STAR WARS EPISODE 7 to feature a return of Luke & Leia

Read it here at The Hollywood Reporter

SPLIT/IMAGE ONLINE is resurrected!

With the advent of a new reincarnation of Star Trek I have resurrected S/I online in response to putting together a webpage that would list out links of interest in regards to matters tied to Star Trek.

This return from the dead will continue as topics of interest unfold in the entertainment media. Announcements of upcoming topics will be highlighted here.

Coming to McDonald's will be 8 characters out of the Night of the Museum universe commencing May 22, 2009.

Coming in late 2009 or early 2010 toys featuring the Chaotic universe characters. Click here or click here

With mixed reviews on the net the reimagined universe of Star Trek characters have not fared very well in the local Santa Maria (CA) market. Even with TV ads for the movie, the Playmates toys and playsets seem to have hit a wall of indifference.

I am guesstimating that sales of the figures at Walmart are essentially nonexistent, with some sales at Target, and the majority of sales of the Playmates line at Toys R Us. While demographics may play a role in accessibility to product the general financial downturn may be a more predominant factor as prices of the toys have risen to a new high approaching $7 US for the smaller figures.

One important consideration which the national chains have failed to note has been the demise of the specialty stores that sold comics, trade paperbacks, nonsports trading cards, sculptures, and high end action figures.

In this area they have simply disappeared from a high in the 1990s of around five independent small businesses. The loss of the local KB's may have been the harbinger that something was going wrong with the industry's ability to cope with the changing dynamics of its expected consumer base.