Unboxing September's Loot Crate and Loot Wear: Speed

This month, Loot Crate came hard and fast with their theme, "Speed." When they revealed their theme, I was genuinely excited for all of the franchises they brought together; Iron Man, Batman, Arrow, The Flash, Battlestar Galactica, and Gone in 60 Seconds. As big of a fan of Nic Cage as I am, I have to admit that I was dissapointed that 'Speed' wasn't included. It's an obvious choice, right? How cool would a replica of the bus or a cheap gold watch have been? Still, September brought us an awesome box!

First up was an awesome exclusive Stark Racing T-Shirt from Marvel. I'm a huge fan of the MCU and this shirt is hands down their best shirt of the year (so far). Next, we got yet another cool pin, this time it was a 'Loot Year' tire. Each pin comes with bonus digital content and this month's was from Comixology. It was a collection of Velocity comics: 'Pilot Season: Velocity #1' and 'Velocity #1-4'

We got not one, not two, but THREE replicas in the box this month! The first was a "Scar" vinyl replica from Battlestar Galactica. This thing is sooo cool and found its place on my shelf immediately. The second replica was an exclusive Batwing keychain that was designed "using references from the Warner Bros. archives." Last, but certainly not least, was a die-cast replica of "Eleanor" from 'Gone in 60 Seconds.' The 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 that Nicolas Cage drove in the remake has rubber wheels and opening doors and hood!

The final item in the box was actually really cool and clever. Looters either got an Arrow or Flash ornament-style figure! My crate came with a Flash hood ornament that is made of plastic and comes with a magnet on the bottom so you can stick on your car (or any metal surface). This was a fun piece, which actually went to my cousin because he's a HUGE fan of The Flash. The box, also went to my cousin so he could display his hood ornament on it. Why? Because the box transforms into a freakin' car! Yup, you can flip the box inside out and turn it into a car that you can set your hood ornament on. It's a fun concept and just as cool as last month's Harley Hammer box.

This month for the Loot Wear I went with the men's version. As soon as they said it would be a Transformers soccer jersey, I was all in! I love the Transformers so I couldn't pass this up for the $14.99 price. The jersey itself was amazing, with an embroidered Autobot patch on the front and 'Autobots' printed across the chest. Totally happy with the it and for me, it's worth double the price. Unfortunately, the white jersey arrived with some stains on it; I haven't washed it yet, but I hope they come out. 

Inside this month's box:

-Exclusive 'The Flash' Ornament-Style Figure (By George!)

-Exclusive Battlestar Galactica "Scar" Vinyl Replica (Titan Merchandise)

-Exclusive Stark Industries Racing Tee (Fifth Sun)

-Exclusive Batwing Keychain (QMx)

-Gone in 60 Seconds "Eleanor" Die-Cast Car (Greenlight Collectibles)

-Loot Year Pin (Loot Crate Labs)

-'Pilot Season: Velocity #1' & 'Velocity #1-4' (Comixology)

This month's Wearable:

-Exclusive Transformers Soccer Jersey (Hasbro)

Big Trouble in Little China the Game Coming in 2017

BOOM! Studios, Everything Epic, Flipside Design Studio, and 20th Century Fox Consumer Products to design and produce Big Trouble in Little China the Game, coming in 2017!

Here's a brief overview:

-Big Trouble in Little China the Game is a cooperative, cinematic game with miniatures.

-Play as Jack Burton or one of his brave friends on the mysterious quest to rescue the green-eyed beauty, defeat Lo Pan’s ancient magic, and save Chinatown from his evil minions.

-Up to six players will venture through the iconic locations in Chinatown saving the helpless and thwarting evil plans, all the while discovering weapons and rare magics to use to their benefit.

Here are some comments from all those involved!

"Teaming up with an outstanding studio like BOOM! helps us bring enthusiastic lifelong fans of Big Trouble in Little China the gaming experience they've been waiting for. Bringing to life a nostalgic and beloved motion picture in a robust tabletop game experience is a dream come true for us and we're ecstatic to be able to deliver it to gamers, comic book fans, as well as lovers of the film in 2017!” said Everything Epic games publishing company President and Lead Game Designer Chris Batarlis.

“It's been a passion project that we’ve been dreaming about for some time. We wanted to make sure to do it right and bring an experience that we think the fans deserve. And that's why we are so excited to partner with BOOM! Studios, because we believe incorporating their great work in keeping the BTiLC brand going is exactly what we needed to make this game right. We share a love for this franchise and look forward to putting out a truly special game that old and new fans will embrace,” said Flipside Design Studio President and Creative Director Boris Polonsky.

"It's been an absolute joy to continue the adventures of Jack Burton and the Pork-Chop Express in BOOM!'s Big Trouble in Little China comic for the past two years. This year, just in time for the 30th Anniversary, we added The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China, The Official Art of Big Trouble in Little China, a crossover with Escape from New York, and an illustrated novel—Big Trouble in Mother Russia—to the mix. The opportunity to continue expand the world of Big Trouble in Little China and dive into the exciting world of board games with superb partners like Everything Epic and Flipside is pure icing on the cake!" said BOOM! Studios President of Publishing & Marketing Filip Sablik.

First Ever TMNT Toys Designed by Co-Creator

For the first time in the 32 year history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a full set of 1/6 scale action figures has been designed from the toes up by Co-Creator, Kevin Eastman.

 In partnership with high-end to-scale production house Threezero, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael come to life as fully articulated figures directly from the mind of Eastman.

 “The Turtles are always evolving,” said Eastman from his San Diego home, “Every artist who's tackled them over the years (and there have been many) have put their own flair on the characters while keeping the spirit of the Turtles we know and love. This is the version I've developed in my mind and and my personal sketchbooks.”

 While the first sets of Mikey and Leo will be made available this fall at threezero.com Eastman is offering an extremely Limited Edition 25 sets which include custom paint and headgear, individual tattoos, a signed copy of the original concept sketches, and a miniature pizza box signed and numbered with a head sketch by the Co-Creator himself. Limited Edition sets are available for pre-order on a first-come first-served basis at kevineastmanstudios.com.

Review: The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today

I'm going to be honest, I haven't seen any of the movies in the Swan Princess series. Its newest film, The Swan Princess: Princess Today, Pirate Tomorrow, is the sixth film in the franchise. It's a weird place to start, not knowing what came before. Heck, I don't even know the story of The Swan Princess to begin with. I imagine that it started with a Princess that was turned into a swan and back into a Princess.

This installment centers around Princess Alise, whose parents are away for the summer. The Princess is left with Lord Rogers and Queen Uberta, who has plans to train her to be a proper Royal. But the adventurous Alise would much rather be a swashbuckling pirate than a stuffy Royal. Lord Rogers decides to take her out on the high-seas and show her the ropes when they become stranded on an island and meet Lucas, a boy who has been living alone on the island. From there, it's all about staying alive, avoiding some nasty meat-eating reptile creatures, and getting home safe!

I'm not sure how well-received the previous films were, but this installment (for adults at least) falls a little flat. While kids will most suredly enjoy it (and the ones I showed it to did), it doesn't feel as clever as most animated films are these days. The film's songs were a hit and miss affair; the first musical number, featuring the reptile creatures singing about eating meat (animals and humans) after chasing Lucas, was super creepy and kind of awkward for a children's film. Alise's first song about being a pirate wasn't Disney memorable, but it was a pretty good song, catchy and fun. 

The CGI film felt a bit stiff, but I find that most cartoons of this ilk seem to be. It feels like a very very early CGI film, it lacks the fluidity of something Pixar would create. Overall, it's a fine film for children of all ages/genders, but it's not a film that parents would enjoy seeing/hearing for the thousandth time.




**Sony Home Video provided me with some of the materials I used on this blog post. The opinions I share are my own.**

Toys R Us Exclusive Marvel Legends 3-pack

Toys R Us currently has an exclusive Marvel Legends 3-pack on shelves. This one has three 6" figures based on Marvel's Avengers. The biggie in this collection is Sam Wilson's Captain America, who is unfortunately without his wings. Next up is the first figure of Kate Bishop's Hawkeye (I'm loving this one!). Last in the set is Vision sporting his Uncanny Avengers costume. The set runs $49.99 and can be found in stores now. Check out the close-up's below and order them on their website or head over to your local TRU to pick up yours before they sell out!

Giveaway: The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today

**Sony Home Video provided me with some of the materials I used in this Blog post/Giveaway. The opinions I share are my own.**

The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today is out now on DVD!

In the brand new animated film, Princess Alise is training to be the perfect royal but in her heart all she wants to do is sail the seven seas as a swashbuckling pirate! After setting sail, Princess Alise is shipwrecked and washes ashore on an island where she meets Lucas, a young boy who has been living there by himself. They have to work together to survive and get back to civilization!

We are giving away one copy of The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today! Contest starts September 9th and ends at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, September 21st. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.



There are three ways to enter:

- Take the "Are You a Princess or a Pirate Quiz' below and leave a comment below, e-mail geekhashblog@gmail.com, or tweet @monkeyjedi with your result.

- Leave a comment, e-mail Geek Hash, or tweet @monkeyjedi and let us know if you'd prefer the princess or pirate life and why.

- Leave a comment, e-mail Geek Hash, or tweet @monkeyjedi and let us know what your favorite classic Swan Princess movie is.






One winner will be randomly chosen. Once notified, they will have 24 hours to reply with a mailing address (No P.O. boxes) or an alternate winner will be chosen.

*Each household is only eligible to win one (1) copy of The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be able to win it again. Winner is subject to verification. 

Unboxing August's Legion of Collectors: Women of DC

I'm not as big of a DC fan as I am of Marvel, but I just couldn't pass up this month's 'Women of DC' box. With characters like Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Black Canary, and Zatanna, DC has some pretty powerful women in their stable. I loved the Marvel Collector Corps' 'Women of Marvel' box and figured this one had the potential to be just as good. We know that we'll always get an exclusive POP! figure and that all of the other items will also be exclusive to the box. So for the roughly $30.00 price tag, you know you'll get the biggest bang for your buck.

The first items you see, as always, are the pin and patch. This month's patch features a very cool Batgirl design. The pin this month featured one of DC's biggest villains, "The one, the only, the infamous Harley Quinn!" I LOVED it. This pin is definitely going on the jacket!

The exclusive LoC comic this month was Batgirl #35. It sports an exclusive cover with POP! versions of Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Katana, Supergirl, and Raven. It's also the first issue of the team of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr.

Collector's received one of two T-shirts this month; Heroines or Villains. The Heroines shirt featured Batgirl, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl. The Villains shirt featured Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman. I had watched Funko's unboxing on their YouTube channel and was hoping for the villains tee, but received the heroines one, instead. I'm not that disappointed though, it's still an awesome shirt.

The next item in the box was a very very cool Wonder Woman figure with her invisible jet. The design was inspired by the 1970's version of Wonder Woman with her classic costume. Funko stated that this box was supposed to be their second one, but it was pushed back, "due to the amount of time the sculpting stages took." This is the first time we've gotten a Funko figure with a vehicle in one of their boxes and it was a pretty cool surprise.

The final item in the box, the Funko POP! figure, is the main reason I order the Funko boxes. I'm not sure how fans are going to react to this month's figure, but I personally dug it. This month's POP! was classic Hawkgirl. I like that they included her mace in her hand, but wish that they'd have sculpted her in a mid-flight pose. I have to admit that I was really hoping for a Zatanna POP! figure in this box, it's a dream figure of mine.

Inside this month's box:

-Batgirl Patch
-Harley Quinn Pin
-Batgirl #35 Comic
-Wonder Woman Figure and Invisible Jet
-Heroines T-Shirt
-Hawkgirl POP! Figure

Unboxing My Loot Crate Dream Crate: COOONNNNN!!!

I'm a huge fan of geek-themed subscription boxes, so much so that I've tried just about every one out there. There is only one subscription service that I've consistently kept active and that's Loot Crate. It's the one box that continually delivers on their promise of bringing geeks the best and the coolest exclusives. It's obvious that they're just as geeky as we are, and that's why they're the best they are at what they do.

What I love about them is the fact that they truly care about what their fans think. They regularly send out e-mails asking for subscribers to take part in surveys about what they'd love to see in future boxes. I've filled them out several times throughout the years and appreciate that they look for feedback on how to improve. When they asked what my Dream Crate would be, I leapt at the chance to share with them just what it would look like.

First, I had to come up with a theme for my Dream Crate. That was no small task considering that it feels like they've already come up with every cool idea under the sun. I finally landed upon a theme that I think we'd all love to see: "COOONNNNN!!!" Living on California's Central Coast, I (luckily) have a few that I can attend when con season hits. Big WOW!, Monterey Comic Con, Salinas Comic Con, APE, San Francisco Comic Con, and Silicon Valley Comic Con are all within driving distance. We geeks love a good comics convention and my crate would celebrate that and include some fun and useful con-themed items.

Attending a convention means you'll be spending a lot of time waiting in lines and also spending all your money buying tons of collectibles. For that, you need something to carry all of your snacks, supplies, and collectibles. On that end, the first item in my crate would be this awesome Boba Fett Mandalorian Armor Backpack. It's got a ton of storage pockets to hold everything you need as well as all your cool con swag!

Being at a con means you'll be surrounded by tons of celebrities and cosplayers. I always tend to take A LOT of pictures of them with my iPhone, which means my phone needs to stay charged at all times. The next item in my crate would keep it well-charged so I don't miss the opportunity to get a selfie with a Stormtrooper. This Warcraft Horde powerbank has two USB ports and even lights up!

As those who have attended a con can tell you, things can get pretty warm in those convention halls. One has to keep themselves well-hydrated, especially if you're spending the whole day in costume. This Doctor Who water bottle is the perfect addition to the crate.  

One of my favorite items to receive in a crate are the exclusive figures. As those who frequent this blog or my instagram (@popgeekery) know, I'm a HUGE Funko fan. So when Loot Crate and Funko team up for an exclusive POP! figure, those are always my favorite items. The next item in my Dream Crate would be an exclusive signed POP! figure of the man himself, Stan Lee. Have him wearing a Loot Crate T-shirt and throw him in a hard Funko POP! stack and this would be awesome!

We've gotten beanies in past crates, but I'm more of a snapback fan, myself. Since I wear them on the regular, one thing I've always wanted to receive in a crate that I haven't seen before is a hat. This Black Panther snapback would be included in my crate.

The next item would be this awesome Deadpool bomber jacket. It'd be perfect for keeping warm during all those after-hours shenanigans after the con. Usually this type of item would be in Loot Wear, but this is my Dream Crate, so why not?

For the final two items in my Dream Crate, I'm gonna have to go BIG. It's been a dream to be able to get to the big show, so one of the last items in my crate would be considered my Golden Ticket. Yup, this crate would include tickets to the Big Daddy of all conventions, San Diego Comic-Con! Of course, like The Doctor, I couldn't travel alone; I'd have to bring along my frequent Con-panion (did I just make up a new word?) and favorite Harley Quinn cosplayer @jess_medina!

Finally, to round out the full COOOONNNN!!! experience, I'd have to have a costume, right? So this crate would include an RPCStudios costume of my favorite comic character, Spider-Man! The Underoos version with the faceshell and lenses is THE coolest looking costume of the web-slinger I've ever seen. It'd be the perfect item to round out this geek's dream crate.

Big Trouble in Little China/Escape From New York Crossover Coming From BOOM! Studios

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA/ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK crossover limited series, debuts in October!

That's right: Jack Burton meets Snake Plissken in the most unlikeliest of team-ups that will shake the pillars of heaven! Written by Greg Pak (Totally Awesome Hulk, Action Comics) with art by Russ Manning Award nominee Daniel Bayliss (Kennel Block Blues, Translucid), the six-issue limited series is the first time two John Carpenter creations have crossed over in any format, and he's excited about it!