Luke Brown

Batman always gets all the headlines and the coolest toys, and that can leave his greatest villains feeling like they've been left out in the cold. The same can't quite be said for Bruce Wayne however, whom the villains of Gotham have no problem taking advantage of in the most devious ways. When the Joker was given the chance to take over Wayne Manor in The LEGO Batman Movie, we got a glimpse at what life would be like if the Clown Prince was the richest man in Gotham. Now LEGO is giving us that same chance with the new The Joker Manor set based on its appearance in that movie.

This November, the princesses from Arendelle and their little snowman friend will return to theaters in a new animated short playing in front of Pixar’s Coco. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure will follow the quirky beach-loving snowman as he helps his friends Elsa and Anna celebrate the holiday season in Arendelle since the princesses reunited. Frozen has been such a smash success for Disney that it’s considered its own brand within the Disney Princesses world, and with the release of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure in November, Hasbro intends to make sure your kids have plenty of newly costumed Elsas, Annas, Olafs, and Kristoffs.

While many of us heading to HasCon last weekend were eager to see all the cool new figures and collectibles in the Marvel Legends brand, Hasbro had more in mind than just showing off some beloved comic book characters in action figure form. The company used HasCon to offer a royal welcoming reception for its upcoming Black Panther toy line. Though what was on display was merely a glimpse into what the vaults of Wakanda hold for fans, it's clear Hasbro is taking this opportunity to deliver some memorable Afrofuturism-inspired toys.

This past weekend, Hasbro's biggest brands gathered in Providence, Rhode Island for the first ever HasCon, and gave fans a much more intimate and personal glimpse at what the future of Star Wars toys held. While there weren't many new reveals on display, thanks in large to Hasbro just releasing a bevvy of new Star Wars toys at the start of the month, there was still plenty of love for the Black Series, Forces of Destiny, and everything in between.

In the world of filmmaking, one day you are in, and the next you are out. Such has definitely been the case for Disney‘s and Lucasfilm‘s Star Wars sequels and spin-offs, which have both gone through a bit of an identity crisis these past few months. With Colin Trevorrow and Lucasfilm parting ways on Star Wars: Episode IX, we thought to take it upon ourselves to find a suitable replacement for the final movie in the modern trilogy.

Another September has arrived, and with it comes the new annual tradition of Hasbro releasing the first new Star Wars toys meant to tie into Lucasfilm movie of that given year. Though September 1 was dubbed as Force Friday II, this past weekend was actually the third consecutive time Hasbro’s Star Wars team unleashed a bevvy of new figures across both the 3.75” and 6” lines. Given the response to the last two yearly events, we hit up Force Friday II at our local retailer to get our hands on some of those Black Series figures first, and came away impressed with almost all the figures in this first batch.

In addition to announcing a boatload of new LEGO Star Wars products coming to tie into Force Friday II, LEGO finally revealed the rumored revamp of its Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon set. Originally released in 2007, the Millennium Falcon set was one of the most sought-after LEGO vehicles ever sold. In the last 10 years however, it's been impossible to find at a fair price. Now on the verge of the ninth proper Star Wars film release, LEGO is releasing an all-new take on the Falcon that is not only the largest set ever released, it's also frighteningly amazing.

The love for Mad Max: Fury Road runs deep, and fans have celebrated the recent sequel with fantastic cosplay and art since the movie arrived in theaters two years ago. However, one way wastelanders haven't been able to show their appreciation is with displaying action figures or collectibles of the Fury Road's iconic characters in their homes. Until now, George Miller and Warner Bros. hadn't opted to offer the licensing rights to anyone. Somehow though, Funko was able to work its magic and will be the first company to bring Furiosa, the Doof Warrior, and Max Rockatanksy to life as toys.

Tonight at midnight, Star Wars fans around the globe will have the first opportunity to purchase all new toys and collectibles based on The Last Jedi during Force Friday II. The new retail tradition for Lucasfilm and Disney debuted in September 2015, and this year’s event promises to be even more of a spectacle given two years of additional build-up and hype for The Last Jedi. Partners like Funko and Hasbro will have their fair shares, but it’s LEGO’s offerings, including a massive BB-8, that have us lamenting looking at our bank accounts tomorrow morning the most.

For all intents and purposes, 2017 is shaping up to be a good year for Thor. Not only are the Marvel Comics still going strong heading into the Legacy event, but he's also starring in one of the year’s most anticipated sequels, Thor: Ragnarok. With every new Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Hasbro's turned to the Marvel Legends line to provide some action figure excitement to tie into the big event. However, this year, Hasbro also made Thor the star of one of its Comic-Con exclusives, and the “Battle for Asgard” set is more than worthy of Odin himself.