Joe Carr has two new art prints up for sale at Melancholy Press. “Rocket Lass” and “Harder They Fall” are both 6″ x 8″ letterpress prints, have editions of 100, and cost $12 each (or $20 for both). Visit Melancholy.press.
LEGO has officially revealed the long-awaited Disney series of the Collectible Minifigures, so here’s your first look at the Magic Kingdom’s most famous characters in LEGO guise. The Disney series will be available beginning in May, and will retail for $3.99 USD each.
[Update] Thanks to Collider, we also have high quality individual images of all the new Disney figures. Check them out below!
Following on from the global success of The LEGO Movie back in 2014, a spin-off movie starring the supremely popular LEGO Batman character is due for release on Februrary 10th, 2017. The LEGO Batman Movie stars Batman, once more voiced by Will Arnett. Warner Bros have released a few stills from the movie to give us a sneak peak.
[Update] Hot on the heels of the film stills being released, Warner Brothers has released the full teaser trailer.
If this quote from Arnett is anything to go by, it seems LEGO Batman has retained his ‘unique abilities’ and sense of humour:
“The Batcave is even better than we remembered it, it’s awesome. But I also love getting into the ho-hum day-to-day of being Batman and what it’s like to fight crime each day. Like the idea of Batman oversleeping his alarm clock makes me laugh. It really does humanize him.”
Dark Hall Mansion has a new Tom Whalen poster out for Batman v Superman. It’s a 24″ x 36″ screenprint, has an edition of 280, and costs $65. The variant has an edition of 100 and costs $100. Visit DarkHallMansionStore.com.
Meet the ultimate camouflage artist --- a brand new species to Cotswold Wildlife Park, the Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Theloderma corticale).
Reptile keepers are thrilled with the first successful breeding of this species at Cotswold Wildlife Park. Eight Mossy Froglets are currently under the watchful eye of the dedicated Reptile Team, along with several tadpoles yet to metamorphosise. At this delicate stage of their development, the froglets remain off-show in the Reptile Incubation Room. Visitors will be able to see the new species later this year. Updates will be posted on the Park’s Facebook and Twitter pages: (www.facebook.com/cotswoldwildlifepark and @CotsWildTweets).
Curator of Cotswold Wildlife Park, Jamie Craig, commented, “We treat the rearing of any amphibian to adulthood as a success. The metamorphosing stages can be very tricky and we are delighted to have had repeatable successes with our Mossy Frogs. They are growing well and we hope to create a new display for them in the near future.”
Photo Credits: Cotswold Wildlife Park
In scientific terms, these remarkable amphibians are a relatively recent discovery. Their first recorded sighting was in 1903, originating from the steep mountain slopes of Northern Vietnam. Due to their remote location, they have been out of reach for scientists and researchers for decades, and very little is known about this species in the wild. They are currently protected by the Vietnamese government.
Their camouflage has been described as one of the best in the amphibian world. Rough, bumpy skin, combined with complex green and black coloring, makes them almost indistinguishable from a lump of moss or lichen, enabling these tiny frogs to blend in perfectly with their surroundings and avoid detection by predators. When frightened, they curl into a ball and remain motionless, mimicking death to avoid further harm.
In the wild, this species breeds by larval development in rock cavities containing water and also in tree holes. It takes approximately one year for a tadpole to become a fully developed adult. Researchers have discovered that Mossy Frog tadpoles can exist in water for months without developing, but they metamorphose into froglets within days when the water dries up.
Frogs have appeared in legend and folklore in many cultures throughout history. Chinese legends involving frogs date back to 4 B.C. - 57 A.D. Special temples were built specifically for frogs. In these temples, live frogs were encouraged to stay with offerings of food and water. When the amphibians wandered away from their appointed homes, they would be brought back to the temple accompanied by drums and music. In ancient Egypt, carvings and religious statues were made in the image of frogs. Archaeologists have also discovered embalmed frogs in some Egyptian burial sites.
In the wild, the Mossy Frog’s population numbers are under threat from habitat destruction and demand by the global pet trade, and they are also known as the Tonkin Bug-eyed Frog.
Check out the great photos of Mossy Frog adults--below the fold!
Nintendo has a real problem on its hands with Mario Maker. Left and right, creators are seeing their levels removed from the online servers without an explanation. David “GrandPOObear” Hunt, a speedrunner who makes a living streaming games, is the latest victim. All of his levels have vanished.
If game critic and video-maker Jim Sterling has a nemesis, it’s game developer Digital Homicide. That name might not sound familiar, as they’re a small studio that has released a couple of games on Steam. But they may soon enter notoriety after this month’s unprecedented actions.
Board and card game designer Eric Lang announced he’s working on an official Bloodborne card game. It’s based on the game’s chalice dungeons, and has “risk management with a bit of groupthink, inventory management / upgrades and tactical play in an intense 30 minute card game.”
Definitely one of the best things about having a 6.5 year old is that he now has classmates that can bestow upon us The Annual Gift of the Thin Mint Cookies. If there were any other Girl Scout Cookies worth celebrating, I knew nothing about them until pickup earlier this week when I saw other parents scurrying off with boxes of curiosities like Samoas and Tagalongs and launched a full investigation. Seriously, why did nobody tell me about those crispy chewy rings of caramel, coconut and stripes of chocolate? Was there always a cookie with both peanut butter and chocolate in it or is this some millennium baby voodoo? Making up for time lost to Thin Mint blinders begins here and now.
Harmonix is trying to raise $1.5 million to develop Rock Band 4 on PC. They’re using Fig, the same service as Psychonauts 2, which allows folks to invest in various projects and potentially share in the profits.
I love this movie, I love We Buy Your Kids, I love this poster. Their new one for La Haine is an 18″ x 24″ screenprint, has an edition of 120, and will cost £40. The variant has an edition of 50 and will cost £65. Additionally, every La Haine order in the first 12 hours will receive the “S&W 629 (Faire Coup Double)” print (6″ x 10″ giclee) for free. Everything goes up tomorrow (Friday, February 19th) at 3pm GMT. Visit Black Dragon Press.
A lane of Ohio interstate was blocked most of the day after a semi crashed into a disabled tractor-trailer, spilling dozens of boxes filled with comics onto the highway.
Although we’ve already seen official photos of the LEGO sets from the Angry Birds movie, we had a chance to see them in person and play with one of the larger sets while at Toy Fair in NYC yesterday. All of the sets are scheduled for release in April 2016.
75825 Piggy Pirate Ship includes 620 pieces and will retail for $59.99.
You can see it in action in this video:
Here are the LEGO eggs that everybody is excited about.
75826 King Pig’s Castle (855 pieces at $89.99)
75823 Bird Island Egg Heist (277 pieces at $29.99)
Alongside the summer 2016 LEGO Star Wars sets LEGO unveiled at Toy Fair this morning in New York City, we bring you the next batch of LEGO Marvel Superheroes sets, scheduled for release in March and August.
Captain America: Civil War is scheduled for release in May, but LEGO will be releasing a number of new Captain America sets in March.
76047 Black Panther Pursuit (287 pieces at $29.99)
76050 Crossbones’ Hazard Heist (179 pieces at $19.99)
76051 Super Hero Airport Battle (807 pieces at $79.99)
A new batch of Spider-Man sets is scheduled for release in August.
76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle (1,092 pieces at $99.99)
Here’s a video showing the features of the Bridge Battle.
76058 Doc Ock’s Tentacle Trap (446 pieces at $39.99)
Ghost Rider fans finally get a proper minifig that doesn’t involve sticking a flame into the stud on top of a skull.
76059 Ghost Rider Team-Up (217 pieces at $19.99)
Following the precedent set by the LEGO Star Wars Microfighters series, LEGO will be releasing a new character-focused series of small vehicles featuring LEGO Marvel minifigs in small $9.99 sets. We expect this series to be released in March.
76064 Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin (85 pieces at $9.99)
76065 Captain America vs. Red Skull (95 pieces at $9.99)
i’m so used to thinking of ~geek culture~ as a diverse place full of awesome women, that when someone brings up the “middle-aged white guy” nerd stereotype i am honestly just baffled.
take today. i have a semi-regular gig reviewing movies on a radio show, and today i was discussing Deadpool on air with another critic. he was a nice guy and the show went well, but he said one thing that really brought me up short: he found Deadpool “refreshing” because it was aimed at teenage boys.
because, he said, most superhero movies – especially Marvel movies – are playing to an audience of middle-aged men. basically, my reaction was: “???”
now, superhero movies are the biggest genre in Hollywood. they play to a very broad audience, and while the genre does have serious issues with race and gender (not to mention an obsession with hiring white male directors), movies like X-Men and the Avengers are watched by… everyone. and in my experience, many of the most dedicated Marvel fans are women in their 20s and 30s, which I pointed out on the show.
then i went home and forgot about it until tonight, when i saw this announcement of a new “fanboy” talk show called Geeking Out. hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg (who Star Wars fans may know as Snap Wexley). then, perhaps a little unkindly, i was like:
i have no particular feelings about greg grunberg, and i genuinely recommend watching “An Evening With Kevin Smith.” however, this is the wrong lineup for a geek-culture talk show in 2016. or indeed any new talk show, since the late-night circuit is already teeming with white male hosts.
AT THE VERY LEAST, hire one famous white guy, plus one up-and-coming female and/or nonwhite Youtuber or podcaster. otherwise you’re just perpetuating the insularity of the geek hollywood circuit. you are making your own show less interesting, and restricting its network of potential contributors. just look at this quote from the announcement article:
look, i know this is just a talk show on AMC (which also airs Kevin Smith’s reality show “Comic Book Men,” i just discovered), but seriously. the “middle-aged white guy” geek stereotype has never been accurate, and it definitely isn’t now. hiring the living embodiment of that stereotype sends a message to potential viewers, and i strongly suspect they’ll miss out on finding a wider audience for precisely that reason. more importantly, people are missing out on having their voices heard.
we’ve already had ample opportunity to hear what the Kevin Smith demographic thinks about comics and sci-fi. it’s time to hear from someone new.
Dark Hall Mansion has another great new Peanuts release coming out today. “Woodstock’s Song of Love” by Marq Spusta is a 12″ x 12″ screenprint, has an edition of 550, and will cost $50. The blue variant has an edition of 150 and will cost $75. The pink variant has an edition of 80 and will cost $90. The gold variant has an edition of 60 and will cost $125. These all go up today (Friday, February 12th) at 9:30am Pacific Time. Visit DarkHallMansionStore.com.
Mondo is currently selling Shepard Fairey’s timed-edition movie poster for Michael Moore’s ‘Where to Invade Next’. It’s an 18″ x 24″ screenprint for $40. Half of the proceeds will benefit charity. Visit Mondotees.com.
Uno was one of Xbox Live Arcade’s best games in the early years, a fact that’s been somewhat forgotten because all anyone can remember are endless penises.
Following hot on the heels of the release of the Ghostbuster’s Firehouse, this morning LEGO announced a tie-in set for the upcoming Ghostbusters 3 movie. The set will feature a revised version of the Ghostbusters famous ride, called the Ecto-1&2. It will also feature the five new Ghostbusters as well as an imp. LEGO says it will be available this summer, and is slated to retail for $59.99 USD, though no word on the part count yet. Be sure to also read our review of the original LEGO Ghostbuster’s Ecto-1 so you can spot the differences in the new model.
When some of the founders of Burnout developer Criterion Games left, we weren’t sure what they were building, and now we know: an extreme golf game called Dangerous Golf. It’s coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC in May, and looks like the weirdness you’d expect from the crew who made Burnout.
The reclusive Marvel CEO has drawn criticism for a donation to a fundraiser for wounded veterans organized by GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.
The fan-favorite Pokémon dons a deerstalker to solve crimes in the trailer for the Nintendo 3DS game "Famous Detective Pikachu: The Birth of a New Partnership."
I'm sad he's dying but not sad he's going away, SORRY.
John “TotalBiscuit” Bain is not the first to struggle with social media as he’s become more popular, nor is he the first to announce he’s quitting a service like Twitter. But uniquely, the YouTube star is living with terminal cancer, and his statement on why he’s leaving is gut-wrenching and understandable.
For context he announced a $600 piece of consumer electronics he's been hyping as "affordable" for months and months and when people complained that $600 (PLUS a $1.2k computer to run it) was too expensive he went on Twitter saying it was, "obscenely cheap." This guy has 700 Million dollars. Fuck him forever.
Found this quote thanks to this tweet. It’s from an AllThingsD interview with Oculus founder Palmer Luckey in 2013. I understand plans get altered but dang.
