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UDON Entertainment presents Osamu Tezuka art books: OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS and OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME & MANGA CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK.

December 28, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

UDON CELEBRATES THE GRANDFATHER OF MANGA AND ANIME WITH THE RELEASE OF TWO OSAMU TEZUKA ART BOOKS

OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS and OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME & MANGA CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK highlight over 40 illustrious years of iconic art

Toronto, ON – DEC 28, 2015 – Long considered “the grandfather of manga and anime”, legendary illustrator and animator Osamu Tezuka’s enduring legacy can still be felt today in the indelible influence he has had on contemporary manga and anime creators. In an effort to ensure that his timeless work remains easily accessible to as wide an audience as possible, UDON Entertainment is proud to announce the release of two Osamu Tezuka art books: OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS and OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME & MANGA CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK.

Both of these prestigious volumes are presented in an elegant hardcover format worthy of the man whose work they celebrate. Inside you’ll find a diverse collection of character designs and rough concepts from animation and manga projects representing Tezuka’s entire illustrious career, including Mighty Atom (Astro Boy), Jungle Emperor (Kimba the White Lion), Phoenix, Black Jack, and many more. In many cases these illustrations include Tezuka’s own hand-written design notes, accompanied by translations through footnotes.

Further cementing these volumes as must-own items for any fan of Tezuka’s work and of animation and manga in general, both books also feature an illuminating afterword by Tezuka Productions’ Chief Archivist Haruji Mori. Finally, most of the material in OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME & MANGA CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK has never been publicly available – until now, that is – and UDON Entertainment is both humbled and thrilled to be able to bring this exclusive content to Tezuka fans for the first time.

OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME CHARACTER ILLUSTRATIONS

ISBN: 978-1927925386

DETAILS: 224pg, 7.25×10″, B&W, Hardcover

MSRP: $39.99 USD

PUBLICATION STATUS: Available Now

OSAMU TEZUKA: ANIME & MANGA CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK

ISBN: 978-1927925393

DETAILS: 144pg, 7.25×10″, B&W, Hardcover

MSRP: $39.99 USD

PUBLICATION STATUS: Available Now

Lets Talk- Truth:The Man Who Sold the World (MGSV)

December 28, 2015Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Despite the knee-jerk reaction of many across the internet, I love it. I think the last few seconds are a little hard to understand, and I think it’s hard to build a complete picture without a little conjecture or some assumptions, but I really enjoy what is going on here. I think this game fits well into the greater thematic arc of Metal Gear and in itself finishes off Big Boss’s story satisfactorily. A lot of people say the ending raises too many questions, but if you grasp from around Metal Gear, I think you can put together a coherent narrative even if the pieces are kind of a mess. Luckily, I spent too much time thinking about this series and am a human Metal Gear encyclopedia.

So at the end of the game, you get a tape explaining that you are not Big Boss, but an exact duplicate created by Zero to protect the real Big Boss from his own organization. This scene is really really good, and I love Kiefer’s mocap work when Venom Snake smirks and looks at himself in the mirror with this look of power.

But the last few seconds of this scene are extremely important. When he flips the tape over, there’s a time jump to 1995.

Be perceptive: in the reflection of the mirror, there is a Diamond Dogs emblem on the bathroom door. However, when Venom flips the tape over, that emblem becomes an Outer Heaven logo. What’s the other side of that tape labeled? Operation N313 aka the operation Solid Snake goes on in Metal Gear 1.

Venom puts the tape into an MSX and it reads data on a screen, data Venom can see, but we can’t. He then walks over to the mirror again, and in anger punches it. On the other side stands his reflection, which then turns away from us and walks away into darkness. Given that we’re in Outer Heaven in 1995, and you can hear the chaos of gunfire outside, it can be safely assumed that this scene happens immediately before Solid Snake arrives to shoot some rockets at him. He breaks the mirror in rebellion against the mission given to him on that tape, but he accepts it anyways, stoically walking to what will become his death. It’s also important how this is depicted visually; Venom walks away in black, silhouetted against smoke. As he walks, the space around him becomes darker, until finally he disappears completely.

I think this scene is important not just for characterizing Venom Snake as he strolls off, but also ties into the game thematically. In a lot of ways, MGSV is about the forgotten people that operate in the background to support the big players. Skullface, XOF, us as the players of these games, and Venom Snake; all of them were used to create the Metal Gear world as we know it, and all of them were lost to time. If the original games are about the titans of the universe, this game is about their shadows. Venom Snake disappears at the end of this game; he is washed away from history. Everyone thinks he was Big Boss, and that is all that is ever known of him. He quite literally disappears.

Many people upon seeing the ending assume Venom Snake built Outer Heaven, but this isn’t true. At the hospital in Cyprus, Ocelot gives Big Boss a new passport with a new name on it. This is Big Boss’s new identity while Venom Snake is Big Boss; the name on that passport is whatever you make it during the character creator, but for the sake of simplicity here, let’s just say the name is Steve. Venom Snake, aka the medic, unwittingly gets Big Boss’s identity and makes Diamond Dogs and the events of MGSV happen as we see them. During this time, Big Boss is under the name Steve and is building Outer Heaven in South Africa.

But wait, it says that Solid Snake kills Venom Snake in Outer Heaven!?

Yes, but the credits also say Big Boss built Outer Heaven. Notice how the credits refer to real Big Boss as Big Boss exclusively; they refer to Venom Snake as Big Boss’s Phantom, never just Big Boss. There’s also a discussion after the credits between Kaz and Ocelot about this.

But then what the heck is Venom Snake doing there in Metal Gear 1?

Venom Snake was originally created to be a decoy for Big Boss so that he may live when the whole world wants him dead. Sometime during the events of MGSV, Big Boss realizes another purpose Venom can be used for: he and Big Boss can work together to build Big Boss’s legend and achieve his ideological goals.

Many people thought that Big Boss’s turn was going to happen in this game, that we would finally see what made him turn to villainy. But Metal Gear is never so black and white, and in reality, Big Boss’s turn was more subtle, and actually happened in Peace Walker.

It further details Big Boss’s fall and shows us everything we ever needed to know about him. While in a coma, Zero comissions a memetic clone of Big Boss. The parallels between Les Enfants Terribles and the creation of Venom Snake are obvious. When Zero did this the first time, Big Boss was disgusted and rejected it. But what did Big Boss do this time? He embraced it, he embraced the cult of personality, he embraced the legend. After MSF was obliterated in Ground Zeroes, Big Boss realized that in order to achieve his sweeping dreams, he had to work from the shadows, even if that meant tying the noose around someone else’s neck.

Venom Snake builds Diamond Dogs and eliminates XOF as a threat. It is now that Big Boss lets him in on the whole ruse and opens up an avenue of partnership.

This is the point where conjecture begins

So what we know is that Big Boss is again under the Big Boss identity by the time of MG1; everyone knows him as Big Boss, leader of FOXHOUND, while no one knows who is commanding Outer Heaven. As I said before, Big Boss is building Outer Heaven during MGSV, and as such, Diamond Dogs cannot be Outer Heaven. Everyone in Diamond Dogs (Kaz, Ocelot, Big Boss) eventually ends up in FOXHOUND. What this tells me is that at some point shortly after MGSV ends, Big Boss and Venom Snake switch identities again; Big Boss resumes the title of Big Boss while Venom Snake resumes the Steve alias and takes over as head of Outer Heaven. That’s how everyone knows Big Boss is the CO of FOXHOUND, but nobody knows who is leading Outer Heaven in MG1.

It is known that to Zero, and ultimately the Patriots, having Big Boss return to them is favorable to having him killed. So then it makes sense that Big Boss returns to them with Diamond Dogs, Kaz, and Ocelot. He again becomes leader of FOXHOUND, finds Sniper Wolf and Gray Fox, and trains Solid Snake.

But why? Why would Big Boss go back to the US/Cipher/the Patriots?

So that he and Venom can play the field from both sides. He communicates to Venom Snake through cassette tape, and later through MSX tape.

Ok, so what happened in MG1? Why would Big Boss have Solid Snake kill Venom Snake?

This isn’t, and never will be, clear to a concrete extent. Because Kojima is gone, all we can ever do is try to build a complete picture from what is, at best, ambiguous information. I’m basically trying to explain character motivations and such using nothing but the last 10 minutes of Phantom Pain, the paper thin plot of a 30 year old MSX game, and the thematic undercurrents of the MGS saga.

But this is my theory, and I’m sticking to it.

It can be safely assumed that whatever is on that N313 tape, Venom doesn’t like it. He reads the info and immediately destroys a mirror in rage because he has lost everything (his sanity, love interest, comrades, and identity) and he saw what he became. That does not sound to me like the reaction of a happy man. Given the info we have, it can be reasonably assumed that Big Boss and Venom communicate through those cassette tapes; it can also be reasonably assumed that towards the end of Metal Gear 1, Venom Snake becomes aware of the fact that Solid Snake is coming to kill him and tries to sabotage that operation. During the game, your CO is Big Boss. He’s basically the Campbell of Metal Gear 1; he gives you hints and suggestions on what to do. But suddenly, towards the end of the game, Big Boss contacts you on a new frequency and begins giving you bogus advice to try and sabotage your mission.

Real Big Boss’s frequency: 120.85

Venom Snake’s frequency: 120.13

This second Big Boss on the new frequency is Venom Snake trying to stall Solid Snake’s mission. Now, what we see in MG1 is that the entire time, Big Boss is helpful in assisting Solid Snake in his mission to destroy the Metal Gear TX-55 and Outer Heaven. We also know that Venom Snake contacts Solid and tries to stop the mission. If Big Boss didn’t want Solid to kill Venom, he would have also worked to stop the mission, not assisted the whole time.

It isn’t clear, and it will never be clear, what Big Boss’s grand plan was for Operation Intrude N313 (AKA the Outer Heaven Uprising). As it stands in canon now, he expected Solid Snake to fail. Given the new information about Venom Snake, his motivations become even more nebulous. It was established in early canon that Big Boss sent Solid Snake to Outer Heaven to die. We will continue accepting that this is true since there is nothing that directly contradicts it.

What we also know is that around the time of the mission, Venom Snake gets a tape labeled N313 from Big Boss. This tape likely contains information from Big Boss about this mission, and maybe some orders for Venom Snake as well. After seeing the tape, Venom punches the mirror. Then we have that shot that immediately follows it: he stoically walks into oblivion, accepting his fate.

It is also unclear if the Outer Heaven uprising was Big Boss’s or Venom Snake’s plan. Again, in canon it is Big Boss’s, and at this time nothing directly contradicts that information. The Uprising was the end goal of Big Boss’s dream, the final result of Outer Heaven. It was an outright war against the Patriots, and Venom Snake goes along with Big Boss’s orders to start it.

The Patriots react to this by sending Solid Snake into Outer Heaven to kill its mysterious leader. Big Boss commands him throughout that mission because he is under cover and doesn’t want his cover blown. He hopes that his Uprising will be successful in not just killing Solid Snake, but also in challenging the grip of the Patriots.

However, there is one other favorable outcome. If all goes wrong, Venom Snake can still fulfill his duty as Big Boss’s doppleganger. If Venom is able to convince Solid Snake that he is the real Big Boss, and gets killed by Solid Snake, then the real Big Boss can use this to fake his own death and go underground to establish Zanzibar Land, aka Outer Heaven 2.0.

I believe that tape contained a general outline of Solid Snake’s mission, which is how Venom was able to mislead him on the radio. I also believe it contained instructions from Big Boss for Venom to convince everyone that he is actually the real Big Boss so that if he dies in Outer Heaven, Big Boss can still work in secret to achieve his true dream. This order is what makes Venom furious, what makes him punch that mirror: he was in many ways given the same mission as the Boss. If he cannot defeat Solid Snake, he must die. He must sacrifice himself so that Big Boss can carry on with his plans. He has to give up his identity, his face, his emotions, his ideology, his life; all of it to Big Boss. No one will ever know who he was, no one will ever know what he did. He will go down in history as a criminal, as a monster who instigated an armed uprising and almost brought the world to nuclear disaster.

And Venom accepts his mission. He convinces Solid Snake that he is the real Big Boss by feeding that information to Gray Fox and then by telling Snake himself. He gives killing Solid Snake an honest shot, but he also makes sure that if he goes down, everyone thinks it is Big Boss who went down.

The Man Who Sold The World Meaning

The song ‘Man Who Sold the world’ was a single by David Bowie way back in November 1970, and it was covered by nirvana and released in 1994.

around that time of releasing the song, Bowie was a closet heterosexual but he was a bisexual ( wife once told he had an affair with mick jagger), it is this inner conflict – he created an alter ego called ziggy stardust an androgynous rock star who spoke with aliens.

So the song is something David Bowie used to be (Ziggy stardust) and he seeing himself as people do ( Bowie) and convincing himself he has changed. The conversation with his alter ego is clear when Bowie Says in the lyrics that I thought you died alone and oh no not me we never lost control ( we never is the bisexual in him) ziggy talking back oh not me I never lost control.

The man who sold the world is the image that is Bowie has sold to the world, and his search foreign land and years to roam is his inner journey to find his identity.

So for this case, Big Boss is the man who sold the world and Venom Snake is nothing more than an phantom/body double of big boss no matter how legendary “he” is, he is not the real “legend”.

follow me on twitter @julianexcalibur

Lets Talk:Metal Gears (the weapons)

December 24, 2015Julian Cannon Leave a Comment

Metal Gear is the designation to various models of bipedal tanks. Metal Gear are behemoth machines capable of decimating lesser machines. Metal Gear have the distinction of being nuclear capable, firing warheads from their rail gun, eliminating the need for a missile, or launchpad allowing them to attack targets from anywhere in the world, on any kind of terrain. This peaked with Metal Gear REX which was sophisticated enough to launch a nuke from anywhere on earth and hit a target anywhere in the world, REX also had the distinction of being completely untraceable.

Generally speaking, the climax of a Metal Gear game is where the player must battle against the specific Metal Gear threat of that era.

Definition

The general definition of a Metal Gear prior to the collapse of the war economy is a mobile nuclear launch platform similar in purpose to ballistic missile submarines. However, its precise definition is debatable, as many other weapons have been designed to fill a similar role, or have used the same technology. The individual units have varied greatly in appearance and size, but their purpose has always been the same—to destabilize the global balance of power via the threat of covert long-range nuclear attack.

The term “Metal Gear” was coined by Soviet weapons scientist Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin to describe to Naked Snake in 1964 the “missing link” between infantry and artillery: infantry could roam the battlefield at will, but were both vulnerable and lacking in firepower; artillery could inflict immense damage upon an opponent while resisting similar damage, but was at the mercy of the terrain. Granin envisioned a tank with legs, enabling it to quickly traverse the battlefield, inflicting and repelling damage on a scale never before seen.

Following an encounter with a Gekko in 2014, Otacon explained to Solid Snake that what makes a “Metal Gear” is specifically its nuclear launch capability. Considering Granin’s original coinage of the term, it can be therefore assumed that a Metal Gear can be defined as a bipedal nuclear weapon. Not only does this negate the Gekkos and the Mk. II/Mk. III from being true Metal Gears, but it also discounts Metal Gear RAY. Otacon notes that RAY was an exception to the definition, as it was overall created under the premise of nuclear strategy (it targeting nuclear warhead-equipped Metal Gears).

After the end of the war economy era, the classification was redefined to simply mean any mech that exceeded the size of unmanned gear walkers such as Gekko. Furthermore, possessing nuclear weaponry was no longer required to being labelled as such due to the concept of deterrence being outdated by the rise in cyborg technology

Metal Gear RAXA (1970)

Appears in: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

The Intercontinental Ballistic Metal Gear (ICBMG) was developed for the Central Intelligence Agency by Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov in the 1970s. Sokolov was heavily influenced by Granin’s designs when creating this Metal Gear. The idea for this version of Metal Gear was to use a large rocket to launch the actual Metal Gear unit itself into near-orbit before releasing it, allowing it to parachute back down to the target location where it would then launch its payload of nuclear weapons.

Metal Gear RAXA (pronounced “rasha”), was a prototype of the ICBMG created in 1970. Although considered to be the first Metal Gear, neither RAXA nor the ICBMG truly lived up to Granin’s original vision of a bipedal walking tank.

Metal Gear ZEKE (1974-1975)

Appears in: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker,Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Metal Gear ZEKE was the first fully bipedal tank. It was designed by the Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) at the Mother Base by Huey Emmerich and Strangelove in 1974. It is equipped with a railgun, a radome, and a jetpack to increase mobility. Originally an unmanned weapon, Paz Ortega Andrade hijacked and modified it as manned weapon, and planned to launch a nuke at the United States’s Eastern Coast if Big Boss (Naked Snake) didn’t rejoin Cipher; however, it was heavily damaged in the ensuing fight. Strangelove noted afterward that it could at least regain the ability to walk, as she had made a backup copy of the AI, but whether it would be used again was up to Big Boss. During the Trojan Horse Operation in 1975 carried out by Skullface and XOF, they succeeded to destroy Mother Base along with ZEKE.

Metal Gear ST-84/Sahelanthropus (1984)

Appears in: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

In the 1980s, XOF stored and later deployed Metal Gear Sahelanthropus in Soviet territory. It had been developed by Huey Emmerich in 1981 after his capture by the Soviets. It featured a head similar to that of Metal Gear REX, although with only one eye on each side as opposed to REX’s three, a circular plate and legs similar to that of Metal Gear ZEKE. While normally taking on a hunched-over stance similar to REX, it also possessed the ability to stand completely upright and take on a disturbingly humanoid shape, being the only Metal Gear with fully functionally arms and hands. It was to be used as a marketing tool that would intimidate the world, forcing them to purchase nuclear weaponry from Skull Face, but its appearance was never made public. Unlike other Metal Gear, Sahelanthropus was piloted remotely by Skull Face and later Eli by using Tretij Rebenok’s psychokinetic powers as a conduit, a very unique method of control. It was stolen from XOF by Diamond Dogs after its defeat and eventually was completely destroyed after being hijacked by Eli. On the other hand, it takes its name from the first animals thought to stand up straight, “Sahelanthropus Tchadensis”, in the same vein that Metal Gear Sahelanthropus/ST-84 is the first Metal Gear to stand up straight.

Metal Gear TX-55 (1995)

Appears in: Metal Gear

The Metal Gear TX-55 was the first globally documented bipedal tank designed (at force by Venom Snake as he wanted to battle against cipher/the patriots) at Outer Heaven by the Eastern scientist Drago Pettrovich Madnar in 1995. TX-55 proved Granin’s vision to be a potent weapon — a mobile nuclear launch system that made stationary missile silos obsolete. It was used to threaten and blackmail the rest of the world, but never launched any nukes. In fact, this Metal Gear was never actually deployed, as it was destroyed by Solid Snake before its development could be completed.

Metal Gear D (1999)

Appears in: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Metal Gear D was a re-designed version of TX-55 (the TX-55 being a prototype for Metal Gear D) that was very similar in appearance. It was also developed by Dr. Madnar within Zanzibar Land in 1999. This Metal Gear also featured additional weapons for close quarters combat. Metal Gear D’s standard arsenal was comprised of a 60mm rotary cannon, a 5.56mm machinegun and a six-missile pod that could be armed with several different types of warhead. While its main purpose was to serve as a mobile launch platform for short-to-medium range nuclear warheads, it could also function as a weapon of conventional warfare.

It also carried a sensor system that consisted of the main camera, laser sights, an image sensor, and an infrared sensor.

Metal Gear REX (2005;2014)

Appears in: Metal Gear Solid 1: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Metal Gear REX was a Metal Gear developed for the United States Army. It was developed by Dr. Hal Emmerich, in a joint venture between ArmsTech and DARPA, at the nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island in 2005. It was considered to be a revolutionary weapon – unlike all previous iterations of Metal Gear, not only could REX deliver a nuclear weapon both to and from any point on the globe, it was undetectable and untraceable. All previous Metal Gears were merely mobile ground-based launch systems for nuclear missiles, little more than the land-based equivalent of ballistic missile submarines. REX utilized a railgun, which fired much smaller projectiles without chemical propellants – factors which made them virtually invisible to radar. It thus completely negated the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction – whoever controlled it could launch a nuclear attack at any target at any time without fear of reprisal. Additionally, unlike all the previous Metal Gears, REX’s legs were heavily armoured rendering grenades useless.

Metal Gear RAY (2007-2009;2014-2018)

Appears in: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the patriots, Metal Gear Rising:Revengeance

Metal Gear RAY was a Metal Gear originally developed for the United States Marine Corps. It is, however, a Metal Gear by Granin’s initial definition – although RAY is a bipedal weapon, it lacks any form of nuclear armament. Nevertheless, it was originally created under the premise of nuclear strategy. In addition, it did serve as part of a true Metal Gear’s “conventional” armament – Arsenal Gear. RAY was designed and developed by the Pentagon and the Marines in 2007 as a countermeasure to the abundance of Metal Gear REX derivatives being developed due to REX’s plans being leaked onto the black market after 2005. For this reason, it was, until the creation of the Gekko, the only Metal Gear designed for close-range battle.

RAY is notable for being the first attempt at Metal Gear mass-production. The Patriots (via the U.S. Navy) produced twenty-five mass-produced Metal Gear RAY units to serve as guards for Arsenal Gear in 2009. They differed from the original RAY in that they were unmanned (the original intention of the Marine Corps), had no tail and were slightly smaller.

Metal Gear EXCELSUS (2018)

Appears in: Metal Gear Rising:Revengeance

When SOP and the Patriots fell following Liquid Ocelot’s Insurrection, PMCs acted on the development of cyborg technology as the information had been previously suppressed. The result was an abundance of cyborgs in the armies of PMCs. Due to the advantage of cyborgs capable of making decisions like other humans, the small unmanned gears such as the Gekko units were generating less favor in regards to urban combat. In response, AT Corp did a 180-degree turn and returned to develop a larger Unmanned Gear (UG) capable of overpowering cyborgs and tearing a path through urban terrain using its sheer size and power. The result was a new Metal Gear codenamed “Excelsus”. The vehicle was not armed with a nuclear weapon, instead being designed for the purpose of asymmetrical warfare in light of cyborg development. Although initially designed to be a UG, the final design required a pilot. Due to the term being redefined to mean a mech that far outclasses UG-walkers in size with nuclear deterrence becoming obsolete, it was also given the name “Metal Gear” despite lacking nuclear armaments.

Calling all Steven Universe fans!

December 18, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

A collection of vinyl figures based on Cartoon Network’s original animated series Steven Universe is now available for fans! The figures, from Funko’s POP! Animation line, are now available exclusively at Hot Topic stores nationwide as well as via hottopic.com. The four POP! vinyl figures are based on Steven, as well as Amethyst, Pearl and Garnet – better known as the Gems. Each collectible vinyl figure is 3 3/4″ tall and features a stylized look that captures the personalities of the characters from the show. The figures are available for a suggested retail price of $12.50 each.

Steven Universe is an animated series about the misadventures of a boy named Steven, the ultimate “little brother” to a team of magical guardians of humanity—the Crystal Gems. Steven may not be as powerful as the Crystal Gems. Or as savvy. And he doesn’t have much control over his powers, which originate from the gem in his bellybutton. But that doesn’t stop him from joining Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl on their magical adventures and somehow finding a way to save the day! Steven Universe is created by Emmy® and Annie Award-nominated writer and storyboard artist Rebecca Sugar (Adventure Time).

CABBAGE PATCH 18” BIG KIDS from Wicked Cool Toys 2 LIMITED Editions – 1000 Pieces of Each Only Available NOW – Only at Toys “R” US

December 17, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

CABBAGE PATCH 18” BIG KIDS from Wicked Cool Toys
2 LIMITED Editions – 1000 Pieces of Each Only
Available NOW – Only at Toys “R” US

Just like you, the Cabbage Patch Kids are growing up! And now, for the first time ever, Wicked Cool Toys is introducing the Cabbage Patch BIG Kids! Each 18” Big Kid is an extremely limited edition in nature and will be retired after a short production run. The accessories and dresses will match the Kid’s unique personality and will be the highest end CPK apparel ever. There are only 2 Styles for Fall 2015 – the Class President (Violet Anne) and Ballerina (Sofia Lorraine) and include their birth certificate. Ages 6+, SRP: $99.99. Available at www.tru.com and select Toys “R” Us Stores.

There are only 1000 pieces of each style produced and once they are gone there will be no more available for purchase as they will retire. New styles will be released for Fall 2016.

Check them out on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Cabbage-Patch-Kids-347051282049527/timeline/

DC Collectibles Announces SUICIDE SQUAD Statues and Group Solicits

December 17, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

DC Collectibles Announces Suicide SquadStatues + Group Solicits (July 2016)

DC Collectibles announced today four all-new statues based on the highly anticipated Warner Bros. film, Suicide Squad. Hitting stores July 2016, Suicide Squad characters including Will Smith’s ‘Deadshot,’ Margot Robbie’s ‘Harley Quinn,’ Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s ‘Killer Croc’ and Jared Leto’s ‘The Joker’ will be brought to life as 12-inch statues a month prior to the film’s debut on August 5. See details of the Suicide Squad statues below—along with the rest of DC Collectibles’ July 2016 product lineup—and stay tuned for official product images coming soon.

SUICIDE SQUAD STATUES

1. DEADSHOT – SCULPTED BY ADAM ROSS

2. HARLEY QUINN – SCULPTED BY JAMES MARSANO

3. KILLER CROC – SCULPTED BY ALTERTON

4. THE JOKER – SCULPTED BY JAMES MARSANO

It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

EACH STATUE SOLD SEPARATELY

$150 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

IMAGES COMING SOON

DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS POWER GIRL AND SUPERMAN STATUE

SCULPTED BY JACK MATHEWS

Two of the DC Universe’s most titanic heroes have teamed up in this thrilling new DC Comics Bombshells statue!

Limited Edition of 5,200

Measures approximately 13.86’’ tall

$250 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

DC COMICS COVER GIRLS RAVEN STATUE

SCULPTED BY KAREN PALINKO

The New Teen Titans’ most mysterious member, Raven, is ready to cast her spell in this new Cover Girls statue designed by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau!

Limited Edition of 5,200

Measures approximately 9.5’’ tall

$100 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

DC COMICS ICONS DEATHSTROKE STATUE

SCULPTED BY DAVID GIRAUD

Deathstroke, the deadliest assassin in the DC Universe, can predict your every move!

Limited Edition of 5,200

Measures approximately 10’’ tall

$100 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

DC COMICS ICONS LEX LUTHOR STATUE

SCULPTED BY ERICK SOSA

He’s Superman’s greatest foe—and since FOREVER EVIL, Lex Luthor has been a member of the Justice League—whether the Man of Steel likes it or not!

Limited Edition of 5,200

Measures approximately 10.75’’ tall

$100 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

DC COMICS SUPER-PETS! ACE AND JUMPA PLUSH FIGURES

Two new plush Super-Pets are here! Whether they hail from the Batcave or the island of Themyscira, Ace and Jumpa are two of the cuddliest heroes ever!

1. ACE measures approximately 9’’ tall

2. JUMPA measures approximately 14’’ tall

EACH FIGURE SOLD SEPARATELY

$15 US – On Sale July 2016 *Allocations May Occur

ALAN TUDYK AND NATHAN FILLION LAUNCH “SPECTRUM” COMIC BOOK SERIES WITH FREE FIRST ISSUE

December 17, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

When Alan Tudyk andNathan Fillion crowd-funded their hit web seriesCon Man last April, the sci-fi fan-favorite actors struck a chord: a 735%-funded campaign at $3.2M that quickly became the largest crowd-funded web series in history. Now, the record-breaking duo are lending this magic to a comic book series.Spectrum, based on the show-within-a-show featured in Con Man, debuts on Free Comic Book Day next May at comic book stores nationwide.

Con Man, which starred Fillion (Firefly, Castle) and Tudyk (Firefly, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as actors from a canceled cult sci-fi show, was a comedic look at the wild world of fandom and conventions. Spectrum will tell the story that launched their careers. In the comic, a vicious attack from an alien invading force devastates the globe, but the prophetic dreams of Captain James Raaker warn that the suffering has just started. Humanity’s last hope is escape in an untested spaceship built by a madman.

“In the world of Con Man, Spectrum has given my character Wray Nerely a huge fan following,” Tudyk said. “A comic book is the best way to tell the story that ignited that fandom. It’s the serious sci-fi story, inside the comedic story, told inside a comic book that is sold inside comic book stores. Every good Con Man needs a comic.”

The four-issue series from Automatic Publishingwill be written by Tudyk and novelist/producer PJ Haarsma (The Softwire Series) with artwork bySarah Stone (Transformers) and overseen by Shel Dorf Award-winning editor Shannon Eric Denton. The Free Comic Book Day offering is not a sampler or a preview, but the actual first issue of the series.

The first season of Con Man is now available on Vimeo, and centers on Wray Nerely (Tudyk), who has struggled to find his big break following the untimely cancellation of Spectrum, while his friend Jack Moore (Fillion) has become a major celebrity. Jack enjoys the life of an A-lister while Wray tours the sci-fi circuit as a guest of conventions, comic book stores, and pop culture events. The show explores the crazy (and real) behind-the-scenes antics in the world of fandom.

Half Shell Heroes Dino 2pack by Playmates

December 17, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

Half Shell Heroes Dino 2pack by Playmates.

Here is our review of Playmates TMNT Half Shell Heroes Dino 2pack.

We love TMNT and these Half Shell Heroes make great Christmas gifts.

Follow Playmates on

FB: https://www.facebook.com/TMNTPlay

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TMNTToys

Website: http://www.playmatestoys.com/

VERTIGO TO RELEASE SECOND CHAPTER IN LEE BERMEJO’S ACCLAIMED SUICIDERS SERIES

December 14, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

VERTIGO TO RELEASE SECOND CHAPTER IN LEE BERMEJO’S ACCLAIMED SUICIDERS SERIES

Vertigo’s SUICIDERS series makes its triumphant return with the release of a second chapter, SUICIDERS: KINGS OF HELL.A., due out in March. This six-issue miniseries will continue to be written by creator Lee Bermejo (SUICIDERS, WE ARE ROBIN) and joining him on art is Alessandro Vitti (RED LANTERNS) whose kinetic style perfectly fits SUICIDERS’ brutal landscape, colors by Jordan Boyd (INVISIBLE REPUBLIC).

A whole generation has grown up since the Great Quake, and people like Trix and her brother Johnny don’t know what life was like before New Angeles crumbled. Suffice to say, they’ve learned how to make the most of living inside the collapsed city, and particularly within their ’hood. Johnny is the leader of the Kings of HelL.A., a street gang ready to protect its turf against any and all comers—though Johnny may have taken things too far when he crossed Leonard, a former Suicider known as the Coyote. Things are about to get a whole lot more violent. Meanwhile, Trix is finding love in the arms of Johnny’s best friend, and their star-crossed romance is going to bring trouble of an entirely different kind.

“I couldn’t be more excited to take people back into the world of SUICIDERS,” says writer/creator Lee Bermejo. “The second arc takes place 15 years before the first storyline, closer towards the moment of the earthquake, and delves into the wall being built and how the people of an already broken city deal with the powers that be trying to split what’s left into two. I’ll also explore the post disaster generation of youth and how they try to live and secure a future in a place that tries to eat you…sometimes quite literally. Expect cannibalism, gang warfare, revenge, and a love story all wrapped up in an L.A. noir with some fresh new characters and a few familiar faces.”

Bermejo continues, “I am telling this story with my partner in crime (and neighbor) Alessandro Vitti. I needed an artist that could capture not only the grit and texture of the book but also someone who could mix great action with deft character work and I found that in Alessandro. He’s delivering all of that and more, bringing his own sense of atmosphere and attention to detail that I can’t wait for people to see.”

KINGS OF HELL.A. will hit shelves – virtual and physical – on March 30, 2016. Issue #1, available for $3.99, will also have a variant cover by James Harren.

IDW Explores Alternate Timelines In ‘Deviations’!

December 14, 2015Rob Leave a Comment

IDW Explores Alternate Timelines In ‘Deviations’!

The Five-Week Event Arrives In March

San Diego, CA (December 14, 2015) – In a world where the Ghostbusters never crossed streams to save New York… In a world where Shredder was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ sensei… In a world where all your expectations are turned upside down—welcome to the world of Deviations, a weekly event series featuring alternate takes on some of IDW’s most popular books!

Starting with the Ghostbusters, readers will be taken to alternate realities of some of the most iconic heroes in comics with weekly one-shots that each highlight a different series. G.I. JOE will follow in the second week, exploring what would happen if COBRA finally won. TheTRANSFORMERS comes next, looking at what the implications would be if OPTIMUS PRIME never died! Then, in X-Files Deviations, having been abducted by aliens, Fox Mulder never returned… and finally, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one-shot will round out the event.

“When one moment changes,” said Chris Ryall, IDW Editor in Chief, “whole universes alter forever. We’re asking the questions fans have been pondering for years—and now we’ll see some answers.”

Both new and familiar faces will make their mark on this warped series as newcomers to the titles join fan-favorite creators!

In Ghostbusters Deviations,
Kelly Thompson(Jem and the Holograms) teams up with artistNelson Daniel (Judge Dredd). Paul Allor returns to G.I. Joe, with artwork by Corey Lewis(Sharknife). TRANSFORMERS Deviationswelcomes Brandon Easton(Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven) alongside Transformers: Robots in Disguise artist Priscilla Tramontano. Amy Chu (Sensation Comics: Wonder Woman) explores The X-Files alongside Elena Casagrande (Doctor Who) andSilvia Califano (The X-Files: Season 10) on art. Finally Tom Waltz (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) leads Zach Howard (Wild Blue Yonder) into the sewers for the TMNT Deviations.
Look for all five Deviations in your comic shop and online every week in March!