Middle Earth Furniture is running a competition until Dec 31 for one of their Darkness & Light chairs. Full information on the contest is available at the contest website. [More]
Category: Other Merchandise
Weta Publishing is pleased to announce its upcoming Weta Originals/Dark Horse Comics publication: Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory.
The book is a thirty-two-page catalogue that chronicles the world of Doctor Grordbort. Inventor extraordinaire, Dr Grordbort has a gadget for everything, and in this meticulous catalogue of weaponry, he showcases a world where chivalry is not dead, advertising is beautiful, and rayguns look too pretty to be lethal.
Inside the book you will find the shiniest new bifurnilizers, metal manservants, and automated travel loungers. Also included for entertainment and scientific education is a compartmentalised picture story (some call them comics) of the world-famous naturalist, Lord Cockswain.
Lord Cockswain was the hit of this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, as convention-goers stopped agape at Weta’s hauntingly realistic, life-size memorial statue, celebrating Lord Cockswain and the Moon Mistress’ heroic endeavors on Venus.
Written and illustrated by Weta Workshop conceptual designer Greg Broadmore, Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory showcases dozens of arcane inventions and contraptions. “As a kid I was massively inspired and awed by the black-and-white serials on Sunday afternoon TV, in particular the 1930s Flash Gordon and the many sci-fi movies of that era,” says Greg. “This book allowed me to pay homage to that world of science fiction and create something new at the same time. And it’s full of guns, did I mention guns? Rayguns actually, the best type.”
The stars of the show are, of course, Doctor Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators, the unique range of Rayguns available to purchase via www.wetanz.com/rayguns.
This hardcover book will be available in January 2008. Pre-ordering of the comic is now open to Weta VIP clients via www.wetanz.com/rayguns.
Celebriel wants Ringers in the UK (or elsewhere) to know that there’s a sale of Tolkien’s furniture this Saturday and Sunday in Branksome in Dorset. Stephen Frankel, current owner of the bungalow in which the Lord of the Rings author retired, is selling off the contents of the home before it is bulldozed. Stop any time after 9.30am at 19 Lakeside Road, Branksome. Tolkien lived in the cottage from 1968 until 1972. [More]
Nick writes: EA Games is developing a next-gen fantasy RPG entitled ‘Gray Company’ which has the same exec. producer from The Third Age. At this point, a lot of people are drawing similarities to Oblivion. I checked out the concept art, and it looks a LOT like the LotR movies. Orcs, Uruk-Hai, Trolls, a Rohan type looking villiage, and a Mines of Moria that looks like it’s being built! If this has nothing to do with LotR, I’m sure it’s going to be art is going to be inspired by the movies. [More]
Not so long ago it was Star Wars, now it’s The Lord of the Rings that gets the real-time strategy (RTS) treatment. In many ways, Tolkien’s battle-heavy Middle-earth makes for an even more appropriate setting for the genre than Lucas’ galactic conflict. As the title suggests, this is EA’s second stab at a The Lord of the Rings-themed RTS game. The original Battle for Middle-earth was a highly enjoyable but in some ways limited strategy game that focused squarely on the epic combat from the three film adaptations. [More]
We at TORn, and on behalf of EA Games, would like to thank all the writers who entered this writing contest. We had entries from all over the world who eagerly put words to their thoughts and imaginations and sent us some outstanding entries. It was the sheer quantity and quality of these entries that caused us to delay announcing the winners, but we are now ready to do so. And don’t forget to check out EA Games latest venture into the world of the Lord of the Rings – The Battle for Middle-earth II, in stores now! Winners will be contacted via email in the next few days. [Winners] [Battle for Middle-earth II]