Murs and 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord

After my post yesterday about the new Madvillainy 2 album, I thought it only right to bring attention to another one of The Blot’s other favorite indie rappers, West Coast hip-hop artist Murs. I still remember the first time I ever heard Murs rap. I had downloaded this song he recorded with Danger Mouse, “To A Black Boy,” and was blown away. After having the song in heavy rotation on my iPod for well over a year, I picked up his tenth album and second collaboration with 9th Wonder, 2006’s Murray’s Revenge. It’s a pretty solid album from start to finish and has left me wanting more Murs.

Thankfully 2008 is going to be a huge year for Murs. He signed with Warner Bros. Records and is set to drop his major label debut, Murs for President, on September 30, 2008. But before that, Murs has re-teamed for a third time with hip-hop producer 9th Wonder to release a completely free album, Sweet Lord.


As Murs explains in a video on the album’s website Murs and 9th Wonder.com, Sweet Lord was made about two years ago but never released. Since Murs for President is about to drop, he and 9th Wonder decided to give away Sweet Lord to their fans for free as a thank you for all of their support over the years. All that Murs asks in return is that fans cast their vote for Murs for President on September 30th and buy a copy of the album.


I think this is a brilliant idea. Artists like Radiohead, Coldplay, Lil’ Wayne and Girl Talk have all proven giving away one’s music is an incredible marketing tool and a successful way to build a loyal fan base. It will also allow for a wider audience to sample Murs’ talents and hopefully give him broader media exposure than he would have ever received otherwise. The future seems bright for Murs, but don’t take my word for it. Download Sweet Lord for free below and have a listen for yourself.

Murs and 9th Wonder – Sweet Lord {.Zip file}

Huck Gee - The Skullhuntress Life Priestess Munny/Dunny

One of The Blot’s favorite artists is at it again. This Friday, August 1st, 2008, Huck Gee is releasing the newest addition to his Jungle Life series, the Skullhuntress Life Priestess Munny/Dunny. The Skullhuntress Life Priestess is a limited edition hand painted Munny and comes “wearing her ceremonial feathered head gear, the sun rays, the sacred 2 eared white Life skull and wielding the blood skull staff.” (link) I really love the way Huck turns a Munny into a Dunny by hollowing out an 8” Dunny head and turning it into a skull helmet for a Munny. It really is so creative.


There were 10 custom Skullhuntress Life Priestess created, and each comes signed and numbered by Huck. The figures are $800 each and go on sale this Friday at Huck Gee’s Ebay Store promptly at Noon PDT. I’m setting the over/under for the amount of time it takes for this figure to sell out at 10 seconds. But, if I was a betting man I think I’d have to take the under.

My Name Is Bruce Movie Trailer and One-Shot Comic Book

I thought I’d give everyone an update on The Blot’s previous post about the upcoming Bruce Campbell movie My Name Is Bruce. A trailer for the movie has shown up on YouTube and it has all of the campy B-movie goodness you’d expect from a Bruce Campbell film. If you are a Bruce Campbell fan then you’ll love the trailer as much as I did, and if you’re not, well maybe you can appreciate the cheesy slapstick humor of it anyway.



Also, if you didn’t recognize the logo in the bottom right hand corner of the My Name Is Bruce teaser movie poster, the movie is being co-produced by Dark Horse Indie, a sister company to Dark Horse Comics. With the Dark Horse connection, a movie tie-in comic book was a no-brainer. So of course hitting newsstands on September 3, 2008 is the My Name Is Bruce one-shot written by Milton Freewater Jr. and with art by Cliff Richards. Best of all the cover is drawn by legendary comic book artist Bart Sears.


Dark Horse’s description of the comic says it is a “companion” book to the indie film, so I assume this means it is purely an adaptation of the movie. I was kind of hoping for some type of comic book prequel to set the stage for the film since the book is released a full month before the movie hits theaters. Who wants to read a comic that reveals the ending to a movie that hasn’t even been released yet?

My Name Is Bruce’s theatrical release is set for October 2008 with its release on DVD planned for January 2009.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Update & SDCC Gameplay Demo

Midway, the creator of the upcoming video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for the PS3 and Xbox 360, unveiled a lengthy gameplay demo of the game at the San Diego Comic-Con MK vs. DCU panel over the weekend and released the names of four new playable characters.


The gameplay demo, which you can watch below, explores the vast settings the heroes and villains wage war in and displays some of the awesome combo moves from the game. I was really excited to see that Mortal Kombat’s trademark splattered blood was still extremely prevalent in the fighting game. It was also announced at the SDCC Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe panel that Fatalities will, in fact, be in the game! According to a report from Newsarama, “the DC Heroes will deliver Brutalities (punishing, but non-lethal beat-downs) while all the MK characters and the DC Villains will be able to use Fatalities.” (link)



With four additional characters announced, the grand total of known playable characters is now up to fourteen, seven Mortal Kombat characters and seven DC Universe characters. The two new MK additions are Kitana and Jax, who join the previously announced Liu Kang, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Sonya Blade and Sub-Zero. Joining the DC Comics roster comprised of Superman, Batman, Flash, Shazam and Catwoman are The Joker and Green Lantern.

Touma 20 Inch Dunny by Kidrobot

Kidrobot’s newest limited edition 20 Inch Dunny comes from the mind of the extremely popular Japanese artist Touma. Known worldwide for his line of Knuckle Bear collectible vinyl figures, Touma has established a unique character that translates really well to the Dunny platform. The Touma 20” Dunny is extremely limited with a run of just 400 figures and will go on sale tomorrow, July 31, 2008, at Kidrobot’s online store and stores around the globe for $300 each.

Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix Box Set

One of my favorite rap albums of all time is the 2004 release Madvillainy by Madvillain, a.k.a. indie rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib. I liked the album so much I even bought the Kidrobot vinyl figure. I had almost given up hope on the long rumored follow up album and then last week their label, Stones Throw, announced the release of the StonesThrow.com exclusive Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix Box Set.


Ok, it’s not exactly the second album I was hoping for, but at least it can be considered new music, right? Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix is a “reworking” of the original by Madlib, lacing Doom’s original verses over all new beats. The Madvillainy 2: The Box, while expensive at $125.00 plus shipping, is loaded with extras including the 25 track Madvillainy 2 cd, a “One Beer (Drunk Version)” 7-inch vinyl single, an actual cassette with The Madvillainy Demo Tape on it, a t-shirt and a comic book continuing the story from the “All Caps” Madvillain music video. The Box might be expensive, but you definitely get more than your money’s worth of Madvillain items.


If you’re at all interested in Madvillainy 2: The Box don’t sleep on its pre-order because they are manufacturing the box set based on pre-orders, so if you don’t get in on it early you might not get one at all. You can pre-order The Box at Stones Throw’s new online store now until August 15th, and you can expect the Madvillainy 2: The Box to ship on September 15th.


For those of you dying to hear the new Madvillain tracks, but not interesting in shelling out $125 for The Box, there is another options. For $9.99 you can purchase just the Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix digital album directly from Stones Throw. The digital album is available now and can be purchased here.

Click here to find out more about Madvillain and Madvillainy 2: The Box.

Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs Wave 4

Here’s one more unplanned Mighty Muggs update. Coming out November 2008 is the latest edition of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs series. Wave 4 of these popular vinyl figures will include the world devourer Galactus, the cosmic powered Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch and Wolverine.


I believe the Wolverine included in Wave 4 will be a new version of the popular mutant, but I have not been able to find picture confirmation of this. So be aware that Wolverine, the fourth figure in this set, could just be a re-release. One exciting note about Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs Wave 4 is that two of the figures, Galactus and the Human Torch, have what look to be advanced head sculpts. I assume this means there will be some exciting new looks for future characters in the world of Mighty Muggs.

BET’s The Black Panther Animated Series Teaser Trailer

The BET Network announced earlier in the month that they have picked up The Black Panther, a new primetime cartoon from Marvel Animation. This animated television show is set to air on BET early in 2009 and will be based, at least initially, on the first six issues of the 2006 Marvel comic book Black Panther, which was written by writer/director/producer Reginald Hudlin. (link) The coolest part of this new television series is that the look and feel of the cartoon is based on the artwork of superstar comic book artist John Romita, Jr.

At BET’s SDCC panel this past weekend fans were treated to a two minute sneak preview of The Black Panther and now The Blot is excited to bring that teaser trailer to the readers of The Blot Says... But I have to warn you, this is no children’s cartoon. The teaser trailer is pretty bloody and a lot more violent than I expected it to be. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself:

Red Sonja Teaser Movie Posters - SDCC

First it was announced that Conan would be re-imagined in a new film next year and now we have news from San Diego Comic-Con 2008 that the Red Sonja remake Robert Rodriguez has been shopping around to star Rose McGowan is finally a go. Who could have guessed in 2009 we’d have two different movies based in Cimmeria? Unfortunately, I think this movie has disaster written all over it. While the teaser movie posters of the She-Devil with a sword look awesome, something tells me the drama surrounding the film will kill it before it even hits theaters.


I love Rodriguez’s films, especially his El Mariachi trilogy, but the on again/off again nature of Rodriguez and McGowan’s relationship spells doom. If you don’t know their back story, let me give you a quick breakdown. The two met while filming Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, his part in the flop Grindhouse. The two started having an affair on set, which ended his 16 year marriage to Elizabeth Avellan, the mother of his five children and the producer of many of his films. Since then Rodriguez has been shopping a series of films to star his new muse, including Red Sonja, a remake of Barbarella and Woman in Chains! The only problem is numerous news outlets reported last month that McGowan had ended her engagement with the director. (link)

Now from all the SDCC reports I’ve read the two were overly friendly with each other, to the point of many referring to them as being romantic during their promotion of the movie. While the two evidently said all of the right things while at the Con, this doesn’t put my mind at ease for the success of Red Sonja. If their engagement really is over I just don’t see how this movie can be successfully made, especially if the media turns on either one of them for the drama their affair created.


It is too bad all of Rodriguez’s creative energies have gone into finding movie vehicles for McGowan, because the director is such an amazing filmmaker that he doesn’t need the hype surrounding their relationship overshadowing his work and he definitely doesn’t need her to make a successful movie. Secretly I hope Red Sonja is good, if nothing else because both of their careers need a hit badly after Planet Terror.

The original Red Sonja film by director Richard Fleischer debuted in 1985 and stared Brigitte Nielsen as Red Sonja and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kalidor.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Uruguay

This week’s episode of No Reservations has a surprise guest star and it should be someone recognizable to long time fans of the show, Tony’s brother Chris. After their memorable trip together to France and then last year’s excellent Christmas episode with Queens of the Stone Age, Chris returns in this very special episode as he and Tony travel together to Uruguay in search of their family’s history and lots of good food.


If you’re interested in finding out more about Chris’ experiences during their trip to Uruguay, check out his blog, No Reservations Uruguay: A Brother’s Diary, here. And last but not least, here’s this week’s promo clip for Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Uruguay:



Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs every Monday night at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.

SDCC - Star Wars Mighty Muggs Waves 6 and 7

Also unveiled during the aforementioned San Diego Comic-Con Star Wars & Indiana Jones panel are the next two installments in the Star Wars Mighty Muggs line. First up is Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 6, which includes Darth Vader, Han Solo in Hoth Gear, Plo Koon and Grand Moff Tarkin. Wave 6 should be appearing on store shelves on or around September 1st, 2008. I’m pretty excited for Wave 6 because I’m a sucker for all things Tarkin, the guy is just one of the biggest bad asses in the entire Empire. I mean could any other human give Vader an order and live to tell about?

Shortly after comes Wave 7, which includes two new Dark Lords of Sith figures, a shirtless Darth Maul and Darth Revan. Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 7 will hit stores on December 1st, 2008.


Thanks to Jedi Insider for the above photo of the slide from the SDCC Star Wars/Indiana Jones panel.

SDCC - Future Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs

Leaking out of one of the many Marvel panels at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 was a quick note that the Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs line would be continued on into 2009. While a definite date wasn’t given to the line’s fourth wave of figures, a slide was shown at one of the presentations of four upcoming pictures. It appears that Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs Wave 5 will include Vision, Ultimate Captain America, Iron Man Version 1 and a Skrull.


Thanks to Marvelous News for the above photo of the slide from the SDCC Marvel panel.

SDCC - Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs Wave 3

Over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con Hasbro gave a sneak peek of the next two waves of Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs at one of the Star Wars & Indiana Jones panels. Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs Wave 3 will include a tuxedo clad Indian Jones, Toht, and Irina Spalko. This three figure set will be hitting stores on November 15, 2008.


Thanks to Jedi Insider for the photo below of the slide from the SDCC Star Wars/Indiana Jones panel.

Marvel Legends Toys R Us Exclusive The Punisher and Jigsaw Mighty Muggs

Here is the latest update on the previously mentioned new Punisher Mighty Mugg, which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. The vinyl figure isn’t part of Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs Wave 4 as I previously thought, but instead is going to be released along with a Jigsaw Mighty Mugg as Toys R Us exclusives.


This seems even more inline with what I originally presumed, that these Toys R Us exclusive Mighty Muggs are being released to coincide with Punisher: War Zone’s release in theaters this winter…especially when you consider Jigsaw is the movie’s central villain. Look for The Punisher and Jigsaw Mighty Muggs figures in Toys R Us stores around the country this November 2008 and Punisher: War Zone in theaters on December 5th, 2008.

Update: Red Skull & Thanos Marvel Legends Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs

There is a ton of information flowing out of San Diego Comic-Con 2008 right now, so bear with me as I post a ton of Mighty Muggs report over the weekend. My blog posts will be much more well-rounded come Monday, I promise. First up is an update on yesterday’s post about the Marvel Legends Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs, with an official picture of the figures and a release date.


The Previews Exclusive Red Skull and Thanos Mighty Muggs will be available October 2008 and sell for between $15-20 each. You can pre-order both figures now at BigBadToyStore.com.

Previews Exclusive Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs - Red Skull and Thanos

Following on the heels of the popular Star Wars Previews Exclusive Admiral Ackbar Mighty Mugg and Shadow Trooper Mighty Mugg comes news from San Diego Comic Con 2008 that Hasbro and Previews will be teaming up once again to release a second “Previews Exclusive” wave of Mighty Muggs. This time around the two Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs will be two of the most notorious villains in the Marvel Universe, Captain America’s archenemy the Red Skull and the mad titan Thanos.


Thanks to Action-Figure.com for these awesome photos from San Diego Comic-Con 2008. Click here for more photos and information about the Red Skull and Thanos Mighty Muggs.

BONUS: Here is a first look at an all new Punisher Mighty Mugg. The figure will be included in an upcoming 2 figure wave as Toys R Us exclusives in November 2008. I am guessing this Punisher themed set is being released to coincide with the debut of the movie Punisher: War Zone this winter. Click here for more information and a new photo of the Marvel Legends Toys R Us exclusive The Punisher and Jigsaw Mighty Muggs.

The Dark Knight Be@rbrick and Kubrick Figures

While I have liked a lot of the designer toys released over the past 6-10 months, there have only been two figures I’ve seen that I just had to have. The first was the Dr. Destruction Wild Variant vinyl figure and now this one, a 400% Why So Serious Be@rbrick from Medicom.


After seeing a preview for this Dark Knight Be@rbrick on the web a few weeks ago I immediately started searching the internet for details, and yesterday I finally found some. According to ToysREvil this 11 inch figure will be released August 3rd as an exclusive release for the Wonder Festival in Japan. The figure is limited to only 800 pieces, “with 300 units on sale at WF and 500 set aside for online sales.” (link) I don’t know how I’m going to get my hands on one from Japan, but I am positive it won’t come cheap...especially once you've include overseas shipping charges to the total.

Coming a few months later in January 2009, Medicom will be releasing two The Dark Knight Kubrick and Be@rbrick sets. The first set is the Batman Kubrick and Be@rbrick set, which includes one 100% Batman Kubrick figure and one 100% The Dark Knight translucent blue Be@rbrick.


The second set is a Joker Kubrick and Be@rbrick set, which includes one 100% Joker Kubrick and a 100% Why So Serious Be@rbrick figure. I might have to pick up this Joker Dark Knight set just so I can pair up the 100% Why So Serious Be@rbrick with its taller 400% version.


Both of these The Dark Knight Kubrick/Be@rbrick sets will be a lot easier to get your hands on and a lot cheaper than the 400% Why So Serious Be@rbrick, with each 2 figure set selling for around $30.

If anyone knows where you can pre-order a 400% Why So Serious Be@rbrick please let me know!

G.I. Joe and Transformers Mighty Muggs - Officially Coming Soon!

All of this San Diego Comic-Con 2008 coverage is making my head spin and the first day of the four day convention is just beginning. But what really caught my eye were pictures from last night’s SDCC preview night. Both Toy News International and Action-Figure.com captured some amazing photos of Hasbro’s upcoming lines of G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs and Transformers Mighty Muggs vinyl figures. The Blot knew it was only a matter of time until Hasbro expanded their Mighty Muggs vinyl platform into their other properties and the results look awesome. According to the photos, G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Wave 1 will include Duke, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and Cobra Commander. While Transformers Mighty Muggs Wave 1 Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee and Soundwave (thanks for the update Scott). You can check out additional SDCC Mighty Muggs photos at TNI here and at Action-Figure.com here. Look for official pictures of these designer vinyl toys to be posted on The Blot Says... as they become available!

Battlestar Galactica News and Caprica Trailer

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait as long for the completion of Battlestar Galactica Season 4 as I had first thought. The Sci Fi Channel announced this week that the second part BSG’s final season would begin airing in January 2009. (link) While The Blot dreaded having to wait until 2009 to watch the Battlestar's final 10 episodes, at least they are debuting Season 4, Part II in January and not making us wait until the summer of 2009.

The second interesting bit of Battlestar news is that BSG’s own Jamie Bamber (Apollo) has been chosen to star in the newest Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: UK, as one of the show’s two central police officers. This is the first Law & Order series to be created specifically for another country, but have no fear, the show will have the “same premise as the original American Law & Order, same everything, just with a U.K. production company and U.K. actors.” (link)

Considering all three of the original Law & Orders were just renewed for another season, it seems like nothing can slow down the Law & Order franchise, even lower ratings. No word yet if Law & Order: UK will be replayed in the United States. My guess is that it will air in the U.S. one day, either on BBC America or on one of the networks of NBC Universal, possibly the USA Network.


And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the Sci Fi Channel has posted on their website the very first Caprica trailer for their upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel television movie/series. Caprica takes place “a generation before Battlestar” and features the legendary Adama family struggling with the creation of the first Cylons. (link) You can catch this exclusive trailer here.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Theatrical One Sheet Movie Poster

Today The Blot brings you the newest theatrical one sheet movie poster for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I just can’t tell if movie is going to be good or not. The previews have really done nothing for me, but I did really enjoy the first two Mummy movies (and its spin-off The Scorpion King) and I typically love Rob Cohen directed films (Stealth not included), so who knows.


I’m not sure if this is a plus or not, but so far the movie’s promotional posters have been extremely well done. I guess even if the movie’s a bomb it can still hold on to that. I just wish every action/adventure franchise wasn’t adding a new son or sidekick in their latest installments, because these new characters are usually total bores and bring nothing to the story…besides additional familiar conflict, of course. The Mummy 3, staring Brendan Fraser and Jet Li, enters theaters on August 1st, 2008.

Webcomic Artists at San Diego Comic-Con

The 2008 San Diego Comic-Con starts tomorrow so today will probably be my last day to highlight any SDCC exclusives or booths convention goers should check out. So in this post I wanted to shine a spotlight on two of my favorite webcomics whose artists will be selling their goods on the convention floor.

First artist/webcomic I’d like to recommend is Dave Willis’ Shortpacked! I know I’ve mentioned Willis’s comic before, but in a nut shell it’s a M-W-F webcomic, which follows the crazy exploits of Ethan, Amber, Robin, Mike, Ninja Rick, Faz, Ultra Car and Ronald Reagan as employees at Shortpacked!, a toy “store run by Glasso with plans for global conquest.” (link) The strip is hilarious, even if the idea of a webcomic about a toy store seems restrictive. Willis also typically throws in gag “strips that take place outside of the regular setting and continuity, in particular one-shots lampooning pop culture and comic figures such as Batman or Transformers.” (link) If you’d like to find out more about Shortpacked! check out this recent interview with Willis at ComicMix.com.


Willis can be found at the Blank Label Comics SDCC booth #1330 selling two different books collecting his Shortpacked! webcomics and limited edition prints.

The second webcomic I want to recommend is Matt Moylan’s weekly strip, Lil Formers. Lil Formers started out as a parody of all things Transformers, but after a year of Transformers comics Moylan decided it was time to expand the comic’s focus to now parody all things pop culture including cartoons, comics, toys and video games. (link) It’s a great walk down memory lane, especially if you grew up on Transformers like The Blot did.


Moyland has worked in the comic book industry since 2002 and currently serves as Marketing Manager for UDON Entertainment, the publisher of the aforementioned Street Fighter Tribute book. Moylan will be signing autographs at the Capcom SDCC booth #5113 on Saturday, July 26th from 12:00pm-1:00pm. While there he will be selling this very cool Street Fight Tribute book print, which you can see below, for $20 at the signing. If you can’t make it to the signing, you can also pick up his Street Fighter print at the UDON SDCC booth #5368 all weekend long.

Kidorobot Tokidoki 8 Inch Dunny

Tomorrow, Thursday July 24th, sees the SDCC Release of Kidrobot’s Tokidoki 8 inch Dunny. This figure’s description is really a scam though because the figure is not a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive at all, it is just being launched at SDCC. The $50.00 figure will also be available tomorrow online at the Kidrobot.com store and possibly brick and mortar stores around the country.


I really don’t care for Tokidoki’s style, but it is hard to argue against the brand’s huge popularity. Tokidoki products seem to be eveywhere these days and the brand keeps expanding from toys, plushes and clothing to now including things such as soccer balls and skate decks. This 8” Tokidoki Dunny is a “pizza-adoring Dunny with a Moofia face and ADIOS’s Italians alter ego on the back.” (link) If you’re at SDCC 2008 this weekend you can stop by the Tokidoki booth all weekend or the Kidrobot booth #4529 on Sunday, July 27th from 11am-2pm and have Kidrobot’s latest 8” Dunny autographed by Tokidoki’s own Simone Legno.

Star Trek Teaser Character Movie Posters

This is a quasi San Diego Comic-Con 2008 post because these new teaser character movie posters for J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek movie will be making their official debut at the convention.


If you're making your way to San Diego in time for the convention's opening day on Thursday, you should be able to snag one of these Star Trek teaser character movie posters for free from the good folks at Paramount. The four posters combine to form the official Starfleet insignia and features Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto (Heroes) as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura and Eric Bana as the movie’s villain, Nero.


I don’t know much about this prequel Star Trek movie other than it chronicles the early days of the USS Enterprise’s crew, including their time at the Starfleet Academy, but with J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) at the helm I’m sure it will be really good, even if you’re not a Trekkie. Star Trek will be bolding going into theaters on May 8th, 2009.