Toy News: DOMO QEES ARRIVE AT TARGET!

DOMO QEES ARRIVE IN SELECT TARGET STORES IN ALL-NEW COLORS, AND A NEW COLOR IS ANNOUNCED IN THE DARK HORSE DELUXE EDITION OF 4” FLOCKED VINYLS


Dark Horse makes two announcements today in relation to their highly successful Domo program. The first announcement follows on the footsteps of the company’s recently launched blind-box Qee program, created in conjunction with Toy2R and featuring the likeness of Japanese NHK television’s mascot, Domo.

As part of a new vinyl toy test initiative by the Target retail chain, new packaging solutions and colorways have been created of this popular character with the mass-market audience in mind. For collectors, these special Qees have been produced in four new, exclusive colors that were previously unavailable. Domos in the new colors are now available in a special blind-box two-pack. These new colors include solid yellow and solid orange, as well as translucent black and translucent blue.

“We have tried to introduce the ‘mystery box’ genre to a more casual consumer, with an equally weighted ratio of four different colors packed in a blind box and paired with a visible brown Domo Qee,” said Dark Horse’s vice president of product development, David Scroggy. “The customer has an equal shot at one of four possible surprise colors. The blister-carded package for the single Domo Qee choices are something new for both Toy2R and Dark Horse. None of these colors is a part of our regular mystery-box assortment, so we hope this will be of interest to collectors as well as the general public.”

“Obviously these are new outlets for designer toys, so you must step back and see what works best for them while still capturing the essence of the designer-toy genre,” said Toy2R founder and president Raymond Choy.

These exclusive Domo releases are available now at select Target locations. A complete list can be found here:

http://www.darkhorse.com/Zones/DHDeluxe

In addition, Dark Horse also announces a color change in the upcoming Dark Horse Deluxe line of 4” flocked Domo vinyls. The previously announced Raging Red color has been changed to Mint Green. The edition size will remain at five hundred pieces.





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Comic News: STRIKE UP THE BAND – Deadpool #900 Is Here!

It is I, the whimsical Wade Wilson, wishing you a wonderful warning (That’s not too much alliteration is it?) – Buy Deadpool #900, with seven all new stories, my first team up and more!


It seems like only yesterday I was starring in Deadpool #13, but here I am, at the apex of comic glory! This issue is so big only the most hardcore Deadhead (Isn’t that the name for fans of the Grateful – Shut Up!) creators could handle it! In the first of seven stories, “Pinky Swear”, is presented by Joe Kelly and Rob Liefeld. “One Down” is brought to you by Charlie Huston and Kyle Baker and “Close Encounters” is created by Jason Aaron and Rick Staggs. Mike Benson and Damian Scott deliver “Shrunken Master” while Fred Van Lente and Dalibor Talijic present “Silent But Deadly.” “What Happens in Vegas” is told by Duane Swierczysnki (Is that how you spell it?) and Shawn Crystal. And lastly, we have “Great Balls of Thunder on the Deep Blue Sea” by Victor Gischler and Sanford Greene Watch as your favorite crimson comedian faces off against probe-happy aliens (They didn’t even offer us a drink!) and killer mimes (Did their guns have silencers? Bwahaha)! But the fun doesn’t stop there, I also meet a shrink that’s crazier than me (You’re crazy?) and partake in a heinous assassination (My favorite type!)! Bear witness as I wade through (Get it?) the trials and tribulations that every average psychopathic regenerating cancer-ridden red spandex-wearing mercenary assassin has to deal with! And look at that cover by Dave Johnson (I know, it’s so awesome, eh?)—and he’s doing a variant cover too!

Marvel and I have agreed that if retailers don’t check their orders on Deadpool, I will be sad. You wouldn’t like me when I’m sad (No more of my issues that sell out every single time ever!)! Guns (Guns!), chicken, aliens, mimes, battery cables, and guns (Guns!), ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? Buy Deadpool #900, starring me, the Merc with a Mouth, immediately when it comes out (Twice!)!

DEADPOOL #900 (AUG090527)
DEADPOOL #900 VARIANT COVER (JUL098089)
Written by JASON AARON, MIKE BENSON, VICTORE CHARLIE HUSTON, JOE KELLY, DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI, AND FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by KYLE BAKER, SHAWN CRYSTAL, SANFORD GREENE, ROB LIEFELD, DAMIAN SCOTT, RICK STAGGS & DALIBOR TALIJIC
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
FOC –9/24/09, On Sale – 10/14/09

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Comic News: JONATHAN HICKMAN MAKES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SIGNING DEBUT WITH CANOGA PARK'S COLLECTOR'S PARADISE!

NIGHTLY NEWS & PAX ROMANA creator to sign in Southern California for the very first time!


NIGHTLY NEWS and PAX ROMANA's Jonathan Hickman will be making his Southern California signing debut this Saturday, August 29th at Canoga Park, CA's Collector's Paradise!

"Coming down to Southern California for a signing has been a long time coming," Hickman said. "There's an amazing amount of great stores in Southern California and I'm very excited about my first signing. Edward and the crew at Collector's Paradise have already gone a long way to make me feel welcome."

Collector's Paradise has been a mainstay of the Southern California retail community for over fifteen years and featured signings with some of comics biggest names. Like all their signings, Collector's Paradise adds a twist to the event, with famed comic book podcast ComicsOnComics.com recording their first-ever live show at Collector's Paradise, featuring Hickman and several well known comedians.! From there, Hickman will begin a signing session for his legion of Collector's Paradise fans.

Collector's Paradise owner Ed Greenberg added, "We've been home to a great roster of signings over the years, especially in recent months, but Jonathan is a creator we've been hoping to have since NIGHTLY NEWS was initially released. All of his Image work is constantly in our top ten sellers, so we're highly looking forward to the event."

Jonathan Hickman will be signing at Collector's Paradise Saturday, August 29th from 3:00 - 6:00 PM, preceded by the Comics on Comics taping 1:00 - 3:00 PM. More information is available at http://comicsandcards.net/.

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Comic News: TOP COW PREVIEW: The Darkness/Pitt #1

Top Cow is offering a preview of The Darkness/Pitt #1, which goes on sale this Wednesday, August 26th.


The Darkness/Pitt #1 (of 3)

(W) Paul Jenkins (A) Dale Keown (Cov) Keown, Stjepan Sejic

Dale Keown’s classic hero Pitt makes his return to comics! What else do you need to know?

When Tim and Pitt’s mission to track down those infected by an alien virus brings them to Jackie’s stomping ground in New York, they are invariably drawn together. Both attract the unwanted attention of the Federal Government and mayhem ensues!

The crossover reunites The Darkness writer Paul Jenkins (Captain America, Mythos) and Pitt creator Dale Keown (Hulk: The End) and features two covers by series artist Keown and a variant cover by Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade).

Cover A – Dale Keown
Cover B – Stjepan Sejic

Full Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series




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Toy News: Jurassic Park Toy Line Announcement

HASBRO ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE JURASSIC PARK TOY LINE AT TOYS“R”US STORES NATIONWIDE


Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) has announced plans to unleash the legendary dinosaurs from Universal Pictures’ Jurassic Park, one of the most powerful franchises in motion picture history. This fall, under a licensing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing, Hasbro plans to launch a new action figure line based on the film’s prehistoric predators exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores across the country.

“Jurassic Park is one of the most successful film franchises of all time and has a passionate fan base,” said Derryl DePriest, Vice President of Marketing at Hasbro. “Dinosaurs are also tremendously popular with kids, and Jurassic Park is the mark of authenticity when it comes to realistic and exciting dinosaur play.”

“Since the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park first stomped onto movie screens more than 15 years ago, they’ve captured kids’ imaginations,” said Karen Dodge, Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys“R”Us. “There is no better place to find toys based on kids’ favorite characters than Toys“R”Us, and we’re excited to be the only retailer to offer kids and collectors official Jurassic Park action figures.”

“Jurassic Park remains the quintessential dinosaur brand,” said Stephanie Sperber, Executive Vice President, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. “The movies still rank as one of the top five trilogies of all time, and with Hasbro and Toys“R”Us behind the line, we know there will be great demand for the product. We truly have a winning combination on our hands.”

Hasbro’s Jurassic Park product line will be available exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores beginning this fall, featuring authentic dinosaur action figures in various sizes, such as:

Jurassic Park Basic Dinosaur Two-Pack Assortment

Now, kids can assemble their own dino army with this collection of authentic Jurassic Park dinosaurs! With two dinosaurs in each pack, this assortment allows children to create amazing dinosaur adventures.

Ages: 4 & up; No batteries required

Jurassic Park Deluxe Dinosaur and Figure Assortment

Each deluxe two-pack in this assortment comes with a dinosaur and a “Dino Tracker” action figure that is equipped with an accessory that lets them track their prey. Now, kids can determine who will win the hunt –dinosaurs or humans.

Ages: 4 & up; No batteries required

Jurassic Park Electronic Dinosaur Assortment

The battle is coming! These fully articulated dinosaurs battle each other and have “dino-damage” to show for it. Each dinosaur lets out a fierce roar when kids activate its individual attack action. To create a more realistic battle, kids can also press the “dino-damage” to hear the dinosaur howl.

Ages: 4 & up; 3 “A76” or “LR44” Alkaline batteries required (included)

Jurassic Park Deluxe Electronic T-Rex

The king of the dinosaurs has arrived! This massive T-Rex comes to life with multiple growls, roars and howls and even a “bone crunching” sound effect for when it eats its prey. Additionally, its motion activated stomping sounds are sure to strike fear into humans and other dinosaurs alike. This giant dinosaur comes with a “Dino Tracker” action and a weapon that really fires. As an added bonus, the back of the box has an illustration that can be cut out and assembled into an off-road vehicle.

Ages: 4 & up; 3 “AAA” batteries required (included)

Since Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment first joined forces to unleash an adventure over 65 million years in the making, Jurassic Park has become the “premier” and “authentic” dinosaur brand the world over. When Jurassic Park was released in 1993, it became an instant phenomenon. In the years that followed, two additional films were released – The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III – bringing the trilogy’s worldwide box office total to more than $2 billion. The franchise continues to resonate with consumers worldwide via consumer products, popular attractions at Universal Studios Theme Parks and annual airings of the three films on a multitude of television networks. Read more...

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Comic Review: Jennifer's Body (BOOM! Studios) By Oliver C.

Jennifer’s Body BOOM! Studios

“Laugh Out Loud Funny”

If you have trouble deciding whether to read this or not, I will make it easier for you. By using only one word I can persuade you to read this. Megan Fox. Mmmm.....we all love her right? After this you might not...




Megan Fox is Jennifer Check. The most popular girl in the school. Every guy wants her, every girl wants to be her, or do they? Jennifer has a secret, she likes to kill boys. And she doesn’t use proper murder tools either. Jennifer is different, she is evil. Although they don’t say it in the comic, you could call her a demon. The comic has four chapters, an epilogue and a prologue. Each chapter following a teenage boy, and his so far so good life. Each boy has his own story about Jennifer, but they don’t live to tell it.

The epilogue is beautifully drawn, Jennifer actually looks alike Megan Fox. But as soon as you finish that and go on to chapter one it changes. This chapter looks like a very talented child drew it. Lots of colours, and out of proportion objects met by great facial expressions, and broken looking fingers is a great style! Chapter two looks like a regular comic again, nothing new here. Chapter three has lots of different textures, and each frame has more than 2 shades of brown in it. And chapter four and the epilogue look like the more common, and normal look.

I liked the style of the comic, and the fact that it was split up into chapters, each following a different victim. I liked how closely it related to the movie (Or at least what I saw from the trailers). It was also the funniest comic I’ve ever read! It may just be me who thinks that kind of humour is funny, but if I am then so be it! When Jonas tried his best to day dream about boobies I busted out laughing. Over and over I laughed. It is one hell of a comic.

I eventually got bored of reading about the boys lives once I learned that they were all going to die. I just wanted to see them get killed. I also didn’t like some of the scary demon-like faces Jennifer made; they kind of made me look at her in a different way after. There wasn’t too much I disliked about this comic.

Hopefully the comic was half as good as the new movie to soon come. Not too much excitement lies in this book, just a lot of suspense, and terror. I recommend this. It’s great for anyone who loves demonic murders or Megan Fox.

Writer: Rick Spears
Artists: Jim Mahfood, Ming Doyle, Nikki Cook, Tim Seeley

8 Out of 10

Review By: Oliver Copeland

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Comic Review: Doctor Who Cold-Blooded War (IDW Publishing) by Adam P.

The Doctor Averts a Civil War Without Breaking a Sweat

On their way to a space opera, the Doctor and Donna wind up walking into a conflict on the planet Draconia. Mistaken for negotiators from earth, they become rapidly embroiled in the Draconian conflict. Draconian society is on the brink of a civil war because of the ascension of a female emperor to the throne. The traditionally chauvinistic society aren't too happy about this and some are planning bombings, kidnappings and assassinations accordingly.




Donna is the right companion for this story as she unashamedly delivers a lecture to the male Draconian leaders about feminism. It's vintage Donna. It really, really sounds exactly like she would've delivered it on the show, complete with exclamations of "wot!". There's also a great cameo of an Adipose whom Donna encountered in her first adventure with the Doctor in season four.

Having been captured by the would-be usurpers, the Doctor meets a child who will be key in ending the internecine fighting and they get to the throne room with the help of his trusty sonic screwdriver. We also have some Martians who accompany Donna and the Doctor in an attempt to broker a peace treaty who provide some comic relief

Unfortunately, the issue overall is somewhat paint-by-numbers, a cautionary tale about the equality of the sexes, the uselessness of civil war and the sacrifice of the innocent to obtain peace – important but hardly ground-breaking. It's an OK read but nowhere near the pulse-pounding cliffhangers from the eighties UK comics that IDW is currently reprinting in Doctor Who Classics.

The recent IDW Doctor Who one-shots are like condensed television episodes, with the suspense and sleuthing kept to a strict minimum. There's constant dialogue in order to move things along quicker and this can be off-putting at first for someone used to the pacing of the 45-minute TV episodes. In the best David Tennant episodes there's always a sense of “how they heck are they gonna get themselves out of this one?' which is utterly absent from these sort of comics. I wasn't worried about the good Doctor or his companion for a second in this issue – and that's rather a bad thing.

My biggest disappointment is the artwork. In the previous one-shot Autopia and the first two issues of the ongoing series we've seen artwork that resembles the quality of movie storyboards. In other words, it's barely adequate and only serves to sketch out the stories rather than transport them to another level. In Cold-Blooded war the art appears rushed and poorly detailed. Luckily the aliens here are believable nonetheless but Donna hardly looks like herself at all. I strongly feel that Doctor Who could become a very important property for IDW, but they're going to have to find some artists of higher calibre.

The colouring, however, is brilliant (as the doctor might say) and really carries the issue, making it far more enjoyable that it would have been in vintage colouring had it appeared several years ago. I really hope IDW will step up their game and put blood, sweat and tears into the ongoing series.

Writer: Richard Starkings
Artist: Adrian Salmon

On sale August 26th

7/10

Adam P.
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