The first season of Doom Patrol launched on the streaming platform, DC Universe. As the second season is now launching on HBO Max, the unlikely superhero team is looking to reach a larger audience.
Following the defeat of Mr. Nobody, the members of the Doom Patrol now find themselves mini-sized and stranded on Cliff’s toy race car track. Here they begin to deal with their feelings of betrayal by Niles Caulder a.k.a. the Chief, while confronting their own personal baggage. And as each member faces the challenge of growing beyond their own past traumatic experiences, they must come together to embrace and protect the newest member of the family: Dorothy Spinner, Niles’ daughter, whose powers remain a mysterious but real threat to bringing on the end of the world.
Season One may have just ended last month but DC Universe is already bringing us more Harley Quinn as a second season trailer announces the show will be back April 3, 2020.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow started off with a bang, but is this only the proverbial tip of the iceberg?
The ability to time jump means the potential to explore everything form the golden age of comics to the new 52, and everything in between. Stephan Amell of Arrow fame, the one who started it all, will appear in the new spin off, but not until the end of season one. Marc Guggenheim, the shows executive producer, was quoted by Entertainment Weekly as saying;
Like all cinematic news these days, there’s been quite the stir of speculation for the cast of WB’s follow-up to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the web damn near broke today in response to the star-studded cast announced for Suicide Squad.
They say knowledge is power and in the case of collectors that is certainly the case. With the foresight that comes from pre-order release dates, no fan need ever worry again about missing the release of a treasured piece of memorabilia. DC is by far the best at this particular market tactic and they’ve already given us a look at some of the releases that will be winging their way to specialist stores in 2015. Below is a list of a few that have taken Grizzly Bomb’s fancy.
DC Entertainments Black and White series continues to impress, with a huge range and variety of choice in sculpt designs available to the consumer. Included in the collection this time around is a superb sculpting of Barbara Gordon Batgirl statue (in her Batgirl issue 35 gear). More commonly known as the Batgirl of Burnside, it presents a more modern take on the Batgirl costume. The figure sculpt is by artist Irene Matar (Batman: The Animated Series action figures) who has done a great job of keeping the Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr original design style. It is due to ship in September 2015 (price to be announced).
Joining her we have a Dave Johnson inspired piece with a limited run of 5,200. It is due for release on March 2015. Then we have Ivan Reis take on the Dark Knight coming out in June 2015 and the incredible looking Mike Mignola Batman design, which comes in August 2015, all priced at $79.95.
There are many more DC releases that may be of interest to collectors, like the WonderWoman: ArtofWar statues by Tony Daniel and Cliff Chiang, showing two different Wonder Woman designs, both ready for battle. They are both priced at $79.99 and arrive on May and February 2015 respectively. More entries into the Jim Lee comic book busts collection are coming are way to with Deathstroke and Nightwing each making an appearance (both $49.99 and coming in February and June).
Finally there is the dynamic duo of crime; The Joker and Harley Quinn, each coming in July of next year. What makes Harley’s figure that extra bit special is the fact she is decked out in her roller derby gear from her new 52 series. The design work (based on the Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin series) is spot on and will complement nicely the dark, knife wielding Joker figure.
If you cannot wait to get your DC freak on, then you can always pick up a life-sized batman utility belt from $299.95.
Marvel never seems to be as on the ball as DC are with regards to advanced orders. This may be due to the wide array of figure creators working under the Marvel umbrella, making it slightly more difficult to track their new products down. Still there are a few pieces of interest coming in 2015. One of the more interesting sets is the oversized return of an old Marvel figure line; Secret Wars. These 12 inch figures are based on the old sculpts from the ’80s and are just quirky enough for collectors to take interest. I myself owned the Hobgoblin figure in my youth, so it’s a nice surprise to see it reappear. Joining him will be the black suited Spider-Man and two other figures in the near future (one of which looks to be Wolverine). These will be coming via Gentle Giant Limited around for summer 2015, and will roughly retail for about $89.99. The backing itself certainly harkens back to the figures that were released originally and it’s a nice retro touch by Gentle Giant.
Also appearing in 2015 (February) will be the anticipated dancing Groot bobble head figure which Marvel fans have been salivating for ever since he appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. From Pop! Vinyl it has the same trademark cuteness you would expect from that brand and will retail for about $12.99. Entertainment Earth has an exclusive variant version of this as well as a variant version of the dancing Groot mug (also coming in 2015 at $14.99).
But if you cannot wait until 2015, then Marvel has a ton of collectible content out there already. Here is a sneak peek at a few of them. My personal favorite is the Egg Attack War Machine ($79.99) figure just for the fact it looks so darn cute and it lights up too! But for great sculpt likeness it has to be a tie between the extremely menacing Green Goblin life-sized bust ($599.50 and limited to 300) or the positively revolting Zombie Magneto mini bust ($99.95 and limited to 5000).
As this year draws to an end and comic fans far and wide look forward to what delights 2015 will have to offer us, it is comforting to know that if nothing else, we will have these new collectibles to look forward to.
Images: DC Collectibles, Pop! Vinyl, Gentle Giant LTD, Entertainment Earth, Sideshow Collectibles, Egg Attack.
A power house behind fan favorites like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, Michelle MacLaren has been chosen to develop and direct the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. The stand alone project is set for a 2017 release and staring Gal Gadot, who will debut the role in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Continue reading Game of Throne’s Michelle MacLaren Tapped To Direct Wonder Woman→
Gamers have gotten pretty used to annual installments of major series, such as Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed and your usual slate of sports titles. While each of these franchises and their succeeding entries tend to dip in quality at times, the line of LEGO puzzle platformers have stayed solid throughout their tenure. Developer Traveller’s Tales let us become the Dark Knight once before and take on the moniker of hundreds of heroes and villains in Gotham City. Now they have decided to send gamers young and old into the far reaches of the universe with LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
LEGO Batman 3 focuses on the evil trinket collecting habits of Superman nemesis, Braniac. Braniac summons the Lantern Corps, captures them and their rings, looking to use them to shrink Earth and add it to his collection. Naturally, this universe spanning plan attracts the attention of DC’s varied gallery of memorable do-gooders and lovable baddies. The most hardcore and even vaguely familiar fan of DC Comics’ will get a kick out of the game’s plot and character interactions. The light-hearted humor present in LEGO’s games is here, of course. You’ll enjoy your time watching everyone interact (Batman and Superman’s differing personalities always leads to hilarious results) and the plot gets better over time.
The attention to detail sported here is amazing. Old school Batman fans will drop tears of sweet nostalgia once they’re greeted by the ’90s Batman cartoon theme (Supes fans will feel he love to when they hear the late ’70s movie theme). Each hub world and level contains layouts that are loyal to their source material. The game’s major hub world’s (The Batcave, Justice League Watchtower and Hall of Justice) all look great and give diehard DC fans something special. Young fans will enjoy getting introduced to the game’s hundreds of DC familiars and lesser known faces, while veteran DC heads will enjoy the nods and Easter eggs.
LEGO Batman 3 moves away from the open-world structure of the 2nd game this time around. Similar to LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, you’ll run through focused levels with several selectable characters as you collect LEGO’s and solve puzzles. The gameplay here is solid and enjoyable as usual, but it’s not exactly much different from the other LEGO games out there. You’ll enter a stage, break everything in sight, switch between characters for varying puzzle situations and fight off easy baddies. Rinse, lather, repeat. There are times when the gameplay throws little wrinkles into the formula. The Resogun-esque space shooter, additional suits for characters and always entertaining boss fights should keep you from growing tired of the somewhat stale formula. You’re continued involvement with this game depends on how strong your DC Comics fandom is.
Even though the game itself doesn’t stray too far away from the Traveller’s Tales LEGO formula, you’ll still be enamored with the charm seen in every aspect of LEGO Batman 3. You’ll always have a smile on your face as you hear heroes spout one-liners, you’ll marvel at the many variations of Batman available for play and you’ll get a kick out of engaging in co-op Free Play mode with weird character combinations. Heading into a level looking for extra items as you and a partner utilize the powers of Bat-Mite and Red Tornado is a moment that can only be experienced in this game.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is a love letter the DC Comics universe that fans will fall in love with. The nostalgic nods to past iterations of heroes and villains, great visuals/audio and game changing elements will suck you in and never let go. The feeling of sameness and been there, done that with the level structure can’t be ignored, though. However, this game’s undeniable charm manages to keep you entertained for hours on end.
Images: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Traveller’s Tales, DC
Traveller’s Tales has done an awesome job combining well-known properties with that famous brand of yellow building blocks. You can’t deny the fun factor and replay value that comes from the vast collection of LEGO video games developed by the studio. Gamers young and old have ventured into the LEGO-ized universes of franchises such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Marvel Super Heroes and more.
The next LEGO game launching in 2014 is going to focus once again on Gotham City’s finest protector and several other famous faces from the DC Universe. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will have hundreds of playable heroes and villains, most likely. But The Dark Knight himself will be featured prominently in the game as he’ll be sporting a bunch of different costumes.
Check out our little gallery below to see a collection of Batman’s coolest looks from the upcoming release of LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham!
Bat Suit
This ultimate super hero ensemble features a weighted cape and a cowl outfitted with night-vision technology and communications arrays. The utility belt also contains an arsenal of crime-fighting gear, including various types of offensive Batarangs.
Bruce Wayne
Keeping your super hero identity a mystery requires the need for the perfect alias (and alternate wardrobe). Bruce Wayne is just the man for the job.
Sonar Suit
The sonic pulse emitted through Batman’s sonar suit ensures nothing will get in his way of saving the galaxy!
Space Suit
Batman’s space suit is equipped with a jet pack for nimble space flight and hard-to-reach areas. Nothing’s out of reach when the Dark Knight dons this guise!
Electricity Suit
With immunity to electricity, this suit gives Batman the ultimate defense. Need a charge? Simply take it to the closest electric current and give your crime fighting a jolt!
Scuba Suit
A scuba suit in space? Batman always comes prepared. Equipped with built in swimming and diving capabilities, this suit is the perfect companion when things start getting a little wet!
Sensor Suit
Complete with stealth mode and X-ray vision, Batman’s sensor suit will show you the way when the path is unclear!
Arctic Suit
Those pesky villains are sure to stop, or should we say freeze, when Batman dons his arctic suit with Freeze Gun accessory.
Power Suit
Giving Batman the power of super strength and explosive rockets, this armor allows our Caped Crusader to take care of anything that gets in his way.
’66 Batman Suit
Celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary wouldn’t be complete without 1966 Batman. Voiced by the legendary Adam West, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham gives players a blast from the past with the game’s 60s mode.
Images: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Traveller’s Tales
Welcome back to our weekly comic pull list! We pick the new comics of the week, every Wednesday, that should find a way on to your pull list. Brand new series or the tried and true, there will be something here for you!
Grizzly Bomb 