Three words: Oh Hell Yeah. This 12 x 17 Artist’s Edition is a MUST for anyone into John Buscema’s art at its best (at least in my opinion). This collection isn’t the COMPLETE run of his on The Silver Surfer, just issues 5, 6 and 8 for your perusal. Nevertheless, this scanned and printed actual-size from the original art limited edition should sell out quickly at comic shops and online retailers that carry it. Sure, these over-sized collections are expensive, but this one’s WELL worth the price, folks. Buy two if you can and make sure one has my name on it when you’re wrapping up that gift!
Wow, I can’t even keep up with all the email Funko sends my way (that’s a good thing), but here’s a few of their upcoming products you’ll want to free your wallet from the cage it’s in for (oh, nice logo change, guys!):
SF Mystery Minis are coming in September and yeah, I WANT A BOX OF THESE! Just to give away to random readers, surprise someone by adding one to a holiday or other gift, you know, silly stuff like that. Okay, I’ll keep an Alien here on what little remaining shelf space I actually have, but all the rest would get gone somewhere and get some people smiling for sure. These are coming in September to your favorite Funko retailer, so keep an eye out, Okay?
December brings you Dancing Groot from The Guardians of the Galaxy and the return of Howard the Duck (!), which I may also need to clear a space for, as I’m an old fan of that character from his initial run in the 70’s and that oddball black & white mag Marvel published in the 80’s. Hmmm… Funko, you’re trying to seduce me, huh? Well, we’ll see about that. I’m allegedly immune to such blatant BUY ME shenanigans, but it’s been getting tempting seeing all this really cool stuff.
Oh, annnnd speaking of really cool stuff:
Yeah, that’s the Pop! Rides Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Van, with the special Michelangelo Pizza Pop! only available with this package. This one’s coming in September, by the way. Hmmm… i there’s a Pop! Mystery Machine, that would make quite the pretend race, huh?
Yeah, I want IN, dammit. Some of Steve Ditko’s horror work used to scare the crap out of me as a kid, so getting the chance to see a bunch of it (along with other genre quickies) in one collection is a great thing for me. And YOU, if you’re also a fan of the man’s work. No, I’m NOT scared of it now, but it’s that brushwork I want to ogle until my eyeballs pop out.
Thanks to Yoe! Books and IDW Publishing, you can grab your own copy of Ditko’s Shorts soon online or from your favorite comics emporium. Buy a second copy and surprise someone with it why don’tcha? Yeah, it’s a SHORT post, too. Ha!
So, this week, Funko is giving away TWO very cool limited edition Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figures, one in the standard Hikari line and one in the Hikari Premium line. Going in reverse (because it’s Friday and I didn’t sleep last night thanks to that review copy of Tales of Xillia 2 that kept me up allllll night), enter and you can get a chance to win this HUGE Premium Blaze Spider-Man Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of only 1500 made!):
If you don’t win that big Spidey, it’s going on sale this October at your favorite Funko retail or online emporium! Or, you can try and be the lucky winner of win this lovely (well, for a Masters of the Universe figure, it’s kind of handsome in that devilish manner, I guess) Mythos Skeletor (# 1 of 1000 AND an Entertainment Earth exclusive!):
As usual, pop on over to one of Funko’s social media channels:
Holy Swag, Batman! Oops, wrong comics company, but you’ll forgive my transgression if you happen to enter this awesome Funko contest and win ALL THIS STUFF:
Technically, this contest isn’t “free” to enter, as you need to have a ticket to see Guardians of the Galaxy in order to enter:
HOW TO ENTER
Post a picture with your Guardians of the Galaxy movie ticket and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
@OriginalFunko
Use the caption “I want to win the Guardians of the Galaxy Prize Pack from @OriginalFunko! #FunkoGuardians”
The giveaway starts NOW and runs through Friday 8/8 at 12am PST!
Good luck!
As you can see, IDW is certainly going all out with these new titles set to arrive in 2014 and 2015. I’m not a huge a fan of these sorts of comics as I used to be, but the title Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: Primate Directive made me laugh for a bit longer than expected, so I’ll have to peek at a few issues when it launches. That Edward Scissorhands book has my attention for the art style, as I’m a fan of the film, so again, I’ll be checking out a few issues over time. I was probably the only person my age who wasn’t terminally obsessed with the Garbage Pail Kids, so I’m a bit ambivalent about this new book. That said, I know fans of those old trading cards are grinning like mad at this announcement.
Angry Birds Transformers? Eek. Yeah, yeah… both are hugely popular franchises, but I’m of the mind that time-eating games like AB should stay in that realm and not cross streams with other media (although the multiple millions made in AB merchandising outside games proves me incorrect). Finally, Orphan Black seems like a fine enough choice for a comic series, but I’d prefer to see the show as the show and not need to dive into other media unless it’s going places the show hasn’t by exploring side stories for each of the clones. Of course, that would mean I’d need to buy some issues or a collection at some point down the road. In other words, I guess IDW will be seeing some of my money at some point in the not too distant future…
Hokay, I haven’t read a complete issue of Vampirellain years, but I can very safely say that this Sideshow Collectibles Premium Format Figure Vampirella is quite possibly the best sculpted version of the character I’ve ever seen. It’s not the “cutest” one out there (Sideshow’s Tooned Up Vampi takes that particular crown), but fans who want a more realistic figure to stick on a shelf or in a collector’s cabinet need look no further.
Amusingly enough, this sculpt also reveals how awesomely impossible that Drakulon one piece non-swimsuit is (without the strategic application of body tape and carefully choreographed movement, I can’t see any real life lady strutting around in this without something popping out for all the world to see). But I’d bet you’re not dropping $399.99 on this just to wonder about physics and pneumatic movement and such. Anyway, this over-sized monster-piece isn’t out until May 2015, but Sideshow will gladly take that money you’re throwing at the screen and send you one of these once they’re ready to ship.
This one’s going to be on display at San Diego Comic-Con and until August 5, Sideshow is still running a giveaway on their site where you can snag a Harley Quinn Premium Format Figure with a rocket-fast entry. I saw this one at a comic shop here and it’s pretty awesome. And huge. I guess it’s a good thing I have no room for these big figures and I’m saving my money for that working time machine that pops up on eBay every so often or I’d have a room full of Premium Format Figures and a sleepy security guard to watch over them…
Well, it’s official and I’ll get used to it, but I’ll admit I laughed out loud and IMMEDIATELY thought of one of those many “Judge” TV shows that crowd television these days. Batman suing Superman or vice versa? For what, one can only wonder. Of course, I’d better shut it with the snark or director Zack Snyder will whip out his trusty Leica, bash me on the head with it and take a photo to post on his twitter page. Ouch. or worse, I’ll suffer the raaaaage of a few hundred thousand DC fans who will be queuing up to see this one as soon as someone posts a release date. Anyway, updates to come when I feel like it. The film just started shooting today in Detroit (of all places, but hey – they NEED those movie studio dollars), so there’s a loooong road to go before it’s a wrap.
Director Zack Snyder has yet again whipped out his trusty Leica and finally shown fans what they’ve been waiting for:
To which I say “good!” While I’m not sure how “good” a film Batman & Superman will be when all is said and done, at least Ben looks decent in that suit, although I kind of got used to that Tumbler as the go-to Bat-ride thanks to it not being an extended black bathtub with wheels that looked more at home on the Bonneville Salt Flats than on the mean streets of Gotham City. Those Burton and Schumacher cars had the turning radius of a school bus! Anyway, I guess this means more reveals as the weeks pass, as the hype wheel turns and more gets dripped out on this soon to be blockbuster.
I’m still not convinced Gal Gadot (Who? Who?) will make a good Wonder Woman, but hey, she could surprise me and the many other skeptics that think she’s a LOT less of an Amazon and a lot more of a skinny gal who worked out to PLAY one. Eh, we’ll see, I suppose…
It’s too bad Shiness isn’t coming to consoles anytime soon. This lovely Unreal tech powered crowd-funded indie RPG is only a few days into its Kickstarter campaign and almost a third of the money needed to get it onto PC and Mac at some point is in the bag. French developer Ynnis Interactive is making JRPG fans drool with some gorgeous anime visuals, a stirring soundtrack, and what sounds like fully voiced characters (like in Avatar, speaking a language created specifically for the project!), all hallmarks of a solid RPG experience. While the game will be a traditional solo experience where a party of assorted members can travel with the lead character, Ynnis is also planning some sort of online mode for their game, but it’s too early to see how it will be implemented. Given the game’s combat will be more action-oriented and in fact, play like a fighting game, it’s safe to say this is what will really make or break the game experience for many backers.
As you can see from that wonderfully illustrated KS page, the game certainly has the looks of a AAA game straight from a top Japanese studio like Level 5 or CyberConnect 2 (a good thing indeed) and other than some proofreading to tighten up the English translation, this one looks as if it’s going to be a winner and meets its financial target based on the overall quality and level of polish on display. Even cooler, there’s a companion manga in the works (the first chapter is HERE) that should expand the game’s story, characters and world in the same way popular manga such as Dragonball, Naruto and others did for their respective characters. This is one of those projects I hope more than meets its goals just so all three console companies take notice and maybe offer up assistance in getting the game to their respective platforms.
EDIT! In fact, if the game does indeed meet its $100,000 target, a console version will be the next stretch goal, so make it happen people! Hmmm… now that I’m dreaming of drooling over Shiness on the PS3, Xbox 360 (and hopefully Wii U!), I also wonder how well that Unreal engine runs on the Vita?
Here’s the trailer above in French – it’s slightly longer, but pretty much the same:
Anyway, you know what to do if you’ve watched those videos above and now have a big smile on your face. Pledge away and secure whatever premium you can afford while keeping both fingers and toes crossed that the game hits its goals and then some. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship if it all comes together as it needs to…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 