NEVER TOO EARLY TO BECOME A FAN OF SUPERHEROES AND WIZARDS

Kids Preferred, an American toy company with a focus on providing developmental tools and entertaining products for infants and toddlers has announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products to bring some Hollywood magic to little ones. They have joined forces to create an incredible infant and toddler collection that will introduce the enchanting worlds of the DC Universe and Harry Potter to Generation Alpha. It is never too early to become a fan of superheroes and wizards! 

Kids Preferred has brought caped crusaders and beloved wizards to life in the form of cuddly and adorable plush toys, blankets, teethers, and activity toys. Parents can share their fanship with children through an assortment of adorable, safe and family-friendly DC Universe and Harry Potter themed items. A perfect way to ignite the imagination of little ones.

YOU ARE A WIZARD HARRY! 

From the Hogwarts House on-the-go blanket to Dobby foot rattles, parents can introduce little ones to the fantastical people, places and animal companions of the Wizarding World franchise. The Golden Snitch Plush offers embroidered wings filled with a crinkle sound to perk up little ears. The beans tucked inside the golden ball can even boost sensory development.

For teething babies, choose a Harry Potter Teether Blanket to soothe achy gums. Hermione Granger’s Teether blankie, like Harry Potters’s, offers crinkle sounds. A Ron Weasley Plush Beanbag features the red-haired and freckled wizard with many embroidered details. If you must choose between Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw, make sure to have its mascot in plush – Lion, Snake, Badger or Raven.

HOLY RATTLES, TEETHERS & PLUSH TOYS BATMAN!

Kids Preferred has also introduced a range of DC Universe toys to engage the youngest members of the family. From the Batman-on-the-go clip and pull-down vibrating activity toy to the Squeak and Peek Soft Book, there's something for every little superhero. Here are some highlights of the DC Universe collection: 

 - Batman and The Joker 15" plush 

 - Superman Activity toy with rattle, teether, and crinkle sensory textures 

 - Wonder Woman Plush with a swaddling cape 

 - Batman and Superman-themed ribbed textured blankies

Look for these Kids Preferred licensed products this summer and fall at retail partners Amazon, Target, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, Burlington and others across the United States. 

This post has affiliate links, which means this blog could earn advertising money if you buy something from Kids Preferred on Amazon.com. This doesn't cost you anything extra, ageekdaddy.com just has to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

DOOM PATROL

SPONSORED BY WARNER BROS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Miss the first season of the new comic book superhero show DOOM PATROL because you didn't subscribe to the DC UNIVERSE streaming service? Well now it is available to view via Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download. DOOM PATROL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON contains all the action-packed episodes from this hit DC UNIVERSE original series.

DOOM PATROL reimagines some of DC Comics' most unique super heroes -- ROBOTMAN, NEGATIVE MAN, ELASTI-WOMAN, and CRAZY JANE. Led by a mad scientist known as CHIEF, each of these characters has suffered a horrific tragedy that left them scarred and disfigured, but with superhuman abilities. They've banded together to support each other and investigate bizarre phenomena.



Following the mysterious disappearance of their leader, Dr. Niles Caulder ( aka Chief ), Doom Patrol is approached by the Justice League's CYBORG who enlists them on a mission that is impossible to refuse. This team of superpowered misfits takes on the villain MR NOBODY in hopes of saving a world that wants nothing to do with them.

DOOM PATROL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON includes 15 one-hour episodes along with deleted scenes and a gag real.  The Blu-ray being released is in 1980p Full HD Video with DTS HD Master Audio for English 5.1 making it great to view in a home theater. With a 95% certified fresh rating from RottenTomatoes.com, if you enjoy superhero adventures DOOM PATROL is worth adding to your home entertainment video library.

For more info about this bizarre team of superheroes go to dccomics.com. Grab yourself DOOM PATROL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on Blu-ray from Best Buy. I'm geeked to check this show out for myself!

This post contains affiliate links for Best Buy. Purchases generated through these links provide a small commission to ageekdaddy.com at no increased cost to you. Thanks for supporting our blog!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided the featured product for free to this blog for promotional consideration.

FREE ACCESS TO BATMAN COMIC BOOKS AND MOVIES ON DC UNIVERSE

Holy free stuff Batman! On Saturday, March 30, 2019 DC UNIVERSE will provide a day long Batman themed preview providing free access to a variety of animated films, live action movies, and comics books featuring the Caped Crusader. This one day FREE event is part of DC’s year-long festivities commemorating 80 years of Batman.

This on-demand digital entertainment service features classic content and new original programming based upon the DC comic book superhero universe. It can be accessed by visiting dcuniverse.com or via apps and streaming devices available from Apple App Store, Google Play, Roku, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV. There is normally a monthly subscription fee to view content from DC UNIVERSE which can be accessed through computers, mobile devices, game consoles, smart phones and Internet-connected television sets.

The free preview begins at Midnight EST, Saturday, March 30th - exactly 80 years to the day Batman first stepped out of the shadows of Gotham City in DETECTIVE COMICS #27 - and will run 24 hours, until 11:59 PM EST. From the Caped Crusader's origin in Frank Miller's landmark "Year One" comic book storyline to Tim Burton's 1989 movie blockbuster to the epic Batman: The Animated Series, you'll be able to binge hundreds of the greatest superhero stories of all time, featuring one of the most iconic characters in pop culture history. Note that only certain Batman-related content will be accessible on March 30.

If you like what you see there is also a super deal to go along with this 24 hours of super hero content.  special offer. Pay only $0.80 cents for the first month of a DC UNIVERSE subscription when new members sign up for the service between March 29, 2019, 12:01 EST and April 4, 2019 11:59pm EST. The special offer is available for people in the United States who visit dcuniverse.com. After the first month at $0.80 the monthly subscription price will renew at the standard rate of $7.99 a month.

There are a number of special 80th anniversary products, publications and events planned to celebrate this milestone year in Batman's history. For details about what is going on throughout the year, keep an eye out for the hashtags #Batman80 and #LongLiveTheBat on social media. You can also visit Batman80.com for the latest news and updates from DC Comics about how Batman's 80th anniversary is being celebrated. Plus you can also follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and Instagram and read ageekdaddy.com for updates.

All-New DC Universe BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN Movie

Tickets are now available to see a one night only cinematic showing of the newest DC Universe animated movie, BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN, on August 14, 2017 presented by Warner Bros. Studios, DC Entertainment, and Fathom Events.  It will be playing in select movie theaters across the United States one night prior to the movie's digital release and 15 days in advance of its arrival on Blu-ray and DVD.  The theatrical event will also include an exclusive sneak peek to a featurette spotlighting the film's star character, Harley Quinn.



From an original story by animation icon Bruce Timm, comes this all-new animated story pairing together the Dark Knight with the bad gal fans love, Harley Quinn, in the styling of the Batman: The Animated Series television show.  In the movie, Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue (a.k.a. The Floronic Man) have embarked on an ecological quest to save the planet – and, unfortunately, eliminate most of humankind along the way. To save humanity, Batman and Nightwing are forced to enlist Harley Quinn to catch Poison Ivy, Harley’s BFF and frequent partner-in-crime.

Batman’s patience is put to the test by the unpredictable and untrustworthy Harley during the twists and turns the reluctant companions face during their bumpy road trip. The result is a thrill ride of action, adventure and comedy no Batman fan has seen before. Batman and Harley Quinn features a stellar voice cast led by Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) reprising his role as the Dark Knight, alongside Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) making her debut as the irrepressible Harley Quinn. Loren Lester, the voice of Robin in Batman: The Animated Series, returns as Nightwing.

The showing will be at 7:30pm local time at participating locations.  Tickets for Batman and Harley Quinn can be purchased online at FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.

Spend the Holidays with Li'l Gothem

We've spent some of this holiday break the kids have from school reading DC COMIC's Batman: Li'l Gothem which is set in a FUNKOish stylized world with the publisher's iconic characters illustrated with big heads and squishy bodies similar to those funky vinyl toys.  There are two things that set these comics apart from the mainstream DC universe which makes me happy to give them a plug.

FIRST, the series is scripted to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.  DC COMICS books, television shows, video games and movies have become increasingly dark and violent which is edgy entertainment for a 40 year old dad like myself to enjoy but also media that I am hesitant to let me children have access to.  I don't want my 5 year old twins seeing Superman kill his adversary or Lois Lane being killed by the Joker.  Batman: Li'l Gothem though has limited violence and no gore in it making it more like 1960's Batman the tv show with Adam West compared to the more recent Dark Knight movies with Christian Bale.  These are fun light-hearted stories and very appropriate for kids to enjoy.  

SECOND, the artwork is done in water colors with sketchy drawings giving Batman: Li'l Gotham a whimsical feel similar to the illustrated books you see for young readers at the library.  The FUNKOized characters combined with the bright tones of the coloring make the comic enticing to young eyes and a fun change of pace for adult comic book readers.  I'd encourage you to check out the Li'l Gotham comics just for the fun of seeing its visual adaptations of the DC Universe.

I've been reading BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 with my kids at bedtime the last few nights. This is a paperwork collection of stories from DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #11, BATMAN ANNUAL #27, and BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM ISSUES 1 - 11.  What is nice about these stories is they also revolve around the holidays.  So this would be a nice book to pull off the shelf throughout the year to enjoy with your children during the various holidays.  Batman: Li'l Gotham Volume 1 has a stories with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Mothers Day & Fathers Day.

For example in the Thanksgiving Day story, the Penguin attacks the Gotham parade in a bid to set all the turkeys free and save them from a fate of ending up on that evening's dinner plates throughout the City.  A cute and fun tromp through Gotham's city streets that includes parade floats and balloons in on the action.  Batman & Robin go trick or treating in the Halloween story and on accident walk in on a dinner gathering of all the City's super villains.  The Christmas story involves Dr. Freeze kidnapping some orphans who are on their way to sing carols at Gotham's tree lighting ceremony.  It has a touch ending you wouldn't expect.

The only downside to the publication is Robin is a real BRAT compared to the adaptations you may be familiar with but on the flip side of the coin that also presents some of the parenting challenges that Batman confronts and stories revolve around in the comic providing some good story lines and messages for young children.

BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 goes on sale February 25th, 2014.  For more information, visit http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Lil-Gotham-Vol-1.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf advance copy of Batman: Lil Gotham Volume 1 from the publisher to review.  The views and opinions in this post are my own.

Wonder if you can make a difference?

DC COMICS had decided that it’s charitable focus for the company will be through an ongoing campaign called WE CAN BE HEROES which utilizes their Super Heroes to raise money to assist with Hunger Relief efforts in the Horn of Africa.  Throughout the year, DC is holding periodic campaigns which allows fans to donate money to the campaign, receive some unique and interesting swag for their contribution, and get a tax deduction too!  Donations to WE CAN BE HEROES will be used to assist three non-profits: SAVE THE CHILDREN, MERCYCORPS, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE.

Earlier this year DC hosted campaigns themed around BATMAN and SUPERMAN, and is currently hosting a 6-week fundraiser based upon THE JUSTICE LEAGUE.  Starting September 14, 2013  through the end of October there will be unique items revolving around the members of the Justice League that you can purchase to assist the campaign:

September 24 – Wonder Woman

October 1^st – Green Lantern & Green Arrow

October 8^th – Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg

October 15^th – Batman & Superman

October 22^nd – The Justice League

This week’s theme is Wonder Woman - check out these swag items you can pick up as part of the WE CAN BE HEROES campaign:

$10 – 5 digital comics (Wonder Woman Issues 0 – 5)

$25 – A print edition Superman/Wonder Woman comic with a special WE CAN BE HEROES variant collectable cover.

$30 – A one year print subscription to your choice of either Aquaman, Batman/Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League or Wonder Woman comics

$45 – An exclusive  Superman/Wonder Woman T-shirt

$50- The Wonder Woman Encyclopedia signed by creative talent Phil Jimenez

$150 – A signed lithograph by artist Adam Hughes. Plus you get a $66 dollar tax deduction!!!

$200 – Wonder Woman's famous wrist cuffs, plus they throw in an autographed Adam Hughes lithograph and one of the Wonder Woman/Superman t-shirts

$550 – plated gold Wonder Woman jewelry set – they also throw in the Adam Hughes autographed lithograph and one of the Wonder Woman/Superman t-shirts .  Add in a $180 dollar tax deduction too!

And for the GRAND PRIZE – Meet the original Wonder Woman for a donation of $10,000.

DC COMICS will fly you to New York to meet Linda Carter and throws in everything mentioned above. 

Remember the perks will change each week so if you see something you like don’t wait too long to purchase it and keep looking back for new collectables and interesting superhero items.

To participate in the WE CAN BE HEROES CAMPAIGN, visit:   http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dc-entertainment-we-can-be-heroes-justice-league-edition

SEPTEMBER IS DC COMICS - VILLAINS MONTH

Two years ago DC Comics did a major reboot of their comic book franchises stopping every story line and restarting each one from scratch.  They called this the NEW 52 and decades of past character canon was erased with all of their comic book titles starting again at ISSUE #1.  In celebration of the 2^nd anniversary of the New 52, DC is focusing the month of September on its villains with a new villain focused mini-series and each of the publisher’s normal monthly titles will be special stand alone villain focused stories.

VILLIANS MONTH kicks off on September 4^th with first full DC universe event of the New 52 era, Issue #1 of a 7 issue mini-series called Forever Evil.  It appears from what transpired in the August issue of Justice League that the super heroes are dead and the villains have inherited the Earth. Forever Evil promises to be an epic tale from the perspective of the world’s greatest super villains

Throughout the month of September, DC Comics is also releasing 52 villain-centered specials spinning out of their top tier titles.  As a result, all of the DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 titles have been renamed to spotlight different villains.  Some of the comics will be on the villain’s origins or background, while others will be a one-shot story or jumping-on point for an October storyline when the comics go back to their super hero focus.  Each of the 52 villain titles will feature a 3D cover, but unfortunately because of issues with the production process and tremendous demand for these they will be hard if not impossible to find.  There will also be traditional non-3D covers for all of these comic books. The 3D will retail at $3.99 and regular cover versions will be $2.99.  If you want the 3D version, I’d suggest you visit a comic book store on the Wednesday morning when the titles are released as soon as it opens or see if you can still preorder a copy from a retailer. Here are examples of a traditional cover vs the new 3D version:

If you want to see the DC universe from the bad guys’ perspective don’t miss out on picking up some comic books during VILLAINS MONTH. Here is a listing of the Villain comic books that will be released in relationship to the normal DC the New 52 monthly titles:

BATMAN #23.1: THE JOKER  BATMAN #23.2: THE RIDDLER
BATMAN #23.3: THE PENGUIN BATMAN #23.4: BANE

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #23.1: THE VENTRILOQUIS BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #23.2: MR. BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #23.3: CLAYFACE BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #23.4: THE JOKER’S DAUGHTER

DETECTIVE COMICS #23.1: POISON IVY DETECTIVE COMICS #23.2: HARLEY QUINNDETECTIVE COMICS #23.3: THE SCARECROW  DETECTIVE COMICS #23.4: MAN-BAT

BATMAN AND ROBIN #23.1: TWO-FACE
BATMAN AND ROBIN #23.2: THE COURT OF OWLS
BATMAN AND ROBIN #23.3: RA’S AL GHUL AND THE LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS
BATMAN AND ROBIN #23.4: KILLER CROC

ACTION COMICS #23.1: CYBORG SUPERMAN
ACTION COMICS #23.2: GENERAL ZOD
ACTION COMICS #23.3: LEX LUTHOR
ACTION COMICS #23.4: METALLO

SUPERMAN #23.1: BIZARRO SUPERMAN #23.2: BRAINIAC  SUPERMAN #23.3: H’EL            SUPERMAN #23.4: PARASITE 

JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.1: DARKSEID
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.2: LOBO
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.3: SECRET SOCIETY OF VILLAINS
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23.4: DIAL E

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.1: DEADSHOT
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.2: KILLER FROST
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.3: SHADOW THIEF
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7.4: BLACK ADAM

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23.1: THE CREEPER  JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23.2: ECLIPSO

GREEN LANTERN #23.1: RELIC  GREEN LANTERN #23.2: MONGUL                                                GREEN LANTERN #23.3: BLACK HAND  GREEN LANTERN #23.4: SINESTRO

THE FLASH #23.1: GRODD
THE FLASH #23.2: REVERSE-FLASH
THE FLASH #23.3: THE ROGUES

WONDER WOMAN #23.1: THE CHEETAH
WONDER WOMAN #23.2: FIRST BORN

AQUAMAN #23.1: BLACK MANTA
AQUAMAN #23.2: OCEAN MASTER

GREEN ARROW #23.1: COUNT VERTIGO

EARTH 2 #15.1: DESAAD   EARTH 2 #15.2: SOLOMON GRUNDY

SWAMP THING #23.1: ARCANE

TEEN TITANS #23.1: TRIGON
TEEN TITANS #23.2: DEATHSTROKE

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #3.1: DOOMSDAY 

DC COMICS HAS DOUBLE SUCCESS WITH ITS VIDEO GAME & COMIC BOOK DYNAMIC DUO

My college years were filled with a lot of late evenings tackling my buddies in exhausting bouts of combat as we all strove to be the campus champion in Mortal Kombat.  This game had cutting edge graphics and features for the time and was a great way to release some of our scholarly anxieties and just have some youthful rambunctious fun.  I've wondered over the years why video game publishers have never made an exhilarating combat game that allows players to bash comic book super heroes and villains  against one another.  Well the waiting ended this year when the creators of Mortal Kombat took its game engine updated with today's graphics and processing technology to produce INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US.

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US pits the DC Comics super heroes of "our universe" against their personalities from an alternate dimension on  Xbox and PlayStation consoles.  The game play is fun and full of special effects and feature moves that keeps the games interesting.  It's a brawling good time for fans of Superman, Batman and the like.  The weakness of the games is an odd ball plot and lacking script for the game's "story" but that is overcome by the sheer fun of the game's one-on-one battle sequences.

Don't fret though because DC has addressed the limitations of the game's script with an incredible new comic
book series with the same name as the video game but with its own stand alone in-depth story.   Often times these type of tie-in comics are just meant for marketing purposes and don't have a lot of effort put into them making them not worth a glance, but I have to say DC has embraced this effort and made this an extraordinary piece of work.  I was riveted to the pages while reading it and enthralled by the storyline of this comic book series.  The comic has decent artwork but it is the story that draws your interest and hooks you.  This was one of the best comic book reads I've had in a few years and highly recommend it whether or not you are interested in the video game.

While of course the story has super hero battles it also has a philosophical undertone exploring the balancing
act of giving up "freedom" to gain "security" that combined with good character plots and scripting makes this title a winner.  The comic book series revolves around how an injustice is done to Superman and how superheroes based upon that act as "gods" among mankind in response.  There really are some hard hitting sequences in this comic that go a lot darker than the "Smallville" type portrayal of the DC universe that many people associate with its super heroes.

The story starts with the Joker tricking Superman into killing his pregnant wife, Lois Lane as well as their unborn child, with his bare hands and in the process also causing a nuclear explosion that decimates his adopted home of Metropolis killings it entire population of 11 million people.  This pushes Superman to his breaking point.  He pledges to stop all violence in the world.  Instead of protecting humanity from threats so they have the freedom of self determination, the Man of Steel determines that he well  decide the rules by which mankind conducts itself and behaves.  This places Superman at odds with Batman who doesn't believe that super heroes should be acting like "gods among us" in determining how much freedom or control the people of Earth should have over their own behavior.

 The plot of INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US really places Superman who has been know for upholding "truth, justice, and the American way" into a grey area between good guy and bad guy which is highlighted in one scene where he tries to put down a citizen protest and is yelled down being told "you think you can come here and hover above us all with a scowl and some special powers and tell us what to do?"  This dynamic really makes the story an entertaining read that I couldn't put down.  So far I haven't figured out if the comic book story is taking place in an "alternate reality" like the video game and is explaining how the Superman Regime from the game began or is supposed to be taking place in the "main stream" DC universe.  While there are similarities between some things in the game script and the comic book story there are also lots of differences too. DC Comics does call the series a prequel to the video game though which has to make you think maybe this is the alternate reality setup.  I guess I'll have to just keep reading to find out.

Missed the monthly serial issues of the comic? Don't worry you can catch up with the first 5 issues all bundled together as a hardcover edition.  INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US - VOLUME 1 went on sale August 13, 2013.  Check it out!

Also if you are interested in the game console video game and/or the comic book there also is a great iPad game that I've downloaded and been playing quite a bit lately...it's become my favorite game beating out Angry Birds: Star Wars for my attention...and its FREE.  I just beat a number of challenges to add General Zod to my online cast of characters.  You can download the game from the iTunes store.

Kudos to DC Comics for making their INJUSTICE video game and comic book a great dynamic duo!

DISCLAIMER:  I was provided a complimentary digital advance readers edition pdf of INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US-VOLUME 1 from the publisher.  I was not compensated for this review and the thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.