OTTAWA COMIC CON

April 30, 2012

GET READY.

May 12th-13th brings you the OTTAWA COMIC CON. The first of its kind, they’re really starting things off with a bang, nabbing some incredibly awesome guests, including Patrick Stewart, John De Lancie, Lou Ferrigno, Elvira and Jeremy Bulloch! If you’re a fan of any of these lads and ladies, you should definitely head over! We’ll be there, too, with some awesome deals on action figures, statues and a variety of other collectibles!

Here’s some more info from EMC Kanata

EMC entertainment – Ottawa Comiccon is set to launch this May 12 and 13 at the CE Centre where fans will have the opportunity to meet several popular actors and actresses from Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Incredible Hulk and Star Wars.

“It’s extremely exciting that we can bring events like this to Ottawa that normally wouldn’t have a place (to set up),” said Josh Zaret, general manager of the CE Centre.

Zaret also stated that the “financial impact and publicity” that Comiccon brings is doing wonders for the new centre as the event looks to bring fans from Ottawa’s neighboring cities together under one roof.

Local convention goers also have a share in the excitement as they wait for the convention’s detailed floor plan to become publically available.

“It’s difficult to (plan) right now because they haven’t released all of the programming yet,” said Courtney Stone, a Carelton University student and Ottawa Comiccon exhibitor. “But it’s exciting because I know they will have something for everybody.”

Stone said that her exhibit will feature jewelry and accessories she created out of polyhedral dice, “which are most know from games like Dungeons and Dragons.”

Among the exhibition buffs are those who immerse themselves in convention culture to a more extensive level. The cosplayers – those who dress as specific pop or science fiction characters – will be attending the event in throngs and are currently hard at work as they look to complete their costumes in time for weekend-long event.

Algonquin College alumnus, Morgan Dunbar has cosplayed in multiple Comiccon events where she would often create a different costume for each occasion.

“When you go to things like Comiccon or Fan Expo, it’s more common to see people dress up,” said Dunbar. “You actually end up standing out more if you don’t.”

This year, Dunbar plans to dress as Captain America, a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Creating the costume from scratch gave her the chance to add some personal flare on the more classic design.

“It was a lot of finding individual pieces and modifying them, like my helmet, which was originally green, but I spray painted it blue and hand painted the ‘A’” said Dunbar. “Others, like the belt, were made from scratch. I sewed all the pouches from my own pattern.”

Dunbar is also an exhibitor for Ottawa Commicon and plans to sell jewelry that she created out of polymer clay.

When asked about the decision to bring the convention to Ottawa, David Newman, vice-president of creative development at Ottawa Comiccon said that one of the main reasons was the multiple requests from fans on Facebook and countless ones from enthusiasts who normally attend the convention in Montreal but wished that the event was closer to home.

“Ottawa convention goers have really humbled us,” said Newman. “We knew we had a fan base here but we didn’t realize just how many.”

To those fans who are wondering whether or not Comiccon will make a returning appearance next year, rest easy: “We intend to make this event happen every year, for eternity,” said Newman.


IRON MAN MARK II : ARMOR UNLEASHED

April 29, 2012

Check this out! You can now pre-order Sideshow’s latest take on Marvel heropes with this awesome rendering of the Mark II armor worn by Don Cheadle as Rhodes (prior to becoming War Machine). At 12 inches, it’s an impressive addition to any display shelf and helps bring the sheer awesomeness of the Marvel movie universe to your home. Definitely worth getting just for the looks, but if you really want to be impressed, then check out this insane list of features! Order now and he ships out in June!

Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Mark II with part of the armors unleashed in the movie Iron Man 2
Head sculpt with authentic likeness of Don Cheadle with helmet as Mark II in the movie
Approximately 30 cm tall
Over 36 points of articulations
Special features on armor:
Metallic silver painting on armor
One (1) helmet with LED-lighted eyes (white light, battery operated)
One (1) opened helmet
LED-lighted micro ARC reactor on chest (white light, battery operated)
One (1) detachable chest armor with internal exoskeleton details
One (1) pair of detachable biceps armor with internal exoskeleton details
One (1) pair of detachable thighs armor with internal exoskeleton details
One (1) left arm missile launcher
One (1) right wrist gauntlet (as shield)
Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including:
One (1) pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (white light, battery operated)
One (1) pair of forceful fists
Fully deployed air flaps at back of the armor with built-in metal flaps
AirBrake deployment system on left and right legs
One (1) pair of LED-lighted interchangeable boots with internal exoskeleton details and leg support inside (white light, battery operated)
Figure stand with Mark II nameplate and movie logo
One (1) more additional square figure stand with LED light-up function (white light, battery operated)
Sideshow Exclusive: Holographic forearm gauntlet


Masters of the Universe: KOBRA KHAN

April 27, 2012

KOBRA KHAN is the latest addition to the growing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe collection. Grim and green, the snake-headed warrior is as pumped up and over-muscled as…well, everyone else in the action figure line. And as scantily-clad! Naturally, he also comes with some weapons and accessories to improve the experience and allow for that awesome diorama you know you want to make.


SKYLANDERS: Ghost Roaster, Crypt and Time Twister

April 27, 2012

Time to add a new DLC to your Skylanders game! And by DLC, of course, we mean both Downloadable Content and Darklight Crypt! Take a look.

Adventure Pack features:

Bring your Skylanders to life by placing them on the Portal of Power
Place a location figure on the Portal of Power and access a whole new world! Experience new challenges, menacing enemies and wymsical adventures
Interaction Figures with Brains – The Skylanders figures remember their in-game experiences and upgrades
Skylanders Interaction Figures work with the Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure video game and on the web

Experience an amazing adventure in the magical world of Skylands:

Join the army of Portal Masters in the battle to save Skylands
Overcome challenging obstacles and solve puzzles
Play cooperatively with or against your friends on quests throughout Skylands and in the player vs. player battle arenas
Challenge yourself with lots of different fun minigames

Adventure Pack includes:

1- Location Interaction Figure
1- Skylanders Character Interaction Figure
2 – Magical Power Interaction Figures
4- Trading Cards
1- Sticker Sheet
4 -Web Codes


DC’S “Raven” Two Ways

April 26, 2012

White or Black? Light or Dark? Angel or Demon? You don’t have to decide, because you can grab both versions of the Teen Titans’ RAVEN right here! Take a look and snag one or both of these brand new Ame-Comi figures!

Designed by Jim Fletcher and sculpted by Sam Greenwell, these 9-inch PVC statues are stunners, capturing a character who too rarely gets her action figure due. Grab ‘em now!


FEARLESS PHOTOG

April 24, 2012

Focusing in on his enemies, the Fearless Photog might be one of the strangest figures ever to join the Masters of the Universe ranks–which is saying a lot!  But there’s an interesting reason for that.

From Photog’s Wiki:

In 1986, a contest was held for children to send in designs for new characters. Five finalists were chosen, and people were then allowed to vote for their favorite. In the last page of the Spring 1986 issue of The Masters of the Universe Magazine, they announced 12-year old Nathan Bitner as the winner of the contest with his submission of Fearless Photog.

Nathan was awarded a scholarship for 100,000 dollars, plus a five-day trip to Disneyland.

Despite the contest’s premise, however, Fearless Photog never actually went into production. While claiming they no longer have the rights to produce an action figure of this character, Mattel gave it a small nod in 2011 on the bio of its Masters of the Universe Classics Captain Glenn figure.
At San Diego Comic-Con International 2011, Mattel later revealed that Fearless Photog would finally receive a figure, as the first entry in their six-figure Masters of the Universe Classics 30th Anniversary series.

You can read an interview with the now grown-up Bitner here and click the pic below to buy the figure and finally give that 12 year old boy his due!


Sidney Crosby takes a pass on world hockey championship

April 24, 2012

Sidney Crosby takes a pass on world hockey championship

Article from National Post.

Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby won’t be wearing the Maple Leaf next month at the IIHF world championship in Finland and Sweden.

Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, said his client will take a pass on the worlds to focus on training and preparing for the 2012-13 NHL season.

“Sidney feels there is an opportunity ahead to spend the next four months getting ready for next season,” Brisson said in an email to Postmedia News. “He really didn’t have a full summer to train last year as he was injured and not 100%.”

The star centre with the Pittsburgh Penguins scored the overtime winner in the gold-medal game at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also won a gold medal with the Canadian junior team in 2005 and a silver medal in 2004.

Crosby was named the top forward in his only world championship experience after leading the tournament in scoring in 2006 with eight goals and eight assists. Canada finished fourth in that tournament.

Concussion and neck injuries limited Crosby to 22 regular-season games with the Penguins this year, however his eight goals and 29 assists gave him a career-best 1.68 points per game average despite playing less than 20 minutes a game for the first time in his seven-year career.

In six games in the Penguins’ first-round playoff to the Philadelphia Flyers this year, Crosby had three goals and five assists.

Hockey Canada has already named 17 players to its world championship roster. The team is expected to be filled out by players on teams eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Canadian team, coached by former Calgary Flames bench boss Brent Sutter, opens play on May 4 against Slovakia in Helsinki, Finland

Sidney Crosby passes on 2012 world hockey championship


Peter Jackson Debuts The Hobbit Footage

April 24, 2012

The Hobbit Movie

Article by Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter

Warner Bros. showed 10 minutes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey clips in 3D at 48 frames per second (fps)—after director Peter Jackson said in a videotaped message that he hopes his movie can be played in 48fps in “as many cinemas as possible” when it opens on Dec. 14.

The Hobbit—the first major motion picture to be made at the high frame rate of 48fps–closed the Warner Bros. slate presentation on Tuesday at CinemaCon.

Frame rate refers to the number of images displayed by a projector within one second. The cinema standard has been 24 fps for many decades. Jackson explained that in the early days of film, silent pictures were shown at an even lower frame rate—reducing the amount of film used—but it was bumped to 24 to support the requirements of sound.

Jackson asserted that with digital, there’s “no reason” to stay with 24, noting higher frame rates can result in smoother, more lifelike pictures while producing fewer motion artifacts.

In his message, Jackson stated that higher frame rates could make cinema “more attractive,” especially in 3D as it is “more gentle on the eyes.” He added that 2D at 48fps also looks “fantastic.”

The clips ranged from action sequences to quieter moments—includng a dialog sequence between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (Andy Serkis). The CinemaCon audience also saw the return of castmembers from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas).

The clarity Jackson described was visible in the presentation, but since the clips were described as “a work in progress” Warner did not screen footage that was fully color-corrected, or featuring completed VFX work.

During CinemaCon, digital cinema equipment manufacturers are on hand talking about plans to support 48fps exhibition.

Between Cinemark and Rave, there are nearly 4,000 screens in North America that have Barco Series 2 projectors with the required software update and a Doremi Integrated Media Block with beta software to make it capable of playing 48fps, Barco vp digital cinema entertainment Patrick Lee told The Hollywood Reporter.

On Tuesday, Sony announced that a software update for its digital cinema projection systems would support 48fps and be available in the Fall. Sony expects the majority of its 13,000 installed 4K digital cinema projectors to support high frame rates by the time The Hobbit is released.

Peter Jackson’s Rings trilogy resulted in an estimated $2.9 billion at the global box office and a total of 17 Academy Awards.

Part two of The Hobbit, titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for a Dec. 13 2013 release.

Buy Lord of the Rings Action figures online at www.cmdstore.com

Lord of the Rings figures


Rumor: Andy Lau, Jessica Chastain join Iron Man 3 cast

April 24, 2012

Iron-Man 3 Movie

Article by: Earnest Cavalli, Digital Trends

What do Jessica Chastain and Andy Lau have in common? If the latest Hollywood scuttlebutt is to be believed, both will be appearing in the next Iron Man movie.

Following hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Guy Pearce is in talks to play geneticist Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, comes a tandem of rumors placing both Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, The House of Flying Daggers) and Jessica Chastain (The Help, The Tree of Life) in the film.

According to Sinophile style blog Neon Punch, Lau is “close to signing” on for a role in Iron Man 3. Initially the site speculated that Lau would be playing classic Iron Man foe The Mandarin, though given Lau’s massive stardom in his native China and the fact that Iron Man 3 is being partially funded by Chinese backers, it seems unlikely that Marvel would be allowed to turn such a beloved actor into a decidedly Chinese icon of malevolence. Artistic vision be damned, the Chinese don’t like their hometown boys to look like jerks.

Along these lines, a later update to the Neon Punch piece claims that Lau will be playing “an old friend of Tony Stark’s that represents China’s technology sector.” Furthermore, it claims that The Mandarin is indeed in the film, but that Lau’s character gathers “China’s armored heroes to help Iron Man” defeat this iteration of the borderline racially inflammatory villain, who is described as “a terrorist against both the US and China.”

As for Chastain, Deadline claims that she is “back in the mix to play a starring role” in the film. Specifically, the role of an as-yet-unnamed “sexy scientist [who is] every bit as smart as Tony Stark.” Those of you familiar with super intelligent characterization tropes and/or the logic that drives every single sitcom of the past three decades will likely recognize this as a perfect set up for Stark to fall for Chastain’s character, after a protracted period of the two butting heads, arguing and attempting to one-up one another in a convenient if unlikely series of mental exercises. Perhaps there will be a particularly difficult math problem that Stark can’t solve, and then when Chastain’s scientist handily proves her cerebral abilities, Tony will realize that maybe he isn’t the pinnacle of human intelligence. Thus humbled, the two will kiss, look deeply into each other’s eyes and I’m sure you know the rest.

How exactly that will tie in with the Extremis storyline, the likely inclusion of The Mandarin and whatever Ben Kingsley might be doing in the film remains to be seen, though this immense amount of plot elements does raise worrying flags that Iron Man 3 might be reminiscent of the disappointing Spider-Man 3. That film, though initially exciting to fans for its inclusion of iconic Spider-Man foe Venom, simply attempted to cram too much plot into its 139-minute run time, and the result was a film that seemed disjointed and schizophrenic. Hopefully Marvel will recall the lessons of the 2007 Tobey Maguire/James Franco/Topher Grace vehicle, though we likely won’t know anything for sure until Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3, 2013.

Iron Man Mark V Hot Toys


Where to buy Skylanders Toys?

April 24, 2012

Buy Skylanders

There are several places to buy Skylanders in USA and Canada.   If you are lucky, you can pick them up at Toys R Us and Walmart in North America.  In Canada, it has been spotted at Best Buy and Future Shop as well.   The best place to buy them would be online from Amazon as it is more reliable than eBay.

You can also buy them online from www.cmdstore.com.

Dragon's Peak - Sunburn - Winged Boots - Sparx Dragonfly


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 334 other followers