NECA first gave us action figures of Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Ming the Merciless earlier this year with the Defenders of the Earth version. Each figure sported its costumes and uniforms from the ’80s cartoon. However, for the King Features purists out there, we want comic-accurate heroes and villains.
The trio is back in January, but this time decked out like they’re coming right off the classic comic strips. While The Phantom isn’t too different aside from the striped undies, Ming and Flash are different. Each hero and the legendary villain come with multiple weapons, interchangeable hands, and heads. NECANECANECA
Introducing THE ORIGINAL SUPERHEROES line of figures — NECA’s loving tribute to the classic giants of comic books and pop culture! Series 1 includes King Features characters from long-running comic strips that went on to influence the world of superheroes. It includes Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Ming the Merciless. Each 7″ scale action figure has over 30 points of articulation.
The Phantom features glow-in-the-dark eyes and includes interchangeable hands, two handguns, two detachable muzzle flashes, whip, and Oath Skull. Flash and Ming include interchangeable heads and hands, a laser blaster with two detachable effects, and a sword that fits into a sheath on the belt.
The trio can be pre-ordered right now at the Big Bad Toy Store for $109.99. If you’re looking for only one or two, check out Target come January. These guys are usually priced between $29-32, depending on inflation. Yup, inflation has kicked us, collectors, right in the balls.
What other classic comic book heroes should NECA produce next? I’d personally love a Shadow figure or even someone more recent like The Maxx or a new Judge Dredd. Let us know in the comments.
[Source: NECA]
The evil that was unleashed in Hawkins is heading West. Netflix dropped a teaser trailer for the fourth season of Stranger Things. It may also signal a departure from the show’s horror roots judging by what unfolds in the video below. There’s minimal horror but a lot of action as the series moves its setting to California.
The previous teasers were heavily focused on the horror aspects the show is well known for. How much of the story will take place on the West Coast? Will the action/spy/thriller stuff be as offputting as it was in the third season? We’ll find out soon enough.
The tone of the footage we’ve seen so far does point to something darker. Unfortunately, while the first and second seasons had their fair share of deeply depressing and frightening things, the third season lost its footing. I’m not sure exactly what was to blame. Maybe it was the gigantic cast or the silly underground Super Russian Science Complex (TM). Regardless, I really hope the Duffers pull it back together.
Stranger Things holds a special place in my heart. During the first season, Netflix invited me out to do a set visit. I met all the kids and remembered a weird energy surrounding the entire production. The Duffers didn’t know it at the time, but they’d captured lightning in a bottle that would help Netflix’s in-house productions skyrocket to major success.
Check out my interviews with Millie Bobby Brown and the rest of the crew below.
What do you think of the hit Netflix series? Is it time for things to come to a close? Should it continue for several more seasons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
[Source: Netflix]
There’s been a lot of uncertainty in the world over recent years. One company is hoping to help bring some love, joy, and hope to the world with a brand new first-ever tv series based on the art style and messaging of the Precious Moments brand. Previously, there’s been a series of half hour specials that aired in the 1990s, with the first one being a Christmas special called “Timmy’s Gift” from 1991.
Timmy’s Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas
Cyber Group Studios is developing Precious Moments, an animated comedy and adventure series for children ages 4-6. Scott and Julie Stewart (Kate & Mim-Mim) will be creating 52 11 minute episodes with the plan to also create four 30-60 minute holiday specials.
According to the website description, Precious Moments follows the adventures of 8-year-old Hope and her adorable pet hamster, Sammy, as they work together to help make the children of Heartspring’s precious moments come true. With an abundance of comedy and heart, thoughtful undertones of mindfulness and plenty of fun, action-packed moments, Precious Moments features diverse characters and strong messages of inclusiveness. The series underscores the Precious Moments brand’s core values of loving, caring, sharing, and kindness via stories that emphasize sharing feelings, overcoming fears and anxieties, and more.
Pierre Sissmann, Chairman & CEO of Cyber Group Studios, and Karen K. Miller, President & CEO of Cyber Group Studios USA, both say, “Precious Moments embodies values that have been embraced and celebrated by families for generations. After a very challenging year for all of us, we have a wonderful opportunity to create a series that delivers magical and heartwarming moments with endearing characters who will bring so much joy to viewers of all ages around the world”
“We are thrilled to be working with Cyber Group Studios and a team of thoughtful writers and artists to bring the Precious Moments brand to a new generation of children,” said Shehnaz Safiuddin, Vice President of Product and Marketing, Precious Moments, Inc. “Our updated art style and entertainment content are sure to captivate young audiences while fostering feelings of nostalgia among parents and grandparents.”
The Precious Moments brand, best known for its signature range of collectible porcelain figurines with distinctive teardrop-shaped eyes that help celebrate milestones and special occasions in people’s lives, has been a best-selling range of the gift business for over four decades. The public was first introduced to Precious Moments in 1975 by then 36-year-old illustrator Samuel John Butcher. It began as inspirational greeting cards and posters. In 1978 the first Precious Moments figurines came out, and it quickly became a very sought after collection.
Cyber Group Studios is a leading producer and distributor of animated series and a developer of global entertainment brands for children and families worldwide. Founded in 2005 and employing around 150 people, the company has set its headquarters in Paris, two production studios in Paris and Roubaix (France), an office in Los Angeles (USA) and strategic partnerships in Russia and China.
The company mixes various animation styles, switching back and forth between 2D, CG, a mix of 2D and CG, a mix of CG and live action, and real-time animation.
Here are some other shows that have come from Cyber Group Studios:
Zak Jinks (2018):
Taffy (2017):
Sadie Sparks (2019):
Check out more of what Cyber Groups Studios has by going to their website or their Youtube channel.
Did you or a member of your family ever have a Precious Moments figurine or two? Let us know!
We did it! The Ghostbusters: Afterlife proton pack has been crowdfunded … on a website run by a multi-billion-dollar toy company. Yeah, I have issues with this kind of thing, but at the same time, I’m glad people came out in droves to get a 1:1 replica on the market for a reasonable price. Hasbro
The goal was met today, exceeding the 7,000 backers by 128 at the time of this story. So now it’s on to the stretch goals. One of those goals, the 9,000 backer Class One goal, has me a little irked. The pack doesn’t come with a thrower; that’s fine. However, it doesn’t come with a hose to connect the two, nor does it have a way for the two separate props to interact.
How is that issue solved? Stretch goals! Yup. So, if the campaign falls short on backers, then we’ll be left with only a half-realized prop. At least Mattel had the foresight to include a means of connecting their wand to a pack that never materialized. Hasbro
Regardless of if the stretch goals are met, here’s what we’ll be getting went he packs ship in 2023:
We’re making history with this movie-inspired prop replica, scanned directly from the Ghostbusters: Afterlife Proton Pack hero prop! (Yes, Sony Pictures Consumer Products let us play with the real thing!)
Out-of-this-world tech features lights, sounds, AND a motor for active roleplay and re-creating iconic scenes!
Two modes of play include lights and sounds from both the 1984 classic film Ghostbusters and the upcoming 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie. Did we use supernatural sorcery? Nope, we just included a switch!
Modular and lightweight, this scientific wonder is the closest you can get to strapping a real nuclear particle accelerator to your back (and much less dangerous)!
Have we mentioned that this Proton Pack is compatible with the Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler’s Neutrona Wand (sold separately)? Because it is! The Proton Pack features a metal V-hook bracket that connects to the metal V-hook bracket on the bottom of the Neutrona Wand. So level up your cosplay game by stowing your wand on your pack. When you’re not actively bustin’ ghosts!
Scary good screen-accurate details include the booster, power cell injectors, bumper, shock mount, and more! Oh, and yeah, you can open the cyclotron and explore its inner workings for the very first time. Seriously, if you don’t fund this Ghostbusters HasLab project it may be a decision that haunts you forever!
The Plasma Series Spengler’s Proton Pack was designed to be compatible with the ALICE system LC-1 Field Pack Frame and includes connection hardware.
Another positive is that the motherboard of the pack has holes for an ALICE pack. You can find these things easily at army surplus stores and websites. They’re pretty inexpensive, running about $50-$75. Hasbro
What are your thoughts on this version of the proton pack? Worth it? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Hasbro Pulse]
‘Star Trek Beyond’ actress Sofia Boutella joins the cast of Zack Snyder’s announced Netflix science fiction film ‘Rebel Moon.’ She is the first confirmed casting for the movie, which Snyder is writing with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad.
Netflix celebrated the casting, saying in a press release, “Boutella came to be known for her break out turn in the hit franchise film The Kingsman. She went on to star in Universal’s The Mummy with Tom Cruise, Atomic Blonde alongside Charlize Theron, Ramin Bahrini’s Fahrenheit 451 for HBO and A24’s Climax for Gaspar Noé. She can currently be seen in Wyatt Rockefeller’s feature debut Settlers for IFC.”
The synopsis for the film is described as, “Boutella came to be known for her break out turn in the hit franchise film The Kingsman. She went on to star in Universal’s The Mummy with Tom Cruise, Atomic Blonde alongside Charlize Theron, Ramin Bahrini’s Fahrenheit 451 for HBO and A24’s Climax for Gaspar Noé. She can currently be seen in Wyatt Rockefeller’s feature debut Settlers for IFC.”
“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.”
“I’ve spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I’ve been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized,” he added. “I’ve been working on this on the side for so long, it’s pretty far along.”
‘Rebel Moon’ is part of the first-look deal between Netflix and Snyder’s Stone Quarry production company. Previously, they had released the zombie film ‘Army of the Dead’ and its prequel ‘Army of Thieves.’
Sofia Boutella is also set to star in the upcoming historical miniseries ‘SAS: Rogue Heroes,’ set to be released on the BBC.
‘Thor Ragnorak’ director Taika Waititi is tackling another comic book project with the announcement that he is adaption the Humanoid graphic novel series ‘The Incal.’ The comic books were written by writer Alejandro Jodorowsky and drawn by illustrator Jean Giraud.
SyFy explains, “The series, which first kicked off in 1980, follows John Difool, a lowly detective operating in a seedy dystopian world who finds his entire life upended when he stumbles upon a mystical artifact called The Incal. This unintended discovery puts Difool in the sights of powerful enemies like Metabaron (the galaxy’s greatest warrior) and tasks him with saving all life everywhere.”
“The ideas about who we are and what makes us up … With a lot of things, the more you read something or the more you experience something, the more it unlocks and the more you know. Sometimes, I’ll re-read it and I feel like I know less. Then other times I’ll read it and I know twice as much more or I’ll see something else that unlocks, so it’s always changing for me. But in a good way,” Waititi explained in an announcement video.
On the protagonist, he said, “He doesn’t really know what he’s doing, he looks like an idiot because he’s got that big piece of gauze over his nose and stuff. He’s sort of bumbling his way through this thing and I just love the idea of someone who has no idea what he’s doing in his life [who] is then being charged with saving the universe.”
“Imagine how I feel, that someone other than me will film The Incal,” joked Jodorowsky. “If I were 40-years-old, I would be enraged! Depressed, as if it were stolen from me … But now that I’m 92-years-old, I’m not in any condition to make this huge epic.”
Humanoids began publishing ‘The Incal’ in 1980 and would have a series of spin-offs that developed what many fans call the “Metabarons Universe.”
If you were concerned about purchasing an Oculus Quest because it would require creating or attaching an existing Facebook account, you wouldn’t have to … next year. However, Ars Technica reports that backlash and other branding concerns may have forced the social media giant to rethink its connectivity strategy.
Facebook’s VP of VR, Andrew Bosworth, posted a lengthy message on October 28th detailing why the company was moving away from linked accounts on Oculus Quest. The important takeaway was the following, “As we’ve focused more on work, and as we’ve heard feedback from the VR community more broadly, we’re working on new ways to log into Quest that won’t require a Facebook account, landing sometime next year. This is one of our highest priority areas of work internally.”
Why should we care if a Facebook login is required? Well, suppose you’re someone who has lost their account either due to unauthorized access or being banned under the company’s arbitrarily enforced rules. In that case, you can and will lose access to all purchases made on the Oculus Quest’s storefront.
Two years ago, someone had a major issue with me and reported every public post on Facebook, most of which were tepid memes about politicians or societal matters. Somehow, these well-known memes were worthy of multiple warnings and an eventual ban. Yup, I lost my account because someone reported everything that was publically available on my account. Facebook just did it and refused to reinstate my account or even elaborate on how PG-rated memes about Hilary Clinton violated anything in the TOS.
This would be the same issue if Oculus were to require a YouTube or Twitter login. Access to things we’ve purchased should not be restricted due to our online behavior. Imagine every digital purchase you’ve made suddenly vanishing because some thin-skinned moderator took issue with your Let’s Go Brandon meme.
Produced by the Japanese animation company David Production and directed by Yasuhiro Kimura, ‘2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team’ is an adaption of the light novels written by Yukako Kabei and illustrated by Aiji Yamakawa. The series was launched in January 2021 with Funimation announcing that they have acquired the rights to produce and stream an English dub of the show.
“This team is ready to serve. We’re excited to announce that the 2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team English dub is officially on its way to Funimation, and we’ve got details on the series cast and crew,” they wrote on their blog. “…all 12 episodes of the 2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team English dub will arrive on Funimation, which means your next sports anime obsession is about to begin (or begin again!).”
They continued, “The English cast of the series includes voice actors Bryson Baugus (Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya) as Yuni Kuroba, Zach Aguilar (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) as Kimichika Haijima, and Sarah Williams (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) as Itoko Kuroba.”
The rest of the cast includes Ricco Fajardo, Khoi Dao, Clifford Chapin, Tyson Rinehart, Stephen Fu, Matt Shipman, Aaron Dismuke, Howard Wang, Alejandro Saab, and others.
You can watch the trailer below:
Here is the synopsis as described by MyAnimeList:
“Genius setter Kimichika Haijima moves back to Fukui from Tokyo after an incident within his school’s volleyball team forces him out. There, he is reunited with his childhood friend, Yuni Kuroba, a member of the Monshiro Middle School Boys’ Volleyball Team, who is unaware of his own talents. Haijima notices Kuroba’s abilities and is determined to form a new volleyball team with Kuroba as the team’s ace. At the prefectural tournament, Kuroba crumbles under the pressure, which causes the Monshiro team to fall apart after losing. The loss also creates a rift between Haijima and Kuroba, leading the former to quit the team.
Now, as students at Seiin High School, Haijima and Kuroba find themselves on the same volleyball team once again. Having learned from his past mistakes, Haijima helps Kuroba overcome his performance anxiety to become the ace and carry the team to the prefectural championship. With support from team captain Shinichirou Oda and vice captain Misao Aoki, Seiin aim to win the prefecturals and become Fukui’s representatives at the Spring Tournament. To do this, they will need to beat Fukuho Technical High School, the reigning champions of Fukui. Will Haijima’s team defeat the odds, or are they doomed to repeat his history of losing?”
Developed by the Japanese animation studio Science SARU, ‘The Heike Story’ is an anime that adapts ‘The Tale of the Heike,’ an epic that recounts the rise and fall of the Taira clan. It is directed by Naoko Yamada and was originally released online before airing on Fuji TV. Funimation recently announced that they had acquired the rights to release it on their streaming service with an English dub.
“Play on, Biwa! We’re excited to announce that the latest beautiful anime from Science SARU, The Heike Story, is officially getting an English dub on Funimation. And we’ve got your first details on the series cast, crew and when you can watch,” they said on their website. “The Heike Story English dub will arrive on Funimation, so if you haven’t started this mystifying feudal tale of war, found family and future sight just yet, now’s the perfect time.”
They continued, “The English cast of the series includes Xanthe Huynh (March comes in like a lion, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear) as Biwa, John Gremillion (My Hero Academia, Vampire Hunter D) as Shigemori, Suzie Yeung (Fruits Basket, WONDER EGG PRIORITY) as Tokuko and Frank Todaro (The Rising of the Shield Hero, Sword Art Online) as Kiyomori.”
You can check out the trailer here:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis:
“The Taira clan, also known as the Heike, holds immense authority over Japan. When a young girl, gifted with an odd eye that allows her to see the future, foolishly disrespects the clan, her father pays the price of her crime with his life. Soon after, as fate would have it, Taira no Shigemori—the eldest son of the clan leader—stumbles upon the same unfortunate girl, who now calls herself “Biwa.” Biwa informs him that the downfall of the Heike is imminent. After learning of the great injustice Biwa suffered at the Heike’s hands, Shigemori vows to take her in and care for her rather than let her be killed.
In an era of rising military tension, the Heike are in the midst of a cunning struggle for power, and bloodstained war is on the horizon. Shigemori, whose eyes allow him to see spirits of the dead, is both anxious and hopeful to prevent his clan’s demise. Biwa, however, is reluctant to reveal the future to him and must adapt to her new life filled with both happiness and sorrow in this pivotal chapter in Japanese history.”
I went over to XBOX.com today and felt transported back in time. Ah, a time before social media and amplified outrage culture. A period where games could do nearly anything they wanted without a group of men with pixie haircuts prattling off lists of what was problematic and somehow forcing developers to cut out even the suggestion that polygon women can be sexy.
The good old black and green of the original XBOX is front and center on the landing page. And that’s about it. Maybe there will be more to come when the 15th of November rolls around? Of course, when you click on the 20, it takes you to a page about celebrating the XBOX … by buying stuff.
On November 15, 2001, Microsoft what was to be their first (sort of) console. If we want to split hairs, the Dreamcast could be considered an MS system, and the original XBOX is somewhat of a Dreamcast 2. Regardless, Bill Gates’s big black box launched nearly 20 years ago and changed the gaming landscape.
Not only did it step in as a new competitor to Sony and Nintendo, but it brought with it a mascot that we all know and love. Yes, Blinx the Time Sweeper. The feisty feline who battled pigs with his vacuum. Oh, wait … his game wasn’t quite the flagship MS was hoping for.
Well, at least Bungie’s Halo managed to give gamers something akin to the fast-paced FPS action typically associated with PCs. And so it was that Master Chief went got the sloppy seconds title of Xbox’s official mascot. Yay?
Honestly, I was hoping for maybe a video about the console’s development or how MS planned to overcome the struggle of being the new kid on the block. Nope. It’s a pretty shallow celebration so far.
What are your thoughts on the original XBOX? Game changer or nah? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: XBOX.com]
