January 13, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E11 – The Magical Place – Recap

The wait is over. Agents of SHIELD is back! SPOILERS ahead, so if you haven’t watched The Magical Place yet, you may want to do that before you continue. It’s cool, we’ll hold a chair for you.

This episode could have been called Answers, because that’s what we get. Coulson DID die in The Avengers. From what we learn in this new episode, this Phil Coulson is not a LMD, but rather is the same Coulson brought back from the dead. How did they bring him back? It involved at least seven surgeries, and a crazy brain scanning/operating machine that looked like it was borrowed from The Matrix. I winced when that machine has its pincers in Coulson’s exposed brain. Exposed brain makes me wince too, by the way. And there is no Tahiti, at least not for Coulson. Tahiti was a mirage/hologram/implanted memory.

Cut away! No, not cut away his brain! Cut away from this shot!

I was glad to see Firefly alum Ron Glass, aka Shepherd Book, aka Dr. Streiten, return. We haven’t seen Dr. Streiten since the pilot episode. When Streiten is confronted by Coulson, he fesses up immediately, and it very sorry that they brought Coulson back. On the operating table, Coulson kept saying “Let me die” and that he was in a lot of pain. Not wanting a whiny post-death Coulson on their hands, SHIELD messed with his brain to keep his pre-death personality intact. Looking at the preview for next week’s episode, it’s safe to say Coulson is not okay with having his brain mucked with. Expect to see the very “company man” Coulson travelling down the path mostly traveled by Skye. If they messed with his brain to make him more like his old self, what else did they do while they were in there?

Skye shines this episode from the moment she’s booted from the plane by May. We all knew why May booted her right from the start, right? It amazed me that it took the rest of the team so long to catch on. If I was Victoria Hand, after hearing the way May answered whether or not Skye should stay, I think I would have confined Skye to her quarters.

On her own, Skye unleashes her inner May, even going so far as to call herself Agent May when interrogating Rob Huebel. I was so happy that Rob Huebel was cast for this episode. I’ve loved the man since his Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man commercials, which are easily the best silence your phone spots ever! Human Giant? Awesome. His Twitter feed? Hilarious. Hollywood casting agents: More Rob Huebel!

There were some deaths and a resurrection (besides Coulson’s) to round out The Magical Place. Mike Peterson is killed off-screen at the beginning of the episode, only to shown alive (but missing a few body parts) at the very end of the episode. Po, the creepy dude freed from prison by Centipede, is killed through his phone when The Clairvoyant decides it’s time to promote Raina. We all agree Raina is the creepiest, right? Yes, she’s one of the bad guys, but she seems pretty cool until she gets all crazy-eyed when she talks about The Clairvoyant. I really liked that Coulson got an answer to the question everyone wanted to ask, but was afraid to, namely what’s with all the flower dresses?

Next week’s episode is called Seeds. I’m guessing it’s about Ward’s secret gardening habit or a wild sex party on the bus. We’ll find out if I’m right on Tuesday!

December 11, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E10 “The Bridge” – Review

The marketing push was in full force this week heading into Agents of SHIELD’s mid-season finale. The Agents of SHIELD Facebook, Twitter and TV commercials all announced that in this episode, “Everything comes together!” I think there was a conscious effort in the advertising to engage the fans who may have fallen off the bus and bring them back into the fold with this episode, The Bridge.

Sorry Rob Liefeld fans. If you saw the title of the episode and thought X-Force side-character G.W. Bridge was making his Agents of SHIELD debut, you’d be disappointed.

GW Bridge and his thigh pouches didn't make it into "The Bridge."

Neither GW Bridge nor his thigh pouches made it into “The Bridge.”

If the last episode you watched of Agents of SHIELD was The Girl in the Flower Dress, you could jump right in this episode without a problem. Well, you’d have one problem, which is missing the FitzSimmons awesomeness in F.Z.Z.T. Not to mention seeing SHIELD deal with Dr. Janoch Pohaaa in The Well.

The Bridge does bring everything together. Centipede? Yup. The girl in the flower dress? She’s here. The creepy dude stewing in prison? Him too.

“Why do you only wear floral prints? WHY?!?”

The Bridge also brought back Mike Peterson, the super strong freak of the week from the pilot. Mike is now working with SHIELD. Centipede is surprised to see that Extremis didn’t burn his system out and now wants Mike so that they can dissect him to reverse-engineer his powers stabilizing.

Anyone else think that Mike Peterson is the Lando of Agents of SHIELD? He signs on to help Coulson’s team and then betrays them when the villain gains the upper hand. Coulson is Han Solo in this example. The helicopter is the carbon freezing chamber. Work with me here, people. Mike makes the complete Lando turn when he then tries to save the person he screwed over from the very same people he gave that person to. I’m really hoping that Episode 12 of Agents of SHIELD opens with Mike in disguise working as a guard on the Clairvoyant’s skiff.

Mike?

I really don’t get the Mike’s son for Coulson trade. Centipede needed Mike for a specific reason, namely figuring out how to stabilize Extremis. Why would they take Coulson over him? Yes, Coulson’s crew has been a thorn in their side since the series began, but a stable Extremis can’t be overlooked! Stabilize Extremis and shoot your three Extremis soldiers at SHIELD HQ like missiles. Or take both Coulson and Mike. Double-win! Was there not enough room in the helicopter for both of them?

Coulson: “Is it okay if I call you Lando?”

My favorite characters, FitzSimmons, did not shine this episode. I was watching The Bridge with someone who had never seen the show before, and the reaction FitzSimmons received was along the line of “Really? These two are your favorites?” FitzSimmonsjust came across so bumbling in The Bridge, as opposed to how awesome they were in F.Z.Z.T and The Hub.

What was up with Ward during the climatic bridge scene? Really, Ward, that’s where you set up? You couldn’t haven taken that high-powered sniper rifle to a different vantage point? You did notice those big gasoline tankers on the bridge when you picked that spot, right? You had the prep time. I’m starting to think you’re a Centipede double-agent. Not true, I actually think schtupping May has turned the boy stupid.

“Okay Ward, now you make sure you set yourself up in a spot where you can see nothing. Got it?”

Well, that’s it. We’re halfway through season one of Agents of SHIELD. The preview for the second half looks like we will be getting more clues about, if not a flat out answer to, what happened to Coulson after The Avengers and before the first episode of Agents of SHIELD. New episodes of Agents of SHIELD return on January 7 to ABC. New reviews of Agents of SHIELD return January 8 to Tuesday Night Movies!

December 2, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD – S1E9 – Repairs

This week’s episode has an interesting title. Repairs. It wasn’t until the end of the episode, with May smiling in the cockpit, that the meaning behind the title became clear. Repairs didn’t refer to a what, but to a who. Melinda May is the resident BAMF of the Bus. We finally learn the meaning of her nickname, “The Cavalry,” in this episode. First FitzSimmons give Skye a bogus, over-the-top story as part of their pranks, but we later find out from Coulson that the true story is much darker. We also learn that before “The Calvary” incident, May was much more lighthearted, but changed and darkened a lot from that experience. It was nice to see May’s lighter side come out at the very end of Repairs.

Agent May used to be cuddly. True story.

The B-story of FitzSimmons wanting to prank Skye was my favorite part of the episode. I liked that there were callbacks to their pranks, even after the shit hit the fan. Fitz’s scream when the mop fell out of the closet as the closet door opened was priceless, made even funnier by the fact that Fitz was the one who rigged the mop to fall.

We get some follow-up on last week’s ending. Ward and May definitely slept together. May out-dudes Ward when she leaves the hotel room without him as he’s in mid-explanation about them staggering their exits so as not to arouse suspicion. I think we’re going to see an interesting triangle between May, Ward and Skye going forward. Skye and Ward definitely have chemistry. It will be intriguing to see what Skye’s reaction will be when Ward and May are outed, and this being television, they will definitely be outed.

Ditched!

I liked the two-part twist to this week’s threat. Not only was Hannah Hutchins not telekinetic and pyrokinetic, but the man trapped between dimensions who was stalking her was benevolently motivated. This was a cool take on the “Why are these weird things happening all around me?” story.

I’d call this another solid episode. FitzSimmons continue to shine. Hopefully the writers agree that they’re the best parts of the show and give them more screen time in the future.

November 26, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E8: “The Well” – Review

It’s finally here, the Thor: The Dark World crossover with Agents of SHIELD! Sadly, there was no sign of Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston or Natalie Portman in this episode. Not even a Cat Dennings or Stellan Skarsgård. We do get an Asgardian though. Unfortunately, it’s not this Agardian:

Sorry fellas. No Sif in Agents in SHIELD.

Instead, we get this Asgardian:

That’s right, mother-fucking Dr. Janoch Pohaa! Sorry, I mean Dr. Elliot Randolph as played by Peter MacNicol. Sadly, MacNicol is not using his excellent foreign accents skills in this episode. And he doesn’t worship any paintings of Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia, the Sorrow of Moldavia.

But MacNicol is a full-fledged Asgardian in this episode. He’s wearing a suit in that photo and not a bitchin’ set of armor because centuries ago he renounced being an Asgardian Beserker to live a quiet life on Earth. Unfortunately, a Nordic hate-group has discovered his Beserker staff, which he broke into three pieces and hid, and hid well. One of the pieces was inside a tree! Just a fragment of the Beserker staff is enough to give a mortal superpowers (and as Ward found out, dredge up all your worst memories). The staff is like half power ring and half Scarecrow fear toxin.

CLARK GREGG, BRETT DALTON, PETER MACNICOL

“How do we stop Gozer?!”
“Um, wrong Ghostbusters movie, jerks.”

The effect of the Beserker staff on Ward really lets Ward’s asshole side take charge. At the same time, it opens up new layers of the character. We see the childhood trauma that shapes so much of Ward’s present day. Holding the staff is too much for him, but not for Agent May, resident bad-ass of the SHIELD crew, who takes it and doles out a whupping on the bad guys.

“I got this.”

The “Holy shit!” moment of the episode came after the villains were defeated and the SHIELD team was getting a rare night of R&R in a hotel instead of sleeping on The Bus. Skye wants to hang out with Ward, but he decides to head up to his room alone instead. Agent May is entering her room as Ward reaches his door. She’s holding a bottle of wine and leaves the door ajar as she heads inside. Ward follows her in. WHAAAAAAAATTTTT! It looks like Ward and May are going to get the effects of the Beserker Staff out of their systems in the most fun way they can.

I was hoping for more of a tie-in with Thor: The Dark World than Coulson’s team acting like a Damage Control clean-up crew. But their roles as janitors to superheroics did lead to an interesting expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the introduction of The Berserker. I just wish MacNicol gave The Beserker a Carpathian accent.

November 8, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD – S1E6 – F.Z.Z.T. – REVIEW

Spoilers abound! Read this only if you’ve already watched F.Z.Z.T!

Episode 6 of Agents of SHIELD, “F.Z.Z.T,” starts out normally. There’s a new super-powered mystery to be solved. This time, it’s a scout leader whose dead body is both electrically charged and hovering in the air. The good news is that it takes the team only half the episode to solve this one. The source of turns out a be a Chitauri helmet carrying some kind of space virus.

It was cool that the Agents of SHIELD TV show went beyond just passively referencing the Avengers movie here and brought in an actual prop that kickstarted this episode. It definitely helps the show feel like it’s securely grounded in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What was also cool about this plot was that there was no sinister villain hungry for power. The people who died thanks to the Chitauri helmet weren’t murdered. It was just wrong place, wrong time. Of course, it at first looks like one person is out to kill his friends, but when he dies and the SHIELD team recovers the helmet, everything is resolved and there’s no villain lurking in the shadows.

What follows is without a doubt the most intense half an episode we’ve had so far this season. I honestly had no idea if Simmons was going to make it out of this one alive. When she and Fitz failed in their final attempt at creating a cure, I was ready to yell at my TV, “You can’t kill Simmons!” But this is Whedon we’re talking about. He totally could.

Part of the reason that I love this episode so much is for the amount of screen time that Fitz and Simmons get. There is definitely chemistry between the two of them. We’re treated to their back story, which is great,except that it’s given to us in this frame that Simmons is about to die. If this was Lost, she’d definitely be dead for all the back story we got on the two of them.

When it’s revealed that the EM pulse from Simmons as she dies will blow the whole plane out of the sky, killing the entire SHIELD team, I breathed a sigh of relief. They can’t kill the whole team. There’d be no show. Then Simmons jumped from the plane…just as Fitz realizes they figured out a cure. It’s like a nerd version of Romeo and Juliet.

IAIN DE CAESTECKER, ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE

If Simmons dies, we riot!

I literally cheered when Fitz tried to get that parachute on and Ward jumped out of the plane to save Simmons. This episode was INTENSE. At the end of the day, Ward saves Simmons and I don’t throw my remote at my TV over her death. Whedon, you played with my emotions like an episode of Parenthood here, and I thank you for it.

In Agent Coulson news, we get a BIG reveal tonight. Coulson undoes his shirt and shows off the massive scar where Loki blasted him in The Avengers. Someone told me that this is proof that Coulson is not a Life Model Decoy. I still think he’s a LMD, and that whoever designed the Coulson LMD went into very good detail. I’m guessing we won’t find out until the end of this season at the earliest.

Agents of SHIELD is crossing over with Thor: The Dark World in two weeks. In other words, make sure you see Thor: The Dark World. See you next week!

October 28, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E5 – The Girl in the Flower Dress

Big things happen in the fifth episode of Agents of SHIELD. Centipede returns! Skye’s loyalty is seriously questioned!

Centipede has returned! You knew it was only a matter of time. Centipede not only returns, it also makes substantial progress in its Extremis-based super serum. Debbie, the Centipede scientist from the pilot episode is here in this episode. She definitely comes across as being lower in rank in Centipede than I originally thought, and I don’t think we’ll be seeing her character again in the future. Being engulfed in flames with do that to you.

“Okay, fine! You don’t have to call me Scorch!”

We’re introduced to two new important Centipede members this episode. Ruth Negga plays Raina, the episode’s titular character, the girl in the flower dress. Seriously, that’s all she ever wears. She seems to have gotten a bulk discount on the same dress in different colors. Raina definitely exhibits sociopathic tendencies in her emotionless handling of Scorch and Debbie. In the scene after the credits, Raina meets with a jailed Centipede member. At first it seemed like he was a higher up, but by the way Raina was talking to him, I get the feeling is mid-level at best. I don’t expect him to be in jail for long.

Someone likes floral prints.

Skye’s loyalty is called into question this episode, and for good reason. She lets a fellow Rising Tide hacker friend know that SHIELD is coming for him. She’s then caught in a compromising position by SHIELD in his apartment. Her betrayal hits both Coulson and Ward very hard. It’s hard to tell who it hits harder. Coulson gave her a fresh start by inviting her into SHIELD, despite Ward and May telling him it was a bad idea. And while Ward didn’t originally like or trust Skye, that’s definitely changed over the course of the season, with the two of them spending their downtime together playing Battleship at the beginning of this episode.

Battleship? Really, Coulson? Such a high tech plane and you couldn’t get some Catan or Ticket to Ride up in there?

There was no cameo by Nick Fury, Maria Hill or any of the Avengers this week, but viewers were presented with a just under a full two minutes of Skye in her bra and panties. I was surprised by how long she was shirtless in this scene. But if your goal is get people to keep their eyes on the screen and get returning views on Hulu and abc.com, this is one way to do it. Showing a bit of gender equality, Miles, Skye’s hacker friend/fuck buddy is shirtless for this entire scene as well. Random thought: Bearded Austin Nichols looks a lot like bearded Henry Cavill.

The special effects in this episode were top notch. I think the production values here were the highest they’ve been so far this season. With ABC now signed on for a full season, maybe the budget will be increased. If so, I expect the show’s effects will continue to improve.

What I really liked about this episode is that we’re shown that there are people out there with powers who SHIELD is keeping track of. It’s not all just weird artifacts and the Avengers.

The SHIELD agents are getting a week off next week. There’s no new episode until November 5^th. Looks like I’m watching Brooklyn 99 live this coming week.

October 18, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E4 – Eye Spy

The episode begins with a group of men all wearing matching suits and red masks and all carrying steel briefcases boarding a train. A woman observes them and follows. This was a nice set-up. I feel like we, as an audience, are more likely to be suspicious of the men in the red masks. They definitely set off my inner “If you see something, say something.” But as it turns out, it was the lone, silent woman who we should have been on the look out for. Well played, SHIELD screenwriters.

I do question the sanity of the passengers who boarded the train with those masked men. Is there anything more suspicious than a group of men in asks carrying steel briefcases? I would definitely wait for the next train. Actually, I think I would go upstairs and hail a cab.

For the love of God, if you see something, say something!

Once SHIELD is assigned to the case, Agent Melinda May is given another compliment that further increases her bad ass quotient (She seems to average about one of these per episode). Coulson says he knew it had to be Akela behind these robberies. When May asks how he knew, he says he can think of only two people who can pull this off, and other one is on the plane with him. I’m really hoping we get to see May in full-on ass-kicking mode soon. I’m talking Wolverine in Uncanny X-Men #133.

I want Agent May to recreate the final panel of Uncanny X-Men #132 on an upcoming episode.

It’s interesting how adamant almost everyone on the SHIELD team is that telepathy and ESP don’t exist. I know Marvel’s merry mutant movies aren’t handled by Marvel Studios, but you would think even in a world where the X-Men don’t exist, the existence of beings like Thor and Loki would cause people to have an open mind about what powers are possible.

Pascale Armand has mastered “The Michonne Stare Down” for her portrayal of Akela Amador on Agents of SHIELD.

We get more in the “How did they resurrect Coulson?” mystery. Akela asks Agent May, “What did they do to him?” and going by her tone of voice, she’s not talking about Coulson’s personality. Akela’s surgically replaced eye has a back scatter function that basically allows it to function as an x-ray camera. Did she something not quite human in Coulson’s insides? My guess is yes.

Skye and Ward look like they’re developing feelings for each other that extend beyond being coworkers. There’s a lot of subtext and subtle flirting in their dialogue. Whatever. Give me more FitzSimmons!

The list of the SHIELD team’s enemies continues to grow. Whoever the mysterious bad guys are behind this series of break-ins, could they be part of the same group supplying the power brokers in the first episode? If so, I think we’re going to see the emergence of Hydra or AIM by the end of this season.

Agents of SHIELD continues to be a solid show. I think this might be my favorite episode since the season opener.

October 16, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E3: The Asset – Review

There are six members on Coulson’s Agents of SHIELD team, but with each passing episode, it seems like there are three distinct teams of two. Yes, they all worked together in episode two after the Bus had been commandeered, but with this episode we are back to smaller group dynamics. I think this works well, as the characters in each pairing play well off each other.

Skye and Agent Ward are once again paired up in this episode. Ward trains Skye, a hacker with no military experience, tricks that she’ll need to learn to stay alive in the field. Following the maxim that if a gun is shown in Act I, it must be fired by Act III, the means Skye learns to disarm a gunman in the opening of the episode is employed at the end of the episode. Though if I were Skye, I think I think I’d have less issue with pulling a trigger than I would sprinting off a balcony hoping that I land in the pool.

There’s nothing suspicious about playing with your compact as the villain reveals his master plan.

During Ward’s training of Skye, we find out that Ward’s brothers used to beat him up when he was a kid. We later find out he’s from Massachusetts. Of course he is. In movies and television, if you had brothers who liked to beat on you growing up, you’re either from Boston or Brooklyn. No one ever says “My brothers constantly beat me up when we were growing up…in Rhode Island.”

FitzSimmons continue to be my favorite characters on the show. I was hoping for more FitzSimmons in this episode, as they have a connection to Dr. Hall, the titular asset. Finally, Agent Coulson and Agent May round out the teams of two. Coulson and May, the two most experienced members of the group, often come across as the parent figures of the team. They’re in charge and the other characters definitely defer to them. Taking this analogy further, Skye and Ward are the surly teens of the family and FitzSimmons are the whiz-kid younger siblings.

Mr. Tim, of the Our Valued Customers webcomic, had a great one-panel comic that summed up exactly how I felt by the end of this episode:

Courtesy of Our Valued Customers

Well played, Joss.

I love that the creators are baiting us with Coulson’s mysterious resurrection. We gettwo really good lines of dialog here. Early on, Coulson tells May, “I saw plenty of action with the Avengers,” to which she replies when he’s out of earshot, “And you died.” Later, someone tells Coulson he’s “a little rusty.” Rusty? Maybe because he’s a robot? At New York Comic Con this weekend, the most popular theory among the fans I talked to is that Agent Coulson is an LMD and doesn’t know it. I’m guessing we won’t find out the answer until the last scene of the season finale.

The final scene at the very end of this episode is huge. No Nick Fury or Maria Hill cameo, but this episode’s ending should have a big effect on the series going forward. It looks like we’ll definitely see the return of Dr. Hall. Many are saying, myself included, that we just saw the birth of the classic Marvel villain Graviton in that swirling ball of liquid metal that looked like a cast-off from The Abyss. I like that the show is setting itself up for returning issues to be dealt with (Graviton, The Power Broker). I’m really hoping that with Thor: The Dark World being released soon, we’ll get a Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston or at least a Stellan Skarsgard cameo at the end of an episode soon.

October 9, 2013 by Billy Henehan

NYCC 2013 Exclusives

Once again, Hasbro has decided to snub NYCC (Hey Hasbro, maybe if your exclusives weren’t so lame in 2011, people would have bought them). There will be no NYCC exclusive Minimates. Those two pieces of news would be bigger downers if there weren’t so many awesome exclusives at New York Comic Con this year. We combed through the very large list of NYCC exclusives to bring you this list of what we think are the coolest ones.

Agent Coulson SHIELD Badge and ID and Personalized ID Card – eFX Collectibles – Booth #1869
You got in on the pre-sale for this, right? If not, hit this booth up early. I think this will be the most popular souvenir of NYCC 2013.

Marvel Toon Tumblers – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $15.99, Limited to 200 for each design
A few years ago, when Toon Tumblers was first starting out, they partnered with Marvel to release an exclusive Ghost Rider Toon Tumbler at NYCC. This year, Marvel and Toon Tumblers have partnered again for an astounding eight different Toon Tumblers. They are: Angela by Sara Pichelli, Deadpool by Skottie Young, Hawkeye by David Aja, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD cast photo, Scarlet Witch by Adi Granov, Superior Spider-Man by Ryan Stegman, Spider-Man by Skottie Young, and Thor and Jane Foster from Thor: The Dark World.
I’m very, very, very tempted to come home with the Skottie Young Deadpool and Spider-Man pint glasses. Maybe that Agents of SHIELD one too. I need something to drink out of when I’m writing my Agents of SHIELD episode reviews.

Rocket Raccoon Plush & Lithograph – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $34.99, Limited to 1000
Rocket Racoon isn’t exactly a household name. He’s a character in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie. If you’re not familiar with Rocket Raccon, don’t fear buying this. He’s definitely not the Jar Jar Binks of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Zombie Magneto Bust – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $99.99, Limited to 300
Designed by Gentle Giant, this Zombie Magneto bust is exquisitely designed…in an entirely gut wrenching way. Check with your significant other before putting this on your shelf.

Phase 1 Marvel Cinematic Universe Blu-Ray Collector’s Set – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $150
I’m recommending this one with a caveat. If it doesn’t come with a Tesseract, skip it and buy this version from Amazon.

Thor: The Dark World Cast and Crew Tee Loki Fan Variant – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $34.99, Limited to 399 across various men’s and women’s sizes.
This shirt looks so cool. The only thing making me second guess getting it is the the $35 price tag.

Agents of SHIELD Coulson Lives T-Shirt – Marvel – Booth #1354.
Price: 19.99, Limited to 550 across various men’s and women’s sizes
Show your support to the agents of Marvel’s new hit TV show with this shirt. Coulson lives! But exactly happened in Tahiti?

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD “Bus” Blueprint – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $12.99, Limited to 300
This is the same blueprint hanging behind Coulson’s desk on “The Bus” aka SHIELD-616, the Agents of SHIELD team’s mobile headquarters.

Captain America Hooded Scarf – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $24.99, Limited to 100
Super cute or silly? You decide!

Chew Smorgasbord Edition – Limited Red Slipcased Variant – Image Comics – Booth # 1444
Price: $100, Limited to 150
According to the NYCC website, this will only be on sale during John Layman and Rob Guillory’s signings at the Image booth and at their Artist’s Alley table. It collects the first 20 issues of Chew. There is also a non-slipcased, non-limited, black cover version of this book as well.

East of West Volume 1 Limited Edition Hardover – Image Comics – Booth #1444
Price: $40, Limited to ??
This hardcover was designed by series creator Jonathan Hickman, so it’s bound to be gorgeous.

Lazarus Volume 1 Paperback with Limited Edition Bookplate – Image Comics – Booth #1444
Price: $9.99, Limited to 200
A similar paperback with book plate was released for Saga last year at NYCC and it was sold out less than an hour into the day on Thursday. This one may not sell out as fast, but I’d be surprised if this was still available two hours into Thursday.

Star Wars R2-Q5 ARTFX+ Statue – Kotobukiya – Booth #1654
Price: $29.95, Limited to 1000
R2-Q5 has become the unofficial droid of NYCC. It was an exclusive Star Wars Christmas ornament last year, and is an exclusive ARTFX+ statue this year. I might be wrong, but I think the only thing that separates this limited edition from a similar unlimited edition is that it includes a metallic coin.

Mind MGMT Custom Dust Cover – Matt Kindt – Artist Alley H5
Price: $??, Limited to 5
Custom drawn, brown paper bag dust cover for your copy of Mind MGMT. This is one of the coolest exclusive ideas I’ve ever come across.

Takara Transformers Asian Exclusive MP-08 Masterpiece Grimlock – Lunar Toy Store – Booth #1581
Price: $??, Limited to ??
The Masterpiece Grimlock Transformer is very hard to find and when one does find it, it usually has a high price tag attached to it. From what I understand, Lunar Toy Store will have a limited supply of these on hand at a reasonable price. If you’re in the market for this figure, hit the Lunar Toy Store Booth early.

Cheetara 14″ and Snarf 5″ Deluxe 2-Pack – Mezco Toys – Booth #1855
Price: ??
Thundercats, ho! At 5″ tall, is this the biggest Snarf action figure ever?

Batman Arkham Origins Flip Up Knit Hat – Midtown Comics – Booth #1736
Price: ??
The perfect thing to wear next time you’re standing on a long line outside Midtown Comics on a cold day during a Scott Snyder signing.

NYCC 2013 Brooklyn Defender T-Shirt – NYCC Official Store – Booth #1132
Price: ??
With art by Cliff Chiang, this is easily the coolest of the NYCC 2013 t-shirts being sold directly by NYCC.

Polarity Hardcover – Boom! Studios – Booth #1344
Price: $??, Limited to 40
Boom! is selling 20 at each of the two signings they are hosting for it.

Disco Nightwing Mini-Print – Christopher Jones – Artist Alley D9
Price: FREE
All you have to do is show Christopher Jones that you follow him on Twitter or are a fan of him on Facebook and he’ll give you one of these signed Disco Nightwing mini-prints free of charge. Sweet deal!

Metallic Batman Beyond Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Fugitive Toys – Booth #410
Metallic Nightwing Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Fugitive Toys – Booth #410
Metallic Harley Quinn Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Conquest Comics – Booth #3004
Black and White Harley Quinn Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
Glow in the Dark Deadpool Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
Glow in the Dark Ghost Rider Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
The Walking Dead Bloody Rick Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
The Walking Dead Bloody Daryl Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
The Walking Dead Bloody Michonne Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Harrison’s – Booth #2254
White and Gold Phoenix Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Conquest Comics – Booth #3004
White and Black Deadpool Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Matt’s Cavalcade – Booth #3027
Stan Lee NYCC Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Conventionexclusive.com – Booth #1274 or Crazy Cat Collectibles – Booth # 1555
Unmasked Wolverine Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Toytastik.com – Booth #2544
Glow in the Dark Unmasked Wolverine Funko Pop Vinyl Figure – Toytastik.com – Booth #2544
Price: $??, Stan Lee is limited to 1000, White and Black Deadpool limited to 1500, Unmasked Wolvering limited to 1500, Glow in the Dark Unmasked Wolverine limited to 500.
If you collect Funko Pop figures, you are going to love NYCC 2013. You’ll have to travel to a few booths to catch them all. Personally, I think the Stan Lee one is the coolest.

FUNKO Batmobile – Toy Tokyo – Booth #101
Adam West-style Batman Pop Vinyl driving a 1970s tin-style Batmobile. This is all kinds of yes.

Power Rangers Tokyo Vinyl Metallic Red Ranger – Bandai – Booth #1628
Price: $??
The metallic paint job sets this figure apart from the regular version.

Hal Jordan and Saint Walker 3 3/4″ Action Figure 2-Pack – DC Comics/Graphitti Designs – Booth #755
Price: $29.95, Limited to 3000
Hal comes with a big green fist. It kind of looks like Green Lantern is wearing Hulk Hands.

Super Best Friends Forever Poison Ivy PVC Figure – DC Comics/Graphitti Designs – Booth #755
Price: $24.95, Limited to 2500
A nice companion to SDCC’s Super Best Friends Forever 3-pack.

Man of Steel Christmas Ornament – Hallmark – Booth #1554
Price: $??, Limited to 150 per day
Superman in his black costume from when he saw Zod’s nightmarish vision of the future.

Star Trek: USS Kelvin Battle Scarred Variant Christmas Ornament – Hallmark – Booth #1554
Price:??, Limited to 175 per day
From the 2009 JJ Abrams Star Trek movie. This ornament features light and sound.

Star Wars: Wrath of the Rancor Christmas Ornament – Hallmark – Booth #1554
Price: ??, Limited to 200 per day
Ever since I saw this would be a SDCC/NYCC exclusive this summer, I knew that I would be buying it at NYCC this fall.

The Ewoking Dead by Peter Goral – Tenacious Toys – Booth #208
Price: $80, Limited to 50
More than any other exclusive this year, this one made me say “WTF?!” Peter Goral has designed a Zombie Ewok action figure out of resin. The figure comes carded on a card that evokes the old Star Wars Kenner cards if they crossed with the art of The Walking Dead. The $80 price tag makes me balk, but I really want to see this in person.

Doctor Who Titans: 10th Doctor Tuxedo Variant – Titan Entertainment – Booth #2142
Price: $15, Limited to 500, Limit of 2 per customer
The Titan booth is a must stop at booth for Doctor Who fans. This variant features the 10th Doctor in his tuxedo from the 2007 Christmas special, The Voyage of the Damned. Interestingly, Titan is charging $5 for me this figure than they did at SDCC.

Doctor Who Titans: 10th Doctor Parting of the Ways Variant – Titan Entertainment – Booth #2142
Price: $15, Limited to 1000, Limit of 2 per customer
This variant has the 10th Doctor in the 9th Doctors signature outfit, right after his regeneration in The Parting of the Ways.

Doctor Who Titans: Glow in the Dark 8″ Statue of Liberty Weeping Angel – Titan Entertainment – Booth #2142
Price: $30, Limited to 700, Limit of 2 per customer
What a perfect exclusive for New York Comic Con. It’s NYC’s iconic Statue of Liberty, revealed to be a Weeping Angel, from the 2012 episode The Angels Take Manhattan. And it glows in the dark!

Breaking Bad Walter While in Green Hazmat Suit Action Figure – Mezco – Booth #1885
Price: ???
If you’re looking for a toy to flip on eBay, this might be the one. NYCC isn’t even here yet, and it’s already going
for over $90 in active auctions.

Variant Covers:
I’m not a a big fan of con-exclusive variant covers. They’re for the most part exactly the same as the standard cover, but with the con’s logo added to it. Why pay extra for that? But there are some NYCC exclusive variant covers this year that I’m digging…and one that I’m shaking my head at.

Adventure Time #20 Get a Sketch Variant – Boom! Studios – Booth #1344
$??
I’m a sucker for blank variants. I have far more than I’ll probably ever sketches on, but I can’t stop buying them.

Afterlife With Archie #1 NYCC Variant – Archie Comics – Booth #1936
$10, Limited to 350
Limit of 2 copies per person per day

Lady Death: Dragon Wars #1 Metal Edition
Price: $??, Limited to 69
Really? Limited to 69 copies? Really? Excuse me while I facepalm. SMH.

Superman/Wonder Woman #1 NYCC Variant – DC Entertainment/Graphitti Designs – Booth #755
Price: $10
The Official 2013 NYCC poster is also the cover of this variant. Is it me or does Superman look a lot like artist Paolo Rivera here?

Lazarus #1 Splash Page Comic Art Variant – Splash Page Comic Art – Booth #2405
Price: $??
This variant features a sweet wraparound cover from series artist Michael Lark.

Mars Attacks Sketch Cover – Topps – Booth #1561
Price: $??
If the listing on the NYCC website is correct, Topps artists will be on hand to draw you a sketch when you buy this variant. If that’s true, this might be a great way to get your convention sketch collection started.

Archer and Armstrong # 14 NYCC Variant – Valiant Comics – Booth #2028
Price: $??
Unlike most NYCC variants, which are just recolored covers emblazoned with the NYCC logo, this variant cover has Archer and Armstrong at NYCC. Or maybe it’s cosplayers dressed as them.

Mighty Avengers #2 Cosplay Variant – Marvel – Booth #1354
Price: $10, Limited to 2,000
Okay, this variant is definitely cosplayers, Avengers cosplayers. Avengers cosplaying other Avengers. This wins the award for Most Fun Variant Cover at NYCC 2013.

Written by David Henehan.

October 7, 2013 by Billy Henehan

NYCC 2013: Saturday Panel & Screening Highlights

Say hello the busiest day of New York Comic Con. There are some very cool panels and screenings today. Companies know today is the busy day, and most of the stellar programming is scheduled for today. That said, it might even be worth going to a panel you’re only mildly interested in just to take a break from the crowds. Ah, seating, glorious seating…

11:00 – 12:00 – Archer: Discussion and Q&A – Main Stage 1-D
Pretty much everyone on the show will be here. What a great way to start Saturday. Can’t make it to Javits in time? You can watch it on the internet live here: www.newyorkcomiccon.com/nycclive.

11:15 – 12:15 – 50 Years of Doctor Who – 1A23
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of the actors associated with Doctor Who will be here. But creators of the comics and TV series will be here to talk about the long lasting endurance of Doctor Who during the past 50 years.

11:15 – 12:15 – IDW: The Ultimate Panel – 1A10
Well, this is an interesting one. Has IDW had a presence at New York Comic Con over the past few years? I want to say no. I’m glad they’re appearing here this year. I only wish the special edition of the Jeff Smith Artist Edition was debuting here as well. But good news: Darwyn Cooke will be on this panel. Hello, Parker news.

12:15 – 1:15 – Marvel Video Games – Empire Stage 1-E
Remember when licensed video games sucked? I guess in some cases they still do. But Marvel’s games have been good lately. I’m definitely looking forward to Marvel: Lego. Or is it Lego: Marvel. Either way, I’m in.

12:15 – 1:15 – Diamond Select Toys: Best of All Worlds – 1A01
Do you love Diamond Select Toys? You want to be here.

12:15 – 1:15 – Superman 75th Celebration – Main Stage 1-D
Superman is 75! Mike Carlin, the group editor behind the Death of Superman and Dan Didio, the head honcho of DC responsible for the death of any decent stories in the Superman comics (sorry, couldn’t resist) will be on hand to talk about comic’s most iconic character.

12:30 – 2:30 – Yaya Han – Celebrity Cosplayer Autographing – Booth 2537
Celebrity cosplayer? This is a thing? Really?

1:00 – 1:30 – Stan Lee Photo Op-Saturday – Photo Op, Autographing Area
Quite possibly the best 60 bucks you’ll spend this weekend.

1:15 – 2:15 – Marvel: Inhumanity & All-New Marvel Now – 1A06
Interested in the future of the Marvel Universe? This is the panel you need to be at. Inhumanity is Marvel’s follow-up to Infinity and many titles will be launching under the All-New Marvel Now banner. Be there!

1:30 – 2:30 – Justice League: Forever Evil! – 1A22
I find it weird that Geoff Johns isn’t listed as an attendee for this panel. I would find it even weirder if he doesn’t show up for it.

2:00 – 2:15 – Andrew McCarthy Photo-Op – Booth #2142
Only if we can recreate the poster to Weekend at Bernies.

2:00 – 3:00 – Scott C. Signing The Great Showdowns The Return – Booth #2142
Scott C.’s The Great Showdowns is one of the best purchases I made at New York Comic Con in 2012. Go to this signing. Scott is super nice and last year he drew characters in everyone’s books.

2:30 – 4:00 – IFC’s Back to Back Comedy Event Comedy Bang! Bang! & The Birthday Boys – 1A06
This should be a very funny panel. If your energy is running low at this point in the day, and you need to rest your dogs, this might be the perfect place to sit, relax and laugh.

2:45 – 3:45 – Star Wars Rebels: The Might of the Empire – Empire Stage 1-E
Of course this would be on the Empire Stage. New Star Wars TV show! It takes place during the classic trilogy! Eeeeeeeee!!!!!

2:45 – 3:45 – The Thrilling Adventure Hour World Domination Tour – 1A14
Fresh from their two sold out shows Friday night at The Bell House in Brooklyn, the writers and cast of The Thrilling Adventure Hour will be at this panel moderated by Greg Rucka. Sorry, IFC, but this might be the funniest panel of Saturday.

3:00 – 4:00 – Archie Comics: Zombies, Heroes, Cartoons, Movies and More!
No lie, Afterlife With Archie is the comic I’m most excited for this fall.

3:40 – 4:00 – Gillian Anderson and David Duchovney Photo Op – Photo Op Booth, Autographing Area
Look, if you’re going to spend $220 on this, wear a black suit, white shirt and black tie. Don’t wear your stained I WANT TO BELIEVE t-shirt from 1996. Do it right!

4:00 – 5:00 – Marvel: Cup o’ Joe – Empire Stage 1-E
Expect a lot of those one word press releases to have their secrets revealed here!

4:00 – 5:00 – Valiant Comics: Must Read Valiant – 1A01
Valiant controls less than 2% of the comics market, but it’s a very loyal, energetic and vocal audience. They’re still starting up their new shared universe. Now might be a good time to jump in.

4:00 – 5:00 – Neil deGrasse Tyson Autographing – Autographing Table 7
Neil deGrasse Tyson is the coolest scientist since Bill Nye. It’s a free autograph AND you get to talk to Neil deGrasse Tyson! Bring you copy of Action Comics 14!

4:15 – 5:15 – Robert Kirkman’s Skybound – 1A08
Here’s your go to spot for all Robert Kirkman news non-The Walking Dead related!

4:30 – 5:30 – Roberto Acquirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla Autographing – Booth #1936
I previously mentioned how excited I am for Afterlife With Archie. The creative team of that comic will be signing it here. Expect me there.

5:00 – 6:00 – Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD – Main Stage 1-D
Tuesday Night Movies is reviewing every episode of this series. I’m loving the series so far and am very much looking forward to this panel.

5:15 – 6:15 – DC Comics: The New 52 – Empire Stage 1-E
This panel happening at the same time as the Agents of SHIELD panel might explain the nice, enjoyable lull in show floor traffic around 5:30 on Saturday.

5:30 – 6:30 – Hanna-Barbera and the Designs of Alex Toth -1A03
Alex Toth is cool.

5:30 – 6:30 PM – Abrams Presents the Adventure Time Encyclopedia Panel with the Lord of Evil and Marceline the Vampire Queen – 1A08
6:45 – 7:45 – Adventure Time Encyclopedia Autographing – Autographing Table 21
If you are a fan of Adventure Time, here is the panel for you. There will be a reading from this book from the cast. If you can’t make tonight’s signing at NYCC, there are other signings scheduled at Forbidden Planet and Bergen St Comics this week.

6:30 – 7:30 – AMC’s The Walking Dead – Main Stage 1-D
If you want to attend this panel, get here early. There will undoubtedly be a long line to get in, and I’m guessing more people interested than there are seats. The cast will be here and they will be showing footage from the upcoming fourth season.

6:30 – 7:30 – John Barrowman Q&A – Empire Stage 1-E
Depending on the quality of the questions, this could be one of the coolest panels of NYCC. I hope John Barrowman does a song.

7:45 – 8:45 – Batman: Arkham Origins – Empire Stage 1-E
Is there an upcoming video game more anticipated than Batman: Arkham Origins? Not in my house, there isn’t.

8:00 – 10:00 – NYCC Charity Auction – 1A17
I’ve been following Mike Negin on Twitter. He runs the NYCC Charity Auction and has been posting pictures of the art that has been donated. All I can say is wow! You need to go to this auction. The money raised goes to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, a very worthwhile cause. Check out @MightyMikeNegin on Twitter for a peek at the art. You’ll be glad you did.

Written by Nicholas Doyle.

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