I’m truly astounded by the number of changes that George Lucas has made to his films over the years. I understand that he believes the changes are in our best interests, but I’ve yet to see a positive reaction as a result. So, in an effort to block out the negativity surrounding the upcoming Blu-ray release, I’ve decided to pick up a book instead — namely, the special 20th anniversary hardcover edition of Timothy Zhan’s Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book, it’s the first in a trilogy, and picks up the story five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. With the New Republic in place, the remnants of the Empire reform under the banner of Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant tactician with almost Machiavellian qualities. It’s a fantastic follow-up and would make great source material should someone ever decide to adapt them to film. The special edition comes with annotations by the author providing in-depth details about the plot and characters. No word on if it’ll see a digital release for Apple’s iBooks, but you’ll be able to get it for your Kindle.
These are a bit of an acquired taste, but if you’re huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, collect action figures, or grew up with those classic Mego figures from the 70s, you’re in luck. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation! To celebrate, Diamond Toys will be releasing a special line of Mego-inspired figures from the series. They won’t hit the market until winter 2012, but Trek.com has given us our first look. So far, all they’ve shown off Captain Picard and what looks like a random Borg drone, but I imagine there will be plenty more down the line. Each of these 8″ figures will come with real cloth costumes and should retail for $20 a piece. I don’t believe they’ll be a limited run, so you should be able to come across them at your local comic shops or through online retailers after they launch next year.
It’s crazy. Just last week I wrote about the upcoming Dragon Quest Collection for the Nintendo Wii, noting that that it might come with a teaser for Dragon Quest X. All of a sudden, Square Enix has decided to launch the official Dragon Quest X website, and followed it up with a special press conference where they discussed some of the game’s upcoming features. While it appears that the game may feature several hours of offline play at the start of the adventure, the majority of the game will take place online and require an internet connection to play. A screenshot revealed what appeared a MMO-esque environment, featuring multiple characters on screen with their unique usernames above their avatars. Despite that, it seems the game can be completely on your own and won’t require you to socialize with others despite having the option to do so.
Yuruppy is a word that may sound strange, but in the context of a toy, perhaps not so strange. If you know what Tamagochi then learning about another new word is not problem. Yuruppy is a virtual pet toy for the people who are allergic to real animals, but want to experience what it is like of taking care of a feline or furry companion. Unlike Tamagochi though, your Yuruppy friend won’t die, when you are away from it for hours. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 4, 2011 in Comic Books
Of the 52 initial titles in DC’s enormous brand-wide reboot/relaunch, only Justice League #1 has actually been released yet, but several other titles are already sold out through Diamond, DC’s distributor. Action Comics, Batgirl, Hawk & Dove, Justice League International, and Batman & Robin, along with Justice League #1, have all sold completely out of their first printing, well on their way to second printing each. This is great news for DC, but there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that these are copies sold to stores, not to individuals. The second is that all 52 titles are fully returnable, making what might otherwise be a sizeable and difficult investment for a small store a little less of a risk. Some stores could be ordering more copies than they normally would to anticipate demand, or there could just be such a massive interest in DC books because of the relaunch. Either way, the next few weeks will see whether DC’s gamble paid off. Just wake me up when Demon Knights #1 ships. Read more…
It’s been a good weekend for Neat Futurama Stuff. Via io9, we learned about these totally cool and completely bizarre Futurama character busts with a real-life twist by DeviantArt user Artanis One. I actually really like this Dr. Zoidberg; he looks like he’d be right at home in a Mass Effect game in this particular iteration. Honestly, I don’t think Professor Farnsworth even looks that out-of-place as a a real person; he’s already so old that there’s only so much exaggeration you can even do. As for Leela, well, I think it’s a little weirder to see a cyclops with a realistic human head than it is to see one with the Groeningian Overbite. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 2, 2011 in Comic Books
You may know George R. R. Martin from his blockbuster fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, and its current television adaptation as A Game of Thrones, but his written work from before that series is actually quite good, I think. In fact, if you look back to his teenage years, you can find what may be his best work — this letter to Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee. In it (click above for a bigger version), he praises Avengers #9 as a masterpiece, recommends some other villains for reappearances in the comics, and has some harsh words about villains like Diablo and the Moleman. It’s pretty adorable. And it doesn’t even have any sex or violence in it. Or page-long descriptions of food, for that matter. Who knew? Read more…
According to the much-loved cartoon Futurama, a lot has changed in the year 3000, but at least one thing remains the same: greed is still alive and well! And you can take 80s Guy’s financial advice to heart when you pick up the Futurama edition of Monopoly, which comes out in November. Everything has been given a Futurama makeover, including the railroads (now modes of travel like the Travel Tube and Robot Santa’s Sleigh) and locations (own New New York and Robot Hell, among others). Even the player pieces are now show staples like Leela’s Boot, the Planet Express Ship, and Fry’s Dog (nooooo!). Just don’t be surprised when invaders from Omicron Persei VI invade your board and enslave you. I don’t think that’s actually part of the game, but then again, this is Futurama. Read more…
Wow, I don’t even know where to start with this one. Here are some photos from the set of Zack Synder’s upcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel. I know it must be incredibly difficult to make Superman look good on screen, but come on. Did they mean for it to look like a giant blue wetsuit? Will Clarke Kent double as Aquaman throughout the film? I just can’t imagine what possessed them to think that this looks good. I’m still wrapping my mind around the oddly placed belt buckle — you’ll note, it isn’t attached to an actual belt of any kind. Maybe they just decided to ask Joel Schumacher for his input on the costume design. Who knows, maybe it’ll look better on film than it does in these photos, but right now, I’m just not convinced. Anyone else having second thoughts?
