SDCC 09 Exclusive Wolverine Mighty Muggs with Retractable Claws Photo

We finally have a legitimate photograph of Hasbro’s upcoming San Diego Comic Con 2009 exclusive Wolverine with retractable claws Mighty Mugg thanks to ActionFigurePictures.com. (link) The Blot had some serious reservations about this year’s Marvel Comics SDCC exclusive Mighty Mugg when it was first announced, but I think it looks pretty cool! It’s obviously a homage to this summer’s quasi-blockbuster X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and it actually resembles Hugh Jackman (at least it does slightly if you squint while looking at the figure). I do wish they hadn’t tried to copy everything about Jackman’s movie version of Wolverine because I could have done without his big shiny belt buckle.


There has been no official announcement yet on the SDCC 2009 exclusive Wolverine Mighty Muggs’ run size or price, but I’d be willing to wager it will retail for somewhere between $15 and $25. For those of you unwilling to wait until the figure’s release at San Diego Comic Con, there might be one available already on eBay (and a SDCC exclusive Optimus Prime Mighty Mugg as well).

Los Angeles Lakers - 2009 NBA Champions

After two months of playoff basketball Phil, Kobe and the rest of the LA Lakers finally did it! After some very hard fought series the Lakers are the 2009 NBA Champs. Let me tell you, no one is happier about that than The Blot (except for maybe Aly because now she doesn’t have to watch another basketball game for a very long time).


Sadly, Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the only game The Blot didn’t get to watch all playoffs. Our flight home from Tahoe was delayed and then it took an additional 30 minutes for our luggage to hit the baggage claim once we finally made it back to Houston. When we landed it was halftime and the Lakers were up by 10¸but by the time we were in our car heading home there was only 4:30 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers were up by like 11-15 points. Listening to the end of the game wasn’t all bad since Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Dr. Jack Ramsay are some of the best basketball commentators in the industry.

Thankfully Aly and I got home just in time to see the Lakers celebrating the franchise’s 15th World Championship and Kobe accept the NBA Finals MVP award. It feels like these playoffs went on forever, but it was well worth it to see the Purple & Gold finally back on top of the NBA for their fourth title this decade. It’s hard to believe the Lakers have now been in the NBA Finals 6 times since 2000. I might also add that it has truly been amazing to see this team mature over the past three years. From barely making the playoffs to surprising everyone last year with their unexpected run to the 2008 Finals to this year’s championship, it has been a very exciting ride indeed.


Kobe now has his fourth championship and first without Shaquille O’neal, while Head Coach Phil Jackson now has his 10th NBA Championship, giving him more professional championships than any coach in the NBA or in the four major professional sports leagues of North America. Hopefully winning ten NBA titles will not be Jackson’s final act as the Lakers’ head coach and he’ll be back to steward the Lakers to a 16th NBA title.


With the roster as it is currently constituted there is no reason the Lakers can’t win it all again next year, giving Kobe and Derek Fisher their fifth championship and Jackson his eleventh. But to do that team owner Jerry Buss will need to open up his check book and resign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. I guess this summer will be a busy one for Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupcheck. Here’s hoping for back-to-back world championships!

SDCC 09 Comic Book Edition Hellboy Mez-Itz

To commemorate the re-launch of Mezco Toyz’ Mez-Itz 6 inch vinyl figure line, the designer toy company is releasing a San Diego Comic Con 2009 Exclusive Comic Book Edition Hellboy Mez-Itz. Unlike the standard Hellboy II: The Golden Army Hellboy Mez-Itz, the limited edition Hellboy Mez-Its is based on the artwork of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.


The Comic Book Edition Hellboy Mez-Itz captures the essence of the Hellboy comic book from his sawed-off horns to his posable tail. Standing six inches tall with six points of articulation, this limited edition figure comes complete with Hellboy's legendary gun, the Samaritan. While this Summer Exclusive Comic Book Edition Hellboy Mez-Itz will not ship until late July, it is currently available for purchase here at the Mezco Toyz online store for $20.


The Blot is categorizing Mezco Toyz’ Summer Exclusive Comic Book Edition Hellboy Mez-Itz as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, but I’m not really sure that it is since it is now available at the Mezco Toyz online store along with Mezco’s other “Summer Exclusives” seen in the photo above.

True Blood Season 2 Premiere and Character Television Promo Posters

On Sunday, June 14th True Blood returns to HBO for a second season. The Blot was really excited when I first heard that Six Feet Under’s Alan Ball was creating a new show for HBO. I was even more intrigued when I learned the show would be about vampires and star the X-Men trilogy’s Anna Paquin.



Then I watched the first episode of True Blood and I didn’t know what to think. The story was interesting and I liked the show’s unique take on vampires, but the cast’s acting was choppy at best. Plus, I couldn’t stand the accents of the show’s cast. Seriously, their fake Cajun accents were enough to make me stop watching True Blood altogether.



I decided to stick with it for a few more episodes, and then something interesting happened…True Blood got really, really good. I’m not sure how many episodes it took for the show to click, but once it did True Blood became my new guilty pleasure. It has everything a viewer could want in an HBO series, a compelling murder mystery intertwined with vampires, drugs and sex.



But it’s not as risqué as you might think. True Blood is heavily character driven with each character having their own demons to deal with on a daily basis and hopefully overcome. What’s really amazing is how in just one season True Blood has been able to build such a complex and interesting world, and yet is still accessible for new viewers who want to start watching now. So, if you have HBO but have never seen True Blood make sure you tune in this Sunday for the show’s Season 2 premiere. And if you like what you see you can always go out and purchase the True Blood Season 1 DVD box set that is in stores now.



True Blood airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9/8c.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Final IMAX Movie Poster

Hot on the heels of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Bumblebee character IMAX movie poster comes the Transformers 2 final IMAX one sheet movie poster. The Blot knows he’s repeating himself, but I’m seriously tempted to shell out the extra dough to see this movie in an IMAX theater hoping it will enhance my understanding of the film and its intricate battle scenes. At this point, any additional help in deciphering director Michael Bay’s madness will be greatly appreciated.


Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen crash lands in theaters on June 24, 2009.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Bumblebee Character IMAX Movie Poster

The Blot had a feeling Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen would be coming out in IMAX theaters, but now it’s official with the release of the Bumblebee character IMAX movie poster. I guess I should have known Transformers 2 would be coming out in IMAX since every big summer blockbuster with even the smallest amount of special effects is now released in the oversized format.


Maybe seeing it in an IMAX theater will help me identify the differences between all of the grey, alien looking Decepticons showing up in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, because I still can’t figure out which Decepticons are in the movie’s trailer. Is it The Fallen, Megatron or Starscream in the TF2 commercials?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen premieres in theaters nationwide on June 24, 2009.

Arkiv Instant Vinyl Figure by Arkiv

The Blot’s been waiting for Indonesian artist Arkiv’s Arkiv Instant vinyl figure to come out for what feels like forever, and it’s finally here! Sort of anyway...adFunture is taking pre-orders for the Arkiv Instant vinyl figure from now until June 30, 2009. The first edition of this figure will be produced strictly based on its pre-orders (plus 42 pieces for promotional purposes), so if you want one make sure you order it before June 30th or your collect is pretty much guaranteed to be Arkiv-less.


Arkiv Instant stands 28.5cm tall (a little over 11 inches) and can be purchased for $60 each plus shipping here at adFunture’s online store. A caveat to collectors hoping to add an Arkiv Instant vinyl figure to your collection, shipping on this figure is a staggering $45 to anywhere in the US.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Got Milk? Ad

X Marks The Spot

The Blot’s been wanting to blog about Hugh Jackman’s Body by Milk Wolverine ad ever since it started showing up in comic books and magazines a few weeks ago. As a Got Milk? advertisement it turned out really nicely, but I still hate how fake Wolverine’s claws look. I think the problem is that he’s never wearing gloves, so you always see the claws popping out of Jackman’s bare hands and the film’s special effects just aren’t good enough to pull that off. Maybe if they added a little fake blood every time his claws go “snikt” it would look more realistic. I guess that’s the downfall to a movie featuring a costume-less Wolverine.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is in theaters now, but probably not for that much longer.

The Hangover Character Movie Posters

The Blot mentioned earlier that I was going to try and post the complete set of hilarious The Hangover character movie posters and I am nothing if not a man of my words. So here they are, I hope you enjoy!




Like I said earlier, I haven’t seen The Hangover yet but for those of you that have I am sure these posters will bring about some fond memories. The Hangover looks like it’s going to be really funny, and as much as I’d like to know more about the meaning behind these posters it’s probably better that I don’t ask.




The Hangover stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong and Mike Tyson.





The Hangover is in theaters now.

The Hangover Mike Tyson Character Movie Poster

I haven’t seen The Hangover yet, but it’s sounding like it could end up being the comedy of the summer (or at least the “adult” comedy of the summer) after thrashing Will Ferrell's Land of the Lost and grossing an impressive $43.3 million in its opening weekend. I’ve been reading reviews and it sounds like I’ve got to try to see this movie while I’m in Tahoe this week. Since I can’t speak about the actual movie, let’s talk about the film’s hilarious trailer and its breakout star, Mike Tyson.


How funny is that scene of Tyson singing along to Phil Collins’ "In The Air Tonight?" The first time I saw that trailer I literally lost it! If the movie is even half as funny as the trailer (or half as funny as director Todd Phillips’ Old School) it’s gotta be comedic gold. I can’t imagine anyone hasn’t seen The Hangover’s fantastic trailer yet, but If you haven’t you can now watch it below:



The Hangover, starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, is in theaters now. The Mike Tyson character movie poster above is just one in a huge set of The Hangover character movie posters. They are some pretty cool posters, so I’ll try to post the complete set later today.