Not the Ghostbusters statue I think most of us were expecting, this one is a bit more… gratuitous. Kotobukiya shocked everyone with a preview of this at the recent Toy Fairs. Let’s go over what I consider the pros and cons for this busty ‘buster.

Pros:
• Great coloring and pose.
• Screen accurate Proton Pack (besides one little thing I’ll get to in a second).
• This will definitely be a unique Ghostbusters collectible to turn heads.

Cons:
• Depending on your taste, this collectible may turn heads for the wrong reasons.
• The torn pants. I mean, I get it, but it still kinda bugs me.
• This is a “rookie” girl ‘buster. Part of me wishes they would’ve slapped some glasses on her and said it was Janine.
• The small innaccuracy I was talking about earlier… the hose to the Proton Gun is supposed to come out of the bottom right side of the Proton Pack (shown in the gallery below). Not the top right. Obviously they changed this so it woudln’t unterupt the view of her rump.

It looks as though this will be around $70, shipping in July. There are a few places to preorder it online. I’m sure I’ll break down and get one, but it probably won’t share the shelf space with my Matty toys.

It’s getting really really hard to not want a 3DS for Ocarina of Time. At least it seems as though I have a little extra time to save up for it. All signs are pointing to this game being released in June. I’m crossing my fingers for a Legend of Zelda themed 3DS, similar the the DS version from a few years back.

Well, along with the new trailer for Skyward Sword released at the GDC Press Conference, some new screens for Ocarina of time 3DS were released. This game looks gorgeous. I really like the new art direction. Although, is it just me or does adult link seem shorter and stubbier than his N64 counterpart?

Thanks to Zelda Dungeon for posting these up.

One of the things I love about the Archie franchise is how malleable it is while still keeping itself grounded in “reality”. That is to say, you can have vampires and political figures floating around Riverdale, but the gang is still the gang. Next week, in Archie & Friends #153, we get to see a bit more of that. It’s a really cool concept where the running story is that Reggie is in full-on prank mode (it is April Fool’s Day, after all). The thing that sets this book apart though, is that each part of the story is done by a different creative team! The folks that do the Sonic comics as well as the Sabrina, The Teenage Witch book lend their hand. What I think is most interesting though is comic legends Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, both of whom I am a big fan of, also dip their toes into the Archie pool.  Enough of me jabbering on, check out the preview pages and see the coolness for yuorself!

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #153
“The April Fool,” “Noon Too Soon,” “King of Fools” and more!
This April Fools Day it’s Reggie’s Revenge! The King of Pranks will be pranked when four brand new teams of writers and artists take on Reggie and the gang! Comic book legends join forces with Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Sonic the Hedgehog superstar comic writers for foolishly good fun!
SCRIPT: Tom DeFalco, J. Torres, Tania del Rio, and Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Ron Frenz, Tim Levins, Tania del Rio, and Gisèle
COVER: Fernando Ruiz, Mike DeCarlo and Tito Peña
Shipping Date: 3/2/2011
On Sale at Comic Shops: 3/9/2011
Newsstands: 3/22/11
Digest, 160 pgs, 30 lb newsprint, Full-Color
$3.99 US

The fine folks at Archie have sent us a sneak peek at Veronica #205, on sale today! Popular new character Kevin Keller is back, and he’s Veronica’s new best friend! But with Ronnie spending all of her time talking to Kevin, is her relationship with Betty falling by the wayside? Will she ever get her cell phone back? Head on over to your local comic book selling establishment and find out!

VERONICA #205
“The Buddy System”
Kevin Keller, star of the SOLD-OUT Veronica #202, is back! Veronica and Kevin have become inseparable, but their constant contact is pushing away the most important person in Veronica’s life. Can Kevin and the gang help Veronica remember one very important date before it ends the world’s greatest friendship?
SCRIPT: Dan Parent
ARTIST: Dan Parent, Rich Koslowski, Jack Morelli and Digikore
COVER: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: 2/23/2011
On Sale at Comic Shops: 3/2/2011
Newsstands: Week of 3/15/2011
Comic, 32 pgs, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US

The last episode of The Clone Wars was easily one of my favorites of the season and I can’t wait to see what the next episode hold. It certainly feels like more old-school adventure films are coming to play and I couldn’t be more excited.

From the official press release:

Having freed the prisoners, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker search for a way out of the impenetrable Citadel prison. The brutal warden has more traps, perils and pitfalls in store for them, however, and the heroes must overcome their own differences in order to escape. After surviving their own daring break-in, it’s time for a “Counterattack” – the second chapter of a thrilling three-part storyline, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, March 4 on Cartoon Network.

While Taylor is best known for providing the voice of The Clone Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi, he does far more for the series than just the staid and dulcet tones of that temperate Jedi Master. In the Citadel trilogy alone, he voices three very distinct characters – on both sides of the action-packed prison escape. In addition to Obi-Wan’s voice of reason, Taylor breathes life into Jedi Master Plo Koon and even the sadistic Citadel warden, Osi Sobeck.

“Most of the time, we work as a cast and we say our lines in sequence. Some actors need to kind of stay in the mode of the character, but [on The Clone Wars], we’re all very comfortable with just switching back and forth,” he says. “So when we did these sessions, it was a lot of fun. There was a point where I was doing all three [characters] in a scene, jumping from voice to voice. I love doing that stuff. I’m a ham. The fun thing about Osi – we’ll see, but I’m sure people have realized who I am actually doing. It’s not an impersonation, but it’s inspired by someone in particular – and as we went through the episode, it grew and changed. We’re not making fun; we’re paying homage to his acting beats and his style, but we’re not trying to fool anybody. Hopefully people will enjoy that and have fun with that, because that’s what we were doing.”

With so much fun going on behind the scenes, Taylor is understandably enthusiastic about being part of an ongoing project he enjoys so much. And while the sessions themselves are always so entertaining, he’s also quick to express his appreciation for the finished product, taken on its own merits.

“I watch the show because I’m a fan,” he says. “I love visually how it looks. I watch it from a study perspective, and I watch it because of the vital Star Wars elements that are in these episodes. I like these fun, swashbuckling, action episodes. That’s what was so fun about these; the [recording] sessions are like that, too. OK, we’re moving, you’re shouting, you’re fighting. The action ones, I can sink my teeth into immediately. I mean, come on, it doesn’t get any more Star Wars than that.”

I was excited when the announcement came down that Chewbacca would be appearing on The Clone Wars, but the one clip that had been unveiled wasn’t incredibly revealing. Sure, it looked great and got me all pumped up for it, but we didn’t get to see much action.

With this new bumper for the Season Finale, we finally get to see Chewbacca cut loose and it’s quite a thing to see. I think for the first time we’re going to see the action-hero Wookiee in a bloodlust we’ve always wanted to see, ever since Han mentioned he’d pull peoples arms out of their sockets when they lose.

And is it just me or does it look like that first shot heavily references Chewbacca’s reveal in Jabba’s dungeon in Return of the Jedi?

The season finale of the third season of The Clone Wars airs in the United States on April 1st. I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

(Thanks to the Star Wars Underworld for bringing this to my attention.)

The New York Times revealed this morning that the season finale of The Clone Wars will be a two part episode arc featuring none other than Chewbacca the Wookiee, Han Solo’s first mate and one of two Wookiee’s responsible for aiding Yoda in his escape from Kashyyyk in the aftermath of Order 66.

Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in all 4 films that featured the character (as well as in The Holiday Special and on The Muppet Show), was also invited to give the animators an insight into what it takes to bring everyone’s favorite walking carpet to life.

From the New York Times article:

Though Lucasfilm Animation is keeping specific plot details under wraps, the “Clone Wars” finale, scheduled for April 1, will see Chewbacca cross paths with Ahsoka Tano, the Jedi apprentice to Anakin Skywalker (a k a the future Darth Vader). To prepare for these episodes, titled “Padawan Lost” and “Wookiee Hunt,” the “Clone Wars” supervising director Dave Filoni and his team of animators and artists delved into the Lucasfilm archives for original Chewbacca reference materials and costumes, and invited Mr. Mayhew to their studios in Marin County, north of San Francisco, to advise them on the process of bringing Chewie to digital life

This begs a number of questions. Will we see Chewbacca interact with Yoda once more? If you remember closely, in Revenge of the Sith (which happens after the events portrayed in The Clone Wars) Grand Master Yoda mentions his good relations with the Wookiees and Chewbacca is seen closely guarding him throughout his entire stay on the Wookiee homeworld.

Will we see that backstory play out?

It also says much about Chewbacca’s role in the galaxy and the wider conflict. Some have opined that Chewbacca was actually a secret Republic spy (using Artoo as his contact) during the Dark Times. Will we see the seeds of that theory grow into something more tangible?

And I know I’ve harped on this clue more than once, but at Star Wars Celebration V, Filoni dropped a hint that there would be an episode that drew inspiration from Predator. And if the season finale is called “Wookiee Hunt”, could there be a more fitting homage to one of the best science fiction thrillers ever made?

Only time will tell.

In the meantime, the New York Times has a clip of Chewbacca’s appearance (to Ahsoka of all people). I love the music cues in the piece. They’re taken straight from Ben Kenobi’s reveal in A New Hope.

Very excellent stuff.

The season finale of The Clone Wars airs April 1st.

We have a brand new clip from this week’s The Clone Wars episode. “The Citadel” looks to be a return to form with the action-packed sorts of episodes we were growing used to in Season 2.

This clip looks fantastic and I can’t wait to discover the context in which this is happening. Is this being done to them? Is this voluntary to commit a Trojan Horse maneuver? Only time will tell.

From the press release:

Led by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, an elite rescue team attempts to free a captive Jedi general from an impenetrable Separatist prison. Deep within enemy territory, The Citadel is surrounded by droids and run by a sadistic warden determined to prevent anyone from breaking out – or in. Our heroes stage an action-packed forced entry to “The Citadel,” the first chapter in an explosive three-part storyline – airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 18 on Cartoon Network.

“This arc is basically classic Star Wars; we focused on the things that I really remember loving about the Saga from when I was a kid,” says Dave Filoni, supervising director of The Clone Wars. “In the Mortis trilogy, George wanted us to explore some ground that’s never really been covered in Star Wars before. And now with the Citadel arc, we’re going back to some of those essential, classic conventions that have always made Star Wars so fun.”

Action-packed and filled with nods to the live-action saga, the Citadel trilogy finds its heroes behind enemy lines – using an unusual infiltration tactic that fans of the original trilogy will recognize as a twist on a classic Star Wars scene. With the heroes encasing themselves in carbonite to slip past The Citadel’s impenetrable security, the episode explores quintessentially familiar ground in decidedly unfamiliar ways.

“There are a lot of references packed into these episodes,” says Filoni. “Even the basic break-in idea parallels the Death Star rescue from Episode IV. It was really fun to do our version of that, but it’s definitely not the only thing that will feel familiar – though we’ve put our own spin on everything. This whole arc allowed us some fun opportunities to pay homage to the Star Wars that we all fell in love with when we, the older fans, were kids. Pretty much everyone on the crew is a fan, so it’s been fun to revisit some of those classic elements in The Clone Wars.”

Another familiar element come in the form of a classic Star Wars villain – introduced here on the side of the Republic! First appearing in Episode IV as the Imperial officer bold enough to “[hold] Vader’s leash,” Grand Moff Tarkin (now just a captain) will have his fateful first meeting with Anakin Skywalker in this week’s Clone Wars adventure.

“Tarkin was tricky,” says Filoni. “We had to capture his essence, while also aging him down appropriately. Peter Cushing is such a distinguished actor, and Tarkin is such an iconic role. He fills the room with his presence and, aside from the Emperor, he’s the only character who ever orders Vader around. So getting him right was very important to us, because his introduction to Anakin is an important one. And they’ve got a fun relationship that’s been very interesting to explore.”

The first cinematic from the upcoming Green Lantern video game has been released:

And I have to say it looks like it could be okay. My only real complaint is that we don’t get more badass side scrollers out of these movies. Sure, this looks like it’ll be a great game, but wouldn’t it be cool if we got some great 2D virtual console content out of these big summer tentpoles?

Maybe I’m just old, but I’d rather drop $10 on a side-scroller I can download than $60 on some overly complicated game that will most likely confuse me and get boring after four levels.

This cinematic also raises an interesting question: This game is clearly set after Hal Jordan gets his power ring and as far as I know the Manhunters aren’t part of the plot of the film. That would make this set AFTER the film, right? And Sinestro is in this as a Green Lantern, being a badass and defending the Guardians. Does that mean we won’t see Sinestro turn against the Corps in this film? Leaving the possibility of a sequel open that utilizes our favorite Yellow Lantern as the villain?

Only time will tell.

We have a new clip from “Ghosts of Mortis”. This arc has been tremendous so far and though this clip reveals very little, it teases a lot. How can the son show Anakin his future? Isn’t the future always in motion? And what will this do to Anakin? If he foresees the events of Revenge of the Sith, how will that shade further viewings of that film bearing this information in mind?

Interesting questions all.

Here’s the official press release about this episode:

The Jedi remain stranded on Mortis, with Anakin Skywalker caught in an epic struggle between the light side and the dark side of the Force. As the Jedi prepare for a decisive confrontation, Anakin must face some shocking visions of his own future in “Ghosts of Mortis” – the climactic chapter in an epic, three-part Clone Wars storyline, airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, February 11 on Cartoon Network.

With the fate of the galaxy on the line and Anakin himself tempted by absolute power over the Force, The Clone Wars continues to put a stake in the ground – firmly establishing the series as essential viewing for a full understanding of the still-unfolding Star Wars canon. The Mortis trilogy is utterly central to the maelstrom of what’s yet to come, bringing Anakin’s terrible destiny to the fore. In “Ghosts of Mortis,” we see his inevitable seduction to the dark side – in smoke-shrouded visions of the future, but also in the burning fires of the here and now. Plagued by a nightmarish glimpse of what he will become, Anakin will take up arms against his best friend amidst the fires of Mortis…

“The prophecy is finally playing out, front and center,” says Matt Lanter (90210, The Roommate), who voices Anakin in the series. “We are realizing that so many important events are being played out that will come to affect what happens in Revenge of the Sith. We see Anakin slowly becoming more independent, wanting more freedom and power. His relationships change. He has become even more of a leader, but may be questioning the Jedi leadership a little more. And it seems as if Anakin doesn’t trust [Obi-Wan] as much, and thinks he is actually holding him back.”

A transformative storyline in the trajectory of the series and the Saga as a whole, the Mortis trilogy explores wholly new ground – revealing the true nature of the Force as it’s never been seen before. At the very core of the story is Anakin – whose personal journey will ultimately define the galaxy.

“This is the Clones Wars at its best so far,” says Lanter. “These stories are such an important piece of not just the series, but Star Wars in general – and these are without a doubt the most trying and emotional episodes that we have seen Anakin deal with. He has to deal with visions of the past, saving his Padawan and risking the future all at the same time. It adds so much to the Saga and makes the events of the films that much more devastating.”