72 pages Edited by Justin Kovalsky Designed by Brian Flynn, Geoff Allen, Caleb Kozlowski & Darlene Gibson / Hybrid Design, Inc. 27,6 × 21,2 cm Language: English Paperback Publisher: Brian Flynn / Super7 Media, Inc., San Francisco 2006
KAWS’s Dissected Companion dominates the cover, its familiar grey exterior cut away to reveal a brightly coloured arrangement of organs, muscle and bone. The feature places his character design within Super7’s wider coverage of collectible toys, art and Japanese popular culture. Articles on Macross, Tetsujin-28, Balzac and Megalon connect contemporary designer figures with robot animation, punk music and kaiju cinema.
The opening editorial considers the boundary between influence and imitation, discussing appropriation, originality and the circulation of imagery across art, fashion and toys. This gives the issue a particular interest beyond its cover subject: it records the conversations surrounding designer toy culture in 2006, as artists, manufacturers and collectors negotiated the relationship between individual authorship and commercial production.
