Raving Toy Maniac

JOHN BARROWMAN TO APPEAR AT C2E2

Captain Jack Harkness From Doctor Who And Torchwood Coming To Chicago

Norwalk, CT, March 20, 2012: The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) has announced actor John Barrowman -- best known as Captain Jack Harkness in the BBC's Torchwood and Doctor Who -- will be appearing at this year's event as a Spotlight Guest. C2E2, from the creators of New York Comic Con, is April 13-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. The event is a popular culture convention spanning the worlds of comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga, and games, and John Barrowman is the latest addition to the show's roster of guests. Previously announced comic talent appearing at C2E2 include Adam Hughes, Joe Kubert, Marc Silvestri, Rick Remender, and Scott Snyder. Previously announced entertainment names include Anthony Daniels, Chad Michael Murray, Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris, Chris Hardwick, and Josh Gates.

March 2012 - You saw a sneak peek of them at last month's New York Toy Fair, but now the barn doors have been opened wide! Diamond Comics Distributors has opened up pre-orders for Diamond Select Toys' first wave of Minimates based on the comic book The Walking Dead. Standing 2 inches tall, each 2-inch mini-figure sports 14 points of articulation and comes with interchangeable parts and accessories, including weapons for the human characters and body parts for the zombies. The first assortment of two-packs, due at comic shops and specialty stores in September, includes:

- Rick with Roamer Zombie
- Herd Zombie Two-Pack
- Dale with Roamer Zombie
- Winter Coat Dale with Roamer Zombie (Rare variant)

Pre-order the specialty wave at your local comic shop, specialty store or your favorite online retailer. And keep a sharp lookout for pictures of the Toys "R" Us-exclusive assortment, which should hit stores around the same time!

March 2012 - 10-11-12: Jon-Paul Kaiser x Toy2R x Yoyamart

Opening night of NYCC 2012 – the force is strong with this one!

Stay tuned to Toy2R USA as details develop.

March 2012 - You saw them at NY Toy Fair, but here are brand-new photos of the Hulk and Hawkeye from Diamond Select Toys' Marvel Select action figure line! Based on Marvel's Avengers movie, the figures were designed by Gentle Giant Studios from the likenesses of Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo as they appear in the film. Both are in Marvel Select's standard 7-inch scale, which places Hawkeye around 7 inches tall and Hulk around 9 inches tall. Each figure has 16 points of articulation for a full range of movement, and Hawkeye comes with a New York City battlefield display base, which connects with the base of the Avengers' mystery foe to form a diorama. Hulk and Hawkeye (and the mystery foe) should reach comic shops and specialty stores in May, just after the movie hits U.S. theaters.

March 19, 2012 - (Sponsor Announcement) - Online retailer Urban-Collector has several new items of interest to collectors:

This week we are featuring new pre-orders including Batman Black And White Statue by Darwyn Cooke, Amazing Spider-Man Sm Unleashed Fine Art Statue and The Dark Knight Returns Batman Hunt ARTFX Statue!

Featured Pre-Orders

• Batman Black And White Statue Darwyn Cooke
• Green Lantern Animated Series Saint Walker Statue

JOHN CUSACK TO APPEAR AT CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2)

Critically Acclaimed Actor to Preview Trailer for The Raven

Norwalk, CT, March 19, 2012: John Cusack, a Chicago native and one of Hollywood's most accomplished and respected actors of his generation, will appear at this year's Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Mr. Cusack will participate in a Q&A session on Sunday, April 15th and show a trailer for The Raven, his new movie from Relativity starring Mr. Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe. The independent period thriller, which will be released on April 27th, is directed by James McTiegue and tells the fictionalized account of the last days of Poe's life in which the poet teams up with a young Baltimore detective to hunt down a serial killer who uses Poe's works as the basis for his murders. Mr. Cusack will also do a limited signing for 100 fans at C2E2.

Hasbro Named as One of Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies

Award recognizes exceptional ethical leadership across continents and industries

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- March 19, 2012 -- Hasbro, Inc., a global branded play company providing children and families with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world-class brand portfolio, announced today that it has been recognized as one of the "2012 World's Most Ethical Companies" (WME) by the Ethisphere Institute. The Ethisphere Institute is a leading business ethics think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability.

Hasbro secured a place on the WME list from a record number of nominations by implementing and maintaining "upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company's success, benefit the community and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry."

836 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fans Invade Nickelodeon Universe to Break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Largest Gathering of Ninja Turtles

BLOOMINGTON, Minn., March 17, 2012 -- Fans dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles united in Mall of America to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS largest gathering of ninja turtles and celebrate the grand opening of the newest thrill ride at Nickelodeon Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock, the first ever ride of its kind in the United States. Fans from across the nation traveled to Mall of America to shatter the previous record of 786 with 836 fans dressed as ninja turtles. The Mall welcomed guests with commemorative Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirts, face masks and free passes to check out the ride.

DARK HORSE JOINS THE GEEK & SUNDRY PROGRAMMING SLATE WITH REVOLUTIONARY NEW MOTION COMICS!

MARCH 17, 2012, ANAHEIM, CA - Today at WonderCon, it was announced that Dark Horse would be bringing their most well-known characters to Felicia Day's all-new YouTube channel, Geek & Sundry, beginning on April 2!

This highly anticipated premium YouTube channel and company, founded by Felicia Day and the producers of the hit web series The Guild, today announced a lineup of six new original series premiering online starting April 2. The channel will present the very best of indie geek culture by exploring fun themes in comedy, gaming, comics, music, and literature that are sure to captivate audiences every week. Geek & Sundry will also provide a social destination and community for fans connecting online and offline about nerd culture worldwide (GeekAndSundry.com).

DST Announces Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Photo Contest! Minimates... Fight!

March 2012 - The second wave of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Minimates minifigures is in stores now, and they're spoiling for a fight! Spider-Man, Chris Redfield, Wolverine, Viewtiful Joe, Crimson Viper, Super Skrull, Jill Valentine and Storm have joined Series 1 on the pegs, which means there are now 24 Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Minimates in all! Even though they're only 2 inches tall, Minimates pack enough articulation, accessories and interchangeable parts to create some crazy fight scenes, so Diamond Select Toys is issuing a challenge -- stage a fight scene between two or more Marvel vs. Capcom Minimates and send us a picture of it! The winner will get a set of Minimates from every Minimates line we make, plus some rare MvC3 prizes!

Rules: