Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2290

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Will Reunite for BATMAN-Centric DC Event

It’s time for your weekend edition of Comics Relief, where we are still unpacking news coming out of this year’s New York Comic Con. And our first story today should make fans of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s epic run on Batman very, very pleased. Read on for all the details!

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo to Reunite For Big DC Comics Event in 2017

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s 50-issue run on the New 52-era Batman was one of the most celebrated runs of the character’s 75-year history, and now it seems the pair are reuniting once again in the not-too-distant future. While speaking to Newsarama at NYCC, Snyder said the two will work together on a 2017 DC summer crossover event that’s got Batman square in the spotlight. He added, “Yes, we’re gonna be doing a big summer event, next year, next summer. It will be very Batman centric, and very rock ‘n’ roll.” That’s all the details we have so far, but those two working together on anything is cause for celebration. [Newsarama]

What is Marvel’s ResurrXion?

Marvel has dropped a teaser which seems tied to their X-Men and Inhumans franchises. The image, which doesn’t have any creator named attached at all, just says the word “ResurrXion” and indicates that more info will arrive next week. With so many dead mutants and Inhumans in Marvel’s universe, this whole resurrection could be talking about pretty much anyone. You can see the teaser image above. [Bleeding Cool]

Power Rangers and the Justice League to Team Up in January

For some reason this wasn’t announced at NYCC, despite being rumored, but now it’s official: DC Comics and BOOM! Studios are teaming up the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with the Justice League in a six issue min-series in January. This follows up the previous Gotham Academy/Lumberjanes comic and their upcoming Green Lantern On The Planet of The Apes. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Justice League is being written by Injustice: Gods Among Us writer Tom Taylor and drawn by Green Arrow artist Stephen Byrne.

Here’s the official description:

“Something terrible has happened in Angel Grove when the Power Rangers’ Command Center is breached and the teleporters are damaged! Zack the Black Ranger is flung into an alternate universe full of citizens possessing outrageous powers and wearing strange costumes. Will Jason the Red Ranger, Trini the Yellow Ranger, Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Billy the Blue Ranger and Tommy the Green Ranger be able to get to Zack in time to save him from Batman?”

The first issue of the series hits on January 11, 2017. For more info, check out our full story on the subject by click here: [Nerdist]

Original Thunderbolts Creative Team Reunite for 20th Anniversary

It’s been 20 years since the Avengers villains team known as the Masters of Evil decided to switch sides, become heroes, and change their names to the Thunderbolts. Now the current Thunderbolts creative team, Jim Zub and Jon Malin, is going to be joined by the team’s original creators, Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, for Thunderbolts #10 in February.

This issue will begin the “Return of the Masters” storyline, where the current creative team promises the Thunderbolts will revisit their own history as the Masters of Evil after a mysterious old villain makes an unwelcome return. You can see cover art for the issue #10 above. [Comic Book]

Lions Forge Comics Creates Catalyst Prime Imprint

At NYCC, it was announced that publisher Lion Forge Comics will launch its own superhero imprint next year called Catalyst Prime, headlined by a lineup of creators that includes Christopher Priest, Joe Casey, Joe Illidge, Damion Scott, Alex DeCampi and Amy Chu. The imprint will debut in May with a one-shot written by Priest and Illidge and illustrated by Marco Turini, followed by seven titles introduced over the next seven months.

Joe Illidge said Lion Forge is committed to creating a superhero universe that “invites everyone.” He added that, “Diversity is a buzzword that has become obsolete because it’s been used for a lot of PR. Diversity should be intrinsic if you have an expanded mindset and worldview so when you’re going to creators they’re not all heterosexual, they’re not all Caucasian males. They might not all be from the United States. They’re from different industries. They have different political backgrounds. Diversity is automatic.” For more on this new line, click the following link: [CBR]

Frank Miller Wants to Return Superman to His Jewish Roots

Although readers of Frank Miller’s classic Dark Knight Returns might think he hated the Man of Steel, it’s not so, says Miller. In fact, at NYCC he said he wanted to make a comic that explores Superman’s Jewish heritage (both of his creators were Jewish).

He said, “[Superman] has a history in World War II, and I’d like to put him there again,” Miller said. “Superman needs to confront his Jewish roots, and I’d like to write that. I’d like to have him face a death camp.”

Superman was of course created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, and many consider Superman to be a creation born out of frustration with how their Jewish cousins were being treated in Europe. The fact that Superman was created by two Jews didn’t escape Nazi attention either. In 1940, Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels publicly denounced Superman and Siegel. This all might be wishful thinking on Miller’s part, but one never knows, “Superman vs Nazis” could happen. It would sure get a lot of press if it did. [CBR]

Comixology Sponsors UK Thought Bubble Festival

Thought Bubble, the UK’s largest comic book festival, revealed that the biggest digital comic shopping and reading service, comiXology, will act as the major sponsor of the 10th anniversary edition of the Thought Bubble Festival. The new sponsorship brings together the UK’s biggest sequential arts festival and the leading company in the field of digital comic books together. The festival takes place in Leeds from from November 1-6. Guests include rare UK appearances from Mike Mignola, Erica Henderson, Ryan North, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and many more. For more details, click on the following link: [Newsarama]

Images: DC Comics / Marvel Comics / Thought Bubble / BOOM! Studios / Lions Forge

THE GREASY STRANGLER is Impressively Unpleasant (Review)

I can’t place exactly how long it was after seeing The Greasy Strangler that it began to dawn on me: the cartoonish body horror that had turned my stomach, the tyranny of obnoxious episodes that had made my skin crawl, the amoral psychology that had rendered even a hint of empathy for its story an abject impossibility… I was remembering all of this fondly. The movie had, somehow, grown on me.

And not even in spite of these transgressions, but precisely because of them was I, soon enough, thinking about The Greasy Strangler as downright laudable. The movie does itself very few favors in the interest of winning over an audience. Its aesthetic and score are broad and unsettling; its characters are irreconcilably unlikable; most of all, its plot lands entirely independent from the luxury of a motivating narrative, and frequently halts from what it can, with liberties, regard as its paltry excuse for a story to engage with menacingly overlong exercises in anti-humor. For instance: the particularly exasperating sequence in which one minor character struggles to pronounce the word “potato” to another’s satisfaction… this is all moments before both characters are removed from the picture by the eponymous greasy strangler. Oh yes—the title is very literal.

See, when not shoveling down fatty breakfasts, berating his spineless adult son, or leading disappointing disco-themed tours of his hometown, Big Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels) spends his time skulking the night streets lathered in a thick, thick coat of grease, looking for subjects of his latest endeavor strangling. Whether by virtue of the grease, some inborn mutation, or simply a liberal enough logical fabric holding the film together, Big Ronnie becomes superhumanly strong during these outings, consequently contorting his victim’s bodies in all sorts of surreal, sometimes silly and always unsightly ways. Why does he do this? If the movie offers any response to that question, its, “Who gives a damn?”

The standing routine is disrupted when bozo son Big Brayden (Sky Elobar) attracts the attention of his very first girlfriend, Janet (Elizabeth De Razzo), leaving his sociopathic father acting out for attention from both parties. The offbeat love triangle begets a master course in emotional torment, provokes an increasingly sinister array of slayings, and ultimately inspires a low-rent cat-and-mouse game in which Brayden vies to out his father once and for all as the area’s most notorious serial killer… which really shouldn’t take as much effort as it does, considering Big Ronnie’s habit of identifying himself as the Greasy Strangler in everyday conversation.

Whereas a picture’s evolution into a sleuth story would ordinarily entail the phrase, “The plot thickens!” that is in fact the furthest thing from the truth in The Greasy Strangler. Things become less beholden to any coherent premise as they carry forth, diverting more and more attention to the provocation of physical and psychological unrest. This endeavor really comes to a head in the film’s conclusion, which is as nauseatingly nihilistic as its leading 90 minutes could have promised.

So how, then, have I somehow come around on a movie so packed to the brim with unpleasantness? Difficult to say. I can’t exactly say that I enjoyed my experience sitting through The Greasy Strangler. I know I won’t be watching it again anytime soon. But after all this time spent stewing in its wake, I’d be lying to say that I’m not impressed with it. It’s vile, it’s intrusive, and it’s annoying, but it’s strikingly, creatively, and impressively so. And, to boot, really freakin’ weird.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Images: Filmrise

Michael Arbeiter is the East Coast Editor of Nerdist. Find him on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter.

Cosplay Friday #185 – Morticia Addams, Lydia Deetz, and More from Yamino Cosplay

Halloween is still a couple of weeks away, but Lyn-Elíz Bergs—a.k.a. Yamino Cosplay—is helping us keep our festive, scary spirit going this Nerdoween with some of her awesome costumes. She’s an artist, costume designer, cosplayer, and a model, with her cosplay history featuring a variety of well-made ensembles from video games, film, and television. She also works with talented photographers that show off her work in the best possible way. Case in point, please look at this creepy/terrific/haunting Morticia Addams costume:

Morticia Addams (The Addams Family) | Photo by jsaiv photography

Not spooky enough for you? How about this Beetlejuice Lydia Deetz outfit? I call this look glam-horror—It’s all the rage.

Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice) | Photo by Zedrock Photography

Don’t leave this page without visiting the gallery below to see more gorgeous photos of Lyn-Elíz’s costumes. You’ll find cosplay inspired by characters from Legend of Zelda, Princess Mononoke, Cowboy Bebop, and more. After you’ve browsed those photos, visit Lyn-Elíz’s Facebook page and Instagram feed to keep up with all her latest projects.

Do you cosplay or take pictures of cosplayers? Then I would like to see your portfolio so we can talk about highlighting you in a future Cosplay Friday gallery. If you’re interested, please go ahead and email me at alratcliffe@yahoo.com with photos you’d like me to feature. Be sure to provide credits for the cosplayers or photographers for each image because credits are cool–bonus points if you include links to their Facebook pages or websites.

Images: Courtesy of Yamino Cosplay/Lyn-Elíz Bergs

Hear Laverne Cox Sing “Sweet Transvestite” From THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

We are less than a week away from the debut of the all-new Rocky Horror Picture Show on Fox, and it’s fair to say that antici….pation for this one is pretty high (sorry, had to go there). Although the folks at Fox have been slowly revealing a song here and there from the new production (“Dammit, Janet”, “Toucha Toucha Touch Me” and “Science Fiction/Double Feature”) they have now released Rocky’s pièce de résistance: “Sweet Transvestite,” sung by none other than Laverne Cox as our new Dr. Frank N. Furter.

Laverne Cox’s version of the song arrived this week on the official YouTube channel of Fox’s musical revival, and now you can have a listen to the whole song, which she’s singing to Janet (Victoria Justice) and Brad (Ryan McCartan) in the video above.

The song itself almost got a name change, as according to an interview with Vanity Fair, Cox said that she and director Kenny Ortega talked in the early days of the production about not using the word transvestite at all, as many in the trans community view the word as slur today. But they both finally agreed that to remove it would be unfaithful to the original show. She added “historically, the terms have changed [and] it doesn’t mean the same thing today that it meant in the ’70s. It’s not appropriate to refer to trans people as a transvestite [today], but it is [used here as] the character in that specific moment in history.” Seems fair to me.

Upon listening to this newest version, I think that Ms. Cox does a pretty great job with it, and does a version of the classic tune that’s different than anything the legendary Tim Curry did in the original 1975 film. The arrangement for this version of the song is very different from the one in the original movie, and while Laverne Cox doesn’t have Tim Curry’s superior vocal range, she brings her own unique personality to it and it more than makes up for any deficiencies.

Of course, nothing and no one will ever replace Tim Curry as Frank N. Furter, but the best part is that Laverne Cox isn’t trying to–this is her own version of the mad doctor from the planet Transsexual, and she’s not trying to mimic anyone else. Her look is also totally different from his as well. And if Tim Curry gives his blessing to her performance, then who are we to argue?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show airs Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. The new soundtrack of the musical will arrive Oct. 21, the day after the special airs.

What do you think of the Laverne Cox version of “Sweet Transvestite?” Did it do the trick, or are you sticking to the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Image: Twentieth Century Fox

Amazon Announces New Series from Studio Ghibli with Gillian Anderson

While we’re still way in the Sad Camp about Hayao Miyazaki retiring from making featuring films, and Studio Ghibli not making its own features anymore (they animated and co-produced this year’s festival hit The Red Turtle along with French-Belgian studio Wild Bunch), they have committed to making new shorts and television projects—one of the latter coming to Amazon. Announced via a press release on Friday, Amazon has picked up Ghibli’s Emmy-winning Japanese series Ronja the Robber’s Daughter.

The 3D CG series is directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki and the director of Ghibli films Tales from Earthsea and From Up On Poppy Hill, and based on the wildly popular children’s fantasy book series by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, the writer of Pippi Longstocking. The elder Miyazaki famously attempted to adapt Pippi Longstocking to television many years ago. You can take a look at the initial trailer for the show in Japan below.

The series is described as “an epic 26-part animated story of a strong, adventurous young girl who grows up exploring a beautiful and dangerous forest filled with mythical creatures.” That sounds pretty amazing to us already, and despite the 3D-animation, it still has the overall visual stamp of Studio Ghibli. For the series’ English language version, Amazon has tapped Gillian Anderson to be narrator of Ronja the Robber’s Daughter. Anderson had previously voiced Moro, the giant wolf goddess and the adopted mother of San in the English dub of Miyazaki’s 1997 film, Princess Mononoke.

Ronja the Robber’s Daughter will premiere on Amazon later this fall. Let us know what you think of the Ghibli/Amazon pairing in the comments below!

8 more anime series you need to watch this fall!

Image: Studio Ghibli/Fox

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He’s the writer of Studio Ghibli retrospectives Miyazaki Masterclass and Takahata Textbook. Follow him on Twitter!

Paul McCartney Played a Surprise Concert for 300 People in the Desert

What do you do when you’ve got time to kill? Well, if you’re Paul McCartney, you throw a secret show to 300 people. The Beatles member surprised folks in Joshua Tree, California at an intimate gig, but that’s not the only news that’s got us grinning. Stevie Wonder did a great tribute to Prince, Radiohead are finally streaming the bonus disc of In Rainbows, Jason Charles Miller and Hannah Aldridge did a moving cover of “High and Dry,” Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel is selling original handmade drawings, Christine and the Queens took Fallon by storm.

Once in a lifetime….. Paul McCartney @pappyandharriets #paulmccartney #pappyandharriets #pioneertown #300 #people #neverstopdoingwhatyoulove

A video posted by Jill Smith (@hometownjersey) on Oct 13, 2016 at 11:22pm PDT

If you didn’t hear, the company that runs Coachella formed a brand new festival called Desert Trip that brings every big-name classic rock act out to perform a crazy festival. It takes place over two weekends. Paul McCartney, who was billed to perform at both weekends, decided to pass the weekdays inbetween by playing a headlining show… at a dusty roadhouse in Joshua Tree. The venue, called Pappy & Harriet’s Place, hosts a tiny 300-capacticy room where the Beatles bassist performed. The set lasted for quite a while since he played 21 songs, including “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Lady Madonna,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “Band on the Run.” Talk about a dive bar show to remember. [Consequence of Sound]

Stevie and Chaka Khan!! 1999!! #OfficialPrinceTribute #Prince

A video posted by Amy Gilmore (@amyg_atx) on Oct 13, 2016 at 7:51pm PDT

In the wake of Prince‘s unexpected death, the official Prince estate announced a tribute concert would be held to honor the icon. On Thursday the 13th, a bunch of musicians took the stage at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center to perform a slew of hits. Among those were Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan playing “1999.” Footage of the show makes it seem like one hell of a party, but then again, why wouldn’t it be? After all, this is Prince they’re honoring. [Pitchfork]

It’s not secret that Radiohead are heavily anti-streaming. Despite Thom Yorke‘s distaste for this way of listening to music, they’ve recently allowed several streaming services, including Spotify (whom Yorke compared to a “fart” a year ago), to play their music. Now Apple Music has the rights to stream the In Rainbows bonus disc, a well-loved release that features cuts like “Bangers + Mash” and “4 Minute Warning.” It’s worth noting that this year marks the first time the album has been made available for streaming, despite it’s original release allowing fans to download it for free. [Pitchfork]

Longtime producer and musician Jason Charles Miller just teamed up with Hannah Aldridge for a moving cover of Radiohead‘s classic single “High and Dry.” Better yet, they reimagine the song as an emotional country duet. The video plays up their collaborative charm. The two sit back to back in an empty bar. Suddenly, a mirror image shows them both playing guitar to one another, the images overlaid. Even people who don’t like country will find themselves singing along. Check it out above.

Without making a peep, Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel began selling original handmade drawings. According to the band’s website, he started selling the new art close to the 10th, all of which are a part of a large series called “the book cipher sings.” Mangum has been selling original drawings on the band’s website since 2005, but these, according to fan speculations, may be leading up to a new album. It’s big if true. Head to Neutral Milk Hotel’s website to learn more. [Pitchfork]

Not every musician needs flashing lights and trippy visuals. French act Christine and the Queens took the stage on The Tonight Show during Thursday night’s show. The group performed “Tilted” from her self-titled debut album that dropped last year. Without missing a beat, the group stunned the audience. Not only were her vocals soaring, but she sang while dancing, her back-up dancers flexing and contorting in ways that somehow manage to be both beautiful and edgy. Check it out above to see what we mean. [Pitchfork]

Enjoy the weekend! We’ll see you back here on Monday for another Music Dispatch.

Image: Nasty Little Man; Paul McCartney PR

Heroes Reunite in DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Season 2 Premiere (Review)

Warning: major spoilers below! You know the drill. Don’t read this recap until you’ve seen the season premiere of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. You’ve been warned!

Last season, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow was a show that never quite figured out it was going to be. That identity crisis has apparently carried over to the second season, as it can’t seem to decide whether it’s a fun adventure through time or a more serious show with emotional consequences for its characters. In the season two premiere, no one embodied that conflict more than Sara Lance (Caity Lotz). Out of all of the characters, Sara actually had the most compelling arc. She wants to kill Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) in the past before he can kill her sister on Arrow. That’s a great motivation for her, but it didn’t seem consistent with the Sara who playfully seduced women throughout history in the rest of the episode.

The best part of this episode came early, when the remaining Legends attempted to save France’s Louis XIII from time traveling terrorists. Something about seeing the team in period costumes was inherently amusing, and it seemed like the cast and their characters were really enjoying themselves. The biggest problem is that the tone was so light that when the episode went for a bit of pathos with the apparent demise of Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), it didn’t land at all. No one should believe that Hunter is gone for good, and the episode didn’t even try to make us believe that. And yet it still had the nerve to try to make us care about Hunter as if he could be dead.

Stephen Amell‘s Oliver Queen had an extended cameo/guest appearance as he and Nathan Heywood (Nick Zano) attempted to locate the team. Bizarrely, Heywood appears to be taking Hunter’s place on the Legends. We don’t know if that’s going to work, but Heywood seemed too similar to Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) to make much of an impression here. It’s enough to make us wonder why the creative team didn’t simply elevate Ray or Sarah to the leadership role. Either of them would have been stronger choices than Heywood.

Another issue with this episode is that it built towards a potential dark fate for the crew of the Waverider, and then easily resolved it midway through the episode. The team was stranded in various points of history for all of a few scenes before they were brought back together. That’s just not satisfying storytelling. If it’s that easy to reunite them, then there are no stakes.

There were some amusing moments with the Legends as they teamed up with Albert Einstein, especially when Einstein was more friendly with Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell) than he was with Professor Stein (Victor Garber). The resolution of the 1942 battle was a little flat, but the duel cliffhangers made up for it. First, the Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher) was revealed as Darhk’s partner; which means that the Legion of Doom has arrived in the Arrowverse. And in the closing moments, the Justice Society of America made their debut, as they confronted the Legends. Both of those turns are very intriguing, but we’ll reserve final judgment until we see how Legends of Tomorrow integrates them into the show.

Legends of Tomorrow still hasn’t quite hit the highs of Arrow or The Flash, but the playground of The CW’s DC shows is going to offer a lot of chances to get it right. Nothing would make us happier than for this to be the year that Legends of Tomorrow lives up to its potential.

RATING: 3 OUT OF 5 BURRITOS

What did you think about the second season premiere of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: The CW/DC Entertainment

Mini Caramel Apples Are the Smallest Halloween Treats

Walking With Giants, the YouTube channel that specializes in the tiniest of food, is at it again. This time with something seasonally sweet. While their world’s tiniest lasagna was a bite of savory happiness, now they’re taking on Fall treats by making the itsy bitsiest, smallest caramel apples you ever did see in their new series Haunting With Giants.

Caramel apples are one of my favorite treats, but I’d probably need about 57 of these things to feel satisfied. Now just how can you make caramel apples the size of your fingertip? By slicing a cube of caramel with an x-acto knife and heating it up inside an orange jack-o-lantern. That’s not the color orange; we literally mean the jack-o-lantern is an actual tiny Mandarin orange carved out with a face. In other words, ridiculously tiny.

After the apples are dipped in the melted caramel they’re covered in diced peanuts. Watching the peanuts being chopped was excruciating because I just wanted to scream “There must be an easier way!” out loud to no one in particular.

Once the apples are dipped and coated they’re served up with presumably a thimble full of apple cider. Now the real question in all of this is where in the world did they find apples that small? I searched the comments and I was not alone in my musings. Undeterred, I even googled “world’s smallest apples” which did not help me whatsoever , and note to self: I should clear my cache.

The conclusion that the comment section and I have come to is that these are not apples at all but super shiny cranberries. If that’s the case then these should be called mini cranberry apples but I don’t have any proof so we’ll let sleeping apples lie. If anyone from the apple lobby has anything to say they can contact me at the Nerdist offices, email subject line: Urgent.

For more tiny holiday treats check out Walking With Giants on YouTube.

What do you think of these tiny apples (Really? Still on the fence on this one.) Halloween treats? Let us know in the comments!

Image: Walking With Giants

This Creepy Leg Cake is a Horrific Halloween Masterpiece

Are you ready for a sweet, sticky, bloody, gory, over-the-top Halloween? Then you’re in luck because here at Nerdist we’re all about that sorta Nerdoween magic and Queen of fabulous cakes Yolanda Gampp has certainly scared up a particularly gruesome holiday treat—just how we like it. In honor of Halloween, the YouTuber baked up a lifelike, grotesque human leg made out of cake before presenting it to competitive eater Furious Pete (who promptly destroyed it).

But first: the how-to! Using a knife and scalpel, Gampp precisely carved 16 pounds of cake before stacking and shaping it to create the human leg look. It wasn’t until the cake-foot was attached that it really started to come to life.

The cake was crumb-coated with frighteningly red buttercream which was just prep for what came next, the flesh. Using four pounds of fondant, the leg is covered and let’s just say torn fondant looks exactly like torn human flesh. Yuck.

A little bit of hand sculpting and this cake starts looking all-too-real. As if the muscle definition wasn’t enough, adding toes and realistic gumpaste toenails took it over the top. Let’s just say she nailed it.

Now here’s where the red buttercream pays off: by adding gashes to this poor victim’s cake-leg, the blood-red frosting is revealed making the whole thing look like a savage attack come to life.

Just when you thought—nay, hoped—that this cake was done? Fondant maggots were added, because this poor guy just can’t catch a break. Blood-like raspberry jam finished off this horrific masterpiece.

In the end the cake victim is put out of it’s misery as Furious Pete comes in and destroys it by devouring the whole thing in a matter of seconds. See more terrifying treats on the How To Cake It YouTube channel.

Will you be making your own version of this spooky leg cake for your Halloween party? Let us know in the comments and tag @nerdist and @justjennrecipes on instagram to show us your Nerdoween festivities!

Images: How To Cake It

It’s the POWER RANGERS Diecast Combining Megazord We Always Wanted

It’s Morphin time! We don’t know yet exactly what the new Power Ranger movie zords are going to look like in action, but we do know the originals from the TV show very well. Now, using Bandai‘s proprietary Soul of Chogokin engineering style for diecast toys, they’re back as totally metal vehicles that combine to make both larger forms of the Megazord: robot and Beast Tank Dino Tanker (yes, that’s what the tank form is properly called. Though the first one of you to claim that was your nickname in high school wins a virtual cookie*).

(*virtual cookie offer non-binding; virtual cookies are both imaginary awards and figures of speech.)

The robot form stands over ten inches tall, while each individual prehistoric-styled mechanical vehicle is fully articulated and playable as a separate piece. Available now for preorder, with delivery expected in May, the combined set retails from authorized Bluefin retailers (including some Barnes and Noble stores!) and your favorite online collector-toy outlets for around $299.99.

So grow, savings, grow! Get my bank balance as huge as Rita’s monsters so I can pick this sucker up! You might say I’m like putty in Bandai’s hands. Check out the full gallery below to see what kind of action poses the zords can get up to, then clear out an “abandoned warehouse district” in your toy room to make way for the epic battles to follow.

Do you need this Megazord power now? Do you want all your friends to eye-yai-yai your collection? It’s commentin’ time!

Images: Bluefin/Bandai