James Whitbrook, Author at Gizmodo

Back of the Box – 10/05/2014

September is over, and the spooky month of October is under way – time to reset the clock and start all over again for Recruit program Month 2! Let’s take a glance back at a week of endings and beginnings in all things Pop culture. It’s been harder to gauge stats for me as October…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 5 '14

Theatre owners are angry about Interstellar‘s ‘Film first’ initiative

Excited for Interstellar? A lot of people are – except a growing contingent of Theatre owners angry about Christopher Nolan’s decision to have the awesome-looking sci-fi movie début early in Cinemas that can show it through analog projectors. As revealed at the end of last week’s trailer, Cinemas capable of showing the movie in 70mm,…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 5 '14

Waluigi is the World’s greatest threat in this Nintendo/Avengers mashup

Nintendo’s latest all-star brawler Super Smash Bros. hit the 3DS this past Friday – so what better way to celebrate than with this speedy retelling of The Avengers with some of Nintendo’s finest? James Farr‘s short (you might remember him for doing something very similar for the Star Wars films) breezes through the movie’s plot…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 5 '14

The Transformers films are much more palatable when retold by Toys

Michael Bay’s Transformers films have received a lot of stick over the years – but what happens when Transformers toys themselves take a look at them? A pretty funny few minutes, actually. Using Hasbro’s KRE-O construction toys, this 3 minute sojourn back into the Transformers films is surprisingly unafraid of taking the piss out of…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 4 '14

The latest Lego Star Wars set will put a Bounty on your wallet

Oh my. Lego has announced a new Star Wars set, and it’s a beauty – a brand new ‘Ultimate Collector Series’ version of Boba Fett’s infamous ship Slave I. You might as well just open your wallet right now, honestly. This is the first rendition of the Fett Family’s preferred method of transport since 2010,…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 4 '14

It’s Sailor Senshi vs. DVD Rentals on this week’s Sailor Moon Crystal

One of my frequent criticisms of Sailor Moon Crystal so far is that some characters have largely felt way too passive to the tepidly paced plot progression – but not this week, when the Sailor Senshi take on a Brainwashing Blockbusters. It takes a while to get going, but shit gets done, and it is…

Anime James Whitbrook Oct 4 '14

Ooh, Child: Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Awesome Mix is coming to Vinyl

Guardians of the Galaxy’s licensed soundtrack is as awesome as its name – and because of that, it’s vastly popular. It’s about to get even more retro-cool however with the announcement that it’s coming to Vinyl early next year, complete with sumptuous cover sleeve art by Tyler Stout. The vinyl, being put out by Mondo,…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 3 '14

Being a Sci-Fi and Fantasy fan is tough when you’re also an Arachnophobe

It’s become something of a ritual this past week for me. Go to Google. Filter results for ‘Last 24 Hours’. Type ‘Shadow of Mordor Spiders’. Hit search and hope I don’t find what I’ve dreaded for months. I’ve feared Spiders for as long as I can remember – which, as an avid fan of sci-fi…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 3 '14

Crowdfund a game about writing fiction, Sci-fi anthologies and more!

There’s a bit of a Doctor Who bent to this week’s look at all things crowdfunding, as we take a look at two projects inspired by the sci-fi series – but that’s not all. There’s an RPG about fighting your friends, a cool anthology of sci-fi and fantasy stories, and a game that’s shaped by…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 3 '14

This weekend, San Francisco is hosting some striking Anime art

Starting from tomorrow,Spoke Gallery in San Francisco is hosting an exhibition featuring Joshua Budich’s tribute to Anime – and it’s home to some awesome pieces inspired by the likes of Akira, Cowboy Bebop and more. Otaku Obscura is Budich’s first solo show, and features 28 prints by the artist inspired by six notable pieces of…

Anime James Whitbrook Oct 3 '14

This Week’s craziest Star Wars theory has nothing to do with Episode VII

There’s been a lot of wild speculation about Star Wars this week – Rumours for Episode VII have been flying around like Mynocks in a Giant Space Worm and got everyone talking (or in our case, Photoshopping!). But the weirdest Star Wars tidbit floating around this week has nothing to do with Episode VII at…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 3 '14

This Toy might be the best rendition of The Dark Knight Returns‘ Batman

Frank Miller’s iconic representation of Batman in his 1986 graphic novel has been a touchstone of Batman merchandise for years and years – but this new version from Mezco is definitely one of the best renditions there’s been. The bulky figure stands at about 6.5″ tall, and as well as bring its imposing form, it’s…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Oct 2 '14

Rocket Raccoon in stunning detail looks absolutely amazing

The CG work on Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy is hands-down some of the best of 2014 – but now you can get up close and personal with the abrasive bounty hunter thanks to these incredible images by digital Artist Daren Horley. Horley, who was the lead texture painter for the team working…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Oct 2 '14

These wonderful doodles transform Starbucks’ Mermaid Logo into cool Art

When Reddit user IHunt gets bored at work, he takes discarded Starbucks coffee cups and doodles over the company’s Mermaid logo and turns her into lovely stylised versions of comic book characters and more. My favourite might just be IHunt’s take on the new Batgirl design seen above, but his Wolverine and Teenage Mutant Ninja…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 2 '14

Watch Peter Capaldi get embarrassed over his past with Doctor Who fandom

Peter Capaldi’s recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show is airing on BBC America this weekend – but right now you can watch the poor actor squirm with embarrassment as Graham dredges up some of Peter’s past brushes with Doctor Who fandom. Ever since he landed the role of the Twelfth Doctor, Capaldi has made…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 2 '14

The Dark Side of Lego can be beautifully creepy

Artist Mike Doyleis putting out a new art book that takes a look at gorgeous Lego creations that err on the creepier side of plastic block building – check out some of these amazing displays! Header Image Credit: Predator and Prey by Ryan Rubino Beautiful Lego 2: Dark is a follow up to Doyle’s 2013…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 2 '14

This Lovely Lil’ Godzilla Rules the Toy Crop at New York Comic Con

It’s New York Comic Con next week, and you know what that means? Oodles of lovely exclusive toys to gaze at (and then lament that any you actually want you’ll probably end up paying out the ass for on eBay after the con)! First up in the parade of wonderful toys is Bandai, with lovely…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 1 '14

Why does DC Comics keep insulting its fans?

Another week, another DC comics scandal highlighting their portrayal of Women – this time, particularly egregious T-Shirts asking women to declare themselves the future Mrs. Batman, or ‘celebrate’ Superman scoring with Wonder Woman. How many more times is it going to take DC screwing up to stop with this bullshit? https://groupthink.kinja.com/this-is-what-dc-thinks-of-their-female-fans-1640080641 Before I start and…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Oct 1 '14

Research shows Portal 2 is better for you than ‘Brain training’ software

Now you’re thinking with Portals. Or rather, you should be – according to research from Florida State University, which has shown that playing Portal 2 is apparently better for your thinking skills than your average ‘brain training’ software. The short study, conducted by Valerie Shute, only took place over 8 hours – so whilst it…

Tech News James Whitbrook Oct 1 '14

Holy crap, someone made an Iron Man gauntlet that fires an actual rocket

Like, not even a fake foam one or anything. An actual incendiary device. That’s a tad extreme. The costuming madness comes from Patrick Priebe, aka Youtuber Anselmofanzero, who’s infamous for building custom props from games and movies and adding powerful lasers and other assorted bits of tech to them. You can check out the full…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Oct 1 '14

James Whitbrook

Back of the Box – 10/05/2014

Theatre owners are angry about Interstellar‘s ‘Film first’ initiative

Waluigi is the World’s greatest threat in this Nintendo/Avengers mashup

The Transformers films are much more palatable when retold by Toys

The latest Lego Star Wars set will put a Bounty on your wallet

It’s Sailor Senshi vs. DVD Rentals on this week’s Sailor Moon Crystal

Ooh, Child: Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Awesome Mix is coming to Vinyl

Being a Sci-Fi and Fantasy fan is tough when you’re also an Arachnophobe

Crowdfund a game about writing fiction, Sci-fi anthologies and more!

This weekend, San Francisco is hosting some striking Anime art

This Week’s craziest Star Wars theory has nothing to do with Episode VII

This Toy might be the best rendition of The Dark Knight Returns‘ Batman

Rocket Raccoon in stunning detail looks absolutely amazing

These wonderful doodles transform Starbucks’ Mermaid Logo into cool Art

Watch Peter Capaldi get embarrassed over his past with Doctor Who fandom

The Dark Side of Lego can be beautifully creepy

This Lovely Lil’ Godzilla Rules the Toy Crop at New York Comic Con

Why does DC Comics keep insulting its fans?

Research shows Portal 2 is better for you than ‘Brain training’ software

Holy crap, someone made an Iron Man gauntlet that fires an actual rocket

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