Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It is the holidays after all. Speaking of which, I Just happen to be abroad at the moment and just had to share some pics from a recent pilgrimage to the Hot Toys Secret Base in Hong Kong. Check out the photos after the break.
Continue reading “Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Hot Toys?”
This is a big weekend for nerds. Not only is Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated, IMAX-sized space adventure Interstellar opening on theater screens of all sizes, Disney is also releasing Big Hero 6, its very first animated film based on a Marvel property since the House of Mouse acquired the House of Ideas in 2009. When the deal went down, I know a lot of fanboys salivated over the prospect of a Pixar-produced Marvel movie, and while this isn’t that, it looks pretty close.
We at the NOC have been stoked for Big Hero 6 for a while now. Not only is it the first animated Disney flick with an Asian American male lead, it’s got one of the most diverse cast of characters (and voice talents) of any Disney movie. It’s also Disney’s first post-Frozen vehicle, and just from looking at the merchandising already available, BH6 looks to be just as big, but more on that later.
Chee and T is the newest film by my homie Tanuj Chopra (Punching at the Sun, Nice Girls Crew) and is currently being funded on Indiegogo. With a little less than two weeks left in the campaign, his crew has pulled out all the stops to reach their $75,000 goal. Right now, the project is about 65% of the way there, but they need one last push to get it over the top.
So what better way to raise awareness for their movie than getting a bunch of classic G.I. Joe action figures and reenacting the movie?
Continue reading “Tanuj Chopra’s Chee and T Told with G.I. Joe Figures”
by Lynn Chen | Originally posted at The Actor’s Diet
Now open at the Japanese American National Museum — the happiest exhibit on the planet.
My childhood!!!
by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man
AMC hit zombie drama The Walking Dead returns for its fifth season this Sunday, October 12. Last season left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Rick and his merry crew of walker slayers finally reuniting, but captured and locked away in a train car by some mysterious new adversaries. How will they get out this jam?
And of course, we get to see Steven Yeun as our favorite Asian American zombie apocalypse survivor Glenn Rhee. According to this interview in Entertainment Weekly, Steven says Glenn “is a leader” in season five.
So check it. To celebrate the return of The Walking Dead, I’m giving away some official Walking Dead Series Five Action Figures by McFarlane Toys. Who wants a Glenn action figure? Scroll down for details.
Continue reading “Giveaway: Win a Walking Dead Glenn Action Figure”
It’s no secret that we’re huge Ghostbusters fans here at the N.O.C. It’s hard to believe that it’s been three decades since the movie first hit theaters. And to celebrate the occasion — and allow the kids who never got the chance to experience ghostbusting on the big screen, Sony Pictures is re-releasing the film in over 700 theaters across the country.
So before you fire up the Ecto-1 and head to your closest multiplex, here are some places to visit online to get you pumped for the flick.
Continue reading “Ghostbusters is Back and Ready to Believe You”
In a stunning development, it has been revealed that Hello Kitty, Sanrio’s iconic — and forever mouthless — character is not, and has never been, an actual cat. How is that possible, you ask? Beats me.
The Los Angeles Times broke the news today — in advance of a special exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo — in an interview with noted Hello Kitty scholar Christine R. Yano:
Continue reading “Hello Kitty, Not Actually a Kitty — Or Asian”
There is a Kickstarter ending in three days that will produce retro-style super hero action figures. Among them is The Green Turtle, the first Asian American comic book superhero. The character was recently rebooted in the graphic novel, The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew earlier this year.
Continue reading “Kickstart The Green Turtle and Other Amazing Heroes Action Figures”
Today, comic shops and bookstores around the country are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman. Though Detective Comics #27 was originally published in May of 1939, the folks at Warner Brothers and DC Comics have deemed July 23 as Batman Day. I guess since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies always opened around this time, mid-July makes sense to officially honor the Dark Knight.
As you know, we here at The Nerds of Color are pretty involved Batfans. Hell, we just dedicated a whole week to the character at the end of June! If you want to browse through our coverage of the Caped Crusader, check out the Batman tag here.
Since Batman Day is also coinciding with San Diego Comic-Con this week, you can probably expect a bunch of news concerning our favorite superhero. In the meantime, check out some of the cool Bat stuff that’s already on the internet right now!
So there’s a new Transformers movie coming out today.
There are two ways to react to these things: IRATE FANRAGE or blissful ignorance.
Continue reading “The Only Way to Enjoy a Michael Bay ‘Transformers’”
I love Batman and I love toys, so it’s only natural that I’d love Batman toys. I’ve been a collector for as long as I can remember, and my first Batman figure was from the ’80s Super Powers series. I still collect the figures when one catches my eye, and that was the case with Mattel’s new DC Multiverse figures. I’ve long been a fan of Mattel’s DC offerings, but that was when they were being sculpted in the 6 inch scale. I’m not really a fan of 4 inch figures, as I just don’t feel you get enough bang for your buck, especially since these figures are $10 and up. However, when I saw these figures shown off at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, I knew I had to have them. Today, we’re looking at Batman and Penguin.
Continue reading “Those Wonderful Toys: Mattel’s Batman Movie DC Multiverse Figures”
Recently, the American Girl company announced it was “archiving” several of its characters, including the African American doll Cecile and the Asian American Ivy. Discontinuing these two characters means that parents and children looking for diversity on the toy shelves are going to be left wanting.
In response, our friends at 18 Million Rising have started a campaign to ask American Girl to create a new Asian American doll and enlisted two tween sisters, Taylor and Aiden, to lend their voice to the cause. Their open letter and petition is after the jump. (And while they’re at it, American Girl should probably come up with some more black and brown characters too.)
Continue reading “American Girl: We Want an Asian American Doll”
The glamour of being an adult female rocker. The glitter of Synergy’s earrings. The fashion era that embraced shoulder pads. The fame associated with traveling around the world. From what has been revealed by director Jon M. Chu and his recently announced cast, none of this will be a focus of the live-action Jem and the Holograms film.
Now that is truly outrageous, at least to me, who watched it during the 1980s and wrote an entire article about why you should love the cartoon classic.
Continue reading “What’s Truly Outrageous about the Jem Movie”
Last week, we crossed 1,000 “likes” on Facebook and 1,000 followers on Twitter. I mentioned that to thank you all for upping our numbers on both social media platforms, we would be giving away some toys. So, that’s what we’re going to do!
Just passed 1,000 FB likes! To show our thanks, we're gonna give away some Wolverine Mini-Mates next week. Stay tuned!
— The Nerds of Color (@TheNerdsofColor) April 4, 2014
I mention in that tweet that we’ll be giving away Wolverine Mini-Mates, and we are, but since it’s Cap Week, I’m going to throw in a Marvel Legends Infinite Series Captain America figure too. Click through to find our how to win the toys.
Continue reading “We’re Giving Away Captain America & Wolverine Toys”
Originally posted at WilliamBruceWest.com
So, I went to Toy Fair last weekend. Not sure what Toy Fair is? Well, that means you’ve clearly never read this post in my archives. Yes, though it’s an industry-only event, this was actually my second trip to the trade show. The New York Toy Fair happens every February at the Javits Center, and it gives buyers a chance to see the hot toys slated to come out for the holiday season.
How did I get there? Funny you should ask. You see, my good friend Keith1 works for a well known comic publisher. Said publisher recently announced they were launching a toy line, so it was only natural that they go to Toy Fair. Well, the announcement was a bit premature, as they really didn’t have anything to show for themselves. Still, a pass to the show had already been procured.
Continue reading “A Day in the Life of “Keith,” My Trip to Toy Fair 2014″
How do the best comedians and cartoonists do what they do? Check out our new twice-weekly collaboration with Natalie Kim to find out!
Crazy for the latest toys? Meet Nicholas Fung, host of the most awesome show on YouTube, ToyPizza! Natalie and Nicky talk about his start at Frederator and his thing for customizing sneakers.
Thanks to Charlene McBride for the drawing topic: “PANDA BERET”
Check it out after the jump!
Continue reading “It’s a Draw with Natalie Kim and Nicky Fung”
Do you know what’s truly outrageous? I’m 33 years old, have no kids, and still watch cartoons. There’s one in particular that I just started watching again, and after not seeing it for 16 years I was reminded of both the hilarity (shoulder pads!) and the groundbreaking diversity of cartoons in the 80s. If you didn’t guess it by the post’s title, I’m referring to Jem and the Holograms, an animated series created by Hasbro, Marvel Productions, and animation studio Sunbow Productions.
As a young girl growing up in the 80s, there were plenty of cartoons I could watch to justify my love for cuddly teddy bears and rainbow colored horses. There was also She-Ra, He-Man’s empowered twin sister. She represented two dreams of every little girl: being a princess and kicking bad guys’ butts. However, looking back at the variety of cartoons geared toward young girls, there wasn’t much cultural diversity, and there weren’t many realistic female characters that young NOCs like me could look to as role models.
Continue reading “Why You Should Love Jem and the Holograms“
I took my 9- and 5-year-old daughters to see The LEGO Movie on the second day it was out, and all three of us loved it. It is a true family film, one that can be enjoyed by different age groups at different levels — kids will love the humor, the action, that song they won’t stop singing once they get home, and, hey, it’s LEGO, while their parents will appreciate all the references to the kits and playsets of their childhoods, the inside jokes (ones that stick in my mind include the bearded fantasy wizard confusion, needy Green Lantern, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson playing parodies of their archetypal screen personas, and, of course, Batman and his song), and the amazingly detailed art and animation. It is also more subversive and heartwarming than you’d expect an hour-and-a-half-long corporate toy commercial could ever be.
Continue reading “The LEGO Movie’s Lessons for Raising NOCs-In-Training”
Last week, I talked about how much our household enjoys watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Since 2014 is the Year of the Horse, I figured that it only made sense for Hasbro (or The Hub, for that matter) to cash in on the festivities by licensing the Mane Six on some little red envelopes or lanterns or something.
Continue reading “Have a Pinkie New Year Every Pony”
by Phil Yu | Originally posted at Angry Asian Man
A 6″ figure tribute to the legendary master animator
Sunday marked the 73rd birthday of legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, the celebrated director behind such classics as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and countless more beloved films. To celebrate the occasion, our artist friend (and huuuuuuge Miyazaki fan) Martin Hsu has teamped up with Bigshot Toyworks to create and produce a limited edition run of six-inch Miya-San figures.
Continue reading “Hayao Miyazaki Figure by Martin Hsu and Bigshot Toyworks”
Many years ago, I wrote a few articles for a (now defunct) website called Pop Culture Shock. In fact, the first post I wrote for the PCS team was actually a piece that I had pitched to ToyFare Magazine years before: the five best Asian American action figures on the market.
Continue reading “More Favorite Asian American Action Figures”
If you walk into our house, then head up the stairs, take a right at the top and walk through the door, you will find yourself in the lair of our #NOCsintraining (aka my girls’ room). From a quick glance around, you will deduce that there are Star Wars and Avengers bed sheets. Further examination of the room will reveal that LEGOs are also in abundance. And if you inspect their bookshelf, you will find comic books mostly from the Marvel Universe with a focus on the Avengers.
So yes, LEGO and Marvel nerds, we are. But my girls seem to take most interest in building LEGOs these days. Which I enjoy, too. So it was to our delight when we found out that Marvel and Lego decided to put out a series of, well, Marvel LEGO Super Heroes and titled it Maximum Overload. Since it was a Saturday evening, and it was on Netflix, and I had made popcorn, we watched it.
Continue reading “Watching LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload“
In honor of Star Trek Week on The Nerds of Color, the School of Hard NOCs presents a little primer on how to turn your toddler into a Trekkie.
