Happy Sereniversary, Browncoats!

Can you believe it's been FIVE years since Mal Reynolds and his crew hit the big screen? That's right, the premiere of the now classic film Serenity happened on September 30th, 2005!

Browncoats know the story well (and it was chronicled in full detail in the great fan documentary Done The Impossible). Joss Whedon's sci-fi TV show Firefly was abruptly canceled in December 2002 (after a very short run of only a few months) and the fan outcry was heard around the 'Verse. Luckily, Joss Whedon and Universal heeded the call in the form of a big-screen adventure - and was it ever shiny!

Thanks to trusty YouTube we can go back in time to watch the theatrical trailer that rallied the Browncoats in 2005:



Speaking of Browncoats, here's a friendly reminder for you: If you've been thinking of treating yourself to your very own Malcolm Reynolds Browncoat, there's a free shipping offer happening right now (but only until October 15th!).

So there we go: Happy Birthday to Serenity! Thinking about the film just gives us warm fuzzy feelings. Every line of dialogue is solid gold, so we could go on quoting for hours...

"Remember, if anything happens to me, or you don't hear from me within the hour... you take this ship and you come and you rescue me!" - Mal Reynolds

Shiniest of Sereniversaries to you,
The AbbyShot Team

The Wednesday Uplink--Hands On...Almost

>RUN DIRECTORY PROTOCOL: INSI.DIR 2.x
>INITIALIZING CONNECTION...
>USERNAME: eon
>PASSWORD: ********
>WELCOME

You were almost right. It was the closest call yet and so I had to go deep underground, hence the late post. I had to make sure the coast was clear in order to get this message out to you at all.

Man, it is so difficult getting good shots! Unfortunately, I couldn't get handy enough to them to get anything very substantial. So I cropped what I could to give you the most advantageous look at them before that dang AbbyBot came chasing after me.

Let me know what you think...in the usual places...the comments section in the blog, the Twitter page or on Facebook.  I read them all frequently, looking for clues.

Yours,
Eon

AbbyShot CON-test 2: Still time to vote!

Have you cast your vote yet for your favourite CON-testant? As of right now our very silent Contestant #3 - Eric is in the lead! But the Doctor and the Squall are still in the running!

The polls close October 13th! 

(Only one vote per person please!)

Have a look at the pictures below to choose who you would like to win.

Contestant #1: Rob!

Contestant #2 - Rudi!

Contestant #3 - Eric!

So choose wisely! The winner will receive $50.00 in AbbyCash off any product priced over $150.00!

The two ways to vote:

1) Here on the Blog in the "Comments" section below!
Just let us know the Contestant # you're voting for. We've temporarily disabled Anonymous comments in the interests of fairness, so you'll just need to log in with your Google Account, Blogger account, or OpenID account before voting.

2) On the AbbyShot Facebook Page in our CON-test 2 Album!
Just write the word "Vote" in the Comments underneath your preferred photo, or write your preferred Contestant # in the Comments for the Facebook album itself. You'll find the CON-test 2 Facebook Album at this link!

Halloween will soon be upon us, do you have your costume yet?

Here at AbbyShot we carry quality 'costumes' from some of the most popular characters in media today. Most Halloween costumes look like costumes. AbbyShot's clothing makes you look like the actual character.

This year how about dressing up as your favorite space renegade in an Officially Licensed Malcolm Reynolds Browncoat? And if you place your order before October 15th we will cover the shipping!

 


Not interested in the cowboy look? How about going as a dark, heroic rebel trying to escape The Matrix?

We do offer a wide assortment of mens clothing, but we also offer some really cool woman's styles!

Check out our leather G-I-G Shrug, inspired by Major Motoko Kusanagi's leather shrug from "Ghost In The Shell". This piece of clothing will make you look and feel amazing!

Another awesome piece of clothing is The Martha Jones Companion Jacket. It is the perfect item for Halloween or for everyday wear.

Whether it be for a costume party, a convention, or for something to just wear around town, AbbyShot's coats will do the trick! We make clothing that is not just for play, but for a lifestyle!

 This is just a small sample of some of the items we have to make you rock this Halloween. Check out our website to see more great costume ideas!

Fiction Fashion Friday - Top 5 Long Coat Video Games!

Hey guys, welcome to our final Fiction Fashion Friday post. Today for this ultimate edition we're going to do something a little different - we're listing our Top Five awesome games that let you play as a trench coat wearing hero! It's always fun to play games that let you wear an awesome trench coat you love, whether it be Dante or Denton. In no particular order, here’s the list!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWE’EN COSTUMES

Hallowe’en actually originated over 2,000 years ago with a Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”) which was associated with the belief that ghosts of the dead would cause trouble on October 31st. People burned crops and sacrificed animals to the Celtic gods, hence the first costumes made from animal skins and heads were created. Enter the Romans, and later Christians, who mixed in their own customs which introduced costumes of angels, saints and devils.

Today’s Hallowe’en has been influenced by many cultures who believed they could avoid being recognized by the ghosts if they wore masks. They also placed bowls of food outside their homes to satisfy the ghosts and prevent them from entering the home. Others made their rounds to the homes of the rich to ask for money and food. They would threaten them with “evil spirits” if the rich did not give into the demands. 

While dressing in costumes for this day dates back thousands of years, the first store-bought Hallowe’en costumes were not available before the 1930’s. Today we see an insurgence of costumes inspired by popular culture, from Keanu Reeve’s Matrix character to Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula to David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. These costumes allow people of all ages to dress the part at Hallowe’en, thereby inspiring to become a different sort of character.

The Wednesday Uplink - MATRIX IS BACK!

>RUN DIRECTORY PROTOCOL: INSI.DIR 2.x
>INITIALIZING CONNECTION...
>USERNAME: eon
>PASSWORD: ********
>WELCOME

Finally! It's official! I can share with everyone,openly, what I have known for some time now!

 

The Lobby Trench is back!

See for yourself!

It's perfect! Just like the original!

I just read on the AbbyShot website that if you order now you can even have it for Halloween! 

 

I will have so much time on my hands now. No more sneaking around, trying to avoid that blasted AbbyBot. It always seemed to show up exactly as I was about to share what I had learned!

Actually...I do enjoy the sneaking around...I think there may be some more products in development there at that AbbyShot Headquarters that I can look into....

Until next time then!

Yours,
Eon

Eon Has Found Out, Have You?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How many of you have figured out what the newest AbbyShot product is?

  

The team here at AbbyShot has been working hard for months to bring the fans what they've been asking for. We have received hundreds of emails from customers begging us to bring back a classic.

There have been recent hints given from a person who is known only as "Eon". He has shared some inside information that was meant to be kept secret until the end of the season. However, now that he has shown the way to the rabbit hole we can only keep this under wraps for so much longer.

Can you follow the path?

Fiction Fashion Friday - Ichigo from Bleach

Fic! Fash! Fri! It's Fiction Fashion Friday! Today we're looking at Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach!

Bleach is an anime series that starts off low-key and builds up to a big bang (much like the main character’s wardrobe... but we’ll get to that! ;). Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series, is a high schooler with the extraordinary ability to see ghosts. Things change however when Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper (Shinigami in Japanese) appears in the process of hunting down a Hollow (a lost soul) who is looking for a meal...and Ichigo appears to be that snack! Rukia is wounded and attempts to transfer half of her energy into Ichigo so he can fend off the Hollow to protect himself and his family from it. However, he draws most of her energy and becomes a Soul Reaper (with an enormous sword to boot), successfully slaying the Hollow. Rukia, powerless, stays with Ichigo until her powers come back. A series of episodes surrounds this recovery, until Rukia is persecuted by the governing body of the Soul Reapers, Soul Society. Thus begins Ichigo's quest to save Rukia from Soul Society, which spirals further into a conspiracy, and things aren't quite as they seem in the afterlife.

Return of the AbbyShot Tee!

For over eight years AbbyShot has been creating exciting high-quality garments that allow you to dress like your favourite characters from sci-fi, films, anime, and video games. Now we are bringing back an old favorite that will allow you to take your costuming to a whole new level! 

Sure, it's great to dress up as a time-traveling Doctor, or even take out your road-rage in a Max Jacket. But you know what's even cooler? Dressing up like your favourite AbbyShot employee! Sure it is....take our word for it... : /

That's right! Now you can get your very own Abby-Shirt! For just $25.00 CAD!

These beautiful shirts are made from a preshrunk, poly-cotton blend fabric. We love these shirts, and we hope you will too! 

All sizes are in stock for immediate delivery!

S, M, L, XL, XXL

Stop dressing like your boring, old, everyday, anime villain (please don't stop!) and start dressing like an AbbyShot staff member today! :)

Click here to place your T-Shirt order now!

The Wednesday Uplink - Found Out

>RUN DIRECTORY PROTOCOL: INSI.DIR 2.x
>INITIALIZING CONNECTION...
>USERNAME: eon
>PASSWORD: ********
>WELCOME

Déjà vu...saw a black coat, and then another that looked just like it. Must be a glitch...it happens when they change something! I'm going to have to walk through the door and along the path before I see the real world.

I'd better go quickly; here comes that blasted AbbyBot again.  Follow the path to see the real world with me...

Yours,
Eon

Customer E-mails: September 2010 Edition

For September's Customer E-mails we feature two dedicated AbbyShot fans. Donn, a returning customer who looks great in AbbyShot long coats, and Bob, a true AbbyShot veteran who you don't wanna to mess with! (At least I don't...)

You may recognize our first customer from our very own AbbyShot website! This loyal fan proudly donned The Deckard Trench in some amazing shots a couple of years ago. He wore that coat so well, who knew he would also make such a great Doctor!

These are just a couple of the shots he took during a preliminary photo shoot in his Tenth Doctor's Coat (pictures from the final photo shoot to come...).
 
Dear AbbyShot,

Got the coat! WOW!!
Great quality, as expected.
Heavier than I thought!
Visually, it looks tailored to me. Shoulders perfect. (I'm picking up the actual suit I'll be wearing under it for the photo shoots this weekend.)
Best and g'nite!
Donn - USA

Our second customer email is from Bob, a long-time customer who likes to test the elements in his Deckard Trench - this one is actually the Deckard Version 1.0 that we offered in a Limited Edition from 2006-2007.

I have had the Version 1 Deckard coat for three years now.  I used it for both cosplay and day-to-day wear.  Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies and it is such a nice thing to find a quality coat that looks like it was lifted right off of the screen.  The coat has served me well in bad weather as well as good.  From zero degree Fahrenheit winters to torrential rain storms, it has kept me dry and comfortable.  The removable liner allows me to use it throughout the year.  A lot of people recognize the coat from "something" even if they cannot name the movie.  It always makes an entrance and impresses.  In June I wore it on a stormy day on my way to train some Chinese engineers.  I put it on without even thinking of it like I always do.  The Chinese engineers didn't speak very good English, but they all said "woah" when I entered the classroom.  It took me a moment to realize that it was the Deckard coat. 
Excellent work.

Best Regards,
Bob Barker - USA

These are great pictures from two top notch customers! We always love to see how our garments transform everyday people into their favorite characters, so keep those pictures coming! :)  

All the best,
The AbbyShot Team

AbbyShot CON-test 2: Voting Begins Now!

It's that time, folks: Time to get out the vote for the CON-test!

The voting for the AbbyShot CON-test 2 is now under way, with photo entries in from all over the globe. We wanted the coolest convention photos and many AbbyShot customers answered the call! Now the fun part begins: YOU, the fans, get to vote on the winner!

As you may remember, we had two brackets in this year's edition of the CON-test: One for cosplay with AbbyShot gear and the other for home-made cosplay. Only one intrepid fan submitted a home-made costume photo so they've won by acclamation (we'll announce that winner next month), but now the race is on for the AbbyShot bracket! Here are the contestants and instructions on how YOU can vote here on the Blog or on Facebook!

Fiction Fashion Friday - Travis Touchdown

Hey guys! What's up? It looks like it's time for another Fiction Fashion Friday! Today we're going to cover a character who is crass, violent, and yet still downright awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, may we present Travis Touchdown of the video game series No More Heroes! Travis is a bit different from most protagonists. Definitely an anti-hero, he's an anime fan (proud to be an otaku!) who climbs the ladders of the United Assassins Association for less-than-noble reasons (chief among them women, power, and to be the best) but he still manages to be a likeable character. He’s easy to relate to because he’s an everyday Joe doing something extraordinary.

The Wednesday Uplink - Getting to The Bottom of It

>RUN DIRECTORY PROTOCOL: INSI.DIR 2.x
>INITIALIZING CONNECTION...
>USERNAME: eon
>PASSWORD: ********
>WELCOME

Oh my... I don't have much time to chat today. I'm on the run you see. Quite literally RUNNING as I type this. Alarm bells chiming in the distance.

Let's just say that AbbyShot did NOT want me to show you a picture like this...

SO... this might just fit with a few of your theories! Trust me, I've been keeping an eye on your words. Keep those comments flowing on Facebook, on Twitter, and of course here on the Blog.

I must be off, running and typing don't mix (it's safe to say). I'll be waiting for your feedback...

Yours (hastily),

Eon

AbbyShot Review: The "Browncoats: Redemption" Fan Film!

Fandom is a wonderful thing.
Sci-fi fans know well the tragic story of the cancelled-but-now -classic TV series "Firefly" and its underrated movie spin-off "Serenity", and the vast majority of those same fans wish the story could be continued in some way. Well, many wish for it but it takes a special kind of fan to stop wishing and make it happen! The fan-made film "Browncoats: Redemption", which premiered this past weekend at Dragon*Con 2010, is the perfect example of fans taking ideas and putting them into action (and for a good cause to boot!).

This is Mark from AbbyShot, and I sat down this weekend to watch the film thanks to the cool online premiere held on the "Browncoats: Redemption" website in conjunction with the real-life Dragon*Con premiere. I guess the folks behind "Redemption" wanted to get people talking about the film online and (would you look at that), it worked! I purposefully stayed away from other reviews to give you fine folks my unbiased opinion.

Fiction Fashion Friday - Rorschach Test

Good day folks! How are you all doing? Excited for the long weekend? Off to Dragon*Con, or doing something equally cool? Whatever you’re up to, let's start the weekend off right with a little Fiction Fashion Friday! Today on FicFashFri, we're going to look at a character from whom we explore what a real-life "Batman" (a superhero forged in vengeance) would be like. Of course, we’re talking about Rorschach from Watchmen.

Rorschach is a superhero who still dons his mask and fights crime, despite laws being passed to ban masked vigilantism. However, Rorschach is not the type to leave the bad guy for the police to pick up; oftentimes a run-in with the ink-blotted man will prove fatal for criminals. While not superpowered, he is a great athlete, a competent fighter, and an intuitive detective.

The Wednesday Uplink - The Hardest Button to Button

>RUN DIRECTORY PROTOCOL: INSI.DIR 2.x
>INITIALIZING CONNECTION...
>USERNAME: eon
>PASSWORD: ********
>WELCOME

I have to say, the suspense is killing me. After last week's impolite intrusion by the cute-but-deadly "AbbyBot" I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue these surreptitious broadcasts to you fine folks. But after exactly 2.3 seconds of hesitation (nothing more) I decided to soldier on. These messages must continue - "Can't stop the signal", to quote a favorite film of mine. Unfortunately while my resolve is as strong as ever, it seems that the AbbyBot (I cringe to think about it) has affected my technology...