The Bumblebee movie managed to renew my interest in the Transformers live-action franchise. However, since Michael Bay’s first movie in Autobots/Decepticons war, I felt that there was a major misfire in the sentient robots’ designs.
They looked like walking junk heaps, not to mention the laughable dialog and that thing they tried to call a “plot.” Then the yellow Autobot got his own movie, and suddenly the beings from Cybertron looked like their classic G1 versions.
Hasbro has been creating figures based on the movie for a few years, but there were so many left out of the various Delux and Voyager class toylines. So in 2022, we’ll be getting a slew of new figures. These characters include Wheeljack, Soundwave, Ravage, Ratchet, Shockwave, and Brawn. Click here to see the whole list of upcoming Transformers toys at the Big Bad Toy Store.
These figures will be released throughout multiple series in 2022. Many of these figures are in the Deluxe series, while Soundwave is in the Voyager figures class. The prices range from $12.99 to 33.99.
Now, will someone please fix Hotrod and Megatron? Please? I mean it. I don’t need the ultimate robotic villain to look like he’s a futuristic circumcision machine. Megatron is so painful to look at.
What do you think of the Cybertronian versions of these classic Transformers characters? Did Bumblebee right the wrongs of Michael Bay’s design choices? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]
Six Cybertronian Transformers Are Part Of Next Bumblebee Wave
New Details Revealed For Beast Kingdom’s 1989 Batman & Joker Figures
In November we saw some info come out that Beast Kingdom was going to produce two new figures based on Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film. At the time we only had a couple of pictures of the Joker and Batman. Today we’ve learned quite a lot more.
We now know the price, release window, and how many accessories they’ll be shipping with. Get ready for a little sticker shock. Both figures are listed for release in November 2022. The Joker is priced at 129.99 while Batman is 119.99. The iconic duo of DC Comics can be pre-ordered now over at the Big Bad Toy Store.
An action figure ready for the ultimate in posing possibilities with its 20 points of articulation, the Joker’s diverse yet scary grin is on full display, with two replaceable head sculpts. With an attention to detail, every element of the 1989 Joker is recreated using a full body suit made of real fabric as well as a set of seven replaceable hands. Included in the set are also some of the Joker’s most iconic accessories, such as the flag pistol, megaphone, dentures and more.
The Joker comes with the following accessories:
- 2 Head sculpts
- 7 Pairs of hands
- Cane
- Hat
- Megaphone
- Flag pistol
- Dentures
- Walkie-talkie
- Flower
- Bottle
- Cards
- Remote
- Stand
An action figure ready for the ultimate in posing possibilities with its 20 points of articulation, the DAH-056 gives fans the iconic suit using PVC to recreate the rubberized look. Coupled with the usage of real fabric and wiring for the cape, collectors can enjoy a highly detailed take on the classic design.
Batman comes with the following accessories:
- 3 Face sculpts
- 4 Pairs of hands
- Grapnel gun
- Large rope grappling hook
- 3 Smoke bombs
- Bomb Detonator
- Large Batarang
- 3 Small Batarngs
- Batmobile pager
- Stand
Every Stretch Goal Met! Spengler’s Proton Pack Campaign Succeeds!
With two days left, the Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler’s Proton Pack crowdfunding campaign at HasLab is an astonishing success. When the project launched, it only took one week to hit the necessary 7k backers to get the replica produced. Four stretch goals remained at 9k, 11k, 13k, and 15k. In no time, most milestones were smashed through.
As the final days of the crowdfunding project drew to a close, the situation got a little iffy. Would another thousand people put down the $399 for a replica that wouldn’t be delivered until Spring 2023? Yup, they sure would! Even with a little over 24 hours left, the proton pack received over 16k backers and may climb even higher before the clock runs down.
To think, even after the media backlash about toxic fans and how the original Ghostbusters brand wasn’t “popular,” thousands of people came out to endorse a project dedicated to one of the most iconic props in all of entertainment. Maybe, just maybe, if you treat the fans who’ve kept a franchise alive for decades with respect, they’ll gladly buy your product? Who would have f’ing thought that was a good idea?!
So, what do we get now that the 15k goal was blown by? The stand. Yup, something useful, unlike the 13k notebook and stickers. I’m still confused as to why Hasbro included something like that. But, at least now we have what looks like a sturdy bucket seat for our packs. I wish Hasbro would let us know what it’s made of, though. Odds are it will be sturdy plastic, but having a metal stand would be a nice reward for all the fans coming together.
We’ll be posting a cosplay guide soon for those who want to get their ALICE packs and costume parts ready when this thing finally arrives in 2023.
[Source: Hasbro Pulse]
Deathstroke Engages In A “Shadow War” Against Batman
Batman and Deathstroke will have another face-off in the upcoming crossover event “Shadow War,” a three-month story-arc from DC Comics.
“As the writer on titles such as Robin, Deathstroke Inc., Infinite Frontier, Justice League Incarnate and now Batman, it’s clear that Joshua Williamson has an incredible passion for DC and its characters. Beginning in March, the fan-favorite writer is bringing fans Shadow War, a three-month crossover event where the worlds of Batman, Robin (Damian Wayne) and Deathstroke collide in an event that will have major ramifications in the DC Universe,” DC said on their website.
They continued, “The action begins on March 29, with Shadow War Alpha #1, written by Williamson, with art by Viktor Bogdanovic (Detective Comics). Slade Wilson commits an unthinkable act, and Talia al Ghul, the Daughter of the Demon, is out for blood! The League of Shadows is out to murder Deathstroke and destroy Deathstroke Inc., and it’s up to Batman and Robin to track Slade down and bring him to justice, but do they? This 48-page one-shot is priced at $5.99 and features a main cover by Jonboy Meyers, with variant covers by Bogdanovic and a card stock variant cover by Detective Comics artist Dan Mora…”
“The Shadow War action continues in April with Batman #122. Deathstroke Inc. #8, and Robin #13 and concludes in May with Batman #123, Shadow War Zone #1, Deathstroke Inc. #9, and Robin #14, concluding with the can’t-miss Shadow War Omega #1,” DC added.
The “Shadow War” kicks off on March 29, 2022 with the release of ‘Shadow War Alpha #1.’
Despite premiering as a Teen Titans villain, Deathstroke and Batman have had a constant rivalry, culminating in the ‘Deathstroke Vs. Batman’ story by Christopher Priest. This battle has leaked from the comic books and into other media, including ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ where Slade Wilson serves as a boss fight for the video game.
‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ Begins Season 2 Production
Netflix is bringing back its live-action remake of the Nickelodeon cartoon ‘Winx Club’ with the announcement that ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ season two has begun production. The streaming service made the statement through a press release, saying that the show is being filmed in County Wicklow, Ireland.
Most of the main cast is returning, including Abigail Cowen as Bloom, Hannah van der Westhuysen as Stella, Precious Mustapha as Aisha, Eliot Salt as Terra, Elisha Applebaum as Musa, Sadie Soverall as Beatrix, Freddie Thorp as Riven, Danny Griffin as Sky, Theo Graham as Dane, Jacob Dudman as Sam, Ken Duken as Andreas and Rob James Collier as Silva.
They will be joined by newcomers Brandon Grace as Grey, Éanna Hardwicke as Sebastian, and Paulina Chávez as Flora. Brian Young, of The Vampire Diaries fame, will return as showrunner and executive producer.
Netflix also released a “behind-the-scenes” look on their YouTube channel:
The synopsis is described as follows, “Bloom, a fairy with fire powers, enrolls at a magical boarding school in the Otherworld called Alfea College. There, she shares a suite with Stella (a light fairy), Aisha (a water fairy), Terra (an earth fairy), and Musa (a mind fairy). With the help of her four new friends, Bloom starts to learn more about her past. Meanwhile, ancient creatures called the Burned Ones return to the Otherworld and threaten everyone at Alfea.”
The show faced some controversy in season one when some in the media accused the show of replacing Hispanic character Flora with Caucasian protagonist Terra. In response, Flora will be introduced in the second season with Chávez portraying the character. There was similar backlash surrounding the character of Musa.
The Wrap reported at the time of the controversy that Young had stated in various interviews that Flora is Terra’s cousin, paving the way for her introduction into the fantasy drama.
GKids Releases Dubbed Trailer of New Movie “BELLE”
Earlier today, Gkids released their first English-dubbed trailer of Belle, which is the latest movie by Oscar® nominated director Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu. The music-filled movie also has the songs sung in English. This is Hosoda’s ninth feature film.
The summary of the movie is: Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.
See the trailer here:
Cast members include:
Kylie McNeill — Suzu/Belle
Paul Castro Jr. — Dragon
Chace Crawford — Justin
Jessica DiCicco — Hiro
Brandon Engman — Kamishin
Manny Jacinto — Shinobu
Hunter Schafer — Ruka
Cristina Vee Valenzuela — Peggie Sue
Additional Voices from SungWon Cho (ProZD), Xanthe Huynh, LilyPichu, Zeno Robinson, Stephanie Sheh, Michael Sinterniklaas, and Laura Stahl.
Belle has many groups and people involved with the creation of the film from all over the world. Veteran Disney character designer Jin Kim designed the main character within the “U” world. He is best known for working on movies such as Tangled, Moana, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Frozen, Netflix’s Over the Moon, and Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs. Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart “will bring their talents to the table along with Mamoru Hosoda to create a never-before-seen world”, according to Studio Chizu. Cartoon Saloon worked primarily on the background art for fantasy scenes in the internet world. Eric Wong, a London-based architect and designer, created the concept artwork for the world of U. Hosoda personally found and commissioned Eric to come up with this universal and international ‘internet space’ from both an architectural and design perspective.
As a fun little note, Hosoda’s daughter dubbed one of the girls in the Japanese version of Wolfwalkers.
In July 2021, Belle had a premiere event at the Cannes Film Festival. It was so loved, it received a 14-minutes straight of clapping standing ovation.
Here’s the first few seconds of Mamoru Hosoda’s extremely deserved 14-minute standing ovation for Belle. Probably his best film? #Cannes2021 pic.twitter.com/W9icG8oirf
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) July 15, 2021
Huge and loud standing ovation for Mamoru Hosada after Belle world premiere #Cannes pic.twitter.com/l2t5MVSS3W
— Gregory Ellwood – The Playlist 🎬 (@TheGregoryE) July 15, 2021
Mamoru Hosada's 14-minute standing ovation for 'Belle' at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival puts him right between 'Capernaum'/'The Paperboy' and 'Bowling for Columbine' on the all-time list. #CannesFilmFestival pic.twitter.com/37rHfFFMby
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) July 15, 2021
IMAX Special Preview Showings is one day only on January 12th.
In Theaters & IMAX on January 14th.
Search for ticket sales in an area near you on this website.
Source: Cartoon Brew 1, Cartoon Brew 2
Comic Book Writer Ron Marz Returns To Marvel Comics For ‘Silver Surfer: Rebirth’
The cosmic hero and former Galactus herald Silver Surfer returns to Marvel Comics with ‘Silver Surfer: Rebirth,’ a five-part miniseries. It will be helmed by comic book writer Ron Marz, who is returning to the character after twenty-five years. Partnering with artist Ron Lim, the story will also see the return of former Captain Marvel aka Genis-Vell.
The plot follows Silver Surfer as he seeks out the wielder of the Reality Gem, who has been causing havoc across the Marvel Universe. The mysterious wielder has brought Genis-Vell back to life for reasons unknown. In order to track the wielder down, Silver Surfer recruits Thanos to find the Gem before reality becomes unraveled.
Silver Surfer returns in 2022 for a new 5 issue mini- series titled SILVER SURFER: REBIRTH #1.
Writer Ron Marz and artist Ron Lim. pic.twitter.com/4g2IIPGUpW— Jukt Micronics (@JuktMicronicsX) December 9, 2021
“Turns out you can go home again,” Marz said in an announcement obtained by Games Radar. “Silver Surfer with Ron Lim was literally my first job in comics. The first comic page I ever wrote was drawn by Ron when we were both kids. And now three decades later we get to go back there and slip right back into that same groove. It’s so great to be wielding the power cosmic again.”
Lim added, “I am so thrilled to be penciling Silver Surfer: Rebirth.”
He continued, “When Darren Shan, our editor, asked if I’d be interested in working on this with Ron Marz, I jumped at the chance. It is fantastic to be working with Ron again. It has been quite a while since we worked together, but it feels like hardly a day has passed. I’m having a blast getting to draw many of my favorite characters from our run. The story is full of surprises, familiar characters, and crazy cosmic action! I can’t wait for the readers to check out the book – hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoy drawing it!”
‘Silver Surfer: Rebirth’ is set to be released by Marvel Comics on January 19, 2022.
Studio Ghibli Museum Asks for Overseas Help From the Fans
Studio Ghibli is asking for fans outside of Japan for donations to the Ghibli Museum, as they are still working to keep from closing down. In July, donations were only allowed from with Japan, as previously reported.
Studio Ghlibli announced on their LINE messaging/social networking app that the “COVID-19 pandemic forced the museum to temporarily close its doors and limit the number of visitors to the facility. The museum’s revenue decreased sharply and it is now deeply in the red. The COVID-19 pandemic is still expected to continue for some time, and if we continue on the present course, the museum may be forced to close down. To avoid this outcome, Mitaka City is seeking donations from the public to help sustain the museum. The City appreciates your generous consideration.”
If you are interested in supporting the Ghibli Museum, you are asked to donate no less than 5,000 yen (US$43.50) or more.
As a thank you for the support, you will be given a thank-you postcard illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki of a character from Castle In the Sky.
If you live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Singapore, you will b able to support the museum. However. it is not open to the U.K., Chine, EU member states and others. If you to the the donations page, you will see a section at the. bottom, in English, that gives a full list of countries that can or cannot donate and other terms and conditions.
The original funding goal was 10 million yen. But it far exceeded expectations with having funded 34.6 million yen. Donations will be open until the end of. January
Some Donors in Japan have been sharing tweets of the Thank-you postcards they had received.
大塚監督……ありがとうございます！
三鷹の森ジブリ美術館の運営支援をお願いするふるさと納税。返礼品はありませんが、宮崎さんのサイン入りイラスト（印刷）はがきを、お礼状として三鷹市からお届けしています。
何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。https://t.co/MSY9l1ox24 https://t.co/9Jx9o6Mzlr pic.twitter.com/sDlbEwXA97— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) September 1, 2021
Click here for donating or for more information.
Tom Holland Walks Back Comments About His Future As Spider-Man
Tom Holland raised eyebrows while discussing his future as Spider-Man when he seemed to not be enthusiastic about continuing the character. During an interview with GQ, Holland seemed to indicate that Miles Morales should take over the webs, saying, “If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.”
Following some pushback on those comments from fans and industry insiders, Holland sought to clarify his remarks.
In an interview with Extra via Digital Spy, Holland explained, “No one actually speaks the truth. I don’t know what the future of Spider-Man looks like.”
“I don’t know whether I’m going to be a part of it. Spider-Man will always live on in me and I know that [Sony exec] Amy [Pascal] and the studio are keen to figure out what the next chapter of Spider-Man looks like. If that happens to be with me, then that’s very exciting but, you know, if it’s time for me to walk away then I’ll do so proudly,” he said.
“What I was referring to, in that interview, it’s because I would be taking up an opportunity for someone to come in and change what being Spider-Man means. Spider-Man could be more diverse, it could be a female character, it could be anything,” he continued, saying he would like Peter Parker to evolve into a mentor similar to the MCU’s Iron Man.
Ahead of the release of Tom Holland’s next appearance as Peter Parker in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ producer Amy Pascal seemed to indicate that there will be another trilogy with Holland returning to the webs.
“This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel – [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie,” she told Fandango. “We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies.”
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ has the largest presale tickets for an MCU film since ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Trailer Drops For Upcoming Isekai Anime ‘She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man’
‘She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man’ is an isekai novel series written by Hirotsugu Ryusen, which launched in 2012. Its readership led to the development of a manga published by Micro Magazine and illustrated by Fuzichoco with Seven Seas Entertainment licensing an English translation in 2016.
Due to its popularity, it has been announced that the Japanese animation production company Studio A-Cat is developing an anime adaption with Keitaro Motonaga directing and Takamitsu Kouno handling the writing duties. It is set to be released on January 11, 2022, with a trailer to celebrate the occasion.
“She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man has returned to impart us with more wisdom about the upcoming fantasy series! The anime’s fourth visual, depicting Mira and “her” past identity Danblf, was released along with an English-subbed trailer, additional cast and a January 11 premiere date,” Funimation said on their website. “The new trailer gives us a preview of the ending theme, “Ambitious” by Erabareshi (My First Girlfriend is a Gal), and introduces the new voices of Yui Horie (My Senpai is Annoying), Ayane Sakura (The Quintessential Quintuplets) and Isao Sasaki (Gatchaman) as we traverse the world of Arkite.”
They describe the synopsis as follows, “The story follows avid VRMMO-RPG player Sakimori Kagami, who redesigns his sagely character Danblf as a young girl one night on a whim. So, when he suddenly wakes up in the world of Ark Earth Online, he—or rather she—is forced to assume the identity of Mira, and convince the world that she is the pupil of “his past self” that disappeared 30 years prior.” They add, “Taking on the role of a young man as an old man as a young girl is Nichika Omori (Darwin’s Game), accompanied by Ayumu Murase (Haikyu!!) as Solomon, king of the Arkite kingdom, and Hinata Minami (Ranking of Kings) as Luminaria, a powerful sorcerer and one of the Nine Wise Men of Arkite.”
Kumi Horii of ‘Infinite Stratos 2’ fame will be handling the character designs.
