Amazon | Geekscape

Mikaela’s Journey to SDCC 2019: Part IV

by Mikaela MaxwellJuly 20, 2019

Friday! Friday felt like the first reeeally big day of the convention. I managed to go to bed freaking early the night before, and sleep in until after 7am, so that was a win! By the time I was up and getting ready most of the guys had already ventured out into the world. Jonathan was at the Cosplay 5K, and Matt and Gui has headed to the convention centre. I didn’t have to be anywhere until after 9am, and had no desire to wait in the chaotic line to enter the convention centre. Derek was hoping to grab the sweet Metal Gear Mondo print, so he ventured into the line, unfortunately to no avail as by the time his spot in the line was entering the convention floor, all the doors had been opened and people were entering willy nilly anyways. So no sweet Mondo for us today.

It seems like it’s generally impossible to be able to get the exclusives offered at SDCC, as you either need to be randomly chosen, or you try to get in a line that is capped before you were even in the convention centre. The one silver lining to this is we have probably saved a whole pile of money!

Once I left the hotel room I scooted by the convention centre to see if I would have a better shot of organically just walking through the doors once they were all opened. I didn’t. So after hovering for a few minutes, and watching people be outraged that they had to stand in line with the masses, I moseyed on to my first appointment: HBO’s Watchmen experience.

I had stopped by Watchmen the day before and was told to come back the next morning during press preview hour. The person who I had initially talked to explained it in a way that left me thinking they were letting 30 people in at the top of each hour. That was totally inaccurate. In actuality the whole experience lasted about 2-3 minutes, so I don’t know where I had concocted my ideas about timing.

The activation was actually pretty freaking cool. It was really tiny, about the size of an elevator, and had doors that slide open to let you in. When you enter you stand in front of a screen which instructs you to move around the booth in order to calibrate the camera to your body.

Once calibrated, your own Dr. Manhattan transformation begins. You watch on screen as your body is electrified and then as your skeleton rebuilds into Dr. Manhattan. Through this process as you move around in real life you move around on the screen in whatever form you happen to be in. In my particular experience however I definitely was a wee bit confused and mostly just sooo still waiting for things to happen. It wasn’t until close to the end that I realized that I coulda been moving around a whole lot more! It was still pretty neat though and regardless of my own slowness, I’m glad I was able to get in there!

Following my transformation into Dr. Manhattan I met up with a grumpy, disappointed (about no Mondo), and very hungry Derek. We decided to head a little bit further away from all the action to find a restaurant that would be a little bit less crowded and hopefully not too expensive. We stumbled across a Mexican place that was suuuper delish! I had no idea what I was ordering but ended up with a sandwich full of yummy seafood.

Post food we had a much less grumpy Derek who was up for some activity! Word on the street was the line up for the Picard Museum wasn’t too insane so we decided to head that way, it also turned out that the lone was on a side walk that was totally shaded *the dreeeam*.

I am definitely not a Trekkie, and have never really been exposed to much Star Trek, I mean I know what it is And I know the Jean-Luc Picard is a played by Patrick Stewart, but other than that I got nothing. It was however still a really cool exhibit. It actually felt like a legit museum exhibition, with glass cases displaying different paraphernalia, and a little write up on the wall about the significance of each particular piece. Even as a none Trekkie I found it pretty interesting. It kinda made me wanna get into it with the upcoming show! (And it definitely got Derek invested, so I imagine I’ll at least watch some of it!)

By the time we got through the Picard Museum I was having a pee-mergency! We had been planning on heading over to the Detroit: Become Human fan meet up at a little pub we had been to a few nights before, and decided to expedite our stroll over there so I could have a pee ASAP.

While in the washroom I received a message that Bryan Dechart, who is the ‘voice actor’ for the character Connor in the game, had just walked into the place. (!!!!) I walked out into the pub and went to turn a corner immediately recognizing Bryan and a mystery girl sitting at a table getting prepped for fans to come in. Pretty danged exciting, I then used all of my will power, and knowledge of my awkwardness, to leave them alone and get back into the line up.

Once we got in we waited in line to meet them and grab signatures. If you’ve ever read my ‘I don’t know how to play video games’ articles, you’ll know that I am a BIG fan of Detroit: Become Human. I played the game all the way through a while back in a very short period of time, and then had to go back and play through the last few chapters a second time so I could get an ending where I didn’t accidentally kill Kara. I was secretly hoping that the super handsome Jesse Williams would be there, but was definitely not disappointed when we discovered the also super handsome Bryan Dechart was there! I feel so bad cause I’m not totally sure who the female actor was, but someone in line thought she was likely the main girl from the Eden Sex Club in the game. Regardless they were both super friendly, chatted with us for a minute, Bryan talked about how even his mom had played the game all the way through and done really well at it, and they took a selfie with us!

Next up we headed back to the convention centre, I to our Geekscape booth and Derek to the FunkoxSDCC booth for our one and only opportunity at getting SDCC exclusives. I was shocked and delighted to find out the Darryl McDaniels was at our booth selling and signing his DMC graphic novels. I was very confused when I walked up to the booth to find a huge crowd around it, and delighted when I figured out why! He even freestyled about hanging out at the Geekscape booth, such fun! He is supposed to come back to the booth Saturday so it’ll be fun to see what he gets up to next!

A little while later I met up with Derek again and we headed over to the Gaslamp district to catch the SYFY drum line. I had no idea what to expect from this but it was actually super fun! This group of drummers and general music makers and dancers took over the street playing drum line versions of popular music, while creating an awesome dance party. Then they invited members of the crowd up to do trivia competitions, hosted by Orlando Jones. It was super fun and so freaking random. SYFY is doing a really great job of creating a presence and a street party vibe both with this, as well as their trivia trolleys and karaoke bus.

We took a breather at the the hotel for a couple hours in the afternoon to catch up on writing and recharge both our batteries and ourselves. Then got ready to go out for the evening.

Due to Derek’s thoroughly preparedness we had scored general admission tickets to The Boys premiere party, where the first two episodes would be shown to an audience for the first time. This would be my first premiere party type situation and I was pretty danged I excited for it. However because it was generally admission, even though we technically had tickets it would still be a first come first serve thing. So, although the parted started sometime after 7pm, Derek assured me we needed to be in line before 5pm. Although I would usually roll my eyes and whine about this, I decided to be a good sport and go along with his plan. When we walked up to the Amazon Prime Video Experience activation I was immediately grateful for Derek’s habit of getting to places ridiculously early, as already there was a line up forming and chaos was about to ensue.

As we were standing near the entrance to the line up we over heard conversation between staff members discussing how many people would be let in and who would be controlling the line up etc.. Derek was luckily able to download the tickets onto his phone so we could prove we were legit and get into the line ASAP. When we got into the line at 4:45 it turned out there were approximately 150-200 people ahead of us already! We stood there for over 2.5 hours and made friends with the people in front of us, who turned out to also be Canadians, from Winnipeg! Initially I thought I would melt, and was so grateful for the umbrellas covering the line. Then the sun ducked behind the trees and immediately I wished I had brought a sweater! Luckily I didn’t have to be cold for too long as they had graciously provided blankets for the viewing, which took place in the open space of the Prime Video Experience area.

Caught this sweet Ghost Bustin’ ride while waiting in line, so… worth it!

The Amazon activation was the first one we had gone to during Wednesday’s press preview, and it has been my favourite one so far (although Pennyworth’s set up was wicked awesome too). So it was neat to see the open space transformed for the party.

The central structure was being used as the DJ booth, as well as another short The Boys performance, There were bars and food stands for people to enjoy, the open area had been filled with rows of seats for the screening, and The Boys activation was still being run for party goers to experience. Shortly before they began airing the first episode the stars of the show all filed into the activation area, and I really hope they got to experience it they was we all do, as I imagine it would be pretty trippy. It was very Meta as some would say.

Right before the show began there was an introduction by Eric Kripke, and all the cast was brought to the front of the stage for applause and pictures. It was all very exciting and pretty cool to be a part of. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to rub shoulders with anyone big and famous (as far as I know), and especially disappointed that Seth Rogan (who is part of the providing team) wasn’t on site (as far as I know), but really those were just little things in the big scheme and the experience in all was absolutely super rad!

It was also an effective marketing strategy, cause I definitely want to see more of the show now! It’s such a neat premise to consider what it would mean if super heroes weren’t all happy sunshine and following all the rules. There were lots of laughs and a few shock and awe moments. I think it went over pretty well and I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes off!

We got back to the hotel around 11pm to a room full of sleeping people, and after trying not to wake anyone while stumbling around in the dark, I passed the eff out!

SDCC 2019: The Amazon Prime Video Experience Is This Year’s Must-Visit Offsite!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 18, 2019

If you haven’t been able to tell from my coverage over the past seven years, I’m a huge fan of all of the insane offsite events that companies host during SDCC week. I was hooked from my very first offsite activation for 2014’s Godzilla, and just generally try to experience as many of these events during the week as I possibly can.

A couple of weeks back I posted about the Prime Video Experience, a massive 60,000 square-foot event that would host activations for upcoming series The Boys, Carnival Row, and the fourth season of The Expanse. Mikaela and I had an opportunity to check out the event during a media preview on Wednesday, and I wholeheartedly believe that it’s the most insane offsite that you’ll be able to experience this year.

The Prime Video Experience is located at MLK and 1st in San Diego (obviously), and is open from 9AM-5PM each day of the convention. As of this morning the line looked pretty long, but I assure you that the event is an absolute blast, and is well worth any wait.

From the press release, “Once inside, attendees will receive collectible gold and silver coins which they can use to further explore the activation. Fans can begin their day covering up the crime scene of a superhero kidnapping at the Audio Visual shop where Hughie works on The Boys. On the opposite end of the space, a Rocinante spaceship is positioned that will take adventure-seekers on a United Nations peacekeeping mission to a newly colonized planet seen in The Expanse. Guests can also discover the Carnival Row universe in which humans and exotic creatures coexist before entering The Forbidden Lounge, a neo-Victorian decorated hideaway venue, to enjoy a special performance. Amazon Prime Video collaborated with LG within the series activations to provide a premiere viewing experience for attendees.”

There’s also a Carl’s Jr. food truck inside, which was super cool because we don’t have a lot of those in Canada.

I took a video of each activation from start to finish (with a couple of odd cuts during The Boys activation because I had to do stuff and accidentally hit the stop button), so if you’re into spoilers or aren’t going to make the event, you can check them out below, and keep scrolling for some photos of the massive offsite (but not from inside the activations because I was taking video).

Again, spoilers ahead, and if you’re here in San Diego, don’t look at any of it and just go get in line!

I never actually figured out what the coins were for, but they apparently unlocked extra goodies within the offsite itself (and the gold ones are rare)!

There’s a nice covered ‘market’ area with snacks, and some nice seating so that you can eat your Carl’s Jr.

Some more nice covered seating, and a huge screen for screenings later this week

Some simple, but awesome swag after ‘The Boys’ activation.

Attendees are assigned either a ‘Creature’ or ‘Human’ role, which determines how characters treat you

Will you be checking out the Amazon Prime Video experience? Be sure to let us know what you think!

SDCC 2019: Amazon Prime Video Plans Massive 60,000 Square-Foot Activation!

by Derek KraneveldtJune 26, 2019

It’s still crazy to me that San Diego Comic-Con 2019 is just three weeks away.

For the seventh year in a row, I’ll descend into San Diego with 130,000+ others, including my longtime family at Geekscape, and for the first time, my fiancé Mikaela.

As cool as the show floor, the exclusives (I can’t wait to see what Mondo reveals this year), the panels (the WWE/Mattel panel is a highlight every year), and the general experience are, one of my favourite parts of each convention is the incredible offsite activations that studios, video game publishers, and production companies put together.

Amazon’s Fire TV to the Future offsite last year had a number of cool photo ops and demonstrations (Mikaela, we still need that Alexa-enabled Dolby Atmos soundbar), and The Tick Takeover from the year before was an absolute blast as well.

This year, the company is focussing exclusively on three properties, and it sounds like it’s set to be their best offering yet.

It’s all about The Boys (which premieres on July 26th), Carnival Row (coming on August 30th), and season four of The Expanse (which doesn’t yet have a release date, but is set to drop later this year.

The Amazon Prime Video Experience will be open Thursday, July 18th, to Sunday, July 21st, and here’s what attendees can expect:

Located on the corner of MLK and 1st, fanboys and fangirls will be drawn in to the Amazon Prime Video Experience by the sight of a 40-foot tower adorned with giant LED screens that will be playing scenes from The Boys, Carnival Row and The Expanse. Comic-Con attendees will also be treated to live, show-specific performances taking place atop the multi-level tower.

Once inside, attendees will receive collectible gold and silver coins which they can use to further explore the activation. Fans can begin their day covering up the crime scene of a superhero kidnapping at the Audio Visual shop where Hughie works on The Boys. On the opposite end of the space, a Rocinante spaceship is positioned that will take adventure-seekers on a United Nations peacekeeping mission to a newly colonized planet seen in The Expanse. Guests can also discover the Carnival Row universe in which humans and exotic creatures coexist before entering The Forbidden Lounge, a neo-Victorian decorated hideaway venue, to enjoy a special performance. Amazon Prime Video collaborated with LG within the series activations to provide a premiere viewing experience for attendees.

After exploring the shows, guests can escape the summer heat and relax under a tented awning with refreshing beverages and a selection of mouthwatering bites, including Carl’s Jr., which will provide burgers on-site for press and fans as part of The Boys campaign. Cosplayers can even find a Cosplay Photography Corner within the walls of the Amazon Prime Video Experience, where a lifestyle photographer will be onsite to take professional portraits as digital takeaways.

Amazon Prime Video will also host numerous panels for series like Undone, The Boys, Carnival Row, The Expanse, and The Man in the High Castle. There are also a couple of incredible-sounding parties and premieres planned, including The Boys on Friday, and Carnival Row on Saturday.

Colour us excited. Take a look at a few renderings of the upcoming activation below. Look for our coverage of the Amazon Prime Video Experience the week of July 16th, and if you’ll be in San Diego for SDCC, you better be planning to go yourself!

SDCC 2018: Derek’s Long-Winded SDCC Recap – Friday

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 20, 2018

Read pre-convention and preview night here.
Read my Thursday recap here.

What a freaking day.

Just when I thought I that things could not possibly be as cool today as they were yesterday (I’m still reeling about the WWE stuff at PetCo Park), this morning began with three awesome back to back offsite events.

The day began fairly early, as I had to be at the Amazon Fire TV to the Future offsite event for an 8AM start time. The event showed off all of the neat things that you could do with the FireTV product line (including the new FireTV Cube, which also acts as a smart-home hub). A lot of people seemed super impressed with the smart-home stuff, but as someone who has been using Philips Hue lights and an Alexa-enabled TV for some time, the Cube seemed a little slow to respond at times (I think it’s likely due to networking issues more than anything, seeings as this was as temporary building.

Employees demonstrated Dolby Atmos via a Vizio sound bar (Mikaela, I’m sorry but we need a new soundbar), showing off the newest trailer for Jack Ryan which premieres on Amazon Prime on August 31st and looks freaking awesome. I also feel like this thing has been in the works for freaking ever, as I’m pretty sure that there were buildings covered in Jack Ryan shit last year.

There were a number of photo ops throughout the exhibit as well, including Game of Thrones (the iron throne, of course), The Good Place, Westworld, Jack Ryan, and more, as well as a few neat installations like a ‘Backyard Cinema Club’, a giant overgrown remote that looked like something out of The Last of Us, and an area with themed cocktails.

It was fun, and it was air conditioned (which is pretty rare for some of these offsite events, and it was much. It’s also a little off the beaten path, so from what I’ve seen the line hasn’t even been that crazy. It’s open through Sunday, so you should probably check it out.

Next up was one of the events that I was most excited for coming into this week. Last year’s Mr. Mercedes sponsored Wired Cafe was the first I’d heard of the title (in book or television form), and I absolutely loved the series when I eventually watched it (and by watched I mean binged super quickly). I was lucky enough to see the fantastic first two episodes of the second season before I left for California last week, and I was beyond ready to see what AT&T and the Audience Network had in store for attendees.

The entire offsite was fantastic. There were rebuilds of some of the sets (including Brady’s coma room, Brady’s lair, Supreme Electronics, and more), a VR escape room that had you locked in Brady’s lair searching for clues before a bomb goes off (with Brady’s creepy, computerize voice talking in your ear the whole time and creeping the shit out of you). There was also a neat augmented reality application that you could download in order to partake in a scavenger hunt around the exhibit. You could find clues that would unlock dialog between Bill and Brady, and it was a super fun way to make the offsite more interactive. There was even a cool photo op that morphed you into the show’s poster – they even print it into one of those cool 3D lenticular things that were popular in the 90’s.

Attendees could also find physical clues throughout the exhibit that would earn them stamps, and at the end of the event you’d get some swag based on how many stamps you earned, ranging from pins to bags to some sweet San Diego exclusive t-shirts.

I was also there at the perfect time. As I was coming back up from Brady’s lair, the PR organizer let me know that some of the cast and crew was coming through if I wanted to check things out. I ended up grabbing a photo with Justine Lupe and director Jack Bender, and even had a (very brief) change to chat with Bender about Lost (which was mostly me telling him that his episodes are my very favourite episodes of TV).

https://instagram.com/p/Ble4–uh7WQ/

Look for my dedicated article about the in the next couple of days, but you should definitely be getting in line for this one (and yes, I realize that I’m just telling you to get in line for everything – it turns out that shit is cool at Comic-Con, okay?)

Following Mr. Mercedes, I walked just down the block again to the Purge City offsite (super convenient placement). I was inexpressibly excited to see this activation, simply because it looked fucking hilarious, and the premise is amazing. There’s a ten-episode The Purge TV series set to hit USA Network in September, and this was a fantastic way to advertise. Purge City has to be the most immersive offsite that I’ve been to in years, as every single actor in the venue was in full character 100% of the time. They often had creepy smiles, and were constantly asking patrons what they were doing for the Purge. When asked, I noted that I was from Canada so I wasn’t used to purging, and the employees were happy to offer suggestions.

Upon entry, you’re given 20 ‘Purge Bucks’ to spend on whatever you want. There are shirts available for 15 Purge Bucks, hats for 12, temporary tattoos, candles, energy drinks, and even more. You can grab a basket and fill up! I picked up a t-shirt, a replica of the 28th amendment to the constitution (which is when the purge was added), and a greeting card that said ‘Live, Laugh, Purge’ on it. This totalled 20 Purge Bucks, and I also received a helium balloon and a reusable ‘Purge City’ bag upon checkout.

I spent a long time in Purge City absorbing as much as I possibly could. Every single piece of merchendise (whether actually for sale or for display only) was totally believable, and so freaking well done. I also had a chance to spend some time in the Purge City ‘demo’ area, which had employees demoing some new products coming out for this year’s Purge.

Be sure to watch this demo of the ‘Purge Day Precision Cake Cutter’:

Take a look at some photos from Purge City below, and be on the lookout for even more in the next day or two. For SDCC attendees, Purge City is open tomorrow from 11AM to 7PM, and on Sunday from 11AM-4PM.

I packed a lot into my morning, and decided to keep things mostly relaxed for the rest of the day. I met up with Courtney and Shane at the Wired Cafe for a quick drink (thanks again, Wired) and to watch the rest of the vultures scramble for the donuts, sandwiches, and sliders that were coming out regularly.

We also saw our first protesters today, and Courtney got really mad at the one that said “Vaccines Cause Autism”. There are always some parody protesters as well though, which is always pretty hilarious.

Finally, I hit the show floor. Naturally, I b-lined it directly to the Mondo booth. Matt asked me to grab the Die Hard print for a friend of his (and then somehow did not know how big or expensive prints can be), and the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom prints were also still in stock. I wandered around for a bit and tried to call Mikaela multiple times so that she could talk me out of buying things, but she didn’t pick up… so I bought the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Mondo print. I also scoped out a sweet Sea of Thieves shirt and replica coin that I haven’t bit the bullet on quite yet (but there are still two more days to do so). Next up, I went to the ABC booth to look for some Golden Girls items for Mikaela, and then I doubled back to Factory Entertainment to pick up the exclusive die-cast S.S. Georgie replica and an exclusive Goonies bottle opener (which was my second choice after seeing that the Jurassic Park raptor claw bottle opener was sold out). At checkout, when asked if I needed anything else, I joked “Not unless you have any more of those Jurassic Park bottle openers left,” to which they said “Actually we just found one.”

Safe to say, I bought it. I actually meant to grab it instead of the Goonies one, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding and somehow I ended up with both. Then Mikaela had to talk me off the ledge because I was freaking out about how much money I’d spent. She’s lovely and I don’t know what I would do without her.

I took a quick walk over to the Castle Rock exhibit, which had about a 120 minute line that I didn’t feel like standing in. I’m still super impressed with that house they built, and the car (and creepy kid) in the water make more some great photo ops. There were some Hulu representatives in the area giving out neat lightning/micro-USB powered fans (it’s hot out) in exchange for doing a survey about how you used Hulu. I said “I’m from Canada,” and they just said “Sorry,” and handed me the fan.

Shane, Courtney, and I grabbed some food – this was at like 5:30, and I’d intended to grab something small so I could eat with Matt at 8:30, but by the time we’d found something that didn’t have a super long wait it was after 7:00. I had delicious nachos.

At this point in the day, I’d been out and about for its entirety and I needed to get to work. We made a quick stop at the PetCo Interactive Zone to see Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, and friends ‘Band From TV’ play a few songs, and then we returned the hotel in order to get writing.

Writing was tough, but for good reasons. The room was full of dudes – Jonathan, Gui, Shane, and Matt were all in the room, and over the course of the night I learned that there were like 15 Puppet Master movies, that Shane didn’t know that Mamma Mia was based on the music of Abba, and a bunch of other shit.

But here we are. Today was a fun as hell, and then very odd day – of course I knew that things with Jon Schnepp were bad, but I hadn’t been online in hours and I only learned of his death from Geekscape Alumni Eric Diaz. I’d only met Jon a few times, but I truly enjoyed the conversations that we’d had over the years, and watching him and Jonathan talk about things at a way deeper level than I could ever hope to understand was always fascinating. Schnepp had the SDCC booth next to ours for the past few years, and it’s super weird and very sad to look at that booth and not see him. I cannot imagine the heartbreak that his partner Holly and his family are feeling right now. A ‘Get Better Jon Schnepp’ fund was set up last week, and is still ongoing at this time to help cover his medical expenses.

That’s Friday. Thanks so much for reading this far, and look for more tomorrow.

SDCC 2017: Amazon’s ‘The Tick Takeover’ Offsite Event Was A Fantastic Way To Open The Week!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 20, 2017

I’ve already touched on the experience during yesterday’s long form journal piece, but the event was a serious convention highlight and deserves some recognition of its own.

The offsite event will draw you in with the gigantic, moving Tick antennae, gorgeous artwork, the whirring of fans, and the temporary market, but there’s so much more to see and do here that I could definitely see attendees spending a ton of time at the offsite.

The first part of the installation was an awesome Amazon Prime Member Lounge. Here, you could grab yourself some wireless headphones and experience The Tick pilot almost a month before the show hits the streaming service. There were comfy couches to chill out on, cold water was available for those in attendance, and the tables featured all of the most popular phone charges so that you could juice up your phone while you relaxed. The outside of the lounge featured giant (like 20 foot tall) Tick antennae, where those inside the lounge could control the expression that the antennae were making. There were also giant blue fans all around the area, as an attempt to keep you cool in the hot, dry San Diego heat. It was much appreciated, and certainly had me far more comfortable and willing to watch the pilot than I would have been with the sun bearing down on me. Throughout the lounge there were stations where you could scan your RFID bracelet and do The Tick trivia, and when you exited the lounge you were treated to a cool swag bag that included a Tick hat, iPhone case, bottle of water, antennae, and more.

During the experience in the Member Lounge, Matt and I made a poor attempt to livestream everything that was going on. Check it out below (I really sold it to you, didn’t I?).

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604323786908/

Next (after waiting for everyone else to catch up and potentially watching Matt hit on yet another girl) our group went through a The Tick / AEGIS themed competitive experience. Here Arthur said the he needed our help finding clues through several environments that are important to the show, including Goat’s Deli, Arthur’s Apartment, The Warehouse, and The City Police Station. We had four minutes in the first few rooms room, and in each there we a series of RFID scanners that you were supposed to activate as slyly as possible, as the experience has you competing with the rest of the attendees in the room. Once you’re done competing, you scan your bracelet once more to find out what kind of hero you are, and in the final room you have the opportunity to choose from several customizable Tick themed items (I went for a baseball tee), and even create a short gif of yourself in a heroic pose. Here’s another Facebook Live of Matt and I going through this part of the experience.

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604366781908/

Amazon also notes that “During their adventures at SDCC, Citizens will be able to call upon the #TeamTick street team for help when they are in a bind. Need help with that selfie? Have a painful blister? Have no fear… Team Tick is here! In true Tick form, Team Tick will be taking to the streets of San Diego helping the helpless and defending the defenseless. Citizens seeking assistance from the street team need only flag down a member of Team Tick, adorned with blue antenna, to get help for their distress.”

The experience itself was just as well done as the Thunderbirds / The Man In The High Castle event from last year’s convention, but it felt a lot more interactive, and that made it more fun as well.

I anticipate that due to the quality of the experience, lines will be pretty long (though it’s San Diego Comic-Con… there are long lines for the bathroom). Amazon is betting big on The Tick, and from what I saw of the pilot yesterday, for good reason.

If you can make it happen, I’d implore you to make some time for The Tick Takeover. The event is open to the public Thursday, July 20th through Saturday, July 22nd from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday, July 23rd from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the MLK Promenade (corner of 1st and J street).

Take a look at a few more photos from the event below, and let us know if you plan to attend!

‘The Tick’ Returns With Full Series Pick Up

by BigyanksSeptember 27, 2016

Amazon Studios has greenlit 3 of the of the shows from this year’s pilot season, with one of them being fan favorite ‘The Tick’.

The series takes place in a world where superheroes are real, and Arthur, an accountant with no superpowers at all realizes that his city is owned by a global supervillain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover the conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero called The Tick.

The series stars Peter Serafinowicz as The Tick, Griffin Newman as Arthur, Jackie Earle Haley as The Terror, Valorie Curry as Dot Everest, Yara Martinez as Ms. Lint and Brendan Hines as Superion. Here is to hoping that the series will bring my favorites Bat Manuel and Captain Liberty back into the fold.

The other 2 shows greenlit by Amazon were ‘I love Dick’ and Jonathan’s favorite ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’.

All series are set to debut in 2017.

Watch The First Trailer For Amazon’s ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’!

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 19, 2016

Briefly: This is going to be wonderful.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is always at his best when he’s playing himself (JCVD is probably one of our favourite movies of all time), and we were so excited to learn that he’d be playing an alternate version of himself in Amazon’s pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

In the pilot, Van Damme ‘comes out of retirement to put on once again the mantle of his alter-ego, undercover private contractor Jean-Claude Van Johnson. “Johnson’s” cover as the lead role in a re-imagined action film version of “Huckleberry Finn” lands him right back in the midst of the danger he secretly always craves–but most importantly, back in the orbit of Vanessa, his fellow operative and the woman he loves.’

This is just a pilot for now, which you can actually see right here, right now, but every single person reading this should go ahead and vote for it, so we can ensure that Van Johnson becomes a full series (with hopefully some super action friends in tow for their own cameos).

Watch the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

https://youtu.be/1PGX9kOvLwc

E3 2016: New ‘Legend of Zelda’ Image Leaks Ahead Of Nintendo’s Presentation

by Josh JacksonJune 13, 2016

Usually, companies will try to keep their cards close to their chests right before a big E3 presentation. Apparently, Amazon had other plans when it came to Nintendo’s upcoming Legend of Zelda title for the Wii U and NX.

The image shows Link climbing a cliff with an expansive kingdom visible in the background. Based on the artwork itself, it’s clear that the focus seems to be exploration, while also showing off how big Hyrule might be this time around. With constant rumors swirling that this next entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take Link through a Skyrim inspired open world version of Hyrule, it would explain why this image sets the tone that it does.

With only a day away before Nintendo tips its hand to the public regarding their next big title, that gives us plenty of time to speculate until then. What conclusions do you draw after seeing this image, and what do you hope to see when the game finally releases early next year? Comment below and share your thoughts, and make sure to check back with us for our full impressions on the show floor!

The Amazon Exclusive ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two’ Set Is A Must Buy!

by Gabriel von GrünbaumNovember 25, 2015

Whoa. On Tuesday, December 8th Marvel teams up with Amazon on an exclusive offering to knock your Captain America socks clean off! The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two collection drops only on Amazon with all new bonus content, film replicas and more. In addition, each film features custom disc sleeves from artist Matt Ferguson.

Geekscape got a sneak peek at these alternate covers to share with you—and they’re freaking awesome. Go ahead feast your eyes and start squirreling away your pennies!

Iron Man 3, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Thor: The Dark World, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Guardians of the Galaxy, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Avengers: Age of Ultron, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Ant-Man, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two — Bonus Material, alt-cover by Matt Ferguson

This collection is not messing around—it doesn’t seem like this is going to be the “pretty good one,” only to be replaced next year by the “super awesome edition.” This collection already has all the goods I look for in my film collecting proclivities—and then a little more! I ended up buying a 3D TV several Black Fridays ago when it was the same price as the standard model and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. As a result, if a movie I want comes out on Blu-ray and there’s a 3D version—that’s the one I buy. That and so much more is already baked into this collection! In their own words:

I mean, come on!—there’s a freakin’ ancient drawing from the Morag vault! What more can you possibly ask for?!

Personally, there were some moments I didn’t fully connect with in this film collection—but honestly, I take the blame on those for the time being. Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I saw them or something—planning to give Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Age of Ultron further viewings before making my final call on them. (Especially after getting a better understanding of what went into this intricate web Marvel is weaving as best they can during this release event.) However, here’s the thing—even if every film isn’t up to the snuff of say, Guardians of the Galaxy, they’re still better than most other offerings in their genre; meaning—you can’t lose, even if you lose, with these films. You will be properly entertained come hell or high water!

This unveiling comes properly on the heels of the release of the premiere trailer for the first film in Phase Three, Captain America: Civil War, this week. Whoowhee!—that trailer’s some dramatic adrenaline right there.

And now, my lovelies, because these are just the sort of details I hunt down when considering investing in a collection to add to my. . . collection, here are all the technical details they’ve provided us at this time:

Anime Expo 2015: ‘Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden’ Goes Old School On 3DS

by Josh JacksonJuly 27, 2015

As the years have gone by, Dragon Ball Z games have gotten bigger and fancier, with numerous 3D fighters on nearly every console imaginable. It’s a long time since the days where the only way you could get your Super Saiyan gaming fix was to buy expensive imports and mod your consoles. Still, some of these old games had an undeniable charm that gamers who experienced them still swear upon, but thanks to Namco Bandai, it will be a lot easier to bask in the glory of 2D DBZ this fall with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden for 3DS. We got our hands on the demo at AX this year, and put our power level to the test.

Promising over 100 characters that serve as both battle and support players, everyone from Baba to Launch was spotted in between your Goku’s and Vegeta’s, showing that it really runs deep with the history. The demo allowed us to put together teams of three after choosing between Goku, Vegeta, Teen Gohan, Piccolo and Fat Buu. Each character had their own value, which is the cost one will have to pay when putting their team together. If you don’t have enough points, you’ll have to replace your stronger fighters with the Krillin’s and Yamcha’s of the world. For this version however, the number was set so high that it didn’t restrict our ability to choose who we wanted.

Once the fights started, it was immediately noticeable that it shares some of its mechanics with its 3D brethren while bringing in the foundation of a 2D fighter. The X and Y buttons are pressed in sequence to set up combos, while the A button shot energy blasts and the shoulder buttons guarded and charged up Ki. If you want to set off your character’s signature moves, certain combos have to connect to activate some flashy looking 2D animations to match up with the gorgeous character sprites, despite being a little pixelated. Tapping the character portraits on the touch screen allowed us to swap characters at will mid battle, helping us mix up the fight when we were backed into a corner. The battle ended once the entire opposing team was defeated, leaving our set of warriors standing tall.

Playing Extreme Butoden really took us back to a simpler time of anime fighters, and it was an exciting (ki?) blast from the past. Promising an updated roster featuring everyone from Golden Frieza and Beerus to Yajirobe and Oolong and everyone in between, there’s sure to be enough content to please DBZ fans both young and young at heart.

Pre-ordering from Amazon will net you a download code for Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2, an SNES game that was previously a Japan only release, in addition to six bonus support characters, so if you like what you see, that seems like the place to buy from come October 20th.

Amazon Reveals Its Palutena Amiibo Release Plans

by Josh JacksonJuly 22, 2015

If you’re still in the Amiibo hunt, you might want to set your alarms for Friday afternoon!

Amazon announced that Palutena would go on sale on Friday, July 24th, at 2 PM PST. One click ordering will be disabled, so everyone who signs in will have an equal chance of obtaining it. Oh, and if you wanted to hoard a ton of characters for yourself, (or sell them to avoid real work,) then sorry. It will be one per customer this time around. Considering how big Amazon is, I’m hoping that they will have plenty in stock to appease all of the gamers who will be viciously assaulting their keyboards trying to buy the Goddess of Light, but then again, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

From Amazon:

Previously, we reported that Palutena would be an Amazon exclusive, resulting in a collective groan from Amiibo hunters who are starting to get tired of these hoops that North America has to jump through just to buy these things. Regardless, it’s looking like some retailers are becoming more proactive with communicating their plans to their ravenous customers, giving everyone a fair shot at snagging a rare figure before the scalpers do, which is a step in the right direction.

Will you be at your computer come Friday? Or are you over all the stress that comes with wanting to give Nintendo your money?

The Palutena Amiibo Will Be A Retailer Exclusive After All! Details release on July 22nd!

by Josh JacksonJuly 20, 2015

After months of speculation, dread, and deep, dark fear, rumors of the Palutena amiibo being available at all retailers has officially been debunked. On Twitter, Amazon announced that for the first time, the online retailer would have their own retailer exclusive figure in the form of the Goddess of Light herself.

Following suit with her Kid Icarus: Uprising co-star, Dark Pit, who is a Best Buy exclusive, Palutena marks a first for the popular Nintendo Toys to Life, serving as the only one in the series to be sold exclusively online. Promising to release details for everyone who signs up for email alerts on July 22nd, the figure itself will go on sale at some point on Friday, July 24th.

Like Brock Lesnar, I’m sure we all have our F5’s ready. Is anyone else planning on being up at an ungodly hour to secure their own goddess? Or are you over the whole Amiibo craze? Let us know your hunting strategies in the comments!

Amazon Releases Their Amiibo Wave 4 Schedule!

by Josh JacksonMay 29, 2015

Do you want those wave 4 amiibo, but value your sleep, time and dignity? Amazon might have you covered!

Despite Amazon’s international branches taking pre-orders for the latest round of figure hell, North America bypassed the whole system, instead deciding to release the latest set on release day in increments. By limiting each character to one per person and making the formal announcement the day prior, it’s obvious that Amazon wants to give its shoppers an equal chance to make their purchase, (in the middle of the day, no less!)

Promising to work with Nintendo to secure more stock, this hopefully won’t be the last time Amiibo hunters can turn to the online retailer for their wave 4 needs. Let’s just hope that future waves are approached in a similar manner, making late night lineups a thing of the past!

The release schedule is as follows, with special attention being paid to Lucina at 3:30 PT and Robin at 5:30 PT. Will their servers survive the mad rush?

Pac-Man: 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PT
Charizard: 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. PT
Inkling Boy: 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. PT
Lucina: 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PT
Wario: 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. PT
Inkling Girl: 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PT
Silver Mario: 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. PT
Robin: 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. PT
Inkling Boy, Girl, and Squid 3-pack: 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PT

Let us know which figures you’re hunting for, and share your experiences in the comments below!

Twitch Updates Their Terms Of Service And Bans Sexually Suggestive Clothing

by Shane O'HareOctober 28, 2014

In an update today, Twitch has put the final nail in a very annoying coffin.

It is now against their terms of service for game streamers to wear clothing that is sexually suggestive.

Gone are the live streams of girls playing games with two push up bras and a high angled camera. Gone are the days of Mega64 dancing around in their underwear. You will both be missed.

This is the second major update to their ToS that appears to be a push from their new Amazon overlords. The first being streamers need to fully disclose if anything they are doing is part of a paid campaign.

I feel these are both great moves that legitimatizes live streaming as a viable business, while not pandering to mouth breathing neckbeards.

The Punisher Co-Creator Gerry Conway Says That ‘Amazon Wrecked ComiXology’

by Derek KraneveldtApril 28, 2014

Briefly: If you’re a regular user of the iOS ComiXology app, you’ve likely already realized that the latest update stinks.

If the fact that you can no longer buy books within the app wasn’t bad enough, the realization that so much of the functionality that made the app great (and addictive) in the first place is now nowhere to be found will likely have you searching (and failing to find) a worthy alternative.

Gerry Conway, the comic book writer most famous for killing Gwen Stacy AND co-creating the Punisher, has written an excellent guest column on ComicBook.com about just how terrible Amazon’s move is, and what it means for the industry. Here’s a small excerpt:

Be sure to head over to ComicBook.com for the full article. It’s well worth it.

Have you used the new app yet? Are you ready to give up digital comics? Sound out below.

Banner via TheComicBooks

Amazon Deal: Buy 2, Get 1 Free On PS4 Games!

by Mark LabbeNovember 12, 2013

Starting today at at 9 AM (PST) and 12 PM (EST), Amazon shoppers will receive a free PS4 game upon purchase of two qualifying titles.

Using the code “GR8TNESS” at checkout, buyers will be able to get in on this amazing deal. If you are looking to get a PS4 in the near future, check it out! This limited time offer (like, really limited, it ends at 1PM PST) works on the following PS4 titles:

– Angry Birds: Star Wars
– Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag
– Battlefield 4
– Call of Duty: Ghosts
– FIFA 14
– Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
– Just Dance 2014
– Killzone: Shadow Fall
– Knack
– LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
– Madden NFL 25
– NBA 2K14
– Need for Speed Rivals
– Skylanders SWAP Force

Which games are you going to get? Let us know below! Be quick, as the promotion ends at 1PM PST!

Indie Games Store Now Open On Amazon

by MoreLikeAndyJune 6, 2013

It’s not like you couldn’t get these games on Amazon before. It’s just now they will be more prominently shown off to get more people aware of some great indie games out there. The most amazing part to this news is how the bundles are 100% pure profit for the developers that have their games in these bundles. I hope this is something that will continue each time the bundles section is updated.

New Novel By Co-Creator Of Dishonored, Deus Ex, Free For A Limited Time.

by MoreLikeAndyMay 29, 2013

We could all try to read a little more in our lives. Though not sure that too much TV rots the brain, it’s nice to sit in a comfy chair to escape into our oft forgotten imaginations that books tend to nourish. Well, I have a deal for you that will not only get you to go back to those imaginations, it’s also free.

Starting today and continuing until tomorrow, Harvey Smith‘s new novel, Big Jack is Dead, will be free on the Amazon Kindle store for two days only starting today, May 29th. Mr. Smith is known recently for co-creating Dishonored as well as past endeavors like Lead Designer of Deus Ex and Creative Director of the sequel, Invisible War. Describing Big Jack is Dead as a “semi-autobiographical, Southern Gothic novel that depicts inherited behaviors we cannot escape” definitely has my interests peaked already. Being free, it can’t hurt to give in to curiosity and read Big Jack is Dead either.

If you need a little more than just my stupid words to get you intrigued, here is an excerpt from the book:

Pilot Alert: Episode One Of ‘Supanatural’ Is Free On Amazon!

by Derek KraneveldtApril 23, 2013

This is damn cool.

As you may already know, earlier this week Amazon released a plethora of original pilots for you to watch, absolutely free. The idea is that viewers will view, vote, and voice their opinions on each episode, and that the most popular, well received videos will be adapted into full series’. This is a great idea, and a program that ensures that these often quirky, often wonderful labours-of-love will get their fair chance at pleasing viewers everywhere.

Comedy wise, there’s certainly a few big hitters here. Both Zombieland and The Onion are represented, and I’m sure these two have a great shot at getting picked up based on their popularity alone. There is however, one pilot that really stood out from the rest in the list, especially if you’re a fan of Adult Swim-type comedy. It’s a preposterously funny, absurdly clever comedy about two very unlikely heroines. Enter Supanatural.

Supanatural is an animated comedy about two outspoken divas who are humanity’s last line of defense against the supernatural… when they’re not working at the mall. It sounds ridiculous, and it absolutely is. The pilot is a fantastic introduction to the (mis?)adventures of Lucretia and Hezbah.

Take a look at a clip from Supanatural below, and keep scrolling to learn how you can help Supanatural‘s become a series!

So, you’ve watched the clip, checked out the episode, and are in love with it, right? Here’s how you can help Supanatural get a full season order:

-Watch the pilot!
-Make sure you’ve watched it all the way through
-Rate Supanatural on amazonoriginals.com (hopefully 5 stars!)
-Share Supanatural on your favourite social media site!
-Add the season to your watch list.
-Tell your friends!

That’s it! Each of those steps is simple, takes very little time, and of course every rating, vote, comment and share helps! Already seen the pilot? Let us know what you thought of it!

‘Zombieland: The Series’ Pilot Available Now!

by Derek KraneveldtApril 17, 2013

Well that was quick.

Barely two months have passed since Amazon revealed that the company would be producing a series based on 2009’s Zombieland, and today, they released the pilot online.

We first received casting news for the anticipated pilot back in February, when Kirk Ward joined the project as Tallahassee. The pilot also stars Izabela Vidovic as Little Rock, Malara Walsh as Wichita, and Tyler Ross as Columbus.

Of course, the Zombieland project began as a television show, long before it turned into a feature film, so it’ll be quite interesting to see it in the format it was originally envisioned. Zombieland creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick returned to write the series, so hopefully it retains the same feel as the movie did.

US residents can head to Amazon and check out the 29-minute pilot episode. Everyone else, you’ll have to settle for the trailer. Already watch it? Let us know what you thought!

‘Zombieland: The Series’ Gets A Poster And Image!

by Derek KraneveldtMarch 28, 2013

Zombieland: The Series is coming (at least in pilot form), and today we got our first look. The first poster for the upcoming series was released earlier today (via The Huffington Post), as was a first cast image (via Movies.com).

The Zombieland pilot was recently greenlit by Amazon, and will star Izabela Vidovic as Little Rock, Kirk Ward as Tallahassee, Malara Walsh as Wichita, and Tyler Ross as Columbus.

The Zombieland project started as a television show, long before it turned into a feature film, so it’ll be quite interesting to see it in the format it was originally envisioned. Both Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are returning to write the show, so it should definitely retain the same feel as the movie did.

Check out the images below, and let us know what you think! Are you looking forward to the series?

Amy Manson In The Running To Play Wonder Woman In The CW’s ‘Amazon’

by Shawn MaddenJanuary 17, 2013

The CW is currently casting the lead in their upcoming series Amazon, which will be based on the early days of Wonder Woman. We’ve now learned that Scottish actress Amy Manson is currently one of the strong candidates for the role in the upcoming series with the actress having multiple callbacks during the audition process.

You may actually recognize Manson from her multiple appearances on Torchwood, Misfits and Being Human. Keep in mind thought that the actress hasn’t landed the role yet, but is one of the stronger candidates. With the success they’ve had with Arrow fueling The CW’s desire to get the series going though, we may be learning who will land the role very shortly.

Source: STV

Excelsior! Stan Lee In ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Video Game Feature

by Shawn MaddenJune 18, 2012

Everyone loves Stan Lee and now you have the chance to play as Stan ‘The Man’ Lee in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ game from Beenox. The only downside is to get the Stan Lee Adventure Pack you have to pre-order the game from Amazon. However it does look like tons of fun!

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ hits stores June 26th.