Baloo and Bagheera?

C'mon Baggy, get with the beat!

There are some insane deals on Disney Infinity figures right now.  Best Buy has some figures marked down to 5 dollars and most of the others down to 9.  In addition to that a lot of the discs are also half priced.  Toys R Us has buy one, get one for a dollar on all of there figures.  I had to get Baloo because Jungle Book is my favorite Disney movie.  As soon as my son saw Black Panther something clicked in his soul and he needed to have him.  When we got the two of them home I realized just how appropriate the paring was.

Lego Hex Girls

Yesterday’s update was about a Lego version of Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics. Tthose familiar with Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated may have been wondering where the musical counterpoint to the undead skankers were.  So today I present a Lego version of the Hex Girls.  To be honest, the Hex Girls were originally the only band I was going to create in Lego form, but as I started working on them I decided it would be fun to recreate both bands in the episode Dance of the Undead.

 Much like the Rude Boy display this stage is modeled more to represent the theme of the band than it is an accurate depiction of the rooftops used in the episode.  This one is still a work in progress too.  The two bright red areas have changed a couple of times and I have the pieces for two more versions.   Dusk, the drummer, also has the wrong hair piece.  The blonde pigtails that I need won’t be available until September when series 16 of the Collectable Minifigures is released.  It’s hard to see in photos, but the stage actually has a clear red line bordering the edge.  It helps to offset all the black and I love the look of it.

I spent a ton of time obsessing over how to bring the Hex Girls into Lego form.  The first thing I had to figure out was the version.  In the classic Scooby Doo look they all wear vampire fangs.  Luna, the keyboardist, has a skin color that seems to change a little between appearances too.  Because I love Mystery Incorporated I decided to do that version.  Even using that as a guide the girls changed up their appearances a few times in their two episodes.  As much as I wanted them there was no way I could make the Dia des los Muertos versions with stock Lego parts. 

Once I figured out faces and hair that would work I had to figure out torso and legs.  Finding a perfect match for these things was sadly impossible unless I wanted to print my own stickers.  So I really picked things that I thought would match, even if it isn’t a perfect representation of what they wore on the episodes.  I’d like to do a Crush minifigure to represent Daphne when she joins the band, but I don’t even know where to start because of how little she wore.  If I ever figure it out I’ll post an update here.

Lego Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics

I’ve been very open about my love for the show Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.  I honestly think it is one of the best written cartoons I’ve ever seen.  One episode in the second season (Dance of the Undead) introduces Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics as the monster of the week.  The back story is that Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics were a one-hit wonder that failed to catch on.  The group faked their own deaths in order to take a year off and write the perfect song.  The perfect song actually took them 30 years and when they were ready to come back they realized the ska movement was dead.  So they dressed as zombies and infused their music with voodoo to turn everyone that listened to them into dancing zombies. 

When the Scooby Doo Lego sets were released last year I immediately started thinking of other things from the shows that I wanted to see put into Lego form.  Rude Boy and the Ska-Tastics were one of those things.  The first thing I have to say about it is that the stage isn’t show accurate.  In Dance of the Undead the band is playing on a rooftop with a large checkered banner behind them.  I knew I’d never be able to do their logo correctly; so I did a checkered floor instead.  I was able to keep the coffin backdrops, so I was pretty happy about that.  I added a few skulls for some additional flair.  It doesn’t look like a screenshot from the show, but I think it fits the characters.

You’d have to really look closely at the picture to notice, but it also isn’t finished.  Despite the big bags of Lego bricks I posted yesterday I’m still missing a number of tiles that I need to complete the stage.  Those will be fixed after I make my next order. I somehow mixed up the drummer and the keyboardist in this picture, something that probably no one else besides me would ever notice.  That one is an easy fix that will happen as soon as I finish writing this.  I'm pretty happy with how the band translated into Lego.  Obviously there are repeated pieces between the band members.  Sticking with official Lego parts didn’t leave me a whole lot of options to work with when I needed Zombies in suits.  I was happy that I was able to get the two different heads and bodies to split up between the four figures.  They really would have looked like clones if they all had the same head and clothes.  

This mini-Lego week continues tomorrow with another original build and then a Lego Flash Friday to end the week.

Scooby Doo and the WWE

So last night I ran to Twitter and laid out the plot to a sequel to Scooby Doo Wrestlemania Mystery movie.  Someone had mentioned the movie early that morning and then I couldn't get my idea for a sequel out of my head.  So during a night of everyone being political I carpet bombed Twitter with my 12 part story.  It's hard to get a lot of information out there when you're worried about character limits.  So instead of letting all that brain power go to waste, I'm reposting it here where it is easier to read.  Of course this is all made up in my head, there is no chance in hell of this story becoming real.

The film opens to a shot of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins wrestling in WWE city. Fog rolls in, there is a ghostly flash, and the sounds of a fight. When the fog clears the ring is empty. Other wrestlers look around shocked.  Then there is a quick cut to the theme song.  After the theme we cut to the Scooby gang showing up to WWE City.  After all their help the last time, John Cena called them to help look into the missing wrestlers.  When the gang walk into the training center they see Miz practicing with Kalisto.  Suddenly a ghostly Roddy Piper appears.  He taunts the wrestlers before smoke fills arena. When the smoke clears the Miz is gone.  

In the confusion the lights go out and the Wyatt family arrives by lantern light.   Bray cuts a promo how he is the true evil and how his family will be taking over the WWE.  Luke Harper makes faces at Shaggy and Scooby, scaring them while Bray talks.  Meanwhile Eric Rowan wordlessly stares at Velma.  When the Wyatts leave Cena, Kalisto, and Paige offer to help the gang investigate the ghosts and the missing wrestlers.  Everyone was creeped out by Wyatt's and Shaggy and Scooby are sure that they are behind the missing wrestlers.

As the team look for clues the pattern repeats itself.  Ghosts of past wrestlers show up, taunt the living, and then disappear with current wrestlers.  Then the Wyatt family show up saying how they are going to take over WWE City.  Everyone is getting worried and the big WWE Championship match is coming up, because someone will have to face Bray.  When Paige is kidnapped the Hex Girls quickly arrive to help.  Because of course the Hex Girls are friends with Paige.

The night of the big match arrives.  It will be John Cena versus Bray Wyatt and the winner will get the championship belt.  But before the match Cena is attacked by the ghost of Andre the Giant!  Before the gang can save him he disappears.  The WWE is terrified the Wyatts are going to capture the belt and only midcard wrestlers are left to challenge him.  Before any of the other wrestlers can step up, the Hex Girls volunteer a plan.  Using their magically infused rock and roll they summon the Undertaker.

The Undertaker begins to fight Bray Wyatt when the ghost of the Ultimate Warrior arrives.  But the Scooby gang have an elaborate trap to catch the ghost this time.  Except Luke Harper scares Scooby and the trap is disrupted letting the ghost go free.  The rest of the Wyatt Family tries to interfere in the match but the Hex Girls fend them off.  Scooby and the ghost end up crashing down onto Bray Wyatt letting the Undertaker pin him one, two, and three. 

The ghost is quickly unmasked to find Damien Sandow!  Banished to the midcard, Sandow thought he could get a title shot by kidnapping all of the higher ranked Superstars.  He used his acting ability to impersonate all of the past wrestlers.  He would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for those meddling kids!  All of the kidnapped wrestlers were stashed under the ring, because that’s the kind of silliness that would fly in a movie like this.  The newly crowned champion Undertaker scares Scooby as everyone else watches and laughs.  After staring at Velma all movie Eric Rowan shows up and gives her a flower, obviously geniuses can recognize each other.  Cut to credits and the theme song.

Flash Friday: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!

Happy Flash Friday everyone!  It’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these.  I was in the store this week for something completely different when I ran across the newest Lego movie.  I knew a Lego Justice League movie was coming out, but I wasn’t paying attention to what was coming in the packaging.  Right now you can get either a DVD or Blu-Ray version of the movie and a Trickster mini-figure.  I honestly would have passed on this but getting a movie I can probably enjoy with my son and another member of Flash’s Rogues was too good to pass up.

I just picked the movie up last night, so I haven’t had a chance to watch it.  I’m going to make a guess that it follows their other direct to video offerings.  It’ll be somewhat goofy and will have a handful of lines that make the adults smile.  There will be a couple good Easter Eggs for DC comic fans but nothing to amazing.  That’s my guess, because that’s what has come before it.  It I’m completely wrong I’ll post another article about it. 

Obviously Trickster was my main reason for picking this up and I think he looks great.  As far as Flash villains go he joins Captain Cold and Gorilla Grodd.  Hopefully the success of the TV show will increase the visibility of the Rogues.  I’d really like to see Captain Boomerang, Weather Wizard, and Heatwave show up in Lego form.

Batman at Toy Fair 2014

Toy Fair is this weekend and lots of pictures are spilling out onto the internet.  Yesterday a lot of DC's new products were shown.  One of those pictures were of the best Batman figure I've ever seen.  In the past 20 years of my life I can't say I've purchased a Batman figure unless he was packaged with another character that I wanted. 

This figure is the Animated Series brought to life and it is wonderful.  There is a Catwoman in the line too, but I'm just blown away by the Bat.  Hopefully it sells well and they eventually branch out into Justice League figures like this.

Clone Wars to Netflix

I have a hard time enjoying Cartoon Network.  They’ve mishandled so many amazing shows that I’m reluctant to watch any new ones from them.  Disney isn’t perfect either; I mean they fucked up Motorcity.  Before I get off topic though, we have to get back to the Clone Wars series.  Five seasons ran on Cartoon Network before the show ended without any type of closure.  There was talk about a final wrap up for the show but no real details ever emerged.

Starting March 7^th the entire six seasons will be on Netflix.  That means everything we saw on Cartoon Network and 13 more episodes will finish out the show.  In addition to all of that seasons 1-5 will include what are called Director’s Cut episodes, which include more unseen footage.  I’m very excited about this because Clone Wars was a huge surprise for me.  I think everyone can agree the pilot movie was pretty lackluster, but midway through season 1 the show really hit its stride. 

The team that brought us the Clone Wars will also be do the Rebels show that will premiere on the Disney channel and then find its home on Disney XD.  I’m going to give it a shot but after they revealed the main character was a jedi on the run I’ve lost a lot of interest.  One day I hope someone in charge of Star Wars remembers that not everyone needed to use the Force to be awesome. 

Top 10 Giant Robots

Last week Michael May and Siskoid ran a top 10 list of his their top 10 giant monsters.   One  of the rules when creating this top ten is that robots aren’t monsters and would require their own top 10 list.  Just like last week I had to get in on the action, so today we’re going to be talking giant robots.  We are also including mecha into this list, figuring that giant machines controlled by pilots are going to be close enough to robots that it will still count.  Make sure you check out Michael’s AdventureBlog today for a list of other blogs participating in today’s robot countdown. 

10. Voltron

I was going to use the Vehicle version of Voltron just to enrage a friend of mine, but the majority of people who recognize the name Voltron immediately think of the lion version when they hear that name.  There is a good reason for that to, the Lion Force robot is extremely cool looking.  So you’re asking if Voltron is iconic and has such a great design why is he only number 10 on the list?  It’s because watching a Voltron cartoon is excruciatingly boring.  All the archetypes are there, but nothing interesting is ever done with it.  That makes it even worse, it has such potental to be amazing and it's just bland.  I’m including all the re-launches in that statement too. 

9. Emperor Titans (Warhammer 40K)

No setting in existence does over the top better than the Warhammer 40K universe.  The armies of man have giant war machines called Titans, the largest of these are the Emperor Titans.  Standing 166 feet tall the Emperor Titan towers over everything else on the battle field.  As you’d expect the Titan is loaded down with weapons with equally over the top names like Hellstorm Cannons, Apocalypse Missle Launcher’s, and Vulcan Mega Bolters.  I almost forgot to mention that it carries a cathedral dedicated to the God-Emperor on its shoulders.  It's a massive warmachine and a walking church. 

8. Liberty Prime (Fallout 3)

If you remember the Journey of Thall Faceshooter you know I had a great time playing through Fallout 3.  There are some issues with the setting of the game when compared to the rest of the series; some of the lore just doesn’t fit as well.  Liberty Prime though is awesome.  Originally built to liberate Anchorage, Alaska from the Red Chinese this robot was dug up by the Brotherhood of Steel.  Liberty Prime eventually is set upon the Enclave and causes massive destruction by shooting dual energy beams from his head and throwing mini-nukes like footballs.  All the time he’s wrecking face he says things like “Communism is the very definition of failure,” and “Democracy is non-negotiable.”

7. Volfogg (GaoGaiGar)

One of the Super-AI robots in the GGG is the definition of cool.  His vehicle form is a police Ferrari and his robot form is pretty much a ninja.  He carries tow Silver Moon throwing blades that can be combined to form a giant throwing star known as the Silver Cross.  He is also equipped to create holograms, create smoke screens, and to use his Mirror Coating to turn invisible.  When he needs a power upgrade he can join with a non intelligent motorcycle and helicopter to form Big Volfogg.  He looks significantly less ninja-like when it Big Volfogg mode though.

6.  Lockdown (Transformers)

Transformers Animated introduced one of the coolest Transformers of all time.  It’s heavily implied that this faction-less bounty hunter was once an Autobot.  Lockdown has a habit of collecting trophies from his prey, usually it’s a weapon or upgrade that he can use for himself.  This is how he came to own Ratchet’s EMP generator.  Lockdown’s alt form is a nasty spiked racecar with an exposed engine block and a cow-catcher on the bumper.  Oh and in the cartoon he is voiced my Lance Henricksen. 

5. Megas XLR

With a theme song that told the world that “Chicks dig giant robots,” it was obvious that Megas XLR was going to be different than most cartoons.  Produced by Titmouse, Inc, Megas XLR only lasted one season (just like their amazing cartoon Motorcity).  In the future the Earth is losing a war with an alien race called the Glorft. The humans steal a prototype giant robot and modify for our use.  Megas and its pilot Kiva are going to be sent into the past hoping they can stop the invasion.  All sorts of craziness happens.  Megas is damaged and sent to the wrong time.  The damaged Megas is found in present day by Coop , who repairs the robot and replaces the damaged head with a muscle car.  He calls the robot XLR.  Kiva finds Megas but is unable to pilot it anymore because of Coop’s modifications.  Megas XLR makes fun of every giant robot trope in existence and then moves on to anime tropes in general.  The series was smart and funny as all hell. 

4. Iron Giant

Iron Giant is the best Superman movie ever made.  If you haven’t seen it you should stop reading right now and go see it.  Nothing else really needs to be said about it.

3. Veritech (Macross/Robotech)

The VF-1 Valkyrie is a classic.  It goes from from jet mode, to guardian more, to battloid.  There are numerous different versions just in the first series alone.  The design has been copied across all different sorts of media.  Roy Focker’s Veritech looks the best of course.  The black and yellow scheme stand out on the white body and the skull squadron symbol just makes the whole thing look cool.  The Robotech cartoon had a huge impact on me when I was a kid and this design will be with me forever.

2. Springer (Transformers)

I’ve talked numerous times about Springer on That F’ing Monkey.  My all time favorite Transformer.  In the cartoon he was a sarcastic asshole who got shit done.  In the comics he’s the lead of the Wreckers.  Springer is named because he’s legs are so powerful that he is able to leap across battlefields.  Considering he also turns into a helicopter you wouldn’t think that would be an issue.  He goes from sports car, to helicopter, to bad ass.  This triple changer first debuted in the Transformers movie and I’ve been obsessed with him ever since.

1. GaoGaiGar

GaoGaiGar could be placed on the top of this list for his theme song alone.  For those unfamiliar with this awesomeness let me explain what it takes to transform into GaoGaiGar.  A cyborg leaps into a giant robot lion's mouth.  This causes the lion to transform into the robot GaiGar.  That robot is then joined by a drill tank, a bullet train, and a stealth fighter.  All four of these machines then take on the form of GaoGairGar.  You want a giant robot anime that takes it over the top?  This is it.  GaoGaiGar protects the world from the Zonder threat and while I had just mentioned his basic transformation as the series went on he was outfitted with more equipment to battle the aliens.  The most famous is probably his Goldion Hammer, a gigantic hammer that contains an artificial gravity well.  Another robot had to be introduced so it could turn into an arm attachment strong enough to even hold the hammer.  Most of the foes GaoGaiGar faces end up be completely disintegrated.  There is a reason GaoGaiGar is the King of the Braves. 

Axe Cop Trailer

Recently at Wonder Con the ADHD team debuted their trailer for the Axe Cop cartoon on Fox.  If you are somehow out of the loop on the Axe Cop goodness, here is a brief overview.  Back in 09 comic artist Ethan Nicolle was visiting his family and was playing with his 5 year old step brother.  Ethan drew 4 comic strips detailing the events of game they played and then introduced the internet to his brother’s imagination.  When those first strips began getting popular Ethan knew they needed to continue the story.  Malachai is responsible for the ideas and plots while Ethan provides the art and everything else needed to put the strips together.

Axe Cop took off from there.  It went from being a web comic, to getting published by Dark Horse, to getting motion comics, and now it is going to be a cartoon on Fox. We won’t actually see full episodes until July 27^th, but the trailer already confirms that it will still contain the randomness that makes Axe Cop so much fun.

DuckTales Remastered

Yesterday a large portion of the gaming community went insane.  Capcom announced that they were releasing a remastered version of their 1989 DuckTales Nintendo game.  This summer it will be showing up on Xbox Live, Playstation Network, and the Wii U shop.  So why is everyone so excited about a video game based on a Disney cartoon that used to run on weekday afternoons?

DuckTales shared a lot of the same creative team as the Megaman games.  So you have non-linear game play, controls that were innovative at the time, and fantastic sound and graphics.  Again this was all for a game tied into a cartoon.  There is no doubt that nostalgia is coloring people’s excitement here, but make no mistake that DuckTales is a damn good game. 

That F’ing Monkey would like to apologize in advance.  We realize watching the above video once will have you singing the Ducktales theme song for the rest of the day.

Visionaries: Episode 1 Part 2

Welcome back to our look at the Visionaries’ first cartoon episode. As a quick re-cap from yesterday’s insanity we learn that the world of Prysmos lost all of its technology when its three suns lined up. The world plunged back into medieval times. Prince Leoric and his heroic friends are fighting Darkstorm’s Darkling Lords as both groups try to reach Merklynn’s temple so they can gain the power of magic. Whew. I think that covers it all.

Cryotek goes to break down the door only to have a strange bit of special effects go off. Flashing lights, lighting over the earth, and it looks like everyone is in a tornado. After a couple of seconds we see everyone still standing in the room so they just walk through the now broken door. Inside is Merklynn tells them they were the only knights with “the vision to reach the shrine.” Ah ha ha, that Merklynn. He then flat out calls them the Visionaries. Merklynn goes on to explain that in exchange for his magic he was occasional require tasks from the Visionaries, but he leaves out the details. He tells them to prepare themselves to take the totems they have earned.

Totem role call! Ass-hat Azron with the plant wings earns an eagle as his totem! Cindarr receives the gorilla because of his climbing and brute strength. Witterquick gets a cheetah because he is fast and agile, and because he has the word quick in his name. Chris Latta, I mean Cravex earns the phylot. The phylot is the only airborne scavenger on Prysmos. It pretty much looks like the mother fucking pterodactyl. Ectar gets a fox because he was able to sense an ambush. Mortdredd gets a beetle because he’s a bootlicker. Seriously, Merklynn flat out calls him out as a bootlicker.

Feryl gets the totem of the wolf for his amazing tracking skills. Feryal sounds just like feral. Clever right? Virulina becomes a shark because she showed a killers instinct while underwater. The only reason she was even in the water was because her and Galadria fell into it. It’s not like they had some affinity with water. Anyway, Galadria receives the dolphin because she has a prehensile penis. No wait, she’s a dolphin because that’s the most intelligent animal in the ocean. Lexor is given the Armadillo for his cowardice. Cryotek is the bear because he likes leather pants and a hairy back or because he’s strong and tough. Take your pick really.

Reekon (pronounced recon) is a master of stealth, so he becomes a lizard. Leoric becomes that lion because of his courage and leadership, not because his name starts with Leo! Finally Darkstorm becomes a mollusk for his climbing and slimy-ness. The fucking bad guy leader is a god damn snail. I’m seriously disappointed Merklynn. The characters can become these totems but Merklynn warns they are powerful and sometimes uncontrollable. Then Merklynn lays out the best pickup line every, “Now dip your staffs into the pool and you will see a wondrous transformation.” Those who forgot to bring a staff are told that they’ll have great powers that they’ll figure out later. These staff-less characters became the vehicle drivers for the toy line. Anyway I’m not going though whose staff gets what power because just typing out all the totems made me want to bang my head against the desk.

Like a true drug pusher Merklynn tells them that each time they use the magic in their staff it will become weaker and they have to come back to him for a recharge. Even Merklynn seems tired of all of this and tells them all to go the fuck home and stop bothering him. He then flushes them all out of his shrine with a magic whirlpool. All the heroes and villains are now deposited outside the shrine with all sorts of new shiny weapons. I wonder what is going to happen. Oh I know, maybe they’ll start fighting. Darkstorm stops the fight and proposes that magic only be used to preserve the peace on Prysmos. No one believes that he would be the one to say such a thing, but the good guys all agree. Darkstorm tells his Darklords that it is easier to be evil and won’t follow the truce but he knows the good guys will.

Then we have a jarring jump where Ass-hat Azron is rescuing a princess stuck in a hole. I really can't explain this one. She quickly convinces him to show her his staff if you know what I mean. His magic staff. Anyway, he uses up the magic charge on his staff of wisdom to impress a girl. His staff is smarter than he is, it quickly outs the princess as Virulina. Virulina then rips off her princess dress and wig to show that she’s been wearing her armor under there the whole time. Virulina attacks and suddenly the episode is to be continued!! Episode 2, “The Dark Hand of Treachery” picks up right where this one ends but we've talked enough Visionaries today. Keep an eye out at That F’ing Monkey, you may just see that episode reviewed next weekend.

Visionaries: Episode 1 Part 1

Today we’re going to take a look at the first episode of Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. Visionaries were a Hasbro toyline that launched in 1987. Holograms were popular at the time, so the Visionaries were trying to capitalize on that. The toyline, cartoon, and comic book were all scrapped after the first year. I never had any of the toys, but I remember when they were released and while I remember the cartoon being on TV, I didn’t remember it being this strange.

The episode begins by telling us that the people of the planet Prysmos live in a time of great technology. It continues to say that they’ve mastered all forms of energy and have lived in comfort and ease for 7,000 years. We’re shown this with all sorts of futuristic looking cityscapes and crazy vehicles. The realigning of the “3 blazing suns of Prysmos” caused all technology to fail. Cars stopped, aircraft fell from the sky, and all communications went dead. The narrator says that years past, but it doesn’t say how many. Considering the next scene has everyone wearing medieval armor and living in castles you would think that hundreds of years had passed. But the characters were actually alive during the age of science, so I have no idea how they changed so quickly.

Leoric is the prince of New Valarak. The comic book identified him as the old mayor during the age of science. So when shit stopped working, Leoric decided to make himself royalty. Trying to take over the city is Darkstorm. Both of these leaders are frantically searching for a weapon that will give them an edge in defeating their adversary. The wizard Merklynn visits both leaders and invites them to his shrine so he can teach the knights magic. The really name him Merklynn too. I’m not making this shit up. Also, take a close look at the crazy rocket on his belt. Moving on, Leoric seems open to the idea, while Darkstorm sends Merklynn down his trapdoor. Once Darkstorm hears that Leoric is going on the magic quest, he decides that he better do the same.

So knights from all over Prysmos show up at Merklynn’s. He states that all the knights who can pass the trials will be given the gift of magic. There are a lot of cannon fodder knights in these scenes, so you know that a bunch of them will be dying from traps. A simple guide from telling the good guys from the bad guys, all the bad guys have beards . I have no idea why. It isn’t just Merklynn’s traps that are stopping the knights, Darkstorm and his flunkies make sure no one can follow them as they go. He cuts the bridge out from under some of the other knights. One of those knights is Arzon, who while hanging on the side of the cliff makes working wings out of the plants around him. He then flies to safety.

The assorted knights each use their defining trait to get around the traps. Witterquick uses his speed to sprint through a trap. Leoric uses his bravery to face down a giant stone golem. We are also introduced to the Visionaries’ ladies; Galadria and Virulina. You can tell Virulina was evil since she was about to stab Galadria in the back. From their comments, it’s apparent they have a history together. They both fall into the water. Suddenly it’s a wet armored shirt party! To their credit, the females in Visionaries don’t wear chainmail bikinis; they have full suits of armor.

The pair is attacked by a giant octopus. Virulina swims through an underwater exit and closes the gates before Galadria can follow her. Galadria has to fight off the octopus by herself. The above picture is for you Michael May. Galadria manages to drain the pool/lake/thing and she is able to escape as the octopus is being dragged down by the whirlpool. Very quickly the show goes through some more “character pieces” for the knights. One evil knight scares off some no named knights by cutting down an hornet’s nest and drops it on them. Two powerful warriors meet up and chase each other.

Darkstorm finds four of the evil characters all caught in the same trap. He tells them that he’s willing to help them as long as they all swear loyalty to him. Some members of the group are more willing to do so than others, but they all join him and he cuts them down from their ropes. Chris Latta voices one of Darkstorm’s new members. Never trust Chris Latta. The group of evil knights ambush Leoric and his two friends. The evil group is named the Darkling Lords during the combat. At the same time the unaffiliated heroic knights see the fight and join Leoric. Merklynn stops the fight and tells the knights there is magic enough for everyone, they just have to open the door to the shrine now.

What happens next? When do the holograms come into play? Will the girls wrestle more tentacles? You’ll have to check back tomorrow for a special Sunday update of That F’ing Monkey to find out!

South Park: The Stick of Truth

The second trailer for South Park: The Stick of Truth debuted at the VGAs. To be honest, it doesn’t show you a whole lot more then the first trailer. That’s okay with me though, I’m already sold on the game. It’s an old school RPG written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker and being developed by Obsidian Entertainment. The game has been pushed back a bit, but I think that has more to do with the state that THQ is in than it does with game quality. Obsidian has a long history of not getting to enough time to finish their games, it looks like they are getting it this time.

Currently pre-orders will get you the Bulrog Chicken Attack, Cartman’s Kick-Ass Sais, and Samurai armor. Gamestop is advertising they have the Mysterion Superhero Pack that includes a Super Hero Costume and a Mysterion Summon.

Flash Friday: Young Justice Skates

Happy Flash Friday everyone! At some point earlier this week I was watching TV with my wife and a McDonald’s commercial came on. I wasn’t really paying attention to it until I noticed the toy it was advertising was Young Justice themed. After the commercial confirmed that there was a Kid Flash in the lineup I knew I was going to have to have one. I only had to wait a day or two before my wife had tracked one down for me.

I have to confess I’ve never really understood the fingerboard thing. I think the only one I’ve ever owned before now was a cheap generic one that I got in a grocery store when I was around 8. There is a whole industry built around these things though. They usually take up a good chunk of space in the toy isles, right next to the toy car section. There are miniature grind rails, half pipes, and all sorts of other things to move your tiny skateboard through. I’m not making fun of it, I just never got the appeal.

There isn’t a whole lot you can say about a toy skateboard either. It seems sturdy. It has Young Justice printed on the grip taped top surface. The bottom of the skateboard has a great Kid Flash image. Umm…it has four wheels that roll. That’s about all I got on this one. You can pretend it’s a skateboard for the other Kid Flash Happy Meal toy that came out last year.

I did want to mention that I think the timing of this release is interesting. Why push Young Justice when DC Nation isn’t even on Cartoon Network right now? I think it speaks to just how quickly and unexpected the decision to pull everything was.

G1 Van Upgrade

I was talking with a friend this weekend about how we were pretty much the perfect age when Transformers came out. I can still remember the first time I saw them on the store shelves. I also remember watching the cartoon when it premiered. Even at a pretty young age I was aware that not all of the toys looked like their cartoon counterparts. The biggest two examples were Iron Hide and Ratchet.

Iron Hide and Ratchet were pretty much one toy with two different paint schemes and minor kibble to make them different. Ratchet was the medic and Iron Hide was the blue collar soldier that was always at Prime’s right hand. They were big, burly looking bots that were always on the cartoon. Their toys were…well they were special. Their heads were stickers. The tops of the vans turned into the sled type vehicle. They were not what the cartoon was showing us.

Over the years there have been a number of new versions of Iron Hide and Ratchet, but I think iGear is about to release my favorite ones. Now iGear is a third party manufacturer, so they are actually releasing PP05M Medic and PP05M Weapon Specialist. Third party Transformers are never cheap; these will cost almost 120 dollars a pieces. Each of the bots does come with a huge amount of extra tools and weapons.

I love that there is a market out there to provide fans with versions of characters that they want. I’ve had Fansproject’s version of Springer since he was released and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. I was never a huge fan of Iron Hide or Ratchet, but if I was I’d be scraping up the cash for a pre-order.

Dungeons and Dragons: The Ultimate Champions’ Series

Dungeons and Dragons is one of those things that is very near and dear to my heart. It was something I was fascinated by when I was really young. I was eight when we moved from Detroit down to Orlando. That was when I met people who were actually playing Dungeons and Dragons. I was hooked from that point on. I still play Dungeons and Dragons, although since we’ve grown up we’ve had to resort to using Skype and virtual tabletop software.

Because of my love for the game, I found this video by Roooster and Box of Danger hysterical. The other thing I really like about the video is that it skips most of the geek jokes about the show. The complaints about the unrealistic magic items, the lack of swords, and stuff like that. It isn’t a short video, but it is totally worth watching. Enjoy, I’ve got to go work on my character for tomorrow night.

Wreck-It Ralph

Having lived in the shadow of Cinderella’s castle for a long time, I can be very critical of Disney. There are times they do something so brilliant, fun, or touching that I can’t find any fault in it. It looks like their new movie Wreck-It Ralph is going to be one of those things.

The trailer tells the story better than I do, but you have an old school video game villain tired or being the bad guy. Because of this he decides to leave his own game and goes in search of something new. It looks like a good number of video game genres are going to be touched on here. There are glimpses of racing games and shooters, but I’m sure there will be more than that.

Disney has also gone the Roger Rabbit route and filled the movie with cameos by other video game characters. Pac Man ghosts, Q-bert, Doctor Robotnik, Bowser, M. Bison, and Zangief are just the ones you see in the scenes that have been previewed. You know they are holding onto a couple big surprises to get the really big laughs.

So far my favorite bit of marketing for the film is that Disney has released a flash game for Fix-it Felix Jr. This is the game that Wreck-It Ralph is the villain of and it is fully playable in all of its retro glory. You can check it out for yourself HERE. It’s pretty fantastic, but it lets you earn extra lives far easier than you could in the games actually created in the 80s.

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Not Renewed

I’m very sad to say that Marvel’s Avengers cartoon, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has not been renewed for a third season. Disney XD is still going to be showing all of the second season, so the show isn’t axed, but once they’ve finished with season two, the show is no more. I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a Marvel Cartoon as much as I’ve enjoyed this one.

So what happened? Disney did. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was in the works before the studio with its own animation teams bought Marvel. We will be getting Avengers Assemble, a new cartoon that looks just like that movie that you might have seen. I’m going to try and give it an unbiased shot when it debuts, but killing a show I like to start a new one makes me want to hate it. Also head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb has been quoted as saying he doesn’t like multi-episode arcs because he wants kids to be able to sit down and instantly understand the episode. Can we give kids some credit please? As a kid the multi-part stories seemed epic.

I’m going to enjoy Earth’s Mightiest Heroes while I can. I had talked about my love for the Hawkeye/Black Widow/Mockingbird episode. Recently they topped it by including my favorite Marvel character, Iron Fist. Actually they went the full Heroes for Hire route and we got Luke Cage and Iron Fist. On top of all that, they included the Scott Lang version of Ant Man. The first Avenger related comic I ever read was a story that teamed Hawkeye and Scott Lang against Taskmaster. It cemented Hawkeye as my favorite Avenger and Taskmaster as my favorite Marvel villain.

Sorry to break your heart Mightiest Hero fans. Just know I’m right there with you.

Voice Star Wars

I am a huge fan of voice actors. I think the ability to perform using only your vocal chords and make one laugh or cry (Jurassic Bark I am looking at you through tear filled eyes). I had the great fortune to interview my share of voice actors when I used to work on a radio nerd show - The Sci-Fi Zone - many moons ago. They were all a delight to chat with, more so than some of the on-camera folks we talked to.  I even bought Mark Hamill's "Comic Book - The Movie" just because it stars voice actors. 

 
Yeah I am an unapologetic fanboy.

So when I ran across this slice of nerdvana I was an ecstatic geek. Yes it is over an hour long and well worth every second. However if you don't have that much time to kill then just watch from the 4:44 to the 9:03 marks. It is well worth your time.

So do you have any sweet voice actor stories you want to share? How about your favorite cartoon character? Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments, our Facebook page, or the Contact Us button.

Random Flash Round Up

Happy Flash Friday everyone! There isn’t a real theme today, just a few random Flash bits that I wanted to share before I got too busy with something else. I haven’t really shown off things that I’ve actually purchased in quite some time. Next week should hopefully change that.

The biggest news is that we now have confirmation that the Flash will be in Lego Batman 2! Game Informer magazine was the first place I’ve seen the information. Lego video game developers Traveler’s Tales said that Flash is the fastest character they’ve put into a game. “He kind of dashes around the city and breaks things apart.” His punches and kicks will be lightning quick too. Game Informer goes on to say that there is only one Flash in the game and that Traveller’s Tales is looking into alternate costumes.

Somehow some new Flash shirts snuck out when I wasn’t paying attention. I’m happy to say both of the shirts are symbol shirts. The first looks like the symbol was hand drawn with pencil. I really like this shirt; it may end up getting ordered.

The second shirt takes the logo and dips it in chrome. Despite the fact that I really like black shirts, I like the sketch design shirt a lot better. Still it is a good looking shirt. Both the sketch and chrome shirt are available in other hero symbols for you Bat and Lantern fans.

The next part isn’t really news, just how I’ve been feeling lately. For me, the Young Justice cartoon does everything the “New 52” was supposed to. It is a simplified, modernized take on the characters. The costume redesigns are light years ahead of the ones used in the comics now. I’m excited for each new episode. I used to feel that way ever Wednesday, now I feel that way every Sunday. I know it airs on Saturday, but I wait until Sunday and watch both the DC and Marvel block. Heroes for Hire on the Avengers two weeks ago and jumping out of my seat I was so happy.