The Evil Dead Re-Watch

Shortly after my graduation from the UP Fine Arts program, I started losing my taste for “art films.” While I wouldn’t trade my time in Diliman for anything, I realized after that I’m just not as deep as my classmates were. I don’t have the patience to sit through most independent films without reaching for the control and fast forwarding it to the “good” parts (i.e. the scenes with nudity).

If I’m going to spend my time watching anything, it’s going to be something that entertains me; which is why most of my DVD library includes genre pictures: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror movies.

Which brings me to The Evil Dead.

Poster for a special screening of The Evil Dead the Alamo Drafthouse by artist Olly Moss.

Toy Kingdom Warehouse Sale Year 5!


Is it Friday yet?

SDCC 2011 Marvel Legends Modern Heroic Age Thor



It’s been 2 years now since the Walmart Nemesis series of Marvel Legends figures disappeared from Toy Kingdom shelves. Since then, it’s been pretty lean for 6” Marvel collectors, and we’ve had to subsist on the occasional 2-packs and the exclusive movie figures. But the wait is finally over.

2012 will mark the re-introduction of the 6” line of Marvel figures. We’ve already got a line up for waves 1 and 2 and have seen the prototypes at the recent New York Toy Fair. Constrictor, Klaw, Hope, Madame Hydra, Drax, and Fantomex are getting a shot at 6” immortality, while Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Thor figures are set to anchor the line. Hasbro will also be continuing the Build-A-Figure concept with a Terrax figure scheduled for the first wave, followed by an Arnim Zola for the second. Wave 3 is already being worked on with new versions of Punisher, Archangel, and US Agent.

Yay!

To give us an early taste of 2012, Hasbro released a Modern Thor during the San Diego Comic Convention in exclusive packaging.

Trese: Last Seen After Midnight


If I had to single out one moment when I first decided to give comics another chance it was when I got to the end of Our Secret Constellation, the fourth case in Trese: Murder on Balete Drive. It’s rare that a story hits me like that, but the first collected edition of Budjette Tan’s and Kajo Baldisimo’s story about a bad-ass, pre-pubescent (or short and petite enough to pass for it) was one of those that just felt so real to me, even if it was a fictional account of a fictional character’s future history. Plus, I'm a sucker for bad-ass, pre-pubescent girls who fight demons and the only other writer who caters to that fixation of mine is Joss Whedon.

It’s been about two years since Trese: Mass Murders, the third of the collected editions. That’s a long wait for a fan boy, but it’s nothing I’m not used to. Hell, I started the Wheel of Time series back in 1992 and I’m still waiting to find out what happens to everyone. Since the third book though, the guys have gained a sizable following, won the National Book Award for Graphic Literature, and made fans of notables in the field like Andrew Wheeler and *gasp* Neil Gaiman. I was as excited as anyone to read the next book so I dragged myself out of bed and attended the Trese: Last Seen After Midnight Book Launch a few weeks ago.

Apocalypse



More than any other enemy, Apocalypse is the most antithetical to the X-Men's dream of equality. He subscribes to the Darwinian belief that strength grants one the right to rule over the weak. Unlike Magneto who you could believe was attempting to save his brothers through domination, Apocalypse did it because he believed that the strong were the inheritors of the Earth and should subjugate the weak. Survival of the fittest, be it mutant or not.

That ethos really fit in with the X-Factor book where he was introduced in, since that was the time when the "Mutant Problem" really came to the fore in the Marvel Universe. Everyone was worried about evolution and what the appearance of Homo Superior meant for regular old Homo Sapiens. He was the perfect foil for X-Factor, who were publicly known at the time as a team of mutant-hunting humans but were really superheroes looking to protect innocent people from the mob.

And the great thing about him was that in his mind, he wasn't evil at all. He was just trying to ensure the survival of the species.

Many of my favorite story arcs from the 80s and 90s featured the ancient En Sabah Nur. The transformation of the lame Angel into the badass Archangel. There's the whole thing with Ship, Apocalypse's sentient Celestial starship who became the home of X-Factor, and later to Cable. Which leads to the whole Askani Son storyline and X-Cutioner's Song.There was Rise of Apocalypse, which detailed his rise to power in ancient Egypt. Oh, and let's not forget Age of Apocalypse, where he gets his wish and we see a world where the strong have survived. Quite frankly, it's still my benchmark for a great read.

Hasbro Toyfair 2011!

4th Quarter is usually a wallet buster for everyone, but somewhat moreso for the toy collector. We've got the Collecticon, the Toy Kingdom Warehouse sale, the Richwell Year-end sale, the Toytown (now Toys 'R' Us) Year-end sale, the CADs Year-end sale, the December Toyfair and a bunch of others. The majority of these however are clearance sales and conventions that are populated by the same sellers you see in Greenhills. The stock that is available is usually stuff they've been trying to unload for awhile. It's a great chance to get a bargain, but if you're looking for something new, it's not the place to be.

The place to be is the Hasbro Toy Fair.




If you're in the market for new toys, then this is a good bet. Hasbro and Playkit normally save a bunch of releases for distribution on this day. If you're a Marvel Universe, GI Joe, Star Wars, or Transformers fan, then keep an eye on the local collector forum boards to find out what's coming this year.

I'll also be updating this page as news comes in from Cybertron Philippines.


And if you're looking for a geek fix, check out the Joint Junkie geek calendar.

Real Steel



In the words of the protagonist: “Ok, that was awesome.

There are no words that express my feelings about the film Real Steel more aptly than those four. In my head, that litany was chanted as every new bout unfolded on screen. When Ambush steps into the ring with the bull? Awesome! When Noisy Boy is un-boxed and then steps into the ring with Midas? Awesome! When Atom wins his first fight? AWESOME.

Ahsoka



I wasn’t wowed at all by the Clone Wars movie when it premiered in August of 2008. I was too enamored of the great 2003 micro-series by Genndy Tartakovsky to really get into this newcomer with its odd-looking aesthetic and less impressive animation. I mean you start with Mace Windu going up against an army of droids and an earthquake machine all by himself, The Arc Troopers assaulting a tower on Muunilinst, and that intense chase scene with General Grievous hounding Shaak Ti and go to Anakin Skywalker and some dorky kid babysitting a baby Hutt?

For the love of Geebus, Why?

When the Clone Wars series started, I still felt pretty much the same. After three seasons however, the series has grown on me. There’s a lot to appreciate about it, not the least of which is that it doesn’t totally suck like the Episode 1-3 arc did. Everything missing from those three movies is here: prolonged, dynamically shot fights, interesting aliens, huge battle scenes, believable acting. It still took awhile to warm up to Anakin’s annoying Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, but I think she’s finally convinced me with Season 3.

Toys 'R' Us Big Toy Sale at Galleria this Week!


Just heard about this today. Might just wait for the Toy Kingdom Warehouse sale instead.

Toys 'R' Us Big Toy Sale!
October 6-13, 2011
Activity Area
Robinsons Place Metro East
Cainta, Rizal

October 13-16, 2011
Activity Area
Robinsons Galleria
Ortigas Center
Pasig City

5th Annual Toy Kingdom Warehouse Sale!



So it’s about that time of year again: time for toy hunters to save up their money and trek out to Megamall to check out Toy Kingdom’s annual Warehouse Sale.

Here’s a screenshot from the Megatrade Hall’s website:


McDonald's Spectacular Spider-Man Happy Meal Toys


Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on Mar 20, '09


Ever since McDonald's dropped the Disney license, I haven't been very excited about their toys. Let's face it, when one of the traditional hand drawn flicks from the studio or one of the ultra cool Pixar flicks came out, fans would go to McDo (MickeyD's to Americans) after the movie and buy some plastic memories.

Nowadays, the toys don't seem to measure up. Not only are the sets of characters in mediocre movies like those of the sub par Dreamworks cartoons, but quality has gone downhill as well. Toys feature less and less articulation, cheap gimmicks, etc. As much as us fans might want it, We'll never get another batch of "Changebles" or those great 101 Dalmatians or the Titans from Hercules. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Still, they don't make 'em too bad either...

Wolverine & Forge 2-Pack


Originally posted at slangards.multiply.com on  Mar 12, '09


I changed my mind about Hasbro. Since they got the Marvel license in 2006, they have been constantly improving their product. Their first attempts at the legends line was dismal (Emma Frost anyone?), but subsequent efforts have proved to be excellent figures. From Ronan on, they did quite a job. Mr. Fantastic, Doom, and Surfer more than made up for the duds, and Invisble Woman wasn't that bad either. I loved the Fin Fang Foom wave and the Ares and Red Hulk waves were great (even if they were exclusives) with excellent figures and a variety of characters.

This year, it looks like Marvel is going to be concentrating on it's 3.75" scale Marvel Universe line. In the meantime they'll be releasing Marvel Legends two-packs to whet our appetites. The last batch to be released in retail stores here were the Elektra/Ronin, Ultimate Captain America/Nick Fury, and Wolverine/Forge sets. The only one I was able to lay my hands on was the last one.

Collecticon Day!



Of course I won't be there because I got to get my Trese Book 4!

Have a great weekend, guys!

Cable


Cable is a child of the 90’s comic scene if ever there was one. The issues of that decade were full of MORE: More guns, more muscles, more pockets, more buckles, more padding, more straps. Everything was X-TREME!!! (“x” replaced “ex” because that was also considered X-TREME!!!) back then. He is, of course, the brainchild of Mr. 90’s himself, Rob Liefeld, the guy comic nerds love to hate. However, it was his work was the reason that New Mutants finally gained an audience after a long period of low sales.

In March of 1990, Liefeld introduced Cable as the new mentor of the team. A “man of action” who could act as the opposite of Xavier (the Mutants old teacher), Cable was decked out in metal and spikes and straps and leather. He carried around guns that massed more than he did, and had no qualms about hurting people who got in his way.

Later, after Liefeld had left Marvel, many more layers were added on to Cable. He was a hard ass because that was what was required to survive in the future where he grew up. He had deep seated abandonment issues and was older than his father (Cyclops of the X-Men) because of all the time hopping he did. Though he was something of a loner, he had deep feelings for certain people like Domino, his ship’s computer (named The Professor), and Cannonball. He had long standing history with Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Deadpool, Apocalypse and a bevy of other characters.

And he also had an evil twin, but that's a long story.

Trese Book 4: Last Seen After Midnight Book Launch!




There are very few things I get my inner fanboy on for, but the comic book series Trese is on top of that short list.


The series details the adventures of Alexandra Trese, an investigator of all things supernatural. When the Manila PD have a problem with the various mythic denizens of the city, they call on Trese and her bodyguards, The Kambal, to help sort things out.

It's sort of like CSI, but so much more fun.

I've been buying the collected editions regularly since first stumbling onto the series several years ago, and have been waiting for word about when book 4 was coming out. Imagine my chagrin when I found out I'd missed the announcement on Budjette Tan's various blogs.

Dark of the Moon Roadbuster


When I first heard that The Wreckers were going to be in Transformers: Dark of the Moon, my reaction was basically, “So, what?”

The Wreckers were a creation of Simon Furman (a Marvel UK writer of the Transformers comic book) and first appeared in 2006, long after I’d quit the Transformers comics. They were a commando team of Autobots tasked with destroying ten of the Decepticons’ best warriors. Their original roster was mostly made up of Autobots that didn’t make the cut in the American version of the series, but later, they were joined by the three Autobot triple-changers, Springer, Broadside and Sandstorm. There are several other arcs that feature the team, and they’ve been absorbed into some of the other continuities as well.

Still, I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I’d have preferred it if we saw the Dinobots instead. Or Omega Supreme. Hell, if we saw an army of Starscream clones it would have made me as excited as porcupine humping a pineapple.

In the movie, The Wreckers are a group of warrior mechanics (say what?) who all transform into pimped out NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet Impala stock cars with machine guns and rocket launchers (for no real reason that’s given during the film). They’re left with the Autobot’s space shuttle because “they’re assholes.” 

Disqus for Joint Junkie