3D printer manufacturer Solidoodle has announced that it is partnering with Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey the creators of the Action Philosophers comic book to 3D print characters from their series. The partnership celebrates the tenth anniversary re-release of the critically acclaimed comic book series from Dark Horse Comics.
The announcement was made at this years New York Comic Con where Solidoodle has a booth and will be demonstrating its new line of 3D printers to interested con goers. The convention is scheduled to run from October 9th to the 12th. The New York Comic Con is expected to attract nearly 150,000 attendees this year, and a large portion of them are cosplayers. Professional costume designers and cosplayers are are starting to use 3D printers in the construction of their costumes in increasing numbers, so a coic con is a great place to pull new users in.
Action Philosophers is a collection of short stories and biographies of many of histories greatest – and most controversial philosophers – including Karl Marx, Plato, Carl Jung, Aristotle and Ayn Rand. The comics are meant to have a touch of humor to them, but they are still pretty straight forward biographical stories that do a great job of sticking to the facts and don’t mock or belittle their subjects. Even those that deserve a little belittling.
Having read Action Philosophers myself when it was originally published I can’t recommend the comic enough. It’s funnier than biographical comics should be and is a great, lighthearted read that has fun with its subjects without relying on the obvious jokes or cheap humor.
“We did the comic as a goof really but we also stuck to the facts, and it seemed to click with readers. We ended up turning it into a full blown comic series and no one is more surprised than Fred and I that Action Philosophers was as popular as it was or endured as long as it has,” explained illustrator Ryan Dunlavey. ”Now ten years later the whole joke has come full circle and thanks to super talented and enthusiastic folks at Solidoodle, we have actual figures modeled after our twisted visions of history’s greatest thinkers. I’m thrilled!”
The models are available for download for free on Solidoodle’s website, and the first models available will be Plato, Karl Marx, Ayn Rand, and Bodhidharma. You can find the downloadable 3D models here, and if you want to learn more about the Action Philosophers new collected edition from Dark Horse Comics you can visit their website here.
