Sony’s 20th Anniversary Limited Edition PS4: Nifty Shades of Grey

Posted on December 3, 2014 by geelw

I should have figured that Sony would be going back to basics for their 20th anniversary, but seeing that familiar shade of grey on a new model PS4 made me chuckle a bit. I bet it’s not backward compatible at all, meaning some younger folks who buy it, might want one to add to their collection or just hate that color aren’t seeing the complete picture. I still have three of those old grey models here and they get trotted out from time to time, too. 20 years is a long time and I can still recall the initial skepticism some had about Sony jumping into the game console business with the PlayStation after a deal with Nintendo to co-create a game console fell through. How the gaming landscape would been had that arrangement not fallen through is anybody’s guess. Like them or not, you have to give Sony credit for making good on their initial promise to shake things up and continue doing it for so long despite some ups and downs over the years.

Anyway, Happy Anniversary, Sony – you’ve certainly earned a place in millions of lives since 1994. Here’s to (at least) 20 more years (provided we’re all still around)…

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Have a SUPER Monday With These Heroic Gift Ideas…

Posted on December 1, 2014 by geelw

Like it or not, you just can’t get away from superhero-themed gifts anymore. Most of us creaky adults who grew up with a TV in the house can probably recall those holidays and other special occasions where we got our favorite caped or non-caped hero (or villain!) in a box as an action figure or printed on some sort of common object that was now even more special.
This has pretty much always been a successful business for companies jumping on the licensing bandwagon, but the sheer amount of retailers stocking these goods today is staggering. This of course is good for you as a consumer because loads of choice means plenty of retailers socking it out for your hard earned shekels. Anyway, here are another bunch of cool items to spend your loot on and sure, you can get me something if you feel like it!
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Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Impulse Power!

Posted on November 29, 2014 by geelw

Can you believe it’s that time of year AGAIN? Well, I’ll be running a few of these guides over the next month that cover a few things from tech to games to food and anything else I can think of that won’t get me arrested. Read on and enjoy your consuming of mass quantities!

While big-ticket items are big business for plenty of manufacturers and retailers, it’s the small stuff you don’t usually think about that’s equally important. At least to my eyes. Sure, stuff like batteries, extra controllers and other no-brainer items are what most people think about (or don’t think about) when gifting a tech-related item. But some of the best products you may not have thought about at all are out there and sell themselves once seen and taken for a spin. Here’s a list of stuff I saw this year that’s practically guaranteed to get you reaching for your wallet whether you’re in line at a retailer or online in the comfort of your own home. Or office, as I know a lot of you shop when you’re supposed to be working (naughty, naughty!)…

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Hikari Friday: Universal Monsters Want To Stalk Your Shelves!

Posted on November 21, 2014 by geelw

Continuing the Hikari Friday madness, Funko has two really sweet Universal Monster vinyl figures up for grabs this week. Check out the Original Creature Hikari Sofubi Figure:

#1 of a mere 500 pieces can be YOURS if you’re lucky! The other vinyl up for grabs is this ToyZoo.com Exclusive Grey Skull Frankenstein Hikari Sofubi Figure, #1 of only 750 you’ll be attempting to claim for your own:

As usual, all you need to to is hit up one of Funko’s social media sites:

http://www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko

Tweets by OriginalFunko

Instagram @OriginalFunko

Once you’re there, enter as required and if you’re lucky you’ll be getting a little surprise in your inbox within the next week or so. If you don’t win, you can grab that Creature at your favorite Funko emporium and the Frankenstein exclusively at Toyzoo.com. As usual, good luck in your efforts and if you win, remember to remember me when you’re sending out those holiday greeting cards!

Holiday Gift Guide 2014: A Few Fun Things From the UK…

Posted on November 15, 2014 by geelw

For me, there’s something really cool about a lot of products made in the UK that makes them quite desirable. No, it’s not got anything to do with my current Doctor Who fascination, folks. I think it’s the fact that you can look at them and right away see exactly what they’re used for. I call it a form and functionality sense of design and in the case of well-made gear, it’s always fun to look at items and have that “click” thing happen in your head and a smile appear on your face.

Bayan Soundbook GO

Bayan Soundbook

Bayan Soundbook X3

Meeting Bayan Audio’s Cameron Wilson and Taylor Whittamore at the #getgeeked show a few weeks back was one of the highlights of my trip downtown. As soon as I saw their Soundbook line of wireless speakers, I smiled because they nailed the form/functionality thing perfectly right down to the name. Each model (Soundbook, Soundbook GO and Soundbook X3) features a simple open to play design and all are portable and ready to get your favorite music just about wherever you want it.

While each unit sounded fine up close and personal, it was a bit tough to hear how they performed at range thanks to the cacophony of noise from attendees and other exhibits (including a few competing speakers blasting away nearby). Still, what I did hear made me grin because I could only imagine how they sounded in a quieter room or outdoors on a fine day where they could be played at the perfect volume…

While it wasn’t at the event, Bayan also makes the Streamport Universal, a nice and compact device that allows users to turn any audio system with a 3.5mm or RCA audio input into a wireless audio system. I’ll just let you consider the possibilities there for a minute…

My finding out about this little wonder while poking around the Bayan Audio site really made me want to give one a try at some point. But we’ll see what the review deities say in a bit, I suppose… Continue reading →

READS: Kirby’s Mister Miracle Gets The Artist’s Edition Treatment

Posted on November 5, 2014 by geelw

Jack Kirby’s post-Marvel career was prolific and in some ways, even busier than his time at the House of Ideas. Unfettered by much of what annoyed him while at Marvel, the King got to create new characters and worlds that he had more complete control over and even picked up a lousy-selling book and made it a showcase for his wild ideas.

One of his more unusual books in his four-comic Fourth World series was Mister Miracle, which lasted a mere 18 issues, but was pack to the gills with Kirby’s super-stylized artwork (for much of the run) and powerful plots packed with panache. Wait, I’m kind of sounding like Stan the Man there for a minute, huh?

Anyway, once again it’s IDW Publishing to the rescue with another lovely hardcover Artist’s Edition that collects seven issues of Kirby’s run on the series (#2, #3, and #5-9) in the premium 12″ x 17″ Artist’s Edition format color scanned from the original art. The book isn’t set to be in stores or online until January 2015, but it’s a must for Kirby fans as well as comic art fans who want to see Jack’s art at full size and in glorious black and white. Pricing should be around $139.99 or less, depending where you shop.

Image courtesy previewsworld.com

I kind of like this cover better than the top image, but that’s just me. That and I wonder how well a Mister Miracle movie would go over if it combined Kirby’s Fourth World wildness with the “hiding in plain sight in surburia” from the 1987 one-shot and 1989 series revival. Hmmm… it’s too bad I can’t write up a script treatment, as I have a ton of ideas now floating in my head.

READS: The Art of Living Dead Dolls

Posted on November 3, 2014 by geelw

The first thing that struck me about Mezco Press’ The Art of Living Dead Dolls ($20.00) was that the great Basil Gogos is still among the living. The 78-page magazine-sized trade paperback has an energetic intro from the master monster painter himself to kick things off before the parade of awesome pro and fan art to follow. Granted, it would have been really great to see a Gogos version of a Living Dead Doll here. But just knowing the man is still around made me smile and reminisce about some of his stellar horror covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine back in the 60’s.

The assorted art ranges from surprisingly cute to genuinely disturbing and you’ll see pieces from illustrators such as Joshua Hoffine, Angus Oblong, Dan Brereton, Yuki Abiko, Emily Yishizawa, Michael Pasquale, Rotten Orange, Stephen Blickenstaff, Shelby Vogal, and others. The different interpretations of dolls from the Guinness Book of World Records-holding lineup shows how they’ve inspired each artist in creating their memorable works. My personal favorite doll is knife-wielding Sadie, with her odd eyes and simple black dress. She’s very well represented here in a number of nice drawings and paintings, but I’m betting fans will find their favorites here among the pages of this coffee table tome. Or is that coffin table? Mua-ha-ha-haaaaa!

After the eyeful that is the pro gallery, there’s a few pages of nice fan art, again in many different styles. The book closes out with some great tattoo work fans have photographed and sent in to be immortalized in print forever like the images on their skin. As this is more of an artistic celebration, the book isn’t exactly text-heavy brain food at all. Those who want an entire history of the doll line will want to also pop on over to the official Living Dead Dolls site to discover more about these creepy collectibles and see how the lineup has changed over the years. Longtime to recent LDD fans will eat this book up and yes, it makes a great gift if you’re giving someone one of the dolls this year (or whenever) and need a nice bonus to add to that horror-themed holiday/birthday/other occassion gift box.

MAN CRATES Wants to Check Your Horror Scenario Survival Skills. There Just May Be a Test Later…

Posted on October 27, 2014 by geelw

Photo: MAN CRATES

Okay, given that the world is both looking like and turning into a real-life horror movie, it’s best to be well prepared for all sorts of emergencies. Fortunately, we have the fine folks at MAN CRATES (which always needs to be spelled in BOLD caps when written and yelled out loud when said, by the way) to help out in a pinch.

Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m not very much prepared for any disaster because I tend to avoid them by curling up under a few blankets and not looking out the window until it’s SO quiet that I hear nothing but the butterflies flitting by and the morning dew drying on the leaves seven floors below. But that’s no longer an option in this age of potential panic situations popping up without so much as a moment’s notice.

MAN CRATES to the rescue? Oh, yes indeed… Continue reading →

Velvetwire Powerslayer: It’s The Little Things You Don’t Think About That Make The Most Sense…

Posted on October 25, 2014 by geelw

Until some of us see how much of it we actually use on a daily basis, we’re all energy hogs to some extent. Yep, I’ve bet you’ve bought plenty of devices in the past or plan to that require recharging and you probably don’t even think about how much energy you’re actually consuming and wasting when you’re charging (or overcharging) that new tech toy. Like it or not, all that wasted juice adds up on the cost front not only in your (increasing) electric bills, but in an overall effect on the environment. Yeah, yeah, you normally don’t think about that at all because your new device is SO cool that you can’t wait to show it off until it’s deemed “obsolete by the manufacturer and you rush out to replace it a year or so (or less) later. But the folks at Velvetwire want you to think outside a few boxes and get real about your power consumption and recharging needs… Continue reading →

So, Whatcha Goin’ as for Halloween? Here’s an Idea for You…

Posted on October 11, 2014 by geelw

Um, yeah. Sure, you can buy one of these masks and wear it around here, pal. Just don’t wear one of these around me because I’m a native New Yorker and we don’t take to seeing over-sized pigeons and squirrels lightly at all. I’d be the one swinging the Manufacturers Hanover bank souvenir Yankee baseball bat and I’m sure some old lady would be coming at you with a can of illegal mace she keeps in her big old lady pocketbook. “Swing batta-batta-batta” POW! Actually, that old biddy would be packing some smelling salts in her bag to wake you up from the unconscious state. THEN she’d spray you like a cockroach with that mace. Yeah, you had it coming. Good thing they don’t make a rat mask. You’d get both barrels from the transit cops if that were the case…