Rankin Bass Dwarves

Just had to repost these images . . . awesome!

New Hobbit Character Posters!

comicbookmovie.com posted 14 character posters . . . featuring quite a few that we hadn't seen before. Gotta admit, much to my surprise, the posters of Bombur and Bifur are my favorite. The guy with the axe in his head is definitely growing on me. Jump past the break to see the rest!

The Hobbit Reread 4: An Unexpected Party

Ok, so I know I'm gonna have to start doubling up on these because I've been lazy and not posted every week. But . . . I'm gonna get it all done before Dec. 14 rolls around. You have my word. Today we'll start the fourth post of this reread and the first post dealing with a chapter from the actual book. Chapter 1, that is, An Unexpected Party.

Hobbits and Dwarves from the New Trailer!

The hardest thing about this post was figuring out which awesome picture to use as the opening image. Sheesh! We're getting a deluge of Hobbit images, hopefully just a hint of what's to come tomorrow with the release of the new trailer. Any speculations on what that big chunk of crystal something might be? If I were to hazard it guess, it might be ithildin (thus it's association with Thorin's map) . . . of course, if memory serves me right, ithildin is made with mithril, so this crystal stuff might be something else entirely. If you have a guess, drop it in the comments below!

New Hobbit Pics from USA Today

A special week indeed! Here are some brand new photos courtesy of USA Today. Read on past the break to see them all.

Better Late than Never . . . New Dwarf Pics and Descriptions!

Ok, I apologize for the extra long break in posts (and even this one is going to have to be a quicky). My family and I just made a long move to Seattle, we're still in the middle of unpacking, and we don't really have internet access yet. In fact, at the moment I am mooching of our apartment complex's rec room computer. Anyways, while I've been busy shoving boxes around, the rest of the world has gotten a glimpse of some amazing new Hobbit pics, courtesy of the new iOS Hobbit app that was recently released. No, I'm not glaring jealously at all you iPhone and iPad owners out there. I'm not. Really.

In addition to the awesome new pics, the app gives official descriptions of each of the dwarves in Thorin's Company, which I'll include below the break. Enjoy!

The Hobbit Reread 1: Of Dwarves and Men

The History of Middle-earth Vol. 12: The Peoples of Middle-earth - Of Dwarves and Men

Okay, before I jump into the first of many rereads, I thought I'd explain the format. Each week I'll present a summary of the chapter or essay I'll be discussing, and then move into my 'discussion' of the piece. If the piece I'm rereading is not part of the main body of the Hobbit I'll give a bit of background on it as well (mainly applicable for the first couple of weeks). In each section I'll try to include any incredibly important quotations as necessary. Here we go!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: David DelaGardelle

It's Friday again . . . the week was long, but Hobbit fever is, well . . . going strong. I guess? Maybe? Anyways, regardless of your current excitement for the upcoming Hobbit movies, this week's Mathom-House art is sure to please you! Today we'll be looking at the fantastic art of David DelaGardelle.

Above is David's take on Gandalf the Gray, which I really enjoyed. The little details that David got right are what really make this illustration: the Ring of Power on Gandalf's hand, the long nose and the fact that his eyebrows really do extend beyond the rim of his hat. Great stuff, plus the medium that David was working in really gives these illustrations an older feel that I enjoy.

Read on for a look at David's take on some of the Dwarves in Thorin's Company:

Additional Weapons stuff

After posting my little essay about weapons, DarkJackal pointed out to me some details I'd missed. Two days later I've updated the post with the missing information. And good thing I did, cause it's some of my favorite stuff.

Head on over to the original weapon post to check it out! I've added the new material to the end of the post.

Enjoy!

Arming the Crew: Thorin & Company's Weaponry

Thorin & Co. may not be the classiest crew around. They may not have manners. The distinct lack of Big People in the crew may even hint at some sort of height-based profiling. But there's one thing you can't deny: these dwarves are packing heat. From axes to swords (and almost everything in between), this band of dwarves is equipped to deal with just about anything.

Read on past the break to get an in depth look at the various implements Thorin & Co. have selected to deal out death and justice to any who stand in their way:

Wanted: Information on a mysterious dwarf

Well folks, make no mistake. There is a mystery afoot. We were all treated to the 6th Hobbit production video a few weeks ago, and towards the end of the ~12 minute video, we catch a glimpse of an unknown dwarf. Before reading any further, take a look for yourself, then jump past the break for a discussion of just who this guy might be.

An Unexpected Party: Bilbo, Bifur, Dwalin, Bofur and Oin

Here's the newest picture from The Hobbit, featuring the Master of Bag End and several uninvited guests. This newest image comes to us from MOVIEtalk on Yahoo! Movies, and is a great look at Bilbo interacting with the dwarves.

Oin's hearing-horn cracks me up every time I see it. And I just can't get over the fact that Bifur has something lodged in his cranium. How the heck is this guy still walking around? Was it a mining accident? An orc attack? Or something else?

The Strange History of Thror's Key

"Also," went on Gandalf, "I forgot to mention that with the map went a key, a small and curious key. Here it is!" he said, and handed to Thorin a key with a long barrel and intricate wards, made of silver. "Keep it safe!"

––The Hobbit; Ch. 1: An Unexpected Party; p29

It's easy to forget that in the beginning, the quest to the Lonely Mountain depended entirely on a single key and a secret door that the Dragon didn't know about. In fact, without the key, Bilbo wouldn't have been able to get into the mountain, Smaug never would have been ticked off enough by the little hobbit to fly out and attack Lake Town, and Bard the Bowman wouldn't have had the chance to shoot him (did I mention that there would be spoilers?).

So what is this all important key, and where did it come from? That, good reader, is what we'll be talking about today.

The quote above describes the moment when Gandalf first produces the key and gives it to Thorin (who, as usual, is the picture of gratitude). Along with the key came a map, a copy of which is posted right after the break:

Fleshing Out the Company: Dwalin and Balin

Over the next couple of posts I'll be looking at the members of Thorin's Company (excluding our estimable hobbit, for the time being), evaluating the movie's take on the dwarves and looking at how these dwarves compare to Tolkien's descriptions in the Hobbit. Oh, and just so you know, I'll be introducing the dwarves in the order they appear in the book, not in the order their movie photos were released.

Since I'll be quoting the book from time to time, I'll just mention that the copy I'm using is The Hobbit (Green Leatherette Collector's Edition) from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (1973). For consistency's sake I'll stick to this edition, so take that into consideration when I mention page numbers.

All right, on to the good stuff–