San Diego Comic Con 2016 Funko Pop Exclusives! Wave 5

Let’s face it, everyone loves Funko Pops, they are this generations version of the Beanie Babies. They are cute, collectible and there seems to be no end to them. I started collecting them forSkatronixxx Jr but stopped after realising that I’d never be able to collect them all. Would I still continue collecting them? Sure if I had the money, but alas I have temporarily put my Funko Pop collection on hold, it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy looking at them though!

There are however hardcore Funko fans out there and  the company knows this, that’s why they are aiming to bombard those lucky people who are going to San Diego Comic Con or SDCC with at least nine waves of exclusive figures.

What’s more having the ‘Funko Limited Edition 2016 Comic Con‘ sticker is a prize possesion for any serious collector and a cool trinket for the causal fan.

On Skatronixxx.com I’ll be bringing you updates about the Funko Pop waves this time it’s time for WAVE FIVE.

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Funko 1 –Pop! Disney: Nightmare Before Christmas – Pajama Jack Skellington

Initial Thoughts? i want it, I want it, I WANT IT!!!

Funko 2 – Pop! Animation: Hair Bear Bunch – Hair Bear (Brown – 750pc LE)

Initial Thoughts? This was from the 70’s right??? Also why has the bear got an afro? :S

Funko 3 – Pop! Animation: Hair Bear Bunch – Hair Bear (Blue – 750pc LE)

Initial Thoughts? See above

Funko 4 – Pop! Animation: Hair Bear Bunch – Hair Bear (Purple – 750pc LE)

Initial Thoughts? See above * 2

Funko 5 – Pop! TV: Arrow – Malcolm Merlyn

Initial Thoughts? If you don’t want this, we can’t be friends anymore!

Funko 6 – Dorbz: Marvel – Chef Deadpool (1000pc LE)

Initial Thoughts? Cute 😛

Funko 7 – Pop! Movies: Batman v Superman – 6″ Doomsday

Initial Thoughts? – That’s one ugly baby *shudders*

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That was the fifth batch of Funko’s SDCC 2016 exclusives, what did you think? Let us know, sound off on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or comment below.

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Daredevil SN1 EP7 – ‘Stick’

After the ante was raised in the last few episodes, Daredevil still has some high standards to live up to. The opening scene affirms that this show is still not pulling its punching. A Japanese gangster is running frantically only to be confronted by a man with a sword. The man unapologetically cuts off the hoodlum’s arm before interrogating him. Even after acquiring the info he needs, the man with the sword murders the Japanese gangster. This man, as the name implies, is Stick. Much of the episode is centered around him and shines some light on Daredevil’s origins.

Admittedly, I know little about Stick’s personality in the comics, but what works about this interpretation is how real this character seems. We’ve seen trainer characters before – there have been characters who are kind of gruff and bust the heroes’ chops and there are mystical characters who know these ancient fighting moves. Stick is a good balance between these common tropes. He shows off some great fighting skills, but he has a real world attitude – he jokes around with Matt (usually at Matt’s expense) and likes to kick back beers. He has a unique world philosophy where he feels his and Matt’s blindness are gifts because it gives them an experience of the world that most people don’t have, but at the same time has a bitter attitude that demonstrates how the world has hardened him. Veteran actor Sam Sheppard dons the role and his gruff, no-nonsense attitude makes this character feel like a genuine human.

Stick is not the only character who is fleshed out. This episode delves into Murdock’s origins. We learn how Stick trained Matt to hone his techniques – he does not just taste vanilla. He tastes the beans, the chemicals and what was on the hands of the man who scooped it. Stick and Daredevil are on the trail of Japanese gangster. There is a unique contrast in philosophy. Stick has been hardened to believe that killing is the only way while Murdock is violent but believes there are limits. The two have some impressive fight scenes. These are cleverly contrasted with scenes of Stick training a young Murdock. We see Stick capture Murdock in a hold then that is cut to Stick holding a young Matt in the same hold, where they discuss philosophy, which cuts back to Matt and Stick fighting in the present.

The fighting scenes are again intense. In the early scenes, we see Matt having a hard time holding his own against the more experienced Stick while later they know each other so well that they can match each other. The writers knew what cards to play – when Stick confronts the thug, it is appropriately violent. However, even though there are scenes where a young Matt is smacked around by Stick, it never feels excessive or made me squeemish. While continuity is present, this episode actually works as a good standalone story and an excellent origin tale.

Angouri Rice Added to Cast of “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

It feels like only yesterday that we filled you in on three more cast members joining on for Spider-Man: Homecoming, but already we’ve been given further news of someone else signing on for the movie.

 

Angouri Rice (The Nice Guys, These Final Hours, Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows) is the most recent addition to the cast of Spiderman: Homecoming.  The Australian actress recently had her break-out role in The Nice Guys, starring opposite Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Drive, The Big Short) and Russell Crowe (Les Miserables, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind).

Like virtually every other cast member, there’s no confirmation on who Rice will be playing.  Marvel and Sony have yet to comment on her addition to the line up.

This may be incredibly speculative, but I feel like she might be Gwen Stacy. Whilst Sony and Marvel have indeed confirmed that there will be no love interest in this movie, and that Zendaya (Shake it Up!, K.C. Undercover, Zapped) is the leading lady, the casting of a small blonde girl has made me wonder if they will be re-introducing Gwen Stacy into this universe, and if so, what path will she take in this installment?

However, we will never truly know what Marvel and Sony have in store – she could be the Green Goblin for all we actually know. So for now, we will sit and wait.

Spiderman: Homecoming is filming now in preparation for a release on July 7th, 2017.

 

 

What Do You Give a 75 Year Old Superhero For His Birthday?

Hey Skatronixxx readers! Your favorite site will be covering news, panels, and other exciting bits of information that come out of the San Diego Comic Con being held from July 21 – 24 this year. And to kick us off properly, here’s what’s happening in the lead up to the Mother of All Cons!

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Begins Filming

Welcome Asgardians to a quick update. Chris Hemsworth is on set and ready to shoot Thor: Ragnarok. He’s all trained, he’s got his shake, he’s got his shoes, and he’s got his roller-coaster. What more could the god of thunder need?

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Thor 3 has begun #wheresmyhammer #thor3 #rollercoastersrock @taikawaititi

A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Jul 5, 2016 at 3:57pm PDT

 

The third film in the Thor franchise began filming in Hemsworth’s native home of Australia, and is scheduled to last until October 2016. While we do know who the cast consists of (see our previous article), expect to be surprised by big and small changes. After reading about the casting news, if you’re wondering how the Hulk or the Infinity Gems tie in, check out this article.

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#Thor3, expect big and little changes @taikawaititi

A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Jul 6, 2016 at 1:46pm PDT

 

Thor: Ragnarok is expected to be released on November 3rd, 2017, in North America, and October 27, 2017, in the UK.

Is Deadpool 2 On The Way And Will It Feature The X-Men?

The internet literally went into meltdown yesterday when Ryan Reynolds shared a potential poster for the sequel to Deadpool, unsurprisingly called Deadpool 2. You would think that the brains behind the first Marvel film to give fans what it actually wants and to break the fourth wall and blur the lines between reality and fiction, would give us a more original title.

Why did the internet go into meltdown you ask and you may be thinking I’m missing a key peice of information, but be patient here readers!

The reason why the internet literally flipped it’s nut is because of one thing! X-Men, yes X-Men, no not those guys from Game Of Thrones who have had thier winkies chopped off, yes winkies. I’m talking about the endless army of mutants spearheaded by the brainy Professer Charles Xavier and kickass Wolverine (Sorry Cyclops, Storm and Jean Grey you just don’t cut the mustard for me).

Now picture this Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, sound good? I know, we had X-Men Origins: Wolverine but to be honest that sucked! Yes it did, I mean when Will.I.Am is the best part about a film featuring Weapon X oops I mean Deadpool and Wolverine you know that it’ll suck more than me with a super sour chew bar.

So are the rumours true? Is Deadpool 2 on the way? Well yes and no, yes it is true Deadpool 2 is coming out soon, but will the x-Men feature at the moment, sadly no, as the poster was actually a fan made poster and not an official one.

Who would you like to see in Deadpool 2? Mine own personal choice would be Gambit but not the Channing Tatum one!

Interview with ComixTribe Co-Creator Tyler James

Here at Skatronixxx.com we are passionate about independent/creator-owned comic books as well as their creators and publishers. When we get the opportunity, we love to shine the spotlight on them.

Tyler James is a comic writer, publisher, game designer/producer and teacher from Newburyport,  Massachusetts U.S.A.

What inspired you to create comic books

Matt, my mother, will tell you that her biggest fear when I was a kid was how heartbroken I’d be when I learned I couldn’t actually be a superhero when I grew up.

I’d come home from pre-school every day with a brand new Batman utility belt made with scissors, glue, tape, and construction paper.

So, superhero comics definitely pulled me into the medium, and it wasn’t long before I wasn’t only reading the books, but throwing tracing paper over Spider-man and “drawing” him myself.

I credit the Image explosion of the early 90’s with triggering the “aha moment” realisation that these characters weren’t something that “always existed” but rather were created by actual human beings. Being there from the very beginning of the Image universe definitely had a major impact on me.

It wasn’t long after that that I decided I didn’t want to draw Spider-man as much as I wanted to create my own characters and tell my own stories.

When you decided that wanted to create your own stories what was your biggest challenge or obstacle?

When first starting out, and this was early 90’s so virtually a lifetime ago… I really didn’t have any challenges or obstacles.

I had paper and pencils and a copy of How to Make Comics the Marvel Way by Stan and John, and I was off to the races.

In that regard, I was lucky… when you’re a kid, you don’t really care that there’s so much you don’t know that you don’t know… you just go.

Of course, there were no internet resources, comic cons weren’t a thing I knew about, and my local comic shops were more places of commerce than true communities… so I did things wrong and would later have to unlearn a lot of bad habits.

What do you mean comics aren’t drawn on plain printer paper?

Why would I script out pages in advance rather than draw them one page at a time?

How else would I letter my pages but to draw in the word balloons and letter by hand?

That said, I’m incredibly grateful that I started logging my 10,000 hours at a very young age.

What is the origin story of comix tribe?

Flash forward twenty years or so, and I started working on more and more collaborative projects. After about a dozen years of working on comics entirely as a solo act, I realised that I’d never be able to create all the comics I’d wanted to bring into the world alone.

At that time, I started becoming increasingly obsessed with the craft of making comics and started writing some articles on craft and creating over at ComicRelated and on my own blog.

Eventually, I started working with editor Steven Forbes, who was also writing great how-to content. I hired him to edit a book I was working on… he tore it to shreds. We’ve been friends ever since.

Because I was working on books with other creators, publishing under “Tyler James Comics” didn’t seem like a very compelling option.

So, Steve and I conceived of a site called ComixTribe, which could act as both a resource of articles for comic creators and a publishing imprint for our future books.

ComixTribe.com opened its doors on 1-1-2011.

Having had quite a few successful Kickstarter campaigns, how has Kickstarter changed Comix Tribe?

ComixTribe has been bootstrapped from the ground up. Steven and I were big on ideas and short on cash to invest into ComixTribe.

Cash is oxygen to a business… without it, a business suffocates.

With it… well, you have options.

In 2012, we launched our first successful Kickstarter and in one month raised $26,000 on Kickstarter.

After Kickstarter took its fees, that still meant that more than $23,000 hit the ComixTribe business bank account.

To put that in perspective, that was more funding in one month than I had made in the previous 12 years creating comics, selling them at shows and online, etc. combined!

That infusion of cash helped us not only fund the production of a hardcover graphic novel that the direct market alone could not have supported, but it helped finance print runs for other series, marketing, and other publishing investments.

You can draw a straight line from that first Kickstarter to where we are today… it’s not wrong to say Kickstarter was a game changer for us.

It also continues to be a major part of our overall publishing strategy.

The reality is this… there is no path to victory for a small, bootstrapped, independent publisher selling only $3 comic books through the direct market. None. The numbers don’t work.

But when you’re able to put a system in place that combines Kickstarter, the direct market, conventions, Amazon, and digital sales… those numbers become a little easier to make work…

And then once you start piling upon additional revenue sources such as foreign licensing and media options… they start to get rosier.

And the truth is, success in one area often leads to increased success in other areas…

But you need to get the snowball rolling somehow, and in 2016, I have no doubt that the best platform to get that snowball rolling is Kickstarter.

Many readers are frustrated with the way Marvel and DC have handled their respective universes. Do you see independent/creator-owned comics popularity and sales coming close or equal to Marvel and DC’s in the next five year’s or so?

In the direct market (i.e., Comic Book Shops), no. No chance of that happening. But that’s a pretty narrow view of the comic book industry, isn’t it? I mean, Raina Telgemeier latest graphic novel Ghosts is getting a 500,000 first print run that is more than 700 times what DC’s top selling graphic novel sold last month.

There are webcomics that are read by far more people than any direct market series.

In the direct market, though, you have a Diamond providing 95-99% of the comic product to shops, and Marvel and DC taking up 70-80% of their comic product offerings… that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The good news is that independent creators and publishers don’t need to compete with Marvel and DC to win.

Erica Moen isn’t competing with Marvel and DC. She’s winning.

Jason Brubaker isn’t competing with Marvel and DC. He’s winning.

Greg Pak is working for Marvel and DC… but also doing his own thing outside of the Big Two. He’s definitely winning.

Are there any books or Kickstarter campaigns in the works you can talk about for 2016 or possibly 2017?

Can, I talk about Kickstarter campaigns… oh, man, that’s a loaded question, Matt!

Well, first I’ve got to give a shoutout to two creators who took part in The ComixLaunch Course I taught earlier this year who just wrapped up successful Kickstarter campaigns. Michelle Palmer’s Meraki and Jim Whiting’s Margo: Intergalactic Trash Collector.

The great thing about teaching The ComixLaunch Course and hosting the ComixLaunch.com podcast is that even when I don’t have a project going… I feel like I’ve got an investment in the Kickstarter platform.

Some projects we have in the queue are hardcovers for CHUM and AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE, the next OXYMORON: Killing Time anthology, and THE RED TEN OMNIBUS.

And those are just the projects that we’re talking about publicly.

We are very wary of asking too much of our fan base, and we do try to space out our Kickstarter’s so they can get primary focus when it’s the book’s time to shine.

But you can be we’ll be on the platform again soon.

However, the absolute coolest thing going on right now is what’s happening with SINK, the new John Lees Alex Cormack series. Nearly 500 readers have “got in the van” already, and the early reaction has been phenomenal.

Thanks to Tyler for taking the time to talk with us! Follow him on Twitter @TylerJamesComic also follow @ComixTribe. Subscribe to Comixtribe’s email list http://www.comixtribe.com/subscribe and get five free digital comics!

Check out Tyler’s podcast on 50 creators sharing the #1 Kickstarter Tip  www.comixlaunch.com/50tips

MORE Casting News for “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

At this point, the world could collectively play a game where we throw some names in a hat, pull it out, and chances are they are in this movie.

Following casting news from last week, a further three actresses have been added to the cast line up.

Garcelle Beauvais (The Jamie Foxx Show, NYPD Blue, Grimm) has officially signed on for the Marvel blockbuster, as has 17 year old Tiffany Espenden (Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures, Earth to Echo, Phineas and Ferb).

 

Alongside these two, six time Emmy Award winner Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey, The Enforcer, Judging Amy) has also added her name to the list of impressive actors joining on for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Marvel and Sony have yet to comment on their roles – they seem to be keeping an extremely tight lid on who’s who in next summers Marvel and Sony production, as the only official roles are Tom Holland (Billy Elliot The Musical, Captain America: Civil War) as the famous web-slinger, Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, Rescue Me, Empire) as Aunt May, and Zendaya (Shake It Up!, K.C. Undercover) as leading girl Michelle. Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, The Judge, Sherlock Holmes) will be making a cameo as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

Otherwise, the rest of the cast are all rumours, be them strong or weak ones. However, it is very clear that Marvel and Sony want to re-introduce Peter Parker with a bang, and seal his place once and for all in the MCU.

Spiderman: Homecoming is currently filming, and is scheduled for release on July 7th, 2017. However, if you just can’t wait that long, you can catch Holland making his debut in Captain America: Civil War. 

An Interview With Cosplayer Miss Torii

Hi Readers

It’s time for another cosplay interview, this time we meet Miss Torii! What can I say about Miss Torii?  Besides being an amazingly cool person she’s also an awesome cosplayer, so an interview was a no brainer. Let’s find out some more about Miss Torii.

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1) How did you get into cosplaying?

I started cosplaying about 3 years ago. It all started because a local horror convention was happening in my area. I decided to dress up just for fun. I noticed a lot of people dressed up and started talking to them. They asked me what other cons I cosplay at. This was the first time I heard of the word cosplay. The more I talked to other cosplayers, the more cosplay interested me. I didn’t know there was a word for it. Finally others who shared what i loved to do.

2) Where do you get your inspiration and ideas to cosplay from? Is it from programs you watch now or childhood programs or both?

My inspirations come from comics (MARVEL/DC) that I read and collect. I also get ideas from Disney movies that I have watched since I was little girl and recent Disney shows that I have watched with my daughter.

3) How do you put your outfits together are they 100% from scratch and if so what’s been your trickiest part to date?

I think it all depends on the character I’m cosplaying. Most of my cosplays are either from thrift stores or I sew my own. If I buy them from the thrift store, I have to alter them to fit the character. The most difficult part of sewing some of my cosplays is that there is no pattern. I like to do my own rendition of character I like. So just depending on the ncharacter either I will make it from scratch or I have to alter certain clothes to fit the character.

4) What’s your favourite cosplay to date?

Gwenpool has to be my favourite and the most fun!

5) If you’ve cosplayed at a convention what was the experience like?

Amazing!!!!! Seeing everyone dressed up and seeing their cosplays always amazes me. I love being around that atmosphere! Plus meeting others who love what you do is awesome too!

6) Can we expect to see you at any conventions this year?

I just attended Comicpalooza. Any conventions that are in Texas are the ones I attend. I want to attend Alamo City Comic Con, Omnicon, Realms Con. Hopefully you will see me at some of those!

7) If you could cosplay as anyone and budget wasn’t an issue who would it be?

I would make a HULKBUSTER cosplay just to do it!

8) Do you have any words of advice for up and coming cosplayers?

Just have fun! There is no right way to cosplay! Try not to get caught up with negativity in the cosplay community….example cosplay bullying, fat shaming, slut shaming, are just a few. I have been a target for some of these. It happens to a lot of cosplayers and a lot give up because of hateful comments. My advice is to ignore it, have fun, and remember why you wanted to cosplay. Go out there and have fun!

9) Where can we find you online?

• Facebook – MissTorii
• Instagram –M1ss_Torii
• Twitter – @misstorii956

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There you go readers Miss Torii! Don’t be shy go say hi and say ‘Skatronixxx sent me!’

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Arrow Fans Rejoice! Diggle Is Returning Without The *Magneto* Helmet!

Arrow fans, rejoice John ‘Diggle’ is returning for Arrow Season 5, not only that but he’ll be returning minus the highly controversial Magneto styled helmet. I for one think Diggle is pure badass, he’s the muscle behind Team Arrow and has anyone ever considered the possibility of David Ramsey as the next James Bond or Jason Bourne? I for one could see it. However for all of Diggles’ toughness and dependability, there was one thing that I could not take seriously, THAT HELMET! Now don’t get me wrong if you’re a badass supervillan aka Magneto you can wear purple and a silly helmet and still strike fear into people because you are a pure combination of awesomeness and evilness, but for Digs, sadly even though he is one tough guy, not even him could pull that look off.

Now don’t get me wrong, if you got a young family and you’re fighting some seriously bad people to save your city on a daily basis, you’ll need some form of protection. But not that, come on DC get original, get some inspriation from somewhere, if you’re gunna take some inspiration, don’t take it from arguably one of the greatest villans from the Marvel Universe of all time. That’s like Marvel ripping off The Penguin *finds The Owl online* oooooooh right!

So what will this new helmet look like? Will it be a Doctor Doom inspired mask? Well all we can say is that we don’t know BUT it will be designed by none other than the lovable sidekick of The Flash, Cisco Ramon aka Vibe. You know that means? ARROW-FLASH crossover YAY!!!

This was confirmed by Ramsey at fan event Heroes & Villains Fan Fest 2016, when answering questions from the crowd he responded by saying ‘Season 5, you will see a Cisco-created new mask for Diggle.’

I for one am psyched about this news for three reasons. 1)Diggle is back 2)The Silly helmet is gone 3)Arrow-Flash crossover.

What do you think? Are you glad that the helmet is gone, Diggle is back and we’re getting another crossover episode? Let us know!