HOUSE OF BRAGI: THE SPRY OBSERVATiONS

A warm and hearty hello to Gungnir faithful both new and old as we introduce my new weekly platform for all manner of poignant pontifications on pertinent news of the week, random musings, blunt bantering, micro reviews, and simple random rowdiness all centered ‘round the blazing imaginative fires of comics, books, TV, movies, video games, and other fun diversions.   

In keeping with the spirit of Bragi, the Norse god of Poetry, Music, Creativity and Storytelling, we’ll be streaking across a broad range of tantalizing topics starting with this week’s flurry of premieres, new trailers, a secret casting reveal, and a colossal Hot Toys collectible I gotta have!

First up is FX’s Alien: Earth trailer that just hatched for creator Noah Hawley’s Alien prequel series set on our homeworld after a Weyland-Yutani research vessel crashes into a sprawling city custodian of a lab full of deadly species collected from the creepiest corners of the galaxy. This sci-fi show landing August 12 is looking increasingly grim, gory, and disturbing but the franchise has never exactly been a ribboned basket of cuddly glitter-kittens, right? 

Hot on the heels of that nightmarish preview came a fresh full trailer for Disney’s Tron: Ares and I’m predicting this will be a must-see when it manifests on IMAX screens on October 10, 2025. The visual effects of the digital world intruding upon our own are stunning, Jared Leto looks phenomenal on his lightcycle, and we even got a peek at Jeff Bridges as a grizzled Kevin Flynn! 

Punch it! Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 takes flight tonight on Paramount+ with a two-episode premiere, one that brings back those nasty reptilian adversaries the Gorn, and another that resurrects a playful Star Trek legacy character played by the great Rhys Darby. 

And with less than a week before Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives on July 25, it’s just been announced that Paul Walter Hauser will step into the role of Mole Man when the superhero epic opens. He’s an old-school subterranean-dwelling villain that always reminds me of DC’s fish-breathed The Penguin. I’m kinda hesitant to predict what First Steps is going to deliver when it hits theaters, but I’m totally onboard with the retro-futuristic setting I’ve been lobbying for but Hollywood has ignored my barbaric yawp on the matter until now. 

Hollywood Records also released The Fantastic Four: First Steps Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on all major music platforms today, showcasing an original score from Academy, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who conjured up one of my favorite scores, the haunting majestic music for director Matt Reeves’ The Batman.   

Finally, Hot Toys unveiled a bold look at its jumbo-sized Galactus collectible figure movie tie-in and it’s an awe-inspiring sight to behold in all its finely-detailed vinyl glory, crafted with the likeness of Nosferatu and Game of Thrones actor Ralph Ineson and standing 27.5 inches tall.

That’s all for this week, Gungnir Berserkers! May you forge many epic memories this weekend.

Jeff