TV News: Cesar Millan and Scooby-Doo Share 40th Birthday Celebration

Birthday Bash for World Renowned Dog Behaviorist and Famous Pup Also Celebrates the World Premiere Movie Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins airing on Cartoon Network
and September 22 release on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack

Cartoon Network Makes Donation to Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation

40,000 Snausages® Scooby Snacks for Dogs Donated for Duo’s Birthday Celebration


Zoinks! Cesar Millan and Scooby-Doo have turned 40! The world renowned dog behavior specialist and beloved iconic cartoon character celebrated turning 40 together at their very own birthday bash today at the East Valley Animal Shelter in Van Nuys, Calif. Also sharing in the festivities were some of Cesar and Scooby’s favorite dogs available for adoption at the shelter, Los Angeles Councilman Tony Cardenas, children from Van Nuys Recreation Center’s “Off-Track Enrichment program” and the cast of the upcoming movie Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, a co-production of Warner Premiere and Cartoon Network.

The film premieres on Cartoon Network on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, and Warner Home Video will release the film on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

In honor of Cesar Millan and Scooby-Doo’s 40th birthday, Cartoon Network presented a donation of $10,000 to the Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation, supporting the foundation’s efforts to increase the number of dog adoptions each day. Currently, there are millions of dogs available from adoption shelters and rescue organizations across the nation hoping for a second chance and a permanent, new home.

The cast of the film – Robbie Amell (Fred), Kate Melton (Daphne), Hayley Kiyoko (Velma) and Nick Palatas (Shaggy) – and Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins producer Brian Gilbert also joined the festivities to help celebrate the birthdays.

“I'm so happy to be celebrating my 40th birthday with an icon like Scooby-Doo. And I’m thrilled to use this celebratory moment to promote the importance of giving dogs a second chance and adopting them from local shelters or rescue groups,” said Cesar Millan. “Many thanks to Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Consumer Products for contributing to the Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation and for supporting our continued efforts to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home shelter dogs.”

“When we discovered that both Cesar and Scooby were reaching this exciting milestone around the same time, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring the two of them together for a celebration that would not only be fun, but also honor the great work of the Cesar and Illusion Millan Foundation,” said Stuart Snyder, President and COO, Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media.

“Scooby-Doo and Cesar Millan have played vital roles in helping kids relate to animals in a compassionate, empathetic way. I am proud they have chosen to celebrate their birthdays right here in one of the city’s animal care centers and are talking to our kids about pet responsibility,” said Councilman Tony Cardenas.

More than 40,000 Snausages® Scooby Snacks were also donated in celebration of the world’s favorite Great Dane’s birthday bash. With four flavors in each box - cheese, beef, chicken and pizza flavored – the crunchy Scooby Snacks are beloved by dogs everywhere. In addition, Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ licensees contributed an array of products for today’s festivities, including Thermos lunch kits, Ty Scooby Beanies, Scooby fruit snacks and baked graham crackers.

Dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan is best known for his hit television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan on National Geographic Channel. The Cesar and Ilusion Millan Foundation promotes the adoption of abused and abandoned dogs at shelters and rescue organizations. The foundation also provides direct funding for spaying and neutering programs and the humane education of children of all ages. For more information, visit MillanFoundation.org.

On Sept. 13, Scooby-Doo will not only celebrate his 40th year on television, but also the world premiere of the new live-action movie Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins on Cartoon Network. For the first time ever, the never-before-told origin story of the Mystery Inc. gang will be revealed in the two-hour movie premiering on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. (ET, PT). Warner Home Video will also release Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

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Comic News: ELEPHANTMEN OVERSHIPS ITS ULTIMATE JUMPING ON POINT THIS THURSDAY!

ELEPHANTMEN #21 comes to participating retailers this week with a very special overship!


This Thursday, the acclaimed sci-fi series, ELEPHANTMEN, will give readers a chance to jump on board as participating stores receive a special 25% overship.

"I'm so glad we're overshipping this particular issue, because I want it to get into as many people's hands as possible," Starkings said. "We've sold out of EVERY issue since #16 – the Marian Churchland issues were a huge hit – and our numbers have been holding very steady since we returned to our regular monthly schedule with our series of standalone stories, DANGEROUS LIAISONS. I envision ten hefty ELEPHANTMEN collections by the time we're done, so readers have a lot to look forward to."

ELEPHANTMEN #21 is an action-packed, pulls-no-punches story with Totally Kick Ass artwork by regular cover artist Boo Cook, and acts as a direct sequel to the series' first issue as it picks up on the stories of Elephantman Ebony Hide and his human friend, Savannah. This issue also sows the seeds for the next big storyline, QUESTIONABLE THINGS. Image's overship will ensure participating stores have the chance to bring new readers onboard along with the fans of the collections looking for an entry point to the ongoing series!

Starkings added, "In addition, original series artist Moritat returns with issue #23 as Hip Flask and Ebony are forced to deal with a MAPPO sleeper cell which seeks to reactivate the Elephantmen as the weapons of mass destruction they intended them to be! We also have knockout covers by J Scott Campbell and Steve Skroce, and a couple other big surprises in the months to come. Watch this space!"

ELEPHANTMEN #21 (JUL090393), a 32-page full color comic book for $3.50, will be in-stores September 10th, 2009. For more information, please see http://www.hipflask.com/issues/elephantmen21/.

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Comic News: Brubaker & Phillips Award-Winning CRIMINAL Returns!

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the team that wowed fans and critics with the smash-hit Incognito, return with the crime noir series that started it all—Criminal is back!


Tracy Lawless, the most popular character in the series history, takes center stage in Criminal: The Sinners #1 as made men turn up dead all over the city! But when criminals need justice, Tracy’s their best—and only—hope! But just who’s behind these mob-style hits on made men? If you haven’t experienced Criminal, the series that ComicbookResources.com calls “The best crime comic ever published”, Criminal: The Sinners #1 is the perfect place to jump onboard!

“Doing INCOGNITO was just the break that Sean and I needed to recharge our crime batteries. Now we’re back with more grimy goodness, and hopefully all the new readers we picked up with INCOGNITO will follow us back to CRIMINAL,” Brubaker said. “And as always with CRIMINAL, this new story stands on its own, and is totally new-reader-friendly.”

Clocking in at 40 pages of all new content—with no ads—now’s the time to jump into one of the most acclaimed new series of the decade! Don’t miss Criminal: The Sinners #1!

CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #1 (JUL090583)
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Mature Content/No ads…. $3.50
FOC—9/10/09, On-Sale—9/30/09

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Comic News: Top Cow releases The Darkness/Pitt #1 for Free on Comics by comiXology app!

PAUL JENKINS & DALE KEOWN’S

THE DARKNESS/PITT #1 FREE ON IPHONE

Sold Out Debut Issue Available at No Cost Through Comics by comiXology Application


Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the first issue of The Darkness/Pitt, which has sold out at the distributor level, would be made available for free on comiXology’s Comic store/library/reader application for the iPhone beginning this Wednesday, September 9th. The issue will also be available in its entirety on comiXology.com.

Paul Jenkins (Captain America: Theater of War) and Pitt creator Dale Keown (Berserker) have reunited for the first time since their much-lauded run on The Darkness in 2002 in The Darkness/Pitt. The series also marks the first Pitt series in a decade and creator Keown’s return to the character he is best known for. In the three issue limited series, Jackie Estacado, mafia hitman and current bearer of The Darkness, encounters an alien infection which turns normal people into monstrous zombie like beings. Meanwhile, Pitt, an alien/human hybrid warrior, and his teen half-brother Tim arrive in New York tracking down this same problem. The highly anticipated crossover series has been over five years in the making and was held back from release by Top Cow Productions until all principal work on the series had been completed.

“We're thrilled to be a part of Top Cow's strategy to get more exposure for The Darkness/Pitt. The long-awaited return of Pitt deserves great exposure to a wide audience, and our patent-pending Guided View really shines with the material,” explained comiXology President David Steinberger, “Many thousands of people now have the opportunity to read the first issue and use Comics by comiXology's unique in-app connection to retailers to pre-order the next issue.”

“Top Cow has been talking with comiXology for some time about an opportunity to explore their terrific iPhone app and introduce some Top Cow properties to the world of mobile comics and this seemed like the perfect opportunity,” added Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik, “Not only do we put our best foot forward, but hopefully we can drive some additional sales to direct market retailers for issue #2 and #3.”

The Darkness/Pitt #2 is scheduled to be in stores on September 23rd and readers will be able to contact their local comic shop through the Comics by comiXology application. Customers can pre-order issue #2 with the following Diamond order codes:

JUL090442 DARKNESS PITT #2 (OF 3) KEOWN CVR A
JUL090443 DARKNESS PITT #2 (OF 3) HUTOMO CVR B

Comics by comiXology can be found at http://itunes.com/apps/Comics

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DVD News: MAD MONSTER PARTY: SPECIAL EDITION

“This party should make everybody chuckle!” - ¬The New York Times

Street Date: 9/8/09
Order Date: 8/12/09
DVD SRP: $14.98


Mad Monster Party, the beloved animated Halloween classic, comes to Special Edition DVD this September from Lionsgate. Featuring the voices of horror film legend Boris Karloff (Frankenstein) as Baron Boris von Frankenstein and Golden Globe® nominee Phyllis Diller (TV’s “The Pruitts of Southampton,” Best TV Star-Female, 1966) as the Monster’s Mate, Mad Monster Party: Special Edition is a hilariously spooky classic! This treasured stop-motion movie comes from the studios of Rankin-Bass - the team who created “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and other beloved holiday specials and has been called an inspiration for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Mad Monster Party: Special Edition includes a brand-new retrospective featurette and two fun sing-a-longs, and is encased in frighteningly fun neon O-card DVD packaging - making it the perfect treat for Halloween this year!

Baron Von Frankenstein has decided to retire as the head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But first, he must inform the other monsters about his plans. How to deliver the news? How else - through a Mad Monster Party! Von Frankenstein’s guests include a who’s who of Halloween favorites, including The Werewolf, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and more. But who among them is fit to be the new head of the monsters? Find out in this frighteningly fun holiday classic from Rankin Bass (“Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer”) that will leave kids of all ages howling with delight!

*DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• “Groovy Ghouls: The Making of Mad Monster Party” – featurette that includes interviews with cast and crew and the official Rankin Bass historian.
• Two bonus sing-a-longs for kids of all ages!
• Theatrical trailer
*Subject to change

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 1967
Title Copyright: © STUDIOCANAL - Videocraft International Ltd.
Type: Special Edition
Rating: NR
Genre: Animated / Holiday / Family
Closed Captioned: English Closed Captioned
Subtitles: None
Format: Full screen (1.33:1)
Feature Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Audio Status: Dolby Digital Mono

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TV News: ABC's HIT TV SHOW "LOST"-THE AUCTION AT DISNEY'S D23 IN ANAHEIM SEPTEMBER 10-13, 2009

ABC's HIT TV SHOW "LOST"-THE AUCTION
AT DISNEY'S D23 IN ANAHEIM SEPTEMBER 10-13, 2009

Come See Original Props And Costumes From The Show And Meet Cast Members Who Will Be Signing Autographs

Profiles in History will offer fans a special preview of the props, costumes and set pieces that will be available


If you are a fan of all things LOST, then Disney's D23, taking place September 10-13, 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is definitely the place to be. Profiles in History, the world's largest Hollywood memorabilia auctioneer, will offer fans of the hit ABC television series, LOST a special preview of their Summer, 2010 auction, with a display of authentic props, costumes and set pieces including Kate's toy plane, Hurley's winning lottery ticket, Locke's hunting knife, Sawyer's letter and many other surprises! This four-day sneak preview will be at booth 1930 and runs from 9:00am-5:00pm each day.

ABC is pleased to announce the "LOST" Auction will take place after the series finale in May 2010. "In celebration of our fans around the world, Profiles in History has been selected to auction a selection of original props, set pieces, costumes and collectors' artifacts from the entire series in order to give our fans a chance to own a piece of one of the greatest, most iconic shows in history.

Profiles in History President, Joseph Maddalena: "Profiles in History is thrilled to be holding the LOST Auction. LOST is one of the most iconic TV shows ever created, and we are working in conjunction with ABC to offer fans from around the world an opportunity to own a memento of this amazing show. This is a once in a lifetime auction event that will celebrate one of the most beloved shows in television history."

For more information about Profiles in History and to download complete catalogs from previous auctions, please visit HYPERLINK www.profilesinhistory.com.

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Toy News: Uglydoll NYC! Fashion's Night Out at Yoyamart Thursday, Sept 10th 6-11pm

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Comic News: Marvel Comics On-Sale 09/10/09

Hey there True Believers, here’s your official list of comic books, collections and posters arriving in comic stores on Thursday, September 10th, 2009.


For more information on any of these titles, and on upcoming mighty Marvel releases, please visit http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?date=2009-09-10 or contact your local comic book retailer at 1-888-comicbook. Stay tuned each week for a brand new list of Marvel releases so that you’ll never miss your favorite heroes in action!

Comics On-Sale:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #604
DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: EXODUS (DAX)
DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: EXODUS BIANCHI VARIANT (DAX)
DARK REIGN: THE LIST - AVENGERS ONE-SHOT
DARK REIGN: THE LIST - AVENGERS ONE-SHOT HERO VARIANT
DARK REIGN: YOUNG AVENGERS #4 (DR)
ENDER'S GAME: COMMAND SCHOOL #1
HULK TEAM-UP ONE-SHOT
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #134
INCREDIBLE HULK #600 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
KICK-ASS #7
MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #15
MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD #1
MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN #2
MODELS, INC. #1
MODELS, INC. #1 TIM GUNN VARIANT
NOMAD: GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD #1
PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX #74
THE MARVELS PROJECT #2 EPTING COVER
THE MARVELS PROJECT #2 MCNIVEN COVER
THE MARVELS PROJECT #2 PAREL VARIANT
THOR: TALES OF ASGARD BY STAN LEE & JACK KIRBY #5
THUNDERBOLTS #135 (DR)
THUNDERBOLTS 135 70TH FRAME VARIANT (DR)
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #2
WAR OF KINGS: WHO WILL RULE? ONE-SHOT
X-MEN FOREVER #3 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
X-MEN FOREVER #4 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
X-MEN FOREVER #7

Collections On-Sale:
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 VOL. 3: VAMPIRE STATE TPB
FANTASTIC FOUR: LOST ADVENTURES BY STAN LEE TPB
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: WAR OF KINGS BOOK 1 TPB
MARVEL 1602 PREMIERE HC
MARVEL SUPER HERO TEAM-UP TPB
MS. MARVEL VOL. 7: DARK REIGN PREMIERE HC
RUNAWAYS: THE GOOD DIE YOUNG PREMIERE HC
SPIDER-MAN NOIR GN-TPB
ULTIMATUM: SPIDER-MAN PREMIERE HC
YTHAQ - NO ESCAPE PREMIERE HC

*DAX= Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men:Utopia tie-in
*DR= Dark Reign tie-in



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Toy Review: SDCC Ghostbusters Classics Egon with Slimer (Mattel) by Dean René Middleton

SDCC Ghostbusters Classics Slimed Egon Spengler with Translucent Slimer

So, the Ghostbusters classics line is off to a start with the release of the SDCC Slimed Egon Spengler with Slimer figure. And much like any self respecting Ghostbusters fan I was eager to see what the figure would be like. And to be fair, it is actually pretty good.




First of all the packaging is great. The art work is spectacular, with both Zuul and Vinz Clotho looking menacing on the box art, with the spectre of the Staypuft Marshmallow man looming on the horizon. This was great because anyone who remembers the poster that used to be included in some o f the 1980’s Real Ghostbusters toys will remember a very similar pose was adopted by Mr Staypuft which really helps to hammer home that nostalgia factor.

The box can also be resealed which is nice. Some Mint on card collectors may be unhappy about this, but I think it is great because although I am primarily a loose collector, I do retain packages for particular figures. And yes, I am actually one of the crazy few who still has the packages for all his 80’s Ghostbusters toys even though I opened and played with them at the time. So, personally I feel it’s great to be able to tuck the figure away back inside the box when it is not in use.

Now, a lot of people have mentioned that the Egon figure actually looks lot more a bit more like Dustin Hoffman, than it does Harold Ramis. And after examining the figure, I think I can see why such comparisons may be drawn. And personally, I think that is down to a simple issue, and it’s to do with the Neck.

While I think that the head sculpt is an exceptionally good likeness of Harold Ramis, it seems that the neck is rather short. The result of this makes it look as though his head is slightly sunken into his shoulders, hence the "Dustin Hoffman effect" [no offence Dustin]. And one of the distinctive attributes about Harold Ramis Egon Spengler portrayal and the subsequent stylizations in the Real Ghostbusters media was his tall, and long features. Unfortunately those attributes seem to be a little bit lost on this figure, due to the short neck.

The actual slime that is on Egons uniform is not too overwhelming. I must admit, I had some big reservations about investing in this particular figure once I heard that there would be an unslimed version of Egon at some point in the future. However, no solid release date has been set for that variant, and I decided to take my chances with this version.

And I was not disappointed. The slime is very subtle, and in many ways I think that it actually helps to give points of visual to detail to the costume, which may perhaps have looked a little lack lustre without it.

Egons glasses also look better in person than the pre release photos that I saw of the figure. And they also contain little lenses which is great. They appear to be permanently fixed to his head, which is good, since there is no danger of them falling off and being lost, which is usually the case with characters who wear glasses.

The Proton Pack itself is very solid, and has a lot of sculptural detail. The good thing is that it really is very solid, and doesn’t seem to have any small detailed parts that would chip off or break off easily. It is really well painted, and looks very authentic, much like the version shown in the film.

The downside to the proton pack is that it cannot be removed from the figure, and this has raised doubts in many collectors minds about the future possibilities of an Ecto-1 vehicle being made to support the figures, because if you can’t remove the proton packs, how would they be able to sit in the vehicle?

Although with that being said, it is actually possible to sit Egon in the 1980’s version of the Real Ghostbusters Ecto 1, if you gently remove the Black seats. It’s a tight fit, but he looks pretty good inside it, and again, it makes me hope that Mattel does indeed produce an updated and in scale Ecto-1, because it really is such an iconic movie vehicle.

Sadly the Nutrona Wand is not sculpted out of the same solid plastic as the Proton Pack, and often ends up looking very limp since it bends far too easily. I also feel that it should have been slightly longer, because the tip of the nozzle seems to sit very close to the edge of Egons hand.

Now, perhaps I have a little bit too much of an overactive imagination, but looking at the Neutrona Wand in his hand, it’s difficult not to think that he would burn his hand off when using it. So perhaps an extra few millimetres in length could have helped a bit in this area.

Other features that I think would have been nice perhaps would have been a set of interchangeable gloved hands. Now, perhaps I’m a stickler for detail, but I don’t ever remember seeing Egon use his Neutrona Wand without having gloved hands in the first movie. In fact, I think the only time he ever used it without gloves was during the courtroom scene in Ghostbusters 2. But the point is that, to me he feels a little incomplete without the the gloves on. I suspect that others may feel differently, but he just doesn’t strike me as being fully suited up and ready for business.

The Slimer figure also turned out much better than I had expected. The translucent plastic effect works really well, and from a side view he looks very much like the way he look in the Sedgwick hotel scene in the first film. He is articulated in the same way as the NECA version from 2004, but is slightly smaller in scale, and some fans may actually prefer this aspect.

The Slimer figure really turned out well, and is actually one of the highlights of the SDCC Egon figure. The only things that I felt were perhaps a little weak on the Slimer were the dark black lines around the eyes and mouth. The actual painted parts eye and mouth are great, but the additional dark comic book looking lines do not look very subtle, and kind detract from the figure slightly.

Egon stands at around 5 ½ Inches and features all of the standard articulation seen in other Movie Masters figures, which includes approximately 24 points of articulation. This is great because it opens up avenues for interesting and varied poses.

But for $20 figure SDCC Egon also falls slightly short in the accessories department, which has always been a problem for Movie Masters figures. To be fair Egon doesn’t really have any real accessories of his own, because the stand belongs to Slimer.

So Egon is left with nothing to make him more interesting when removed from the package, since the proton pack is a permanent fixture. Again, this is where I really feel that either the inclusion alternate gloved hands, a P.K.E meter, a detachable trap or an attachable proton stream would have significantly increased the lasting appeal of this figure. As it is, he is pretty much just standing quietly in a corner waiting for the reinforcements to arrive.

Although, with that being said, I have had a considerable amount of fun positioning my Egon figure alongside my existing NECA Ghostbusters toy collection, and he fits in exceptionally well with those figures. To be honest, that was my primary reason for wanting these Ghostbusters classics figures, because the NECA line from 2004 had such a promising start, but unfortunately was cancelled before the 4 Ghostbusters themselves were released. And its great to see that Mattel have effectively picked up the slack, and are producing such highly detailed and realistic looking versions of the Ghostbusters after all this time.

So as a result it is actually a bit difficult to fully formulate an objective opinion on this figure at this present point, because there is no real context or frame of reference in which to properly judge him. When the Ray figure is released on October 15th it will be a good opportunity to see exactly where this line is going, and how the figures fit together as a collection.

So all in all, this is a very good first attempt and certainly an item that Ghostbusters fans, both young and old will be very pleased to invest in.

The figures are usually available through Mattycollector.com for $20. Unfortunately Egon is now sold out but if you act quickly he can still be found for reasonable price on eBay. The next figure in the line will be Ray and he goes on sale on October 15th at Mattycollector.com

Review and photographs by:
Dean René Middleton
Staff Reviewer




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Toy Review: Masters of the Universe Classics Mer-Man by Patrick Garone

Our look back at Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics line brings us to April 2009’s figure, Mer-Man, Skeletor’s Ocean Warlord. Mer-Man was the first of the line to have his production numbers increased and he was offered in two unique shipments both of which sold out in under an hour, which makes him one the fastest-selling figures in the series. With his popularity, it would be logical for Mer-Man to be offered for sale again in 2010. Let’s hope he returns, because Mer-Man is arguably the best figure in the MOTUC line.




Like many other figures in this series, Mer-Man is given a goofy name in his bio, Squidish Rex. Out of all of the silly names created for this action figure line, this one takes the prize. The rest of the bio is pretty unremarkable and seems to allude to the Icons of Evil: Mer-Man comic which provided some back story for the character during the 2002 line.

Squidish is the first figure in the MOTUC series to come with a bonus head. His packaged head is a slightly updated version of that of his 1980’s figure, which also used for the vintage Stinkor. I’ve never been a fan of this head as it always seemed too feline. The bonus head resembles Mer-Man’s original package art and, later, his 200X design. Kudos to Mattel for allowing us the option of displaying our Mer-Man which ever way we like. I’d love to see more of this in the line for characters that had a distinct 200X appearance (Buzz-Off and Stinkor come to mind). The alternate head has a great sculpt, with big glassy-looking eyes and those great head-fins that really help to sell the aquatic nature of this character. The rest of Mer-Man is largely a repaint of Skeletor, with the “monster feet” and the scalloped forearms, both of which work better here than on Skeletor. His left hand is sculpted open with fingers splayed out in an apparent reference to his 1980’s package art. I like this open hand a lot and it makes for some really evocative poses.

Mer-Man’s accessories very skillfully help disguise the fact that he shares 80% of his body with Skeletor. One of the nicest inclusions is a sort of fishy-looking piece that goes around his neck as an add-on which helps distinguish it from the basic Skeletor body. He also comes with an update to his classic ocean armor, complete with weird fish/bowtie/belt buckle, here a part of the chest armor. Mer-Man also includes his “corncob” sword (which fits into a special sculpted holder on the back of the armor) and a trident inspired by his 200X incarnation. Due to his open left hand, Mer-Man can only hold one item at a time.

The paint on Mer-Man is pretty good but also the one area of the figure where I find fault. When Mer-Man was first unveiled, he was painted in a soft blue-green, which I thought was a fantastic color and between the great sculpt and the great paint job, I was knocked out by this figure and he was the one I was most excited to pick up. This paint scheme is still visible on mattycollector.com. However, as he came closer to release, the color was changed to a glossy dark green (and to be fair, the final figure also has a nice dark wash on all the armor and shin guards and gauntlets that he didn’t have on the prototype). And while I don’t dislike the final color, the prototype color was a lot nicer and I really hope Mattel considers re-releasing Mer-Man in this color when they get around to selling him again.

Despite my personal gripe with his paint job, Mer-Man is my favorite Masters of the Universe Classics figure to date and he is likely the best out of the series so far. With his fantastic extra head and his abundance of accessories, Mattel and The Four Horsemen showed old Squidish Rex a lot of love and attention. So far, Mattel has been tight-lipped about their re-release plans beyond Skeletor in December, but I would bet that won’t be too far behind him. If you absolutely cannot wait, this is one of the few figures in the series that warrants paying the inflated prices on the secondary market.

Patrick Garone
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DVD Review: Boot Camp (MGM) by Brian

Didn't I see this on Springer?

Every year, "troubled" kids are sent to correctional camps for one reason or another. Usually because parents don't want to act like parents.

Boot Camp is a fictional account of what happens in these camps.




To sum it up Sophie (Mila Kunis) is one of these "troubled teenagers" whose parents send her off to the rehabilitation camps, where they use psychical & psychological torture. Her boyfriend Ben (Gregory Smith) doesn't believe it & tries to break her out.

I found the message that director Christian Duguay was trying to convey extremely pretentious. Duguay was trying to say that these programs don't work. While I don't always agree with this programs to "rehabilitate" kids, they wouldn't be necessary it these parent would stop this stupid "time out" & PC crap & use some discipline.

But I digress. Overall the film wasn't bad, but it wasn't that exciting or thrilling at all. It was a bit predictable at times.

While not the worst thriller I've ever seem, it's far from the best.

At least worth the price of a rental.

Brian Isaacs
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Toy Review: NECA Street fighter IV Chun-Li Toy review by Dean René Middleton

NECA Street Fighter IV Round 2: Chun-Li

After what had seemed like almost 10 years of uncertainty, Capcom finally delivered the “4th” chapter in the Street Fighter saga to fighting game fans worldwide. It was released in the first quarter of 2009. And although the game has become a huge commercial success and put the Street Fighter franchise back into the public eye, there were many mixed and varied opinions by long time street fighter fans as to just how credible Street Fighter 4 actually was as a sequel.





Many of the hardcore players felt that it was a step backwards in game play from other titles such as 3rd Strike or Alpha 3, while on the other hand, there were just as many fans who loved its more traditional “back to basics” game play mechanics. I was one of the people that fell into the first category, and as a result, I completely failed to get swept up in any of the Street Fighter 4 hype.

But just last weekend, while out doing my usual hunt for new and interesting toys to add to my collection, I noticed that the second wave of NECAS figures based upon the Street Fighter 4 licences were in stock and sitting on the shelves. The second wave consists of Akuma, Guile and Chun-Li. I had already seen the first wave of these figures which consisted of Crimson Viper, Ryu, and Ken, and I was less than impressed, since I had been a follower of SOTA’S 15th Anniversary Street Fighter line of figures. And one of the problems that I had with the SF4 game in particular was the art direction, especially in terms of its depiction of the series mainstays Ken and Ryu. And so although the SF4 wave 1 figures appeared to be extremely faithful to the original design style of the game, they simply failed to appeal to me and capture my interest.

But however when I saw the 2nd wave of these figures, this Chun-Li figure in particular really appealed to me, so as a result she ended up in my toy collection. So, how does she hold up?

Well, in the packaging Chun-Li looks great, hence why I bought her. She comes in the familiar NECA player select clamshell package, and the figure is clearly visible and is packaged sensibly. And this means that there is little room for bent legs or warped joints, which is always a plus.

The back of the box features a few of Chun-Li’s vital statistics [no, it still doesn’t list her weight after all these years] and it has the names of the other characters that are available in the wave. To be fair, I must say that I did like the packaging for this figure a great deal. The colour scheme is nice, and it does tie it in directly with the Street Fighter IV theme.

Outside of the packet the Chun-Li figure is simply awesome. I don’t really know where to start, because she really eclipsed my expectations and reservations that I had when buying her.

So, I guess I’ll start with the hips and legs. Anyone who knows the character of Chun-Li will probably be familiar with the way that her legs have been depicted by the various Capcom artists over the years.

And this is an aspect that I feel had yet to be truly realised in a super articulated action figure of this character for some time. The SOTA toys 15th Anniversary Chun-Li figure while being very good also fell a little bit short in this department, by giving the Chun-Li figure very skinny legs, which were relatively the same size of Cammys.

But this time round the sculptors at NECA have gone all out and really nailed the wide hips and powerful legs that make Chun-Li, CHUN-LI.

There is a small compromise for this stylistic representation though, and it is that proportionately speaking her upper body is very short in comparison to the length of her legs. But personally I feel it really works well and is not really noticeable to the untrained eye, due to the length of the blue skirt that hangs down from her waist. It’s a very clever optical illusion and I feel it works very well.

Chin-Li’s face is also fantastic and is sculpted to a very high standard. Her face looks powerful, but at the same time very feminine which is exactly as it should be. I mean, she is the “strongest woman in the world” after all.

And the paint is also excellent. I took the time to examine a number of the other figures on the shelves, and the Paint apps appeared to be very consistent from the selection that I saw.

In fact, the overall paint quality on the figure is just superb. The tones of the colours are just right, especially on the legs, and it reflects the colour scheme and shading style of the SF IV game exceptionally. And remember, this is a complement coming from someone who isn’t exactly the biggest fan of the SF IV art style.

Chun-Li also features a selection of interchangeable hands, and there are 5 of them in total. This is great because they have very strong pins which allow you to remove and replace them with ease, without the fear of the pins snapping in the process, which is a common fault with these types of removable hands.

Chun-Li’s famous spiked Bracelets are also removable, which is another nice bonus. In total the Chun-Li figure features around 35 points of articulation [it says 31 on the box, but she actually has doubled hinged elbows and knees]. This is fantastic because she has all the joints to recreate the vast majority of her most famous poses. And all of the joints are very discrete and are well hidden and do not detract from the overall cohesiveness of the figure.

Well, all in except for one area. Come on, with such a glowing review I'm sure there had to be at least one small negative. And there is, and it comes down to the way that the area underneath Chun-Li’s blue skirt has been handled.

It’s difficult to talk about such an area without sounding like a bit of a pervert but I’m being serious here. When I lifted up the skirt, I noticed that the whole crutch area looked a little messy, with many visible joints. And the length of the T joint between her legs seemed very long and was sticking out in the middle of the crotch area.

I have spent some time thinking about this, and I can understand why this approach was taken, since due to the way that Chun-Li’s thighs ride up so high from a side view, this is probably the only way that it could have been done, while retaining the stylised powerful leg look. But at the same time, I think that the T crotch piece could have perhaps benefited from slightly more refinement. And that they also could have sculpted a slight line to show the divisions of the gluteus maximus.

But to be fair, that is a very minor issue in a sea of positives. Chun-Li Stands at approximately 7” tall, so unfortunately she does not fit in with the previous 6” SOTA line too well. But this is a fair deal. This figure looks fantastic, feels very solid, was well painted and defiantly justified its price tag.

While I doubt that I’ll be getting all of the figures in this line I will certainly keeping my eye out for my favourites. It’s a bit of a shame that we probably won’t be seeing characters such as Alex, Hugo, Gill, Dudley, Guy or Cody in this line. But based on the strength of this figure, I really hope that NECA gets to produce all of the characters from the other Street Fighter games at this level of quality.

So to sum up, all I can say is that if you love Street Fighter then I’m pretty sure that you will love this figure.

Review and Photographs by:

Dean René Middleton
Staff Reviewer






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Comic Review: The Life And Times Of Savior 28 #5 (IDW) By Matt Hill

As the the title suggests, “The Life And Times Of Savior 28” is a short series chronicling events in the life of Savior 28. Savior 28 is that archetypal super hero that embodies virtue, and is all powerful(it's right there in the name). This issue, #5, is about the hero's downfall.




The majority of the book is narrative from the old, bitter sidekick as he writes the unfolding events. This fact is really unfortunate for the reader, as the sidekick is unlikeable, and critical of, as it happens, everything. This, however, fits perfectly with the rest of book, as it is ever showing how imperfect the world is, and how everyone in it is ridiculous. This could have worked if the writers of this story did anything to discredit this character, or offer his point of view as that of one character, rather than that of the book itself, but no, the sidekick is the book. This fact is supported by the actions, and word of each character in this book conforming to the sidekick's opinion of them. I must also mention, that the entire book is nearly filled with this characters over sized dialogue boxes, even though he is not in much of the actual story at all.

His views on things are further verified by the art work. While the art work is hands down the best part of this comic book, that isn't saying very much. The style of the bright, cartoonish artwork is a throwback to past ages, and is that of a campier book, as if to say, the dark nature of this comic doesn't make it any less funny. The character illustration, much like the narrative, lacks all subtlety, and usually to the point of caricature. Some characters even have bold dark circles under their eyes at their worse moments. Savior 28 himself is the most foolish character, and is draw as such. There is even this panel of Savior 28 in the sixties, bearing a remarkable resemblance to Will Ferrell as a super hero, getting hit by a beer can thrown by an unseen protester shouting an obscenity(my favorite panel in the book by the way).

I would recommend that you avoid this comic.

Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Mike Cavallaro

4/10

Matt Hill
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DVD News: Warner Home Video distributes new images from Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Warner has release new pictures from the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies DVD.


A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros.
Animation, the full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on September 29, 2009.

In the film, United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a Kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime,” Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit help – to stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the popular Jeph Loeb/Ed McGuinness comic series/graphic novel. Animation legend Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer. Michael Goguen (Justice League: The New Frontier) is supervising producer. Sam Liu (The Batman) is directing a script written by Stan Berkowitz (Justice League: The New Frontier).

Suggested captions for attached images:


Under direction from U.S. President Lex Luthor, Captain Atom leads the pursuit of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight in Superman/Batman:
Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie, which will be distributed September 29, 2009 by Warner Home Video. Xander Berkeley provides the voice of Captain Atom.


Cold-centric villains (from left) Mr. Freeze, Icicle and Captain Cold are just three of the rogues gallery hoping to score the $1 billion bounty with the capture of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight in
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie. Warner Home Video will distribute the film on September 29.


Lady Shiva gets the upper hand with a blindside attack on Batman in
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie. Warner Home Video will distribute the film on September 29, 2009.


Unlike his super hero colleagues under the direction of U.S. President Lex Luthor, Major Force opts for aggression over diplomacy in trying to capture the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight in Superman/Batman:
Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie, Warner Home Video will distribute the film on September 29, 2009. Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives) provides the voice of Major Force.


Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Tim Daly (Superman) reprise their longtime series roles in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie. Warner Home Video will distribute the film on September 29.


From out of the shadows emerge two ominous figures -- super villains Mongul and Solomon Grundy -- to add another dimension to the epic battles in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next DC Universe animated original movie. Warner Home Video will distribute the film on September 29, 2009. Read more...

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