I just saw this update over at TNI, sounds like the next wave of Hobbit stuff is due to hit Oct 15:

http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=20297

I'm ready.  Like Jesse, I'm ready to just take them in an enjoy them (or not).  That's one thing I really took away from the initial announcement back during the Disney news breaking is that new Star Wars movies might go on and on, and outlive all of us now.  It will become such a larger franchise, and everyone will have their favorites - much like Bond, Trek, Marvel, etc.  I know, most likely, the OT will always be "my" Star Wars - no matter how much I may or may not enjoy what is coming up.  I'm looking forward to it all personally.  More Star Wars (and new Star Wars) on the big screen?  Yes please.  It really sounds like they want a Marvel-ish approach with this, where they can have a big tentpole movie every year with the SW brand now.

I have to admit, I also thought about it from the collecting prospective too.  It could really change the way things are run going forward, starting in 2015 at least.  If we're getting a new movie each year, the line could conceivably rebrand each year to tie in with the movie, or maybe they'll have one "Saga" collection and one focusing on the new stuff.  It is difficult to say, and will Hasbro even be the producer for everything?  We'll see.  I know I'll most likely be buying some of it, and if I get into it big, space is really going to start becoming a concern.  I can't imagine what completists are thinking, I think I'd be crying thinking of trying to grab everything from a constant stream of movie lines until....forever .  Anyways, it is exciting news either way.

Is anyone reading the current GI Joe books and can give me some advice?  What's the best reading out there these days?  I've picked up the first issues of the new series (just titled GI Joe), and it has been alright so far.  I know the Real American Hero stuff is still continuing as well, but I'd be a bit behind on that to catch up.  There's also some other offshoot titles I believe (Special Missions, Cobra Files, etc).  Anyways, I'm mostly a fan of the classic Joes, which seem to be represented in both - and Snake Eyes in particular (who surprisingly, I don't see anywhere in recent solicits).  Just wondering if anyone had any advice on what's the best read out there these days.  Am I best off catching up on the RAH trades and then continuing on with the newer stuff, or starting fresh with the new series?

I don't know that the long-ish break between movies is a big deal for Pixar.  There was quite a gap between Toy Story 2 and 3, as well as the Monsters movies.  My daughter was pretty psyched to hear about another Nemo movie, and we're looking forward to Monsters U this summer as well.

Also, put me on the Incredibles 2 petition.  Love that movie, and it seemed like the most ripe for a sequel of any of the Pixar franchises.

I have to admit, having the OT characters included (especially Han/Chewie) has me a little more interested in this line.  Not sure if I'll pick up any of those initial ROTS/AOTC figures, but unless the OT ones are horrible, I might be in on some of these.  We'll have to see what they look like.  Since we already have pretty great articulated versions of these already, it makes it easier to give a little more leeway to a line like this.  Plus, it is nice seeing a $6 pricepoint on SW figures again, even if they are scaled back articulation-wise.

First trailer for July's "The Wolverine" is up today:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/thewolverine/

Looks pretty good so far.  From what I understand they are pretty much pretending X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened, so I don't think this story has any relation to that one.

For anyone that picked up the blu ray this week (and got the UV code included), there is a sneak peek for Part 2, The Desolation of Smaug hosted by Peter Jackson going up in about 7 minutes from now (3 ET/2 CT).  Just a heads up!

Eric helped to hook me up with an out of production Harry Potter LEGO set.  My daughter has gotten way into Potter in the past few months, and it is great that we were able to get a set to build with each other since they've dried up around here.  Thanks again for making our family very happy!