New LEGO sets at TRU

I was out running errands this morning when I stopped by TRU on a whim.
I'm glad I did.


(Click for bigger!)

They had just put out a TON of new stock. There were new CITY sets, wave 2 of Atlantis (heh. Wave.), Toy Story, and BEN 10. Oh...and Star Wars.

I had to leave a lot of new stuff there...my budget only allows for so much OMGWFTBBQ in a single day.

Photo reviews on the way shortly!

(All of this is from the Toys R Us in Madison Heights, Michigan. Your local results will most likely vary.)

RCAdvent News!

Thanks to a kind overseas friend, several copies of the 6299 Pirate Advent Calendar just arrived in Detroit. (From what I've read, it seems really doubtful there'll be a North American release of this set.)



This means the Reasonably Clever Traditions of Advent Madness and BrikWars will continue - and, yes, that third Calendar is destined to be a prize in an upcoming contest. Details on that very soon!

Introducing: The Brick Comic Network

Are you interested in LEGO Webcomics? Run one yourself? Thinking of starting? Have we got the place for you...

Say hello to the Brick Comic Network!

Celebrating Brick-Based webcomics the world over, the BCN is a forum where authors can swap ideas, interact with fans, and share our resources. Our goal is to help build a LEGO Webcomic community - one that will help bring our particular style of comics to a larger audience.

Interact with the authors of Irregular Webcomic, Legostar Galactica, Adventures of the S-team, The Brickworld Saga, Brick House, Tranquility Base, Glomshire Knights, Tabletown Online, Harry Potter Comics, and more!

We're still getting started, drop by and help shape the future!

Also! Look for a BCN dropdown on some of your favorite LEGO comics...it's a quick link to other quality strips that you might not have seen before!

EDIT:
Figures. The moment I make an announcement my host has SQL server problems. Will update with status when I hear something.
Edit 2:
SQL server rest by hosting company - things are back up. (Hopefully they'll stay up, too.)

Wow.

Lately, I've been working on some LEGO-based mosaics. I'm new to the concept, and still working out ways to be creative.

I saw this on Flickr today - it's a black-light active mosaic with some really interesting build techniques. (Follow the link for a blog post from the builder, Baggadonuts, that talks about how this effect was achieved.)

It's inspiring work!

Fan Art!

While you're waiting for content from me (it's on the way, promise), here's a page of great Fan Art!

From the artist:
One fanart pic isn't enough, and my art has improved. Now I'm into manga (and I now have a scanner) so I couldn't help doing this. Strip #21 from the archives, done in manga style (with the read right to left, too.) Apologies about Whiskey's appearance, but it's hard to convert a LEGO character to manga style (even if the head's based off it) and the bowl cut was impossible to match to the real LEGO piece, as it turned out either to cartoonish or too spiky. The shading was fun to do, even though my scanner doesn't get all of it. (It looks WAY better in real life.)

-Cheers, KS

Well, even if the real thing is better, I'm still quite impressed with this. Click the pic for a larger view! And here's a quick link back to Episode 21 for comparison.

Whoops

Sorry about those weird posts earlier - I was trying to post from my phone. I got an "all is well" confirmation text back, but apparently the system was lying to me.

In general, just a quick post to say I just got back from closing ceremonies. It's been an amazing convention - I'm going to have to work up a page or two to go over all the amazing.

Some highlights:

• I brought a bunch of MST3k LEGO to the show.
• The MST3k guests (Trace, Joel, Frank, and Mary Jo) signed many of them. Trace and I even talked briefly about his childhood collection of LEGO. Yes, I have photos.
• Two items of non-MST3k art I entered into the art show sold.

Oh...

And I won the award for "BEST AMATEUR ARTIST."

Yes, this is a huge deal. Yes, there's a swanky trophy. No, I had no idea this was going to happen.

Anyway, more on this after I get back to Detroit on Tuesday sometime.

Brick House earns a mention at Associated Content

This is quite nifty! There's a nice article over at Associated Content that talks about LEGO web comics - and Brick House and Reasonably Clever both get some cool coverage.

Go check it out: When LEGO and Web Comics Collide

Spooky Star Wars!

It's time to announce our latest contest!

Thanks to the kind sponsorship (and connections) of Reasonably Clever Regular TK-1420 of the 501st, our October challenge is the

There are some incredible prizes, and some amazing celebrity judges...but first, let's let TK-1420 tell us about the competition itself....

(Click for full sized view)

Now...as to those prizes....how about some rare and out-of-print Star Wars sets?

And as to those celebrity judges...

---

Stephen J. Sansweet is the Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm and the owner of the world's largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia. Sansweet is also the author of 12 books, 10 of them about Star Wars.

(Bio and photo lifted from linked Wikipedia article)

---

and

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Mary Franklin is the Events Manager for Lucasfilm Ltd. where she coordinates various marketing and promotional events for the company, such as Star Wars Celebration II, Celebration III, Celebration IV, the yearly E3 Expo, and San Diego Comic-Con International.

Mary Franklin is also the current editor of Bantha Tracks in the Star Wars Insider magazine.

(Bio and photo lifted from linked Wookieepedia article)

---

How Cool Is THAT???

And that's not all...look for more announcements as the contest progresses!

The Seagirl who saved Christmas

Thanks to a very helpful online friend, an international shipment arrived at my doorstep today.

Here's a picture of Whiskey with one of the transatlantic passengers:

LEGO die-hards will recognize the wizard from the non-US Castle impulse set.

And...if the UK Wizard has arrived...you can bet there were some other UK goodies in that parcel as well.

Perhaps it's a good thing that Whiskey and Co are already in the Castle theme as we approach the holidays...

Nifty Swag

I received a neat little item in the mail yesterday - a customized LEGO keychain brick with "Reasonably Clever" etched into it.

The donor was a bit disapointed with the legibility, but I say it's the thought and effort that counts in a case like this. I am well and truly touched. Thank you!

They also included a blue "Male/Female" brick - not sure what the significance of that is, but look for it in the background of a set in the not-too-distant future.

Guest Starring at S-Team...me! (Sort of)

Ian warned me about this, but I didn't want to wreck his reveal by acknowledging it too soon. The "Mysterious Guide" character appearing recently in S-team is indeed meant to be a quasi-cameo of yours truly.

Ian and I have a long history of sharing characters with each other, but this is certainly a first for me...

Now, why I'm apparently dead and dressed in tacky white, that's another question entirely. Something you're not telling me, Ian?
(Ian says I'm NOT dead, just Meta.)

This is too cool.

I'm not (usually) one to brag, but this is just too awesome not to share.

I'm the subject of a very flattering interview by UK author Jude Calvert-Toulmin.
(Jude's site has some adult-oriented bits to it, so click with awareness. The interview itself is for all audiences.)

S-Team turns two!

Read the comic here.

I wanted to make a special post to congratulate fellow Webcomic Maestro Ian Healy on two years and over 500 episodes of fun! The Adventures of the S-Team has been a daily read for me for a long time now - I can't imagine starting my weekday mornings without it.

Way to go, Ian. I can't wait to see what the next two years hold in store.