SDCC 2017: A Closer Look at NECA's Convention Exclusives

NECA's Randy Falk and crew made the trip over to Parsippany, New Jersey this past weekend for ToyConNJ, despite being in the middle of San Diego Comic-Con crunch time..and for that, we thank them! Along with their smiling faces and trucks full of warehouse merchandise to unload on eager collectors, Randy dropped some soon-to-be-released items on a table with specific instructions that NO ONE MAY DROOL ON THEM!! It worked..mostly. I didn't drool a lot and no one saw me do it. Amid the Aliens and Heroes of the Storm were some 2017 Convention exclusives, including one we will call...the precious. A set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collectors will be doing battle over for the foreseeable future.

Barbie's Ken Gets a Man Bun & More

Fans and spectators alike applauded when the creators of Barbie decided to shatter her mold..just a little bit..and add more body types and skin colors to their mega popular doll line. Will fans be equally as supportive when Ken gets a similar makeover??!! Ehh...

Today Barbie announced the expansion of its Fashionistas line with 15 new and diverse Ken dolls, featuring three body types – slim, broad and original – and a variety of skin tones, eye colors, hairstyles and modern fashion looks. Each Ken Fashionistas doll has his own look and style – from sporty to casual to preppy, all of the fashion are inspired by the latest trends! With added diversity and more variety in styles, kids everywhere will have infinitely more ways to spark their imaginations. The new Ken dolls join an expanded Barbie Fashionistas line, making it the most diverse fashion doll line in the marketplace.

Spongebob Squarepants Halloween Stop-Motion Special: The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom!

Nickelodeon will take viewers on a spooky Halloween adventure throughout Bikini Bottom with the brand-new, stop-motion special, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom.  In the visual style of classic stop-motion animation TV specials, The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom tells the story of the Flying Dutchman (Brian Doyle Murray) who wants to make sure everyone in town is scared, especially SpongeBob, who thinks scary things are funny.  The special will premiere in October 2017 on Nickelodeon.

John Wick Comic On The Way From Dynamite

Award-winning writer Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Code Monkey Save World), and artist Giovanni Valletta (Dark Horse Presents) have been tapped as the creative team to bring the world of the hit-film franchise John Wick to the pages of comics, thanks to a new partnership between Dynamite Entertainment and Lionsgate Films. Slated to launch on September 6th, the new series will offer fans of the massively popular character the opportunity to discover his thrilling origin story for the very first time!

When a young John Wick emerges from prison and embarks upon his first epic vendetta, he comes up against a strange, powerful community of assassins and must learn how to master the Book of Rules that guides their lethal business. What are the Three Bills? Who is Calamity? And who was John Wick before he became the Baba Yaga?

Layton's Mystery Journey: Real World Puzzle Solving

Producers of the Layton Series, which has sold over 16 Million copies worldwide, are teaming up with the makers of the original “Real Escape Game,” Scrap Entertainment Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Shibuya-ku. Managing Director Takao Kato) to announce a global promotion starting today, June 20^th, 2017 titled “LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: REAL WORLD PUZZLE SOLVING” to coincide with the release of the newest game in the Layton Series, “LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy” (Supported Devices: Nintendo 3DS™/Android™/iOS.)

ToyConNJ Rolling Out A Weekend of Toy Hunting, Video Games, Tabletop Gaming & Family Fun

The Police Athletic League of Parsippany, NJ will play host to ToyConNj in just one week! In addition to endless aisles of vintage and modern toys and collectibles, video games and comic books, providing HOURS of toy hunting bliss, attendees will find a wide array of nerdy pursuits to fill your day and contests every hour to make sure you leave with something awesome!

Kidrobot Adds Horror Icons To Madballs Lineup

Last we spoke to kidrobot, the powers that be mentioned that if all went well with the roll out of their first, insanely extensive line of Madballs, they would look into a second series and some original designs no one has ever created in ball form before. YAY CREATIVE BALLS!! Today, we are happy to report they are artists of their word and are pitching a whole new line of scream inducing balls bearing the likeness of our favorite horror movie creeps!

Gross for one, gross for all, we play with our Horrorballs?! Kidrobot, Madballs and some of the scariest names in the game bring you freaky, frightening fun in the all new Madballs Horrorball foam series! These monstrous mashups combine the Madballs platform you know and love with the terrifying villains from the Aliens, Predator, Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elm street franchises. Add all 6 to your collection and make it hauntingly horrorball!

SDCC 2017: Hasbro Exclusive G.I. Joe Cobra Missile Command Headquarters

HERE WE GO!! Time to start making our checklists of all the wallet squeezing San Diego Comic-Con exclusives from every company under the sun. Let's jump right in with Hasbro's G.I.Joe exclusive, and considering the sad state of affairs for the G.I.Joe toy line, we really, really needed a fantastic addition to our collections...exclusive or not!

Six Flags Great Adventure Erects Life Size Hall Of Justice!! ...and There's a Ride In There Too!

So i'm sitting in my living room eating Honey Bunches of Oats with no milk because I am me and in my feed pops up the picture to the left. My brain could hardly handle it. It's that building that LOOKS like the Hall of Justice...right? Nope. ...It's a diorama for toys? Nuh uh. It seems my friend Michael Sprouse has a family member who works at 6 Flags in Jackson, New Jersey and he's there...standing in front of this incredible building...probably just soaking it all in like I am.

Turns out the building houses Six Flags' new attraction "Battle For Metropolis"! The "a 4D, interactive, competitive gaming adventure featuring WONDER WOMAN, BATMAN, SUPERMAN and more." The full name of the attraction is JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, and it opens this Saturday! This all sounds well and good, but the most important question is WHEN CAN WE GET COSPLAYERS IN FRONT OF THIS MASTERPIECE??!!

Los Angeles Lights the Bat-Signal for Adam West Tonight

Holy Bat-signal, Batman! In a fitting tribute to pop culture icon Adam West, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Department Chief Charlie Beck will join surprise Bat-guests for a ceremonial lighting of the Bat-signal at City Hall this Thursday evening, June 15.

The legendary star of the classic Batman TV series, which aired from 1966-68, passed away on Friday, June 9 at the age of 88. In rememberance of West’s unforgettable portrayal of the celebrated “Bright Knight,” Mayor Garcetti and Chief Beck will light the iconic Bat-signal, which will be projected onto the tower of Los Angeles City Hall at Spring Street. Attending Bat-fans are invited to don their Bat-suits and trusty utility belts in honor of West’s signature role as the true crimefighter.

Disney Parks Sneak In New Guardians of the Galaxy Tivan Collection Plush

We've all pointed and laughed at at least two fantastic videos filmed at the opening of Disney California Adventure's new Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout ride. Real Talk: grown men screaming for their life will always be funny. What we didn't see much of was the gift shop made specifically for the new ride and populated with some collectibles we never saw coming!!

In the Mission: Breakout gift shop, our friend Derek McCaw from FanboyPlanet.com spotted a Howard The Duck plush! Marked as part of the "Tivan Collection", so named for The Collector, who we were introduced to in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, the Howard plush is modeled after his lengthier Guardians 2 appearance and is flanked by plush toys of Cosmo (the telepathic soviet space dog), Rocket Raccoon and, as expected, Baby Groot.

NY Asian Film Festival Lineup!

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema announced today the complete lineup for the 16th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which will take place from June 30 to July 13 at the Film Society and July 14 to 16 at the SVA Theatre. North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema will showcase 57 feature films, including 3 International Premieres, 21 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, and 15 films making their New York City debuts. The festival will feature in-person appearances by more than 20 international filmmakers and celebrity guests from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

"The Thing" Inspired DISTRUST Open Beta Launching Today

Seemingly marrying a Tell Tale Games style of storytelling with terror-inducing gameplay and a uniquely creative approach to survival, DISTRUST launches their open beta today on Steam!

They were on a rescue sortie but fell victims of a helicopter crash off the Arctic base. The two survivors are trying to find a way out and encounter strange situations. Staying awake causes weird imperceptions, from a harmless chromatism to dangerous hallucinations. The longer you are up, the worse it gets. The team slowly go mad and eventually reach the point where they can no longer trust their senses. But the worst is still to fall asleep, as this attracts aliens monsters that devour people!

Imaginext Has The Right Toys For Your Little Wonder Woman

As Warner Bros. Wonder Woman rocks the box office, we thought we'd seen all there is to see from the Mattel merchandising machine. WE WERE WRONG!! At Toy Fair this year, we saw dolls with horses and dolls without, swords that made clangy noises and action figures with pieces that combined to make a monstrous Ares figure. What I don't remember seeing were new Imaginext offerings...but when I wandered into Walmart last night, there they were, sending me on a Google hunt when I got back behind my keys. With a little help from Mattel directly, we've got an awesome new series of toys to show you!!

SHARKNADO 5: GLOBAL SWARMING ...no we aren't kidding

Pack your passport and grab a chainsaw, because SHARKNADO is going global! Taking the world - and unsuspecting celebrities - by storm, the movie event of the century blows into town this summer, and today, SYFY and The Asylum revealed its chilling title: SHARKNADO 5: GLOBAL SWARMING. The latest installment in the hit pop culture franchise premieres on SYFYSunday, August 6 at 8/7c and will air in more than 100 countries.