I love Calvin and Hobbes, and I’m sure by now you’ve probably seen every Calvin and Hobbes crossover your mind could dream up, but none of the ones I’ve seen to date have really felt as perfect as this illustration, and t-shirt by artist Chris Wahl. Not to imply that Chewbacca’s a devious prankster who takes pleasure in occasionally tormenting Han, at least, as far as I know, but they certainly share a friendship that only the two of them really understand. Either way, it’s easily one of the coolest crossover t-shirts I’ve seen in a long time. If you’re interested in picking one up, head over to Redbubble and order yours for a mere $22.
Much like Eddie LeBron with his recent MegaMan film, a fan has taken it upon himself to create his own live-action adaption of one of their favorite video games having been failed repeatedly by Hollywood. This time, it’s none other than Nintendo’s kid-friendly Pokémon, entitled Pokémon Apokélypse. Natrually, you’d expect the film to share much of that same aesthetic, however this time, that’s not the case. Instead, we’re given a gritty — almost humorously so — realistic depiction of the original story complete with over-the-top villains, torture, violence, and more. Of course, I can only speculate on just how gritty the film is based on the trailer above, but I’m sure you’ll probably agree when I say that it was probably the last thing I would expect from a Pokémon film — fan-made or otherwise. For more information, including an interview with the film’s creators, click here.
Like so many of you, I spent a good portion of my youth collecting Lego sets. While the little blocks once allowed me fancy myself an amateur architect — though, I realize now that I was far from one — it wasn’t until recently that I discovered my love for photography. Of course, it wasn’t simply that I came across a lovely photo, I had to introduced to field it by a friend who shoots professionally. It was very much a case of “Where has this been my whole life?” and “Why couldn’t something bring it to my attention sooner?” Well, it would seem Pentax has a unique idea that might help solve that problem.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 21, 2010 in Videogames
Sega’s Yakuza series — known in Japan as Ryu Ga Gotoku — has had a rather interesting history in terms of localization. While the first game was given the full treatment, complete with English voice acting and uncut content, its sequels were released with mere subtitles and lacking much of the content the game had become infamous for — Japanese host clubs, mahjong parlors, and the like. That said, I absolutely loved every minute of the series. The characters were easy to relate with, while the story was entertaining, and provided a interesting look at the every day life of Yakuza, from their hardships to their more recreational ventures. So why would Sega finally decide to end the series as we know it?
It might seem a bit unwieldy, or dare I say a tad cartoonish — if that’s even a word — but I’m pretty sure this is probably one of the coolest plush backpacks a kid could ever want. Modeled after Boba Fett’s original jet pack, as seen in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this plush bag comes complete with multiple pockets and adjustable straps that fit both kids and adults alike. There’s even multiple pockets for documents such as Death Star plans, thermal detonators, and more. If you’re interested, you can pick one up from ThinkGeek for roughly $50, though if given the choice, I think I’d rather have C-3PO myself . Still, no kid in their right mind would ever want to haul a protocol droid around school if they could have a rocket pack instead, right?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 21, 2010 in Comic Books
This amazing set of beautiful posters were designed to celebrate the work of manga artist Takashi Yanase (by the way he’s over 90 years old!). His best known work is Anpanman which has never really caught on in United States, but I’d dare say it’s one of the best know manga (and anime) kids series in Japan. If you’re lucky enough to be in Japan there will be an exhibition of his work at the Kyoto International Manga Museum which starts on October 2. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 21, 2010 in Videogames
This wonderfully creepy Mario sculpture was done by Jason Freeny who studied industrial design at Pratt Institute once upon a time. His website features a nice selection of shocking pop culture themed illustrations many of which deal with the inner workings of cute cartoon characters. Read more…
Posted by Guest Author on Sep 21, 2010 in Animation
The Art of UP by Tim Hauser
You are only old once, so why don’t you have an adventure before you loose mobility and energy to do so. That is what Carl Fredricksen did, as he escaped with his flying home. The plot of Up is clearly as seen in the movie version, and what better way to relive the movie again than with reading The Art of UP. Though there are some differences in the book, even the behind the scenes program that they have on the DVD won’t get as in depth as this book did. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 20, 2010 in Comic Books
Cowboy Ninja Viking #9 will be hitting your local comic book shop this Wednesday, and if you haven’t been following this series it’s well worth checking out. While the title is gimmicky (the only two words missing are zombie and vampire) this book has a nice stripped down art style with a limited color palette that shows off the draftsmanship of Riley Rossmo: Read more…
If you like you sounds kawaii this Speagurumi Cute Carrying Pouch Speaker collection is for you! Each speaker retains it’s block look, thus giving a superdeformed blockhead version of Hello Kitty, Elmo from Sesame Street, Doraemon and a Mukku version of Gachapin: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 20, 2010 in Comic Books
Perphanauts Vol. 00: Dark Days is a collection of First Blood and Second Chances mini-series which has been a bit hard to find up until this release (which comes out this Wednesday). I’ve always liked the flat but bold use of color that illustrators Craig Rousseau and Rico Renzi bring to this book. This collection is nice as it shows the origins of the series which you can get a glimpse of in this preview: Read more…
Posted by Guest Author on Sep 19, 2010 in Comic Books
Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics By James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost
In a story similar to Shrek or Rapunzel, the knight needs on an adventure that leads him to a ferocious dragon, so with a faithful yet consistently hungry steed and a wise talking fairy. The knight’s travels changes with each panel, and is eventually confronted with talking vegetables and a dragon that lives to eat nothing but candy, or breathe fire. Read more…
You know, I really dug the idea of taking a gutted old Mac classic and turning it into a fishbowl; it seems like a great way to recycle and make fun of those awful aquarium screen savers at the same time. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 17, 2010 in Animation
The magic of this video is watching Henson bring non-Muppets to life in just a few seconds! You really see how much of an actor than Henson was — these weren’t just objects on strings but characters with a personality. And it’s not a matter of a big budget but imagination and creativity. Although watching this video made me want to cry, Jim Henson left the stage much too soon…
When you think of technology companies that manage to turn a gimmick into gold, you usually would think Apple. Granted, those gimmicks are matched by a mostly smooth user interface so easy even your great-great-grandparents could use it, and they’re dead…but gimmicks they are. Touchscreens? Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. Tablets? Apple’s iPad. There are more examples, but I don’t like to think about them: I, after all, am a non-iFanperson. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 16, 2010 in Star Wars
Brandon Griffith, who created the A New Hope chess set made of Lego bricks, followed it up with this awesomely detailed Empire Strikes Back set. The base (which itself is pretty neat) opens up to store all the pieces inside. The only problem? There’s only one, which means I can’t buy it. My shields can’t repel sadness of this magnitude. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 16, 2010 in Star Trek
This new hoodie from Threadless is perfect for the closet geek — while zipped up, it’s just a normal hand with its palm out, but unzip it a bit, and you display Spock’s famous greeting to your kindred spirits. Very clever. Hopefully this design lives long and prospers — but if you’re like me, you won’t wait to buy it anyway. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 15, 2010 in Horror, Star Trek
Quirk Books, the publishing group behind the smash hit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and an endless line of imitators), has released an amazing live-action trailer for their upcoming release Night of the Living Trekkies. It’s a zombie comedy romp with a twist — it takes place in a Star Trek convention, and all the zombies are costumed attendees. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 15, 2010 in Comic Books
In the 1970s, Martin Goodman sold Marvel Comics, the company he had founded. He then promptly founded Atlas Comics with strong support for creators’ rights, hired comic heavyweights like Steve Ditko, created a stable of original characters, and … disappeared. But, channeling comic book characters, Atlas refuses to stay dead. Deadline reports that Goodman’s grandson Jason is relaunching the Atlas line, starting with two original characters: Phoenix and the Grim Ghost. Of note is the fact that the film and TV rights for all of Atlas’ characters are available — maybe this means we can stop rebooting Spiderman every ten years.
We’ve heard for a while that Stephen King’s Dark Tower book series stands to be adapted into some kind of moving-picture media format, but it’s been up in the air in terms of the who and the how. Ron Howard, who’s now helming the project, recently told Deadline what he has in mind, and it’s a little crazy: a series that will span three movies and two seasons of a television show, using the same sets and actors. That’s right. He wants to begin the story with a film, then air a season of the television show immediately afterward, then release another film, then air another season of the show, then cap off the entire thing with another film. Howard hopes that reusing sets and actors between the media formats will help save money; beyond costs, he says that the movies can provide really epic moments while the television show would allow character and story nuances to shine through. If he can get the project off the ground, along with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, it might just be the Next Big Thing. Read more…
