Battle Beasts IDW Interview, Comic #3 In Stores Now

Issue #3 of 4 of the Battle Beasts comic book is in stores this week, so if you haven't picked yours up just yet, consider a trip to the neighborhood comic shop.  Or perhaps someone else's neighborhood, if yours has no comic shop left.

You might also want to read this Bobby Curnow interview at The Comixverse, which provides some insight on just who designed the characters, and the ultimate fate of the comic book series.  (Spoiler: it really is slated to end at #4 right now.  That's some sad news.)

Be sure to check it out.

Battle Beasts #4 Comic Book Solicitation in New Previews

Good news-- there's a new Battle Beasts comic book solicitation in the new previews! (But don't read it if you don't want the plot of issues 2 and 3 spoiled.)  

Bad news-- it's issue #4 of 4!  No word yet on if a sequel series is in the works, or if it's going to be a Transformers-esque "#80 of a 4-Issue Limited Series" kind of a gag, but this could be it.  As such, be sure to pick up a copy when the potentially final issue hits stores later this year!

Will Vorin get his groove back?  Will Gruntos' pizza arrive before it gets cold?  And will Merek find love in the city?  Hopefully all this and more await us as the series concludes!

Reminder: Battle Beasts #1 Comic Book Out Today

Today's the big day!  Issue #1 of Battle Beasts should be at a comic shop (or San Diego-based convention) near you. 

The Stealth Vorin Minimates Figure will  be showing up as well... so you if see a spare, please hold one for me.  Thank you for  your support.

SDCC 2012 Battle Beasts Schedule

Also from the Art Asylum Blog, here are the dates to write down for San Diego's Comic-Con International in a few weeks.

Thursday July 12, 2012 - The Diamond Select Toys booth #2607 will be handing out 200 promotional Battle Beasts Minimates figures.  (This will repeat each day of the show, so get there early.)  A contest for a Battle Beasts Guitar and Case will be ongoing as well.  The Exclusive Vorin and Zik 2-pack will also be on sale.

Friday July 13, 2012 - The Diamond Select Toys booth #2607 will host a signing for the IDW comic book with Bobby Curnow (writer) and Ulises Farinas (cover art).  Free posters will be available for signing, and the SDCC #1 comic variant will be for sale.

Saturday July 14, 2012 - Minimates Panel at 1:30 PM, meeting room 8.  While nothing specific is confirmed, it is expected that new figures will be shown here, possibly in addition to items already on display at the booth.

More surprises generally pop up along the way, so stay tuned for more as we have it!

SDCC 2012 Battle Beasts Exclusives Revealed

Battle Beasts #1 Exclusive SDCC Cover

 Diamond Select Toys sent us an email with their various exclusives, and you can see the whole thing here.  But you're here for the Battle Beasts, so here's what they had to say:

"The first issue of IDW's new Battle Beasts comic book mini-series is here, and SDCC will have its very own cover! Depicting heroic beasts Vorin, Merk and Gruntos about to do battle on the steps of the San Diego Convention Center, this souvenir edition will be available from Diamond Comic Distributors (Booth #2401) and Diamond Select Toys (#2607), as well as numerous retailers on the show floor."

Also!

Battle Beasts Minimates Vorin and Zik 2-Pack

"The first series of Battle Beasts Minimates won't be out until this fall, but Diamond Select Toys is offering fans a preview set that's only at SDCC! The fully painted two-pack of 2-inch Beasts includes the heroic ram Vorin, star of the IDW comic series, and an all-new villainous dragonfly character, Zik! Available from Diamond Comic Distributors (Booth #2401) and Diamond Select Toys (#2607)."

Also exciting was confirmation of a build-a-Minimates station at their booth, although no explicit comments about which brands of parts were made available, nor was pricing on any of these fine items.  Stay tuned for more as we  have it.

TONS of news! New Battle Beasts Minimates Interview with Zach Oat

Vorin... but which Vorin?

Over at ToyChestNews, Zach Oat of Diamond Select toys answers some questions about the one thing we're all looking forward to, new Battle Beasts!  Click here for the full interview.

Some highlights:

"The first Beast toys we'll have for sale will be a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive two-pack, featuring Vorin with his cloak down and an evil dragonfly character named Zik."

"Series 1 has both a scorpion and a tarantula, and both of them utilize a new four-pegged hip piece, which allows them to walk around on four legs."


"There will also be a couple of figures based on the book's human protagonists."


"They're two inches tall, they're really poseable, they cost less than $10 for a 2-pack... it just made a lot of sense for the brand."

There you go, Beast fans!  A new picture of a Vorin figure (above) is likely the Stealth Vorin, but as it was not explicitly labeled we'll leave that up to you to decide for now. (And in other news, who can sell me a Stealth Vorin?)

New Diamond Battle Beasts Site Leaked/Launched Early?

It would seem there is no need to wait for the countdown as this new site is up now showcasing this weekend's announcements which, unfortunately, also include an announcement of an announcement. Obviously you'll want to explore the site, but here's the highlights of what you need to make sure that you see:


1. Comic Book. Digital version of the C2E2 comic giveaway introduces 3 of the characters. Comic is being given out at the C2E2, it seems.

2. C2E2-Exclusive Clear Vorin Figure. Vorin is a ram, and he's the show's free figure. The toys page shows him (bagged) as well as the 4 previous promo figures, all of which have no specific character name.

3. Character reveals. 3 characters are named - Vorin the Ram, Gruntos the Walrus, and Merk the Edie Falco.

4. Series 1 and 2 are mentioned by name but will not be revealed until later. Series 1 is said to be coming Fall 2012, and revealed at Comic-Con in San Diego this July.

There is no obvious connection to Beast Saga. Aside from the basic concept and what appears to be a flame symbol on Vorin's outfit, there's no real connection to the old Hasbro or Takara toys either. It looks fun. I'm in.

New from Japan: Beast Saga Manga

Let me be perfectly clear when I say that this Beast Saga manga from Saikyo Jump is so new I don't know what the deal with it is yet. I do not speak Japanese, so if you do, please email me or comment below to fill in what you can read here!

From what I've asked around and gathered so far: Saikyo Jump is a Japanese manga publication for young boys which exists primarily to sell toys and licensed products. As of yet, no known licensed products for Beast Saga have been announced. It is not explicitly obvious if Takara/Tomy/etc. are in any way involved. It is not known what, if any, toys may be made for it. For all we know it could be some weird mutation like what the newer Ultimate MUSCLE was of the original MUSCLE/Kinnikuman mini figures.

The character designs are tough to make out, but a red-armored green-maned lion looks unquestionably Battle Beasts/Beastformers-esque complete with a swell faction logo on his chest.

Special thanks to Zac for his insights and to Sylvain for emailing me to let me know about this new publication.