January 1st 2026

Well, here we go with my first post!

Happy New Year to you all. Welcome to my blog and my new start. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are ready for the new year ahead.

So far I have a few conventions planned and I'll be updating and reviewing those as they come along. I have a few Transformer figures on preorder which I'll review when they arrive, and I am still updating this website with my celebrity pictures, older reviews and autograph scans. So a lot of stuff still to come!!

Convention Announcements (UK)

Showmasters Events:

They started the week with a few announcements for their Spring and Cardiff events.

https://www.londoncomicconspring.com https://filmandcomicconcardiff.com 

Starfury:

Guest announcement: Witchbomb 4

https://seanharry.com/home/witchbomb/ 

Monopoly Events:

Guest announcements for The Love Of Anime, Comic-Con Scotland (Aberdeen), a guest cancellation for The Love Of Vampire Diaries event and the release of the official poster for the Aberdeen event.

https://www.fortheloveofanimeuk.co.uk   www.comicconscotlandnortheast.co.uk  https://www.fortheloveofvampirediaries.com

Convention Announcements (International)

Cloud Con:

Guest Announcement:  Mia Kirshner for a rare appearance at their Blood Legacy 3 Event. She is a appearing for one day only.

https://www.billetweb.fr/the-blood-legacy-3 

Con Gossip 

UK Wynonna Earp fans rejoice, word is an event is to start bringing guests over in 2026.. watch this space !

Movie Review 

Avatar: Fire and ash (spoilers) 

Let me preface this review by saying I wasn’t a fan of the first two Avatar movies. The SFX are undeniably stunning—each film is a visual marvel—but the story and characters have never gripped me. Did this third chapter change my mind? Has James Cameron finally won me over? Short answer: no. Long answer… well, let’s get into it.

Recap of the Saga So Far

The premise of the franchise is simple: humans have wrecked Earth and discovered Pandora, a lush planet full of resources ripe for exploitation. Soldiers are sent to strip the planet, but because Pandora’s air is toxic and the native Na’Vi are towering cat-like beings, the humans use “Avatar” bodies to infiltrate. Jake Sully, a former Marine, falls in love with Neytiri, joins the Na’Vi, and permanently merges with his Avatar body.

Part 2 picks up years later. Jake now has a family, and his old enemies return in Avatar form. The story shifts to a water tribe, culminating in a massive sea battle. One of Jake’s sons dies, but peace—however fragile—is restored.

That’s six hours of Avatar condensed. And while visually breathtaking, much of it feels padded. Part 2 alone spends nearly an hour on the kids learning to swim. Gorgeous, yes. Necessary? Not really.

Fire and Ash – The Setup

This instalment opens with another long stretch of scene-setting. Jake and his family are still with the sea tribe, but Jake insists they abandon tradition and embrace guns. The film hammers home the idea that tribal warriors are “weak” unless they adopt modern weapons. Meanwhile, the antagonistic Manghwan tribe embraces this technology, gaining the upper hand repeatedly.

As with the previous films, there’s a new MacGuffin. This time it’s Spider—the human ally of the Na’Vi—who can now breathe Pandora’s air. The military wants to replicate this ability to secure total control of the planet.

The Repetition Problem

At 197 minutes, Fire and Ash is long. And to fill that runtime, the film leans heavily on repetition. Spider, Jake, and the family are kidnapped so many times it rivals Kim Bauer’s abductions in season one of 24. The cycle is predictable: show off Pandora’s beauty, family infighting, someone storms off, gets kidnapped, gets rescued, reconciles, falls out again, kidnapped again, rescued again… until the inevitable big battle with dazzling SFX and explosions.

Characters That Don’t Connect

My biggest issue remains the characters. Jake Sully is stubborn, pig-headed, and one-note. He thrives on war, endlessly rallying troops with speeches that position him as the outsider who knows best. After surviving countless near-deaths, I was almost hoping for a heroic sacrifice just to inject some real stakes.

Neytiri fares no better—her role reduced to rage and grief over her son’s death. None of the characters inspired connection or sympathy. For me, that’s the fatal flaw: a story without emotional anchors, no matter how spectacular it looks.

Themes and Allegory

The franchise continues to lean on allegory: invaders stripping land and resources from indigenous tribes. It’s clear, but also heavy-handed. The tribes speak in accents that feel stereotypical, and even Jake refers to humans as “Sky People.” He is human—why not bridge that gap? Instead, the message boils down to: humans are bad, but you’re backward unless you adopt their methods.

The Future of the Franchise

Plans for a fourth and fifth film seem less certain now, with Cameron hinting they may not be guaranteed. If Fire and Ash is the end, it works well enough as a conclusion: battles are won, but the war rages on. If the series does continue, it desperately needs reinvention—new ideas, fresh villains, and more than just visual spectacle.

TV Review

Mistletoe Murders- Seasons 1 & 2 (spoilers)

I first came across Mistletoe Murders while researching lead actor Sarah Drew ahead of hosting a panel with her at Liverpool Comic-Con. The premise immediately intrigued me: based on a successful Audible series, it promised a festive twist on the classic Murder, She Wrote formula — a cozy small-town mystery wrapped in Hallmark-style Christmas charm.

When the show finally arrived in the UK via ITVX, both seasons dropped just in time for the holidays. Each season unfolds across three two-part crime stories, threaded with a “will-they-won’t-they” romance and a backdrop of lingering secrets. Drew plays Emily Lane, a newcomer who runs a Christmas shop and harbors a mysterious past. Naturally, she has a knack for solving crimes, and as the episodes progress, her bond with police officer Sam Wilner grows — the kind of pairing you can’t help but root for.

On paper, it’s a winning formula. The cast is strong, the concept appealing, and the fan following enthusiastic. Yet for me, the show never quite clicks. The mysteries themselves feel bland, with reveals that lack punch. It misses the cozy warmth of a Hallmark movie while also falling short of the suspense that makes a good whodunnit gripping.

The biggest frustration comes at the end of season one. A cliffhanger moment between two characters sets up juicy tension — only for season two to leap forward eleven months. In that time, the unresolved conflict is simply ignored. Emily stops helping with crimes, then suddenly December arrives and everything resumes as if nothing happened. It’s a jarring narrative choice that undermines the emotional investment built up previously.

Meanwhile, Emily’s backstory is shoehorned into the plot with clumsy force. Instead of enriching the narrative, it feels like an unnecessary complication, disrupting the natural flow of the mystery-of-the-week format.

Toy Reviews

Funko Pops

Transformers :150 Hot Rod with glowing Matrix

This rerelease is a fascinating piece of collectible history. Funko clearly knew what they were doing by blending nostalgia with exclusivity. A few things stand out about this Hot Rod Pop:

The sculpt captures the iconic Transformers: The Movie moment where Hot Rod wields the Matrix of Leadership, while still echoing the blocky proportions and bold colours of his original G1 toy. That hybrid approach makes it more than just a Pop—it’s a mini diorama in vinyl form

The bright blue eyes are unusual for Funko Pops, which almost always default to black. It’s a subtle but powerful design choice that makes Hot Rod feel more alive and faithful to his animated look. Deep red and vibrant yellow mirror the toy’s scheme, but the finish is richer than the flat plastic of the original figure. It’s a deliberate nod to collectors who appreciate accuracy with a premium twist.

The limited edition glow-in-the-dark rerelease adds a layer of interactivity. Charging it under direct light before display feels almost symbolic—like Hot Rod “powering up” with the Matrix. Limited to 7,500 units, priced at £20, and selling out in hours, it’s a textbook example of Funko’s scarcity-driven hype. That combination of nostalgia, rarity, and unique sculpt details makes it a grail piece for Transformers fans and Pop collectors alike.

It’s interesting how Funko leaned into storytelling here—this isn’t just a figure, it’s a moment frozen in time.

Transformers Age of the Primes

Ultra Magnus, Bumper, Horri-Bull, Animated Nemesis Prime

This 4 pack of Autobots Vs Decepticons is the latest special edition capsule usually found exclusively at Target and Hasbro Pulse, but luckily Smyths have now got it too. So after feeling as though I had missed out I finally managed to get one at retail price. The annoying thing about these capsules is that no one ever wants all 4 figures. In this set I only want Horri-Bull and Bumper to complete my existing sets. The Ultra Magnus and Nemesis Prime are just basic recolours for existing figures, and neither version is canon to the series.

The box has lovely art and is bright and clear. It stands out on the shelves as something special 

Autobots

Ultra Magnus

This is a recolouring of the Legacy United G1 Universe Optimus Prime, a basic version of the missing link Optimus that was released in 2024. They have copied the original 1984 figure but added in more articulation. I never picked up the Legacy Prime as i have the missing link version and didn't see the point of the cheaper version.

This figure is based on the small cab from the original Ultra Magnus Figure, the original figure was just a pure white Optimus Prime that merged with his trailer to make the full Ultra Magnus Figure.  

The figure comes with both of Primes weapons, his gun, Energon axe and his Matrix of leadership. All recoloured to fit this characters colours. Its pretty lazy as Magnus never has an axe, this was Primes gimmick and the Matrix was never for him in this mode. 

The first thing that I noticed is how small he looks and feels. Usually Prime or Magnus figures are leaders so always are bigger than most other characters, but he isn't. The colours are clean and the blues match well. The strong red eyes stand out very well but also make him look evil when he's not meant to be.

The transformation is simple and very close to the original Optimus Prime figure. Just with a few extra points of articulation and instead of the fists being removable they now fold into the arms.

I'm never been a fan of the truck only figures as they always seem like that missing what makes them a complete mode . Saying that, it is a nice clean alt mode. One big thing though is that he has rubber tyres, this really links to the past versions and something lost these days. 

Overall it's a nice figure, but it's not one that I see people going out to buy. Online when people speak about this set, Ultra Magnus is the one I see least spoken about. 

Bumper

Bumper is a unique character, His origins are a bit of a mystery. His figure never got an official release or name. He was packed on Cliffjumpers packaging, same alt mode but in Bumblebees colours and a new face. Fans named him Bumblejumper and over the years became shortened to Bumper. 

This is the first official Bumper figure released and is a remold of the Studio Series Bumblebee. The figure is mainly the same with a new stylised face. All his limbs move so he is fully posable. He comes with a gun and a winning smile. 

His transformation is a bit more complex that Magnus's  and a bit fiddley to connect some panels and make them sit flush. The car mode resembles his original figure well and feels very faithful to his design. 

Although he is smaller than Ultra Magnus he feels heavier and more substantial. 

Decepticons

Horri-Bull

Horri-Bull is the final release of the Decepticon Headmasters and finally completes my sets. This figure was the main reason I wanted this set. After his original 80s figures release, bar a mini figure based on his head, this is the first new full body release of this character. 

The figure is a remould of the Titans Returns Skullcrusher, with a new modified bull head replacing the crocodiles. His beast mode always reminds me of the terror dogs from Ghostbusters.T

His robot mode has a nice call back to the original Headmaster gimmick with the characters tech specs appearing on his chest. The pink really stands out against the blue and grey and gives this figure an eye catching design

Horri-Bull comes with his headmaster companion Kreb who becomes his robot head and a mini figure. The colours are bright and there is a fair amount of detail on him compared to other headmasters of the Titans Return line. His articulation is basic but more than the originals ever had.

He has two guns which merge together to make his beast tail.

Animated Nemesis Prime

Ever since Robots In Disguise in 2001 when they recoloured an Optimus Prime figure in black as the villain, any release of any Optimus has to have a "Nemesis" repaint. Most of these are generic repaints but this version at least has a new head. The regular Optimus Prime doesn't have a mouth plate and has a mouth. The face plate resembles his battle mode and also gives him more of the general Optimus Prime look.

The colours are set by the nemesis template but they work really well here. The blue of the face, hands and pelvis all really pop against the black. The vibrant red of the power axe compliments the whole design. 

The vehicle mode is the weakest part of this figure, as is with the original figure as well. It's meant to be a firetruck but it's really not. But it is based on the original animated figure and the cartoon design. So although it's not the best, it is faithful.

final thoughts

The set retails at £91.99 which is not a bad price for 4 figures, especially as 3 of them would retail at £23-£25 and one close to £35. The frustration comes when you only want 2 out of the 4 figures. This is about the 5th multi pack like this and each time it has only had half the figures people want. It's a good way for Hasbro to sell new figures people wouldn't usually buy, but wouldn't it be cheaper to just not make them?

Verdict: I rate the set at 8/10 as 3 of the 4 are pretty solid, but this is really a set for completists not your general consumer.

Comic Review

Skybound Comics: Void Rivals: Issue 25

The first question you might be asking is: what exactly is Void Rivals? Created by Robert Kirkman (best known for The Walking Dead), Void Rivals launched Skybound Comics’ ambitious Energon Universe, which also includes Transformers and G.I. Joe.

At its core, Void Rivals follows two soldiers from warring alien factions who crash-land on a distant planet. Forced to work together to survive, they encounter Transformers and other Hasbro characters along the way. As the series unfolds, new factions emerge, dark secrets surface, and surprising connections between them all begin to take shape.

I’ll be honest: Void Rivals isn’t my favorite of the Energon Universe titles. I mainly keep up with it because of the Transformers tie-ins and my desire to collect the whole line. While there are some strong issues, it’s not the book I look forward to most each month.

Issue #25: The Quintesson War

This latest issue kicks off the next big arc — The Quintesson War — which is being billed as a major event that will shake up the status quo. The story opens with smaller character-driven moments: witty banter between Handroid and Darak, and skirmishes between other characters that might normally feel like headline events. But these are quickly overshadowed by the arrival of faceless invading ships, heralding the start of a larger conflict.

The artwork is gorgeous, with dynamic panels and a strong sense of scale. However, the pacing falters once the invasion begins. The ships dominate the page, but because the Quintessons themselves aren’t revealed, the suspense of “who are these invaders?” is lost. Longtime Transformers fans already know who they are, so the mystery feels hollow rather than thrilling.

and finally...

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you enjoyed and found something good from this endeavor.  Next week I am planning to review Season 5 of Stranger Things and I'll see what else I can think about. 

I'm hoping we get some more Convention guest announcements and some more exciting things to look forward to.