Game of Thrones

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Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons–Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook is the ultimate guide to dragons and building your own dragonkind

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October 14, 2021

dnd-fizbans-treasury-of-dragons

Review by C.J. Bunce

Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, the latest Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook heading your way from Wizards of the Coast, is the closest of any 5th Edition volume to the original books from when I was a teenager in the 1980s. If you know even a little kid who is fascinated with dragons, this is the book to drop into their hands. They may not understand it all, but it’s stuffed full of wonderful dragon artwork and enough worldbuilding lore to open the eyes of any kid interested in fantasy. For D&D gamers already playing, it contains character-building tools to make your hero steeped in dragonkind, and for dungeon masters, it provides some fun options to incorporate more Dragons or dragons (they’re different) into your next adventure, whether you’re wandering into the Forgotten Realms, Oerth of the World of Greyhawk, Krynn of Dragonlance, Eberron, or pretty much anyplace else. You can pre-order Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons with the standard cover by Chris Rahn here at Amazon now, or order the alternate “soft-touch” edition by Anato Finnstark from your local game shop.

dnd_fizban_cover dnd_fizban_altcover

If you love Smaug, Puff, Norberta, Alduin, Elliott, Balthromaw, Spike, Falkor, Stanley Steamer, Stegoman, Gleep, Saphira, Porunga, H.R. Pufnstuf, or Lockheed, or you came to love dragons from Dragon’s Lair, Dragonslayer, or Dragonheart, How to Train Your Dragon or Game of Thrones, whether your favorite is Haku from Spirited Away, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, or the kaiju King Ghidorah, or you were reeled into the dragon realm from watching Mulan’s Mushu or Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon, or you had your first encounter in Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Pokémon, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons provides all the lore and stunningly expansive details on everything you want to know about dragons.

So what’s inside?

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Game of Thrones–Continue your Westeros adventures with new board games from Funko, classic tie-ins, and more

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July 11, 2020

It was only a little more than a year ago that you were just weaning yourself off your eight season fix of Game of Thrones. But the board game companies think you’re not ready to move on yet, so they have new tie-in games from the series to tempt you. Get ready for the classics, like Risk, Clue, and Monopoly, but even toymaker Funko is joining in later this month with a tie-in, full of its own brand of mini-figures and other unique playing pieces.

What looks to you to be the best of the bunch? Check out eight tabletop game options below and make your choice.

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Tags: convention exclusives, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones board games, Game of Thrones Catan, Game of Thrones Clue, Game of Thrones Cluedo, Game of Thrones convention exclusive, Game of Thrones Funko, Game of Thrones Monopoly, Game of Thrones Risk, Game of Thrones tie-ins, tabletop games

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New books look behind the scenes at the artwork of HBO’s Game of Thrones

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May 13, 2019

As HBO’s series Game of Thrones wraps with its final episode next week, Insight Editions is releasing four books highlighting the artwork of the series. With photographs and interviews looking behind the scenes of what visually made the series stand apart from other fantasy series, these books will show how it was all done, keeping fans returning to the series for re-watching as pre-orders begin for the eight season set on Blu-ray.

Game of Thrones: The Costumes showcases what makes the actors look good, from the practical layered fabrics of Winterfell to the finery of King’s Landing. Suits of armor, dresses, uniforms, capes, and robes all will be shown in detail. Series costume designer Michele Clapton discusses her own creations, providing a view of never-before-published drawings and up close views of fans’ favorite wardrobe pieces and integral prop components. Game of Thrones: The Costumes is available for pre-order now here at Amazon.

Series storyboard artist William Simpson takes viewers through his vast trove of concept art in Game of Thrones: The Storyboards. Simpson developed much of the show’s action, character, and environments through his thousands of sketches and designs. Fans can watch how early imagery made its way to the final season layouts and the step by step formation of the series’ key scenes. Simpson’s Game of Thrones: The Storyboards is available for pre-order here at Amazon.

Principal Game of Thrones unit photographer Helen Sloan showcases the as-filmed characters, locations, and key moments in The Photography of Game of Thrones (now available for pre-order here). Writer Michael Kogge has put together an assemblage of behind the scenes imagery for this deluxe compendium.

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Tags: Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones cosplay, Game of Thrones: The Costumes, Game of Thrones: The Storyboards, HBO, Helen Sloan, Insight Editions, Michael Kogge, Michele Clapton, television production, The Art of Game of Thrones, The Photography of Game of Thrones, TV production, William Simpson

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Now streaming–At last, Shetland season five begins on BritBox

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May 1, 2019

Review by C.J. Bunce

It aired in the UK in February and March, and it had been reported for several weeks that its fifth season was going to arrive on BritBox in April in the U.S. The BBC′s unique crime series Shetland made it in the nick of time, with BritBox releasing the first episode yesterday. Unfortunately BritBox didn’t drop all six Season 5 episodes, opting to air the series the old-fashioned way, with new episodes arriving every Tuesday. It’s the kind of series to savor, so why not?

As advertised since last year, the multiple BAFTA-winning series’ key cast returns, with Shetland supercop/investigator DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) partnering again with DS Alison “Tosh” McIntosh (Alison O’Donnell) and DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson), this time to investigate the murder of a young man whose body parts have been found washed ashore around the island. Welsh actress Rakie Ayola (Dredd, Doctor Who, Sea of Souls, Black Mirror) steps into the series as the season’s guest star, playing the boy’s estranged mother. The first episode of the season does not disappoint, laying out the first of the clues that will lead DI Perez–and the audience–to find the killer before the series wraps with its sixth episode June 4.

Anglophiles wanting another reason to catch up with Shetland will find former and current cast on the series from both Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi, Steven Robertson, Mark Bonnar, Gemma Chan, Brian Cox, James Greene, Anthony Flanagan, Benjamin Cawley, and Susan Vidler) and Game of Thrones (Clive Russell, Ciarán Hinds, Jamie Michie, John Stahl, James Cosmo, and Chris Reilly). Struan Rodger can boast roles on all three series. The fourth season knocked out several great shows to be borg′s Best British/UK series of 2018.

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Meet celebrities from film and TV at this year’s Planet Comicon in Kansas City

Filed under: Backstage Pass, Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes, TV — Leave a comment

February 10, 2018

Never been to a comic book or pop culture convention? Always wanted to go to San Diego Comic-Con but you don’t have the vacation time available or the funds? Planet Comicon is next weekend in Kansas City and it’s the sixth year of the show at downtown Kansas City’s giant convention center at Bartle Hall. Planet Comicon is a great way to get a complete three-day convention experience centrally located in the Midwest, ideal for a last-minute road trip for the family or a car full of friends. Kansas City is less than 8 hours by car from Dallas, less than 7 hours from Minneapolis, a little more than 7 hours from Indianapolis, and a little more than 8 hours from Denver. And you don’t need to buy advance tickets–you can purchase them at the door.

So why make the trip? How about meeting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Firefly star Alan Tudyk? Also from Firefly, as well as Doctor Who, Supernatural, Chuck, Leverage, Star Trek Voyager (and one of borg.com‘s actors we can’t get enough of), Mark Sheppard? Want to get a photo with Michael Rooker (“I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” Yondu) and Pom Klementieff (Mantis), stars of last year’s biggest superhero hit Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2? Are modern classics your thing? How about seeing the star of fan-favorite movies like Say Anything, High Fidelity, and Eight Men Out? Yep, John Cusack is returning to the Midwest for this year’s show (you can even bring your prized Rooker and Cusack Eight Men Out baseball cards for autographs).

Do you want to compare notes on The Walking Dead with stars Khary Payton, Rooker, and Sonequa Martin-Green (also star of Star Trek Discovery)? Maybe you’re a Game of Thrones fan. You can meet both Jerome Flynn and Jason Momoa (also Aquaman in the DC Universe movies). And speaking of fantasy, Planet Comicon is featuring a rare appearance by Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis, who played the beloved hero Neville Longbottom. Want to meet the actor who has played the toughest badass characters you’ve ever seen? Sling TV barista and Machete himself, Danny Trejo will be in the house.

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Trailer Park–The 16-Trailer Comic-Con Wrap-up Edition: Marvel and DC series, Vikings, Walking Dead, Westworld, Thrones, and more

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July 23, 2017

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So many continuing genre TV shows! CW’s iZombie, Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Riverdale. Then we have all the fantasy genre shows like Vikings, Outlander, and Game of Thrones. There’s The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and The 100. HBO’s sci-fi series Westworld. And new superhero shows–Black Lightning, The Defenders, and Gifted.

What do they all have in common?

All 16 were featured in panels this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con. And each has a new trailer or special Comic-Con video recap leading into the next season. The winner? Check out yesterday’s exciting trailer for Stranger Things, season 2, (shown here at borg.com) which seems to eclipse them all. But from today’s list make sure you watch Netflix’s The Defenders–if you liked any of the other Netflix Marvel series, this will be a must-see. And the four minutes of iZombie is a great recap of fun TV.

So let’s get on with it. Watch your favorites or check out all of them, straight from Comic-Con 2017:

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Emmy Awards finally recognizes faves Maslany, Malek, and Anderson

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September 19, 2016

Even more so than the annual Academy Awards for achievements in film, the Primetime Emmy Awards seem to either award the same thing every year or never get around to awarding series, actors, and creative voices that really push the bounds of the ordinary. Is that a generalization ripe for argument? Of course. But when you watch as much television as we do here at borg.com, at some point years ago we just turned off the TV award shows and never looked back.

So what changed this year? Tatiana Maslany won best actress in a drama for Orphan Black. Rami Malek won best actor in a drama for Mr. Robot. Louie Anderson won best supporting actor for Baskets. And the special Sherlock–The Abominable Bride won for best TV movie. So what poles shifted? What constellations re-aligned? What does that mean if our own best picks align with Emmy voters? Are we finally “in-touch”?

Take Tatiana Maslany, a top borg.com pick three years in a row for best actress in television (or any other medium). Not to slight her wonderful supporting cast, but she’s practically a one-woman show, playing a half a dozen characters each season–and seven this year in her fourth season playing clone sestra–meaning every scene is critical and must reflect Maslany’s work–and viewer believability–as a completely different person. She never gets the luxury of “phoning in” a performance. The result is top-notch television, and the best acting and toughest role we’ve ever seen, executed with mastery. Go Clone Club!

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Tags: Baskets, Ben Mendelsohn, Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards 2016, Game of Thrones, Louie Anderson, Mr Robot, Orphan Black, Patton Oswalt, Peter Scolari, Rami Malek, Sherlock, Sherlock The Abominable Bride, Tatiana Maslany

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Need your own totem? Find heroines aplenty in Funko’s action figure line

Filed under: Comics & Books, Con Culture, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes, TV — 4 Comments

July 25, 2015

The Renaissance of movie and TV tie-in action figures arrived in 2013 with Funko’s classic Kenner-style ReAction figure line. Other companies focus on single licensed figures and getting the likenesses spot-on, but Funko’s diversification of lines meant everyone could find something that fit their personal niche at an affordable price point. A true throwback series, one of the overlooked features of the line is the incredible variety of no-names-taken, classic kick-ass heroines represented.

In fact you can find here the top of the world’s best, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners, genre heroines. Buy them for yourself, for your friends, or get your favorite as a totem to inspire you each day from your desktop. And where the early sculpts in Funko’s line admittedly looked nothing like the actresses that made the roles famous, the new lines have only improved. And nobody has better packaging designs than the ReAction line.

Who would you add to the Funko roster of heroines? Compare your list to our more than 85 suggestions for future kick-ass women action figures below.

First, check out this Baker’s Dozen of our favorites in the current Funko pantheon:

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Tags: A View to a Kill, Aeon Flux, Alice from Resident Evil, Alice in Wonderland, Alien, Anna Valerius, Arwyn, Barb Wire, Baroness from G.I. Joe, Batwoman, Big Trouble in Little China, Black Canary, Black Widow, Blade Runner, Brave, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Calisto, Cameron Phillips, Captain Marvel, Catwoman, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, CW Arrow, Daenerys Targaryen, Daphne, Dejah Thoris, Digger from StarCrossed, Diva Plavalaguna, Dorothy Gale, Dutch, Elektra, Elizabeth Swann, Ellen Ripley, Emma Frost, Emma Peel, Eowyn, Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fiona from Burn Notice, Firefly, Funko, Funko ReAction figures, Funko ReAction women figures, Galadriel, Game of Thrones, Gamora, Goldeneye, Gracie Law, Guardians of the Galaxy, Harry Potter, Hawkgirl, Hermione Granger, heroines, Huntress, iZombie, Jackie Brown, Jane Austin's Emma, John Carter, Kahlen Amnell, Katniss, Kaylee Frye, Kenner style retro action figures, Killjoys, Kitty Pryde, Lara Croft, Leeloo Dallas, Legend of the Seeker, list of heroines, Liv Moore, Lost Girl, Marion Ravenwood, Mary Poppins, May Day, Merida, Michonne, Miss Fury, Morticia Addams, Mulan, Mystique, Parker from Leverage, Pirates of the Caribbean, Princess Leia, Pris, Quorra, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Red Sonja, River Tam, Rogue, Samantha from Bewitched, Sarah Connor, Scooby Doo, Selene from Underworld, Seven of Nine, Shanna, Silk Spectre, Star Trek, Storm, Supergirl, superheroines, Tamsin, Tank Girl, Tauriel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Avengers, The Bride from Kill Bill, The Hobbit, The Honey Trap Army, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Scarlet Witch, The Walking Dead, The Wicked Witch of the West, Thor, Trigger Girl 6, Trinity, Tron, Uhura, Ultraviolet, Vampirella, Van Helsing, Velma, Veronica Mars, Willow Buffy, Witchblade, Wonder Woman, X-Men, Xena Warrior Princess, Xenia Onatopp, Yori, Yu Shu Lien, Zatanna, Zhora, Zoe Washburne

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Trailer Park–The “lost in the shadow of the Force” edition

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November 30, 2014

With this past week’s release of trailers for both Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it is no wonder a handful of smaller films’ trailers were lost in the wake of news from those far more highly anticipated films. Two films are foreign war productions that may appeal to war/action film genre fans, and the other is a fantasy you’ve likely seen many times before, but this time featuring a handful of fan favorite genre actors.

First the fantasy–it’s director Ed Wright’s retelling of Peter Pan, titled simply Pan. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is one of those classic tales that stands up there with the likes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Winnie the Pooh, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Middle-earth novels, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Peter Pan has been done over and over, including the coming December 4 live-primetime production featuring Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.

Unlike most of the above novels, a definitive visual presentation of Peter Pan has yet to be made, although many would argue the success of the Disney animated version or possibly Steven Spielberg’s Hook. This newest incarnation has some actors that may serve to entice fans to check it out. It stars Wolverine Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard, Veronica Mars’s Amanda Seyfried as Mary, Tron: Legacy’s Garrett Hedlund as Hook, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily.

Here’s the trailer for Pan:

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On Barriers — “The Wall of Darkness” by Arthur C. Clarke

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September 6, 2014

WELCOME TO EARTH-4

A Weekly Column with J. Torrey McClain

I love when a story starts me guessing like “The Wall of Darkness” by Arthur C. Clarke. I have so many notions of walls and barriers that once Clarke reveals there’s a mysterious black wall in the dark lands where the planet’s sun doesn’t reach, my mind immediately guesses likely conclusions.

Due to the surge in popularity of all things Game of Thrones, the Wall of Westeros first came to mind. A structure built of ice and stone to separate the civil from the uncouth and things unimagined. The dangers were so serious that an elevator is needed to get you to the top of the wall for it is so high. Would the wall of darkness be the same? What monsters must inhabit the lands devoid of starlight where the wall only becomes accessible at the highest days of summer? Would they be blind? Would they be legion, held back by the material of the wall, waiting for a foreign object to infest so as to spread throughout the light?

Then again, the other side of the wall could be something more akin to George R.R. Martin’s inspiration for the Wall – Hadrian’s Wall. On the other side might be a separate version of the planet’s inhabitants, people that have learned to live without the warmth and light of a star. They may have fashioned great cities lit by artificial light and have evolved in different ways while exploring cuisines that flourish in the night. (Think lots and lots of catfish sautéed in mushrooms.) Maybe this time it’s the Morlocks that are kind and just and they built the wall to keep out the Eloi. It’s much more romantic than thinking of the Romans and Scotsmen of the very earliest part of the AD centuries separating with a wall due to differences in distance over now adjacent time zones on the same continent. It’s more romantic to think of Starks and white walkers. As an earthbound human, our walls are just another case of separating ourselves from those that are “different.”

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