Friday, April 27, 2018

COGS Steampunk Expo Rises from the Ashes

To quote Spike from Notting Hill, "I'm going to tell you a story that will make your balls shrink to the size of raisins." There once was an event called the Steampunk World's Fair. Like many events in the New Jersey area, SPWF was run by seemingly nice people who also appeared to be hopelessly befuddled at every turn. At the best of times, most show operation was chaos, with many an unhappy vendor and volunteer. Speaking of volunteers, also like a lot of New Jersey conventions, SPWF relied heavily on a steady stream of volunteer help to run just about everything, including those things they probably should not. It became clear to most that these volunteers were also highly expendable.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Prepare For Bandai's Neko Busou: Cat Weapons

In a world with folks struggling to keep up with the non-stop deluge of super hero toys alongside the constant rain of movie inspired collectibles releasing every month, one company chose another path. Bandai Japan, ever cognizant of the needs of super collectors, providing them with a fantastic array of effects that compliment theirs and, really, the entire world's action figure releases, allowing them to stand amid fire and lighting and impact the ground like a super hero should, came to a startling discovery. We love cats, and yet, we don't arm them. That's about to change...

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Big Hero 6 The Series Premiere Weekend Event Happening JUNE 9

Disney's animated "Big Hero 6 The Series" will launch with a premiere weekend event, featuring two back-to-back episodes on both SATURDAY, JUNE 9 and SUNDAY, JUNE 10 (9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD platforms. Following the premiere weekend, episodes will debut every Saturday through September.

Emmy® Award-nominated Christy Carlson Romano reunites with the creative team of the global hit Disney Channel series "Kim Possible" – Emmy Award-winning producers Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley and Nick Filippi – when she guest stars as bot-fighter Trina.

Additional guest voice cast includes celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Alton Brown as cooking competition participant Bolton Gramercy and host Yum Laboughé, respectively; Daniel Henney ("Criminal Minds") and James Cromwell ("The Young Pope") reprise their feature film roles as Hiro's brother Tadashi and Professor Callaghan, respectively; Susan Sullivan ("Castle") as Fred's mother; John Michael Higgins ("Pitch Perfect") as Fred's sidekick robot Mini-Max; Diedrich Bader ("American Housewife") as pompous local TV reporter Bluff Dunder; Sean Giambrone ("The Goldbergs") as Fred's geeky archrival Richardson Mole; Naoko Mori ("Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again") as thief-for-hire Momakase; Lucas Neff ("Raising Hope") as fast-food mascot Noodle Burger Boy; and Mara Wilson ("Matilda") as self-made billionaire Liv Amara.

Venom Trailer Shows Its Teeth ...and So Do The Fans

Sony Venom first movie poster
There's going to be lengthy discussions over this one!! Earlier today, Sony's VENOM trailer leaked out of Russia (via CinemaCon, which is in the US), prompting Sony to release it in full HD for press to get their grubby mitts on and possibly head off a lot of negative talk based on blurry, low res cam footage. NO SUCH LUCK!! The geek forums all over Facebook are already buzzing with both negative and positive points. Some say it's spot on (which it pretty much is) to the comic art and could not be more perfect. They are excited to see more of Hardy, fully suited in action. Others say yea, it looks just like the comic. It didn't work in Spider-Man 3 and it doesn't work now. From there, you'll find more than one comparison to the 97' Spawn movie...which is not meant as a compliment, and some comments about the odd way Hardy seems to be finely tuning every syllable of every word coming out of his mouth. Want to join the conversation? Here's the eye candy...

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Diamond Select's DC Comics & TV PVC Statues

Diamond Select DC Comics Gallery PVC Statues Batman Who Laughs
Diamond Select Toys’ Gallery line of PVC dioramas is expanding into new worlds! After exploring the worlds of DC animation and DC television, the Gallery has found a home in the DC comics universe! Capturing the comic-book looks of DC’s greatest heroes and villains, each 9-inch PVC diorama is sculpted in the 9-inch scale, with varying heights depending on pose and environment. Featuring dynamic designs and scintillating sculpts by today’s greatest artists, and the first few in the line are available for pre-order through your local comic shop or favorite online retailer!

Monday, April 16, 2018

Ant-Man and The Wasp Toys Hitting Early

hasbro Marvel Ant-Man and the Wasp Shrink and Strike Ant-Man
We are just under 10 days away from Avengers: Infinity War in theaters, but for toy collectors who are getting used to a completely chaotic, super sped-up release schedule it may seem that the Infinity War collectibles have been on shelves for ages. Bypassing any sort of push Marvel might want to do for the May release of Deadpool 2, it seems Ant-Man and The Wasp toys are already hitting store shelves!! We'd seen listings for 6 different specific listings for toys from this movie, most likely all from Hasbro, but we've only seen three so far. Here's what you may run into on the hunt...

**As Always with items from upcoming films, SPOILER WARNING!!**

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Blu-ray Review

I'm going to start talking about this movie in a completely backward way, and right out of the gate, point out that I had NO IDEA there was a new kind of AT-AT in the film. As a massive toy geek, counting the AT-AT as once of my favorite Star Wars vehicles (I own 4), for me to not notice there was an entirely new AT-AT in The Last Jedi was troubling for me. I didn't have to go far for an answer, as it all stems from one reason. I was disengaged. Let's start from the top now.

**THIS IS GOING TO BE LOADED WITH SPOILERS!! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE ALREADY WATCHED THE FILM.**

Star Wars: The Last Jedi marks the third moment in history that the gatekeepers of the Star Wars mythos have allowed strangers to, in a word, mess with their sand box...on a massive scale. It was one thing to allow authors to create an expanded universe in novels (which they unceremoniously wiped clean in one pitiless stroke), but quite another to allow creators to impose their vision on such an iconic and, dare I say, revered property, and commit it to film for history to judge. Whenever this happens, we assume Disney will guide a creator along a pre-determined route, allowing the creator to tell a story within guidelines already set up, much like a comic book company would do. You tell your story, but you have to remember rules set down before...behaviors...history. Move along the same time line, advancing the narrative to what is hopefully a new and exciting conclusion.

Or you can just say that everything that happened before was crap and burn it all down.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Bandai Releases 13 New Tamagotchi for the Spring Season

Bandai Releases Tamagotchi Spring Season
Just in time for spring, Bandai America is releasing 13 new mini Tamagotchi devices, each with brand new colors. These new colors are being introduced following the successful winter release of the mini Tamagotchi, which also featured varied colors and the introduction of new flocked versions. And much like the Winter Tamagotchi, the springtime release features the familiar miniature-sized, egg-shaped, pixelated LCD screen and the pocket-sized pet that has been a collector’s item for over 20 years.

Black Panther Arrives Digitally May 8 and on Blu-ray May 15

Marvel Studios Black Panther on Blu-ray
Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” the highly celebrated story of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), a young African prince who takes on the mantle of King and Super Hero, has thrilled and inspired generations of moviegoers around the globe. Now, fans can bring home the phenomenon, packed with light-hearted fun, pulse-pounding action and a powerful message, and watch it over and over again, Digitally in HD and 4K Ultra HD and Movies Anywhere on May 8 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on May 15.  With both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos immersive sound, 4K Ultra HD offers consumers a transformative viewing experience.

Labyrinth Back in Theaters April 29, May 1 and May 2

Labyrinth Back In Theaters from Fathom Events
Movie lovers will journey into Jim Henson’s magical “Labyrinth” when Fathom Events brings the magical 1986 fantasy-adventure back to the big screen for three days only: April 29, May 1 and May 2. To celebrate the nostalgia of this music-filled classic, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, fans are encouraged to attend the screenings in costume (in accordance with theater costume policies).

Friday, April 6, 2018

KidRobot Proves Adventure Time is NOT DEAD!

Kidrobot Adventure Time Fresh 2 Death Mini Figure Blind Box Series 1
Sure, the shine might be off if this fancy bauble, but Adventure Time is still one of the best and most creative animated series in existence...and to my knowledge...it's still airing! While we are still not getting the ultimate action figure line I had always hoped for, KidRobot is making up for this gaping hole on the toy shelves with some ridiculously fun blind box figures and mind blowing art vinyl that will have you throwing money at the screen.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Stranger Things Happening at Universal Halloween Horror Nights

Stranger Things Happening at Universal Halloween Horror Nights
For the first time ever, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Singapore are partnering with Netflix to bring “Stranger Things” to life at this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” events.  Fans of the series will get the chance to brave the Upside Down and confront the supernatural as each park debuts all-new mazes inspired by season one of the critically-acclaimed series.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Z2 Comics Announces Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal Graphic Novel

Z2 Comics APOCRYPHA THE LEGEND OF BABYMETAL Graphic Novel


There’s no band in the world like BABYMETAL, the metal dance unit, whose hit songs like “KARATE,” “Gimme Chocolate,” and “Megitsune” have captured the imaginations of fans around the globe. This fall, Z2 Comics, Hollywood film/TV production company Amuse Group USA, and BABYMETAL’s producer KOBAMETAL are collaborating on a brand new, original story for the graphic novel APOCRYPHA: THE LEGEND OF BABYMETAL, featuring art by award-winning illustrator GMB Chomichuk.

Deadpool Vows to FCancer

Deadpool and Omaze FCancer fundraiser contest
20th Century Fox and DEADPOOL have announced a new epic partnership with the fundraising platform Omaze in support of Fuck Cancer!

Announced during the FX premiere of the original DEADPOOL, the partnership provides fans the chance to receive an exclusive, custom-made pink Deadpool suit. A cause close to the Merc's heart, proceeds will benefit the work of Fuck Cancer, the nonprofit dedicated to cancer prevention, early detection and providing support to those affected.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Modern Marvel Select Thanos Action Figure Surfaces

Marvel Select Diamond Select Thanos Disney Store Exclusive Action Figure
Popping up at the London, UK Disney Store, eagle eyed Luke Spicer spotted a new modern Marvel Comics styled Thanos hanging on the pegs. No fanfare?? NO TRUMPETS??!! Luke took to social media to show off his find and was immediately bombarded with a billion questions...most of which he couldn't answer, save for thinking the figure might be "underscaled", unlike the most recent Ragnarok Gladiator Hulk release which is MASSIVE. Clearly, we can see this Thanos does not take up a ton of space in the packaging...so that's something we'll have to explore when someone gets their hands on the figure itself. Not being overly impressed with the size, Luke left his find behind.