Den of Geek Magazine Issue 12 - The Feel-Good Issue

THE FEEL-GOOD ISSUE

GU I DE TO

H AYAO M IYA Z A K I

The filmmakers take us behind the scenes of a world of pure imagination

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Behind Emma Stone‘s one-of-akind Frankenstein fantasia.

AVATAR:

FRON TIERS OF PANDOR A Experience the sci-fi franchise like never before

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POOR THINGS

MARVEL’S G.O.D.S. Inside the New Mythology with Jonathan Hickman

ADVERTORIAL PRESENTED BY G FUEL

G FUEL’S ENERGY DRINKS

ARE HERE TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE HECTIC HOLIDAY SEASON

DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON, things can get hectic.

Sometimes in a fun way, sometimes in a oh-my-sweet-freshapricots-I-have-so-much-to-do kind of way. So, naturally, one might be attracted to the idea of getting an energy boost to aid them! G FUEL energy drinks do exactly that—with top-tier ingredients and a sugar-free formula—with plenty of different flavor options to choose from.

But as you may have noticed from the name of this magazine, we are, indeed, a realm for all things geek. G FUEL, in its infinite wisdom and kindness, has cooked up a slew of pop culture-inspired flavors and bundles—with some little bonuses accompanying them—that have captured our attention this holiday season. Check out our top picks!

AMY’S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE COLLECTOR’S BOX Sticking with the video game theme but moving just a teensy little bit away from the megaviolence of Mortal Kombat (below), G FUEL also has some products for the Sonic the Hedgehog fans out there! But rather than Sonic himself, it’s a collector’s edition box in honor of Amy Rose. If you’ve been channeling the aesthetic of Barbie since the summer, this will do well enough to continue it.

The box includes a collectible shaker cup with a simple yet stylish pink flourish, as well as a special flavor tub: Amy’s Strawberry Shortcake. Who doesn’t love strawberry shortcake? Plus, the flavor goes well with milk!

MORTAL KOMBAT KLASSICS COLLECTION

Do you ever just get the urge to shout “MORTAL KOMBAT!!” dramatically in the middle of the day? No? Well, okay then, perhaps it’s just us who love the classics. And G FUEL know it, so it’s cooked up a whole crop of Mortal Kombat-inspired items for you to get your hands on.

On top of the stainless-steel shaker cup shown to the left, that cleverly depicts the classic—or, excuse us, Klassic—character select screen, an assortment of different tubs can be found as well. There’s the spicy mango Scorpion Strike and the blueberry lemon Ice Shatter in honor of the legendary Scorpion/Sub-Zero rivalry, and even a tribute to Raiden in the form of the watermelon lemonade Electric Strike.

If that doesn’t satiate your bloodlust, what will?

ADVERTORIAL PRESENTED BY G FUEL

REBEL MOON G FUEL IMPERIUM TONIC COLLECTOR’S BOX

Rebel Moon is the latest sci-fi epic from cult-favorite director Zack Snyder, and if the trailer is at all indicative, it’s set to be one of the most anticipated releases when it drops on Netflix in December. In partnership with Rebel Moon, G FUEL is offering a special edition Collector’s Box to commemorate the occasion.

While all G FUEL flavors are plentiful and, of course, delightful, the Imperium Tonic deserves an extra mention. It’s a sweet blend of berry, kiwi, and watermelon that’ll send you out of this world (and maybe even into whatever universe Rebel Moon takes place in).

Plus, the box also includes a commemorative shaker cup that showcases some of the sweet futuristic vehicles featured in the movie. Snyderheads won’t want to miss out, and you can find this one exclusively at Walmart for the holiday season.

DRAGON BALL Z G FUEL FRIEZA COLLECTION

Look, man, Dragon Ball Z rules. One of the first Shounen anime to truly break out in the West, the franchise remains relevant to this day. In fact, it’s so relevant that it’s a general fixture in pop culture, with Goku in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

So this collaboration is an obvious choice, but instead of focusing on Goku, it’s all about our favorite maniacal murderer—King Frieza!

With the Collector’s Box, you’ll get a tub of the Evil Emperor flavors—Cranberry, Cherry, Raspberry, and Strawberry—as well as an exclusive shaker cup to match. You can also get your hands on two other tubs, Pineapple Ginyu Force and Super Saiyan Lemonade, sold separately.

MEGA MAN RUSH COLLECTOR’S BOX

There are days—many days, in fact—where one must put on some headphones and turn on one of the many, many bangers from the Mega Man series. The Blue Bomber has been a fixture in the gaming landscape as long as nearly any character, so it’s lovely to see that the folks at G FUEL have put together an all-new special edition Collector’s Box in his honor.

The shaker cup in this one looks fantastic with a nice transparent view of not just Mega Man himself but also his trusty robotic dog sidekick, Rush! Speaking of Rush, the box also comes with a collectible Mega Man-inspired pet leash and collar that’ll be perfect for all the good doggy owners out there.

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PERCY JACKSON

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The VFX experts behind the Disney+ series break down the creation of the show’s new take on the minotaur. PG. 28

WISH

MIYAZAKI

The makers of original fairy tale Wish celebrate 100 years of Disney animation by remembering the classic movies that inspired them. PG. 12

The only guide you’ll ever need to catch up on the films of animation auteur Hayao Miyazaki. PG. 40

POOR THINGS

MARVEL G.O.D.S.

Legendary comic book creator Jonathan Hickman is rewriting the rules of the Marvel universe once again in his latest endeavor. He tells Den of Geek what we can expect from G.O.D.S. PG. 24

ARGYLLE

AVATAR

Ubisoft walks us through the making of the new Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora video game, the deepest dive into James Cameron’s sci-fi world yet. PG. 44 4

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Director Matthew Vaughn gives us highly classified information about his latest reinvention of the spy genre, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, and Sam Rockwell. It’s headed to cinemas in 2024. PG. 26

JUSTICE LEAGUE +

Superman. Batman. Godzilla. King Kong. GIANT MECHS! Writer Brian Buccellato on what it’s like to play with his favorite toys in the new DC/ Legendary crossover. PG. 30

IMAGE CREDITS: DC COMICS/ SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES/ UBISOFT/ STUDIO GHIBLI

Frankenstein’s monster has nothing on Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ surreal heir of Mary Shelley.

Screenwriter and frequent Lanthimos collaborator, Tony McNamara, takes us inside this tale of mad scientists and globetrotting adventure. PG. 48

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ON THE COVER

Welcome to the feel-good issue! Our final edition of Den of Geek magazine in 2023 is a proud celebration of everything bright, colorful, and positive in the world of pop culture.

So adorning the cover with Wonka, starring the delightful Timothée Chalamet seemed like the best possible choice.

It’s a candy-coated musical the tells the story of young Willy Wonka before he’s built his chocolate empire, and it’s adorable (while also being funny and a bit dark.) Director Paul King and producer David Heyman take us behind the scenes. Elsewhere in the issue we enter the brave blue world of Pandora for the new Avatar game. We have exclusives on Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show, and talk to the creators of Marvel’s G.O.D.S. and Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. We also spoke with Tony McNamara, screenwriter of one of the year’s most intriguing films, Poor Things. Enjoy the issue!

Den of Geek magazine is available at these fine comic book stores nationwide.

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COVER PHOTO CREDIT: WARNER BROS.

ISSUE 12 | WINTER 2023 6

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IMAGE CREDITS: WARNER BROS

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The magazine you’re holding in your hands right now is available at these fine comic book stores nationwide.

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28 36

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Collectables (Vancouver), (133) Silver Snail (Toronto), (134) Capitaine Québec les Livres Comiques (Montreal)

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134

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68 75–76

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COMIC STORE SPOTLIGHT Owner Rory Malone in his new-ish store Champion Comics and Coffee.

COFFEE, DONUTS AND COMICS

Champion Comics is getting its feet under the table with its coffee shop culture. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPH BY JIM DANDENEAU RORY MALONE has spent the last year experimenting. Malone, the owner of the new-ish Champion Comics and Coffee in Williston, Vermont, is just about at the one-year mark as a comic shop owner, and he tried something a little outside his wheelhouse when he opened the store. “The idea is that somebody comes in to get coffee and they browse around, and they get a book, or they come in to get a book, and while they’re reading their book, 10

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they’ll get something to eat, or they’ll grab a cup of coffee,” Malone tells Den of Geek. “What I’ve learned since we opened the shop is when I’m advertising it… the comic book people, you sorta know where to target. The coffee is the harder part.”

But regardless of their reasons for coming to the store, “once we get people in, we get them back.”

Champion is an island in Vermont, one of only three dedicated comic book stores in the entire state. The

hardest part for Malone has been the time travel world of pre- and backordering books. Comics are not a print-to-order business: store owners estimate demand for a book and order according to what their customers have requested or what they think their customers would buy.

Anything they order that they can’t sell gets stuck on their shelves for months before being frog-marched into a quarter bin. Anything that sells out quickly gets put on back order, at

which point, who knows when it will arrive? So Malone is in a position where he orders books two months before he can read them and sometimes does not get more than a brief glimpse at a copy or two for six months after that. “Because a lot of

ONCE WE GET PEOPLE IN, WE GET THEM BACK.” things were on backorder when we opened in December, I’d start to see how things were working and selling, get four or five months of selling, and get to know what works,” Malone tells us, “and then I’d get these random books on back order since November and I’m like, ‘my god, why did I order this.’”

Not that the “my gods” are all bad, mind you. “I have this ramen cookbook graphic novel [Let’s Make Ramen! by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan, a book that went on this writer’s Christmas list immediately after leaving this interview]. When I ordered it initially,” Malone says, “I thought I wanted to have something in all genres. Now I have a tough time keeping it on the shelves.”

Now, a year in, Malone has his feet under him and is working on growing the audience. “We’re getting donuts from Twisted Halo up and running in the shop, and we’re going to be hopefully adding more baked goods moving forward,” Malone says. And apparently, more of anything James Tynion IV writes. “W0rldtr33 (Worldtree) is our hottest-selling comic; second hottest is Something is Killing the Children,” Malone tells us.

“Right now, anything that James Tynion writes is on fire.” And it looks like after this anniversary, Champion Comics could be on fire, too.

Champion Comics and Coffee is located at 31 Cottonwood Drive, Suite 106, Williston, VT 05495. If you know a shop that does something unique give us a shout @DenofGeekUS on X.

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, INTERACTIVE, GAMMAIRRADIATED TOUR OF THE MCU AND BEYOND ANYWHERE!

Join Den of Geek editors Kirsten Howard and Joe George and special guests as they explore the Marvel Universe and break down all the latest MCU and Marvel Comics news.

LEARN MORE

@MarvelStandom

STAN TOGETHER! *DEN OF GEEK AND MARVEL STANDOM ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH MARVEL OR DISNEY. ALL MARVEL CHARACTERS AND THE DISTINCTIVE LIKENESS(ES) THEREOF ARE TRADEMARKS & COPYRIGHT © 1939–2022 MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.”

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NEW RELEASES

WISH FULFILLMENT WHEN IT CAME to creating the animated film that would be released on the 100th anniversary of Disney Studios, Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer and co-creator of Frozen, Jennifer Lee, was deeply aware of the massive task that she and everyone at the storied animation studio would be taking on. “I started talking with my fellow Frozen director, Chris Buck, about how Disney would be turning 100 this year,” Lee shares at 12

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a press event celebrating their newest animated feature. “We acknowledged what a privilege and responsibility it is at this significant time. And we thought what a wonderful way to celebrate a century of storytelling, to tell a joyful, original story with original characters and songs inspired by our legacy of films.” That film is Wish, Disney’s 62nd animated feature film, that follows a young woman, Asha (Ariana DeBose), who lives in

the magical kingdom of Rosas where wishes really do come true. Asha ends up on a fantastical adventure thanks to the power of her heart’s desire.

Helmed by Frozen co-director Chris Buck and animator turned debut director Fawn Veerasunthorn, Wish marks an original fairy tale from Disney and takes inspiration from a classic Disney tradition. “So many of our films are about characters who are longing for something greater

IMAGE CREDIT: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

The release of Wish coincides with the centenary of Disney.

We speak to the creators about making a fairy tale worthy of 100 years of history. BY ROSIE KNIGHT

Left: Ariana DeBose voices our hero Asha.

Above and right: Visual development art of King Magnifico and Asha’s band of friends. Each member of the gang is inspired by one of the seven dwarfs.

and who, when needing or wanting something more, turn to the night sky above to dream, and you know what they say about dreams...” Lee shares before the famed Cinderella song, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” begins to play in the El Capitan Theatre where Disney is presenting footage from Wish. The concept of making a wish and what that means is at the heart of the newest Disney

movie as Asha discovers a shocking truth behind her idyllic lifestyle and must fight to free the wishes of others from the greedy and villainous leader of her beloved home, the dastardly King Magnifico.

For Veerasunthorn, the film also represents a new step in her journey from applying to work at Disney and being rejected not once but twice to directing her first feature.

“I would drive by the studio and think, ‘Maybe one day I’ll work there.’” For Veerasunthorn, it was third time lucky, and the first film she worked on was Frozen, where she met Lee and Buck.

“Over the years, I continued to work on many films I enjoy, and was so excited to be head of story on Raya and the Last Dragon. So after that, I came onto Wish, which I was really, really hoping I would get to work on; it was like my secret wish.” While Veerasunthorn had her theories about what the much-rumored project might be about, she was surprised to discover the truth behind Wish. “For the anniversary, there was a lot of rumbling in the building about what the studio would do. I thought maybe it would be a compilation of all the characters,” she shares. “But I was so excited when I learned it’s an original story with all original songs!”

Those seven songs were written by five-time Grammy nominee Julia Michaels, who has penned tracks for stars like Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, H.E.R., Demi Lovato, and Dua Lipa. “She was already signed on at the time when I joined the film,” Veerasunthorn says. “So, I was like, ‘Whoa, a pop star and pop tunes in the look of a classical Disney film!’

Because our goal from the start was to be able to honor the legacy of the studios, create something new and look forward to the future. So Julia with her contemporary sound really brought that for me.”

Crafting something new while making sure the film honored Disney’s 100-year legacy was at the very core of Wish. Buck straddles that line as someone trained under one of Walt’s original Nine Old Men—the Disney founders’ key animators from the 1950s—Eric Larson. That experience imbued a deep passion for handdrawn animation before working on movies including Tarzan and, of course, transitioning into computergenerated animation with the studio’s smash hit, Frozen. That gave him a unique insight. “When it came to doing this movie, the desire was how DEN OF GEEK

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NEW RELEASES

can we honor that legacy? We didn’t want to just do a computer film that looked like the computer; it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like we were really honoring that beautiful legacy that is so much a part of our DNA. Then it was a matter of how can we do both? And it was the amazing artists and technicians who were able to give us this beautiful hand-drawn look to the characters, and then these beautiful backgrounds where we harken back to some of our watercolor movies.”

Looking back to the iconic and groundbreaking animated films of Disney’s history was vital in telling Asha’s story, and the creative team was kind enough to share some of the biggest influences they think audiences should watch before Wish.

“We started with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the watercolor backgrounds,” Veerasunthorn shares.

“Next would be Sleeping Beauty for the Eyvind Earle of it all. We really took inspiration from those two films.” She continues, “Alice in Wonderland for the fantastical elements and vibrant colors.” Buck interjects, “And that was Mary Blair,” shouting out the legendary Disney artist. He is also quick to share his love and the massive 14

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IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE HAD A BIG, LARGER-THANLIFE, FUNNY, CHARISMATIC, EVIL VILLAIN.” — FAWN VEERASUNTHORN

influence of Pinocchio on Wish. “What I love about that, besides all the art and everything, is also the story itself and that Walt was never afraid—just like fairy tales—to get too dark. He knew he was going to tell a happy ending. He knew it would all work out.

But he wanted to take the audience on that epic journey.”

Asha’s hero’s journey only gets harder after she fights back against the maniacal King Magnifico (Chris Pine), who it is revealed has been stealing the wishes of others in exchange for giving the people who give up their wishes a safe haven in Rosas. The charming royal is poised to be the company’s newest iconic villain, complete with a fantastically over-the-top and instantly catchy

villain song, “The Thanks I Get,” that Den of Geek got to experience on the big screen.

A malicious and impactful antagonist was something the creative team was eager to bring to the film.

“I’m very excited about Magnifico,” Veerasunthorn tells Den of Geek. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a big, larger-than-life, funny, charismatic, super evil villain.”

Buck agrees. “He has a wonderful descent into madness. He’s different from some of our other villains in that those other villains have come onto the screen and they’re fully formed.

Our villain is not, so you watch his descent and it’s fascinating.”

His journey to villainy happens alongside Asha’s quest to help her fellow citizens, which offers up some interesting parallels between the two, as Veerasunthorn explains. “We particularly love that, for a moment, Asha and Magnifico actually align philosophically. They see eye to eye on the importance of a wish before it breaks apart in a really epic way. They still believe in the same thing, but the way they go about it is different, and that’s what brings on the conflict.”

Wish is in theaters now.

IMAGE CREDIT: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Asha with her grandfather Sabino (Victor Garber), and her little talking goat buddy Valentino (Alan Tudyk).

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT…

Meet the Priscilla star who’s earning serious awards buzz for the latest Sofia Coppola film.

BY DAVID CROW

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Spaeny got her first onscreen role when a video audition she sent in for Pacific Rim: Uprising landed her the role. She was just 18 and, in retrospect, considers it “getting baptized in fire.” She’d soon live in LA permanently and work on projects such as Devs and Bad Times at the El Royale, but she still says of living in her new hometown: “Oh, it’ll always be strange.”

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Spaeny feels a lot of pressure to do justice to Priscilla Presley, whose story has often been glossed over. In addition to always admiring Sofia Coppola’s work—“When I found her [growing up], those films were freeing to me”—she met with Priscilla to understand her recollections, and Spaeny kept home movies and archival footage of Elvis and Priscilla on a loop.

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Born in 1998 and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Cailee Spaeny first got the acting bug at age 13 when she performed in her homeschool co-op, which in turn led to her auditioning for the Springfield Little Theatre. One of her first gigs? The lead role of Dorothy in a stage version of The Wizard of Oz.

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From the beginning, Spaeny felt so sure she needed to act professionally that she convinced her mother to drive her to Los Angeles each summer. “That this is where it all happens was so exciting for me,” Spaeny recalls.

“I had so much drive about making it happen. It was a really magical time in my life, and those are some of my favorite memories.”

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The first time Spaeny saw the finished film was at the Venice Film Festival, where she sat next to Priscilla.

Says the actor: “I was incredibly nervous; I made this film for her… Once the film was over, she turned to me and said, ‘I thought that was a great performance, and I watched my life through you.’ That was everything.”

IMAGE CREDIT: GABRIEL BOUYS / GETTY IMAGES

CAILEE SPAENY

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Bring Bringyour yourfavorite favorite WEBTOON WEBTOONstories... stories...

Available Availablewherever whereverbooks booksare aresold. sold. webtoonunscrolled.com webtoonunscrolled.com

...home ...homefor for the theholidays! holidays!

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COLLECTIBLES

THE JOY BEHIND THE TOY

The creatives behind these exciting new collectibles lines express their love for their work. PHOTOS BY ANDREW WALKER/SHUTTERSTOCK

“Every other toy company is ramping up for Christmas. You can have Christmas. We want Halloween. Boodega started as a pop-up shop for monsters, and ever since then, we’ve done Boodega as our Halloween push. I get an excuse to make as much wacky monster stuff as I want.”

— BRIAN FLYNN

“Being a part of bringing Biker Mice From Mars back to the forefront of the toy and cartoon worlds has been THE most surreal joy of my life. And that joy is going to produce more plastic hot dogs over the next year than have been made in the entire history of the world! There’s nothing like holding in your hand the first physical prototype after many months of seeing artwork and pictures on a computer screen, plus waiting for the FedEx package to get here from China.

It’s always surreal.”

— BRIAN VOLK-WEISS, CEO OF NACELLE

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RANDOM RANKINGS Fictional chefs ranked by how much anxiety they experience on the job. BY ALEC BOJALAD

5 “[Hasbro Marvel Avengers Mech Strike] is really about taking the storytelling and iconic parts of the characters and translating them into toy form.

Taking these to [New York Comic Con] is a good opportunity for parents to play with their kids, too.

The adults are having as much fun as the kids at the booth. It’s nostalgic for them to have a Nerf blaster and relive their childhood, so we’re hoping families can create more memories together” — DWIGHT STALL, DESIGNER OF HASBRO’S MARVEL LEGENDS LINE

Swedish Chef, The Muppets The Muppets’ Swedish Chef experiences precisely zero stress.

He just mumbles “bork, bork, bork” as he crashes around the kitchen. He might not even be aware he’s cooking, bless him.

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Steven Seagal, Under Siege Lest you forget, Steven Seagal’s Under Siege character is a culinary specialist aboard the USS Missouri. The action he experiences should make for a stressful experience, but Seagal has everything under control.

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Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd Baking dead human beings into pies is a stressful endeavor (or so we’ve been told), so naturally, Mrs. Lovett should be feeling some heat in the kitchen.

When the pies are this good, that takes some of the edge off.

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Remy, Ratatouille Ratatouille may seem like a breezy family film, but the stakes are as high as they come. If rat Remy doesn’t cook up his dish to perfection, the jig is up, and the exterminators are coming to wipe out his whole rat family.

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Carmen Berzatto, The Bear Chicago chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto routinely experiences levels of stress that could be safely compared to being under heavy fire in an active war zone. So, you know, usual restaurant stuff.

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DEEP DIVE

RESTORING GAMING’S LOST ART IN JULY 2023, the Video Game History Foundation revealed that 87% of classic video games released in the United States are now considered critically endangered.

Nearly 9 out of 10 video games ever released in the U.S. are unavailable via modern distribution platforms.

How did it come to this?

“It was the Wild West back then,” says Stephen Kick, CEO and cofounder of Nightdive Studios. “[There was] a lack of foresight for saving work. It was lost in a closet or thrown out if a studio was acquired or went bankrupt… it’s just gone.”

Kick co-founded Nightdive Studios in 2012 after trying and failing to download an official copy of one of his favorite games, System Shock 2.

Since then, Nightdive has helped to rescue many formerly lost games by re-releasing, remastering, or remaking them.

“It’s always been about treating video games as art,” Kick says. “In order to have that distinction, we have to do a better job of preserving our past so that people can appreciate and experience it.”

Restoring those works of art is a daunting challenge that often requires hunting down rights, design documents, and even original code.

Early on, though, one of the greatest obstacles was indifference.

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“When we started talking with other publishers, they said, ‘Why would anyone want these old games?’” says Nightdive’s director of business development, Larry Kuperman. “They were surprised that a lot of people wanted these games because they didn’t see them as old; they saw them as being classic.”

Nightdive’s current catalog includes blockbuster classics such as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, System Shock, and an upcoming remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces. Yet, it also features more obscure titles like I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Blood, and Noctropolis. It’s an eclectic collection that spawned from powerful roots. “[Our] first titles were games that I played with my dad growing up,” Kick says. “It was a personal mission to restore the games I remembered playing with my dad.”

Nightdive’s successes have allowed the studio to pursue increasingly bigger titles. Yet, the heart of their mission can be found in all their projects, regardless of size. “As we get older and become parents and grandparents, these [games] are our memories,” Kuperman says. “These are sensations that we want to share with our children and grandchildren.”

For as much as we talk about nostalgia when we talk about retro

games, Nightdive is just as interested in ensuring that future generations are able to experience these titles.

“As we’ve grown, more of our audience is people who never had the opportunity to play these games the first time,” Kuperman says. “The compliments that do it for me begin

IMAGE CREDIT: NIGHTDIVE STUDIOS

In an industry that has forgotten much of its past, Nightdive Studios is working to ensure you can still play the games that mean the most to you. BY MATTHEW BYRD

1. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster 2. System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition 3. Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition 4. Shadow Man Remaster 5. Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion

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with the words, ‘I didn’t know.’ The biblical phrase is ‘A call lifted up their eyes,’ and they go, ‘Oh my goodness, this was here all the time, and I just didn’t know about it.”

Nightdive’s work has also shown how much of gaming’s history can be lost when that history is so often

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written by the most successful.

“With any art, the goal is to inspire or influence,” Kick says. “When the originators of this industry have their products and experience being locked away, their collective knowledge is basically inaccessible to people who may become developers

or designers in the future. A big goal of ours was to ensure that future generations of game developers have that knowledge in their hands that will hopefully inspire them to create something wonderful.”

To that end, Nightdive emphasizes the accuracy of its projects. Though the team may optimize games to run on modern hardware or add lost content, such alterations always serve the same greater purpose.

“When we remaster a game, our goal is that the game should play the way you remembered it playing,” Kuperman says. “It’s about recreating that original experience.”

Recreating an original experience can be an arduous process. Many of these games weren’t just lost; they were buried. So what motivates the Nightdive team to press on?

“It’s the fans,” Kick says. “They will share their memories of what it was like playing those games with their parents or siblings. Just seeing the trailer again takes them back to that time when they didn’t have the burdens of modern life weighing on their shoulders. They’re kids again with fewer responsibilities or cares.”

Anyone who grew up a gamer has those memories. They are powerful, but they are sometimes not enough. If we want to share and play the games we remember most fondly, the efforts of companies like Nightdive are more vital than ever.

“Do you think that museums are important?” Kuperman asks. “You kind of remember how the pictures look, so why would you want to go see them again? It’s the same thing with playing video games.”

Nightdive Studios’ remaster of Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is out now for all modern platforms. Their remaster of Star Wars: Dark Forces is scheduled for release on Feb. 28.

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COMICS

THE NEW MARVEL MYTHOLOGY Jonathan Hickman’s G.O.D.S. rewrites Marvel’s mythology for a new generation of fans. BY JIM DANDENEAU

You’re well-known for being a very meticulous writer, but some of your success stems from how much heart you pack into the stories. What can you share about the heart at the core of G.O.D.S.?

G.O.D.S. is constructed on the spine of a traditional romantic drama, so I guess it’s built in there. People will get lost in the scale of the story and how it really jumps around from issue to issue, but there are basically four main characters who have no business being in each other’s lives but are forced to. That kind of scenario always lends itself to emotional hooks for both the characters and the readers.

You’ve talked a lot about how work done in shared universes should be additive and not destructive. You’re building a new mythology for the Marvel 24

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Universe here, using some characters and concepts from existing Marvel cosmology.

How do you square the cosmic subject matter and the groundlevel viewpoint?

I think that if we do the job correctly, other creators will have a bit more access to using the Marvel cosmology in a way that is both more relatable and more mythological than what currently exists. I obviously love that stuff, but it’s hard for it to function in NYC unless you’re on Bleecker St., or you fall down a hole in Central Park, which rules it out for a good 80 percent of Marvel comics. And I always want things I love to be more popular and not less, so here we go.

You’ve mentioned that you want this to be a spectacle, and you’re someone who’s done more with the cosmology of the

Clockwise, from main: A page from Marvel Comics’ mythologybuilding G.O.D.S, written by Jonathan Hickman with art

by Valerio Schiti, which features familiar faces such as Doctor Strange and Mister Fantastic alongside an exciting new cast of characters; the covers for issues 4, 3 and 2 of the new title.

IMAGE CREDIT: MARVEL COMICS

JONATHAN HICKMAN IS THE MOST ROCK-SOLID SUPERSTAR working in comics today. He is the mastermind behind arguably the best Marvel crossover of all time in Secret Wars. His splashy return to Marvel from a post-Secret Wars, creator-owned break was the biggest event in superhero books in the last half-decade, relaunching a stagnant X-Men line with a monster hit in House of X and Powers of X. However, X-Men wasn’t his only pitch when he came back to Marvel. Hickman also had a big cosmic idea that Marvel greenlit alongside HoX and PoX: G.O.D.S., a sweeping new series revamping the cosmology of the Marvel Universe and reimagining how cosmic entities like Eternity or the Living Tribunal interact with the heroes we see every day. We talked with Hickman about his big idea and just how small it can be.

Marvel multiverse than probably anyone since Jim Starlin. How hard do you have to work to not get lost in the breadth of this subject matter?

Well, getting lost in the breadth of this stuff is kind of the point. I mean, it’s why I tell stories. I want them to be big and expansive and immersive and, like you said, a spectacle.

So, again, I want to get lost in it.

The trick is getting everyone else to come along for the ride. That takes a certain amount of luck, telling the right story at the right time, but it also requires a perfect entry—or reentry—point for the audience. It’s one of the reasons we did such a big first issue.

Which of the abstract entities were you most excited to play with, and which one was the most frustrating to translate into this story?

I really like the Inbetweener. That’s fun. Chaos and Order are fun.

Because of how we’re constructing some of this, I’ve found Eternity and Infinity more difficult to use because they’re so “on the nose.” But they look super cool, so that helps.

Valerio Schiti (artist of G.O.D.S.) is the latest in a long line of stunningly talented artists you’ve worked with. What does he do better than anyone you’ve worked with before, and how are you writing into that strength?

Valerio is super talented, just a hell of an artist… but I’ve known that for a while. I think the thing that he’s done better than most people I’ve worked with is how good he has been on the conceptual side of things. He always brings a different but complementary perspective to mine, which has proven to be pivotal to how well G.O.D.S. is coming together. My rule with him is the same as with any great artist: try as hard as you can to get out of the way when they’re really cooking.

G.O.D.S. 2 is out now; 3 is out Dec. 20 DEN OF GEEK

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NEW RELEASES

SPY GAMES GET REAL Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn reinvents the espionage actioner with the genre-bending Argylle. BY DAVID CROW

MATTHEW VAUGHN IS NO STRANGER TO SPY MOVIES. The iconoclastic genre filmmaker has already directed three Kingsman movies, and that came after having a brief flirtation with James Bond. Yet the filmmaker who’s also dabbled in fantasy (Stardust) and superheroes (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) is up to something extra mischievous with Argylle, his new 2024 action spectacle: he’s playing it for real. Kind of.

Set in a heightened world where allegedly real-life author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard)—the creator of the fictional Agent Argylle (played by Henry Cavill in the film)—stops writing spy fiction and begins living it after crossing paths with an actual spook (Sam Rockwell), Argylle sees Vaughn changing the game.

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brilliant. It’s coming out in January or something. Then I saw the synopses of the other five, and I said, “Let’s make book four. Book four is better for a movie….”

So we started with book four, but I was again like, “Hold on, it’s got to be different.” And I had an idea: imagine a world with J.K. Rowling while she was writing Harry Potter in Portugal and being inspired by her aunt. Imagine if a real wizard suddenly turned up with J.K. Rowling and went, “Yeah, yeah, it’s pretty good what you’re writing, but this is also how you do magic.”

And with Romancing the Stone, they don’t make a lot of those anymore, romantic action movies.

I’ve called this probably more of an action-romantic movie. [Laughs] It’s got romance in it, but it’s got a bit of everything. You know what it has?

Escapism. Because when we were all sitting in the house together watching these movies, we were escaping

I CALL [HENRY CAVILL] 007 AND A HALF. I ADORE HIM.” lockdown. I was like, let’s recreate that feeling they had. It’s an adventure movie, Romancing the Stone. This is spies. I’m guilty of contributing to creating the tropes that we all know in spy movies. So I love the idea of taking some of the tropes that I’m guilty of and reinventing them.

IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE TV+

You’re a connoisseur of espionage and spy films. So what about Argylle appealed to you after doing three Kingsman movies?

First of all, lockdown made me catch my kids. Now I could make them watch lots of films from my childhood, which they’d refused to watch. And one of the movies that really stuck with them was Romancing the Stone.

They were like, “Wow! Dad, why don’t they make movies like that?” And I had forgotten how much I loved that film. And I didn’t say this to the kids, but I remember that was my first date that turned out to be successful afterward. So Romancing the Stone was a really, shall we say, profound moment in my life at age 13.

So I just wanted to make a film that I could share with my wife and my daughters that they would enjoy and that my son wouldn’t throw up with boredom watching at the same time.

But I didn’t want to copy Romancing the Stone. But then I read the first book of Argylle. And book one of Argylle is

would work if you were in a fancy spy movie, but if you’re in a realistic place, there isn’t going to be a gadget that will let you fly out of the situation.

Between casting Colin and now Sam as your spies, do you just like taking Oscar winners and making them kickass heroes?

By default. I was about to say, “Sam’s won an Oscar?” Sam winning an Oscar makes me laugh. Yeah, I love casting really good actors because it makes my life a lot easier. I also think when you cast great actors, and you get them to do stuff that they haven’t done, that greatness kicks in because they’re excited. And Sam excels in this movie. He’s so good.

This is also Dua Lipa’s first major film role.

This was her first film role as well. We did it before Barbie. Just to be clear.

Clockwise, from top: Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa and John Cena; Bryce Dallas Howard as spy novelist Elly Conway; director Matthew Vaughn on set.

People say Kingsman is your Bond. And there is obviously a large element of that, but Colin Firth’s playing Patrick MacNee from The Avengers in that. So, if that’s the case, is Henry Cavill your 007 here?

Yes, I call him 007 and a half. I adore him. He would make a brilliant Bond, he really would. I know when he did the screen test for Bond [in 2005], if he was older, he probably would have got it. He was just too young at that time. I think Ian Fleming, when he wrote Bond, Henry Cavill would have been on his mind.

What can you say about the dynamic between Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell as the author and the “real spy” of the story?

He’s the realistic spy, and he’s brilliant because Bryce’s Elly has written a spy novel about what spies are and what people want spies to be. That’s what’s fun because in the whole movie, we’re taking all the clichés she would be imagining should be happening, and then there’s Sam saying, “No. This is how it is.” She has to rely more and more on Sam dealing with stuff. Her idea of how to deal with a problem

Could you talk about what she brings to this character?

In the movie, she is the nemesis of Henry Cavill, and I needed someone you would immediately recognize but also be like, “Oh, that’s not what I was expecting.” And thank god for my girls because I didn’t know who Dua Lipa was, and they started playing me her music because I’m an ’80s boy. And she did an album inspired by ’80s music, and I thought that’s great.

Then I saw her being interviewed, and she was wearing a Valentino dress that I’d say five people in the world would get away with wearing.

It looked like a Christmas tree ornament, and she pulled it off. I think a lot of young pop stars are playing at being pop stars; they’re acting as what they think a pop star should be. And then you have the greats, whether it’s Madonna to Taylor Swift, now Dua, where they are the pop star. So I knew she’d explode off the screen; she was a delight to work with as well.

Argylle opens in cinemas on Feb. 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ in 2024.

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NEW RELEASES

MAKING A MYTH We learn how the makers of the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show brought the fearsome minotaur to life.

IMAGE CREDIT: DISNEY

BY CHRIS FARNELL

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PERCY JACKSON and The Olympians is the story of the 12-yearold demigod Percy Jackson and his quest across America to prevent a war between the Olympian Gods.

When the story begins, Percy believes he is just an ordinary kid, although, admittedly, an ordinary kid who sees unusual things sometimes.

But that all changes at the end of episode one of the Disney+ series. All at once, Percy Jackson discovers that everything he suspected, and more, is true—and that discovery takes the form of an angry, nine-foot-tall minotaur.

“It coincides with Walker [Scobell, who plays Percy] understanding that the things he has seen in his young life that he always attributed to mental illness are not that,” says Erik Henry, senior visual effects supervisor on the show. “It’s a device to catapult you into the world you’re about to inhabit.”

It is a game-changing moment for Percy, for the audience, and for the show itself.

“The stakes are high not just for the show, because it’s the end of episode one, but also emotionally for Percy,” says Jeff White, ILM’s visual effects supervisor. “You had to feel like there was real danger there. Walker did so much to make this sequence incredible, lying in the mud, riding on the motion base.

He was always interacting with something practical.”

The key to creating a monster on a screen and making it feel real is all in the details, as White points out.

“One great thing was all the attention to detail. We always knew that there would be a rainy scene, but we put as much texture into the character as we could. We had breath coming out of his nostrils and water running down it. Erik [Henry] and Jon [Steinberg, the show’s co-creator and writer] were great Left: Concept art for the monstrous minotaur, just one of the legendary creatures brought to life in the new television adaptation of Percy Jackson and The Olympians.

at finding those elements that added so much to making our minotaur a believable character.”

The minotaur is one of the alltime classic creatures of myth and legend. The challenge for Henry, White, and the VFX team was to not only bring it to life but also make it new and exciting.

“We also really wanted it not to look like any other minotaur you’ve seen,” White insists. That meant making some unusual design choices.

“What was fun from a creature design standpoint was it had to operate as a quadruped and a biped,” White says. “Erik came to us with that from the beginning. When you look at nature, there are not a lot of

ONE GREAT THING WAS ALL THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL… WE WANTED IT NOT TO LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER MINOTAUR YOU’VE SEEN.” — JEFF WHITE

good references for creatures that are just as nimble on four legs as two legs. So that was a big part of the iterative design process.”

The minotaur also had to tread a fine line. It is a terrifying monster, but it is also a guy with a bull’s head.

It had to appeal to an audience of children and adults.

“The guys were keen that it not be too scary,” Henry emphasizes.

“Jon [Steinberg] and [production designer] Dan [Hennah] always said that there has to be a little teddy bear in it. If it’s just this snarling, menacing beast, that would scare kids into turning [the show] off.

If you make it too doe-eyed, the adults watching it with their kids would tune out.”

To achieve that balance, one of the core references for the design team

was the Brahma breed of bull, which has long ears that hang down and make them appear more silly than menacing. Sometimes, they leaned even further into that silliness.

“We even have a moment where Percy jumps on the minotaur and uses the elastic band of its underpants to help him gain purchase,” Henry laughs. “Little moments like that help take the edge off that tension in the middle of the battle.”

Perhaps the funniest thing about those underpants is that they actually exist; costume designer Tish Monaghan made them for filming.

In fact, while the minotaur you see in Percy Jackson and The Olympians is fully rendered from CGI, a lot of physical parts of the beast were created for filming.

“We always had a performer on set so that the camera had something to operate against, and we had a giant minotaur head they could carry around or be on stilts and hold up,” White says.

Ultimately, about a third of the minotaur was constructed in real life.

As well as the head, there was a physical “motion base,” like a kind of high-end Bucking Bronco, for Scobell to climb on during the fight scene. It had horns to hold on to but no limbs or head.

It also had hair—which became a challenge.

“It had a tuft of hair like a Brahma bull so that Walker could hold onto it and not slide off it,” Henry recalls.

But when it arrived on set, people worried the hair was so long that Scobell’s hands would get lost in it.

“So, our intrepid coordinator in Vancouver spent the better part of two days basically giving it a haircut!”

Henry says.

So, while the minotaur you see on screen might be CGI, the practical effects can make all the difference.

You can see the minotaur (and its new haircut) in the first episode of Percy Jackson and The Olympians on Disney+ from Dec. 20.

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NEW RELEASES

DC GOES BIG Justice League vs. Godzilla vs.

Kong asks who would win in a battle between Superman and the world’s most dangerous kaiju?

READING JUSTICE LEAGUE vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, the new crossover between DC Comics and Legendary Films, is like watching a 12-year-old win a $25,000 shopping spree: toys joyfully piled atop each other while you wonder how they’re all going to fit in his room. Talking with JLGK writer Brian Buccellato, one gets the sense that writing it is the same way.

“The struggle is we have 30 pages per issue to fit the story in, and the big, giant monsters, we want to give them space,” he tells Den of Geek.

“How do I navigate the big moments and the opportunities for Christian [Duce, artist on JLGK] to draw awesome pin-up action shots with getting everybody in there and making sure they all get their due?”

The answer to Buccellato’s question is, apparently, to shout YOLO and keep escalating. The book reads like a gleeful “yes, and” exercise. Toyman as the perspective character in a series that is, at its core, about toys being mashed together? Yes, and also, Gorilla Grodd thinks King Kong is his people’s god. Yes! And let’s have 30

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Batman fight Camazotz, the bat kaiju, in the sky above Gotham!

Buccellato is, of course, more than just a figurative kid in the DC/Legendary candy store. He’s an accomplished comics creator, colorist, and writer. He’s also, unsurprisingly, a huge fan of both worlds. “Serendipitously, I have a tattoo of the Flash on my right arm, and on my left arm, I have the original King Kong movie poster.”

His work includes long runs on The Flash and Injustice, as well as Godzilla specials, so he’s played with almost all of these toys before. In other words, no one is better suited

to write this book: he’s a guy who has a long history with these characters, understands why fans love them, and who knows how to pick the best parts of each hero and villain for the story he is telling.

For example, long-time DC readers will recognize an iconic callback in issue #2: Batgirl knocks Red Hood out with one punch, just like Batman did to Guy Gardner in the classic Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire Justice League International story. What he does with each character’s continuity should be apparent early on, too—

IMAGE CREDIT: DC COMICS

BY JIM DANDENEAU

Clockwise, from left: Superman takes on Godzilla; Wonder Woman joins the battle; King Kong, Batman and Supes grace one of the title’s variant covers.

Superman is about to propose to Lois, while Batman has a full Dick-throughDamian Batfamily. “They didn’t hand me an Earth or a continuity that I had to place it in,” Buccellato says. “I got to cherry-pick what I think is my favorite version of each character.” So you get a very Christopher Reeve Superman, or a very George Perez Nightwing, or a very Tom King Batman.

There were characters who clicked right away for him. “The most fun that I had writing DC characters was creating my version of [Flash and

Green Lantern’s] Odd Couple banter,” Buccellato says. “I immediately knew when I was doing this that I was going to pair them up.” His affection for Barry and Hal is instantly apparent: the pair trash-talk each other like an old married couple almost the second they appear on panel, and their banter is as fun as any ridiculous cape/kaiju battle.

Picking which pieces of each universe to mash together has led Buccellato’s writing in some very interesting directions, like putting

Green Arrow—famously a guy who got his superhero training living on a mostly uninhabited island for a few years—in a classic Kong setting. “I don’t think I’ve ever written Green Arrow in anything,” Buccellato tells us.

“I didn’t know what to do with him until the idea of Skull Island just popped into my head.”

The first two issues of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong are filled with that kind of foreheadslapping, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that brilliance, and from what Buccellato shared with us, there’s plenty more to come. “Jim Lee drew a Bat-mech on [a variant cover to issue #1] not knowing that that’s actually in the plans,” Buccellato says. Kaiju plus the World’s Greatest Superheroes is a pretty solid recipe for fun. Yes, and also giant robots!

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1-2 are out now. Issue #3 hits stands Dec. 19.

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THE BEST OF GEEK

“I’M STILL WORKING ON MY [SUPERHERO] NAME AND WHAT MY EXACT SUPERPOWER IS.”

SAY WHAT?

— NFL legend and two-time

Quotes of the month from Den of Geek exclusive interviews.

“I never thought I’d be able to play my favorite character that I’ve ever played again. Doing it in an audio format means people can’t see this old face, and I’m happy as hell.”

— Sandy King Carpenter on her publishing ethos for Storm King Comics.

“SO, TO BE HONEST, I’M A HUGE SCAREDY CAT. HORROR SHOWS MAKE ME SO SCARED, BUT IF THEY CAST ME, I CAN’T REALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!” — Suzie Yeung on her roles in horror anime High-Rise Invasion and Housing Complex C.

— James Marsters reprising the role of Spike for Slayers, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer podcast spinoff.

“THE ANIMATRONIC [CREATURE] LOOKING SIDEWAYS AND THEN STRAIGHT INTO YOUR SOUL IS A MEMORY THAT STUCK WITH ME.” — Five Nights at Freddy’s director Emma Tammi on visiting a particular type of children’s restaurant back in the day.

“I never wrote promos. It was all off the top of my head.”

— WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair on his legendary wrestling persona.

V I S I T D E N O F G E E K . C O M F O R T H E L AT E S T I N T E R V I E W S , R E V I E W S , N E W S , A N D F E AT U R E S .

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IMAGE CREDITS: PAUL MORIGI/GETTY IMAGES FOR REEDPOP (YEUNG), STORM KING COMICS (SANDY), NICK MORGULIS, ANDREW WALKER AND STEPHEN LOVKIN FOR SHUTTERSTOCK

“It’s not good enough that you just figured out how to throw blood on the wall or sever heads; that’s not the point. What are you saying about society? What are you saying as we look inside ourselves?”

Super Champion Eli Manning on getting his own Marvel superhero character.

Sweet Dream

Paddington director Paul King and producer David Heyman reunite for Wonka, an origin story that aims to lift the spirits and leave a delicious taste in the mouth.

BY ROSIE FLETCHER

WO WORDS: YOUNG WONKA. This was the pitch from celebrated producer David Heyman to director Paul King at the end of their time working together on Paddington 2, according to King. “I think it was literally our last sign-off,” he smiles.

Food for thought, right?

Several years and a pandemic later, their fruitful collaboration is finally making its way to screens in a whirlwind of color and candy.

“It was definitely the idea to try to make something that would be warming and festive at Christmas,” King says, but he’s quick to acknowledge that the world we live in today is not the same as the pre-COVID time of the film’s conception. It’s a production that faced obstacles out of King and Heyman’s hands, but in a bit of

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serendipity, the movie might just have arrived at exactly the time it was needed.

Based on a screenplay by King and Simon Farnaby, King’s Paddington co-writer, Wonka is a prequel, the tale of how Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory came to be. While it’s very referential to the 1964 novel (both King and Heyman are massive Roald Dahl fans), it’s also a spiritual forerunner to the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder and directed

by Mel Stuart and includes several songs from that film.

“The Gene Wilder movie was my version of it growing up,” says King.

“So I really wanted to do something that as much as possible could stand alongside those things and not make you go oh but hang on, and that's not what happened in this’ or 'no, no, the factory isn't like that.’” That includes little nods in star Timothée

Chalamet's performance. What results is a movie that strives to be faithful in spirit to Dahl and the Wilder film, with Easter eggs for those who enjoy the hunt.

If we are to believe that Chalamet’s Wonka becomes Wilder’s Wonka, the timeline is all-important. King reckons the ’71 film is more or less contemporaneous, so a little bit of math was involved in his setting.

“It’s quite hard to tell because Gene Wilder is 38, but he says he’s much older, and he's looking for an heir and coming out of retirement.

So I thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s about 25 years before that.’ So we settled on this post-war 1948 time period for it.”

Landing at just the right time could possibly be said for Chalamet’s Willy Wonka at the start of the movie, too, who first appears aboard a ship arriving at the non-specified European country where the film is set. He’s singing his heart out (make no mistake, this is a musical) and is armed with a (fast-diminishing) pocket full of silver coins and a head full of magical inventions, ready to make his fortune and share his chocolate with the world.

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World of Pure Imagination Building Though Wonka himself is clearly

Fresh off the boat, with a head full of dreams, young Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) explores the city that will become his home.

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Olivia Colman plays demonic landlady Mrs. Scrubbit in a role reminiscent of Sweeney Todd's Mrs. Lovett.

American, and Charlie and the Bucket family are British, King reckons Dahl’s story deliberately has an international feel. Though Mike Teavee is presumably meant to be from the U.S., Augustus Gloop sounds like he might be German, while Violet Beauregard’s name has a French vibe. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was shot on location in Germany, and so King’s initial plan was to do something similar. “I really liked the idea of that middle European vibe,” he says.

“I also really fancied going on holiday. And I was like, hey, some rich American studio might pay me to go and live in Europe. That would be fun!” His dreams were not to be when COVID arrived, but this setback became a blessing when Warner Bros. told King and his team he’d just have to build his own city.

Working with production designer Nathan Crowley, the crew set about creating what King describes as an “extraordinary hybrid that's got that whiff of storybook and nowheresville.”

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The public face of the city is snobby opulence, with a central Galleria: a posh shopping mall where well-dressed customers peruse the minimal stores. This is where the young Willy Wonka will bring his exquisite confectionery and his unique showmanship, with hopes of earning enough money to open his own shop.

“I’ve always liked those quite snooty, rich European sort of towns where they go, ‘Velcome to the chocolate shop; there will be no fun or enjoyment or color,’” King jokes.

“It felt like that would be a world that needed Willy Wonka to come in. He’s fun, and he’s going to bring color and light and liveliness.”

King describes the look of the backdrop for the city as muted, darker post-war colors, so Willy can appear like a pleasingly eccentric explosion with his iconic purple suit and magical chocolates with wild ingredients sourced from around the globe. It’s a mix of digital and practical effects, with real sets built that could be extended higher and wider with CGI and a real

chocolate river, with digital enhancements, which still resulted in a chocolatey mess during certain scenes.

David Heyman is riding high on a wave of color in 2023. As the producer of Barbie, he’s already bagged the year’s biggest hit (coincidentally, he actually got to know Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach through the late Roald Dahl’s wife, Lissy), to add to his impressive roster—Heyman is the producer of all the Harry Potter movies among other massive successes. While he loves the visuals of Barbie and Wonka, it’s not color per se that appeals.

“That’s cinema, isn’t it? It’s a visual medium. Gravity's not colorful in that way. But it's strong visual storytelling,” he explains. Heyman loves Dahl’s children's books but also grew up on a diet of his darker fare—his macabre short story collections like Kiss, Kiss and Switch Bitch—so it was as important to him and to King to show the darker shades of Wonka’s story and to introduce us to the naive and

open-hearted chocolatier while giving him a glimpse of the murkier sides of life.

“We wanted to show Willy before he was betrayed and before he locked himself away in the factory,” Heyman says. “The idea was to show a more innocent Willy. Someone who could lead up to eventually becoming Willy in the 1971 film, so that's our iconography.”

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What the Dickens?

There’s another side to the city—a seamier underworld of poverty and crime, which Willy encounters soon after he arrives. King says it allowed him to stay truer to Dahl’s spirit, “It can be slightly grotesque and Dickensian and slightly over the top but with one foot in reality.”

Out of cash but still in good spirits, Willy meets Tom Davis’ Bleacher, who takes Willy back to spend the night at Mrs. Scrubbit’s boarding house, but all is not what it seems. Scrubbit is the landlady from hell, and well-loved Oscar winner Olivia Colman is having a whale of a time playing her.

“She feels like she's stepped straight out of Tales of the Unexpected,” laughs King. “She’s this creepy landlady who is definitely going to kidnap you and do something absolutely horrendous to you. There’s always that whiff of menace in Dahl.”

Indeed, Dahl wrote a short story called “The Landlady” which appeared in Kiss, Kiss and was adapted for TV as part of the Tales of the Unexpected series.

Colman is padded out and wearing “these horrible teeth that she kept showing to everyone,” says King. “The great thing about her is that she’s this funny, ridiculous, and absurd character who thinks she’s so posh and proper and hates Tom’s character for no reason apart from her appalling snobbery. But she’s obviously also incredibly cruel and

effectively kidnapping people off the streets and conning them into servitude. I think the challenge is making a world where that can live, and plausible human emotion can live too.”

It’s in Scrubbit’s boarding house that Charlie meets Noodle (Calah Lane), who quickly becomes his partner in crime. Noodle lives and works at the boarding house full time, having been taken in as a baby

by Scrubbit and Bleacher.

“It's quite Dahl-esque to have these very precocious young children and a very childish adult,” says King. “Grandpa Joe is much more of a kid jumping around and dancing for joy than Charlie is. I was just trying to channel what Dahl might have accepted as an idea and steal as much as I could get away with without breaking the law.”

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Ensemble Assemble Running at under two hours and packed with song and dance routines, it’s impressive how many subplots and supporting characters King, Heyman, and Farnaby manage to fit in. If you’re British or a fan of British comedy, the movie is a veritable parade of talent, many of whom are playing against type.

Look out for Phil Wang, who gets an uplifting song and dance routine with Chalamet, when Willy helps him get the confidence to ask out his love interest (played by Charlotte Ritchie, who worked with Farnaby on Ghosts). Farnaby himself pops up as a security man at a zoo, while fellow Ghost Mathew Baynton plays Fickelgruber, who with Peep Show alum Paterson Joseph as Slugworth and Matt Lucas as Prodnose, form

Willy and his new friend Noodle (Calah Lane) take in the sights via helium balloon.

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the corrupt chocolate cartel who hold a monopoly in the city and set out to thwart Willy. Rowan Atkinson has a role as a compromised priest, while Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter is another familiar face Wonka meets at the boarding house, and from across the pond, Keegan-Michael Key plays a policeman seduced by chocolatey goodness. Paddington star Sally Hawkins even shows up as Willy’s mother.

“I don't think it was meant to be a who's who of British comedy; I don’t think we approached it like that,” says Heyman. “A lot of these people are in Paul’s comedy circle.”

Then, of course, there’s the mysterious orange-faced, greenhaired chap who keeps pinching Willy’s candy....

“I felt pretty strongly that a Wonka film should have Oompa-Loompas in it, or at least one,” says King.

Heyman agrees, “Paul wants to make the Oompa-Loompa his own, wants to give him agency, wants him

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to be distinct.”

King recalls that in the book, the Oompa-Loompas don’t have a lot of dialogue but instead have these long cautionary poems, which were translated into songs for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

“They are so sardonic and sarcastic and very, very funny, but biting. They take gleeful pleasure in the demise of all those awful kids, and they really stick the boot in.

That's the voice of the OompaLoompa. And then I thought, who do I know who could sound like that?” King smiles.

Embracing his villain years, Hugh Grant gave an exuberant performance as the dastardly actor-turned-thief, Phoenix Buchanan, in Paddington 2, so once King had settled on Grant, he couldn’t shake the idea.

“Once you've thought of Hugh with green hair and an orange face, that's not an image that you can shift,” King laughs. “It comes to me

in my nightmares. The only way to cleanse my soul of it was to share it with the world…”

At 18 inches high, the OompaLoompa is entirely CGI and sporting Hugh’s face. Though he’s an enigmatic character, his OompaLoompa has a motive and a backstory that makes him very much Willy’s equal (and, at times, his quarry). And, of course, keep an ear out for variations on the classic Oompa-Loompa song. Don’t dash straight out of the cinema when the movie ends, either. Stick around for a little bit of extra 'Loompa as the credits roll.

“To me, he is one of the highlights of the film,” Heyman says.

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A whole song and dance Grant doing the Oompa-Loompa dance is undeniably funny. But it’s not the most spectacular of the musical numbers. With new songs

written by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, a Northern Irish band who were massive in the ’90s, with "The National Express" (a song about a coach service) being their best-known hit, the tunes are catchy, often with comedy lyrics.

“Scrub, Scrub,” set in the boarding house, and “Sweet Tooth” with the chocolate cartel are wonderful earworms, while there’s a tenderness to Noodle and Willy’s fantastical “For a Moment” and “Have you Ever Had Chocolate?”

And, of course, “World Of Pure Imagination” makes an appearance.

King worked with celebrated choreographer Christopher Gattelli, whom King knew from his work on the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! (“There’s that amazing song and dance in the bar, which was one of the funniest dance sequences I've ever seen in my life,” says King).

“I love those Hollywood musicals of the Golden Age. I was really interested, especially with the time

setting of our film, to doff my hat to those great masterpieces,” King explains. “Chris has a huge love and deep knowledge of that period, which was great because he could always point me in the direction of something I'd never seen before.”

Whether it’s a dance sequence where the characters are floating about the city suspended by balloons or the grand opening of Wonka’s store, which involved many dancers and multiple moving parts, the hope was always to do something new. And, naturally, Chalamet was perfect for the job.

“Timmy’s got these great tap skills. Of course he has, because he’s a perfect human being,” says King.

“He can sing and dance as well as everything else. He went to LaGuardia High School, which I think is like the Fame Academy. He grew up doing all that, and his mother’s a dancer, and he was keen to use those chops, which was a great opportunity.”

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The sweetest things

Willy confronts Hugh Grant's Oompa-Loompa, a highly resourceful little man who has been pinching Willy's chocolates.

You can’t have Wonka without some fabulous confectionery, and this prequel doesn’t disappoint.

“There’s a sort of way of watching the film, where it’s told in chapters via different candies, which no one will ever pick up on. But I really liked the idea that he’s got a chocolate for every occasion,” explains King. “So when things are bad, he'll reach for Silver Lining, and he can find this glimmer of hope. I love the condensed thunderclouds in liquid sunlight. Then there’s the Broadway chocolate, which I always think should be called 42nd Sweet… and the Hair Repair Eclair!”

Turns out King is now a chocolate nerd. Not surprising since the production had a world-class chocolatier on set. An actual chocolatier!

“I imagined [the chocolates] would be made of plasticine and be

disgusting, and somebody would spit them out,” he laughs. “But on day one, it was like, no, we found one of the greatest chocolate makers in the world, and she's going to be with us for the next six months. And everything was just thought through so carefully and imbued not only with great beauty but extraordinary flavors, which really was a complete waste of time and money but made me very, very happy.”

Trying to remain faithful to both Dahl and the 1971 movie while striving for newness made for opportunities to add some sweet references for the fans. The Big Night Out chocolate is a nod to the chewing gum meal that Violet Beauregard scarfs, for example, and before the fizzy lifting drink, there were hover chocs.

The connection between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the novel, Wonka, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are clear. But one thing is not. What happens to Chalamet’s wide-eyed Willy to turn him into the more reclusive Wilder version?

King reckons it’s all about a line in “Pure Imagination,” where he sings, “Want to change the world? There’s nothing to it!”

“He’s like a Mozart of chocolate; he arises as this great genius. And he can do everything,” says King.

“But he wants to fit into the villain’s world. He’s a good soul in a corrupt world.” It’s the start of a growing cynicism perhaps that could be explored further, though fortunately, that’s not the note Wonka ends on.

“It’s too much story for him to go from that to kind of some weird recluse,” King explains. “I think that could be a story, and if this movie is successful and the world agrees, it would definitely be something I’d love to do.”

It could happen. And all it takes is pure imagination…

Wonka opens in theaters on Dec. 15

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A Beginner’s Guide To

Hayao Miyazaki Hayao Miyazaki, a revered name in the animation industry, has been directing movies for over four decades. The release of his newest film, The Boy and the Heron, makes it the best time for newcomers to check out his prolific filmography.

BY DANIEL KURLAND

S

tudio Ghibli, a scrappy Japanese animation studio that was founded in the ’80s, would go on to become an industry powerhouse that surpasses Disney’s sense of fantasy, Pixar’s emotional catharsis, and the unabashed against-the-grain individualism of DreamWorks Animation. Hayao Miyazaki’s name is often synonymous with Studio Ghibli, the animation studio that he founded with fellow director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Every Studio Ghibli film is special, but Miyazaki is an anime auteur whose cinematic offerings become pop culture events that redefine animation and storytelling.

Miyazaki is a renowned voice in traditional hand-drawn animation whose movies have record-breaking budgets and take over a decade to complete. And every time, they’re worth it. Miyazaki’s feature films may seem like playful escapism to outsiders, but recurring elements and themes define the quintessential Miyazaki experience. In fact, his oeuvre may Animator and director come across as intimidating and impenetrable Hayao Miyazaki, to newcomers. The release of Miyazaki’s photographed in Toyko in 2013 when he potential final movie, The Boy and the Heron, announced his means that it’s now the perfect time to retirement. experience his filmography before checking out his magnum opus. This isn’t every Miyazaki movie, but it’s a strong cross-section of the director’s impressive and varied career that’s laid out in a watch order that won’t leave anyone overwhelmed.

The Boy and the Heron will be in North American theaters on Dec. 8, courtesy of GKIDS, and in UK theaters on Dec. 26.

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NEIGHBOR  MY TOTORO

Miyazaki Newcomers

(1988) My Neighbor Totoro tells the touching story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move into a new house in the country with their father while they await their mother’s recovery from an illness. My Neighbor Totoro is a magical coming-of-age story that mixes life’s challenges with adorable fantasy, which is Miyazaki’s area of expertise.

In My Neighbor Totoro, it’s change itself that serves as the characters’ greatest enemy. It’s like a more fantastical and emotional anime version of The Cat in the Hat. My Neighbor Totoro is also a film that plants the seeds for Miyazaki’s love for nature, but in a manner that’s less extreme than Princess Mononoke or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Totoro himself has become such a beloved figure in animation he’s gone on to acquire international acclaim. It’s a testament to this character’s power, and why My Neighbor Totoro is the perfect gateway to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki.

DELIVERY  KIKI’S SERVICE

(1989) My Neighbor Totoro will connect with a very young crowd, and Kiki’s Delivery Service makes for the perfect follow-up that explores slightly deeper themes of growing independence and creative roadblocks. Kiki is a 13-year-old amateur witch who sets off to a new city to find her way with only her broom and cat companion, Jiji, by her side. Kiki’s Delivery Service crafts a sweet relationship between Kiki and geeky boy Tombo, and it repeatedly uses Kiki’s innocence as a way to express wide-eyed awe at the world of possibilities surrounding her. Kiki is also one of Miyazaki’s best and boldest female protagonists, not in short supply in his movies. Kiki slowly finds a balance in her life as the movie explores work versus creative passion and how something as infinitely freeing and magical as flight can still be commodified and turned into a chore.

 SPIRITED AWAY

(2001) Spirited Away is a breakout Studio Ghibli film that won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a first for an anime movie. Spirited Away was the general audience’s introduction to Miyazaki, and it’s an acceptable place to start. However, the movie feels like a culmination of many of Miyazaki’s earlier ideas. There are shades of both Satsuki and Kiki in Chihiro, whose time in the spirit realm works better if the viewer has already been exposed to a few coming-of-age Ghibli stories. Spirited Away chronicles the young Chihiro’s dedicated efforts to restore her parents to their human forms after their gluttony turns them into pigs. Only after Chihiro works off their debt can they all safely return home. Spirited Away connects with audiences of all ages, but its Japanese folklore influences and creepy-looking creatures become more palatable after further Miyazaki exposure. Spirited Away teases more mature themes but it’s still Miyazaki at his most magical and mainstream.

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CASTLE  LAPUTA: IN THE SKY

(1986) Castle in the Sky is the first official Studio Ghibli movie, but it’s a surprisingly advanced early effort from Miyazaki. Laputa: Castle in the Sky is an extraordinary airborne adventure that follows the same basic formula of many Miyazaki films. However, from its start, there are some distinct details that make it a more challenging and adult experience. Sheeta and Pazu, the film’s child protagonists, are lost orphans chased by sky pirates and corrupt officials who want to rob them of what makes them special. Sheeta and Pazu’s dream to locate the mysterious floating castle, Laputa, hits extra hard because these two have so little in life. It’s a magical story with a grim underlying theme about the importance of dreams and how war and commerce will slowly corrupt the world’s innocence and beauty.

Miyazaki Novices (2004) Howl’s Moving Castle is Miyazaki’s brooding steampunk ode to getting older. Sophie is a traditional teenager who crosses paths with the wrong witch and finds herself cursed to be an old lady unless an emo wizard named Howl gives her a hand. A curious Miyazaki newcomer may quickly seek out Howl’s Moving Castle because of its wild characters or the fact that it’s the director’s successor to Spirited Away. It’s more likely for Howl’s Moving Castle to be taken at face value and to get lost in its displays of limitless magic rather than appreciating the story’s criticisms of modernity, capitalism, and war. It’s the most chaotic of Miyazaki’s movies and the easiest to lose track of its narrative thread, just like one of Howl’s elaborate magic tricks. It feels like Miyazaki’s The Prestige in the sense that it’s a layered film that pretends to be deceptively simple.

 NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND

(1984) Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the director’s third feature film, and its breakout success is what actually led to the founding of Studio Ghibli the following year in 1985. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind presents a chilling version of a wasted world that feels like the result of other environmentally-minded Miyazaki epics like Ponyo or Princess Mononoke (there’d be no Mononoke without Nausicaä).

The movie feels like fully-formed Miyazaki, even if it’s one of his first films, and it’s another thought-provoking adventure that strives to provoke change and promote pacifism. The eponymous Nausicaä is a courageous princess who pledges to bring two warring kingdoms to peace. While Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is full of unique creatures and proudly depicts Miyazaki’s passionate aviation obsession, the audience must wade through a post-apocalyptic wasteland to reach these brighter ideas.

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IMAGE CREDIT: STUDIO GHIBLI/ MIYAZAKI PHOTO BY JUN SATO/WIREIMAGE/ GETTY

 HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

Miyazaki Experts  THE WIND RISES

(2013) Miyazaki has always had a fascination with how beautiful things can become co-opted into tools of destruction, whether it’s Nausicaä’s toxic foliage or Kiki’s magic-driven identity crisis. The Wind Rises is Miyazaki’s most literal version of this story, ditching the director’s standard supernatural fantasy elements for a bittersweet melodrama set against World War II. The Wind Rises is ultimately a movie about legacy and how one person’s passion can be transformed into a force of doom. Miyazaki’s love for aviation takes flight in this fictionalized account of Jiro Horikoshi’s life as he designs Japanese fighter planes that are used in World War II. The Wind Rises is Miyazaki’s most adult movie that’s unlikely to resonate on the same level with younger audiences. This is the movie to show young adults after they fully understand the director’s relationship with the loss of innocence and instability of self.

 PORCO ROSSO

 PRINCESS MONONOKE

(1997) Princess Mononoke feels like Miyazaki’s angsty middle years in what’s easily his most violent movie that slowly descends into all-out war. It’s also the only Miyazaki movie with bloody dismemberment. Princess Mononoke is a sprawling action movie about environmental preservation that mixes Japanese folklore and demonic creatures with social activism. Ashitaka is a cursed prince who finds himself in the middle of a war for Mother Nature between demons, gods, and humankind, all of whom feel entitled to this land. Lady Eboshi is a terrifying Miyazaki antagonist likely to unnerve even seasoned Studio Ghibli fans. Princess Mononoke’s message about the destructive, inevitable nature of the industrial march of “progress” was initially groundbreaking against a forest of shallow Disney films but is still chilling 25 years later.

(1992) An animated movie about a fighter pilot who gets transformed into a fascist-hating pig should be a Studio Ghibli slam dunk that kids will enjoy just as much as adults. However, Porco Rosso is a surprisingly deep, dark story that’s far more than a swine’s skybound shenanigans. Set in 1930s Italy, Porco Rosso is a former World War I aviation legend who’s turned to altruistic bounty hunting. Transformative curses are par for the course in Miyazaki movies, but Porco Rosso’s pig metamorphosis is perfectly Kafkaesque while engaging in a larger condemnation of fascism and unquestioning loyalty that’s also oddly forward-thinking in its gender dynamics.

Miyazaki’s endless love for aircraft is fully on display in The Wind Rises, but until then, it’s Porco Rosso that’s his biggest love letter to classical aviation.

The aerial setpieces are truly unparalleled and as stunning as any spirit creature or demon.

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RETURN TO

PANDORA Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a new video game from Ubisoft, takes you deeper into the Na’vi experience than ever before.

Jake Sully bonding with his dragonlike Ikran and soaring across the skies of Pandora is one of the most iconic scenes from 2009’s Avatar. Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment’s new video game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, lets players tame their own Ikran firsthand, but there’s an undercurrent to the game’s depiction of this Na’vi rite of passage that profoundly sets it apart from the movie.

“This scene is very much reflective of my own experience as a mixed-race Black person,” explains Frontiers of Pandora’s senior narrative designer, 44

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Chella Ramanan. “When the player attempts to bond with its Ikran, it begs the question, ‘Am I Na’vi enough to do this? What if I get rejected?’ It’s about an internal identity crisis.”

The game puts players in control of a Na’vi who, as a child, was plucked from their tribe by the RDA, bred to be a loyal soldier, and then plunged into a cryosleep only to awaken 15 years later, free to rediscover their Na’vi roots. However, not all Na’vi are prepared to trust or welcome this outsider back, which raises unusual, at least for a video game, questions

that are explored throughout the game experience.

Ramanan’s storytelling in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora reflects the kind of work that she has dedicated her career to. A former games journalist, she is the founder of POC in Play, an independent organization committed to increasing representation in games and amplifying the voices of people of color within the industry.

The game’s Ikran scene is the kind of real-world-inspired storytelling that Ramanan has worked hard to propagate. “I really identify with the

IMAGE CREDIT: UBISOFT

BY BERNARD BOO

A battle between the Na’vi and RDA forces rages on in the skies above Pandora.

sense of not being enough of one thing or too much of another,” she says. “You have to wrestle with who you are and who society thinks you are. I tried to draw from this struggle in my approach to telling the game’s story. We wanted to make the player feel like they belong to Pandora, that they are Na’vi enough.”

At its heart, the Avatar story is about the power of empathy. But it’s also about the importance of environmentalism, characterized by the Na’vi’s fight to protect Pandora from the invading forces of the RDA.

Associate game designer Drew Rechner says that the team’s primary goal was to make the Na’vi homeworld a hero in itself.

“One of the coolest opportunities in making this game was taking the world, cultures, plants, and animals from the films and incorporating them into game mechanics that are fun and stay true to the ethos of Avatar,” Rechner says.

The developers wanted to establish a strong connection between the player and the game world. This is why, for example, the game features

a minimalist HUD so that there is less onscreen information to distract the player from soaking up the sights and sounds of the environments around them. (After playing a two-and-a-halfhour preview demo of the game, we can confirm the game’s sound design, in particular, is stellar.)

“It would be a shame if the player were blindly following UI markers constantly,” Rechner says. “We really want the players to take in the world without being distracted.”

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"We wanted the gameplay to focus on the player becoming Na’vi, which is really about connecting with nature…

Your character’s power literally comes from Pandora."

In fact, many of the game’s mechanics are based on interacting with and learning about Pandora, from carefully picking fruit off the vine to preserve the quality of the produce to approaching wounded animals carefully to earn their trust.

“We wanted the gameplay to focus on the player becoming Na’vi, which is really about connecting with nature,” Rechner says. “Your character’s power literally comes from Pandora.”

The Western Frontier’s three regions are distinctive, but their differences run deeper than aesthetics alone. The Kinglor Forest resembles the locales from the films and acts as a familiar environment to introduce players to the basics of the gameplay.

Elsewhere, the wide open spaces and long sight lines of the Upper Plains encourage sniper-based combat, while the thick vegetation of the Clouded Forest provides ample opportunity for stealth takedowns. “With each region that we visit, we really tried to lean into what the environments provided to us gameplay-wise,” Rechner explains. “That keeps things fresh and interesting as you progress through the game.”

To ensure that every element of gameplay and story made sense within the Avatar universe, Massive Entertainment worked closely with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment. The team would present Lightstorm with gameplay ideas, and Lightstorm would help align them with the ethos of the films, whether it be leaning into the

IMAGE CREDIT: UBISOFT

to make exploring Pandora engaging in its own right, which led to some extensive tweaking of the game’s main modes of traversal: on-foot movement and Ikran flight. The team dialed in the camera transitions between running, jumping, and climbing over ledges to make movement as smooth and fun to control as possible. As for the Ikran flight, that was a different problem to solve entirely.

“With the Ikran flight, one of the things we wanted to do was give the player a new perspective of Pandora,” Rechner says. “You start the game beneath the canopy of the forest, so you can’t really see very far in the distance. But when you get on your banshee and fly above the canopy, it gives you a whole new view of the world. We made sure that the speed of flight didn’t feel too limiting, and we made sure that every location the player sees is accessible via the Ikran. You see floating mountains at the beginning of the game, and when you eventually unlock your Ikran, you can fly to those mountains, and it feels really cool.”

Left: A Na’vi rides a direhorse across the Western Frontier region of Pandora.

Below: A Na’vi village.

asymmetrical nature of Na’vi and RDA combat or assuring the various biomes across the map made sense within Pandora’s overall climate.

“Lightstorm are the moviemaking experts and we’re the people who make video games—there was a great respect for each other’s expertise,” Rechner says. “They know everything about the films and they are currently working on them, so they were the best partners to have. There is actually a lot of science and biology that goes into Lightstorm’s creative process and we picked up on that expertise over the course of our partnership.”

Ramanan and the narrative team had a constant back-and-forth with

Lightstorm as well, using their knowledge to help create the game’s cast of characters. “We were able to create entirely new Na’vi clans and all of the characters within each clan,” she says. “It’s been really rewarding writing all of the backstories for our named characters. All of them have unique perspectives, they have relationships with each other and we know how they all fit together.

We wrote them to feel like authentic people who are living rich lives even when you’re not standing in front of them.”

Before the team wrote even one line of dialogue, they mapped out the main cast of characters and defined each of their personalities and relationships with one another.

The goal was to craft characters that felt fully fleshed out and authentic,

and who would react to the world and each other in the way real people, in all their complexity, would.

“The wants and needs that these characters project to the world are very different from what they actually want and need internally,” says Ramanan. “Each clan is different and has differing responses to the RDA, and the characters within each clan have unique conflicts among themselves. They often don’t agree on how to deal with issues and threats. We worked really hard on the nuance of each character’s behaviors and values.”

The family dynamic between Ka’nat, the leader of the Aranahe

clan, and his strong-willed daughter Etuwa are prime example of the game’s focus on complex characters. They love each other, and both want what’s best for their tribe, but their differing views on conflict resolution and tradition drive a wedge between them that leads to an act of defiance. The clans aren’t monolithic, and they all have internal conflicts in addition to the external fight against the RDA. Perhaps most vital to the game was the decision to present it from a first-person perspective. Not only does it allow players to explore and interact with Pandora and its exotic wildlife up close, but it also feeds into the true power of video games as a sort of empathy machine that puts you in the shoes of someone else.

“Video games reach huge audiences and I consider them to be the modern storytelling medium,” Ramanan says. “First-person gameplay makes things feel a lot more tactile and intimate, and only video games can do that because the player has agency in the game world, which helps them identify with the story and the experience. When you’re leaping off a cliff and getting caught by your Ikran, you feel that sense of liberation along with the character.”

All of the attention to detail, the extensive tweaking of gameplay, and the hours of writing meetings to get the dialogue just right were all in service of making a game worthy of the Avatar legacy. For Ramanan, Rechner, and all of Massive, staying true to the elements that made the movies so beloved while striving to create a unique experience that stands on its own was a worthwhile labor of love.

“I hope that the journey from being unsure about what it means to be Na’vi to gaining a sense of belonging in Pandora resonates with players,” Ramanan says. “We poured a lot of love into the characters you meet in the game, and I hope players feel as passionately for their story as we do.”

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Mad Science and the New Woman

Screenwriter Tony McNamara reteams with Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone for a truly mad take on Frankenstein, sex, and everything else you never mention in polite society.

BY DAVID CROW

Emma Stone stars as Bella in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.

T

ony McNamara does not spend much time on the sets of Yorgos Lanthimos productions.

This is not because there is no joy to be had. Who wouldn’t be amused by the sight of Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo crawling around soundstages and snarling like beasts or being forced to speak all their lines backward and in double time?

Those are but a few of the acting games Lanthimos encouraged his cast to indulge in during the beginning of rehearsal, which were a delight for a scribe to witness.

However, when it comes to working with an auteur as singular as Lanthimos, McNamara knows his job is mostly done when the cameras roll.

“By now, I realize his attitude is we’ve worked for five or six years on the script, and we’re making it because he thinks it’s right,” McNamara says. “We do tiny adjustments during rehearsal… but eventually, I’m just drinking coffee.”

Still, even an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and playwright whose credits include The Favourite and Hulu’s The Great can appreciate that drinking caffeine on the set of Poor Things is something else. He doesn’t even refer to the heightened steampunk wonderland aesthetic, which has been giddily stitched together with the Gothic, as a film set. In McNamara’s mind, it’s a real place—or at least as real as any of Lanthimos’ most fevered dreams.

“I wandered around and went to Lisbon by myself for a day,” McNamara reminisces. “It’s amazing, [production designers James Price and Shona Heath] did an incredible job. Yorgos would tell me about it, but to be on set and to see it was like being in another world.” And in that world, the advancements of the 19th century far outpace even Mary Shelley’s infamous nightmare. For here, the maddest of mad scientists (Willem Dafoe under a thick coat of makeup and even thicker Scottish brogue) drives around in an automated carriage where the head of a sentient horse has been sewn on at the front. If one thinks this strange, wait until you see who is riding in the back.

Boldly adapted from Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name, Poor Things is a perverse and willfully transgressive riff on the Frankenstein archetype wherein the greatest creation out of Dr. Godwin Baxter’s laboratory is a woman made from spare parts he found lying around.

Dafoe’s character recovers the corpse of a recent suicide and not only reanimates the body but puts the brain of her unborn fetus into her skull, thereby creating a whole new adult woman with the mind of an infant. He calls her Bella (Stone).

Lest this film sound entirely ghoulish, McNamara insists he and Lanthimos always saw the film as a comedy. A dark and macabre one? Of course—these are the filmmakers who brought us The Favourite, after all (Lanthimos’ other credits also include The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer). But it is still deeply funny when Stone combines her immense comedic physicality with a preternatural gift for interiority. She rebuilds this Victorian New Woman so she can eventually do what neither the “monster’s mate” in Shelley’s original Frankenstein novel nor the eponymous DEN OF GEEK

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“It felt like we could , break free of the genre break her free of [the d in Frankenstein] story, an y.” a way tell a bigger stor

character in James Whale’s classic Bride of Frankenstein were ever allowed: she leaves the lab and the men who made her behind.

“It felt like we could break free of the genre,” McNamara says, “break her free of that story, and in a way tell a bigger story.”

When we catch up with McNamara over Zoom, it’s weeks after the film’s rapturous reception at various fall festivals and close to a decade since the project was first broached

by Lanthimos. These days, Lanthimos and McNamara are very close, building a deeper friendship as neighbors in London, where they worked on The Favourite. McNamara even confirms they’re collaborating on a third and currently unnamed project. The idea for Poor Things, though, went back many years, beginning before the Greek filmmaker made his first English-language picture. During McNamara and Lanthimos’ earliest meeting, the latter only had a copy of Gray’s novel and a dream that varied quite a bit from the source material.

“It was a really good screenwriting challenge because [Bella] didn’t have a perspective in the book,” McNamara explains. “It was told from the guy’s point-of-view in epistolary [fashion]. Letters and stuff.” There were postcards and little hints at what the reanimated corpse of Bella Baxter was getting up to after she left Scotland to see the world with a libertine bon vivant (Ruffalo’s character in the film), but instead of making the movie from the vantage of the patriarchy, McNamara saw the opportunity to make up plenty of lurid stuff on his own by following Bella’s escape from it.

That getaway was part of the immediate appeal to Stone, who began circling the project as production on The Favourite wound down, when Lanthimos gave her McNamara’s first draft. The finished film marks the third collaboration between screenwriter and star, with McNamara also penning the final drafts of Cruella for Stone. Each reunion with the leading lady has likewise 50

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Poor Things opens in theaters on Dec. 8.

IMAGE CREDIT: SEARCHLIGHT

Emma Stone busts out some moves on the set of Poor Things.

given McNamara more clarity on how to write for a performer who excels at the scribe’s penchant for acidic one-liners and putdowns.

“I feel incredibly blessed but also incredibly confident that whatever I write, she’ll make sound amazing,” says McNamara.

“I know her well enough now that I sort of instinctively know what will suit her without thinking about it too much. It’s a completely safe environment to take big risks with characters when you know she’s going to be doing it.”

Bella is perhaps the biggest risk Stone has ever taken, too, given how the character evolves from petulant infancy to free-thinking adulthood, but not without plenty of pratfalls and some rather frank sex scenes along the way. She is thus the ideal heroine for McNamara, whose dialogue is famous for its brutal juxtaposition of loquacious fluidity and sudden f-bombs.

Says McNamara: “As a writer, I love language, and I think that’s why I like working on Yorgos’ films, because there’s always a certain elevated idea behind it that allows me to write great language that can stretch the gamut from poetic to scatological…. [However,] you don’t usually get a character where you can change how they talk, and you can develop it as she develops intellectually. So it was a great vehicle to talk about base desires with her discovery of cruelty, her discovery of sexuality, her discovery of intellect and morality.”

Poor Things is, in fact, happily candid about the salacious side of the human condition, as well as our silliness.

Even the title is a suggestion that all people are a tad ridiculous and pathetic, and what better way to explore that than having Bella travel everywhere, from a Lisbon cafe to a Parisian brothel? Still, in the modern climate of ever-shifting social mores, it feels a wee bit mad unto itself to make such a film on this spectacular a scale. Yet therein lies the appeal.

“I think we knew it was the kind of movie that not everyone was going to like,” McNamara says. “It’s bold and it’s out there, and it’s a weird idea at its heart. I even remember Yorgos saying after The Favourite, ‘we need to make this now, because when else are they going to let me make it?’” One imagines Bella Baxter, or for that matter Mary Shelley, would approve.

What’s better than ruby red slippers, a truth lasso and an alien puppy?

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The Collector’s Digest powered by

BY JIM DANDENEAU, LEE PARHAM, JAVIER REYES, ALEC BOJALAD, DANIEL KURLAND

Pokémon Paradox Rift (PG. 56) Funko Pop! Jack (PG. 54)

Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (PG. 58) 52

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DON’T KNOW WHAT TO GET FOR THE GEEK IN YOUR LIFE THIS holiday season? Or even worse—know exactly what to get them but can’t find it? Enter eBay. The world’s online marketplace is the best spot to assemble everything geeky you need for the holidays, from Funko to LEGO to trading cards, anime, games, and more!

Check out our ultimate holiday gift guide assembled by our collectibles experts.

FUNKO | Page 54 LEGO | Page 58

TRADING CARD GAMES | Page 56 SUPERHERO COLLECTIBLES | Page 60

GAMING | Page 62

Sideshow Collectibles Batman Print (eBay Exclusive) (PG. 60)

ANIME | Page 64

Chainsaw Man Pochita Plush (PG. 64)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch Console (PG. 62) DEN OF GEEK

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1 | Funko Pop! Jack & Sally (Diamond) 2-Pack Disney T he Nightmare Before Chr istmas

Henry Selick and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas remains the perfect equalizer between Christmas and Halloween. The stunning stop-motion coming-of-age musical is rich in merch, but Jack Skellington and his patchwork paramour will make the perfect stocking stuffers in this seasonal two-pack. Jack and Sally are decked out in charming Christmas cheer and ready to celebrate the holidays with any Halloween Town enthusiasts.

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2 | Funko Pop! Super War Hammer Titan (Glow) Attack on Titan Attack on Titan is one of the biggest animes of the past decade, and with

4 | Funko Pop! Ms. Marvel in Fighting Stance (Glow) Marvel The Mar vels

No, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling

the totemic title’s groundbreaking

didn’t get a crossover with The

series finale, it’s never been a better

Marvels. This is a glow-in-the-dark,

time to collect the monstrous Titan

powered-up Funko Pop! of Kamala

Shifters in adorable Funko Pop! form.

Khan from the latest big Marvel

The War Hammer Titan is the stuff of

Cinematic Universe flick. Kamala has

nightmares and is responsible for one

been one of the brightest spots of

of the anime’s most memorable

this phase of the MCU, and now she

altercations with Eren Jaeger. Funko

can be one of the literal bright spots

has not only perfectly distilled the

at your office White Elephant gift

character’s likeness, but it also glows

exchange, so that your one coworker

in the dark and gives off an eerie hue

with their collection adorning their

that’s sure to help it stand out among

entire office has something to trade

other Attack on Titan Funko Pops!

for the wine they don’t drink.

3 | Funko Pop! Insidious Key Demon NYCC 2023 Exclusive

5 | Funko Pop! Cyclops (X-Men ’ 97 ) Marvel X-Men

Insidious is back and scarier than ever after the success of 2023’s Insidious: The Red Door and the upcoming spin-off entry, Thread: An Insidious Tale. The Further is full of disturbing demons, but few can compare with KeyFace, the Key Demon from 2018’s Insidious: The Last Key. The Key Demon’s ability to “lock” his victims into silent submission is just as terrifying as the monster’s malevolent look. Insidious isn’t the first franchise

Close your eyes and picture Cyclops.

Yes, it’s weird; just do it. What costume is he wearing? We can guarantee with 80 percent certainty that it’s the one he’s wearing in this Funko Pop! model.

There’s a reason this is his iconic look: the lines, the hair, the glowing, thicker visor—he just looks so cool. This is the perfect gift for the person in your life who still occasionally mutters “optic SWEEP” under their breath.

that one would think would get the Funko Pop! makeover, but KeyFace has never been cuter than he is in this tiny collectible form that was first released as an NYCC 2023 exclusive.

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1 | Pokémon Paradox Rift

The next set for the Pokémon Trading Card Game is here! This Scarlet & Violet expansion includes nearly 200 new cards to complete your collection or augment your current decks. Heavy hitters this time include the gorgeous full-art rendition of Roaring Moon ex, Iron Hands ex, and even some old favorites like Groudon and Garchomp.

2 | Pokemon 151 Ultra Premium Collection The nice thing about the Pokémon Trading Card Game is that when a product is claimed to be “Ultra Premium” you can be darn sure it is indeed Ultra Premium. The Pokémon 151 Ultra Premium Collection is exactly that. This trainer box includes a super-sized count of 16 booster packs featuring cards from the long-awaited 151 set, three incredible promo cards, and some other goodies for would-be trainers. Snag a box on eBay (which is one of the few places it can be found) while you still can.

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3 | Disney Lorcana 100 Collector Gift Set

The new Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game is undoubtedly the hottest game in the TCG world right now. This game featuring some of Disney’s most iconic creations is so hot, in fact, that many essential cards have been difficult to come by. Enter the Disney Lorcana 100 Collector Gift Set. This collection includes six special cards (Genie, Stitch, Maleficent, Maui, Mickey, Elsa) and four additional booster packs to jumpstart your collection.

4 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Rarity Collection – 25th Anniversary It’s hard to believe it’s been a

staggering 25 years since the Yu-GiOh! Trading Card Game first arrived. If that has you feeling like a Blue-Eyes Old Dragon, then Konami has the right product for you! The Yu-Gi-Oh! 25th Anniversary Rarity Collection is one of the more exciting TCG sets to come out in some time. This collection of 79 features some of the most iconic cards from the game’s long run. What’s more, the 25th Anniversary set introduces two new “Prismatic” style Collector’s Rares and Ultimate Rares, making for some of the most aesthetically pleasing Yu-Gi-Oh! cards ever released.

5 | One Piece Gift Box 2023

With the Netflix live-action series bringing in new fans and the manga reportedly nearing its long-awaited ending, there’s never been a better time to get into the magical world of pirate anime One Piece. Thankfully, the One Piece Card Game’s 2023 Gift Box is now available to get your collection of Luffy and friends started. Featuring five booster packs, a card case, and a promo pack, this modestly priced gift box should have broad appeal.

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1 | Star Wars The Ghost and Phantom II 75357 The flagship vessel of Star Wars

Rebels has been a white whale set for many LEGO Star Wars collectors. The original model of The Ghost, released alongside the premiere of the animated series in 2014, has nearly doubled in value. Fans have been clamoring for the Danish toymaker to remake the iconic vehicle for years now, and in late summer 2023, their dreams came true. For the first time, The Ghost received significant screen time in the live-action Disney+ series Ahsoka, and it gave LEGO the perfect excuse to resurrect the desirable ship. Modern techniques and acute attention to detail rendered this one of the best Star Wars sets of the year and a build fit to be the centerpiece of any collection.

2 | Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon 75192

Han Solo’s trusty piece of junk ship, the Millennium Falcon, isn’t just one of the most famous spaceships in the galaxy far, far away; it’s one of the most famous spaceships in human history. The iconic vessel has been made many times in LEGO form, but none more prominent than 75192. Part of the Ultimate Collectors Series (UCS) banner, this 7,541-piece behemoth is the largest LEGO Star Wars set ever. Fans can recreate iconic scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy but also have the option to swap out the minifigures and radar dish to match characters from the newer sequel trilogy. The UCS Millennium Falcon is the ultimate prize for any LEGO collector, a set worthy of its spot in the pantheon of LEGO greatness.

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3 | Marvel Venomized Groot 76249 The LEGO Marvel I am Groot set

(76217) highlighted our gift guide last year. The adorable recreation of baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) was one of the most popular LEGO sets released in 2022. However, the follow-up set this year may surprise you. LEGO opted to Venomize everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic tree, mixing him with another iconic Marvel alien. 76249, Venomized Groot, is a perfect blend of the clashing styles, providing a cute yet deadly little extraterrestrial figure perfect for spicing up any Marvel

5 | Disney Up House 43217 The Mouse House celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, and with it came a plethora of LEGO products. Minifigure blind bags, giant castles, and builds of beloved Disney iconography highlighted the year, but no set stood out more than 43217 Up House. Based on the 2009 Pixar classic, the Up House beautifully captures the vibrant colors of the flying abode from the film. A highly detailed interior is also included,

display.

featuring Carl and Ellie’s adventure

4 | Star Wars UCS Imperial Star Destroyer

married couple sure to pull on any

If you possess the ultimate vehicle for the light side, you’re going to want something from the dark side

book, along with a portrait of the fan’s heartstrings. Additionally, highly collectible figures of Carl Fredricksen, Russell, and Dug the Dog are also present, rounding out one of LEGO’s topline commodities in 2023.

to oppose it in your collection.

That’s where 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer storms in. The 43-inch long, 4784-piece monster will instantly become the intimidating centerpiece of any LEGO Star Wars display. While the beast looks like a lot of gray bricks on the outside, the interior designs provide builders with an intricate array of colorful technic pieces designed to capture the iconic triangular design.

The Ultimate Collectors Series Imperial Star Destroyer will have your LEGO Rebel figures shaking in their boots.

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1 | Sideshow Collectibles Batman Print (eBay Exclusive) This exclusive Sideshow Collectibles print of Batman by artists Alex Pascenko and Ian MacDonald is great for geeks looking to decorate a living space. Sideshow typically gets some great art for these prints, and this is no exception. Batman gazing out over a rainy cemetery is an extremely Batman composition, and this art is powerful and exciting.

This print is great for framing and dropping behind your desk—Batman can intimidate folks on the Zoom meeting with you, or watch over your collection from across the room.

It might be a little pricey, but $175 for 12x16” is eminently reasonable for a quality piece.

2 | Black Panther by Christopher Priest

Christopher Priest has been on fire lately, writing back-to-back gems at DC—Deathstroke, followed by Black Adam, followed by (currently running) Superman Lost is one of the greatest three-series stretches in the last 30 years of comics. But while Priest’s career stretches back to the ’70s, it was the Marvel Knights Black Panther series that launched him into legendary status.

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Everything great about Priest’s writing is here: the deft manipulation of time, the desert-dry humor, the complex, thoughtful geopolitical framing. This run is his most beloved work for a reason, and this oversized omnibus printing captures the first half of it. This collection includes the issue where T’Challa, Magneto, Namor, and Doom all yell at each other at the United Nations, cementing this book as one of our all-time favorites, and we bet it works for you, too.

3 | Knight fall Omnibus

Milligan, the late Steve Dillon—along

does an amazing job of translating the

with some new work from fresh faces.

comic look to the 3D real world. This

If you have someone in your life who

figure looks great and, as a Gold Label

has caught the British comics bug, this

figure, should be of higher quality than

is a way to nurture that interest.

usual. This will look nice posed or in a

5 | Coda by Simon Spurrier and Matias Bergara

Coda is the story of a bard trying to

box for the Superman fan in your life.

7 | DC Superhero Board Books

There’s something for everyone in

save the soul of his ex-wife. It sounds

these books: your kids get an easy

The ’90s are remembered as a time of

simple, but it’s a staggeringly beautiful

introduction to superheroes; the

absurd excess in comics—flashy,

comic—Bergara’s art is unbelievable,

comics fan in your life gets to share

bulky, contortionist artwork backed up

and Spurrier’s story is very much not

their love of superheroes while also

with very little substance. And while

what you’d expect when you set out

secretly exposing their kids to some

that was true for a lot of books, DC’s

on this journey. It’s sad and heartfelt,

awesome Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

big early-’90s events—the Death of

emotionally devastating stuff that you

and George Perez artwork; you get

Superman and the back-breaking

absolutely must experience, especially

to explain to a toddler that when the

of Batman—had a lot more going for

with a sequel being released now.

book says “even Batman needs sleep”

them than anyone gave them credit

The art is so good in Coda that it

for. These books were really good.

demands to be read in the largest

15-minute micronaps according to

Knightfall introduces Bane as a

format possible, so grab the Deluxe

Grant Morrison’s seminal run on

major Batman antagonist, takes Bruce

Edition of the hardcover if you can.

Batman.” It’s a win-win-win.

Wayne out of the cape and cowl, and

Your nerd loved ones will thank you.

then brings him back after several issues of the writers showing why he’s meant to be Batman and has no replacement. This run has some phenomenal Kelley Jones covers, all-time classic work from iconic Bat-artists like Jim Aparo and Graham Nolan, and a super tight story. Read the whole thing; you won’t regret it.

4 | Best of 2000 A.D. Vol. 4

Everyone knows Judge Dredd. But everyone should know more two things: 2000 A.D. is much, much more

6 | McFarlane Toys DC Gold Label Eradicator Action Figure

what it really means is “he takes

8 | Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game Guides Tabletop roleplaying games have

We talked about how DC’s early

exploded in recent years, and

’90s event books are dramatically

Marvel’s version looks really cool.

underrated, and the Eradicator is part

You get to go right into the Marvel

of the other big story from that era—

Universe, recreate stories you know,

the Death of Superman. The Eradicator

or have your GM write their own. It’s

was one of the four replacements after

thorough and detailed and should be

Kal’s climactic battle with Doomsday,

a good time for any Marvel Zombies

and while his design was a little goofy

in your life with six hours to kill.

(the cataract glasses are actually super endearing), McFarlane Toys

than just Dredd, and almost every big-name British comics creator has done something for this magazine, Dredd-related or not. This compilation has work from a ton of them—Alan

OR’S COL L EC T DIGE S T

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something brand-spanking new—this one feels like a staple for any gaming enthusiast’s collection. The Hylian Shield has been a staple of the Zelda series for eons. It works equally as a display piece AND as an accessory for cosplayers.

4 | First 4 Figures Sonic the Hedgehog Collector’s Statue

Sonic’s games may sometimes waver in quality, but his vibes certainly don’t.

The folks over at First 4 Figures are known for high-quality collectibles across several major franchises, and this one for the fastest hedgehog alive is no different. It’s a simple pose— Sonic readying himself for a recordbreaking sprint—and the checkpoint

1 | Limited Edition Spider-Man Displate Poster

2 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch Console

the year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This

of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It’s

sweet metal poster from the folks over

perhaps the front-runner for every

at Displate is one way to celebrate

Game of the Year award from every

Spidey’s return to consoles. This

major publication and YouTuber

poster can attach easily to your wall

and writer out there. But if you’re

without any additional tools.

not already on the Zelda or Switch

First up is one of the best games of

Given that it’s a limited edition design, this one will really stand out in your collection. Plus, be sure to scour

If you’re like us, you love The Legend

wave, this special edition Tears of the Kingdom console is a must.

The fun part about special edition

marker is a nice touch.

It’s the classic Sonic design rather than the modern one, which again feels timely given the recent release of Sonic Superstars. First 4 Figures also has some other Sonic designs, including one featuring Sonic in his iconic pose from Sonic Adventure, so keep an eye out.

5 | Mega Man NES Cartridge

Every gift guide needs a wild card pick, and this is exactly that. While the

for other Displate designs, as they’ve

consoles is you’re not just getting

blue bomber has taken all kinds of

got PLENTY of other gaming-inspired

a nifty-looking piece of gaming

shapes and forms over the decades,

ones to choose from.

hardware, but a controller—or Joy

this recommendation goes back to

Cons, in this case—too! And in this

basics. What makes this NES cartridge

case, these ancient golden markings

so special? The North American

are some of the coolest you’ll see on

release of the original Mega Man

any special edition Switch console.

not only kicked off one of the most

3 | The Legend of Zelda Hylian Shield Look, it’s Zelda, so it’s worth mentioning twice. While this doesn’t directly correlate with the aforementioned Tears of the Kingdom—and it isn’t necessarily 62

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important and popular game series of all time but it also had one of the most heinous box covers of all time.

Mega Man is usually made to look like a cartoonish young lad, even to this day. But the cover for this one was almost a parody, with a regular-looking man seemingly perplexed that he’s

even there to begin with. The face is so ugly it actually kind of rules. The box art is so infamous, in fact, that this version of Mega Man was even made a playable character in 2012’s Street Fighter X Tekken. It’s a creative,

each exceedingly creepy in its own

hilarious gift for all the Mega Man fans

special way—and they are the perfect

about the pixelated look being

out there.

collectibles for horror fans. Seriously,

brought to life, and it makes for

horror fans love this stuff; the number

a unique gift this holiday season.

of Poppy’s Playtime plushes you’ll see

But there are plenty of others if the

out in the wild speaks to it.

rumbling and tumbling ways of street-

6 | Five Nights at Freddy’s Plush

The best-selling Five Nights at Freddy’s is having a moment.

Practically out of nowhere, the series

7 | Pixel Frames Street Fighter Diorama

There’s just something special

fighting don’t float your boat.

8 | First 4 Figures Mario and Yoshi

exploded onto the scene in 2014

These things are just too cool. Like

and has ballooned into one of the

level 99 gamer cool. These pixel-frame

most successful horror franchises in

dioramas commemorate some of the

out than with the plumber from the

games. It’s so big, in fact, that it’s now

most iconic imagery in retro gaming,

Mushroom Kingdom. If you love

spawned a feature film from noted

from Sonic the Hedgehog to the

gaming’s most famous characters, this

horror studio Blumhouse Productions.

impossible bike level in Battletoads.

figure is a must-have. The same folks

There’s no better way to close things

What better way to commemorate

This particular one, of Ryu and Ken of

behind the Sonic figure really outdid

the occasion than these special teddy

Street Fighter fame, feels especially

themselves with this bad boy, which

bear plush fellows? There are plenty

relevant with the recent release of

also features the legendary dinosaur

of different types you can find—

Street Fighter 6.

Yoshi.

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1 | Asuka Langley Figure

One of Neon Genesis Evangelion’s

characters in anime history.

And it seems the folks over at

should not be trifled with. She’s

First 4 Figures took notice, as their

mostly known for her serious outfit

Faye Valentine figure is absolutely

when piloting her Eva unit, which

stupendous. The TV screen is a nice

is why this particular figure stands

touch, too, especially if you know the

out. Rather than the serious, end-

full story behind it from the anime.

look is a nice change-up from the dire circumstances of the show. Plus, there are even monochrome-colored versions out there, too.

Maybe there should be casualstyled figures for all of our favorite anime characters. There are so many of them going through so much nonsense and tragedy—and, woo boy, especially in Evangelion—so a little fun is welcome.

2 | Neon Genesis Evangelion Eva Unit 01 Mech

What if we told you that One Piece wasn’t the first successful live-action adaptation, but rather that the timeless Neon Genesis Evangelion was the first to break the curse? That’s right, Pacific Rim is secretly the best anime adaptation there ever was!

All jokes aside, the series’ Eva mechs serve as some of the most iconic mechs in all of anime. This is a must-have for fans to display proudly —and all without any of the dangers that befall the Eva units, and certainly their pilots, in the actual story.

3 | First 4 Figures Faye Valentine

Another anime from the ’90s, Cowboy Bebop, is as close to timeless as you’ll get across any medium or genre. The series is critically acclaimed for its many, many, many thematic lessons and subtext surrounding a group of ordinary-seeming bounty hunters. One DEN OF GEEK

is one of the more memorable female

main characters, Asuka Langley,

of-the-world business, this casual

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of these such hunters, Faye Valentine,

4 | Digimon Adventure Mini Figures Throwing it back to olden times yet

again, Digimon may not be quite as recognizable as the other big pocketmonster series with a similar rhyme, but the passion is just as strong. If you were a ’90s kid, especially, then these

little figures of the original Digimon featured in Digimon Adventure may tickle your fancy quite a bit.

Plus, they’re just cute little guys.

Wizyakuza be included because

Who doesn’t love cute little guys?

Gojo’s absolutely serene and

5 | Chainsaw Man Pochita Plush

such masterwork.

Okay, fine, we’ll get back to some of the more modern anime franchises, but we will not move away from cute little guys. Case in point: this Pochita plush from Chainsaw Man is enough to melt your heart in the most viciously warm way possible.

Anime has become so mainstream these days that the Los Angeles Chargers referenced this guy in their schedule release video for the 2023 NFL season. His time in the series may not be long, but the impression he’ll

ocean-blue eyes are deserving of Wizyakuza also does plenty of other designs, some even featuring a 3D transitional design, with other notable anime like One Punch Man and Naruto. Heck, there’s even a “Last Supper” inspired design you could try to get your hands on, too.

8 | Nar uto Shippuden Headband Set The will of fire never extinguishes!

One of the most popular anime in the West, Naruto is an expansive world filled with a litany of different

leave in your heart is eternal.

characters and villages. There’s more

6 | Attack on Titan Survey Corps Flag

where the eponymous main character

Attack on Titan has had a strong run, and with its story reaching its final moments, there are an array of emotions running high. While there are plenty of brave warriors—and sinister Titans, of course—to get collectibles for, the flag of the Survey Corps might be the coolest of all.

The insignia on the flag, dubbed “The Wings of Freedom,” is meant to inspire hope… something we could all use a little bit more of. Just make sure those Titan fellows don’t catch you with it. They’re meanies.

7 | Jujutsu Kaisen Art Print by Wizyakuza

One of the biggest rises in popularity for the anime genre has been that of Jujutsu Kaisen. So, naturally, it is being featured on this list—and specifically with one of its most popular characters, Gojo. It feels

than just the Hidden Leaf Village, hails from. This set has you covered if you’re looking to cosplay any of the other supporting characters and their respective villages.

Whether it’s for cosplay, display, or anything in between, this collection of ninja headbands is a must for diehard fans.

9 | Demon Slayer Coat

Say what you will, but outfits in anime are stupendous. The uniqueness!

The colors! Just absolutely sublime at all times, which is why we’re doing another attire selection. Demon Slayer is one of the most popular series currently running, so you have to include this jacket replicating the kimono that main character Tanjiro Kamado so elegantly wears.

The checkerboard styling makes this an awesome selection, even if you—or the recipient—aren’t that into the series.

OR’S COL L EC T DIGE S T

appropriate that this artwork by DEN OF GEEK

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THE FOURTH WALL: FILMMAKING SECRETS UNCOVERED

1. The Russell Boys: “They had been offered father/son parts a lot, and that hadn’t interested them,” co-creator and executive producer Matt Fraction says. “But the idea of the two of them as actors working to build the same character across a span of time spoke to them as actors.

It was a challenge… a very specific thing for the two of them.”

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters opens up the MonsterVerse on Apple TV+. BY DAVID CROW

2. Godzilla for TV: “It came from subjective storytelling,” says director Andy Goddard.

Visual effects supervisor Sean Konrad adds, “If people are going to watch on their phones or if they’re going to watch it on a TV, you’re going to need strong, iconic compositions. I was really happy with Matt Shakman’s direction in the first episode for those Godzilla shots because he and the storyboard artist got into those details.”

GODZILLA’S WORLD

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3. The Morning After G-Day: “Our main characters aren’t super scientists, they’re not specialists, they’re not experts,” Fraction explains. “It’s meant to be street level. This is about the first day you have to take your shoes off and your belt off at the airport. It’s new for all of them.”

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IMAGE CREDIT: APPLE TV+

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4. Dangerous Ice: “With the glaciers, it’s not the obvious things,” Goddard says. “You think the weather might be inclement, but in bright sunshine, it’s like your actors are standing on a giant [white hot] light. There’s nowhere to hide.” Adds Konrad, “It’s so bright that you can burn your retinas when you’re up there.

You have to be wearing eyewear the entire time; otherwise you could be in real trouble.”

Collect what you love From the rarest finds to the latest drops—find it all on eBay.