Arcade Sushi editor-in-chief Luke Brown is an experienced video game journalist who has contributed to Official Xbox Magazine and Games Radar. As ComicsAlliance's senior editor, he spends most of his time dishing on the latest action figures, collectibles, and gaming trends.
Luke Brown
Toy Fair 2016: Meet Mattel’s Suicide Squad
Though you would have thought a great deal of Mattel's Toy Fair event would have been focused on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which to be fair it was, there were actually more new figures on hand from August's Suicide Squad film. Many of the Dawn of Justice figures have already hit retail, but the upcoming villain-led film made a surprise showing, and Mattel revealed almost the entire team this weekend.
Interestingly enough, there was no Suicide Squad branding on any of the new figures. Where DC Collectibles and other specialty lines can get away with putting the word "suicide" on the box, it's a tougher sell for mass market figures that will show up in Target and Walmart. The Suicide Squad will fit in with the DC Multiverse line, offering 6" versions of the team in the branding you're already seeing for characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman for Dawn of Justice, and Flash and Green Arrow from their respective TV shows. Where those media properties get the film/show logo slapped on the side of the box, it'll be interesting to see what Mattel puts on these packages to indicate just where these guys came from.
Act Out Your Wildest Civil War Fantasies With Hasbro’s New Roleplay Gear
Well, this year is the year Marvel Legends becomes the all-encompassing elite collectors line for Hasbro. After being home to the 6" adult collector figures, then adding in the 3.75" figures, Hasbro announced earlier today a 12" scale would be under the Legends umbrella, too. The company isn't stopping there. While Hasbro has been making roleplay toys for kids for the past few years, including weapons and masks all with a decidedly childlike bent, there hasn't been much for those of us with hands big enough to hold a basketball. This fall, the Marvel Legends line will expand to take care of that.
Coming sometime during Q4 this year, Marvel Legends' roleplay gear will finally give the big kids exactly what we've always wanted: replica Captain America shields and Iron Man helmets. There have been others, there's no denying that. Many companies have tried to fill that void, but have either been relatively cheap alternatives or so expensive, you barely want to breathe on it, let alone wear it. While the jury is still out on how well-made Hasbro's Marvel Legends accessories will be, they certainly do look up to snuff in these first teaser images.
The Teen Titans Arrive to Tackle the Justice League in the DC Animated Cinematic Universe
Every year, Warner Bros and DC release two animated features that take place in their new home video DC canon, continually building on the groundwork laid by previous entries, and it's these continually expanding animated universe films that have been the driving force behind DC Comics' home video expansion. This April, the Teen Titans will emerge in this universe for the first time in Justice League vs Teen Titans.
The film centers around Damian Wayne being sent to learn teamwork from the Teen Titans after he nearly botches a Justice League mission. Of course, he just happens to arrive as the Leaguers find themselves at the mercy of Trigon, Raven's demonic father. As you can guess, Trigon's back to attempt to take over the world once more, and it will be up to the Teen Titans to rally and save the day from the hordes of hellspawn and brainwashed heroes.
It’s Getting Hoth in Here: Star Wars Battlefront’s Upcoming Updates Promise New Maps, Modes, Characters and More
Since its launch in November, millions of battles have been waged for galactic supremacy in Star Wars Battlefront. Through all that time, DICE has kept its plans for expansion relatively under wraps, save for the free Battle for Jakku update released during Star Wars: The Force Awakens' launch. Now that the dust has settled a bit, the developer's finally pulling back the curtain on the add-ons planned for the space shooter, and it looks like fans of the classic trilogy will have plenty to look forward to throughout 2016.
New maps and modes are great and all, but it's really all about the extra hero characters and the clothes they wear. Most importantly, DICE is releasing a free update this week that will add Hoth costumes for Luke and Han when they're present on the icy planet's maps. Luke and his busted up face are nice and all, but I'm more excited to see how DICE plans to handle the great brown/blue debate fans of Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back have waged for decades. Well, so long as they haven't seen the irrefutable proof in the behind the scenes documentaries on the Blu-ray collection.
DC and Vertigo Comic Book Releases for April 2016 [Solicitations]
Courtesy of DC Comics, ComicsAlliance brings you an advance look at new periodical comic books, collected editions, and graphic novels going on sale in April 2016 (and in some cases beyond) from the publisher’s superhero line and the mature readers Vertigo imprint.
Like a Rainbow in the Dark, DC Collectibles Announces New Batman Figure Set
One year ago, DC Collectibles opened its "vault" of unproduced prototypes in celebration of hitting a social media milestone. Included therein were figures based on DC Universe Online, statues for Ame-Comi Mary Marvel and a Black Manta bust, among others. Instead of leaving all of these first-party collectibles locked away forever inside the archives, DC Collectibles asked fans to vote for which item they'd like to see finally be produced. Then there was silence... until today when the dull winter sky was broken by a glorious rainbow in the shape of Batman.
Yes, that's right; the Sheldon Moldoff-inspired Rainbow Batmen are coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it now. You had your chance to vote for 3.75" New 52 figures, and you blew it. Unless you voted for these, in which case, congratulations, all of your dreams are coming true in amazing technicolor fashion!
Prime 1 Studio Busts Out a Batman: Arkham Knight, Uh, Bust
I think I'm starting to understand where Bruce Wayne gets all his money. I mean, the guy clearly licenses out his and Batman's likenesses to every company on the planet, and the fees he must recoup on return are clearly significant. Surely Wayne Enterprises can't still be making money after all these years of secretly funding Batman's war on crime. I mean, it was mildly feasible back in the early going when it was just Bruce rolling around Gotham. But now with all those subsidiaries and dependents running around the globe, it's hard to imagine anything Wayne Enterprises develops making as much money as birthday hats, cake pans, cookie cutters, wall paper, toothbrushes, video games, action figures and statues.
I mean, we have to be serious about this for one minute. If all you do is military research and development projects you never let the military actually have, that money is going to dry up eventually. Probably. Then again, there are an awful lot of projects developed that never do see the light of day in practical applications, but those companies still keep cashing checks. I suppose though many of those manufacturers show the armed forces at least something to keep them dragging along. Batman just locks it up in a cave where only he and his butler can touch it. I guess that's why we see so many collectibles bearing his likeness, like this new bust from Prime 1 Studios.
Five Spookiest Ghosts (5×5)
Ghosts are the scariest real things in the world. These are the spookiest offenders to the ethereal plane.
How Guns N’ Roses Found Their Way Into Mega Man X5
Capcom's Mega Man series has always been chock full of musical references and Easter eggs, but one of the most famous instances wasn't even planned by the developer.
Five Best Guilty Pleasure Games (Feat. Brutal Moose and Space Hamster) (5×5)
We've all got our favorite games. We've all got games we hate. Then there are those games in the middle; the ones you're afraid to talk about in front of your friends. These are the Best Guilty Pleasure Games.
Five Worst Video Game Movies (5×5)
It's a bonafide bonus episode of 5x5 where we teamed up with our good buddies over at ScreenCrush to dish the dirt on the worst video game movies.
Five Best Punches (feat. Five Finger Death Punch’s Jeremy Spencer) (5×5)
These characters pack a wallop, and bring the most devastating fisticuffs to the small screen.