January is a transition month in the pop culture products business, with the first week or two typically showing strong post-Christmas sales, followed by slowing traffic as the winter doldrums set in. But there was a lot of activity in pop culture stores this January, with especially strong releases in the comic category.

The good news is that ToyBiz action figures are getting better and better thanks to new high tech imaging equipment and an increasing willingness to hire top sculptors, but the bad news is that the first wave of Spider-Man Movie Action Figures showed up in Wal-Mart (and reportedly, in Toys R Us) a month before other channels.

Superhero parody character Lethargic Lad gets its own book this summer with the planned release of the Lethargic Lad Jumbo-Sized Annual #1 in June.

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McFarlane Toys is planning to repeat its past successes in creating action figure lines based on video games and key rock music properties, while expanding its Sports Picks offerings.

Like Hasbro with G.I.Joe, Mattel has brought back a proprietary line from the 1980s, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe .

A visit to the Wizards of the Coast section of the Hasbro Building at this year's New York Toy Fair leaves no doubt that WotC will be very busy in 2002.

The Fox Network is on the verge of cancelling Futurama in spite of solid ratings.

Once again McFarlane Toys had one of the most impressive showrooms at the New York Toy Fair.

Just twelve months after the major toy companies were talking about preferring 'play value' over 'property recognition,' licensing is back thanks to strong fourth quarter performances from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and the continuing sales of merchandise associated with perennial TV series like the Simpsons.