Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1834

The STAR WARS Jabba Sail Barge Toy You Always Wanted Is Being Developed

Star Wars toy collectors over the years have had several “Holy Grails” to be made; the dream items that would have been too impractical to mass-produce back in the ’80s. The Imperial Shuttle was one, as was Jabba’s Skiff. But the one big-ticket item that has always been requested–and it turns out, the toy sculptors have also really wanted to make–was Jabba’s Sail Barge, known in-canon as The Khetanna. And now it’s coming. Maybe.

Because Hasbro wants to make the vehicle to scale with 3-3/4″ figures, this is something too huge and expensive for retail. So if you want it made, you and 4,999 other fans have to pre-order it at the not-cheap price of $500. It’s part of a new Hasbro initiative called HasLab, which, if this is successful, aims to develop other fan-dream projects that might be too big or risky for the likes of Walmart to buy into.

The toy is being designed from actual Lucasfilm archive blueprints, with some creative interpreting like a new cockpit, a prison cell with a Hammerhead skeleton inside, a kitchen, and a trophy room. The sails will be cloth, and a Jabba figure will be included.

This isn’t the first major toy like this to be crowd-funded; Mattel successfully got fans to pre-buy a $300 Castle Grayskull for its Masters of the Universe Classics line, but failed to get enough support for a more expensive Ghostbusters Ecto-1. Both lines, however, were entirely mail-order subscription exclusives at the time, while Star Wars is pretty consistently the top action figure property in the world, and in every store up to and including your local grocery. (Unfortunately for international fans, the Sail Barge is only available to U.S. and U.S. territory addresses.)

The pre-order lasts until end of day on April 3, and as of this writing, 30 minutes after the official unveiling, it already has 91 backers, and more by the time you’ll read this. (You can add your pledge HERE). Safe to say, this is probably going to be a reality at last. It’s going to come with a 64-page booklet detailing its creation, and vintage-style packaging to resemble the old Kenner boxes.

Now, where are you going to actually put the thing? And who would win in a fight with the G.I. Joe aircraft carrier U.S.S. Flagg? Will there be a Death Star next? Give us some suggestions and thoughts in comments.

Images: Hasbro

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BATMAN AND THE SIGNAL’s Laura Martin and Cully Hamner on Their Vision of Gotham (Exclusive)

Laura Martin and Cully Hamner have been working together for over ten years. They even used to share a studio. So when it comes to collaboration, they’re a force to be reckoned with. When DC Comics approached Hamner about the possibility of illustrating a new Bat-book, Batman and the Signal, he had one person in mind to color it. “They came to me with this project and it just sounded like something that was a lot of fun,” Hamner told Nerdist. “It was a different idea for the Bat-books, something that was not only literally brighter in tone than the Bat-books but also from a character point of view. I thought it was an intriguing idea and so I went to Laura. I said to DC, ‘I have to get Laura, Laura is the one I like working with more than almost anybody.’ So she hopped on board.”

Batman and the Signal, written by Scott Snyder and Tony Martin, puts Duke Thomas in the forefront and depicts a vision of Gotham that’s rarely been seen: Gotham by daylight. We have exclusive pages from issue #2 below.

Gotham has long been steeped in darkness. Even Batman‘s moniker The Dark Knight is a play on the shadows he was born in. This was an enjoyable challenge for superstar colorist Laura Martin. She explained, “It’s interesting because there’s so much material and history out there about Gotham at night, and so many different color schemes. You think about Batman Beyond and the red skies, and there’s just been so many interesting things done with Gotham at night which means there’s so much for me as a colorist to fall back on when I’m working on a Batman story. But for this I had to stop and think, ‘What would Gotham look like in the day? Is it grungy? Is it smoggy? Is it hazy? Is it completely bright and shiny? What would Gotham look like?’ I had to sit back and think of what do other cities look like in daylight?”

“The big thing is that Cully always offers me a lot of information on the page, there’s always a light source, and I always know where it’s coming from. I really tried to push the colors to make it look harsh, so it’s almost blinding compared to the nighttime scenes,” she continued.

The world of Batman and the Signal is vibrant and bright, a striking juxtaposition to the world of Gotham we’ve all come to know. For artist Hamner the details were vital in creating a vision of Gotham during the day. “I made a conscious effort to make sure that even down to the clothes people were wearing and the props they’re using, to make sure people are wearing hats or sunglasses. Reflective sunglasses are even better, to really give that idea that it’s daytime, you know? And I wanted to extend that to cityscapes too, to silhouette buildings in the distance to really give that idea of light pollution,” he said.

From the first page of the first issue, it’s clear as the light spills through the curtains of Wayne Manor that the Batman and the Signal creative team are really doing something different with this book. “One thing we talked about was including a lot of sunlight filtering into interior space. We wanted a lot of light pollution in this, we wanted it to feel like the light is infecting the shadows. But there are still heavy shadows, still places criminals can hide, and there’s still danger. So a lot of the interior scenes take place underground or hidden away but still have light filtering in from above, ” Martin told us.

Hamner expanded on the subtle visual motif. “That was definitely conscious. If you look at where they hold the Metas under the youth center, I made a really conscious effort to try and communicate this to Laura–that there are light tunnels and skylights that come from above down underground. You can still get those shafts of lights. In fact, the little prison under the youth center is called the Shafts for that reason.”

As you can see from our exclusive pages of the second issue, Batman and The Signal is a striking, exciting book with a fresh visual landscape crafted by Martin and Hamner. The first issue was a hit and the team are really excited for fans to see the where the story goes. “There’s some stuff in #3 that’s going to be really cool for people to see,” Hamner teased. “Go out and buy it because it’s awesome! It’s worth checking out for sure because it’s a different look for Gotham and I think Batman fans are going to dig that,” Martin exclaimed.

Batman and The Signal #2 is out on Wednesday, February 21.

Images: DC Comics

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Figure Skater Performed to GAME OF THRONES Theme Dressed Like Jaime Lannister

Pyeongchang might be a long way from the Seven Kingdoms, but last night it faced a Westerosi invasion during the men’s figure skating competition. Fortunately it wasn’t the Night King who descended on the Winter Games, but a competitor who paid homage to Game of Thrones by performing to the show’s theme song while dressed like Jaime Lannister.

Paul Fentz of Germany took to the ice for his long program looking like a knight from the Realm, with a gold arm representing our favorite former Lord Commander. The 25-year-old Fentz even had a red sleeve on underneath that you could see at the wrist, to indicate where Jaime’s hand was cut off. His routine was set to one of the more dramatic versions of the show’s theme song.

A Lannister always pays his debts. #WinterOlympics https://t.co/fmMl0C4Amf pic.twitter.com/SHmdiMjlcU

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2018

I didn’t think it was possible to love Johnny Weir and Tara Lapinski anymore than I already did, and then he went and called her “Cersei” during this program while she dropped a “Lannister always pays his debts” reference at the end and they taught me what love really is.

Fentz, whose full routine you can see at NBC’s Olympics site, didn’t win a medal, but he did win something much more important. Because by choosing Game of Thrones as the theme of his routine he guaranteed we’ll never forget about it, and we’ll always be rooting for him. But if he does make it back to the big state in 2022, might we suggest dressing as a Stark next time? It would be more appropriate for the Winter Games to pay homage to the House who is always warning us winter is coming.

Which TV show theme song would you most want to skate to? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: HBO

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Diamond Select Launches DC Comics PVC Statue Line with HARLEY QUINN (Exclusive)

Diamond Select Toys has been making $45 PVC statues and dioramas for a few years now under the name “Gallery.” Those have included characters from DC Animated, the Justice League movie, and the Marvel Netflix TV shows, but not DC Comics. Until now. Their very first DC Comics-based offering in this line is here, it’s not mere, and it’s the lady whose neuroses are more than they appear: Harley Quinn!

Based on her most recent comic appearances and sculpted by Diamond regular Jean St. Jean, this Harley is made of high-quality PVC plastic with collectible-quality painted details and is approximately eight-inch scale. The sculpt sees her sitting atop a crate of dynamite along with her signature mallet and corset. She’d better hope the Joker isn’t a tickler, because for some of us, a loved one’s armpits thus exposed are targets of mirth just waiting to happen.

Uh, not that the Joker is better otherwise. He’s not. And she and everyone else should leave him.

Many more comic-based PVC dioramas are expected to follow, but kicking them off with the queen of quime is an auspicious way to go. Ready to bonk heads, dye dreads, and leave deads, Harley is as lovably bad-intentioned as they come. Where she gets blue dynamite, though, we have no idea. Presumably it’s the evil version of the store where Michael Jai White shops for weapons.

Is this Harley statue going to blow up your shelf? Or do you have a mad love for crazy clown ladies? Let us know in comments.

Images: Diamond Select Toys

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No, No One Forgot About BLADE

With Black Panther positioned to make $200 million in its opening weekend, King T’Challa and the fierce warriors of Wakanda are poised to not only take over the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but the world as we know it. During the course of covering Black Panther and celebrating that it is the first black superhero-fronted film in the MCU, many online have asked us a question over and over and over again: What about Blade?

It’s a great question. What about Blade?  That’s right, some two decades before Black Panther, one of Marvel’s black superheroes graced the big screen, leaving a bloody trail of vampires in his wake. He was the R-rated superhero before Deadpool. He was the Daywalker. He was Wesley Freakin’ Snipes. Blade was Marvel’s original black superhero on the big screen, netting a trilogy of movies (even if we would like to forget about Blade: Trinity).

Allow us to assure you that no one, absolutely no one forgot about Blade. Though the Daywalker may currently be in repose, waiting in the wings to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Markeia McCarty looked back at the legacy of Blade and how it paved the way for not only black superheroes, but all of modern superhero cinema as we know it. So consider this a heartfelt “thank you,” Blade, from the bottom of our hearts. We’ll think fondly of you while we head to our second, third, and fourth screenings of Black Panther this weekend, and brainstorm ways for you two to team up in the sequel.

What did Blade mean to you? How would you like to see Blade return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments below.

Images:

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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

Neptune’s “Fart Storm” Is About to Die

For the last few years, a massive storm the size of China has been raging on Neptune. The Hubble Space Telescope first detected the storm in June 2015, with astronomers likening its clouds to the pancake-shaped ones in the children’s book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Like Jupiter‘s famous Great Red Spot, the storm’s swirling vortex created a dark blur on the planet. But while Jupiter’s spot has remained for the last 200 years, Neptune’s – which is full of hydrogen sulfide, a chemical compound that smells like farts – is about to die.

According to new research published in the Astronomical Journal, the spot’s contrast weakened from about 7% to about 3% from 2015 to 2017, while companion clouds shifted from its offset to the center. These findings indicate the storm is in its death stages, and it’s the first time the active death of a vortex has been observed as it happens.

As the below video from NASA explains, there have been several storms on Neptune in the years since Voyager 2 first chartered the planet in the 1980s. Since Voyager 2’s return, astronomers have monitored storm activity on Neptune with the Hubble Space Telescope, and have observed the formation of five different storms. But because Hubble is used for so many different observational purposes, it was only able to look at Neptune every few years, always missing the “death” of these other storms. This is the first time that the technology was able to capture time-lapse images of a storm’s gradual expiration.



In a statement, Michael Wong, co-author of the Astronomical Journal study and a researcher at UC Berkeley, admitted that the storm’s behavior is different than what well-known studies led scientists to expect. “[Previous] dynamical simulations said that anticyclones under Neptune’s wind shear would probably drift toward the equator,” said Wong. “We thought that once the vortex got too close to the equator, it would break up and perhaps create a spectacular outburst of cloud activity.”

While unexpected, it’s actually great news for eager scientists because, as the NASA video explains, this means there’s “a lot left to learn on Neptune.” For now, we’re sure it’s relieved to smell a little less like old farts.

Did the INCREDIBLES 2 Trailer Secretly Reveal Its True Villain?

It only took fourteen years to get a glimpse at what happened to the Parr family after The Incredibles, but the first real trailer for Incredibles 2 hit this week and it’s going for a full superhero Mr. Mom riff! Yes, it’s true. Mr. Incredible is staying at home to take care of the kids while Elastigirl is taking on a bigger role as she helps the superhero population make a comeback. And while we know that the Underminer will be menacing the Parr family in the sequel, the trailer may have given us a glimpse of the story’s true villain. Today’s Nerdist News is hitting the trouble alarm and pointing fingers at the new big bad!

There are potential spoilers ahead for Incredibles 2. Consider yourselves warned!

Join host and the only babysitter that Jack-Jack can’t intimidate, Jessica Chobot, as she identifies the sequel’s villain as Bob Odenkirk‘s Winston Deavor. Winston’s the seemingly nice guy who is behind Elastigirl’s PR blitz and supposedly a big fan of superheroes. But if you recall the first Incredibles, Mr. Incredible thought that he was working for the good guys too before it was revealed to be a lie.

While speaking to Cinemablend, Odenkirk made a point of saying that he couldn’t answer a question about whether Winston was a villain. He may have been kidding, but the pieces seem to fit. Mr. Mom had the boss of Teri Garr’s character try to woo her away from her husband, and it just so happens that one of Elastigirl’s jealous ex-boyfriends played a big part in earlier drafts of the first film. That would be Xerek, a character who went on to make his debut in The Incredibles comic book series.

Much like the Expanded Universe, those Incredibles comics have been rendered non-canon. But we think there’s a strong possibility that Xerek’s motivations could be transferred to Winston. Plus, Winston’s sister is Evelyn Deavor. As in “evil endeavor.” Not very subtle, Pixar! This may be speculation for now, but we’re fairly certain that the Deavor siblings are ultimately up to no good.

Who do you think is the real enemy in Incredibles 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Pixar/Disney

Even Without Vibranium, Forging a Spear From BLACK PANTHER is Dope

The release of Black Panther has the internet, and the world, all sorts of excited. Because how could it not? The MCU’s latest installment is the most anticipated and well-received Marvel movie, ever, and that heat is felt quite literally over at the AWE me YouTube channel where they recreated one of the weapons from the film—Zuri’s badass vibranium spear.



Those who’ve seen the film or any of its trailers will know there’s a whole slew of interesting and futuristic weapons to talk about (hi, Shuri!), but seeing Zuri’s spear crafted IRL by the crew at Baltimore Knife & Sword beats any CGI sequence in a Marvel movie. Ok, that’s probably a reach, but still.

The build seems simple on its surface—they forge a spear head, craft a handle, and then connect the two together. However, the devil is always in the details and it’s the small touches that bring this spear to life. Whether its shaping the shaft to its basic form and then adding wood-burned details to give them more depth or plug welding the overlays onto the blade so that the design of the weapon wasn’t changed too drastically when blending the welds.

As always, the Man at Arms: Reforged crew end their video with a successful demo of the weapon against a few household items taking the place of Ulysses Klaw. Should Wakanda ever be invaded by a collection of beverages and bags of sand, Zuri’s spear will surely make quick work of them.

What do you think of this forging? Does its lack of vibranium make it useless in this modern super-hero filled world? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

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Image: AWE me

RED SPARROW Was Nearly Excellent, But Doesn’t Fully Take Flight (Review)

Spy movies are, for some of us, the best kinds of movies. Intrigue, action, high stakes, and psychological warfare? Gimmie. Anchor it with a badass woman using her knowledge of the human condition to manipulate men to do what she wants? Sign us up. Seemingly prescient topics given the current political climate? Here. For. It. So it’s why we’re left slightly scratching our heads after viewing Red Sparrow, the sexpot-y Russian spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton. A film that very nearly gives us everything we want—with one nagging misstep.

Red Sparrow tells a really engaging spy story—one where a woman tries to reclaim herself while still playing the game she was forced into. It focuses on Jennifer Lawrence‘s Dominika Egorova, a one-time Russian ballet star who has to find another way to support her ailing mother (a woefully miscast Joely Richardson) and herself. Enter: her scheming uncle, Vanya Egorov (the very good Matthias Schoenaerts), a high-ranking official in the country’s intelligence agency, the S.V.R.. Devoted to the idea that the West’s moral sentimentality can be used to bring Russia to the forefront of international issues, Dominika is sent to a school to learn to use sexual degradation and manipulation to get intel on the machinations of other political players overseas.



Ultimately, the story plays out as one would expect: there’s a mole high up! C.I.A. agent and stereotypical rogue-leader type Nathaniel Nash (Joel Edgerton) tries to protect him and messes up! The Russians send in Dominika to figure it all out! But for a film about the control sex and that human need for connection has on a person (negatively, in the case of the sparrows), it is staunchly crafted for that same, dehumanizing gaze. The cognitive dissonance may not ring as odd to many—we live in a world that mandates service to the male gaze—but in 2018, it’s hard to ignore at certain points, rendering some of the most scintillating moments less effective in their duality.

Plus, it’s just sort of oddly shot. Director Francis Lawrence films a large part of the movie from below, not only to give a sense of voyeurism and anxiety, but to also focus in on Dominika’s ass and beauty, even as she’s being threatened with rape (on more than one occasion). It works well for the film’s violence, which isn’t exactly plentiful but is certainly not shied away from when it’s on-screen. But it leaves one feeling that glorification transferred over to the power these men have—the power Dominika is expertly, surgically, and brilliantly trying to subvert and navigate in order to stay alive.

The film takes a bit too long to take off: some of its dopiest scenes happen in a school run by Charlotte Rampling (who is as good as she always is), known only as “Matron” to her students. But the film’s most fascinating moments—the meaty, psychological weight of which is neutered by Lawrence’s camerawork—also happens during her studies, and when you see Dominika own her sexual power and conquer her attacker, you’re ready to root for the Russian spy to take down every man that crosses her with blisteringly human ease. It’s just a shame there wasn’t more of that weight transferred into how the film was shot—seeing their faces more than their bodies would’ve given the film a bit of the psychological musing it was missing. After all: this sparrow is not like the rest, and it would’ve been more engaging to see a bit more of the how and why behind her eyes.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the spy genre, there’s a lot to like in Red Sparrow. If you’re like me, however, you may be left wanting a bit more. So make up your own mind when it hits theaters on March 1.

3 saucy burritos out of 5:

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter!

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“Dogs in Food” is Your Newest Instagram Obsession

From Cash Cats to Kanye Doing Things, novelty Instagram accounts are a dime a dozen these days, so it takes a real stand-out to get our attention. Enter: Dogs in Food, a new account that seamlessly blends beautiful food photography with pictures of dogs. It’s every bit as as ridiculous as it sounds in all of the best ways.

Puppy Asada taco