Over the last few years one of the most in demand exclusives to get at San Diego Comic-Con has been the print sets our friend Jerry Vanderstelt has at his booth and I have no doubt that this year won’t be any different.
This years set is titled Winged Fury, and captures three of Jerry’s prints in a never before released size of 12×16. The three prints that make up this set are the Fell Beast, Smaug, and The Balrog. I personally have all 3 as individual prints and I cannot wait to add this set to my collection. They are exceptionally well done. This limited edition, 350 print run, at a price of $40, will not last past the end of SDCC on July 27th. Fans going to Comic-Con can pre-order theirs right now, if they’d like, and simply take their receipt to booth 1931 to pick it up. The online pre-order will be limited to only 150 copies, with the final 200 being sold exclusively at the show. Get yours now because you do not want to risk not getting it once the show starts.
Get an exclusive extra slipcase via iam8bit for the coziest new single player Hobbit game.
Wētā Workshop and Private Division have announced pre-orders are now available for a new iam8bit edition of Tales of the Shire. The exclusive edition comes with the game soundtrack, an art book and book style slipcase. From the landing page:
Discover, decorate, and share in this idyllic corner of Middle-earth™. Join friendly Hobbits and familiar names awaiting your arrival in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings™ Game.
iam8bit Exclusive Edition
Begins Shipping July 29, 2025
Includes an exclusive book cover o-sleeve
Includes a beautiful 20”x16” fold-out map for the quaint village of Bywater
Pre-order now and receive a download code for the official game soundtrack
Hugely successful kickstarter from Ferris Wheel Press brings fans one step closer to finishing their own handwritten red book.
With nearly $1 million CAN raised on Kickstarter, the new calligraphy pen and inks inspired by The Lord of the Rings movies are now offering public pre-orders to be shipped out in July. Three options are available themes around Sauron red, Gandalf white, and Ringbearer green. Get your orders in via Ferris Wheel Press backerkit.
These officially licensed calligraphy pens can help achieve the look of the written page as seen in The Hobbit and LOTR movies, famously scribed by Bilbo, Frodo & Samwise.
For those unfamiliar with high quality penmanship, prices can go very high like this Game of Thrones pen retailing for $1,500. Each LOTR pen is currently around USD $175 and includes custom ink for refilling. Ferris Wheel Press, based in Canada, is known for their high quality pen and inks.
The next step after acquiring a pen is, how do we learn to write like Tolkien?
Fugglers hit store shelves this week with ugly versions of Gollum, Gandalf and Frodo.
LOTR fans on social media were caught off guard over these new interpretations of classic Tolkien characters. Fugglers are real and official – we checked! These “funny ugly” plush are popular on TikTok.
Seems that WalMart is the exclusive retailer for Fugglers in USA; they can be found in the kids & babies toy plush section of stores, right next to Bluey and Pokemon.
These are heady days for fans who enjoy seeing Tolkien’s legendarium interpreted by ‘other minds and hands’! A year ago we reported that the Tolkien Estate had granted permission for composer Paul Corfield Godfrey‘s musical chapters from The Lord of the Rings to be released. We are delighted to reveal today that the recording of these works will be released this September – and is available for pre-order now!
Featuring 35 singers, most of whom are from Welsh National Opera, these chapters (and, in true Tolkien styles, some appendices) make up over 17 hours of music, and use text lifted almost entirely verbatim from Tolkien’s masterpiece. Looking at the cast list, we’re excited to see both Tom Bombadil and his fair companion Goldberry listed! The recording will be available as a 15 CD Deluxe Digibook with 64 page complete libretto and notes from the composer.
Here’s the official press release from Volante Opera:
MUSICAL CHAPTERS FROM THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE CYCLE COMPLETED
The agreement by the estate of the late J. R. R. Tolkien last year to sanction the recording of Paul Corfield Godfrey’s “musical chapters from The Lord of the Rings” was hailed by listeners throughout the world as a milestone in the field of Tolkien adaptations.
For many years the Tolkien Estate has refused to allow any musical treatment of the works of the author which employed his own words. Now they have agreed to make a concession in respect of the music of Paul Corfield Godfrey, whose acclaimed cycle of “epic scenes from The Silmarillion” was finally completed in 2023 with the issue of a ten-CD series of recordings from Volante Opera and Prima Facie Records.
Ever since the 1960s the composer had been working on sketches, fragments and episodes of what was originally envisaged as a cycle of musical works based upon The Lord of the Rings. Following on from the success of the recordings of The Silmarillion he was persuaded to go back to these beginnings and fully explore, expand and complete the work which has now evolved as “musical chapters from The Lord of the Rings”. This fully operatic setting has now become a companion work on the same scale as The Silmarillion. The adaptation extends to thirty “chapters” designed for performance over six evenings – more than fifteen hours of music.
Cast
This recording of the complete work by Volante Opera has now finally been completed and Prima Facie will release a demo set of the complete cycle, in the same manner as their Silmarillion recordings, in a single volume on 5 September 2025. The professional singers, some thirty-five in number, come mainly from Welsh National Opera. Returning artists from The Silmarillion include: Simon Crosby Buttle as Frodo, Julian Boyce as Sam, Philip Lloyd-Evans as Gandalf, Stephen Wells as Aragorn, Michael Clifton-Thompson as Gollum, Helen Jarmany as Éowyn, Huw Llywelyn as Bilbo and Éomer, Emma Mary Llewellyn as Arwen and Goldberry, Laurence Cole as Boromir and Denethor, Martin Lloyd as Treebeard and the Herb Master, Helen Greenaway as Lobelia and Ioreth, Rosie Hay as Gwaihir, Sophie Yelland as the Barrow-Wight and Louise Ratcliffe as Lindir, with George Newton-Fitzgerald and Jasey Hall taking on a plethora of parts. Angharad Morgan is also reprising her role as Galadriel from The War of Wrath. Other new cast members include Rhodri Prys Jones as Legolas, Gareth Long as Gimli, David Fortey as Pippin, Dyfed Wyn Evans as Merry, James Schouten as Faramir and Elrond, Gavin Davies as Thëoden, Gareth Lloyd as Saruman, Peter Wilman, Owen Webb, Alastair Moore, Francesca Saracino and Steffan Lloyd-Evans in various other solo roles and Howard Kirk as Tom Bombadil and Quickbeam.
Plot
Although the text is inevitably abridged, it adheres without any but the most minor alterations to the author’s original words, and the original plot development remains unchanged – including such elements as Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-wight, the love story of Éowyn and Faramir and the ‘scouring of the Shire’. And some other passages, such as the coronation and wedding of Aragorn, are given expanded musical treatment. The issue includes not only the complete musical score, but also a substantial booklet containing full details of the recording (including the text as set) and a supplementary appendix disc giving more extended versions of some of the more substantial narrative poems. As with the earlier issues of The Silmarillion the cover art has been furnished by Ted Nasmith.
Physical copies directly from Volante Opera Productions available for pre-order now; orders from other retailers will be closer to the release date.
Digital purchase will be available to pre-order seven days before release date of Sept 5th. Streaming platforms will be very limited but specific platforms will be itemised closer to the release.
And just to make September 5th seem even longer to wait – here’s a teaser trailer to whet your appetite! (You can see a longer trailer here.)
Artists appear by arrangement with Welsh National Opera
The Paul Corfield Godfrey Trust was founded in 2021 with the objective of promoting the compositions of the composer, by the commissioning for musical works by the composer; the publishing of works by the composer (Zarathustra Music); the promotion and performance of works by the composer; the recording and distribution of works by the composer and the promotion of the composer’s music by means of lectures, tours and other events. Trustees: Paul Corfield Godfrey, Simon Crosby Buttle, Julian Boyce. Officers of the Trust: Klara Claesson, Larissa Martins Costa, Phillip Walch.
Our friends at Asmus Collectibles and Sideshow have teamed up for one of the best representations you’re going to find of the character Saruman the White. This 1:6 falls under Asmus Crown Series, which as you know means they’re going all out on the details and goodies.
As you can see in the picture and product page, this is a solid likeness to Sir Christopher Lee in his role of Saruman the White. This collectible doesn’t come up short on accessories either, with multiple hands, Saruman’s staff, Palantir, and a fantastic dual sided Orthanc base, allowing you to recreate two different scenes we saw Saruman in. Saruman comes in at a price tag of $395 and is expected to ship in the back half of 2025.
Saruman the White is a treacherous and powerful wizard who allies himself with Sauron in pursuit of the One Ring. From his chamber in the tower of Orthanc in Isengard, Saruman communes with the Dark Lord through a palantír, betraying old friends like Gandalf the Grey in his efforts to destroy the Fellowship of the Ring and enslave Middle-earth.
Inspired by the character’s appearance in The Lord of the Ringsfilm trilogy, the Saruman 1/6 Scale Figure by Asmus Collectible Toys evokes the commanding presence of this mighty wizard in exquisite detail.
The Saruman 1/6 Scale Figure captures his iconic, regal appearance as portrayed in the films with numerous points of articulation, intricately layered fabric costuming, and accessories for recreating his most notable scenes.
This striking figure sports a detailed portrait with synthetic hair for a realistic finish. It also features moveable eyes, allowing fans to adjust his keen gaze.
Accessories include four pairs of interchangeble hands, the palantír orb, and Saruman’s staff of power with its distinctive white orb set upon a black crown.
Collectors can enjoy a variety of display options with the double-sided Orthanc-inspired environment base, which includes a section of balustrade plus an independently displayable altar with a luminous feature that pairs with the translucent palantír orb for a sinister effect.
Over the last few years one of the most in demand exclusives to get at San Diego Comic-Con has been the print sets our friend Jerry Vanderstelt has at his booth and I have no doubt that this year won’t be any different.
