The trailer for the Avengers Blu-ray is out!

Avengers comes out September 25th in a Blu-ray combo pack. You can pre-order it on Amazon now.

It’s the 10th Anniversary of the coolest sci fi tale this side of the ‘Verse, and our favorite Browncoats are coming together at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, California. We have the Science Channel to thank for this awesome event, as they decided to organize it since they currently run re-runs of Firefly on their channel. Entertainment Weekly reported that Joss Whedon, writer Tim Minear, and the crew of Serenity: Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Michael Fairman are all expected to take part. The panel happens Friday, July 13th at 2:30 PM (get in line EARLY folks!).

And speaking of Firefly, has anyone else seen this scandalous (and might I add, official!) fan creation of Nathan Fillion floating around the internet?

Designer Mohammad “Hawk” Haque created this Vitruvian Man inspired design of Fillion. He says of his creation “I had no doubt this illustration was going to raise quite a few eyebrows. So what’s the surprise? It’s absolutely in line with Nathan Fillion’s perfection. Men want to be him. Women want to be with him. It’s no wonder. When you’ve got a got a custom revolver with a barrel like that for a loincloth it’s official: You represent the ultimate in manliness.”

Since the image is officially approved, you can even purchase a poster and t-shirt at QMx. Oh my! (Source: EW)

Google announced today that the Nexus tablet will be releasing this year. The information relating to the tablet became more and more incredible as the announcements continued. The price of $200 for an 8 gig and $250.00 for a 16 gig model put it directly in line with the Kindle Fire. Better yet, it’s running un-skinned, untouched, Android, and it’s running it with incredible power.

Packing a 1.3Ghz quad-core CPU, 12-core Tegra 3 processor, NFC, 1 GB of RAM, and a 1.2MP front-facing camera, while sustaining 8 hours of battery life. This tablet has guts, a solid price point, and a good size. Seeing as the Kindle Fire was one of the best selling tablets last year, I see no reason why this can’t move at the $200.00 tag. Everything about this tablet spells win in my book, I might even part with my iPad to grab this beauty. What about you folks?

Last month I was very fortunate to be involved in the Nerd Machine production “Trailer Park Heroes,” a project headed up by Zachary Levi (from NBC’s Chuck). It was an amazing experience in which Ticelli Bot and I both got to be cosplayer “crazies” coming after the residents of the fictional “Last Resort Trailer Park” just outside of San Diego. Although there are some stunt doubles involved in this production, most of the “cosplay creatures” are actually real cosplayers from the SoCal area. It was definitely the most fun I’ve had in cosplay!

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Cosplay creatures run amok and terrorize a trailer park outside of San Diego during Comic-Con International. Can our heroes save the day (and themselves) or will they get eaten alive by a nightmare menagerie of bad guys? Starring Zac Levi, Adam Baldwin, Joel Moore, Jason Biggs, and Aly Michalka. Stay tuned for new episodes leading up to Nerd Machine HQ www.break.com/nerdhq live from San Diego 7-12-7/15.

We now have a date and some details for the Indiana Jones Blu-ray release.

Now that we have more details, I’m personally excited to get my hands on one. These are four of my absolute favorite movies and to see them in remastered HD is going to be a thrill. I’m as excited about this as I am for Jaws.

And the behind the scenes documentaries that have been floating around for Indiana Jones movies were always good, stories from those sets are invigorating creatively. Seeing them again will surely give me a charge. Now all they need to do is print a book with all the transcribed story conferences like that one that was leaked a year or two back and I’ll have everything I need.

You can pre-order the set on Amazon.

From the press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 26, 2012) – In June of 1981 director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas introduced the world to Indiana Jones when the unforgettable Raiders of the Lost Ark debuted in theaters. Exploding to instant acclaim, the film has now been carefully restored, alongside remastered versions of the archaeologist’s other thrilling adventures—Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Prepare for excitement, adventure and snakes—why did it have to be snakes?—all with pristine picture and sound when INDIANA JONES: The Complete Adventures debuts on Blu-ray September 18, 2012 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Supervised by director Steven Spielberg and renowned sound designer Ben Burtt, Raiders of the Lost Ark has been meticulously restored with careful attention to preserving the original look, sound and feel of the iconic film. The original negative was first scanned at 4K and then examined frame-by-frame so that any damage could be repaired.

The sound design was similarly preserved using Burtt’s original master mix, which had been archived and unused since 1981. New stereo surrounds were created using the original music tracks and original effects recorded in stereo but used previously only in mono. In addition, the sub bass was redone entirely up to modern specifications and care was taken to improve dialogue and correct small technical flaws to create the most complete and highest quality version of the sound possible while retaining the director’s vision. The result is an impeccable digital restoration that celebrates the film and its place in cinematic history.

The installments in the franchise have won a combined seven Academy Awards®. Relive every heart-pounding thrill like never before as all four films arrive together, for the first time presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio accompanied by a collection of documentaries, interviews, featurettes and new bonus features.

(Note: Spoilers do not begin until the SPOILERS line in this article below the photograph.)

We’ll have an official Big Shiny Robot review of The Amazing Spiderman for you July 2nd, but in the meantime we wanted to bring you some comments trickling in from Japan about the film. Kotaku East reporter Richard Eisenbeis was on hand for the Japanese premier, and has provided some valuable context in his article about why Spiderman does so incredibly well in Japan:

“Japan loves Spider-Man. I mean they LOVE him. It’s not the same with other American superheroes—Batman, Superman, and most of the recent Marvel movies tend to do poorly in at the Japanese box office…Perhaps it’s due to his similarity to Japan’s own masked superhero—heck, he even had a live-action, power ranger style show in the late 70s. Because Spider-Man is a sure hit in Japan, his movies often get released in Japan before the rest of the world.”

He goes on to review the film, saying fairly good things about the handling of the origin story, the strength of the supporting cast, the fantastic performance that Martin Sheen has given as Uncle Ben, and some thoughts regarding directorial choices in relation to the film’s use of 3D. Though his review seems to be a bit on the first-watch-is-super-awesome side, I’d say that his review is balanced enough to suggest that the film is pretty good. To me, this is great news, because I’ve honestly been a bit nervous about this project from the start. I really did like Sam Raimi’s first two Spiderman films in the early 2000’s and was cautiously optimistic that this movie would still rock even though it hasn’t been that long since we saw Spidey swing onto the big screen.

WARNING: SPOILERS START HERE!

What’s the not-so-good from this review? Eisenbeis mentions his mixed feelings about how much disbelief we are expected to suspend given Peter’s secret identity and currently available technology (and there are choices made in the film that imply “that both the company and the police are incompetent—not the way you want your potential antagonists to be portrayed.”). He also expresses serious frustration with the fact that Spidey has his mask removed more than once, and subsequently reveals his identity to more than five people throughout the movie. On the surface, that does sound like a rather poor creative choice to me, but I’ll be watching to see how it’s handled (along with Eisenbeis’ other points) when I get to see the movie for myself next week.

What do you think? Will you be seeing The Amazing Spiderman when it hits theaters? Check out Eisenbeis’ review (WARNING = FULL OF SPOILERS) and then sound off in our comments section!

Exciting news! Viz Media will yet again have a big presence at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and fans will note that this includes some really great special guest appearances by Tiger & Bunny Executive Producer Masayuki Ozaki along with the series’ amazing cast of North American voice actors! I can’t wait for next weekend, and I’m pumped to be bringing you all the Anime Expo news from right here in Los Angeles in the coming days. Stay Tuned!

Press Release 6/21/2012

VISIT VIZ MEDIA AT ANIME EXPO, BOOTH #1401

VIZ MEDIA RETURNS TO ANIME EXPO 2012 WITH A BIG ROSTER OF SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES, BOOTH ACTIVITIES, PRODUCT GIVEAWAYS AND MUCH MORE!!!

Join the Fun at the Nation’s Biggest Anime Convention

San Francisco, CA, June 21, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, celebrates its return to Anime Expo^® 2012 with an array of fun booth attractions, product giveaways, special guest appearances, and exciting panel discussions scheduled to take place throughout the unique 4-day Southern California event.

Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime convention and will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA from June 29^th to July 2^nd. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 1401. Information on Anime Expo is available at: www.anime-expo.org.

VIZ Media will welcome TIGER & BUNNY Executive Producer Masayuki Ozaki as its guest for a very special panel discussion to be held on Saturday, June 30^th at 12PM in Room LP1 The company will augment the TIGER & BUNNY fun at the Saturday panel by also welcoming the series’ talented voice actors, Yuri Lowenthall (Barnaby Brooks Jr. / Bunny), Travis Willingham (Rock Bison), Laura Bailey (Dragon Kid), Patrick Seitz (Sky High), John Eric Bentley (Fire Emblem) and Tara Platt (Agnes), who brought the characters to life for North American fans. Don’t miss Mr. Ozaki and the TIGER & BUNNY English cast in a special signing session after the panel at the South Hall Autograph Area, at 3:30PM.

Anime and manga fans won’t want to miss a special VIZ Media panel on what promises to be the biggest development in anime this year. Join company executives on Friday, June 29^th at 2:00PM in Petree Hall (Hall CD) for the “Super Secret VIZ Media Anime Project” panel.

Sneak peeks at other upcoming anime and manga series, as well as news on newly licensed properties, will be a major focus of the VIZ Media Panel, scheduled for Sunday July 1^st at 1:30PM in Room 515A.

VIZ Media’s colorful booth on the main convention show floor (Booth 1401) will be a continual hub of activity with planned giveaways of sci-fi samplers from the company’s Haikasoru literary imprint, full-color anime and manga posters featuring a variety of fan favorite characters, and much more! A special photo op will also be available to create a fun memory and share it with friends after the show!

Manga fans are encouraged to explore VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, the nation’s leading digital manga magazine. Readers that sign-up at the booth for an annual membership during Anime Expo will be treated to a special free YU-GI-OH! Shock Master collectable trading card (limited quantities available)!

Fans are also invited to a fun SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Fan Meet-Up scheduled for Sunday July 1^st, at 5PM in Room 515A. Gift bags filled with a variety of fun collectibles will be given away (while supplies last) and attendees can meet the SHONEN JUMP ALPHA staff and other WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA readers, and learn all about what the nation’s premier digital manga magazine has in-store for future issues.  Each new digital edition of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA treats manga fans across North America to the latest chapters of some of the world’s most popular manga series only two weeks after they debut in Japan’s massively popular WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP magazine.

For more information on VIZ Media anime and manga titles, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

Are you excited for this weekend’s Anime Expo? Will you be attending? Shout out in the comments below!

Some of you might remember the book “The War of the Seasons: The Human”. It was free for a while and I wrote a review of it a while before that.

It’s grown substantially in popularity and the second book is on the cusp of being released and I wanted to give you a heads up. The author, Janine Spendlove, is a friend of Big Shiny Robot! and it’s from the same publishing imprint as my latest novel (Operation: Montauk).

You can pre-order it at Janine’s website.

Here’s the preview and synopsis:

Spring has something of mine; he knows what it is.” She smiled coldly. “I need you to bring it to me.”

“And why would I do that?” Story folded her arms over her chest.

A branch from the sidhe’s hair glided out in front of her, bearing a single, small acorn. “Because I poisoned Eírnin.”

One of the tattoos on her shoulder coalesced into a live oak leaf, and she plucked it before standing up and holding it out toward Story. “And if you want the antidote, you will bring me what I seek.”

Story lunged for the leaf, but the Autumn Princess was too quick and crushed it in her hand. “You have until winter’s first frost reaches him. Then, he dies.”

Without waiting for a response, Metirreonn disappeared in a scattering of red-gold leaves and sparks.

Six months after arriving in the world of Ailionora, Story finds herself once again on a quest; only this time it is not to save a dying race but the life of the elf she loves. Along the way, she must face the consequences of her previous choices and battle with enemies both old and new while she races against time.

On the website to pre-order, you can also read the first three chapters!

I’ll be honest, I was getting a little tired of watching the trailer to Brave on every other movie I saw. Sure, it looked good, it was funny (the first few times), and looked as though it would make a pretty good Pixar movie. But the repetition with which I was forced to endure it made me feel like Brave could probably be in the very narrow category of Pixar movies that elicited a shrug and a “It was okay,” instead of the love I have for the rest of their films.

After seeing Brave, I can safely say that it fits into the category of non-Cars Pixar movies.

Brave is a beautifully told tale of a Scottish princess and her desire to live her own life instead of marrying a son of one of three rival clan leaders. She’s more adept at the manly arts of combat than any of them and greatly enjoys her freedom.

Her mother is loving, but very old-fashioned and proper, and so it is her mind that needs to be changed so that her daughter can live life on her own terms.

The young princess, Merida, played by Kelly Macdonald, seeks out a way to change her mother’s mind and finds a witch that will do it with a spell. Thus the stage is set for a thrilling race to set things right, filled with action, adventure, suspense, and comedy.

It does an excellent job of exploring the different perspectives of a mother and a daughter on the same issue in a way I think will be insightful to young and old alike.

There really wasn’t anything about this movie I didn’t like. I found the script to be extremely tight, the voice acting to be top notch, the animation was stunning, and the movie was just fun. I had lots of fun watching it.

The scene-stealers, though, are easily Merida’s little brothers. Their presence brightens every scene they’re in, adding an extra element of hilarity.

I saw the film with my kids, and it’s important to note that they were howling with laughter through the entire picture, then appropriately wound up and ready to cry at the right moments as well. My son is 10 and on the edge of perhaps being too jaded to enjoy a movie like this, but he was invested the whole way through.

Comparisons could be made to other Disney films, sure, it certainly has lots of DNA from other Disney films in it, but the setting and the characters set it apart as its own.

If you’ve written it off because of the ubiquity of the trailer, you should give it a shot. I really liked it, and am certainly planning on going again.

ALSO: The opening short is very charming and well photographed, but don’t expected the breathless whimsy and comedy of some of the other shorts attached to Disney or Pixar films.

Each Friday we will be bringing you weekend-viewing movie picks available for streaming on Netflix! From the popular to the obscure, we will browse Netflix’s Streaming library so you don’t have to, and bring you what we consider to be “Must Watch” selections!

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

Directed by Morgan Spurlock

Starring a bunch of nerds

Comic-Con Episode IV is a survey of both nerd-culture icons and the fanatics who worship them as they both take part in this annual celebration of all things geek. But it also flirts with the deeper truth of Comic-Con’s origin and what it has now become. There would seem to be a reason most nerds avoid the spotlight of mainstream culture and Comic-Con’s rise in prominence give many of them doubts about its future.

Morgan Spurlock follows seven different people with vastly different motivations as they prepare for Comic-con. There are illustrators looking for work, a couple looking to further their relationship, a collector looking for his next limited-edition toy, a cosplayer looking to have fun, and the last is the owner of one of the largest comic book stores in the United States. All these stories are intercut with interviews with Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, Paul Dini, Matt Fraction, Seth Rogan, Eli Roth, and dozens more. Oddly, Spurlock himself is the only one absent from the film in either appearance or narration.

If you have been to Comic-Con recently or even several times, the information presented in this movie will be nothing new. They take a necessary spin around the convention center to showcase this near-unbelievable collection of authors, artists, merchandise, and cosplayers. If you have never been to Comic-Con, then this is an intriguing window onto a lifestyle you may only be peripherally aware of.

If I had to sum this film up in one adjective it would be ‘honest’. If you are expecting Spurlock’s typical exposé-style film making then you might be disappointed. This movie plays more like a tribute to the event from the perspective of the industry moguls who grew up as the same sweaty, mouth-breathing fanboys that now plague them.

This week’s Friday ‘Flix Pick was submitted by Nick Burke. Be sure to check him out over at Paper Wasp!