Remember when Wolverine was style mysterious, and his past was so shrouded in mystery that even the slightest glimpse into his background was like finding a nugget of gold? Ah, those were the days.
Now you can sleep at night wrapped up in those memories thanks to Surreal Entertainments Wolverine fleece, based on his 1992 trading card!
The two-sided fleece shows off Jim Lee’s art on one side and the mutant’s stats on the other. However, there has been a slight modification to Logan.
The original profile on the trading card shows Logan smoking a cigar. The fleece removes the “offending” object.
Nearly everything else is identical. The old copyright info is missing asi n the Impel logo. The bio layout is also slightly different, but the wording is still the same.
Suppose you want to go nighty night with the Blue Strike Force member of the X-MEN, pre-order over at the Big Bad Toy Store. The blanket comes in a tin featuring the same artwork and will run you $39.99.
SDCC 2023’s PX Previews exclusive fleece will ship in August and is limited to only 2,000 pieces.
Photo Credit: Surreal EntertainmentPhoto Credit: Surreal EntertainmentPhoto Credit: Surreal Entertainment
Blanket: 63 x 45 inches (160.02cm x 114.3cm)
Made of fleece
Based Card #2 of Jim Lee’s 1992 X-Men trading card set
SDCC 2023 Exclusive
Limited edition of 2000 pieces
In 1992, the X-MEN Impel trading cards were a huge deal. Recess usually involved several of us trading characters back and forth, trying to complete the set.
There were four rare hologram cards. Even to this day, I’m still missing the Wolverine hologram.
Another tough find was all nine cards needed to complete the danger room scene. This gimmick would be used in other Marvel trading card sets throughout the 1990s. One of these collections featured awesome red-tinted foil cards showing off the newly released characters from the 2099 comics.
Batman fever is in full swing! McFarlane Toys is releasing a boxset celebrating all of the cinematic Caped Crusaders, and now Beast Kingdom is back with two new Dynamic 8ction Heroes based on the 1966 TV series!
Batman and Robin are available as separate pre-orders. Each DAH figure is just over 8″ tall and features soft goods costumes.
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
“The “DAH-080 Batman TV Series Batman” figure has approximately 18 points of articulation with a classic TV series Batman costume and cloak made of real fabric, featuring the iconic yellow Batman emblem on the chest and belt. It also boasts a super realistic Batman head sculpture, with small details and patterns of the mask accurately represented. Additionally, it includes classic props that appeared in the series, such as the telephone, statue, and Batman’s dart weapon, along with five different hand shapes to increase your playability.”
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
Photo Credit: Beast Kingdom
“The “DAH-081 Batman TV Series Robin” figure boasts approximately 18 points of articulation, making it highly poseable. It comes complete with a classic TV drama green and orange costume made of real fabric and a golden cape. The super realistic Robin head sculpture and the inclusion of classic series props, such as handcuffs, Robin’s walkie-talkie, and up to five different interchangeable hand shapes, further enhance the figure’s playability.”
The Caped Crusader is $69.99 and packs several iconic accessories:
5 types of interchangeable hand shapes (fist, open, sword pointing, holding object, karate chop)
Accessories: telephone, statue, and dart
The Boy Wonder is slightly less expensive than Batman. He’ll run you $59.99 and comes with the following:
5 types of interchangeable hand shapes (fist, open, sword pointing, holding object, karate chop)
SPOILERS! If you haven’t been paying attention to the news regarding Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2, you may have some aspects of the plot spoiled if you keep reading.
Hot Toys has released images of its upcoming Peter Park (Black Suit) 1:6 scale premium action figure. The trailer for the game showed us that both the black symbiote suit and Venom were going to make an appearance in the game.
Although the Secret Wars is not part of the plot of Spider-Man 2, Spidey retains the classic suit’s black and white design. Hot Toys incorporated many of the finer details from the game model and pulled off a unique, almost oil-slick look to the symbiote.
A price has not been revealed yet, but I’m going to guess that this Spider-Man 2 figure will be around the $325 mark. The intended release window for Parker is during the second half of 2024.
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Photo Credit: Hot Toys
Newly developed body with over 30 points of articulation
One (1) pair of relax hands
One (1) pair of web shooting hands
One (1) pair of web swinging hands
One (1) open left hand
One (1) gesture right hand
One (1) newly developed black suit
One (1) pair of translucent black colored web-wings (with magnetic function)
Four (4) detachable silver-colored pincers with black tendrils (with articulated function)
One (1) tentacle effect (attachable to forearms)
Six (6) strings of newly designed black webbing in different shapes and lengths
Specially designed dynamic figure stand with game logo and character nameplate
One (1) Transforming masked head
Will you be picking up Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 on the PS5, or will you be waiting for the PC port? Let us know below!
The anime romantic comedy ‘Rent-A-Girlfriend’ has returned in July 2023 for a third season which will have twelve episodes. Directed by Shinya Une, the show is produced by TMS Entertainment with Crunchyroll acquiring the license to stream it in the United States. They have also announced that they are producing an English dub.
Crunchyroll announced the voice cast on their website:
Kazuya voiced by Aleks Le (Mash in MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES)
Chizuru voiced by Lizzie Freeman (Chisato in Lycoris Recoil)
Mini voiced by Lisette Monique Diaz (Jahy in The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!)
Kibe voiced by Nicolas Roye
Kuri voiced by Landon McDonald
Teppei voiced by Sean Letourneau
Ruka voiced by Sarah Williams
Jerry Jewell will join as the ADR Director and Colleen Clinkenbeard as the producer.
‘Rent-A-Girlfriend’ is based on the rom-com manga from Reiji Miyajima which is published by Kodansha.
“Kazuya Kinoshita is a 20-year-old college student who has a wonderful girlfriend: the bright and sunny Mami Nanami. But suddenly, he doesn’t. Without warning, Mami breaks up with him, leaving him utterly heartbroken and lonely. Seeking to soothe the pain, he hires a rental girlfriend through an online app. His partner is Chizuru Mizuhara, who through her unparalleled beauty and cute demeanor, manages to gain Kazuya’s affection.
But after reading similar experiences other customers had had with Chizuru, Kazuya believes her warm smile and caring personality were all just an act to toy with his heart, and he rates her poorly. Aggravated, Chizuru lambastes him for his shameless hypocrisy, revealing her true pert and hot-tempered self. This one-sided exchange is cut short, however, when Kazuya finds out that his grandmother has collapsed.
They dash toward the hospital and find Kazuya’s grandmother already in good condition. Baffled by Chizuru’s presence, she asks who this girl might be. On impulse, Kazuya promptly declares that they are lovers, forcing Chizuru to play the part. But with Kazuya still hung up on his previous relationship with Mami, how long can this difficult client and reluctant rental girlfriend keep up their act?”
‘Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend’ is a spin-off manga also written by Reiji Miyajima that began publication in 2021.
‘Reign of the Seven Spellblades’ is a fantasy light novel series written by Bokuto Uno, illustrated by Ruria Miyuki, and published by ASCII Media Works since 2018. J.C. Staff premiered an anime adaption directed by Masato Matsune in July 2023. Crunchyroll acquired the license to debut it in the United States on their streaming service and announced they are producing an English dub.
“In the world of magic, there exist deadly irreversible techniques commonly known as spellblades. These sparse and elusive spells, along with their casters, are shrouded in mystery and only their absolute lethality is known to the masses.
Every year, the spring blossom signifies a new intake of students to the prestigious magic school Kimberly. With reactions of awe and bewilderment, a ceremonious parade complete with magical beasts welcomes the newcomers to the institution. Among them is the mysterious Oliver Horn, whose indifference changes to fascination as he notices a peculiar figure—a girl wearing strange attire equipped with a Japanese sword.
From the entrance ceremony onward, Oliver realizes that not all is as it seems at Kimberly, as the emergence of labyrinths, monsters, and other threats endanger the new student body. Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru explores the intertwined fates of two warriors as they uncover the dark truths that lurk within the walls of the academy.”
The Japanese publisher Kadokawa Shoten released a manga version of the series which is brought to North America by Yen Press.
Sentai Filmworks announced that they will be releasing several of their licensed anime on home video. There will be isekai, fantasy, and musical series included with the DVDs. This time around, the releases will not include any dubs but will be released in their original Japanese audio with English subtitles.
“Magic student Alto Goldfield isn’t having much luck at summoning, but it’s required to advance to the next grade. Then he chances upon an old grimoire and summons a lot more than he anticipated – a very beautiful and naked demon girl named Vermeil! The good news: she’s willing to become his familiar! Unfortunately, she also wants to “bond” in another way, live off his mana, and isn’t crazy about wearing clothes. This is probably going to get awkward, but in a school where the bullies have dragons, could it hurt to have a familiar who can kick a dragon’s tail? Welcome to Demon keeping 101, where, with any luck, Alto will hopefully survive summoning VERMEIL IN GOLD!”
SHINEPOST
“When the idol group TiNgS is summoned to their company president’s office, they’re shocked to learn that they’re going to be disbanded unless they can sell out a major concert in one month! However, to help reach that goal, they’re getting a new personal manager to help turn their attendance around. Except…their new manager doesn’t know this yet and doesn’t even want to manage Idol groups anymore! But are Tamaki, Nabatame, and Seibu going to go down without a fight? Nope, not even if it means exploring other options like selling tickets at competitors’ concerts. Meanwhile, their new manager has a secret special talent of his own that might just save the day in SHINEPOST!”
THE LIFE OF BUDORI GUSUKO
“Once upon a time, when he lived in the forest with his parents and younger sister, Budori Gusuko’s life was wonderful. Then the weather began to change, the lands and forest died, and the other villagers moved away. The tragedy took Budori’s family, leaving him alone in the world, wandering. At long last he found another place to live, but once again the weather began to change, ultimately taking everything he treasured once more. Now, an older Budori has found a job working with people who study volcanoes… but when the weather starts to change again, Budori must a decision. A decision that might save many but could ultimately bring an end to THE LIFE OF BUDORI GUSUKO.”
MIRAGE QUEEN PREFERS CIRCUS
“No one knows the real identity, age or even gender of the Master Thief known as the Queen, but once they set their desires upon a target, it’s as good as taken. Until the Queen’s plans for the spectacular gem known as the Rose of Linden are thrown by a rogues’ gallery of circus performers stealing the jewel first! A thief with their own private Airship is used to changing plans on the fly, however. Will hypnotists be dazzled, and acrobats fall? And will the last laugh be upon a criminal clown? The greatest show on Earth is about to unfold in MIRAGE QUEEN PREFERS CIRCUS!”
REINCARNATED AS A SWORD
“When you’re killed in one reality and wake up as a sentient sword in a world where magic is real, what else can you do with your steely new existence except become an adventurer? Even though his shiny new form can levitate itself around, our slicing implement without a name also craves a wielder: a mighty warrior with whom to partner, explore and slay monsters. Instead, he gets Fran, a young cat girl, former slave, and trouble magnet who names him Teacher. It’s as odd a pairing as they come, and whether they’ll be sharp enough to make the cut in the realm of high adventure will be anyone’s guess in REINCARNATED AS A SWORD!”
MY MASTER HAS NO TAIL
“When a young tanuki (a dog-like creature resembling a raccoon) named Mameda tries to disguise herself as a human and cause mischief, it turns out that modern city slickers are just too sharp for Mameda’s country tricks. But then Mameda discovers Rakugo, a Japanese entertainment form in which a storyteller uses a fan, unique gestures, and clever wordplay to tell tales with surprise twists and endings. It’s not exactly the same thing as being a trickster… but then again, it sort of is! The tale that follows will have more than a few twists as a teller of tales takes on tutoring one untried tailed trickster in MY MASTER HAS NO TAIL!”
The DVDs will be released between August 1st and August 29th.
A pilot program at Google is going to see if employees will be able to perform with no internet connection. How am I supposed to spend 8-hours reading Pirates and Princesses, the best theme park blog out there, every day?
What first sounds like yet another cost-cutting measure from the tech giant turns out to be a way of limiting cyber attacks. The plan affects 2,500 employees, according to CNBC.
At first, the security measure was arbitrarily assigned to employees, but this was rolled back following concerns from Googlers. Now Google’s plan can be opted out of, but for how long?
Cutting employees off from essentials isn’t new. Earlier this year, we discussed Google taking staplers and basic office supplies away from workers.
Let’s speculate about other cost-saving measures Google may implement:
Googlers will be bringing in their own patch cables so that they can hardwire into the system.
While Google may be taking things away, Microsoft is giving Teams users free makeup! AI-generated makeup, that is!
We spotted this odd bit of news over at PC Mag. A new app for the virtual meeting room now has a built-in Maybelline Beauty application that’ll slap some rouge and lipstick on your face.
The Geena Davis Institute worked with the beauty brand’s parent company (L’Oreal) and Modiface to create a dozen looks to help those who just rolled out of bed appear presentable in front of the shareholders.
Image Credit: Modiface
Maybelline’s beauty-enhancing tool is not available to the general public yet, but will be “rolled out slowly for Microsoft Teams enterprise customers.” Will you be taking advantage of AI to not look hideous at your next Teams meeting? Let us know below!
Now under the direction of Shōta Goshozono, the Japanese animation studio MAPPA brought the dark urban fantasy anime ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ back for a second season. The first arc is a prequel that explores teacher Gojo’s early years as a student battling cursed spirits. Crunchyroll has been streaming the series in the United States since season one. They are also producing an English dub with the season two bringing in some new voices as well as some familiar ones.
Satoru Gojo voiced by Kaiji Tang (Dazai in Bungo Stray Dogs, Kashin Koji in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations)
Suguru Geto voiced by Lex Lang (Yuuri in MEGALOBOX, Tow Line in Transformers: Robots in Disguise)
Toji Fushiguro voiced by Nicolas Roye (Tetta in Tokyo Revengers, Kibe in Rent-A-Girlfriend)
Shoko Ieiri voiced by Ryan Bartley (Ram in Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Dodonko in Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!)
Riko Amanai voiced by Reba Buhr (Nikaido in Dorohedoro, Llenn in Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online)
Suzy Goldish has been tapped as the ADR Director with Jamie Simone on board as the producer. Jeff Nimoy is working on the English adaption within the scripts.
You can watch the trailer below:
The synopsis is described by Wikipedia saying, “The first story arc focuses on Satoru Gojo’s days as a young sorcerer working alongside his friend Suguru Geto alongside others from the Jujutsu Academy, taking down Curses. The second story arc takes place years later with Gojo as an adult as his students deal with massive amount of Curses attacking Shibuya.”
‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ is based on the manga written and illustrated Gege Akutami. It has been published by Shueisha in their ‘Weekly Shōnen Jump’ since 2018 with Viz Media bringing the collected edition to North America.
Batman! Everywhere! There are so many Batmen on the way, thanks to McFarlane Toys. Whether you’re a fan of the comic book version that teamed up with Spawn or if you have a weird fetish for nipples on Batsuits, there’s something here for you.
The Ultimate Movie Collection 6 Pack will come packed with Batman as he appeared in the films released between 1989 and 2022. These include:
Justice League
The Dark Knight
Batman and Robin
Batman Forever
The Batman
Batman (1989)
The set isn’t all-inclusive. You won’t get the Returns suit or the Begins outfit. However, you will get Batnipples on the Sonar Suit and George Clooney’s Batsuit. Yay!
The figures are 7″ tall and will have up to 22 points of articulation. Included in the display case is a light-up Bat Signal with interchangeable symbols.
The set goes for $119.99 but is rapidly selling outat various retailers. Expect it to release this October.
Only two days remain to back Mattel Creations’ oddly titled ‘Jurassic World The Gates Crowdfund.’ The toy, based on the very first Jurassic Park film, needed to hit 5,000 backers by July 27th. So far, the campaign has flatlined at 1,513 people willing to throw down $250.
The name probably didn’t help. Had I not seen pictures, I would have assumed this collectible was part of the Jurassic World films and not the Steven Spielberg classic. Universal should let Mattel separate this license into two separate brands. The Jurassic World movies diluted the power of the original film and book’s message.
Photo Credit: Mattel Creations
I specifically mentioned this crowdfunding campaign in our 2nd D-Rezzed Podcast episode. It’s a gate – a tall piece of plastic with some lights and a motor that opens the faux-wood doors. Yet, Mattel thought that this thing was worth $250. Sure, it came with a slightly more detailed version of the previously released Jurassic Park Ford Explorer, but still.
Also, the stretch goals were so all over the place. Unlock #1 made the most sense and made the entire campaign the most enticing. You got an electrified Tim and an LED-lit electrical fence. For display purposes, this was great, although it should have been included in the $250 price tag.
The second tier, after the main funding goal, would have given us the T-Rex from The Lost World. Why? That dinosaur wasn’t even on the same island! The sequel never took us back to the original location of these iconic gates!
The final unlock, which would require 8,000 backers, would have delivered possibly the smallest “perk” I’ve ever seen from a major company’s crowdfunded: Lex and a goat with a removable leg. Yup. That’s it.
Why isn’t Lex Unlock #1, Tim #2, and the T-Rex the third? I guess Mattel was greedy and wanted that bonus money from Ariana Richards fans.
If you want something that celebrates Spielberg’s work, get his first-ever action figure that’s coming out next month.
