that's quite a few people), I encourage you to write them daily at info@comixpress.com. They even owe US issues and money and have been ignoring our pleas for some sort of update. So if you've had a particularly bad day and need to vent on someone, and still haven't gotten your first issue of Still Playing with Toys Presents that you paid for in October, that's info@comixpress.com --

Moving onto lighter fare.

Issue Three is coming along nicely, and while we had aimed to have it all wrapped up and with a bow on it for you all by the end of this month, you'll have to wait until April to see all the goodness that's inside. But don't worry, it's well worth the wait! And it'll be FREE for you to download here from the website!

And there's big things on the horizon. Big, like Rosie O'Donnell after Shamrock Shake season big. Stay tuned!

SPT at San Diego Comic-Con 2008
Posted by troy on Tuesday, February 5 2008
That's right ladies and gentlemen, July 23 through 27 you'll be able to catch Still Playing with Toys at a booth amid all the chaos that is San Diego Comic-Con! We'll have a booth in the small press area of the con, with swag, ladies, and maybe even a few special guests!

Stay tuned to the main page and to the forums for more information on where you'll be able to find us (and what free swag you'll be able to have signed and run away from us with)!

Reviews for SPT Presents #2 coming in!
Posted by troy on Saturday, December 29 2007

It seems we've made big fans over at the well-respected Broken Frontier - reviewer Dave Baxter has fallen head over heels for the second book, here's a few excerpts from his review:

"The folks at Still Playing with Toys have got it figured: hot on the heels of such revolutionary new small press publishing set-ups as the trail-blazing Wowio, president Troy Benjamin is now offering every issue of Still Playing with Toys Presents for 100% FREE download, straight from the comic’s website. It comes in easily accessible .PDF format, and now hardly anyone has to worry about being unable to find the book or having to pay more than they can rightly afford.

...

In matter of fact, SPwTP #2 is a sweet improvement on #1, which is probably the best thing that can be said for any freshman effort of a fledgling company. The art in general is crisper, cleaner, and now fully colored by Rob Smith (leaving poor, overworked Chris Enterline to focus solely on his pencils and inks). It’s prettier and more polished than what’s come before, and issue #1 was pretty damn pretty (it’s prettiness being what caught my eye in the first place, in fact), so that’s a big fat plus. Both stories gear up in their respective ways, “Only in Dreams” growing complicated while “Angel XRC” pushes its own action threshold into overdrive."

Unbelievable! Thanks for the kind words, Dave! You can (and should) read his full review over at Broken Frontier's site.

And don't forget that you can now download BOTH issues one and two completely free of charge here on the SPT comics section!

Download Issue 2 for FREE right this second!
Posted by troy on Friday, December 21 2007

Happy Holidays from Still Playing with Toys, and woo boy do we have a present for you!

Starting TODAY Still Playing with Toys Presents will be available for direct download for free! That's right, no money, no killed trees, no hassle, you can download full issues cover to cover straight to your computer.

Be the first on your block to read Still Playing with Toys Presents #2, our latest December release. Plus, if you missed out on the first printing of Issue One, it's also available for your downloading pleasure! All you've gotta do is click here!

Here's the full press release for you crazy cats that love all the details:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Troy Benjamin
troy@stillplayingwithtoys.com
www.stillplayingwithtoys.com

DECEMBER ISSUE AND SOLD OUT DEBUT OCTOBER ISSUE OF STILL PLAYING WITH TOYS PRESENTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Burbank, CA, December 24, 2007 – After an incredible response to the first printing of STILL PLAYING WITH TOYS PRESENTS #1, both the debut issue and the new December issue will be provided free of charge as direct downloads from www.stillplayingwithtoys.com.

This unprecedented move makes the label’s flagship title accessible to a wider variety of readers by providing an Adobe Acrobat document of the entire issue cover-to-cover directly downloadable from the publisher’s website. There will be no charge to download the issue.

“It’s really an exciting time for all forms of media,” states CEO and Publisher Troy Benjamin. “The music industry has already opened their doors to letting users download full versions of albums for free. Why shouldn’t comics follow suit?”

Issues #1 and #2 will be available for download via the Still Playing with Toys website (www.stillplayingwithtoys.com) at midnight December 22, 2007 to tie-in with the holiday season. Issue #3 will be made available in March of 2008 as a similarly free direct download from the company website.

Hard copies of issue #1 will continue to be sold through Diamond Comics Distributors. Select retail outlets will receive physical copies of issues #2 through #4. Further information on where to purchase at retail outlets will be made available in January via www.stillplayingwithtoys.com.

STILL PLAYING WITH TOYS PRESENTS is an anthology series featuring two very different genre titles that appeal to mass audiences: ANGEL XRC and ONLY IN DREAMS.

(continues)

In Angel XRC, readers are introduced to the gritty and sexy post-Civil War world of soldier Lieutenant Jacob Axebry, a member of the Xeriv Resistance Control or XRC. After he becomes entangled in a plot far larger than he can imagine, Axebry must join forces with those that he has sworn justice on, namely a cunning and beautiful Resistance leader known only as Jade. Dark, sexy, gritty, and socially relevant, XRC throws the reader into the fire.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Only in Dreams harkens back to the high-concept broad comedies made popular in the early 1980s. Four college students turn their thesis into a profit when they open the world’s first nightmare prevention program. Using homemade technology, the boys are able to tap themselves into the dreams of their patients – entering their dreams to do set things right. It’s Ghostbusters meets The Matrix in this light-hearted comedy.

Publisher and writer Troy Benjamin is a Loyola Marymount graduate with a background in film production. Having worked for four years in development for film super-producer Trevor Albert on such films as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Benjamin now focuses his talents and experience into the publication of showcase Still Playing with Toys Presents. Benjamin is also the proprietor of long-running fan favorite website Ghostbusters Headquarters celebrating its tenth year online.

Performing double-duty as penciler and inker on the title is upcoming phenom Chris Enterline. “Just wait until you see his characterizations,” says publisher Benjamin. “Chris has a unique and defined style that I’m sure will become immediately recognizable.” Joining him as colorist is Rob Smith, a graduate of Gallaudet University, the acclaimed liberal arts university for deaf and hard of hearing talents.

Still Playing with Toys, a publishing company formed in June of 2006 by Troy Benjamin and Drew Drescher, is the exemplification of an independent publishing company. Their goal: to create original material and to provide up and coming creators with an outlet for their imaginations. With strong backgrounds in film/television and business respectively, Benjamin and Drescher aim their debut title was released October 31, 2007. The company is based out of North Hollywood, CA.

Buy Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 online through Graham Crackers!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, November 20 2007

Been waiting a long time to post this one, online retail giant Graham Crackers is now offering Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 through it's online site.

Click here to order now!

And don't forget, the issue is now in a fine comic shop near you! Make sure to drop by your local haunt and drop lots of cash (preferably on several copies of our book).

In stores tomorrow, seriously!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, November 13 2007

The wait is over! In stock tomorrow at a fine comic shop near you is Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 - our flagship title's debut issue! It makes an excellent holiday gift for those of you that celebrate holidays, and excellent reading material for those of you who lock yourself in the basement from November 1st to January 2nd.

Speaking of which, we really hope you have a tanning booth in your basement, otherwise you're going to look pretty gnarly come 2008.

If your local shop doesn't have a copy (or two or eight) on the shelves, tell 'em they need to get their crap together and demand they reorder issue one (we've already gotten enough demand that a second printing is on the way!)

And if you really are locked in your basement until the New Year, have no fear- you can always order online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our printer Comixpress where it's printed right there, on-demand just for you! (Yes, they DO take credit cards via PayPal which is an easy and secure sign-up process, we assure you).

Happy reading, don't forget to stop by Troy's Place when you're all done to tell us how much you loved it or how well it's stopped your kitchen table from wabbling!

Free exclusive Angel XRC Prequel now online!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, November 6 2007

Now online at stillplayingwithtoys.com - Angel XRC: Solemn Genesis!

Solemn Genesis is a preface to the events that unfold in the debut of ANGEL XRC available in Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 on sale now wherever fine comics are sold and online by clicking here.

Check out Chapter One, free and exclusive to SPT.com!

FREE COMICS!
Posted by troy on Tuesday, November 6 2007

That's right, for the first five people to sign up for the SPT boards (aka Troy's Place) and start posting, we have a free autographed copy of Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 with your name on it, so what are you waiting for all it takes is the click of a few buttons and you're chatting with new friends AND getting free swag!

Too lame to post? Too shy? That's cool too, but you can still get a copy of Still Playing with Toys Presents #1 from the comfort of your own sheltered home by clicking here... but c'mon, take your mama's advice and get out there and live a little. You're always welcome to come have a beer with the SPT crew!

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Question? Letter to be printed? Just feeling lonely?
Give us a buzz:
STILL PLAYING WITH TOYS
PO Box 6465
Burbank, CA 91505
troy@stillplayingwithtoys.com