Los Angeles, CA (July 9, 2026) – Attendees at San Diego Comic Con this year are in for a treat as legendary toy designer and concept artist Howard “Quiggly” Chang is set to debut an all-new passion project – a series of toys fully designed from the ground up through his toy company Glorius Inc. The Ancientz series of figures is Chang’s original collectible IP, which reimagines biblical characters into an awesome, mysterious and mechanical aesthetic. Their robotic designs possess a character that bridges the line between art toy and action figure, with captivating painted and sculpted detail and sleek forms which are alien yet appealing. From origins as a Kickstarter project with each and every figure hand-painted and assembled by Chang himself, Ancientz has seen an initial public retail release at the top of 2026, with a wider debut of Ancientz Chapter 1 set for SDCC. Glorius Inc. couldn’t be more excited to share Ancientz with SDCC 2026 attendees this July 23–26 at the San Diego Convention Center, Booth #5023!
Howard “Quiggly” Chang is a toy titan with a remarkable origin story. While looking for a summer job in the early 90’s in the months before starting college, Varner Studios took a chance on him as a Mold Maker. From an intern at 18 years old, Chang eventually rose to the rank of Lead Designer over the years, where he would make a name for himself designing hundreds of classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures beloved by collectors and fans worldwide. Chang’s work all but defined the radically cool aesthetic of the TMNT toy line that is considered so iconic to this day. Today, Glorius Inc. is operating under the Varner Studios brand to launch Ancientz, bringing Chang’s story full circle and acting as a springboard for a new era in his legendary career.
Set in a near- future world on the precipice of collapse, Ancientz adapts characters from biblical stories that have inspired countless people throughout history. David and Goliath, Noah, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Deborah, and Sisera have all been reimagined as robotic sci-fi beings – their spirits reawakened into a time far ahead of their own. Bringing a very personal level of craft into this project, Chang synthesizes his skills cultivated over a long career at Varner Studios, plus his own creative vision to reiterate on these long-established and larger-than-life characters. Featuring sharp sculpted detail, extremely clean paint application, sleek sci-fi aesthetics and a hollow head sporting a light-up feature which makes the eyes and translucent hair ethereally glow, Ancientz have a powerful visual identity unlike any other collectible currently available. Ancientz exude an inimitable energy that nonetheless promises to have incredibly wide appeal and speak to everyone from mass-market collectors to fashion enthusiasts and even fans of gaming, film and animation.
The first manufactured series of Ancientz dubbed “Chapter 1” will feature extremely limited editions of Mini Ancientz available exclusively at SDCC 2026! Alpha Edition figures are unique, hand-crafted and painted pieces made by Chang himself and are available on the Ancientz website, with a very limited selection of in-person samples available at the Ancientz SDCC booth. Alpha Edition figures are non-duplicatable, so each one is wholly unique! Curious collectors also have a bite-size and accessible entry point into the Ancientz universe with Ancientz Nanos, which first debuted at WonderCon in March 2026 – blind bag mini collectibles that are small, detailed, and oh-so collectible. All Ancientz collectibles are also NFC-enabled!
Curious floor-goers at San Diego Comic Con should mark Booth #5023 on their maps to come visit Varner Studios and Glorius Inc. to be among the first in the world to experience the incredibly unique charm of Ancientz firsthand. Lucky attendees will have the opportunity to acquire limited edition Mini Ancientz sold exclusively at SDCC 2026 to commemorate their visit and the official launch of the Ancientz brand! For more information on Ancientz, including original, hand-crafted Alpha Edition figures from Howard “Quiggly” Chang himself, visit https://ancientz.com/.
About Glorius Inc.
Glorius Inc. is a Los Angeles–based collectibles and art-toys company founded by Howard “Quiggly” Chang and Gloria Lee. Glorius designs and delivers premium limited-run figures, art toys, and fan experiences combining collectible value, storytelling, and bold design. Glorius operates Ancientz and manages the public presentation and commercial rollout of Varner Studios.
About Ancientz by Varner Studios
Ancientz is an original collectible IP created by Howard “Quiggly” Chang — taking characters whose stories have inspired billions across thousands of years and reimagining them with bold sci-fi sculptural design, built to expand across premium collectibles, mass-market toys, fashion, and media including animation, gaming, and film. Varner Studios — known for character-driven design and foundational work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other iconic lines — is reborn as a creator and retailer of limited-edition art toys and character-driven collectibles, now operated by Glorius Inc.