Monthly Archives: July 2018
New Gentle Giant Statues Explore the Star Wars and Marvel Universes
Gentle Giant is one of many companies showing off new geek-friendly collectibles at Comic-Con, and their booth definitely stands out from the crowd. Their booth shows off a number of enticing new statues and figures covering big franchises like Star Wars, Marvel and Star Trek.
Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at what's coming from Gentle Giant in the months ahead.
The Star Wars lineup covers a wide range of new and classic movies, though our favorite piece may be the Star Wars Rebels-inspired Ahsoka Tano bust. Also welcome are two new additions to the Jumbo Vintage Collection line of figures, Bib Fortuna and Cloud City Princess Leia. As for Marvel, we're happy to see the mini-bust line return after a prolonged absence, along with a terrific lineup of Wolverine statues. The real show-stopper, though, may be the pair of quarter scale Star Trek: Discovery statues featuring First Officer Michael Burnham and a Klingon Torchbearer.
Steel Serpent Explained: Who Is the Iron Fist Season 2 Villain?
Marvel's Iron Fist was a major focus at Comic-Con 2018. We now know when the second season of this Netflix-exclusive series will be airing (September 7) and the identities of the two major villains - Typhoid Mary and Davos the Steel Serpent.
The latter character isn't much of a surprise, given that Sacha Dawan's Davos was already being groomed to become an enemy of Danny Rand in Season 1. But to help prep for the new season, here's everything you need to know about the Iron Fist/Steel Serpent rivalry from the comics. (And head here to learn all about Typhoid Mary!)
How Ghostbusters World Is Trying to Be More than Just a Pokemon Go Reskin
Ghostbusters World isn’t trying to hide what it is -- which is pretty much Pokemon Go-stbusters when you get right down to it -- but it’s also trying to be a lot more than just a simple reskin. I got a chance to play it at San Diego Comic-Con today, and was impressed by how much it is trying to stand on its own.
The core is undeniably similar: you explore an AR map of your actual surroundings, tapping on different types of ghosts wandering around to battle them with your proton pack and eventually capture them. There are also gates that you can visit for extra items similar to PokeStops.
But catching ghosts isn’t as simple just tossing a ball, and Ghostbusters World reaches further by offering PvP and a story mode when it launches later this year. It also boasts smaller improvements, like using Google Maps data to show 3D buildings on the map around you.
Hyundai Unveils Official Iron Man Car
Hyundai has officially unveiled the Kona Iron Man Edition SUV at San Diego Comic-Con 2018.
Taking center stage at the Marvel booth, the Kona Iron Man Edition SUV features exterior and interior elements that resemble Iron Man's iconic suit. It will be "built-to-order" as part of a limited run, with production scheduled in December and the first units available in the first quarter of 2019. Its cost has not yet been announced.
The SUV really goes for the Iron Man look, with an immediately recognizable Iron Man mask motif on the SUV's roof, along with Stark Industries decals on the rear doors, custom wheels with Iron Man mask center caps, and an Iron Man-red with matte gray paint finish for the exterior.
Gamescom 2018 Targets Exhibitor Record
Gamescom is expecting an exhibitor record in its tenth year.
Gamescom has experienced a 100 percent increase in exhibitors, a 45 percent increase in visitors and a 68 percent increase in exhibition space since 2009, according to a press release sent out by its PR team today. According to current figures, a new exhibitor record is expected, with the booking results currently lying around 20 percent higher than those in 2017.
"Gamescom has grown enormously in both quantity and quality in past years," says Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH . "And this year too, all signs point to the continuation of the success story: we presume that Gamescom 2018 will surpass the 1,000 exhibitors mark. Gamescom has enormous charisma. It is noticed internationally, and it contributes decisively to us being able to position ourselves as an innovative location for the digital transformation."
Spider-Man PS4 Devs Reveal More About Silver Sable, Velocity Suit, and That Big Twist
This year's Comic-Con has already been a successful one for anybody eager to learn more about the Playstation 4-exclusive Spider-Man game. Between the new story trailer featuring mercenary Silver Sable, the debut of Spider-Man's Velocity suit and the reveal of a Spider-Man-branded Playstation 4 Pro bundle, there's already been a lot to take in at the show.
We had a chance to speak with Insomniac's Creative Director Bryan Intihar and Marvel Games' Executive Creative Director Bill Rosemann at the show today. The two were able to reveal more about these new twists and what fans can expect from Spidey's latest console adventure.
The Story Trailer's Big Twist Might Not Be What You Think
Iron Fist Reveals Season 2 Villains at Comic-Con
Following a cryptic tease on the official Iron Fist Twitter account earlier Thursday, Marvel and Netflix revealed that the main villain for Iron Fist Season 2 will be Steel Serpent, aka Danny Rand's former ally Davos (Sacha Dhawan), at the show's Comic-Con panel.
"I think those of you that know, know that we're going to some pretty amazing places," Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb teased. "If you've been looking at the neon turn from green to red, you have a pretty good idea of what Sacha will be doing this season."
What Did Naughty Dog Think of Fillion’s Uncharted Film?
Actor Nathan Fillion and director Allan Ungar appeared on IGN Live at Comic-Con 2018 on Thursday to promote their new Uncharted fan film, which has taken the internet by storm since it was posted online July 16.
One question fans have had about the film is what Uncharted game developer Naughty Dog would think of Ungar and Fillion's unofficial movie treatment of their franchise.
According to Ungar, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive: "Amy Hennig, who I guess created the characters, she tweeted me. And she thought it was fantastic. It warmed her heart to see this 13 years later. Said ‘our baby,’ something like that."
Why Director Joe Russo Stayed Off Social Media After Avengers: Infinity War
During the San Diego Comic-Con 2018 panel in Hall H for the movie Assassination Nation, Joe Russo revealed the reason why he hasn’t been on social media much since the release of Avengers: Infinity War.
Warning: spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War!
“Since Infinity War came out, I've been avoiding
because there's a lot of angry Loki fans on the Internet,” the Infinity War co-director said with a smile. He’s probably only half joking. Given that the Tom Hiddleston character was a breakout star from the Thor movies that went on to charm audiences with his devilish demeanor in Marvel’s The Avengers and beyond, it’s safe to say that some fans were legitimately miffed that the character was off’d by Thanos in the first act of the film. Though he went out like a hero in the end as he tried to take out Thanos by surprise, he left behind a complicated legacy, not to mention a lot of heartbroken fans.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Gets Breath of the Wild Free Update
Nintendo just announced an update which will allow you to play as Champion’s Tunic Link riding the Master Cycle Zero, introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Champion's Ballard DLC.
The update, available now, will also introduce the Ancient Tires and the Paraglider parts - check them out in action in the trailer below.
It's an addition that's come full circle, as Nintendo borrowed Mario Kart 8 assets to build the Master Cycle Zero.
In more Mario Kart news, Nintendo just announced a line of Mario Kart-themed hot wheels toys, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2018.