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Summon Your Own Dragonzord With The Green Ranger’s Dagger!

Mike Phalin
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Summon Your Own Dragonzord With The Green Ranger’s Dagger!

Go! Go! Power Rangers!
Hasbro is reissuing the Green Ranger’s Dragon Dagger! This replica from the classic Power Rangers (Super Sentai) series is back! Thankfully, too, because the original version is going for $200+ on Amazon and eBay right now.
I’m not a Power Rangers fan but have always found the helmets and weapons very cool looking. A dagger that doubles as a flute that summons and giant dragon robot? Yeah! I’ll take two, please! You can pick one or several up for yourself over at the Big Bad Toy Store.
 
 

Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro

The world’s most memorable trumpet knife, aka flute sword, aka the Dragon Dagger is here from Hasbro! Tommy Oliver used the Dragon Dagger to call the powerful Dragonzord from the sea, and he never even had to move his mouth! With this Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Dragon Dagger collectible, fans can play some sweet synth tunes, mix up the music in remix mode, or display this epic piece of Power Rangers history on their shelves.
This Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Green Dragon Dagger collectible features premium paint and decorative details inspired by the show, button-activated light and sound effects, and a stand for display in your collection.

  • Featuring light and sound effects
  • Unlock the iconic Dragonzord call, remix the tune, and activate the power glow effect with the push of a button
  • Requires 2 AAA batteries

There’s a chance you may come across the original run of this replica in the wild. I saw a couple in 2020 at random Target stores. If you want to hold out for the official reissue, it will be available in November 2021. Click here to pre-order yours for $74.99.

What other replicas from the vast Super Sentai universe would you like to see as part of Hasbro’s replica library? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]

‘Werewolves Within’ Actor Sam Richardson Talks Playing The Nice Guy In The Horror Comedy

Jacob Airey
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‘Werewolves Within’ Actor Sam Richardson Talks Playing The Nice Guy In The Horror Comedy

Josh Ruben’s new horror-comedy ‘Werewolves Within’ stars ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ actor Sam Richardson as a “nice guy” police officer trying to protect his town from an outbreak of lycanthrope, creating murderous werewolves.
Speaking to Inverse, Richardson opened up about playing the “nice guy” and how those roles do very little for survival in horror films.
“I like to play characters who are nice. The spectrum of niceness is oftentimes overlooked,” he explained. “You have your spectrum of evil. This guy is a mean guy, this guy is an asshole, this guy is a villain, this guy is a murderer — all of those things. And then there’s just this guy’s nice.”
“There are so many different layers and levels and complexities of being nice,” Richardson said. “What is the price of being nice? That’s the thing I felt this character and this movie deals with.”
“I think it was the personalities of the characters being genres unto themselves,” he continued. “…and then mixing them together with the proper alchemy of comedy made this a slam dunk.”
“The humor saves it from taking itself too seriously at some points, but then the stakes of it stop it from being too silly,” Richardson adds. “I was confident in myself to navigate and play those energies in that sweet spot as a nice character, and I feel I’m pretty proficient at comedy to juggle that energy and be that conduit.”
Richard also shared his thoughts on taking the role of a video game character.
“I hadn’t played the video game before, but I am a huge fan of the game Werewolf, and Mafia, and those sorts of deductive reasoning party group whodunit games,” he says. “So the idea of a movie that was very much like a Clue-esque, sort of Knives Out, sort of Hot Fuzz kind of take on it was very exciting to me.”
‘Werewolves Within’ is based on the titular video game made by Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft.  It will be released on June 16, 2021. Watch out the trailer below:

Virgin Galactic Can Now Officially Take Customers Into Space for $250k

Mike Phalin
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Virgin Galactic Can Now Officially Take Customers Into Space for $250k

Space tourism is something I thought we would already see as a common thing by now. Growing up in the ’80s, we were promised a whole bunch of stuff that has only slowly trickled into reality. Hoverboards? Still waiting on consumer models. Time travel? Not that we know of…
Space travel for the regular Jane or Joe? We’re finally there. Almost, according to a story at PCMag.
In a huge step forward for Virgin Galactic’s plan to take customers into space, the FCC has bestowed the company with a license to do just that.


Virgin Galactic is treating this as a major win, which it is.

The adjustment to Virgin Galactic’s operator’s license, which the Company has held since 2016, marks the first time the FAA has licensed a spaceline to fly customers. It is further validation of the Company’s methodical testing program, which has met the verification and validation criteria required by the FAA.

Will it last, though? During the Summer, VG will start a fully-crewed test flight. The ship being used has only room for four customers. With the cost of rocket fuel, crew, prep, and ground staff don’t expect these flights to be affordable. It will certainly appeal to the elites, but will the average person out there ever hope to afford a short jaunt into space?
I checked over at the Market Realist, where we found the price of one seat.

Over 600 people have already reserved their seats on future Virgin Galactic flights, with a reported initial price tag of $250,000 to secure a spot. However, that price might increase with the next round of flight reservations.

Phew. A quarter of a million dollars. That’s the price of my house. That price may even go up! I guess we’ll find out next year if space travel becomes the next big thing in tourism or just another niche thing for the wealthy.
What are your thoughts on Virgin Galactic? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: PCMag]

One Peace Books Is Releasing The Rising of the Shield Hero As An Audiobook

Jacob Airey
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One Peace Books Is Releasing The Rising of the Shield Hero As An Audiobook

Japanese dark fantasy light novel series ‘Tate no Yūsha no Nariagari’ known as ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ is written by Aneko Yusagi. It has been in publication since 2012 with over twenty-two volumes, producing a manga and an anime adaption from Kinema Citrus for season one with Crunchyroll producing the English dub.
In the United States, One Peace Books has been releasing the English translation of the light novels as well as the spin-off ‘Reprise of the Spear Hero.’ They recently announced on social media that they are publishing an audiobook version of ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ starting with the first volume.
“Tons of exciting news coming up soon,” they tweeted. “An audiobook? A photo contest with amazing prizes!? Throw in the brand new Shield Hero novel volume 20 and the Spear Hero manga volume 4 and you’re set for an amazing summer of reading!”


“We are excited to finally have the opportunity to offer fans The Rising of the Shield Hero in an audio format,” One Peace Books told Otaku USA in a statement. “Volume 1 is available now at select stores and will be available everywhere soon! We were lucky enough to have Kurt Kanazawa do the reading for us. Kurt’s performance is phenomenal! We really hope returning fans and new fans alike will fall in love with Shield Hero for the first time, or all over again, in this new performance of the first volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero!”
The audiobook is currently available on Audiobooks, BookBeat, Hoopla Digital, Libro and YouScribe with plans to release it on Audible and iTunes.
The second season of ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ anime will be released in October 2021 with the production company DR Movie taking over. The long-awaited premiere was delayed due to the pandemic lockdown.

Those Boards Don’t Work On Water! Iron Studios Reveals a Marty McFly Statue

Mike Phalin
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Those Boards Don’t Work On Water! Iron Studios Reveals a Marty McFly Statue

Iron Studios is rapidly becoming one of my favorite statue sculptors. A couple of weeks ago, we saw their massive D&D Tiamat diorama. Now we’re getting a look at a 1:10 Back to the Future statue. This piece features Marty on his hoverboard as he finds out that those boards don’t work on water … unless you have power.

Sideshow | Universal
Sideshow | Universal
Sideshow | Universal

Chased by Griff Tannen and his gang, Marty McFly runs away in a familiar scene to the old Biff Tannen, Griff’s grandfather, that watches it, as it is very similar to what he lived in 1955, in the first movie of the series. McFly is surfing a hoverboard, a floating board similar to a skateboard, which he borrowed from a little girl.
Marty tries to balance himself by floating over a small lake at Court Square in Hill Valley in the future, but the challenge becomes even greater when he discovers that the hoverboard loses power over the water. This iconic scene, derived from 1989’s Back to the Future Part II, is immortalized in an unprecedented collectible from Iron Studios, “Marty McFly on Hoverboard Art Scale 1:10 – Back to the Future Part II – Iron Studios“, that perfectly replicates the characteristics of the actor Michael J. Fox. McFly stands on a silver base stylized with details that resemble parts of the DeLorean DMC-12, the car that was turned into a time machine and created by his best friend, the scientist Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, who took the young hero on the journey into his future.
In the second part of the Back to the Future trilogy, Marty McFly, a typical young American student, is taken to an imaginary future in 2015 with the legendary DeLorean Time Machine, which has been enhanced with flight engineering. The film won the Saturn Award for Best Visual Effects and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1990 for Best Visual Effects.

Marty won’t be hitting for over another year. That’ll give you plenty of time to take advantage of Sideshow’s layaway. The statue is priced at $150. Click here to pre-order.
What other characters or scenes should Iron Studios turn into works of art? Biff covered in manure? Mad Dog covered in manure? Biff covered, yet again, in manure? Let us know in the comments.

Maybe This 1/6th Scale American Psycho Can Get A Reservation At Dorsia?

Mike Phalin
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0
Maybe This 1/6th Scale American Psycho Can Get A Reservation At Dorsia?

The adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, American Psycho, came out in 2000 and has remained a classic ever since. Yet, there wasn’t a lot of merchandise based on the film. There were a couple of figures, including an 18″ one that talked.
Maybe it was a licensing thing, but there could have been a huge merchandise line based on the film. A Nerf nailgun with American Psycho branding? A line of woodcutting equipment, too?
Regardless, Iconiq Studios is sticking to the basics with their newest edition to the Silver Screen Series. Patrick Bateman and a load of sweet accessories are what is on offer here. Honestly, it’s cool to see all the details make it into a 1/6th scale figure.

ICONIQ STUDIOS
ICONIQ STUDIOS
ICONIQ STUDIOS
ICONIQ STUDIOS
ICONIQ STUDIOS

Iconiq Studios are proud to present the highly-detailed 1/6 scale Patrick Bateman from the cult classic American Psycho, featuring two meticulously crafted head sculpts capturing the intensity of the movie. With that hair, he could be mistaken for Marcus Halberstram, they even go to the same barber, but Bateman has a slightly better haircut. It also includes a wonderful specially-tailored suit. Don’t tell me, let me guess… Italian couture? It looks so soft. And look at those accessories, the briefcase, the cassette player, the axe, the sheer variety of them. Look at that subtle paintwork, the tasteful sculpting of it all. Oh my god, it even has a blood-impact effect.

The vice president of Pierce and Pierce ships with the following accessories:

  • Patrick Bateman figure
  • Tailored suit
  • Overcoat
  • Raincoat
  • 4 Pairs of interchangeable hands
    • Pair of fists
    • Pair of relaxed hands
    • Pair of gripping hands
    • Pair of trigger hands
  • 1:6 Business card
  • 1:1 Business card
  • Ax
  • Ax blood-impact effect
  • Briefcase
  • Knife
  • Phone
  • Nail gun
  • Cassette player
  • Headphones
  • Blood-soaked figure base

Now, if Patrick with a chopped-up Paul Allen as the base, this thing would be perfect.

Every time I watch Christian Bale in a Batman film, all I can think is that had Bruce Wayne grown up to be normal, and he would have turned into Patrick Bateman.
What a twist that would be for a Batman movie. An adult Bruce is a super evil billionaire, and someone else becomes Batman. But, wait… has that been done already?

 

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? Do you want to pre-order? If so, head on over to Big Bad Toy Store. Patrick’s price is set at $269.99, and the release window is the first quarter of 2022.
[Source: Big Bad Toy Store]

The Autobot’s Ark Is Now a Huge Action Figure Of Its Own!

Mike Phalin
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0
The Autobot’s Ark Is Now a Huge Action Figure Of Its Own!

The Ark may be one of the most overlooked pieces of G1 Transformers lore that rarely gets recognized in toy form. However, the ship isn’t just some ancillary character; it was the ship that brought the Transformers to Earth and kicked off the series.
It has shown up here and there on a small scale, but rarely in its full G1 glory. Hasbro is changing all that by giving us a huge Transformer in their War For Cybertron line. When I say huge, I mean HUGE. He is 19″! Ladies, please, calm yourselves.

Hasbro
Hasbro
This huge Autobot has the following features and accessories:

  • Escape from Cybertron with this 19-inch tall Autobot Ark Transformer!
  • Giant Titan robot transforms into Autobot Ark from the pilot series More Than Meets the Eye.
  • Mainframe robot turns into the Teletraan-1 computer!
  • Includes Golden Discs to show the location of Earth.
  • Features landing gear, retractable ramp, jet engine blast effects, a micro Optimus Prime figure, and more!
  • 3 Exclusive pins: 1x War for Cybertron Autobot logo, 1x Scorponoks faction logo – inspired by the unused Earthrise logo concept, and 1x Transformers: War for Cybertron brand logo.

Escape from Cybertron with one of the biggest ships on the planet! The amazing Transformers War for Cybertron Kingdom Titan Autobot Ark converts between Ark ship and robot mode in 26 steps. Ship mode features landing gear and a ramp that comes down. Fit the included Optimus Prime and other micro figures inside the ship mode! The robot’s chest piece can be removed and converts into Autobot computer Teletraan-1, with detailed heads-up displays. And the small computer converts to Deluxe Autobot Mainframe robot mode in 21 steps. The Ark robot stands about 19-inches tall and includes the accessories below!


The Ark is a big boy and commands a price to match. Entertainment Earth currently has the figure listed at $159.99, with a release date of August 2021.
[Source: Entertainment Earth]

Top 25 Comic Book Crowdfunding Campaigns: Kickstarter AND Indiegogo

Thom 'Kneon' Pratt
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0
Top 25 Comic Book Crowdfunding Campaigns: Kickstarter AND Indiegogo

Here are the ACTUAL Top 25 comics crowdfunding campaigns across both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, in terms of dollars raised by backers.

Comic book crowdfunding campaigns have blown up in the past couple of years, accounting for $22 million dollars on Kickstarter in 2020 alone. This despite Kickstarter parting ways with their comic outreach lead in the Spring of 2020.

While there’s been a lot of chatter about Kickstarter’s success with comics projects (boosted by such massive campaigns as Boom! Studios’ BRZRKR), the comic book journalists who cover these sorts of things seem to ignore Indiegogo.

It could be oversight, as the word “Kickstarter” has become synonymous with crowdfunding.

Or it could be a deliberate snub, as the journos who would be interested in the numbers of comics crowdfunders may not like the politics of some of the people who have raised cash for comics on Indiegogo.

Regardless of the reason for exclusion, we thought it would be interesting to see what the actual top crowdfunding campaigns in the comic book category of all-time are as of June 2021.

  1. SCP Foundation Artbooks | $1,633,858 (Indiegogo)
  2. BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, & Ron Garney | $1,447,212 (Kickstarter)
  3. The Order of the Stick Reprint Drive | $1,254,120 (Kickstarter)
  4. Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG 2: REKT PLANET | $1,211,304 (Indiegogo)
  5. How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 4 +REPRINTING SOLD OUT BOOKS | $1,101,682 when converted to USD (Kickstarter)
  6. How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 3 +REPRINTING SOLD OUT BOOKS | $1,092,412 converted to USD (Kickstarter)
  7. EARTHWORM JIM the Comic Book! | $815,676 (Indiegogo)
  8. MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS Complete Comic Book Collections | $804,018 (Kickstarter)
  9. Ctrl+Alt+Del 1.0: The Box Set | $665,725 (Kickstarter)
  10. How to THINK when you DRAW BOOK 2! PLUS BOOK 1 and ARTBOOKS! $662,315 converted to USD | (Kickstarter)
  11. Icarus and the Sun | $596,541 (Indiegogo)
  12. Check, Please!: Year Four | $580,099 (Kickstarter)
  13. Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG:BLOODHONEY Comic Book | $538,456 (Indiegogo)
  14. The Tomorrow Girl: Dresden Codak Volume 1 | $534,994 (Kickstarter)
  15. Ava’s Demon: Reborn | $530,310 (Kickstarter)
  16. Penny Arcade Sells Out | $528,144 (Kickstarter)
  17. CMON Comics – Vol. 1 | $501,632 (Kickstarter)
  18. Ethan Van Sciver’s CYBERFROG: WARTS AND ALL | $439,141 (Indiegogo)
  19. Ethan Van Sciver’s REIGNBOW THE BRUTE | $436,657 (Indiegogo)
  20. Brian Pulido’s Newest: Lady Death: Cataclysmic Majesty #1! |  $426,241 (Kickstarter) 
  21. How to THINK when you WRITE BOOK + How to DRAW BOOKS 1 & 2! | $423,828 converted to USD (Kickstarter)
  22. JAWBREAKERS- LOST SOULS graphic novel | $404,913 (Indiegogo)
  23. Check, Please!: Year Two | $398,520 (Kickstarter)
  24. Girl Genius Volume 12 Printing and Reprint Frenzy! | $389,079 (Kickstarter)
  25. Steve Lichman – Volume 2 | $385,710 (Kickstarter)
(Image: Todd McFarlane Productions)

An honorable mention goes to Todd McFarlane’s The Original SPAWN Action Figure & Comic Remastered (2020), which has a comic book component but is not categorized as a comic book project. It racked up an impressive $3,447,390.

It should also be noted that a handful of the projects above are more “art book” and less “comic book,” but have been categorized as “comics” on their respective platforms.

It takes a platform to crowdfund.

The biggest takeaway from this list? Would-be crowdfunders need a sizeable platform to crowdfund a six figure campaign. You can’t rely on promotion by Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

That should be a “duh” to anyone who knows anything about marketing, but many people expect crowdfunding platforms to do the marketing for them. In fact, it works in reverse — you send your audience to the platform.

There’s a direct correlation between platform and dollars raised in crowdfunding. Many on the list are campaigns by webcomics creators or YouTubers. Others were established brands like Power Rangers, had celebrity power like BRZRKR, or were by known artists with large followings on other social media platforms.

In that regard, crowdfunding is very much DIY… right down to the marketing.

However, it provides an excellent opportunity to creators who are getting increasingly frustrated with and displaced by the shrinking comic book direct market, or otherwise just want to control their own creative destinies.

Like anything else, your mileage may vary.

‘The Deer King’ North American Distribution rights goes to GKids

Sarah Leone
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‘The Deer King’ North American Distribution rights goes to GKids

Several days after announcing the rights to the movie ‘Belle‘, GKids announced they also acquired the North American distribution rights to another anime movie, ‘The Deer king’.

The Deer King marks the directorial debut of acclaimed animator Masashi Ando. Ando has previously worked as a character designer, animation director, and key animator with Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke), and with directors Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Paranoia Agent) and Makoto Shinkai (Your Name). Masayuki Miyaji is best known for directing the 2009 series Xam’D: Lost Memories and work on Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbors The Yamadas.

The book series, by author Nahoko Uehashi, won the Booksellers Award and the fourth Japan Medical Novel Award in 2015, and has printed 2.2 million copies in Japan so far.

Known for their work in series and feature animation, notable works from animation studio Production I.G include Ghost In The Shell, FLCL, Haikyuu!! and Psycho Pass. The studio’s 2011 feature A Letter To Momo and 2015 feature Miss Hokusai are also distributed by GKids.

The summary of the movie:
In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa – except for Aquafa’s Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.

Here is the trailer:

GKids will release The Deer King theatrically in North America early next year, in both subbed and dubbed.

Source: Gkids

Funimation Announces ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord’ English Dub Cast

Jacob Airey
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0
Funimation Announces ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord’ English Dub Cast

The Japanese light novel series ‘Isekai Maō to Shōkan Shōjo no Dorei Majutsu’ known in English as ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord’ is written by Yukiya Murasaki with illustrations by Takahiro Tsurusaki is published by Kodansha. With its popularity, it was no surprise that Ajia-do Animation Works picked it up for an anime adaption in 2018 and a second season in 2020.
Funimation announced on their blog that the isekai fantasy anime is getting an English dub cast for their streaming service.
“Alright, isekai fans. This one’s for you. We’re excited to announce that the ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord Ω’ English dub is officially coming to Funimation soon, and we’ve got confirmed details on the series cast and crew,” they wrote.
Eric Vale (Dragon Ball Z) is taking the role of the protagonist Takuma Sakamoto, also known as Diablo. Sarah Wiedenheft (My Hero Academia) will portray the Elf summoner Shera L. Greenwood with Jad Paxton (Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town) voicing her teenaged partner Rem Galleu.
The rest of the cast includes Marissa Lenti, Kristi Rothrock, Clifford Chapin, Garret Storms, Juliana Pagan, Madeleine Morris, and Amber Lee Connors. Jeremy Inman will serve as the ADR Director.
The story of ‘How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord’ follows Takuma Sakamoto, an isolated “gamer who gets mysteriously transported to the virtual world of his favorite MMORPG, Cross Reverie, with the appearance of his own character in the game, the Demon Lord Diablo. The two young girls who summoned him, the pantherian Rem and the elf Shera, attempt to use a spell to make Takuma their servant, but due to his magic ring with the ability “Magic Reflection”, the spell rebounds, and both end up with magic collars stuck on their necks, thus becoming his servants instead.”
Funimation has released the English dub of the pilot along with the second season.

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