Rings takes over San Diego this year with exclusives from Prime Video’s Rings of Power, New Line Cinema’s War of the Rohirrim, and the fan community here at TheOneRing.net. Get ready for a week of reveals from Middle-earth!
Tolkien fandom will be prominent at San Diego Comic-Con this year, with exclusives from Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and the fan community here at TheOneRing.net. Get ready for a week of reveals from Middle-earth!
Panels
Three amazing panels happening this year for all The Lord of the Rings related adaptations!
Hall H, Friday 11am – TheRings of Power comes to the biggest pop culture stage with a preview for Season 2 of the biggest show in TV history. Most of the cast and showrunners are expected, along with a new extended trailer.
Friday 8pm, Room 25 ABC – TheOneRing.net “main” LOTR panel This is one not to miss! We’ll be featuring exclusive footage from upcoming animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, plus official info on the future of LOTR from Middle-earth Enterprises, with some very special guests and some surprises!
Saturday 5:30pm, Room 5 AB – “I Am No Man: Women in Middle-earth” Hosted by TORn staffer Kellie Rice and featuring women leaders from Weta Workshop, EA games, Wizards of the Coast, and Middle-earth Enterprises.
Parties
Prime Video and TheOneRing.net are celebrating the upcoming Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with a Middle-earth Moot! We’re honoured to be co-hosting this exciting event on Friday afternoon – but we’re sorry to have to tell you that the tickets were all snapped up in record time, and the party is full! Looking forward to seeing folks with tickets on Friday afternoon!
And don’t forget, if you have a ticket, you can try your luck to claim one of the Autograph Opportunity Wristbands for this special event. Visit TheOneRing.net’s booth (#1934) during the following times:
Thursday 25th July 10-11am; OR 12-1pm; OR 2-3pm
Ask for greendragon! Bring proof that you have a ticket to the gathering (either printed out or on your phone). A certain number of lucky folks who come to the booth, during each hour slot, with proof of their party ticket, will be given a special wristband, which will allow them access to meet the cast and get autographs at the event.
You must be there in person to get a lucky wristband, and you must already have a party ticket. People will not be allowed to claim wristbands for others who are not at the booth in person.
TheOneRing.net Booth 1934 and new LOTR Merch Exclusives
TheOneRing.net is partnering with the #1 Tolkien YouTuber (with over 1 Million subscribers) Nerd of the Rings! Alongside Matt’s knowledgable expertise on the lore of LOTR, also joining us in the booth is the fabulous Jordan Rannells, creator of A Long Expected Soundscape. Step up to the booth to get an audio experience of original musical scores inspired by the books of Tolkien.
We’re delighted to welcome the one and only Jed Brophy back to our booth! As many fans know, Jed is one of the most fun folks to meet; an actor who has appeared in all six of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films AND in The Rings of Power, he’s always delighted to chat with fans, and has some amazing stories. Come and meet him, and snag a signed photograph!
As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll have MORE friends joining us throughout the weekend, including some of your favorite LOTR influencers! Kili from Happy Hobbit will be there much of the time; people will be popping by throughout the con; and we can confirm the following specifically:
Saturday 27th at the booth:
11am-12noon Tea with Tolkien; 1-2pm Knewbettadobetta; 3-4pm The Tolkien Professor.
Come and meet some of the coolest folks in fandom! Win some amazing prizes in our trivia contests – including the newest published editions of Tolkien’s books. Or treat yourself to some merch…
It wouldn’t be Comic-con without brand new EXCLUSIVE merch from TheOneRing.net! For our 25th anniversary this year, we’ve made a commemorative silver shimmer “You Haven’t Aged A Day” shirt, limited to only 100. Then to complicate the upcoming election even further, Gollum has announced his candidacy with our “Gollum/Smeagol 2024” shirt on vintage heather black.
Nerd of the Rings and Happy Hobbit have their first convention shirts ever this year! With these shirts, Happy Hobbit have sourced sustainable fabric and chemical-free printing for a better Shire. Here are the fun LOTR themed designs available only at the booth, not online, while supplies last.
Hot off a hugely successful kickstarter, Jackson Robinson has sent over packs of his officially licensed The Lord of the Rings playing card decks, featuring custom drawn 52-cards from both Fellowship and Two Towers. Shire Post Mint also returns to SDCC show floor inside our booth with their high quality coinage and jewelry. AND – we’ll be revealing a special collaboration with Oscha, celebrating our Silver Anniversary, which will be available for pre-order throughout the con. Stay tuned for more on that…!
Looking forward to seeing all you shire folk in San Diego next week, July 24-28. Our booth is open all hours of the convention floor. One final word of warning: you’ll want to get in line extra early for a seat at our 2 LOTR panels. Be sure to join TheOneRing Discord to get caught up on the excitement when things are revealed!
The greatest gathering of fans happens next week! That’s right San Diego Comic-Con 2024 is coming up, so once again it’s time for MadEyeGamgee and myself to speculate on the Middle-earth collectibles we might see.
Our special guest is Tyler McClim who helps hosts The Lord of the Collections podcast on YouTube. Over our 90 minute conversation we chat about what we want to see not only at SDCC, but also in the time after Comic-Con.
We hope you enjoy this episode and we look forward to reviewing what we saw post SDCC.
TORn’s good friend Donato Giancola is no stranger to the realms of Middle-earth. His book Middle-earth: Journeys in Myth and Legend is filled with incredible art inspired by Tolkien, and at 2022’s exhibition of his work at the Huntsville Museum of Art, his giant ‘Beacons of Gondor’ painting took centre stage.
He now brings us word that he has completed his latest large-scale painting. This time the title is ‘Bridge of Khazad-dûm’. Here’s a video of the work:
If you’d love to have such a masterpiece hanging on your wall, the good news is that prints are available – in limited numbers! Find out how you can get your hands on a print – and other Middle-earth goodies – here. And feast your eyes on ‘Bridge of Khazad-dûm’ in all its glory:
The awesome folks at Diamond Select Toys have even more awesome Middle-earth collectibles for those of us who collect their sweet pieces.
If you’re like me, and are collecting the Deluxe Action Figure line, you can now pre-order Merry and Pippin. Both of these figures are priced at $29.99 for a single figure or you can grab both in a set for $59.98 with the figures due to ship in quarter 3 of this year.
If you’re a fan of their Gallery Diorama series you can now add the Cave Troll to that collection. The Cave Troll comes in with a price tag of $125 and will be shipping in quarter 2 of this year.
Last Thursday our friends at Weta Workshop revealed one of their most beautiful environments, The Grey Havens is up for order. This piece captures the beauty and emotion of the Grey Havens perfectly.
Like all previous limited edition pieces, fans have a two-week window to place their order, with pre-orders closing on February 8th at 4 PM PST. The Grey Havens piece is available via pre-order for $799, and it is expected to ship at the end of this year.
Two further pieces Weta Workshop announced are for all fans of The Return of the King coronation sequence. From Weta Workshops classic series, representing that beautiful scene from the film, fans can now pre-order the awesome-looking King Aragorn and the stunning Coronation Arwen right now for $399 each.
It has been fifty years since the Professor sailed into the West, and the Tolkienverse is still thriving. Which is great news for any who wish to pass along the passion as part of their holiday gift-giving, or perhaps pass along that personal hint to your favorite Father Christmas. It’s time for the OneRing staff to gather our collective guidance and bring you our annual Holiday Gift-Giving Guide: the Middle-earth Edition! We’ve pored over a lengthy lineup, narrowing our recommendations down to twelve, one for each day that you and your true love may be mingling under the proverbial pear tree. May you find your Arkenstone somewhere on the list!
For book lovers
Let’s start with something to warm every book purist’s heart: The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. This is probably the consensus number one pick across all of our TORn staff Fellowship. Just released on November 14, and available broadly from your favorite source for books, this updated edition sees Humphrey Carpenter going back to his original typescripts and notes, restoring more than 150 letters that were excised from the 1981 edition to achieve what was then deemed a “publishable length.” Fortunately our appetite continues to grow for more content on Tolkien and his world in general, and especially commentary on his writings. Anyone for an expanded “Letter 131”, hearing more about a plot summary of the entirety of The Lord of the Rings, or getting Tolkien’s vision for publishing his “Tales of the Three Ages”?
2. Our senior staff member greendragon tends to split her time between America and her home in Scotland, which also boasts one of her favorite sources for unique and beautiful Tolkien-themed gifts: Oscha Slings. And Oscha has just released a number of new items on their website. greendragon enthuses: “In past years, I’ve picked one of their shawls and a throw as gifts; this year, however, I’m excited because their clothing line is back! The Oscha Wear range includes t-shirts, hoodies, and more, in a variety of sizes and styles – and there is even a range of baby grows! Oscha’s woven pieces are incredible, and are an investment; but now you can add some of their stunning designs to your wardrobe at a lower price point. T-shirts for all the Middle-earth fans in your life this holiday season! (If you ARE up for splurging, to treat yourself or that special someone, check out Oscha’s new Imladris design. I still haven’t picked my jaw up off the floor, after seeing this…)” And don’t forget to check out their Middle-earth Mug collection!
Collectibles
3. It’s the 20th anniversary of TheReturn of the King! We’ve even got some staffers – such as deej and Madeye Gamgee – heading to the Land of the Long White Cloud next month in search of Kiwi celebrations. But those are a bit tough to fit into a stocking. No fear! New Zealand Post has once again got you covered. Having already marked the last two years with commemorative collectibles celebrating The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, they’re now ready to help you complete the set! Check out some amazing RotK pieces – coins, stamps and pins – that will put you in the mood to celebrate the Days of the King! Beautiful stamps show images from the final movie in the trilogy, complete with ‘hidden messages’ – an iconic line from the film hidden in each design. Or along with some of us staffers, you might prefer to receive for the holiday season a set of the stunning coins. There are four in total, depicting Meduseld, Gondor, the Beacons, and Gandalf crowning Aragorn. They tie together beautifully as a set, and would be a wonderful addition to any collection.
4. Staffer Justin has been enthusing lately about Wizards of the Coast’s entry into Middle-earth through its massively popular Magic: the Gathering line. Last June the Wizards released a highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set. For gamers, the “Universes Beyond” card set has integrated Magic’s deep and strategic game-play with settings from Middle-earth (and not just the movies). With the holidays upon us, November 3 saw a new release to expand the set, including a special collection of four Scene Boxes that portray iconic LotR moments, each scene combining six borderless cards that together create a large scene that you can display on the included easel. New booster packs offer the chance to score alternative art, courtesy of the classic 70’s era Hildebrandt brothers, or some very funky “poster art” cards that have some of us humming The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins as we open our boosters. Fun!
5. The OneRing’s “Collecting the Precious” champion, Elessar, has passed along a couple of favorite gift-giving treasure troves, starting with our friends at Weta Workshop. Weta has been prolific with a host of new offerings aligned with the 20th anniversary of the PJ films, and you can find an array of figures, environments, prop replicas, t-shirts, art posters, etc. on their site. Elessar has highlighted a collection of them designed to fit many budgets, from new entries in Weta’s mini-epic and mini-statue lines like the King of the Dead, Sauron and Treebeard; to additions to their classic figures like a stunning Gondorian Fountain Guard; all the way to the threatening new environment, The Black Gate. Plus, Weta typically offers some great Black Friday promotions, so keep an eye out!
Toys
6. Elessar has also had his eye on a growing list of companies offering new Lord of the Rings lines, like Diamond Select Toys. You’ll find dioramas (like Aragorn), a collection of blind box mini-figures, and action figures galore (like a Nazgûl) on their site. Plus they have some terrific new offerings that you can pre-order now for delivery in early 2024. (I would be remiss should I fail to mention my man Sam in that lineup.)
7. Judging from our social media feeds as well as our own obsessions on the OneRing staff, Rivendell has been a glorious new addition to the LegoLord of the Rings universe. Boasting 3 stunning sections, 15 mini-figures, and over 6,000 pieces, you’ll need (and want) to find a generous space in your home to keep Elrond and company on permanent display. Bonus points for any who add on one of the special lighting kits available from multiple vendors like Lighttailing and Light My Bricks.
8. It’s back to the books for Madeye Gamgee, this time with a glorious new edition of The Hobbit. Published in September, the book features over 50 sketches, drawings, paintings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien himself and with the complete text printed in two colors. The additional art pieces from the author – although exhibited and published elsewhere – have never appeared within the pages of the book itself. You can find the hardback edition broadly, or for a book this beautiful, you may want to splurge on the special deluxe boxed edition, which comes with two poster-size, fold-out maps revealing all the detail of Thror’s Map and Wilderland, an illustrated 88-page booklet, and a printed art card reproducing Tolkien’s original dust jacket painting.
9. Staffer Mithril has some kingly gifts to suggest. First up is the Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck from Insight Editions. Written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Tomás Hijo, Mithril describes this as “like getting a mini gallery of art and a Palantír in a box.” It’s available at HerUniverse.com and on Amazon. If you’re in the mood for some Middle-earth inspired ornamentation on a more standard card deck, take a spin over to the King’s Wild Project or Theory11 for some amazing embellishments for poker night.
Jewelry
10. Our friends at Badali Jewelry have expanded their licensed offerings to a multiverse of fandoms, but their Middle-earth collection has always been like the Three-Farthing Stone in the Shire: right at the center. Check out their array of offerings like the Arkenstone, Shieldmaiden earrings, or their Palantir Locket. Staffer Mithril is a particular fan of their latest line of the Nine “Rings of Men”, with notable affection for the Ring of Númenor. Pick out your own Ring of Power! Captivate your friends! Watch out for shieldmaidens with swords!
Clothing
11. Staffer Tanya keeps an eye out for sources of attire fit for hobbits, elves, Rohirrim, and other Middle-earth denizens. Three in particular have caught her eye and heart this year. She writes of Linennaiveas offering “several options for Hobbit costuming, focusing on creating dresses using natural fibers. It currently has a Black Friday sale at its website, which assists with the slightly higher pricing for quality work.” Next up is Holy Clothing, a regular shopping spot for my own Rosie. Tanya writes that they’re “an ethical clothing brand out of Asia that pays their tailors fair wages, and gives 15% of their profits to charities. They have dresses named ‘Arwen,’ ‘Eowyn,’ and ‘Tauriel,’ and I admit I am eyeing up this excellent cloak for my own Christmas list.” The final entry on Tanya’s shopping list is Scarlet Darkness: “they have a variety of extremely affordable outfit options that are still perfectly acceptable at, say, a congregation of Elves at DragonCon, or your local renfest. (I might have used this site for DragonCon myself!) The pricing is very fair, and the quality holds up through all your Hobbit parties or journeys into the west.” Another clothing site option you may want to check out comes from Mithril: Her Universe, which has a new line of Middle-earth fashion. “Their clothes have great details and are always high quality and comfy to wear. Check out this Fellowship Cardigan. With both front and back filled with LotR graphics, it would be great for cozying up by the hearth in style.”
Her Universe Galadriel dress
12. Rounding out our “Durin’s Dozen” in this Holiday treasure trove is a unique gift spotted by one of our OneRing founders, Calisuri: a set of four pewter shot glasses each attired as one of our favorite hobbits! From Nemesis Now, and available from a number of sources, including Walmart and Amazon, the glasses come in an attractive gift box. And while they won’t hold a full pint, you still might consider getting one!
13. Ok fine. How about a “Barliman’s Dozen” then. We’ll add one more bonus entry to this year’s list, particularly fit for any fan with knitting needle facility: The Fellowship of the Knits book. Who couldn’t use a handy set of “Watchful Eye” mittens this winter? Or a “You Shawl Not Pass”? Thanks again to Mithril for the suggestion – it might be worth learning to knit!
We’re just skimming the surface, folks. You can also check out an array of additional options for the Silmarillion-smitten loved ones in your life, from next year’s classic Tolkien calendars to art prints by TORn’s good friends Jay Johnstone, Donato Giancola, Justin Gerard, Jerry Vandersteldt, Jenny Dolfen, and the CaveGeek. The Shire Post Mint has a whimsical collection of coins from all across Middle-earth, and the Hero’s Armory is your source for some very stylish Middle-earth fashion, from socks to neckties to cufflinks and tie clips. You may just want to soak in the bath with a rubber duck version of your favorite LotR hero (or villain) from TUBBZ. Our friends at Sideshow and Asmus boast some terrific Middle-earth offerings, and you can even find some versions for your littlest Tolkien fans-in-training from the Fisher-Price Little People Collection. Or why not launch out into the artist and maker world of Etsy – who knows what you might discover? Maybe a set of silverware with engraved LotR quotes? Or a One Fire Ring to Rule them All?
Happy hunting, and happiest of holidays from all your friends at TheOneRing.net!
