Check out this fantastic little mash-up by writer & graphic designer Ben Huber. Anyone who’s a fan of Baccano! will recognize the characters but the image is quite clearly paying homage to a certain poster from Christopher Nolan’s box office hit, Inception. On top of that, you’ll really appreciate the attention to detail, as while you may be unable to see the text without enlarging the image, those credits are completely accurate. It sort of blows my mind that he had time to do that, but it’s certainly cool that he did.
Last week, fellow fanboy Mike Sacco posted the X-Men: First Class trailer that premiered on the film’s official facebook. Like most of you, I was pretty excited about the new direction the series will be taking with this prequel of sorts. The trailer itself did a great job of selling us on the premise — the young Charles Xavier befriends Erik Lensherr and forms the original X-Men, amidst what we came to know as the cold war. Recently, IGN broke down the trailer piece by piece to show us all the little easter eggs we missed the first time around, and if you’re big on Marvel lore, or some hints about the plot, you’ll want to give it a watch. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2011 in Videogames
If you’re a Playstation Plus user — and I know most of you aren’t — you’re in for a treat today. Sony passed along a free copy of the PS3/PSP mini The Flying Hamster as their gift to you — just check your PS3 message box for a note containing an attachment that’ll allow you to download it for free.I have to admit, I wasn’t very optimistic with the initial offerings for Playstation Plus subscribers. For a paid subscription service, Xbox Live! looked far more attractive, with a plethora of content fuled by the seemingly endless stream of income generated by the enormous user base.
Visitors from all around flocked to San Francisco’s Union Square Park yesterday to catch a glimpse of Lawrence Noble’s giant fiber glass Yoda heart. The attraction is part of San Francisco’s Heroes and Hearts fundraiser to benefit San Francisco General’s Hospital Foundation — an independent NPO that supports patient care at the city’s largest hospital. I’m glad they finished it just in time for Valentine’s Day, but I really wish they had gotten to word out sooner. As you can see from the video above, people have been posing for pictures with it all day. No word on how long this temporary attraction will be on display, but if you do visit, don’t be that guy who has to throw up the Vulcan salute. It’s just not cool.
In hindsight over 40 years later Star Trek is clearly the most successful science fiction television series of all time — but that wasn’t always the case. In the early 70s (before Star Wars) it was looking like Star Trek was pretty much dead. The only sign of life the series was in 1974 when Filmation ran a well done but poorly rated Saturday morning animated series. But then on September 13th, 1975 sci fi fans had a new option, and for this fanboy Space:1999 captured my heart for the next two years that it ran. Here are nine reasons why I think the show deserves some respect in the 21st Century: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 14, 2011 in Comic Books
Above: “Hurry up Green Arrow: It’s our turn to kiss Lois Lane NOW!”
Most of us know Superman thanks to his many appearances in movies and television shows — but once upon a time the man of steel was mostly a creature of print. And in that tradition DC Comics had to expand the franchise as much as they could: And one of the results was Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane a comic book series that lasted from 1958 until 1974. The cover art and content of each issue was quite silly by today’s standards — in fact after a while you almost feel sorry for poor Superman: Read more…
Idris Elba plays Heimdall in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor movie, and like any good superhero movie, Thor has its fair share of merchandising. At its Toy Fair yesterday, Hasbro showed off its line of Thor figures, including Elba’s Heimdall, which brings back a feature action figures have really been missing since the 80s — strategically-placed loincloths. That’s not even bringing up the figure’s Captain Morgan pose. It must be strange to have action figures made of you for a film; when Jeff Goldblum was asked about his Jurassic Park action figure, he said “Well, the main difference is the muscles. Mine are much bigger in real life.” Read more…
Licensed games, especially those based on kids’ properties, tend not to be so great, and Transformers games are no exception. Thankfully, Hasbro had the gumption to let High Moon Studios release a non-tie-in, fully canon Transformers game — War for Cybertron — in 2010, and that gamble paid off in the form of a fun, beautiful game. Now it seems Hasbro is banking on High Moon to produce another Transformers title, but this time it’s a tie-in for the upcoming movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon. High Moon’s Sean Miller assured IGN that they got the franchise because they’re all big Transformers fans, and that since the game acts as a prequel to the film, they’re not beholden to a particular script or scenario for their set pieces and gameplay. Can High Moon one-up themselves and make not only another good Transformers game, but a good Transformers movie game? Time will tell. Read more…
Sure, one crew travels in Starfleet’s best ship, and the other travels in a phone booth, but they’re both credited for saving the universe several times over. And now, here they are, together at last: Kirk, Spock, the Doctor, and Amy Pond, ready to kick some Klingon tail! And Dalek tail, and Cyberman tail, and Romulan tail. What, only four evil races? Against these guys? The bad guys don’t stand a chance. Great work from Summerset over at DeviantArt. Read more…
We had heard a rumor several months back that the forces behind the American live-action Akira remake wanted Zac Efron, of all people, to star as Kaneda. It’s bad enough that they’re remaking Akira with no Japanese people, but Zac Efron? Let’s get real, people. Apparently the original rumor was or is now false, because the newest rumor says that James Franco is being courted for the role of Tetsuo’s biker pal. Well, it’s better than Zac Efron, and dude looks good in a leather jacket, though, you know, still not an Asian person. Maybe we can hope for a sequel, Akira 2: Tokyo Drift. Read more…
Finally, the first trailer for X-Men: First Class has been released. Apparently filming is still ongoing, or was up until recently, even though the film has a release date of just four months from now. You wouldn’t know that from the trailer, though, which actually looks pretty good! We see Magneto and Xavier being pals, Azazel bamfing around, Emma Frost going all diamond on us, and some short shots of other X-Men like Beast and Havok (the latter mysteriously present in the 1960s). The movie’s plot seems to revolve around the Cuban Missile Crisis, which would definitely be a compelling point in history for mutants to reveal themselves. Here’s hoping the movie can be completed in a satisfactory manner before June. Read more…
Last weekend marked Tokyo’s 2011 Winter Wonder Festival, a show dedicated specifically Japan’s booming toy market. There, skilled artisans are allowed to sell their custom garage kit models while companies like Kotobukiya and Max Factory show off their upcoming product lines. One of the more popular lines would be Max Factory’s Figmas. The big selling point on these figures, in addition to being incredibly affordable, is their small joint sizes, allowing for good amount of articulation. They also tend to come with interchangable parts — such as heads, or arms — and accessories to match each figure.
I know a lot of you are probably excited for X-Men First Class due out in theaters later this year. For those of you who haven’t heard much about the project, the film covers the beginning of the X-Men saga, when Magneto and Charles Xavier first learn of their powers, working together in an effort to better life for mutant-kind. No doubt the story leads up to the formation of the original X-Men we’ve come to know and love. So far, the official facebook page only has this teaser logo, but according to the guys over at Collider, we can expect a trailer to be posted on the facebook page sometime tomorrow — so keep your eyes peeled. Read more…
I’ve been a big fan of NBC’s primetime programming — at least, what’s left of it — for awhile now, but Community hasn’t exactly been on my list of must-see programming. Perhaps it was last season’s slow start or the fact that I adore 30 Rock so much that I hold everything to that standard. To be honest, I probably shouldn’t. There’s probably plenty of reasons the network has been trailing, and until last week I felt Community might be one of them. Boy, was I wrong.
I’m not big on collecting bobble heads, but these are really adorable. Funko’s releasing a line of Star Wars-themed bobble heads with our favorite characters from a galaxy far far away. In addition to Lord Vader, pictured above, the series will also feature Leia, Han Solo, Chewie, Yoda, Greedo and an Imperial trooper. Interestingly enough, I don’t believe they have plans for either a Luke or Obi-wan bobble head. Personally, I’m not too sad about that. If I’m going to buy one, it may as well be the badest sith in the galaxy, right?
The final piece of the current Trek miniseries, Typhon Pact, finally hit book stores late last month and I’ve been loving every minute of it. These novels have been dark, and full of gloom with just a glimmer of hope. It’s definitely not the Star Trek universe we’ve come to expect, but perhaps that’s a good thing. Some readers have expressed concern over the direction of the series. Specifically, that it doesn’t seem to know where it’s going — and it’s true, it doesn’t, but it’s that very same uncertainty it instills that makes me want more. Read more…
Rob Pratt, a veteran animator and storyboard artist who has worked on numerous projects including Disney’s Pocahontas and, more recently, Kim Possible, has put together this amazing tribute to the Superman of old, simply titled Superman Classic. The character designs are very reminiscent a mid-90’s Disney film, but Pratt made sure to include a number of features we’ve come to identify with the Man of Steel, such as his signature hair style and Clark Kent’s mild-mannered demeanor. I don’t expect the upcoming film to retain any of those features, but seeing this hand-drawn short was definitely a welcome change. Now if only Warner Brothers would option this instead.
For well over a year now, there have been rumors of a Playstation phone. While most Sony kept their lips sealed, journalists had been left in the dark, wondering if there was an ounce of truth to it. A few months back, a video was leaked that showed a playstation one title being launched from a phone. Many journalists viewed that video with skepticisim and others ignored it completely. Now, it looks like the Playstation phone is quite real. Sony Ericsson recently confirmed its existence via their facebook, posting this image and encouraging us to keep an eye on their Facebook for the official announcement on February 13th. Read more…
Of all the ads that were broadcast during this year’s Superbowl, only two of them had me drooling with anticipation. Marvel debuted not one, but two trailers for their upcoming blockbusters. First there was the latest trailer for Thor, and while we’ve seen a bit of that footage dating back to San Diego Comic Con, there was some new content mixed in. As for Captain America, I believe this is the first public trailer to be shown any where, and it looks pretty interesting. We even get a glimpse of Red Skull, which gave me goosebumps. Check out the trailers below, though I’m not sure how long they’ll be up.
The man responsible for reviving Doctor Who and bringing its companion series Torchwood to the airwaves may soon leave the sci-fi genre behind. He tells BBC News that he’s “saved the world and blown up the world too many times” now and that he feels like he’s coming to the end of his stay in the realm of sci-fi. Given Torchwood’s recent acquisition of US funding and broadcasting through Starz, it would certainly be a good time to leave, knowing that the show has a bright future ahead of it. But sci-fi TV would certainly be a little less, err, Davies-y without him. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Feb 6, 2011 in Comic Books
Well, ComicsAlliance hit the jackpot here — sometimes you just find something so ridiculous it makes Electric Superman look like a good idea. A reader sent them concept art for an unreleased 1985 superhero action figure line from Kenner, only these aren’t just any action figures. These are grim, bizarre “anti-hero” versions of five beloved DC Comics heroes. Well, four beloved heroes and Firestorm, anyway. Each has a “Road Warrior” version, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like; Batman’s Road Warrior outfit, for example, is straight out of Mad Max, with a helmet that looks suspiciously like Humungus’, and knives for ears. The other variations are “futuristic” and “robot” versions, which can get downright bizarre when you’re dealing with someone like Cyborg, who is already half-robot to begin with. Wonder Woman probably gets the worst treatment of the bunch. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Feb 5, 2011 in Star Wars
He may come from a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but this crocheted Greedo figure is adorable! Just look at him. He wouldn’t shoot Han first. He wouldn’t shoot anybody. He probably just wants a piece of chocolate or a saltine. Loofah Your Life has him and other Star Wars characters, like Yoda and an ewok, in crochet doll form available on their website, and reasonably-priced, at that. Make sure you get your order in before everyone else does! Read more…
Captain America hype is building, folks! Yesterday saw the release of several set photos from the film, and the first trailer will be unveiled on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s only fitting that we see the first official movie poster today! The colors are muted except for the bold red and blue of Cap’s outfit and shield, which is noticeably dinged up. His pose mimics a classic pose from the comics, and the costume certainly looks great with this palette. And, of course, Chris Evans is Steve Rogers. High hopes for Sunday. I hear there’s a football game, too. Read more…
We’re so close to Super Bowl Sunday, when the Captain America trailer will premiere and we can all truly make our first informed judgement about the film’s quality. But until then, you can feast your eyes on these all-new Captain America set photos. We see our first glimpses of Cap’s pal Bucky, played by Sebastian Shan and looking like a total sociopath. We see the lovely Hayley Atwell, playing Cap’s main squeeze Peggy, and the also-lovely Natalie Dormer, playing Private Lorraine. Tommy Lee Jones is even in these photos! I didn’t know he was in the movie at all. I’m about at critical hype mass for Captain America, so I hope the trailer leaves me with that patriotic feeling.
Michael Sacco is a freelance editor and writer, currently working as senior editor at WoW Insider.
In hindsight over 40 years later Star Trek is clearly the most successful science fiction television series of all time — but that wasn’t always the case. In the early 70s (before Star Wars) it was looking like Star Trek was pretty much dead. The only sign of life the series was in 1974 when Filmation ran a well done but poorly rated Saturday morning animated series. But then on September 13th, 1975 sci fi fans had a new option, and for this fanboy Space:1999 captured my heart for the next two years that it ran. Here are nine reasons why I think the show deserves some respect in the 21st Century: 
