Category Archives: Nerds United

Fresh Content Day 38: Classic Game Shows

I’m not going to go into the details about how inspiration found me this day. Let’s just say that I was sitting there and the phrase “big bucks, big bucks, no whammies” popped in my head.

So that kicked off a trip down memory lane, sitting on the floor of the apartment on a summer day eating grapes by the mouthful and watching Press Your Luck. 

But the quick-moving squares weren’t the only game show gimmicks I remember. There was the tic-tac-toe board of Hollywood Squares and the big orange (I think it was orange) clock of Name That Tune. I always enjoyed that show because it was “put up or shut up,” and if you thought you were smarter than your opponent, you had better be able to prove it. It was, for a grade-schooler like I was at the time, a reminder that I needn’t rush into voluntarily raising my hand in class.

What’s that old saying? “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

Another I remember from my youth was Supermarket Sweep, and as a grocery-getter, I totally understand why contestants ran for the turkeys, the hams, and the large containers of laundry detergent. And who can forget “Win, Lose, or Draw?”

Many game shows have come and gone in the last thirty years. The only ones I know of that have stayed on the air in that time are Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and The Price is Right. If I’m forgetting some that have had that type of success, I apologize.

So here’s a little nugget I came across while “researching” this topic. In 1984, on what was supposed to be a 30-minute episode of Press Your Luck, a contestant by the name of Michael Larson ripped off over 40-straight whammy-free turns. In the end, he tallied over $110,000 in cash and prizes, and the 30-minute episode needed a “To Be Continued.”

In recent years, my wife and I have enjoyed Lingo. That’s a random tidbit for you.

You can catch a lot of reruns of classic game shows and new (maybe?) game shows on the Game Show Network.

Like this post or any of the posts from the Fresh Content series? Please share them on social media and tag Nerds United in the post. It’s the only way to get the word out about this site.

Here I am on Facebook, and this is where you can find me on Twitter.

Fresh Content Day 37: Danger Zone

All right, I have a confession.

I’m a complete and total mark for the show Archer.

I can’t explain it. But I’ve been on board with this show since almost the very beginning. I’d say I became aware of it in Season Two and watch it on Netflix. I watch new episodes shortly after they air. I DVR…I have zero patience for commercials.

I know it’s crude. I know it’s immature. I know all of these things. But…

Damn it’s funny. I mean, I laugh my ass off (that’s a quarter for the Swear Box, I know).

If you’ve been living under a rock and are unaware, Archer is an animated series (brilliant art, in my opinion) about Sterling Mallory Archer, a secret agent, who works for the spy agency ran by his mother. The agency used to be called International Secret Intelligence Service, or ISIS. But with certain groups in operation in a certain part of the world, the writers of the show obviously and wisely wrote the show to explain a name change. In other words, we can’t have nice things.

ARCHER — “The Figgis Agency” — Pictured: (l-r) Cyril Figgis (voice of Chris Parnell), Malory Archer (voice of Jessica Walter), Pam Poovey (voice of Amber Nash), Agent Sterling Archer (voice of H. Jon Benjamin), Agent Lana Kane (voice of Aisha Tyler), Cheryl (voice of Judy Greer), Agent Ray Gillette (voice of Adam Reed). CR: FX

Archer is surrounded by other (former) employees of the spy agency, his on-again, off-again love interest and baby momma Lana Kane, her ex-boyfriend and company accountant Cyril Figgis, a good agent, Ray Gillette, Mallory archer’s secretary Cheryl (sometimes Charlene…or Carol), and HR’s Pam Poovey, who had a horrible cocaine addiction in Season 5. I’m leaving out Doctor Kreiger, because he’s batshit crazy (another quarter).

The thing about Archer is that the team is highly dysfunctional. Honestly, if not for Lana and Ray, they’d be screwed. Archer’s not the worst spy, but he is a prime example of “it’s better to be lucky than good.”

Season 8 began last night. I’ve watched the premiere episode three times. Archer: Dreamland is a throwback to 1947, with Archer serving as a private investigator. This season takes place entirely in Archer’s mind, as he is in a coma.

Maybe it’s just my affinity for the fine automobiles made by Dodge.

But seriously, if you take nothing else away from watching this show, I hope you take away a greater appreciation for the exotic ocelot, aka the fox-eared asshole (and another quarter into the box…this is what Archer does to me).

Check out new episodes of Archer Wednesday nights on FXX (check local listings). Check out old episodes of Archer on Netflix.

The man shaves with a brush and a straight razor. HE’S A REAL MAN!

Like this post or any of the posts from the Fresh Content series? Please share them on social media and tag Nerds United in the post. It’s the only way to get the word out about this site.

Here I am on Facebook, and this is where you can find me on Twitter.

Fresh Content Day 36: The Defenders Don’t Need Defending

Yesterday, we received a little teaser for the Defenders series coming to Netflix, and in its simplicity, set the stage for what Marvel has been building since Daredevil debuted on the streaming video service in 2015.

It’s hard to believe it was only two years ago next week that the Man Without Fear came to life once again.

If the teaser for Defenders is to be believed, we are a mere four and a half months away from the series dropping.

Honestly, they look exhausted. And if you remember the second season of Daredevil, you’ll remember “Midland Circle” is the organization behind the giant hole (I’m going to call it a crater) in Hell’s Kitchen.

So here’s the thing. Daredevil (both seasons), Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are pretty well loved across the board. But Iron Fist hasn’t reached that point, and likely never will. I initially wasn’t sure what to think of the Finn Jones casting. I think that of the four, he may have been the easiest to cast away from the traditional look of the character (ie the whitewashing everyone is claiming). I believe it was Kevin Smith or Marc Bernardin on the duo’s Fatman on Batman podcast that suggested an Asian-American actor be given the chance to be Danny Rand. I don’t mind the show staying more true to the origin of the character, but I do wish the actor chosen for the role had some martial arts background. Jones has a zen-like quality about him, and aside from the fighting scenes, I don’t have any complaints.

But those fighting scenes. Yeesh!

I truly think that Iron Fist was doomed from the beginning, but not from any shortcomings it has. Rather, the almost unattainable standard set by the three previous shows put the arrival of the final Defender behind a sizable 8-ball.

So when Defenders hits in a few months, I fully expect Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) or Luke Cage (Mike Colter) to steal the show. Jessica Jones‘ first season was about a victim overcoming her past of abuse and her former abuser. We’ll get a second season of that show as well. Luke Cage was a really enjoyable show with a unique setting in Harlem. It was different to see the villain [SPOILER ALERT] die midway through only to be replaced by a more conniving, manipulative villain. And we’ll get a second season of that in the future as well.

Daredevil will also get a third season, and I’m sure we’ll see a Punisher series based on the popularity of the character from his run in Daredevil S2.

The fact is – the Marvel Netflix shows are wildly popular. Defenders will be huge when it drops, despite the lackluster reception of Iron Fist.

Now, The Defenders in the comics has a long history dating back to the 1970s, and has seen many many incarnations through the years. However, a team consisting of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Power Man (Luke Cage), and Iron Fist has not appeared in comics, based on my limited research. Marvel and Netflix announced in 2013 that the Defenders were coming, and named four characters that would make up the team.

But if you want a solid Defenders title to read, I’m going to throw out at you the 2011 series written by Matt Fraction with art by Terry Dodson.

Otherwise, we’ll talk more about Defenders when the show arrives in August.

Fresh Content Day 35: Writer’s Block

Well, it finally happened.

I’ve talked about comics and movies, video games, music. I’ve talked about my family, my life, and shaving.

I’ve sought topics from my wife and friends.

So today I fixed our Playstation 4. It wasn’t connecting to the internet. I had to watch Wrestlemania on a mix of may laptop and the PS3 upstairs in the bedroom (first world problem, I know). But we were sans network connection since sometime Saturday. So I called Playstation and they talked me through a process, and that process worked.

So now I have Scrubs on Netflix. And I went with Scrubs instead of Iron Fist because I’ve seen Scrubs a few times through, and I am on episode 4 of Iron Fist. It’s a means to an end. I know Iron Fist has been universally panned by almost everyone. That being said, the other Netflix Marvel shows set the bar rather high.

Scrubs is a timeless comedy that follows a group of young doctors as they begin their professions in a hospital (Sacred Heart). It ran for nine seasons (182 episodes) and starred Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and Donald Faison as the three new doctors. Honestly, while I enjoyed all three performances over the years, my favorite character on the show was the no-nonsense Dr. Cox, John C. McGinley. Actually, he and the Janitor (The Middle‘s Neil Flynn) were both great.

What I liked about Scrubs among its comedic chops and slight irreverence is that it was said to be the most medically accurate of all the tv medicine shows.

No, it’s not House, the tale of a misanthrope who happens to be a doctor. It’s not Grey’s Anatomy, a torrid romance novel disguised as a medical show. It’s not even the recently departed ER, which broke television ground with its realistic gore. It’s Scrubs.

Scrubs, or [scrubs], is a show that I could watch on endless loop. But after I finish this round of it, I’ll probably return to How I Met Your Mother, another sitcom that showed its longevity.

And I always keep Futurama in my back pocket…always.

In the meantime, I’ll just hold out hope that the Cardinals come back late tonight to beat the dreaded Cubs, and now I’m going to head to bed since I have to get up early tomorrow and have labs drawn before work.

That’s one old-man phrase right there.

Fresh Content Day 34: The Lost Art of the Finishing Move

This is going to a) sound old-manish, and 2) possibly infringing on the Kevin’s gimmick over at My 1-2-3 Cents.

I was watching Wrestlemania 33 last night and today over my lunch hour. What I learned – among other things – is that a finishing move isn’t much of a finisher anymore. This isn’t news. It’s just becoming more and more obvious as time goes on.

I remember a time where a big boot and running leg drop was all it took to fell an opponent.

And when the Undertaker gave you a Tombstone Piledriver, you stayed driven heaped in a pile (okay, that one didn’t make much sense).

Right now, I’m going to make the HOT TAG to Kevin Hunsperger for his 1-2-3 cents.

Finishing moves still have a place in wrestling, but it seems on big shows those finishers are often as effective as a screen door on a submarine. Now wrestlers kick out just before the referee’s hand hits the mat for the third time. This type of storytelling is very frustrating as a fan of the old school days of the business.

False finishes are okay from time to time, but at WrestleMania for example, I think a Superstar either kicked out of or broke the finishing maneuver of their opponent in every match. It’s come to be expected these days.

We all know professional wrestling is a show. But I think when you start watering down the moves the men and women have made their signatures it takes away from the realism of the contest at hand. When the Undertaker hits his opponent with a Tombstone, I want the referee to then count three. A kick out on a rare occasion is fine as long as it tells the story at hand. When Kane did it for the first time ever, it was special.

But then Batista, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns have kicked out of the finisher at WrestleMania. Some of those mentioned Superstars have kicked out of more than one Tombstone in a match. I suppose this would be fine because there’s a year of separation between incidents, but Seth Rollins kicks out of Triple H’s Pedigree, Kevin Owens escapes the Wall of Jericho and Shane McMahon gets out of the Styles Clash all on the same show. It’s exhausting.

I realize I’m out of the WWE’s target demo. I also realize a lot of indy shows use this style of booking. But I’m from the school of thought when you’re hit with the finisher, you’re done. 1-2-3.

I’m in agreement with Kevin, here. I think the use of finishers has gone by the wayside because no talent wants to look weak in their match, so they all have to kick out at least once (unless it’s “enhancement talent”).

If these moves are no longer finishing off opponents (which is why they’re called finishing moves in the first place), just call them moves, or signature moves, and let’s be done with it. They should be special moves used once to finish the match, or in a crazy twist, as KH said, a false finish once in a while to build up a talent would be smart. But overuse has diminished these moves.

In other words…I’m old and set in my ways.

Fresh Content Day 33: A Great Sunday

Today was a good day. No, today was a great day.

Dear Diary…

I kid. But This will be as close to a diary post as you’re likely to find here.

But everything I did today was with a purpose and satisfied a particular aspect of my life.

I started the day with a hot shower and shave. Then I got our son ready for church while my wife prepared herself. He hasn’t been feeling well, so I put him in a shirt that says “Always By Mom’s Side,” because that’s where he likes to hang out when he’s under the weather.

We go to church, and as always, he’s a good boy, albeit a little talkative. Then as we’re heading home, and admittedly almost home, my wife reminds me that there’s an Easter Egg Hunt being held at Eckert’s Orchard. So we swing out there. I’ll say this – I’ve ran some Easter Egg Hunts in the past, but this was organized like a well-oiled machine. Granted, Eckert’s has the resources we didn’t have at that time. But it was a great time. The youngin’s 0-2 years old went first in their zone (it was roped off by age group), so we took our time and let Garrett explore.

But then we saw no one was going after the eggs waaaay out there. So I picked up the G-Man and we took off to the edge, and got our dozen eggs. Then we got a picture with Peter Cottentail, got a little treat, and boogied on outta there.

So Friday was my friend Jared’s birthday, and I had worked it out with his wife to run down to surprise him for nine holes of golf and dinner. So after I got home, I needed to change, make my coffee for the road, get my golf clubs together, etc. The problem was I’m unorganized as hell, and I couldn’t find my wallet (yeah – I left the house and drove without my license – oops). Also, I was looking for a particular shirt, and a golf hat. It threw me off my schedule, but since Jared didn’t know I was paying him a visit anyway, it was all good.

So I get on the road, I knock out some podcasts, and surprise my friend. His reaction was pretty good. He lives about an hour and a half away, so we don’t see each other all that often. So he wasn’t expecting me, and that made it awesome. We went to Perryville to get nine holes of golf in. We came to the conclusion that between the two of us, we’re a pretty good golfer. My strength is the tee shot and Jared’s good at everything else. I can occasionally putt halfway decent, but this was our first time golfing together, and we tied. We both shot a 49. Hell, I’m thrilled with a 49. First time out in almost a year, a tightened and sore back. I’ll take it.

After golf, we went for a burger. Now, it wasn’t JUST a burger. Jared’s been talking to me for over a year about Mary Jane’s Burgers and Brew there in Perryville. The food did not disappoint, and the atmosphere was tremendous. Even for Sunday around 4:30 or so, no problem getting a table or anything. I had the Cowboy, a burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, an onion ring, and homemade bbq sauce. I got it with the onion petals. And as an appetizer, we got the poutine, complete with fried cheese curds.

Man, I tell you this, I probably waddled out of there.

So to recap the day, I had a great time at church, made memories with the family for our son’s first mobile Easter, got to golf and had great food with my friend. Now I’m watching Wrestlemania on my PS3 because the PS4 isn’t picking up the interwebs. So…confined to my bedroom to write to you.

And now – good night.

Fresh Content Day 32: No Fools Today

Today is April 1. It is often known as April Fools’ Day.

Now I admit that I do not know the history of April Fools’ Day. I don’t know it’s origin. I don’t know why this day was chosen as *THE* day.

What I do know is you can’t trust anyone on April Fools’ Day. Every questionable news headline should make you sit back and really use a discerning thought process to try to determine if it is real or satire.

When I worked in radio more than a decade ago in Chadron, Nebraska, we played a joke on our listeners with the help of a relatively innocuous new story we had on our website. Now you have to remember that this was 2004 or 2005. Cell phone usage was still a very minor thing. And most cell phone users probably still had landline telephones. We put a story out there that told our listeners that at a certain time of day, they needed to take their phone off the hook and hold the receiver up to an empty plastic bag, like a grocery sack. We told them that the telephone company was doing a one-time cleaning of the phone lines, blowing a high-strength burst of air. Your plastic bag in the end was meant to catch the dust that inevitably would be expelled. Without the bag, you’d have dust everywhere.

We got a lot of angry calls about that. I guess some people can’t take a joke.

Another popular April Fools Joke that I had nothing to do with came from my friends at Corn Nation when they claimed that Creighton University was finally adding football, thus relieving the dreaded Jayskers of their split fandom.

It’s still one of the more popular posts on that site.

I’m not very good at April fools jokes. I don’t say this to pat myself on the back or anything, but I’m not that good at trying to fool people. My wife can always tell if I’m up to something suspicious. I have a bit of a tell and then I can’t get the stupid grin off my face. It’s a wonder I was ever able to play poker at all.

I come from the Stone Cold Steve Austin school of thought-DTA. Don’t trust anybody.

You could say that on April Fools’ Day, I turn up my DTAdar to 11 and don’t believe anything anybody says.

Let me ask you this, on April 1, are you the jokester or are you the gullible one?

Fresh Content Day 31: Fish Fry Goodness

I love a good fish fry. Last night was the first one I’ve been to this year, as my work schedule my wife’s work schedule had not cooperate fully with the notion of going to a Friday fish fry. For as long as I can remember I’ve enjoyed a good fish fry. End it doesn’t have to be at at a church or school fundraiser or in organizations building. Some of my best memories are fish fries at home or at my grandparents house.

There’s one simple lesson that needs to be understood about family fish fries. You don’t eat as a family. When my dad would have a fish fry for us, he’s pretty well cooking the entire time. And then he’ll have a piece of fish here there a french fry here there. But he’ll cook up a plate put it on the table, and we will eat while he continues to cook. I’m sure it’s not exclusively or Mehochko or deal. But dad always made sure that everybody got theirs before he sat down to have his.

Grandpa after a successful day on the lake.

It was the same at my grandparents house. My grandpa usually caught all of the fish we were eating. Sometimes I helped, as I was his little fishing buddy. But they just knew how to fry fish up perfectly.

I think that’s why I like the idea of going to a fish fry a little bit more. It’s at those times where we get to sit down as a family and talk about the day talk about the week talk about sports, or whatever. But we were able to do so as a family, without one person continuing to do all the work while everyone sat and enjoyed the food. I will save it as it almost always is the home cooking the home fried fish was better. But sacrificing taste here and there is a small price to pay for being able to sit down and enjoy something together with everyone.

Last night fish fry saw a pound of fried cod for $10.50, side dishes of hush puppies, french fries, and mac & cheese all for $1.50, soda for a dollar, a can of beer for two dollars, and two desserts for the price of one ($1). But they also offered salmon, soups, cheese pizza, and even spaghetti.

Now I know that the love of a good fish fry and being Catholic are not mutually exclusive, as anyone can love fish. But there’s something about a fish fry this time of year as a readily available place to eat on a Friday that makes life as a Catholic a little more enjoyable.

Passing on the Fish Fry Fever to the next generation…as long as it’s covered in ketchup.

Since my laptop died last night, you get this post this morning. I’ll have another post for you later today but April fools. Be looking out for it. Feel free to comment on or share the posts that you have enjoyed.

Fresh Content Day 30: Choosy Bloggers Choose Gifs

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. What happens when it is a little moving picture that loops endlessly?

hoppip GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Regardless of if you pronounce it like Jif peanut butter or GIF like the G in “Greg,” these user created animations are running rampant on the Internet. Now I got to this post topic from a conversation I had with my good buddy Jared. We talked probably 20 minutes it was nothing but wrestling GIFs. It started with Ric Flair and ended with the Undertaker and saw three decades worth of some of wrestling’s lighter moments in between.

But there are GIFs for all occasions. For example:

Image result for hello gif

Image result for how are you gif

Image result for life is good gif

See? Anything.

Image result for butt gif

I love using GIFs in social media for reactions. Be it a well placed animal smirk, a baby’s laughter, or Shawn Michaels walking down the ramp, crotch-chopping as he goes. GIFs have permeated every avenue of pop culture. There’s nothing that hasn’t been turned into a GIF. Movies, television, animation, sports…really anything you could imagine.

So when you are having a conversation with someone and they respond with a GIF, just know that they probably took at least a little bit of time finding just the right reaction to send you.

By the way, if you want to know exactly how tonight’s post came to be, while discussing it with Jared, he sent the following GIF.

Image result for just do it gif
Thank you Shia and the Internet.

I’m 34 and still susceptible to peer pressure. Life is great!

Fresh Content Day 29: Candy Makes You Dandy

At my place of business, we often leave out a bowl of candy for customers for anybody who would want some candy. I think it started around Halloween with an assortment of candy and of course the ever popular candy corn. It rolled into a bowl of dum-dum’s, and became small candy canes around Christmas. The bowl disappeared for a couple of months until making a triumphant return earlier this week. The candy of choice this time around was none other than Charms Blow Pops.

I haven’t had a Charms Blow Pop in decades, to be very vague about it. And so when I saw this majestic bowl of candy and gum on paper sticks, I knew I had to have one.

I always preferred the Blow Pops to Tootsie Pops even though Tootsie Pop had the more memorable ad campaign.

I think there was something about the longer enjoyment of a Blow Pop that added to its initial value. With the Tootsie Pop, it’s three licks, a crunch, and you eat the Tootsie Roll inside. But with the Blow Pop, you could chew that gum until your jaw fell off. And if you chewed that gum long enough, your jaw probably would fall off. But at the end, its longevity was open ended.

Plus, I remember receiving a Blow Pops as a reward if I was good while I got a haircut. Candy’s Clip N Curl in Fairview Heights, Illinois was where I got my haircuts for the early part of my life. I remember sitting in the chair at a young age, and as most children probably do, I would not sit still. At that point, Candy said she had a box on the shelf of all the ears of little boys and girls who lost theirs because they couldn’t sit still.

I remember sitting still after that. And therefore, Blow Pop.

At one point, Charm’s Blow Pops were offered in blue raspberry, and that became my world. I still love blue raspberry flavors. And I have not yet matured past the point of enjoying when my tongue turns blue. A classic example is going to a Tropical Sno and just getting the blue raspberry flavor. My wife even enables this issue for me and recently picked up a pack of blue raspberry Peeps for me to enjoy this Easter season.

Tongue is blue!

There will come a day in the future where I will have my own barbershop and the next generation of children will be rewarded for their good behavior with a Blow Pop from their parents through my establishment.

Then the circle will be complete, and I will know I’m where I’m meant to be.

Fresh Content Day 28: The Genius of The Princess Bride

I love this movie. I don’t know many people who don’t. It’s so quotable. And it’s fun. It holds up after thirty years.

You’ve probably seen The Princess Bride. I’m sure it’s been on cable. I have the DVD and it’s on Netflix. In fact, I threw it on Netflix tonight while I tried to get my boy to go to sleep.

I didn’t know until well into adulthood that it was actually a book. William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride and it was published by the company later known as Random House in 1973. Later, Goldman would say of the book, “I got lucky with The Princess Bride the first time, and I’d love to get lucky again.”

Fourteen years pass before we get a movie based on the book. It almost doubled its production cost at the box office, raking in $30.8mil on a $16mil budget. I think it’s safe to say that in the years since, it has grown past cult following to a truly iconic piece of cinema history.

I remember this being one of those movies that my [older] sister and I could watch together. Just like Fred Savage’s character, I was a little bit of a butthead and didn’t necessarily want to hear or see the kissy stuff. But it had some great action and amazing dialogue.

But it must be a bit of a generational thing, as my wife had not seen the movie prior to our dating. I mean, she hadn’t seen any of the star Wars movies either. But I quickly fixed that. I just thought it odd that a girl born in the 1980s hadn’t seen The Princess Bride.

I thought the film was incredibly well done. Rob Reiner is a terrific film maker, and assembled a very fitting cast, most if not all of them would find success in movies or TV after this movie.

I would definitely put The Princess Bride on the list of movies that should never be remade.

What’s your favorite quote from this movie?

Fresh Content Day 27: The Evolution of Automobiles

Now I’m going to preface everything else I’ll say tonight by saying I am not an automobile historian. I’m just a salesman. I’m sorry, a “Sales Consultant.”

$35 for a year. The dealership I worked at when I first got into sales had a 190-crap I can’t remember but I think it was a 1902. Oldsmobile Curved Dash, 1-cylinder. Here’s an old picture of it (as in…from the 1980’s).

Sat two. And the sign next to the car, it said you could board your horse for a year for $165 OR get all the gas you need for your car for a year for $35.

So here I am, three and a quarter years into my sales life. I meet people from all walks of life. Farmers, military, doctors, lawyers, lots of teachers and coaches. All of these people all have different needs, different requests, and probably most importantly, different budgets.

When I show a customer a new vehicle, particularly a higher trim level, I have heard on more than one occasion, “they sure are proud of that thing.”

Say hello to car prices in 2017.

If you’ve been a regular car buyer for thirty years, twenty years…heck, even ten years, you’ll know that the price of vehicles has, well:

The things you paid for fifteen years ago, well, you’re still paying for them now. But you’re also paying for all the computer components. There are a ton of electronic features that didn’t exist back then, or if they did, were in the rudimentary form.

Heated seats, remote start, navigation, ventilated seats, memory driver’s seat, back up camera, park assist. And that just names a few. Even smaller features you don’t even think about – like tire pressure sensors.

Now vehicles will park themselves.

That’s a thing. I’ve done it. It’s insane.

Other vehicles will drive themselves, but they are in early stages and I don’t recommend it for anyone.

Technology has changed the landscape of how vehicles are made, how they are marketed, how they are found by the consumer, and ultimately, how they are sold. It has made my job both easier and much more difficult. There is a ton of information out there. Make sure it’s reliable. Use services like Edmunds, www.fueleconomy.gov, IIHS, and me.

Here’s the thing. Sales isn’t easy. It’s not for everyone. Some days I wonder if it’s even for me. But we do what we have to do. And until I win the lottery (which I don’t play), looks like I’ll be trying to move that metal.

So…who’s in the market for a vehicle?

Fresh Content Day 26: The Forgotten Sunday

Plain and simple…I forgot to write last night. Part of that was I had been awake until the wee hours Sunday morning doing laundry. So I was tired.

After my wife, our son, and I headed north to visit family, the little guy fell asleep on the way home. It was necessary. He was tired. But it was a little later than his normal nap, so we knew he would be up a little later than normal.

Here’s the thing. My wife works nights, and when she works, I can usually have our son asleep by 7 or 7:30. There are occasional anomalies where he’ll stretch that out a little longer, but for the most part, certainly by 8pm, he can be out. When mama’s home, he likes to stay awake a little longer. I am convinced he just loves her more than me. But I digress.

So as Little Man is fighting sleep, I finally just scoop him up and hold him until he finally gives in. But at that point, I was tired, and I went to bed myself. Hence why I didn’t post last night.

A nice thing happened to me at church yesterday. My wife worked Saturday night and since we had planned on the trip up to see family, she stayed home and got 90 or so minutes of sleep after her 12.5-hour shift. So it was just me and the boy. And he does pretty well in church. It’s rare for him to scream, but he does make noises. I try to keep him relatively calm. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes, not so much. Yesterday was a day where he was trying to talk over our priest while the priest was reading the gospel. So knowing that my son probably wasn’t going to just clam up for the homily, I stepped out to the back of church with him. I was right. He didn’t shut up. But my hope was that at least the sound would be muffled somewhat. So we go back to our seat when it’s time for the collection and when there’s also some music to help cover up the boy’s enthusiasm for Jesus (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Having never attempted this before, I gave my son the check for the offering and without hesitation, he tried to chew on it. I’M KIDDING!  He placed it in the collection basket right on time, and got a nice smile from the usher.

Okay, so the TL; DR version is this. My son is talkative during Mass. I do my best to keep him from being a distraction. And after Mass, an older woman sitting a little bit in front of us walking passed and said I was a good dad. I said thank you, and that I’m trying.

Both are true. I am appreciative of kind words I receive, regardless of what they are about. When a superior at work tells a customer that I’m the go-to guy to answer their questions because of my product knowledge, it means a lot. And I try to reward their confidence by being *that guy* when it comes to questions. Even my co-worker across the showroom asks me questions.

When someone says I’m a good dad, it’s obviously rewarding. I was also thrown off a bit because I don’t know if I’m ready yet to be called a good dad. My dad is a great dad. I have no problem seeing the qualities in my friends that make them good fathers, and acknowledging those and telling my friends they are good dads. I just don’t know if I’m doing all required of me to be classified as a good dad.

I don’t say that looking for a pat on the back or an “atta boy” or anything like that. I’m just sure that I can do better and look forward to being a good dad for his entire life, not just seen an hour at a time on Sunday mornings. If he makes it through his life being kind, showing respect, and treating others right, I’ll then look back and say I did enough to be considered a good dad. In other words, the Golden Rule. Or the new Commandment – “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Until then, I’ll just keep telling people that I’m trying.

Fresh Content Day 25: Hold ‘Em or Fold ‘Em

“Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”

Those are the first words in the 1998 movie Rounders. Now unless you play cards or really love young Matt Damon, my guess is you probably haven’t seen it. It’s actually a who’s who of late 90’s actors. Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, and more.

Rounders is about a bright college guy who has earned a good amount of money by playing cards. See, he’s a gambler. And he knows when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. But when his friend (Norton’s Worm) is in deep with loan sharks, Mike McDermott comes out of retirement to go after the big payday that he hopes will save his buddy.

You get one of the all-time great lines from Malkovich, who is a Russian poker great and likely criminal known as Teddy KGB. Spoiler alert, at the end, Damon’s character wins, and they have only one choice.

It’s hilarious because it’s not a good Russian accent. But it will forever live in Hollywood lore.

That you don’t see in this clip is that the card on the river is the same card in 2006’s Casino Royale, the ace of spades. Now I admit that I watched some Bond movies before Daniel Craig took on the lead role, but Casino Royale was the first Bond movie I ever owned, and is probably my favorite. I think I can credit the Texas Hold ‘Em tie-in for that.

I love playing Texas Hold ‘Em. I don’t say that to mean you’ll see me on the World Series of Poker or anything. I mean, I’m not good. But I enjoy it. I enjoy the camaraderie of sitting at the table, usually with friends, and having laughs over some cards and usually beer.

I remember the first time I played Hold ‘Em. I was in Colorado Springs visiting my friends Joe and Danielle. We were hanging out at the bar they frequented with people they’d known for some time. We sat down and started a game, and in said game, I eventually was dealt pocket rockets. Talk about poker face – I’m sure I was damn-near sweating trying to contain my excitement. Turns out that of the five cards dealt on the table, the other two aces were up. BAM! Four of a kind. It was amazing.

A couple years later, the Jaycees organization of which I was a member had a little poker tournament. I eliminated my friends Dan and Kevin in a short amount of time by being, let me see if I remember it correctly…”a river-catching m@!#&% f@!#&%.”

I went to a casino once for a friend’s bachelor party and decided I was going to go sit in with the regulars in the Texas Hold ‘Em room. What I didn’t know until I got there was that it was a $60 buy-in and they weren’t as nice as the guys I played cards with regularly. I ended up losing all my money, but I won one hand, and did so with a full house.

The bulk of my card playing came from the guys in The Cellar on Friday nights. We’d get two games in each week, at $5 a game. Kick in a quarter each game for the straight flush fund (a couple guys would cash in big on that), and $5 all-you-can-drink from the keg, and you had a good, cheap night of entertainment with a good bunch of guys. I even managed to win a few times there.

So now I want to watch Rounders. But mostly, I want to play some cards. I’ll start with the boy. When he’s old enough, I’ll teach him War. That was a fun game. A lot better than that Go Fish nonsense.

Fresh Content Day 24: With Anticipation

Hype! Hype! Hype! If media was a professional wrestler, it’d be one half of the Hype Bros.

The crazy one.

But dammit, I’m so excited to get home tonight and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

I saw it opening weekend (the Saturday showing) with my buddy RJ, and then we had a little conversation about it for the podcast. But if you recall at the time, I stated that I dozed slightly in the theater. It’s not the first time it has happened, but it did occur during a movie that I was very eager to see, and got out of the house to do so.

And I waited until after I saw the movie to listen to podcast reviews or read anything about it, so I know I missed some good, integral parts of the story.

But tonight…all that changes.

I can’t tell you the last time I went into a store and bought a physical movie. I started going the digital route, and am enjoying that immensely. It’s weird. When I lived in a smaller town, I could easily zip over to Wal-Mart and get groceries and browse the movie selection. But now, even though I live in a more populated area and there are clearly more shopping options……none of them are on my way home. And they’re all over-crowded.

So digital it is.

Anticipation is a funny thing. If no one told us to be excited for the newest movie, video game, comic book series (or writer/artist duo), or new album, would we care? But in this era of the 24-hour news cycle, where they have to talk about something all the time, you get more information that you ever probably thought you’d want or need.

Anticipation builds.

We’re on the “Road to Wrestlemania” and we have been since the Royal Rumble. Or more accurately, we have been since the Monday after Wrestlemania last year.

We’re in the middle of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and brackets and boards are filled with anticipation. And unless you had that perfect bracket (and you don’t, thank you Rhode Island), or are a fan of the remaining teams vying for the championship, your interest has probably waned somewhat. The caveat there is if you’re just a basketball fan and love this time of year.

Major League Baseball is getting closer to its opening day.

And there’s already buzz generated for movies that are still a year or more away. And much more hype (or anticipation) will be cultivated at Comic Con.

Since I pre-ordered Rogue One, I technically could have watched it last night after 11pm, but knew I wouldn’t stay awake through the entire thing…again. So I erred on the side of caution. So tonight when I go home, I’m going to hug my son, kiss my wife, have a little dinner, put the boy to bed, record an episode of Corn Nation’s Five Heart Podcast, and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

It’s also why you’re getting this post now – because after I get that recording ready to go, I’m going dark…and hoping to stay awake.

May the Force be with you.

Fresh Content Day 23: Dream with Me

I have weird dreams.

Seriously.

I should write them down first thing in the morning so that I can share them with you here.

Now, they aren’t all winners. They aren’t all memorable. And many are mundane. When I was a youngster, I had dreams that I was sitting in class and the teacher was coming around collecting homework and I didn’t have mine completed. I DIDN’T HAVE MY HOMEWORK COMPLETED!!!

Probably not the best gif, but…no, you’re right. There’s no excuse for it.

Now I have mundane dreams of answering phone calls and responding to e-mails. But every once in awhile, a dream will occur that raises eyebrows about what the hell is going on in my brain.

When I was in college, I had a dream that I was in a downtown office building, skyscraper style. The building was under attack. I’m running around the halls grabbing guns. I shotgun a dude through his chest. Then I grab a sniper rifle and get to the window. With the zoom feature, I look at the roof of the building over, and as I squeeze the trigger to take out an enemy, I see the RPG that they fired a second earlier. Explosion. Vision goes red. When my vision clears, I am a few floors down, running through the hallways again upping my arsenal. My thought at the time was “what the – I’ve already been here before!” That’s right, my dream was a first-person shooter video game.

I have three “nightmares” from my childhood that I remember vividly. One was me hanging on the ledge of a skyscraper (I must like city architecture) while Slimer was just inside the glass laughing at me. I was in my single-digits. I had another where Jason fired up a chainsaw (oddly not his weapon of choice) at the foot of my bed. The third was when I opened the door to the garage and saw my dad, which alone isn’t bad. But there was a two-car garage full of my dad. There had to be a hundred of him. I don’t know why, but it caused some sort of dad-overload. I was young for all of these dreams.

Take this morning for instance. Now granted, I don’t remember every detail. But I can recall the high points.

It’s the end of the world…in a Marvel movie. I know this because at one point I’m on a roof with my wife, a few other family members, and some random people. There’s an atmospheric…event, I suppose. It’s storming. There’s debris in the air. At one point, I remark that all will eventually be well, as Thor will likely save the day. What, you don’t dream of Thor? Actually, he didn’t make an appearance. As I said, it’s the end of the world. And no one brought any damn food! No one but me…because I’m a fatty, and I had my lunch with me from that day. Two turkey sandwiches. The problem? It was a Friday – in Lent – so I couldn’t have the turkey sandwiches.

And then I woke up.

Dreams are weird. I don’t know what inspires them and I don’t know how to interpret them. For me, they’re just sleepy-time entertainment. And honestly, that’s all I really need them to be. Maybe I’m swimming in the shallow end of the pool, but I am not looking for the deeper meaning in any of these. They are what they are. I occasionally dream, and sometimes I remember bits and pieces of said dreams. And for me, that’s good enough.

Have any weird dream or moment in a dream that has stuck with you through the years? Leave it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 22: Tornado Season

First, let me just say…RIP Bill Paxton. That guy was great.

He had a great career, and a life too short. But with roles in Weird Science, Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals, True Lies and Apollo 13, Titanic, The Hatfields and McCoys, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, he left his mark on the nerd genre.

And then there was the little 1996 picture known as Twister. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the topic of today’s post.

Not the movie, but tornadoes.

You see, I live in a part of the world known as “Tornado Alley.” Tornadoes are unpredictable as hell. When they hit, they are devastating. They can even stop a Superman in his tracks, which was unfortunate since I was so hopeful that Kevin Costner would be a solid Pa Kent. But that wasn’t the case, or at least not in the way we thought.

“Stop! Collaborate and listen!”

A couple years ago, a couple tornadoes ripped through Illinois, both north and south of my location at the time. This is a picture of Washington, IL after the storm.

On February 29, 2012, an EF4 tornado woke up the small town of Harrisburg, IL. I’ve been to Harrisburg, years ago, back when I was in college. Southeastern Illinois College had a good basketball team. They were in our conference. So I had been there. This was the Catholic Church after the tornado.

Now, I’ve been fortunate that I’ve never been through one. But it got close in my radio days. So when that happened, I went into shelter mode and would broadcast from under the desk.

I remember having a backpack of tornado preparedness when I was in my teens. I had a walkman with headphones, a flashlight, and a granola bar I swapped out every couple months or so. It also had a novelty baseball helmet, you know…just in case.

Here’s what I’ve learned. Every region of the country has its unavoidable geographic anomalies. The Midwest has tornadoes. California has earthquakes. Florida has Hurricanes. The northeast has Patriots fans. It’s really summed up in this clip from Sports Illustrated’s Greatest Sports Follies (1989): 

So that’s my post about tornado season. Thanks to Jay for the topic. I think I’ve proven in the last 3+ weeks that I’ll write about damn near anything. Have a topic idea? Leave it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 21: Life is a Musical

I admit it’s not the most catchy title.

I was actually inspired to write this topic while listening to What Happened When…Monday, a podcast that talks about WCW, Jim Crockett Promotions, and more old, defeated wrestling companies. It is hosted by Conrad Thompson and legendary Voice of Professional Wrestling South of the Mason-Dixon Line, Tony Schiavone. This week’s episode is about WCW’s October 1990 pay-per-view Halloween Havoc. In it, announcers Paul Heyman and Jim Ross were dressed as Count Dracula and a Prohibition-era mobster, respectively. Schiavone went “under a hood” (a mask, for you non-wrestlers) as the Phantom of the Opera. When asked by Thompson why he made that decision, Schiavone responded that he loved musicals.

He and I have that in common.

I grew up around musicals. And though I stated yesterday that I don’t listen to much music anymore, it’s still a big part of my life. I think I stated in an earlier post that of the couple movies we did have as a kid, they were usually ripped from another cassette (1980’s pirating, everybody). But we also had The Sound of Music that had been taped from the television. You know it was the 80’s with this vintage McDonald’s commercial:

Yes – even the damn Für Elise commercial was stuck in my brain.

But it wasn’t just The Sound of Music. I was and still am a big fan of The Music Man. That was a fun movie…Robert Preston, a young Ron Howard, the mom from the Partridge Family, and Buddy Hackett. SHIPOOPI!

My mom was in a singing group when I was younger, so a couple times a year I’d have to put on a tie and go to a nice theater and sit still while she and 20 or so other adults sang songs that I mostly didn’t recognize. But from time to time, mom would bring home a movie to study and better understand the source material.

Then there were the childhood staples that would appear on television…The Wizard of OzMary Poppins, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Then at one point, mom had the two-disc stage version of Phantom of the Opera. And I enjoyed listening to that well enough, but there’s one point in the production where Christine lets out a high-pitched note that is almost a scream. I swear, to this day it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I think times have changed and musicals are more widely accepted. With box office successes like Les Misérables and Into the Woods, there’s a likelihood that we’ll continue to see musicals make a strong resurgence. Just look at La La Land.

I could see Hamilton getting a big screen makeover, unless Lin-Manuel Miranda has it exclusively for stage. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know how it would translate to film. I’m also curious about Wicked on the big screen. I doubt I’d get to see that in person, so a movie version would be appreciated. Am I missing any? I don’t know. I don’t get out much.

But here’s one you can watch on Netflix – a fan-favorite animated feature film that spawned a four-film franchise – Shrek: the Musical.

So what are some good musicals I left off the list?

Fresh Content Day 20: Mid-Life and All That Jazz

I’m trying to do this post before 11:35 at night so that you might actually see it on the day that it is meant to be posted. The problem with that is that I have no idea what to write about. So I’m currently driving home from work. It’s 7:30. Don’t worry, you safety monitors, I am using the talk to text function on my phone.

It has come to my attention and I am old. Not particularly as far as birthdays go. I’m only 34. But I feel old. And most of the audio that I listen to is sports talk radio for podcast. And when I am listening to music, it is rarely from this millennium. I like a lot of classic rock. I like a lot of older classic country. But I’m also down with some great classical symphonic or orchestral pieces.

My biggest problem is that I feel old. I have joint aches and pains, and my back or neck typically always hurt. I know that regular exercise and eating better would help “to hold back the hands of time,” as DDP would say. But I’m also very good at coming up with excuses for not exercising. I stay up too late, usually working on one of these posts, and I hit that snooze button in the morning so I never get out of bed and get even a quick workout in.

Troy is an underrated movie, in my opinion.

On the nutrition side, I know I still have a way to go. Portion control has always been my Achilles’ heel. But I also suck at making right food decisions. I like junk food. I like pizza. I like french fries. And don’t give me started on ice cream. But I’m taking it step-by-step, and I’m happy to report that since I gave up soda at the beginning of the year, I have lost 13 pounds. I doubt that eliminating soda was the only factor. I am eating more fruit, drinking more water, and have introduced more vegetables into my diet. I am working on eliminating the between meal snacking, but I have found that especially on the weekend it is very difficult to achieve. My friend Kevin over at My 1-2-3 Cents would consider this an accountability post, but I really just want to improve my overall health so that I can be with my family longer.

Kevin used to use that #FindMyAbs. I know my six-pack in in there, I’m just keeping it well-insulated. I have a goal weight in mind. I believe it is attainable. And I hope to reach it by the end of the year.

Until then, you probably won’t get many more posts like this. Let me know in the comments what type of blog posts you like to read, and let’s finish the next 20 days of Fresh Content with a good discussion on a wide range of topics here at Nerds United.

Fresh Content Day 19: Shaving Nerdom

A little over three years ago, I sat in my office at the dealership talking on Facebook with a longtime friend of mine. We were just talking about wrestling, tv, sports, video games. Now you’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t recall exactly how we got on the topic, but Jared asked me what I used to shave. At the time, I was using the Gillette Pro Fusion razor and blade cartridges with the matching shaving gel from a can.

He talked to me a little about wet shaving, and its many forms. I went out a few days (and more conversations) later and bought a wet shaving starter kit from Maggard Razors. For $25-$30, I was able to get a feel for the activity and see if I wanted to invest in it further.

One of the first soaps I bought came in a little orange tube, and it was called Spanish Leather, by Geo F Trumper. After I inhaled deeply of its scent, I was immediately whisked back to my pre-teens when I would stay at my grandparents’ house. That was the shaving soap my grandfather used. I hadn’t smelled it in almost 20 years from the time he passed in 1995. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and I was hooked.

Forget Dollar Shave Club. Forget Harry’s Razors. If you want a truly great shave, get a double-edged razor. If you are tired of throwing money away on blade cartridges, let me tell you that about two and a half years ago, I ordered a pack of 100-razors (Gillette…for what it’s worth) from Amazon. That pack is now priced at $17.99. I was paying at least that much for a 4-pack of cartridges at Wal-Mart of all places.

But here’s what I truly love about wet shaving. There are so many skilled people who create some amazing products, from soaps and aftershaves to brushes and razors. That’s where I spend my money. I have a brush I love. I have a few different razors, just enough to keep it interesting. But when I hear about a new soap from a well-respected artisan, well, I get a little trigger-happy and I end up making a purchase. I mean…I have a lot. And yet, compared to others, my shave den is still in its infancy.

So if you’re thinking about a different way to shave, I really encourage wet shaving. And as a bonus, you’ll join a great community of people with whom you can share ideas and on occasion, even some hardware.

Here are some pictures of some of my favorite shaves. 

This new-found hobby has brought with it a new goal in life…to someday be a barber and have my own barbershop. That’s a few years down the road just yet. But it’s definitely in the front of my mind.

Fresh Content Day 18: A Bold and Brave Batman Statement

This is a DC Movie hot take years in the making. I will state here as I tend to do…these are just my thoughts. I’m fairly certain I’m in the minority on this issue. So take it with a grain of salt.

I like Batman Begins more than The Dark Knight. I’m not saying it’s better, but I am saying I like it more.

Two villains made their big screen debut in Batman Begins. We got Scarecrow and Ra’a al Ghul. Granted, Scarecrow worked for the “Head of the Demon,” so in a way, a Gotham villain was doing the bidding of the League of Shadows. But we got to see two rogues that we had not seen in any previous live action Batman setting.

The Dark Knight was great. I’m not saying it wasn’t. And while Heath Ledger’s Joker became the new benchmark of all Jokers before or after, it was the third live iteration of the Clown Prince of Crime.

In all other Batman versions, we see the finished product. Even in the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman, while the Caped Crusader was relatively unknown, he had all of the components together, the suit, the gadgets, the mystique. What I liked about Batman Begins is we got a chance to see the brief aftermath of the Wayne murders, the momentary encounter between a young Bruce and a young cop by the name of James Gordon. And that paid off at the end of the Nolan series when Batman said that “a hero can be anyone.”

We got to see Bruce travel the world and eventually end up in the League of Shadows, a key component of his training that had been left out of previous movies. It is his refusal to kill for the League that caused the rift between him and Ra’s. That he won’t “cleanse” Gotham City, but feels he can save it his way (and ultimately does), really sets the two apart from each other and makes it the ultimate stakes. While Ra’s would like his foe vanquished, you recall that as the train is speeding to certain doom, Bats says “I won’t kill you…but I don’t have to save you.”

To me, it shows that Batman as a vigilante or hero is still in his infancy. I think an older, more experienced Batman would not let al Ghul die in the wreck so he would have to face justice. Scarecrow we know evaded capture until the The Dark Knight.

Now in an uncharacteristic move, Batman does repeat a line that Rachel says to Bruce earlier in the movie, giving away his secret identity. But if you can’t trust someone you’ve known since childhood, who can you trust?

I love both movies. But it was really nice to see more of the Batman origin besides that one night in Crime Alley (which we’ve seen again in Batman v Superman). It was good to see how he got where he ended up.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours? As always, there’s that comment section here or on Facebook. Let me know.

 

Fresh Content Day 17: These are a Few of my Favorite Video Games

And if you didn’t sing that to the tune of the Rodgers & Hammerstein tune from the 1959 Broadway Musical (and 1965 feature film) Sound of Music

I essentially grew up with video games. I was among the first generations who have known them in some form almost my whole life.

And as it turns out, I erroneously credited the wrong family member with my introduction to them.

For years, I thought that my tech-savvy aunt and uncle gave my sister and me and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It wasn’t until recently that, when the topic came up in conversation between me and my mom, she corrected me by stating that my dad waited in line at the store to get one for us.

OOPS!

That will make you feel like crap to hear that you’ve been falsely attributing something as epic as that (in the minds of a youngster) for roughly 25 years.

Among the games we had on that original console were the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt combo, a version of Jeopardy, a 7Up game with Spot, the 7Up Mascot. Spot was the red dot (or in the game, blue, green, or yellow) on the can, and the game had a very Othello/Reversi feel to it. You wanted your color to dominate the board. Of course, Spot was there before these shirts were popular:

 

I’m trying to think of other games I had on the NES, but the one that really stands out was Dragon Warrior, a single-player game where you roamed a massive kingdom on the ultimate quest to hunt a (or THE) dragon. I don’t know…I never beat the game, sadly…one of my many video game failures.

 

When I was 13 or 14, I finally saved up enough money to buy a Super Nintendo. I don’t remember how much it cost, but I do remember my dad saying to me “do you really want to spend your money on that?” And, obviously…I did.

It came with the full Super Mario Bros. All Stars collection as well as Super Mario World. Eventually I added a sports game or two, Super Mario Kart, and other games I don’t really remember. Because why would I remember games I had and played for an extended period of time? One of those stand-out games on that console was College Slam, exactly like NBA Jam, except college.

I eventually added an N64. Mom sold the NES and the ten or so games at a garage sale for $10 (that’s a steal, even in 199x). In 2002, I sold the Super Nintendo and the N64, and with that and some extra money I had, I bought an XBox. I eventually added and would later sell a PS2. But I got a couple years out of it.

I would have an XBox 360, but that was replaced by a PS3, and the 360 now has a home outside of Dallas, TX. The PS3 is in my bedroom (for dvd/bluray/Netflix) and a PS4 resides in my living room. In fact, I’m streaming Netflix on it right now…the new Disney’s Pete’s Dragon.

That’s my history with gaming consoles. But since this post is supposed to be about the games, I should probably name at least a few titles I enjoyed over the years. The problem is I’ve never been very good at video games. Most of my friends would agree, especially if they were stuck with me as a teammate for online gameplay. I was marginally decent at Halo. I was junk at Gears of War. God of War, however, was an enjoyable game/franchise. I remember seeing a little bit of the gameplay on G4 (or Tech TV, I don’t remember when they made the change), and seeing Ares terrorizing Athens, with his fiery beard. I’ve always had a soft spot for ancient mythologies, so that caught my attention.

I have also really enjoyed most of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and the Batman Arkham series.

Historically, I’m a Mario Kart kid at heart. Also, throw back to when EA Sports had NCAA Football, and sprinkle in some Madden.

Those are a few of my favorite games.

Fresh Content Day 16: It’s Not That Bad

Josh Brolin: Thanos – Marvel Cinematic Universe
Megan Fox: April O’Neil – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mikaela – Transformers
Michael Fassbender: Magneto – X-Men
Will Arnett: Batman – The Lego Movie, Lego Batman
Michael Shannon: Zod – Man of Steel
Wes Bentley: Bleackheart – Ghost Rider
John Malkovich: Marvin – Red
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: Thomas Wayne – Batman v Superman, Negan – The Walking Dead

They’ve all “walked between worlds,” so to speak. In addition to their roles as stated above, they all met in one 2010 DC movie: Jonah Hex.

Now, this movie was critically panned, and relatively ignored by fans as well. With an estimated budget around $47mil, it only brought in just over $10.5mil, not ideal for a summer blockbuster in the middle of the comic book cinema age.

Let’s take a few minutes to discuss what I didn’t think worked for the picture. Let’s start with the weapons of mass destruction. Imagine it’s the late 19th century. While revolvers and “six shooters” are running rampant, there’s no company making those massive cannons.

Secondly, there’s nowhere in any Jonah Hex comic book before the time of this movie that said Hex had supernatural abilities. That makes the fact that Jonah can wake the dead and get information from then something that’s exclusive to the movie…and if there’s one thing comics nerds hate, it’s that Hollywood doesn’t stay true to the source material.

Here’s the thing – I enjoyed this movie. As we all know, I’m not a hard-hitting movie critic. But I am a fan. I enjoyed the tone of this movie, and how they tried telling a comic book story in a comic book way. I think had it not been a comic book character, it’s still a compelling story. “Man comes back from the brink of death to avenge the lives of his wife and son were killed by the man whose son was killed by the first man.”

I thought Brolin was a great Jonah Hex even though he has said since then that he hated his time working on it. Megan Fox was there and had her usual stints of showing skin and making wisecracks, but she showed she was also pretty fearless in fending off a male attacker in her bedroom. I liked Malkovich, as he is always a believable bad guy. And I’m such a fan of Fassbender’s work that I’ve sat through a lot of movies just to see him perform.

Look, the long of the short is that you’ve probably already make up your mind about this movie, and that’s fine. But dammit, give it a watch with some more realistic expectations. I think you’ll find “it’s not that bad.”

But at the same time, we look at the talent in this movie and know we can’t blame them. They all went to bigger and better things.

Fresh Content Day 15: The Importance of Reading

Books are good and reading is good.

As a fan of reading, and dare I say, a lifelong reader myself, I really hope that our son picks up the habit.

I call it a habit and not a hobby because if you’re dedicated, wow, it can get pricey. But what I love about books, novels in particular, is that they demand that you pay attention and immerse yourself in the story. It can build your imagination, more so than a comic book, and certainly more than a video game. A video game takes the nest step by allowing you to live out the character.

He’s not yet 15 months old and our son has a shelf full of books. It’s great. Yes, some of them are the obligatory big books with big letters mad out of some cardboard-type material, but it’s a start. I go to the store and I look for books for him as much as toys. I’ve been able to get some children’s Batman books and Star Wars books. I’ve even tried doing some live videos as I read him a book at bedtime, but holding him, holding a phone, and holding the book…it didn’t go well.

Some of my favorite books that he will have when he’s older are the “Ordinary People Change the World” series, written by one of my favorite writers and people, Brad Meltzer, with art by Chris Eliopoulos. It’s a great series written and drawn for kids, telling the true stories of tremendous people in easy-to-digest ways for kids.

Meltzer even signed this copy of I Am Abraham Lincoln.

I’d rather build a library for our boy than just about anything else. I want him to choose his own path and do what makes him happy, pursuing his dreams. I just hope he has a book in his hands while he does it.

Tim from Twilight Comics shared this picture a week or so ago and I shared it on the Nerds United Facebook page but I want to share it here as well.

Start ’em young and they;’ll love reading their whole life. That’s my goal.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post or any of the Fresh Content series, please share them on your social media. And if you have an idea for a future post, drop it in the comments.

Fresh Content Day 14: Comic Cons Go BOOM!

Imagine it’s 1970 (I can’t, I’m not old enough) in San Diego. You’re at the U.S. Grant Hotel in the first days of August. Among the guests there is the King, Jack Kirby. And welcome to San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con.

It was a different era.

I honestly didn’t even hear about “comic con” until about ten-ish years ago. Maybe it was before that. I don’t know. I was a late bloomer. But the San Diego Comic Con has seen steady growth since its beginning, when it had 300 guests. It eclipsed the hundred-thousand visitor mark in 2005 with 103,000 visitors. That was a year after the “meager palace of Midgard,” Hall H opened. In 2015, 167,000 of you crazy bastards were there.

As far as information goes, we nerds anxiously, if not patiently, await the goodies that come from San Diego each summer.

Since San Diego’s International Comic Con became such a big hit, other cities have begun holding similar events. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle are just a few places to host their own. And there are promotion companies like Wizard World who bring their Cons to various cities. And it has branched out beyond that. Smaller markets have smaller Cons, but still provide a great atmosphere and bring good names to regions and areas that may not ever have the opportunity to meet these creators or actors again.

It’s why I think very highly of these Cons. I was asked to give my opinion on the rise of the numerous comic cons. There’s my answer. I love ’em.

Now, my social calendar for the year includes a comic con trip. For the last three years, I’ve made the short drive to Cape Girardeau, MO for the Cape Comic Con. I’ve been able to meet writers and artists, actors and cosplayers, wrestlers, and a promoter who truly cares about the product he puts out there for his guests. Everything about this is top-notch, and Ken’s a helluva guy who has been doing this in Cape for over a decade.

I get to go down there, get some audio, hopefully put together an episode or two of the podcast. But I also get to spend some time with some of my best friends. And I’m hoping my schedule allows for that again this year. Ken has Cape Girardeau ready for another amazing weekend at the end of April. I just hope to be there to be a part of it.

Fresh Content Day 13: My Mom’s Birthday

So I’m going to preface all of the following with this statement, sure to be controversial:

My mom’s better than your mom.

Today is her birthday. So I’m going to dedicate this post to her.

My folks, probably mom in particular, didn’t receive the recognition they deserved for all of the stuff they did, not until years later anyway.

I remember being young (4-5) when mom worked nights, and my older sister was in school. I remember the lunches with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the “s’more” from the microwave. I remember sitting on the family room floor with her as we played He-Man.

As I got older, I remember being a more integral part of the Christmas cookie production process, and even getting to help ice the beloved cut-outs. I remember being in second grade and on a school field trip to St. Louis’s The Magic House and telling the entire bus, “Hey everybody, today is my mom’s _____ birthday!” In my defense, I was 7. I didn’t know that you aren’t supposed to announce women’s ages.

I know that now.

Over the years, I gave my mom her fair share of headaches. You know that line “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it?” I heard that a lot…that and “you want to live to see your next birthday?” And it wasn’t because I was some demonic kid…I just did a lot of little things (or didn’t do the little things I was told to do) that caused unnecessary tension in our relationship. I was a typical teenager. But even before that, I remember being 9 or 10 and mom asking me “what happened to my sweet little boy?” *GUT SHOT*

As I got older, I found new ways to irritate my mom. I got a tattoo up in Sturgis, SD and came home and showed the family. Mom was not amused. Then she found the one on my back that I sometimes forget about and was none-too-pleased. I was in my 20’s for those particular shenanigans.

I remember vividly mom finding my stash of beer in the trunk of my car and storming into the house with it. I was 19. She was pissed. My dad’s response was “of all the beers, why Natty Light?” (I was in college, dad. I was working two jobs and it was cheap.)

But through it all, mom has always been one of my biggest supporters, and always wanted what was best for me. I’m very fortunate in that regard. I know I’m blessed in ways many people are not, and for too long I took it for granted.

So happy birthday, Mom. Sorry for all the times I made you worry about me. I hope you have had a wonderful day and, even though you won’t read this, likely, unless someone emails you the link, just know that I love ya.

Disclaimer – the tattoo in the featured image is not mine. That’s a Google Image Search.

Fresh Content Day 12: Swiss Army Man

I owe much of this post to my buddy Kenny, who told me that Amazon Prime is worth the money for parents of young kids who don’t feel like battling crowds and stores.

And he was right!

So not only do I get to avoid crowds, but I get free shipping on most of my purchases (those eligible). And I have access to Amazon Prime Video. So I have that app on my PS4 and go between that and Netflix. It’s great.

Mix that with a podcast I heard awhile back. I think it was from last fall, an episode of The Nerdist podcast. It was a conversation with Daniel Radcliffe, and in that episode, he mentioned a movie called Swiss Army Man.

Well guess what movie is on Amazon Prime Video.

So I watched Swiss Army Man earlier. The premise is that a guy (Hank, as played by Paul Dano) is stranded on a small island and he’s trying to hang himself. Then a dead body (Manny, played by Radcliffe) washes up on shore and farts and trembles. Hank then rides Manny to the mainland and the two have an adventure trying to return to civilization. Manny seemingly is coming back to life. Hank discovers that Manny’s body can do special things, a variety of feats that make him useful to the duo’s joint survival. It’s hard to explain – and honestly, it’s better for your enjoyment when I don’t try to explain it.

There are twists and turns along the way, and eventually they do make it back to civilization (oops, spoiler), but Hank quickly changes his mind and wants to take Manny back to the wilderness.

It’s a fun, irreverent movie that won an award at Sundance and is worth a watch. It’s a little weird at times, but that just adds to the big finish.

Enjoy the trailer and then go seek out the movie.

Fresh Content Day 11: Unusual Conflicts

Today’s post came about because Josh sent me a message that he deemed was an “important question.”

Could Aquaman psychically control the creature from the black lagoon if their paths crossed?

I thought about it briefly and then told him I had to consult an expert. I messaged Tim from Twilight Comics and posed the question to him. He laughed and said he didn’t know. Then he came back and said “My high school buddy is with me. He says ‘yes.’ So I’m going with that. He’s a LONG time Justice League fan.”

Hey, that rationale works for me. It’s good enough for us.

But I opened up a thread on the Facebook Page asking what match-ups in comics or pop culture you’d like me to evaluate in tonight’s post. So here we go:

Batman versus Predator – Josh

Josh admits that his fist suggestion has already been done in comics. In fact, it has been done three times.

And wouldn’t you know, the Dark Knight has won each meeting he has had with the Predator(s).

Buffy versus a Lot of People – Sean Benner (Check out Episode 73 for more from Sean)

I never got into Buffy. It was never something that I made an earnest attempt to watch. In all honesty, I’ve seen the movie more times than I’ve seen any episodes. So I don’t understand the fawning that many in my generation have for this show. But I’ll do my best.

Buffy vs Cassie Hack – Cassie Hack (of Image Comics’ Hack/Slash) has fighting capability as well as healing powers and “berserker rage.” Depending on what part of her life you get Buffy, she could have invulnerability. But for the sake of this, I’ll say see just has the heightened strength, increased agility, etc. I’ll take healing powers over all of that, though. Buffy is 0-1.

Buffy vs Black Widow -I honestly think this is a tougher one to decide. I’m actually pick Black Widow in it because I think based on training alone, she’d be a little less discretionary.*

Buffy vs Blade – Sean’s last match-up pits a couple of vampire hunters against each other, so while it might be a cop out, I am actually going to say that after Blade learns that their mission is the same, there would be no conflict, and they’d work together to defeat the threat at that time. But I don’t see it being a long partnership, and I think their personalities would clash. They would part ways amicably, and know that if things ever got bad enough, they could call on the other for aid.

Buffy versus Morbius – Adam

Keeping with the Buffy theme for some unknown reason, it’s Buffy against an actual vampire. Those familiar with the character will remember that he was introduced in 1971 as a bit of a villain before he took on a more positive personality. Granted, I’d call it more of an anti-hero. So the question again goes back to “would Buffy kill a creature even if it has the capacity for good?” I think they’d work it out. But if they absolutely could not prevent conflict, I’d take Buffy.

Indiana Jones/Lara Croft versus Xenomorphs – Josh

The question was posed as “Indiana Jones or the Tomb Raider opens an ancient tomb and the xenomorphs come out. The fallacy in the question, in my opinion, is that either of those two would wander upon a tomb and just accidentally open it up. I don’t think that would happen. Two highly educated people such as them wouldn’t just go randomly opening every tomb “just because.” And you can bet your hind end that if they did, they’d have a plan. Therefore, I say Indy or Lara would win.

Charles Xavier versus Stephen Hawking – Adam

Xavier wins this and it’s not even close. No offense to Hawking, but Xavier has all of his knowledge, and if he wanted, he could obtain all of your knowledge as well. Plus, while Hawking has theorized about space, Xavier has been there.

Scooby Doo Gang versus Spider-Man – Hope

This wasn’t presented so much as a fight, but “could the Scooby-Doo Gang correctly identify Spider-Man’s alter-ego (obviously, before he’s unmasked)?” Here’s the thing about that – Spider-Man isn’t Old Man Tucker down at the amusement park or the lumber mill. It’s Spider-Man. And he’s been Peter Parker/Spider-Man for a very long time, meaning he’s good at living the double life. The Gang is good at picking up and reading clues, but Spidey is just too good. So no, Hope, the Scooby Doo Gang wouldn’t be able to deduce Spider-Man’s real identity.

Han Solo versus Star Lord – Adam

Here’s another case of “damn, I hope we’d never have to find out.” One’s a scavenger by trade. The other is a smuggler. I could actually see them working together more than on opposite sides. But that being said, I could also see a situation where they are both are after the same artifact or relic, but for different prospective buyers. So there could be some conflict. But I have to go with my heart, and my heart says Han Solo. Because Han shoots first!

Superman versus…

…. – Adam

This is one intriguing matchup. As you already know, Superman famously went toe-to-toe with The Greatest in what I believe ended up being a draw. That was done under a red sun, thus negating Superman’s powers. In this match, I mean, honestly, Superman should win. But it’s John Cena, the 16-time WWE World Champion. So my guess is Cena eliminates Superman from the Royal Rumble in a shocking heel turn. At the Elimination Chamber PPV, Supes gets his revenge by causing a distraction that results in Cena losing his championship opportunity at Wrestlemania. That pits these two former friends against one another at the biggest show of them all, where Superman gets a clean win in 17:39, using a flying piledriver. Wrestling Observer gave it 2 3/4 stars.

I actually did start this post on Saturday, but then I fell asleep. I fell asleep and slept through the rest of Saturday night. The * marks where I was when I fell asleep, thus delaying the delay. I’ve actually been trying to finish it for about five hours, to no success, until now. I hope you enjoyed it. I should have another post for you later tonight.

Fresh Content Day 10: Disney Tries to Out-Do Disney

Maleficent. Alice in Wonderland. Cinderella. The Jungle Book. Beauty and the Beast. The Little Mermaid. And on and on.

Walt Disney Studios is bringing some of your favorite animated characters back to life on the big screen in live-action versions of some of their cartoon classics. What began with a retelling of the sleeping beauty story has made possible seemingly every cartoon in the Disney “vault.”

I really enjoyed Maleficent as a being told from the “villain’s” point of view, casting a dark shadow on The noble King Stefan and painting of the traditional evil witch in a sympathetic, albeit victim/survivors light. Sleeping Beauty is a movie I remember fondly from my childhood. We didn’t have many movies on VHS, and the ones that we did have were always copied from one cassette to another or recorded from television. The Disney movies that we did have, like Sleeping Beauty, work copies my aunt had made for us from her official VHS tape’s. So I probably watch more Sleeping Beauty than I should have growing up, but it’s a simple tail with a happy ending. “Good triumphs over evil, the wicked get what they deserve.” The movie Maleficent took that notion and spend it on his head.

I admit that I have never seen the live action version of Cinderella. I haven’t seen the cartoon in over 25 years. I don’t even know who stars in the movie. I don’t know how close it is to the cartoon. So I can’t comment on that.

I have to say that I enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, as well as the sequel Through the Looking Glass. Good fun movies. I’d say there easy maybe more focus on the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) than there needed to be. But it’s Johnny Depp, and he’s the “name,” the star power. But they told a good tale, and one that was visually striking.

The Jungle Book was a critical and box office success, and just like its animated predecessor, showed you could do a lot with anthropomorphic mammals. Jon Favreau is a genius. We’ve said that before. My sister saw the movie before me and asked me if I liked the original. When I said I did, she said “you probably won’t like this one. It’s really dark.” I’ll tell you what I didn’t like about it…they took away the damn vultures!

Now…here’s where we may have jumped the land shark (good brew, by the way). When you have an animated movie with talking and singing animals, why would you make a movie that’s largely computer-animated with the same types of animals saying the same words and singing the same songs? Favreau has an upcoming project coming out which you may or may not have heard of. The Lion King. The Lion King has been hugely globally popular since it came out. They turned it into a Broadway show. The soundtrack is the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated feature in the United States.

So how do you improve on that?

But Disney is also casting for a live-action Aladdin movie. It was Universal Studios that was making a Little Mermaid re-imagining, but that project has been out of the headlines since Chloe Moretz dropped out last September.

And a Dumbo movie…that’s apparently a very real thing.

Now on to Beauty and the Beast, which hits theaters next week. It has enough of a blend of human and non-human entities that it can be a reasonable re-telling. Now don’t get me wrong…this movie will be able to print its own money. But you’ll be able to substitute the animated humans with actual humans, so it makes more sense than a cartoon animal to a better looking cartoon animal.

Since I don’t know when I’ll talk about it again I HAVE to bring up the issue of LeFou, Gaston’s hetero-lifemate that we found out last week is a little less hetero in this movie. And that’s fine. I don’t care. I doubt it will have any bearing on the actual plot of the movie. My biggest question is will we get an Olaf sighting?

Allow me to remind you…Josh Gad plays LeFou. Josh Gad also voiced Olaf in the movie Frozen. You may have heard of it. Well, in the 1991 version, LeFou is incognito, hiding outside Belle and Maurice’s home and he is…YOU GUESSED IT…A SNOWMAN!!!

It’s a simple Easter Egg they could slip in. I hope they do.

Fresh Content Day 9: Cartoons for Adults, or Adult Cartoons

I never watched a whole lot of MTV growing up. I think I’m in that weird age bracket where most of its programming didn’t appeal to me. I was never going to watch My So-Called Life. Daria was never a big interest to me. And I knew more of Beavis and Butthead from my friends at school than from watching the show itself. I did watch some Singled Out when my older sister had the remote for the TV. But it was never my go to channel on television.

I remember being a freshman in high school. Wait, sophomore. I remember being a sophomore in high school. I had Study Hall just before lunch, which was GREAT. Most days, the teacher would let us out a minute early or so so we could be among the first in line. The teacher for Study Hall was also the school’s librarian, and one day he said he had some work to do in the library, and essentially told us to govern ourselves as high schoolers should. He was probably out of the room for five minutes when [REDACTED] got up and turned on the television. Now I don’t know why, but the high school had HBO. So being a studious bunch that we were, we all put down own pencils and pens and watched Beavis and Butthead Do America. We couldn’t laugh much because we didn’t want to get caught. But I remember sitting there feeling like a rebel. Yeah, I COULD be doing homework, but we din’t have HBO at the house, so I obviously had to watch it there.

Fast-forward to the summer of 1999. It’s my 17th birthday and I’ve just started working at McDonald’s (a job that would last a mere three months). My friend Joe is in town visiting from Washington state. He and our friend Brandon had taken in a showing of South Park the Movie: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut a few days prior. I KNOW! The jerks didn’t even wait for me. But the three of us did go after I was of age. Here’s how that worked, and when I tell people, they don’t believe me. We went to the Wehrenberg 14 Cine in O’Fallon, IL. Because of the nature of the picture, we were carded (yes, carded) when we bought our tickets, when they tore the tickets and gave us our ticket stubs, and again just before we entered the assigned theater. If you’re keeping track at home, and I don’t see how you couldn’t be, our IDs were checked three times.

Now look, over the years, both of these movies have been in my collection, but I don’t watch them that much anymore. I’d like to think that it’s because I’ve matured in some way, but in reality, I have most of the songs from South Park memorized, and there have been more movies made since those two. I mean, even the Simpsons had their own feature film.

But there are others as well – like 2015’s Hell and Back, a stop-motion story about a group of friends who finds a book they shouldn’t open but they do, with pages in it that they shouldn’t read, but they do. You know, that whole tale.

Then in 2016, SONY put out an adult-humor, CGI animated feature Sausage Party, which is tonight’s entertainment. Now, I’ve already been warned that I probably won’t like it, based on its indictment of organized religion. But I’m going to try to look at it through the lens of “well this is just a ridiculous farce” and hope to enjoy it on some base level.

I’ll update this post at that time.

**UPDATE** I watched Sausage Party Thursday night. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. Knowing that it was about a wiener trying to get in the bun, I expected sophomoric humor. I knew to expect some religious, or more like anti-religious statements. And I knew there’s be a ton of profanity. But I didn’t enjoy it like I would have ten or fifteen years ago. But that’s just me. I know it was a big success.

Nerds United Episode 74: Iron Man Commentary

It’s been awhile since I did an audio commentary track…going all the way back to Episode 16 (October 2014, for what it’s worth) when I was joined by guests Joe Dodd and Justin Holman to provide a commentary track for Justice League War. By the way…you have asked and I have heard and I do hope to get some of these guys together for Throne of Atlantis and more DC Animated movies.

But we’re switching side and getting to the beginning of Marvel’s cinematic universe, the one that started it all, 2008’s Iron Man. And I’m joined by my friend and past guest RJ Gallucci for a commentary track.
Grab the movie, queue it up, and hit play when we tell you. It’s all the conversation you’d punch people for if they were in the theater with you. But it also has with it the knowledge of nine years of cinematic universe that we didn’t know about back in 2008.

Want more episodes like this? Leave a comment telling me what movie you want us to tackle. We plan on hitting the entire MCU and in the order they were released.

But what movies outside of the MCU are of interest to you? Let me know.

Fresh Content Day 7: Harry and the Gang

So it’s Tuesday evening and I wasn’t 100% what I was going to write about, but then I was scanning my junk email folder and I saw that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was available for digital purchase.

I have always had a hate/love history with Harry Potter. As in…I hated it for no reason initially.

See, I can be a bit of a contrarian when it comes to what’s popular. I KNOW! You wouldn’t think so coming from me.

But let’s go back to when the Sorcerer’s Stone first arrived on US store shelves…1998. I was 16, and it took a little time for it to gain traction. I remember my younger cousin having the first book, and then the second. It was my YOUNGER cousin, and I was already in high school and such, so I wrote off the idea of ever getting into this story.

So when the movie came out in 2001, it really wasn’t on my radar. But I was 19, and my radar was college and work. So I didn’t see the movie.

In fact, it probably was somewhere in 2003 when my folks had a special month or two free trial of the premium cable shows that I actually ever first watched the first two Harry Potter movies. After I watched it, I’d watch it again. If I was flipping through the channels and saw they were on, I watched them.

Fast-forward to about 2006 and some of my roommates are discussing when the final book is supposed to be out. I actually saw on the shelf books one through six. These were people my age, and they knew the story, read the books, and looked forward to the next one like I anticipated the next game in the Halo series.

This is where it gets hazy. I don’t remember if I watched the available movies with those friends or not. I do know that at one point I got caught up on all of the movies, and even took my wife to the theater to see Deathly Hallows Pars 1 and 2.

Now all movies are out, and I have the bluray set of all eight films. I know I have a favorite movie, being Deathly Hallows 2, as it’s the end of the story, and it was good to finally get some resolution. Second favorite may be The Sorcerer’s Stone, or possibly even Prisoner of Azkaban. I got burnt out on Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire from watching them too much. And I really want to have Order of the Phoenix higher on my list. I’m guessing that it’s because of my disdain for Dolores Umbridge, who was a truly horrible character. Half-Blood Prince is seriously good as well.

A while back, I was close to pulling the trigger and buying the Kindle version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. My biggest issue right now is that I already know how the story ends. So I’m not sure if I’m willing to invest the time and money to read the books.

So…convince me.

A new episode of the Nerds United Podcast will be a little later than usual in the day, since it’s almost midnight when this post was finished. So be looking for that.

Truth be told, I had hoped to have this post done by about 8pm. My son fell asleep early, and so I got the laptop out. But it was a long day and apparently I needed the sleep too, as I dozed off and on (while sitting relatively perfectly upright) for about three hours. So here I am, putting a bow on this post. Your Fresh Content tomorrow will be the podcast, and I’ll be back writing on Thursday.

Remember to have Iron Man handy tomorrow.

Oh yeah…I went ahead and bought Fantastic Beasts. Looking forward to watching that this weekend with my family.

Fresh Content Day 6: Not My Archie

I preface everything I’m about to say in this post by starting out with the fact that I have not seen a single episode of the CW’s Riverdale series.

I don’t have to.

In my honest opinion, it doesn’t look any different than any other teen-based hour-long drama on television, and the main elements of classic Archie are gone.

Here’s what I remember about Archie (before its recent comic-book makeover):

  • Kind, freckle-faced ginger caught in a bit of an awkward love triangle with Betty and Veronica
  • Goofy best friend who wears a funny hat and has a huge appetite
  • Girl-next-door type (reminds me of the Mary Ann archetype)
  • Your diva (Ginger, except not in the new-aged definition of ginger I used above)
  • Rival for ladies’ affections (Reggie Mantle)
  • MOOSE! He’s big and a little slow, but he’s the jock of the group, and gosh darn it, I never associated myself with him whatsoever.
  • And a lot more

I fully admit that I didn’t read a TON of Archie…maybe half a dozen issues over the years. But when I think of Archie, I think of classic cars and soda hops, lettermen’s jackets and a “simpler time.”

I don’t think of a hyper-sexualized tv show that bears little resemblance to its comic book origin. Now I know there’s always been a bit of sexual tension in Archie books because of the Betty-Veronica dilemma. 

But I always took that as a bit more innocent than I probably should have. So I still look at Archie through a kid’s perspective, relatively speaking. And maybe that’s my problem…I never evolved even as the characters evolved.

But in the end, my lone opinion doesn’t matter much. Riverdale has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One review states, “Riverdale offers an amusingly self-aware reimagining of its classic source material that proves eerie, odd, daring, and above all addictive.”

And like I said, I don’t watch the show. I’m going pretty well on preconceived notions and the few commercials I catch when I’m fast-forwarding through commercials in The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow.

So, am I right? Am I wrong? Has anyone reading this actually watched Riverdale? If so, let me know in the comments.

New podcast heading your way this Wednesday. It’s an audio commentary to a movie, THE movie that started it all. Have Iron Man handy…you’ll need it.

Fresh Content Day 5: Your Brick and Mortar

Do you read comics? (Y/N – Circle One)

How do you obtain your comics? It’s 2017. You can get comics in lots of different ways. Maybe you go straight to the publisher and subscribe and have them delivered to your door. Maybe you have one of them there newfangled technology applications where you can read digital versions of comics on your mobile device or computer.

But I like to think that most of you still take the time to seek out your local comic book shop, browse the racks and shelves there. Talk with the people in the store, the workers and the other patrons. Pick out the titles you like, and then maybe grab something new.

I do this a lot.

I’ve made no secret that my go-to comic book store is Twilight Comics in Swansea, IL. I have been going there for almost ten years. I’ve had the owner Brian on the podcast a couple times. I even had him on terrestrial radio when I still worked there. Most of the staff knows me and starts getting my pull folder ready after I walk through the door.

But on many of my visits, I ask the question,”what do you recommend?” It has led to this acquisition:

I enjoyed the #1 issue so much that on a later visit I bought Volume 1. (Thanks Tim)

At my last visit, I grabbed this off the shelf and asked Brian what he could tell me about it (it’s the deluxe edition and was wrapped in plastic.

Brian said “it’s depressing.” Boy, he wasn’t kidding. But it’s one I’m enjoying as I go on. Plus, Alex Ross on art. So – it’s visually astounding.

And if there’s something you want that they don’t have in stock, most comic shops will order it for you. Here’s a fun little secret – THEY WANT YOUR BUSINESS!!!

I’ve found comic stores across the country as some of the friendliest and most welcoming places around. But when you find one that you can call “home,” it becomes more than a mere business transaction. You develop relationships with one another.

Now here’s what I want you to do. There have been lots of articles/columns/blogs/videos in the last few months about what’s really hurting local comic book stores. And it’s not the evolution of digital media. It’s people who have a pull list and never go in to claim it. It’s actually something I was guilty of for awhile. There were stretches where I could only get to Twilight Comics once every three or so months. They are paying for your books until you go in and get them. Please – go get ’em. You’ll help your comic book shop and as a bonus, you’ll get your comics.

Then do what I do – ask “what else ya got” and expand your horizons.

You’re welcome.

Fresh Content Day 4: What Happened to Saturdays?

So I think we can all agree that Saturdays as a kid rocked so much harder than Saturdays as an adult.

Or maybe it’s just me.

You see, I’ve never had a job where I routinely had Saturdays off. In fact, most of the jobs I’ve worked, I’ve worked Saturdays.

Granted, for ten and a half years, I sat behind a radio sound board. And for over three years, I have a desk and a relatively sedentary lifestyle. This is the epitome of a first world problem. I’m not out there every day breaking my back. I would if I had to. I have worked in a factory. It’s just that at this moment, it’s not that I’m currently doing.

What I’m talking about, however, is a bigger picture. I remember Saturday morning cartoons. To me, it was the best. It was the late 1980’s and early 90’s. I was anywhere from six to twelve years old. I was the first one out of bed. (Fast forward to now and sleep is a lot more appealing.) I was on the floor playing or laying on the couch or sitting in my dad’s recliner.

I WAS THE KING!!!

And I only had about four channels to choose from (this is where I seem to think we’re in the late-eighties territory).

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS!!!

I remember the Smurfs (and Kevin Hunsperger pops) and a plethora of Hanna Barbera. What I remember watching was a who’s who of cartoons:

Smurfs
Fat Albert
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Garfield and Friends
Fantastic Four
Spider-Man
Wacky Races (in re-run)

And a lot more. Sometimes while I watched cartoons, I would read some of the old comics that were handed down to me by one of my uncles.

And after my parents got up, it wasn’t long before the house was filled with the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying. Either pancakes or waffles, French toast or eggs would follow.

After breakfast, there were chores to be done. If you were lucky, it was a short list of chores that left a lot of time to play after.

I think the notion of “Saturday morning cartoons” have gone the way of the dodo because of the boom of cable programming. “Too many options.” You have Cartoon Network, Boomerang, the Disney channels, Nickelodeon, and more. It used to be just a few channels with cartoons. Now it is countless channels with even more viewing options, plus OnDemand and the streaming services.

These days, I’m out of the door sometimes before my son is even awake. Almost always before he has had his first diaper change of the day. And I’m at work before breakfast. I hope some day to be able to be home with my son for these little moments he will have as he grows older. Plus…I really want some damn waffles.

All right, that’s the end of the post. You know that that means. It’s time for:

Fresh Content Day 3: Remember the Old School

Yippee! It’s a post that doesn’t involve doctors.

The backstory on tonight’s post is bad I was watching a cartoon with my 14-month-old son tonight. We’ve been watching a lot of computer animated cartoons recently, and I wanted to throw something in the machine that was a tad more on the classic side. So I reached for the 1963 Disney animated feature The Sword in the Stone.

Before I go any further, I just want to say that I always knew a movie (or more than one) could be made from the Arthurian legend, a story that embodies the supernatural aspects of King Arthur in a way that Clive Owens’ role as the legendary king did not. That was a more grounded take, based somewhat in reality. But I’m anxious for a full on LEGEND and am excited that is finally coming to the big screen later this year with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

So the root of this post is I was watching The Sword in the Stone and I was reminded how drastically animation has changed, especially in the last 25 years. Even Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King were largely done by animators at their desks drawing. And that doesn’t include the non-Disney animated features like 20th Century Fox’ 1992 offering FernGully: The Last Rainforest or The Land Before Time. 

I recall hearing that Disney Animated Studio’s first attempt at computer animation was for The Lion King when there was a wildabeest stampede in the ravine that ultimately (**SPOILER ALERT**) led to the death of Mufasa. Computer animation was more obvious in Disney’s Hercules in the scene where Herc battles the Hydra.

https://youtu.be/hRNvoxxSNsY

Now, I’m not complaining about the technical advancements that have led to the near extinction of animation as it used to be done. Do I miss the classic look from animation? Very much so. It’s a cleaner product now, no doubt about it. But I still yearn for the style of seeing pen or pencil marks on the screen. And let’s not forget that with computer-based animation, you also lose the ability as a collector to have an original animation cel like this in your home.

Animation cel from Disney’s FIRST animated feature. Thanks, Google.

But admittedly, it’s difficult to argue about the finished products. Companies like Pixar, Disney Animation, Dreamworks Animation and more are knocking it out of the park with the quality, and they all employ such talented artists.

But since I can’t just have anything nice without complaining about it, there’s my old man,”things were better back in my day” opinion.

Fresh Content Day 2: Doctor! Doctor! Gimme the News!

What is my obsession with doctors? If you go back about eighteen months, you’ll remember that I already wrote about Doctor Strange and the topic of today’s post, Doctor Fate.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been feeling “great” lately. But I finally made an appointment to see a doctor. Granted, I can’t get in to see him until April 4. And when I was calling to make the appointment, I was taking the approach of “well, I’m older. I need to be seeing a physician regularly.” The lady on the other end of the line was surprised when I said I hadn’t seen a doctor regularly since I was still seeing a pediatrician. So figure…half of my life I haven’t been going to a doctor with any regularity. But more like on an “as needed” basis.

Well, I’m 34, and that’s not going to fly anymore.

So I have doctors on the brain.

Yesterday (late), you got the Doctor Strange movie post. It was a brief overview of a truly enjoyable movie-watching experience.

Today, I want to talk a little bit more about Doctor Fate, and why he might be the most powerful character in the DC Universe.

Think about it. When you think of “powerful characters” on the DC side, you typically think of the Last Son of Krypton. And you know his weaknesses…the glowing green rock that doesn’t glow when not exposed to a Kryptonian, a red sun, and magic. Or as SupeFan98 wrote on ComicVine (HEY! It’s better than Wikipedia):

While not so much an actual weakness, Superman’s invulnerability offers no protection against magic. The explanation for this is simple; Superman’s powers, extraordinary as they are, are the result of natural phenomenon, not supernatural. As a result, spells cast on Superman affect him the same as they would anyone else.

That’s a sizable weakness, when there are Doctor Fate’s and John Constantine’s out there. The constant Marvel/DC battle line is drawn between Superman and the Hulk, because they both have ridiculous strength and they can both leap incredibly long distances.

And we’ll never know the outcome of *THAT* fight. Just like we will never see Superman and Doctor Fate do battle.

But since Doctor Fate also shares traits like super-strength, flight, and invulnerability, but also has telekinesis, telepathy, and of course, spellbinding. It’s an outlandish thing to say, but since Fate’s powers seem to align with Superman’s weaknesses, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility.

And this all came to mind from the announcement I saw that Doctor Fate was coming to Injustice 2…so you get a fun video of that, too.

So that’s that. Tomorrow – I’m hoping to talk about something that’s not Doctor-related. But as for tonight, I’m going to record a new Five Heart Podcast and probably watch Doctor Strange again.

And check out the on-going title Doctor Fate, which started in 2015. I’m currently reading it.

Fresh Content Day 1: Call the Doctor

Well, it’s March 1, 2017, and in the Christian faiths, it is Ash Wednesday, forty days before Easter. In the Roman Catholic faith, it is a day to fast and abstain from meat (as we will abstain from meat every Friday between now and Easter Sunday.

The common thread around Lent is for Catholics to “give something up,” to sacrifice something for the season. Now when you’re a kid, it could be something like giving up candy, or cookies, or ice cream. As an adult, I’ve given up McDonald’s, soda, beer (that was tough), and ice cream (because I love ice cream).

This isn’t a religious post or anything, but I’m just setting the stage for all of it to make sense.

This year, I’m working on curbing my swearing. I have a 14-month-old son who’s getting really good at mimicking our words and sounds. Naturally he is saying “mama,” “dada,” “yeah,” “hi,” “milk,” and once, I think I heard him say “boob.” So…I have to watch my mouth, because I don’t want to get THAT call from daycare. So I created this…

And it already has $2.25 in it, with another quarter due to it. And those are just the ones I caught as I police myself on this. After Easter, I’ll take the money I raised with my potty mouth and donate it to our church.

Okay, that’s part of it.

Another thing I’m trying to do this year is maintain some discipline on the content front. So I’m hoping/planning 40 days of new content, which will be written and spoken. So you’ll get the podcasts on the weekly (hoping to get a new episode recorded this weekend, actually).

So…back to this post, and the title. I finally saw Doctor Strange last week, and while I hope to sit down at length and talk about it in an upcoming episode, this will have to suffice for now.

First of all – Doctor Strange in the MCU first appeared on my radar in Captain America: Winter Soldier, when he was named among other more anonymous threats to Hydra. The placing of that makes it seem that the Doctor Strange movie would take place before the events of Winter Soldier, which would indicate that Strange was still largely unknown (albeit active) during Captain America: Civil War (and also Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.

Here’s what I really enjoyed about this movie – it took things to a mystical place, a place you can’t explain with science. In a universe of Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, and Falcon, it was a pleasant departure. I will say that Thor touched on some similar themes, including his famous line to Jane Porter:

But as beautiful as Asgard was in Thor and Thor 2, there was something visually stunning about Doctor Strange. The Inception-inspired cityscape bending was not only done with seamless SFX, but the story was told in a way that made sense. If you think about it, the sorcerers live in the world that has yet to realize they exist. Sleight of hand, misdirection, illusion. It’s what magic is. So it’s completely natural to think that most of the regular world wouldn’t be aware of its existence. So the mirror dimension helps the filmmakers tell the story, manipulate “the world” in a way that doesn’t actually affect the real world.

It was great to see the astral plane. It was amazing to see Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension, and his use of the Eye of Agamotto (*cough*TIME GEM*cough*) had me rolling. Take THAT, Dormammu.

I thought the cast was brilliant, from Benedict Cumberbatch to Rachel McAdams, the sublime Tilda Swinton, the brilliant-in-everything Mads Mikkelsen, and the incomparable Chiwetel Ejiofor and everyone I didn’t mention…the talent they brought in for this movie just continues to show what Marvel is capable of.

Long story short (since it’s late), if you haven’t seen Doctor Strange, you shouldn’t wait any longer. It’s available in the digital format and as of yesterday, is available on bluray and dvd as well. Don’t wait any longer. After all, time is no longer on your side.

Nerds United Episode 73: Take a Trip ‘West of Oz’

It’s a story you’re so familiar with…or maybe not. What if I told you that in the beloved 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, you were only getting 2/3 of the story? What if I told you that over the course of nine issues, you’d get three new creators’ take on the full story?

Cover for West of Oz #1

Meet Sean Benner, Nick Winand, and Cat Luong. They are the creative force behind West of Oz, a re-imagining of the beloved L Frank Baum story. In Episode 73, I talk with all three about their own personal origin stories, about the source material and how they all got attached to this project.

This show wouldn’t be possible without three-time guest and longtime friend of the show Jay Peteranetz. And in our discussion, we’ll learn how he played such a critical part in the creation of West of Oz.

So don’t click your heels. You don;t find any ruby slippers here. Just enjoy the show and SUPPORT THE KICKSTARTER!

Nerds United Episode 72

Well, you may have seen the news that Netflix is adding an original show in 2017 based on a wildly popular video game series…

That’s right…the Belmont Family is back to continue its immortal feud with the undead. But this brings about a larger discussion about video games and how well they translate to other mediums. From Super Mario Bros. to Lara Croft Tomb Raider to Assassin’s Creed, video games haven’t always translated well to the big screen.

So why do I think Castlevania will succeed where its predecessors have failed?

That big, beautiful N.

Look at what Netflix has done with the Marvel properties they were given. They are both popular and critically acclaimed. When you look at the stories that Netflix has been able to tell on adopted characters, it has to fill you with confidence knowing that Castlevania will get a “Marvel-esque” treatment, and plenty of time to tell a well-developed story.

Stick around to the end of the show when I give you a chance to shape how the next episode will sound. And as always, thanks for tuning in, sharing with your friends, and being the best dang audience around!

The Future of Leia Organa

As I write this, I do so with the typical sadness we nerds get at the passing of one of our definable figures.

Let’s face it…2016 has been absolutely brutal for celebrity deaths.

We lost David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Glenn Frey (among others) in January. We should have known.

THE SIGNS WERE THERE!!!

We are more aware of celebrity deaths as we get older because these are names we grew up with.

Prince, Merle Haggard, Doris Roberts, Muhammad Ali, Gordie Howe, Anton Yelchin, Pat Summitt, Kenny “R2-D2” Baker, Gene Wilder, Arnold Palmer, Florence Henderson and countless more. Hell, this month alone has seen the passing of Alan Thicke, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Greg Lake, George Michael, and as we learned today, Carrie Fisher.

We could all use a hug from Han right about now.
We could all use a hug from Han right about now.

Fisher suffered a cardiac arrest on a flight from London to Los Angeles just days ago, but was reported as of this morning to be in stable condition. Sadly, she succumbed to the event earlier today. She was 60 years old.

Known largely for her role of Leia Organa, Fisher has appeared in four main saga movies, from the original trilogy to Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Variety has reported that all of Fisher’s scenes for Episode VIII had been filmed.

But the question remains, and though it may seem callous and uncaring, bare with me: what will come of the Princess Leia character after Episode VIII?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens L to R: C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), Admiral Statura (Ken Leung), and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Photo Credit: David James ©Lucasfilm 2015
Star Wars: The Force Awakens L to R: C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), Admiral Statura (Ken Leung), and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Photo Credit: David James ©Lucasfilm 2015

I don’t know the plan for the Leia character. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! We know that in the third act of Episode VII The Force Awakens, Han Solo is killed by Kylo Ren. How does this affect Leia? How does she retaliate in the next chapter of the saga? So many questions.

I pose the following questions to you, and I encourage you to respond in the comments either here or on Facebook.

  1. Should the story be altered in any way (not that we know what the story is) to allow for a graceful departure of Leia’s character?
  2. Based on what we saw in Rogue One and the technological advancements in CGI and the ability to bring characters to life despite their actors being deceased, is that a direction you’d like to see them go with Leia?

I get it…I feel shitty even considering the notion of a Star Wars Universe without Carrie Fisher. But thanks to 2016, that’s the world we live in now.

So what I’m trying to say is:

SCREW YOU 2016!!!

Nerds United Episode 71 – The Rogue Two

Felicity Jones is Jyn Erso, the key component to the rebellion, before anyone named "Skywalker" comes along.
Felicity Jones is Jyn Erso, the key component to the rebellion, before anyone named “Skywalker” comes along.

Well, it finally happened. For the first time since Captain America: Civil War, I made it to the movie theater. Plans were set in motion a couple months ago for my friend RJ and I to take in an opening-weekend viewing of Rogue One. And despite less-than-ideal weather conditions, we made it happen at The Edge in Belleville, IL.

Leather seats that recline. They even bring the food and beverages out to you. It was amazing (the word of the day).

So here is a little chat we had from the cab of my truck. That’s right – it’s another truck episode! But that’s just because everyone was asleep at the house when we got back and I didn’t want to disturb anyone. BECAUSE I’M CONSIDERATE!!!

And as always, this is a spoiler-free podcast without any click-bait titles.

It’s a wonder anyone ever listens to these at all. But if you do, and if you enjoy it, please tell your friends.

Gracias, mi amigos!

Nerds United Episode 70 – Playing Catch Up

I put my son to bed and knocked out a home show before calling it a night. In Episode 70, I start off talking highly about Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.

In fact, I have a lot of positives about many movies that are otherwise crapped upon.

xmen-apocalypse-ivan
The unfinished product and the comparison everyone drew rather quickly. Admit it…you did it too.

And I bring back the debate of Batman v Superman and Captain America Civil War. Not saying one is better than the other, but rather how there is an overlooked similarity and how one gets a pass. (Hint: “He killed my mom.”)

It’s a good time to be a nerd with some great movies coming out and plenty to watch on TV (I didn’t even address The Walking Dead…dammit). My question to you is this: Are you currently reading any comics? If so, sound off in the comments here or on Facebook. I’d love to know what you’re reading and what you think about it. I’ll even read the comments on the next episode (if I remember).

Thanks for checking out the show and I’d really appreciate if you told your nerdy friends about it. Let’s get this thing growing again!

Facebook.com/NerdsUnitedShow
Twitter.com/nerdsunitedshow

Now enjoy the show.

Nerds United Episode 69: Excuses, Excuses

Well, I’m still alive.

And in this episode, I have a litany of reasons why I’ve been slacking, from reading comics to watching comic book-related entertainment materials, to bringing you more award-ignored podcasts.

So here’s what I’ve missed:

Luke Cage

https://youtu.be/snJ-nRgx8o0

“Sweet Christmas!” Am I right?

X-Men Apocalypse

Or did I miss it? I don't know!
Or did I miss it? I don’t know!

Justice League: The New Frontier

You may remember me writing about this a few months back (back when I wrote blogs). Well, it’s topical again!

This is what I call a truck episode. Meaning I was in my truck on the way to work when I recorded it.

And like I said in the show, I am excited for my upcoming guests. It’s all about scheduling and such now. But we’ll see how it goes.

Obligatory plugs:

The Nerds United Facebook Page
The Nerds United Twitter
The Jittery Monkey Facebook Page
The Jittery Monkey Twitter 
The My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook Page
The My 1-2-3 Cents Twitter
The Five Heart Podcast Facebook Page
The Corn Nation Twitter
The Corn Nation Facebook Page
The Craftbeericans Facebook Page
The Craftbeericans Twitter

Nerds United Episode 68: On The Move

Somewhere in this mess is the equipment I paid money to own to record into my laptop.
Somewhere in this mess is the equipment I paid money to own to record into my laptop.

You’ve seen the posts. You’ve read the blog. NOW listen to the show where I talk about moving. Because that’s important and nerd-related. But seriously, I hate moving. So this podcast is a little bit of me bitching and moaning and a little bit recapping some of the goodies we took away from the San Diego Comic Con.

Also, piece of advice – do with it what you want:

When it comes to moving…pay someone else to do it and sleep easy!

Which Comes First, Watching or Reading

I’m facing a great dilemma. I have two versions of Justice League: The New Frontier.

new frontiers

There’s the deluxe version of the trade paperback (it’s deluxe, so it’s the hard cover) and the bluray version. Both are still in their protective plastic. I purchased the book from Twilight Comics, my local brick and mortar in Swansea, IL. I got the bluray from Amazon (Prime…two day free shipping…BOO YAH!)

Anyway, the dilemma is this: Do I read the book first or so I watch the movie?

Here’s the reality of the situation…I love to read, but my schedule recently has not allowed the time to read as much as I’d like. BUT – I do realize that reading the story is usually better than watching it.

  • Watchmen the book > Watchmen the movie
  • The DaVinci Code book > The DaVinci Code book
  • The Green Mile book = The Green Mile movie

Now I say that and acknowledge that I haven’t read some of the most popular works that have been converted to the big or smaller screens, like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and even The Walking Dead.

I have, however, read every Percy Jackson book, and found that particularly The Lightning Thief was superior to the movie version. I’d say the same about Sea of Monsters, but I read that one over an 8-hour period non-stop during a power outage and I don’t remember as much about the book itself.

I have recently purchased the Kindle version of A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones with all the intention of reading that, but first I want to finish reading The Man in the High Castle, which I’m also currently watching on Amazon Streaming Video. But I’ve heard that Game of Thrones is awfully wordy, and I found that to be the case in the prologue. It took a long time to read the prologue whereas it was about three minutes or so of TV time (I’m watching GoT again because it was fun to watch Bran walk and climb stuff in the first episode and a half).

So while I want to take some time and read Justice League: The New Frontier, there’s a very good chance I’ll end up watching the animated feature first.

I have wanted to watch the movie for a long time, but never took the initiative to get after it. Ever since Darwyn Cooke’s recent passing, I’ve made it my personal goal to get out there and read his award-winning story. There it sat on the shelf behind the counter at Twilight. All by itself…no other copies. We met like this several times…me looking at the book from a small distance. Then recently I finally made the purchase and added this classic to my collection.

Now the question stands…read first or watch?

I’m leaning “read.” But again, time may not allow it. So now I’ll likely watch it sometime this weekend.

But anyway – pick it up yourself. Here’s the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

I love that classic look, and Cooke’s style works hand-in-hand with Bruce Timm’s.

Times, They are a-Morphin

So I’m about to share something with you that I’ve never told anyone ever.

I’m probably not alone in this. Many of you probably hid this secret away like a certain magazine under your matress…yes, Car & Driver.

I, Greg Mehochko, used to watch (*gulp*) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. (I just felt 12-year-old me get a wedgie that rattled the time stream.)

I didn’t watch the following Power Rangers series:

  • Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
  • Power Rangers Zeo
  • Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
  • I didn’t watch the MMPR movie either, now that I think about it
  • Power Rangers Turbo
  • Power Rangers in Space (isn’t that Voltron, anyway?)
  • Power Rangers Lost Galaxy
  • Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue

I’m already worn out…but let’s continue the list:

  • Power Rangers Time Force
  • Power Rangers Wild Force
  • Power Rangers Speed Force – The Flash Crossover (KIDDING!!!)
  • Power Rangers Ninja Storm
  • Power Rangers Dino Thunder (how am I only up to 2004???)
  • Power Rangers SPD
  • Power Rangers Mystic Force
  • Power Rangers Operation Overdrive
  • Power Rangers Jungle Fury
  • Power Rangers RPM
  • Power Rangers Samurai and Super Samurai
  • Power Rangers Megaforce
  • Power Rangers Dino Charge and Dino Super Charge
  • Power Rangers Ninja Steel (coming in 2017)

Like I said…I didn’t watch any of that. But as a youngster – I was 11 when the show debuted – I too fell victim to the colorful costumes, the horrible action, the cheap effects, and “five overbearing and over-emotional humans.” Seriously, that’s how Zordon described teenagers to Alpha 5.

But let’s talk about the hear and now. Now we’re on the cusps of a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie…a reboot or remake, depending on your perspective. I’m old and set in my ways, so I say that this doesn’t particularly need to happen, again, since there is an ongoing series already on TV. And unlike the DC bashers, I’ve heard no clamoring for the cinematic universe of the Power Rangers tying in to the television universe.

power-rangers-2017-movie-costumes-photo
Look everybody, it’s the Iron Legion…plus Blue Beetle?

Now I don’t know what you think about “them” (the Hollywood them) bringing back an updated, edgier Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I like the fact that some legitimate Hollywood names have been added, like the recently-announced Bryan Cranston as Zordon and Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa.

rita

This is not the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers I remember, and as I’m learning with many things in life, I – a 34-year-old male – am not in their target demographic.

I hope this movie is good. I hope Ivan Ooze makes an appearance and looks just like Apocalypse from the beloved 1990s X-Men cartoon (Shut up! That’s funny!). I hope this franchise goes on to make a billion dollars.

But unless they introduce a Green Ranger who has a mystical dagger flute that beckons a Dragonzord, I’m not interested.

Holy hell, I just thought how much money I’d pay if that actually were to occur.

Frozen in Line

If you are a huge Disney fan, or have children who love the wildly popular animated hit Frozen, you may be aware that a new ride/attraction opened up today at Epcot Center in Orlando.

rs_300x300-160621104233-300-Frozen-Ever-After.jm.62116

Frozen Ever After opened in Epcot Center. Now it was a soft opening, and the ride did experience a few setbacks, which resulted in the ride being shut down briefly a couple of times (I’m getting all of this from the Internet just like most of you). So that might have been cause for the delay. But still, the wait time for Frozen Ever After was five hours.

Just for fun, here is a list of a few things I can do in five hours that don’t include standing in the hot Florida weather:

  • Drive to Chicago, Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, Kansas City (and have time left over)
  • Get caught up on the growing stack of Green Lantern comics
  • Three Hour Tour of the SS Minnow
  • An extra-innings Major League Baseball game
  • Eighteen holes of golf with my dad (found that out on Sunday)
  • Watch one and a half of the Hobbit movies
  • Almost make it through all of Avatar

I’m sure there are more. But to quote an all-too-overused Internet meme, when it comes to standing in line five hours to ride a single ride:

PREACH IT!
PREACH IT!

Now, perusing Facebook comments (which…I mean, comment sections in general are pretty horrible. Mine here is a relatively barren wasteland, save for a few), many people are very upset that a movie-themed ride was in Epcot Center to begin with – thinking the royal Arendelle sisters are better suited for the Magic Kingdom. After all, I remember going to Epcot as a kid. It was educational. WHAT WERE WE EVEN DOING THERE?!?

Others are mad that the new ride, set in the Norway Pavilion of the Epcot Center World Showcase, replaces the beloved (??) ride Maelstrom – A High Seas Norwegian Adventure. Maelstrom opened in 1988 and had some dated technology. Frozen Ever After, as you would guess, features the latest in Disney Imagineering.

Was Disney well within their rights to change the ride? Absolutely. Was a Frozen-themed ride a good choice? It was the logical one. And since I don’t fully understand the concept of a FastPass, would you ever see me waiting in line for five hours to ride this ride?

Let me tell you – I’ve cut dates before the five hour mark even when I thought there’d be a ride at the end. I have no problem skipping this one.

Besides, I’ve essentially been on the ride. And if you click to play this video, you can say you were in the same boat (that’s punny, because it’s a water ride).

It all boils down to this: Would you wait five hours (or 300 minutes, for the Disney Theme Park Goer who doesn’t like math) to ride this or any other ride? Sound off in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter.

Rest in Peace, Anton Yelchin

So I’m going to start this post by commenting on the curious circumstances of Anton Yelchin’s (Star Trek, Charlie Bartlett, Odd Thomas) tragic death yesterday.

The man died pinned between his vehicle and the brick mailbox post/security gate. It appears he went to put the vehicle in Park, only to miss the notch, getting out of the vehicle and going to the mailbox/gate area. The vehicle (a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee) rolled down the steep incline, pinning Yelchin, and ultimately killing him via blunt traumatic asphyxia.

Outside of drowning and being burned alive, I can’t imagine a death that could be much more suffering than that, anything where you’re in pain and gasping for breath.

I don’t put the circumstances of his death on the backburner to minimize them. This was a tragedy. A tragedy for his family and friends who feel his loss the most. A tragedy for his fans, who may not have known him personally, but had respect and admiration for the man’s work.

I am in that latter category. I am a fan of Anton Yelchin.

While he may best be known for his role as Pavel Andreievich Chekov (or just Chekov, for short) in the rebooted Star Trek franchise – the third film, Star Trek Beyond, of which will be released later this year – Yelchin had an impressive resume and worked alongside some of Hollywood’s best and brightest. In fact, dare I say, he was among the underrated elite.

charlie-bartlett.17908

I think I first ran across Yelchin when he played a too-smart-for-his-own-good high school student in 2009’s Charlie Bartlett. This was three years after Iron Man and, quite frankly, I was interested in seeing Robert Downey Jr. outside of the suit. If you haven’t watched it, I really can’t recommend it enough. This “kid” turned in a dynamite performance as a high schooler who has spent enough time in therapy that he starts holding therapy sessions for his classmates – and prescribing them medication. Like I said – he’s too smart for his own good. Plenty of laughs and plenty of heart that helps encompass that teenage zeitgeist of rebelling against authority.

With an IMDb list of credits that dates back to a 2000 appearance on ER, The Practice, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Criminal Minds, as well as big screen projects like Alpha DogTerminator Salvation, and The Smurfs, Yelchin was a versatile and capable talent.

STRONGLY (how’s that for emphasis) recommend you seek out Odd Thomas.

Based on the novel by Dean Koontz, the movie is available on Netflix. It’s absolutely worth a watch. And Anton is spectacular in the movie. A relatively light-hearted guy who can foresee the arrival of evil, violent death.

As it sits, we don’t know all of the exact details about the death of Anton Yelchin. Unless he has surveillance set up at his home, we possibly never will. But I do know that the future of Hollywood is a little less bright with his passing.

Anton Yelchin, dead at the young age of 27. Rest in Peace.

Dedicated to Dads

Jonathon Kent.

Norman Osborn.

Reed Richards.

Henry Allen.

Thomas Wayne.

Uncle Ben Parker.

Darth Vader.

…..Darkseid……

Some of the names listed above are great dads in comics and geek culture. Some are not great fathers. Others left lasting impressions on the children in their care in lives that were cut tragically short. Although, it goes without saying that without their sacrifices or untimely deaths, the heroes-to-be would not have materialized.

As I celebrate my first Father’s Day this year, I reflect more on the man I call “dad,” but it is fun to look at some of these genre dads and how they shaped some of the most important figures in pop culture.

I won’t go into detail on each name provided above (sorry Reed and Henry). But I did want to explore some of the father-son relationships.

Adventures-of-Superman-500-1993
From The Adventures of Superman #500 – Life After Death

The Martha’s (Wayne and Kent, respectively…also something fans had a major issue with in the final act of Batman V Superman) are touted as being so instrumental in the lives of their sons, and rightly so. But I think if you overlook the importance of Jonathon “Pa” Kent, you’re doing a disservice to the writers who gave him life and the actors who gave him breath. While I was initially thrilled about Kevin Costner’s casting, I didn’t care for the writing of Pa Kent in Man of Steel. But every other likeness has been far truer to the character (looking at you, John Schnieder) and enriched the mythos of Jonathon Kent as a morally strong man who believes his son is destined for great things. When Superman stood for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” you could hear those words being said by Pa Kent into a young Clark. “Live your life better than we have. Be better.” It’s why Superman is beloved as a figure in his fictional world and how he has stood the test of time as one of the most popular characters in culture for the last 77 years.

Norman Osborn and Uncle Ben Parker. The environments they create for their “children” makes all the difference when we see how Harry Osborn differs from Peter Parker. Even though Ben is Peter’s uncle, he serves as Pete’s guardian, and his final words will forever be linked to greatness, memed before memes were memes. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Six words that will echo into eternity. And because of the love and support Ben gave to young Peter, Peter, even though he wasn’t particularly popular, had the confidence to forge for himself a heroic life. Harry, poisoned by his father’s demons, would eventually don the glider as well.

Darth Vader’s revelation of his fatherhood to Luke Skywalker in Empire Strikes Back could go down in history as one of the biggest “OMG” moments in cinema history. And while their relationship was fleshed out a bit more in Return of the Jedi, it was Luke who sensed the good in Anakin and was able to bring him back from the Dark Side, as Vader tosses Emperor Palpatine into the pit, and thus bringing balance to the Force. I mean, you know all that already. Vader – not the best dad. But did get better.

One of the most interesting father-son relationships in comics to me has always been Thomas and Bruce Wayne. Tale as old as time – parents murdered in Crime Alley in front of young son. Son grows up to become Batman, vowing to clean up Gotham City. It was the loss he experienced that, in my opinion, made him want to ensure no other child of Gotham felt the pain he felt. What’s interesting is that in DC’s Flashpoint (Flashpoint Paradox, if you want the animated version), we see that Batman is Thomas Wayne, taking out his pain and anger in a much more brutal way (including guns). Also, in the Flashpoint story, Martha Wayne becomes the Joker, but who cares about that. Watch the end of the Flashpoint Paradox, after Barry runs back in time and corrects the timeline, and see the impact a father can have on a son.

You have an adult Bruce receiving a letter from his deceased father, a father who is writing a letter to his deceased son. And the man who walks runs between both worlds.

Me and the Old Man, when we were both much younger.
Me and the Old Man, when we were both much younger.

I’m grateful for my father. I’m thrilled I get to spend some time with him today and go golfing. I know many don’t have that opportunity. And my wife gets to spend some time with her dad. And before and after the golfing, I get to spend time with my son.

He’s almost six months old. We have a lot of time ahead of us, and I don’t want any of it to go to waste. If you’re wondering why I haven’t had a new episode of the podcast in almost two months…well, my boy’s getting bigger. He’s making sounds and sitting up and smiling and so happy. And I get to be here for all of that. Please don’t begrudge me for being away. I’m also in the process of moving.

But I promise I will be back. I am working on guests right now. I have some in mind, and need to reach out to a few more. And I do have thoughts I want to share. Kevin over at My 1-2-3 Cents blogs every day, runs every day, has a new episode of My 1-2-3 Cents the Podcast every week, and has three kids. (Also, Kevin told me his blog entries are between 300-500 words, and this is almost 1,000. I must learn to condense). So there’s some hope for me. I’ll find my groove again.

In the meantime, I get to be a DAD.

image

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Nerds United Episode 67: Michael Valentine of “Comix”

Where can you find Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Mark Waid, and Marc Silvestri in one place?

Comix: Beyond the Comic Book Pages is a twelve-year “labor of love” of Michael Valentine. Valentine relocated to sunny southern California with thoughts of being a musician, but instead started on a journey that would lead him to conversations with some of the comic book industry’s Who’s Who.

valentine
Valentine with the Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno

In Episode 67, hear stories that surround the overall narrative of the film. Anecdotes from the likes of Stan Lee, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, and more.

Once again,w e’re out to promote the screening of Comix: Beyond the Comic Book Pages in Queens, NY. If you’re in the New York area, you have a chance to take in this awesome event. It’s not just the movie. Organizer Hansi Oppenheimer (see Episode 65) is planning an event complete with free comics from Top Cow, cosplay, and more.

And be looking for the DVD release this Summer, which we talk about. Complete with the dvd? Among other things, an original comic book!

comix 2

Check out Comix in Queens. But make sure you go to Tugg.com and get your ticket reserved by May 1. That’s the cut-off date to secure the screening.

Nerds United Episode 66: Lorenzo Lizana Panel

This past weekend was the annual Cape Comic Con in Cape Girardeau, MO. You know this event. This is the comic con I attend each year (this being my third trip in a row). I even took my wife and son.

image

He is four months old and has no concept of who or what R2D2 is…but he likes lights.

One of my highlights the last couple years has been the panel discussions/Q&A’s. This year I was able to record two panels. You can catch the panel with WWE Hall of Famers Terry Funk and “Cowboy” Bob Orton over  on My 1-2-3 Cents.

The second panel was that of comic book artist Lorenzo Lizana.

lorenzo

Lorenzo is Art Director for Lion Forge Comics in St. Louis, MO. He is a staple at the Cape Con, and talks about his life and career in art as well as original characters and his role at Lion Forge.

lion forge

I had an opportunity to visit with Lorenzo later in the afternoon. He showed us (me and my wife) his sketch book for his upcoming comic, Scarab. Lorenzo talked with such enthusiasm about this story to be told that I can’t wait for him to join me for an actual conversation in a few months. Be looking and listening this summer for more Lorenzo on Nerds United as he prepares to release the first issue in August.

scarablizana

Nerds United Episode 65: Filmmaker Hansi Oppenheimer

Film Week continues on Nerds United as I talk with filmmaker Hansi Oppenheimer.

Hansi Oppenheimer shown here at the Tribeca Film Festival. (Credit Facebook)
Hansi Oppenheimer shown here at the Tribeca Film Festival. (Credit Facebook)

Hansi is a kickass fangirl who has filmed the ultimate Fangirl Project: Squee!

So we talk about her background in film, including her father’s job at [Spoiler] and the fact that Hansi has been around and immersed in the culture for years. Punk rock, Doctor Who, The Walking Dead – it all gets covered in this near hour-long discussion.

Hansi is big on fandom, and she’s very supportive of other filmmakers. That’s why she is hosting a screening of Comix: Beyond the Comic Book Pages next month in Queens (which is not Brooklyn…this country boy found out).

comix

What can you do if you want to help make this screening happen? Follow the links above, RSVP on the Tugg site, and help guarantee the showing of Comix. And check out other independent films that might be in your area.

Thanks again for hitting that download button. I have one more episode for you for Film Week. Look for that one Saturday morning.

Speaking of Saturday, I’ll be at the Cape Comic Con where I just learned this week that Butch Patrick (aka Eddie Munster) will be appearing.

Now enjoy my chat with Hansi Oppenheimer!

Nerds United Episode 64: Four Color Triumph

After eighteen months, I can officially say that I have seen Four Color Eulogy, and it is good!

four color poster
Actual movie poster advertising Four Color Eulogy.

Here’s the same poster next to another comic book movie with which you may be familiar:

movie posters

This touching independent film features a cast and crew from St. Louis, MO and was shot in the Gateway City. So in Episode 64, I welcome Jason Contini back to the Nerd Dome.

movie still
Contini shown with co-star Amy Loui, who plays Chris’ mother.

Jason co-wrote Four Color Eulogy and served as a co-producer. Sit back and enjoy the show as Greg tries not to cry while talking about Four Color Eulogy. The movie had a red carpet premier at Ronnie’s 20 Cine in St. Louis Friday night and was sold out! In fact, they sold out the smaller auditorium and then sold out the larger auditorium.

Four Color Eulogy is playing at least through Thursday (Apr. 14) at Ronnie’s on S. Lindbergh in St. Louis. Two shows a day (2pm and 7:30) with at least one cast/crew member on hand to visit with fans and viewers and answer any questions.

I cannot stress enough how much I encourage anyone to go out and watch this movie. As I stated to Jason, this is a movie that hits you in the feels and one you can (and will want to) watch over and over.

To everyone who worked on this film, from cast and crew to art contributors to local publishers like Stache Publishing who provided comic books for the comic book store scenes, to everyone who had a hand in this project no matter how finite, you have my utmost gratitude.

Now…GO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT FILMS!

Nerds United Episode 63: Comic Con and Wrestling Return to Cape Girardeau

It’s Wrestlemania Sunday and that means we’re only two weeks away from the Cape Comic Con.

logo_2015

Time to visit with my friend Ken Murphy, organizer of the annual event. We talk about the new additions to the event, like Wrestling at the Arena, Trivia Night, a Steampunk Panel, Tea Duel, and more. The Costume Contest, all-day gaming, art show, and Acting Out are all back for another great year.

Here I am talking with Ken Murphy, Cape Comic Con organizer. Thanks to the Cape Girardeau newspaper "The Southeast Missourian" for capturing the moment.
Ken and I when we talked at the 2014 Cape Con. I need a shave again. 

I’m looking forward to returning to the event and this year, I’m taking the whole family. As I say at the end of the chat, if you’re in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, or Arkansas…or you don’t mind a little travel for a great weekend, head out to the Eleventh Annual Cape Con. It really is a great time filled with wonderful people. You won’t regret it.

Nerds United Episode 62: BvS Dawn of Something New

Per usual, I took in the new comic book character movie on the early night, saving money and minimizing headache.

trinity-1

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

It didn’t disappoint me. Okay, I admit that I stuck around hoping that there would be a post-credit scene. There’s not. I’ve typically gone against the grain in the realm of agreeing with “court of public opinion” ie Internet film critics. Rotten Tomatoes is pretty useless to me. And from Ben Affleck’s own mouth (paraphrasing), they didn’t make the movie for critics. They made it for fans. As a fan, I have zero problem with this.

sam_r4_v11c3_151002_17mj_g_r709f.362886.tif
The Man of Steel had a lot to answer for after Man of Steel.

At the end of the day, if you take nothing else away from this movie, you get a fantastic Wonder Woman, a glimpse at the Justice League (with lighter characters, maybe you’ll see some of that comic relief that you all love in the Marvel movies…#UNDEROOS), and another piece of framework for the very young DC Cinematic Universe.

And you get it all with a little bit of naked (yet tastefully covered) Amy Adams (oops…spoiler alert).

Look Out – Here Comes the Spider-Man

For years we heard “give Spider-Man back to Marvel.” Let’s face the facts...we hear the same for Fantastic Four, especially after last summer’s gamble that did not pay out. But as respected as comics’ first family is, Spidey is the most recognizable (or at least profitable) superhero in the world.Captain America: Civil War is where Spider-Man will make his Marvel movie debut after five Sony pictures that have been met with mixed reactions.

And we all know you can’t have Civil War without Peter Parker.

image
See? I told you. (A pivotal scene from Civil War #2)

Here’s the thing – there’s no way they’ll be telling this portion of the story in Captain America III. It has nothing to do with Spider-Man being an established in the Marvel Universe. It revolves primarily around the story Marvel wants to tell in Civil War.

The trailer (shown below) opens with Steve Rogers speaking over some images of the Winter Soldier. Cap is talking about the hazards of the job. Then you see news footage or damage assessment from the events of The Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Avengers 2. The events lead the bureaucrat to exclaim that “People are afraid.”

Enter Tony Stark, who as he does in the comic book, is a champion for regulation and oversight. “We need to be put in check.”

So there you have it…#TeamCap vs #TeamIronMan.

Now we don’t know how Spider-Man enters into the movie, exactly. We know how he enters this scene:

But is there a scene before this where Tony Stark goes and recruits Peter Parker to the cause? I imagine there would have to be. Or as Ricky Ricardo would say “Lucy, you got some ‘splaining to do.”  They’d be retconning the crap out of that. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m certain the characters in the MCU are aware of Spider-Man. They might wonder where he was during “the event” in New York City a few years prior. But you catch my drift.

I get the feeling based on what little we’ve seen that perhaps Spider-Man is a “diamond in the rough” type of discovery by Tony Stark. That’s a stark (pun intended) contrast to the comic, where of course Spider-Man was a long-time character whom everyone knew. In the events leading up to Civil War, and in the story itself, Peter Parker/Spider-Man works for Tony Stark/Iron Man. Stark rewards Peter with the Iron Spider suit.

www

Not even close.

 

Iron-Spider-Man-by-Guile-Michael-Turner
(Artist: Guile Michael Turner)

I always perceived that Peter Parker as sort of a pawn in Stark’s agenda. Cooperate and you get to keep the shiny toy.

Something always struck me odd about that pairing. I always felt that Peter was no longer an autonomous hero who does things his way, but someone who had to answer to a higher authority. In short, a microcosm for the entire Civil War story-line. The role of the government and the registration act is played by Tony Stark. The hero community is being portrayed by our favorite wall crawler. When they out themselves, adhere to the law, bad things happen.

In other words, Captain America was right.

Okay, back to Spidey, because I’ve been working on this post off and on since about 11am, and I really just need to wrap it up.

We were told Spider-Man would have a “classic look.” This Spidey suit has Steve Ditko written all over it.

image

Re-watch the trailer and you’ll see Spidey can be expressive with his eyes again. It’s not just head and neck movements and hand gestures. The eye black gets thicker and thinner as necessary. It’s the same technology that they used with Deadpool’s mask. Totally not worried. Also, that’s a small black spider on the front and a large red spider on the back, much like the one drawn above.

So yes, Spider-Man has arrived in the MCU. But that’s not all we got in the new trailer. We also saw a bulletproof Black Panther, Winter Soldier appear to be locked away deep in the heart of a frozen bunker (which is odd, since the last time we saw him he was pinned to a table with Cap and Falcon), and we saw this this, which I’m officially labeling the Marvel Azkaban.

image

I know what it is. It’s a prison for super beings. But what I don’t know is a) who funded it and 2) when it was built. Seems like a pretty massive undertaking since the end of Age of Ultron…a year ago.

But I digress.

Here’s the trailer. This movie looks great, and it will have the longest run time of any Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. So maybe people will stop complaining that Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice will be too long at 2.5 hours.

What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments section here or on Facebook. Also Twitter, email, smoke signals, or text messages (if you have the Nerds United hotline number).

#Underoos

Nerds United Episode 61: Magicians Must Die, But Will They?

A record-breaking third appearance for comic artist Jay Peteranetz, artist of the Magicians Must Die series.

The box art for Magicians Must Die #5
The box art for Magicians Must Die #5

Join us as we discuss the very successful Kickstarter campaign for Magicians Must Die #5, the finale of the world’s only comic book printed on playing cards. We also talk about the reception of this innovative medium of storytelling.

Learn what helps make a successful Kickstarter campaign, find out where Jay will be this Comic Con season, and learn a bit more about the mastermind behind Magicians Must Die, De’Vo (what we’re at liberty to discuss, anyway).

Magicians Must Die #1, opened up and displayed on my kitchen table.
Magicians Must Die #1, opened up and displayed on my kitchen table.

Magicians Must Die has already reached its goal on Kickstarter, but you have two weeks to help them attain their stretch goals, and we’ll learn from Jay what those entail.

It’s 2016, but we recorded at my house, so naturally it sounds like the 1950’s. If you can overlook that, you will really enjoy this new episode with three-time guest and my friend, Jay Peteranetz.

And Ty, if you’re reading this, yes, we do give a shout out to Blue Blood Brewing Company in Lincoln, NE.

Nerds United Episode 60 – Can’t Think of a Deadpool-Worthy Title

Well it finally arrived – one of the most anticipated movies in recent memory (somewhere between Captain America Civil War and Star Wars the Force Awakens…you think I’m kidding. I’m not kidding).

That’s right…Deadpool.

I caught a Thursday evening showing and as you’ll hear in the show, the movie does not disappoint. The hard R rating is well-earned for several reasons. this is not a movie to take your kids to. Kung Fu Panda 3 is also in theaters. Take them there.

Deadpool is crass, vulgar, violent, and sexual. So obviously, it is banned in China and beloved everywhere else.

This movie is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Betty White gives it four Golden Girls.

deadpool betty white

To quote some Kevin Smith writing, If the buzz is any indicator, that movie’s gonna make some huge bank.”

This movie is better than a gigantic stack of pancakes.

deadpool-pancakes

And that’s saying a lot…because I love pancakes.

Thanks for tuning in. Thanks to my anonymous friend for being a part of the show. Thanks preemptively for sharing it with your friends.

And if you subscribe and review it on iTunes, I’ll love you long time.

Nerds United Episode 59 – James Mulholland

Welcome to a brand new episode of Nerds United. In Episode 59, I’m talking with Irish filmmaker and writer James Mulholland.

Lettering done by Episode 58 guest Micah Myers.
Lettering done by Episode 58 guest Micah Myers.

James’ path to comic book writing is unconventional. Despite writing his whole life, it was just a recent introduction to comics and their characters through the films of Hollywood that sparked an interest in comic books.

Hear James’ story from his “small town” (only 40,000 people, making my town of 7,500 a “village” or worse) to film school. Learn about some common themes in his writing, and the very personal stories from which they are derived.

high noon
“High Noon Rising” – a free comic available online.

Be sure to Like James on Facebook and check out his work on Comic Fury. (Definitely check out “Minority.” Great art with a gripping story that I’ve only just begun.)

And if you’re in the social media mood, follow James on Twitter.

Might as well Follow me on Twitter as well. Yes…I tweet.

I also Periscope on occasion, but I’m pretty bad at that. I’ll share that when I have more confidence.

Nerds United Episode 58: Micah Myers

After a January off, I’m back with the first interview of 2016.

This episode, I’m talking with Micah Myers, a letterer and occasional writer. We learn about lettering, and we’re all on board that letterers deserve more recognition.

lettering

We also talk about The Disasters #1, an original comic that Micah wrote as well as lettered. Listen to the episode to hear about that story, and support it on Kickstarter here:

You have just under three weeks left to support this campaign. And as I always do, I highly encourage you to support it. But I’m also biased and want to know more about this guy.

His name is Snow Globe. And his head is a snow globe.
His name is Snow Globe. And his head is a snow globe.

I feel like there’s a lot of story left to be told and I’m excited to bring it to you.

So kick back and enjoy the show. Leave a comment here or possibly even a review on iTunes. You are the vehicle by which this podcast drives towards success.

Nerds United Episode 57: Heroes for a New Year

Happy New Year!

I’m here at the hospital in St Louis (I explain in the episode) so I wanted to get you a new show.

I’m talking about heroes…the fictional kind as well as the unsuspecting heroes in real life. They’re in your neighborhood, maybe at your place of business or worship. They may be complete strangers. But they live incredibly noble lives.

Oh, and I mention the fact that I’m reading “The Man in the High Castle,” so here is a trailer of the show, available now on Amazon Prime.

Once more, wishing you a Happy New Year.

Thank you for the ongoing support, and remember you can win FREE STUFF just by sending a “Comics for Beginners” question to nerdsunitedpodcast@gmail.com

Nerds United Episode 56: The Force Shan’t Be Spoiled Tonight

OH WHAT A MOVIE!!!

I had my tickets ordered when they first went on sale. I had this date marked on the calendar for a very long time.

And then it arrived. And it was SO GOOD!

Partially because I had so much anticipation built up for this movie. But also because I saw no less than a dozen people at the theater that I hadn’t seen in a very long time, so that was awesome. We’ll always have Star Wars.

lightsaber passing
My buddy Rob said “the lightsaber has been passed.” Rob is smart.

This movie was phenomenal. And in the fifteen or so minutes, I really think I avoided any spoilers. And that’s what it is all about.

That and the hokey pokey.

My 1-2-3 Cents/Nerds United Episode 55 – Jittery Monkey Crossover Episode

The moment finally happened when Kevin Hunsperger’s My 1-2-3 Cents the Podcast met the same episode number as network founder Greg Mehochko’s Nerds United.

So the lads had themselves a crossover episode, discussing everything from wrestling to Star Wars to rassle-roos and under roos.

More importantly, it is a celebration of sorts. Nerds United  has long been the banner carrier for the network, and while it remains the oldest show still in production (give or take), I think it’s safe to say that we have a new flagship podcast.

A tip of the cap to Kevin for his year of success and best of luck to him and Greg as they continue to bring you fresh, relevant content.

Yes – that means Greg will have to step up his game.

#ToughCallTuesday 13 – [Spoilers]

I won’t lie – #TCT13 is less about the normal Tough Call Tuesday where a present A vs B and make a selection.

This Tough Call Tuesday is essentially a rant.

spoiler2 spoiler3 spoiler4 spoiler5 spoiler6 spoiler7 spoiler1

“Only look if you want to know.” “…surfaces.”

Look, I get it. We’re on the cusp of 2016. We all carry the internet with us in our pockets.

But enough is enough.

There was a time when I would try to find out early what I was getting for Christmas. Yes, as a child, I searched closets and looked under beds for any idea of what I would receive. I learned two things from those experiences.

  1. My mom was a lot better at hiding these items from us than I could ever know (I secretly think she just stashed them at my grandparents’ house until just before Christmas).
  2. IF I was lucky enough to find something early, faking surprise and excitement was always more difficult than genuine surprise.

We are nine days away from Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. we are two months away from Deadpool. We are about three and a half months away from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And we are roughly five months away from Captain America: Civil War.

Look, I get it. In an effort to further interest in these films, as well as X-Men: Apocalypse (late May, 2016), studios or actors release certain information. Typically it’s intentional by the studios and accidental when done by an actor. Or an actor gives a response without thinking, and may give away too much, aka a [Spoiler].

Look, Hollywood, you’re going to get my money. We all know you’re going to get the money of millions, if not billions, of others globally.

What I would like seen changed is less information. One of the biggest critiques to the Suicide Squad movie is that there seemed to be new “leaked footage” or footage from on the set every other day. If you want to stand on the set and watch a movie be filmed, great. But there should be some decorum about how to act when given that privilege. And one way to show your gratitude for the opportunity to watch a movie be made is to help keep what is being done in front of you a secret.

Now these examples listed about do give people a choice on if they want to participate in having details of an upcoming movie spoiled for them. “Only click if you want to know.” I choose to not know. And I hid many of these posts. Some titles do not give newsfeed scrollers that option, or a “vague” title gets paired with a picture that gives you the answer.

I will be in the theater Thursday, December 17 at 7pm to watch The Force Awakens. The speed with which I watch the 2016 movies will very likely change after my child is born. I may not make it to an opening night showing of Batman v Superman or Captain America: Civil War. Things happen, and I will have to work extra hard to not have movies spoiled for me.

But those movies will have been released, so I expect a friend or someone to say “OMG I can’t believe _______.” And I will try to cut them off and say “whoa, I haven’t had a chance to see that yet.”

That’s something that happens after a movie comes out.

It’s not something we should have to combat before a movie is in theaters.

Join the #NoSpoilers team, and be surprised for a change when you head to the theaters.

Or just jump on the comments and call me a crotchety old man. Either way.

Have a suggestion for a future #ToughCallTuesday? Drop it in the comments here on on Facebook.

And don’t forget that the Comics For Beginners vol. 2 is set for January. Ask a question, receive a prize. Leave that in the comments or email (I never get any email) nerdsunitedpodcast@gmail.com.

#ToughCallTuesday 12 – Two Movies, One Remake

This was a thought I had over the extended Thanksgiving weekend.

Two “classic” sci-fi movies that have yet to be touched by modern day Hollywood. The Last Starfighter and Flight of the Navigator. I use quotes around the word classic because I think they are only “classic” in the sense that they were made in the mid-1980s. In fact, until I mentioned them, did you even remember their names?

Let me ask another question – were you even aware of their existence?

How about some movie poster art? You know…to jog the memory…

The-Last-Starfighter flight

A quick synopsis of both movies for the uninitiated (taken from memory, not from IMDb – so you know it’s shaky at best):

The Last Starfighter is about a trailer park maintenance man (Alex) who spends his evenings ignoring his girlfriend in hopes of achieving high score on an arcade game – Starfighter. When he finally achieves the highest of the high scores, he is visited by an alien that looks like The Music Man (He’s a what? He’s a what? He’s an a-li-en). Centauri recruits Alex to join the intergalactic war raging between the Starfighters and the bad guys (I looked this one up – it’s the Ko-Dan Armada). The base is destroyed, leaving Alex and an alien named Grig, who serves as navigator and mentor. Hence, Alex is THE LAST STARFIGHTER.

Meanwhile, while Alex is in space, fake robot Alex is on Earth in his place. But fake robot Alex is a poor man’s Alex. He almost ruins things with Maggie the girlfriend. However, fake robot Alex does take a bullet, an assassination attempt.

Long story short – Alex succeeds in fending off the Armada, returning home safely to a confused Maggie and family. They leave to return to the Starfighter Corps (why not) and the galaxy is saved.

Flight of the Navigator starts in 1978. I don’t remember every detail, but here we go nonetheless. David is playing with his little brother. David falls down a hillside and hits his head. Here’s where it gets fuzzy. I almost think that David wakes up in 1986, and while the world around him has aged and progressed, he is still a kid. And his younger brother is, essentially, now older than he is. He is taken to some government (NASA, I believe) facility, because there was some connection to a spaceship.

Like I said, some parts are fuzzy.

David gets some help from future Hollywood A-lister (in her best performance ever) Sarah Jessica Parker and escapes captivity in the spaceship version of Evil T-1000.

flight ship

He and the ship (we’ll call it Mack, because that’s its name – and also voiced by Pee Wee Herman) escape authorities and travel back in time to when he fell down the hill and disappeared. Either that, or David wakes up only to realize he had the weirdest #*$@%& dream of all time.

Here’s where I’m at with these two movies. Flight of the Navigator is a Disney movie, and therefore COULD be remade. Let’s just all admit that we’re marks for what Disney is doing and move on. The animated stuff is solid (both standalone Disney Animation and the coop with Pixar). And maybe you were unaware that Disney owns Marvel and Star Wars. T+So they have that going for them. Disney is doing well. They don’t need to try to resurrect largely-forgotten titles from thirty years ago.

That’s why I say that The Last Starfighter should be remade. It has a decent story (I didn’t really do it justice). Plus, and I think this is the biggest reason – those special effects.

I mean, there’s charming and then there’s painful. Give a modern director, and more importantly a modern visual effects team, an opportunity to tell the tale with the cutting edge technology they have at their fingertips.

Hollywood has remade a slew of movies that didn’t need to be remade (looking at you, glaringly, Red Dawn). Let them have some fun with a flick that deserves a remake.

#REMAKESTARFIGHTER

If you want to submit a topic for my next #ToughCallTuesday, just leave it in the comments or email nerdsunitedpodcast@gmail.com.

And remember that the Comics for Beginners II episode is being recorded in January. Submit your questions (same as above) and win a prize! Seriously. It’s that simple!

#ToughCallTuesday 11 – Two Titles, One Solution

Let me just start this off right away by saying this:

I finally read comics. I mean in my hand, picked up booklets of paper, and READ THEM!

Much of my reading has been on my iPad, and truth be told, I haven’t read much lately. I blame the Fall TV schedule. The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Gotham, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, football…it’s crazy. And when I’m not watching tv, I’m awakening my long-dormant video game skills.

So reading was nice. I honestly need to do it more often (this moment of common sense brought to you by Staples.)

It had probably been September when I last strolled into my “local” comic book store. I use air quotes because the comic book shop I patronize with my money is just over an hour from my house. It’s why I have a pull folder. By the time I get there every eight weeks, I have missed some issues. Brian, Tim, and the crew at Twilight Comics (Swansea, IL) take care of me and my pull folder is always stuffed with my selected titles.

And it looks like I’m adding to it from here on out. This week’s #ToughCallTuesday:

side by side

Grant Morrison and Dan Mora’s “Klaus” (Boom! Studios) versus Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque’s “Huck” (Image Comics).

Now I don’t pretend to know much, but I thought I had a pretty reasonable handle on the Santa Claus origin story. I mean, I’ve seen Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

The idea struck Morrison when he was working on All Star Superman. Let’s face it – worldwide, there’s only one hero bigger than Superman. As he told Comic Book Resources:

I suddenly thought, “How come no one’s told the ‘Year One’ of Santa Claus?” It seems so obvious. Basically, this is my “All-Star Santa Claus.” [Laughs] “Santa Claus Year Zero.” It’s kind of neat approaching that character as if he was the world’s greatest superhero, and we’ve never learned the origin.

The book starts out pretty standard. A traveler, a “Wild Man,” enters a Scandinavian town that he has visited before. He has furs and meats and such to trade. He has been welcomed to the town before, but is met now with armored guards. Also, when he visits the tavern, he finds that the ale is watered down. That would make me fighting mad, too!

The traveler sees children playing with a rock, and apparently that’s forbidden. Basically, the kids aren’t allowed to have any fun. Period.

A side story revolves around the rulers of the town and their seeming disinterest in keeping their citizens happy. The ruling class child is a spoiled brat who burns down the model village the people were likely forced to build him. He wants more more more.

Meantime, our traveler Klaus has been chased out of the town and returns to the woods. He and his wolf kill a deer, and then things get weird.

Klaus-1-2015-Page-24
Look! He’s painting with the colors of the wind!

In a trance, Klaus creates a sleigh-full of toys for the children of the village. And I bet you know what happens in Issue #2.

Mark Millar is through with superheroes.

Well, let me start over. Mark Millar, in his own words, was disappointed in the ending of Man of Steel. **SPOILER ALERT** You remember that, right? That was when Superman snapped the neck of General Zod, preventing Zod from using his heat vision to make a family extra crispy?

Three people very content with Kal-El's decision.
Three people very content with Kal-El’s decision.

Mark goes on to say that (and I’m paraphrasing here) in our darkest times, we sometimes need an uplifting hero.

Both myself and artist Rafael Albuquerque have created something we haven’t seen in a very long time with our new book and that’s a lovely, sweet, Jimmy Stewart/ Tom Hanks/ Steven Spielberg kinda good guy. It’s out this week and we called this thing HUCK.

Look – I read Huck #1 and I loved it for its sheer simplicity. A simple man from a small town. To town natives, he is special. To outsiders or new neighbors, he is “slow.” But at the heart of it, he is a good man – better than we know in this world. Huck doesn’t say much in his first issue. More a man of action, his deeds range from diving to the bottom of a watery trash site to recover a lost piece of jewelry to taking out the trash for everyone in town to rescuing the 200 school girls captured by Boko Haram.

huck Capture4

Huck is just a good guy in a world with too few good people. And the folks in his town protect his secret. So what do you think happens to Huck at the end of the first issue? Of course, someone tries to cash in on the town secret. I don’t mind spoiling that because, while it is a significant event in Huck’s life, I hope it is a drawing point to potential readers.

By that I mean, if I said “Huck is a story about a small town guy who does good deeds on every level, from helping his neighbors to saving hostages in a politically charged climate. Everyone in his town knows his secret. No one ever tells.” Well that’s boring.

But if I say “Huck is a story about a small town guy who does good deeds on every level, from helping his neighbors to saving hostages in a politically charged climate. Everyone in his town knows his secret. No one ever tells…until someone does.” Well that has my interest. I want to know what happens to Huck when he has been exposed.

Now, much like some of Millar’s recent work like Wanted, Marvel’s Civil War, Kingsman, and Kick Ass, Huck has already been picked up by a studio to be adapted for the big screen. In fact, Studio 8 grabbed the rights for Huck over a month before the first issue hit store shelves.

These are two books that I really enjoyed, that is why this week’s #ToughCallTuesday is so easy.

Pick up both Klaus and Huck.

Here’s why – both series just started in November. Both series are written by two of the top names in the industry, plus the art is great. Dan Mora has done such a good job on Klaus and I’m really enjoying Rafael Albuquerque’s work on Huck.

I’m a mark for Christmas. I don’t know why, really. But a re-imagining of the Santa Claus origin story is something I didn’t even know I wanted. As for Huck, I mean, what’s not to like about this character? He is simply a good guy with abilities (unknown at this point) who just wants people to be happy.

We could all learn from these two characters. Do good. Be nice. It’s not that hard.

These two stories began with #1 in November. These are designed to be short stories, with both having six-issue runs. It’s worth it to check them out, and I think you’ll be glad that you did.

Do what I did – go to your local comic book store. Strike up a conversation. I grabbed Klaus out of curiosity. I bought Huck based on a recommendation from Brian, the owner. I’m glad he mentioned it. I’ll buy the remainder of the run.

So go talk to the friendly people at your local comic book store. You won’t regret it.

#ToughCallTuesday 10 – Supporting the Little Guy

This week’s #ToughCallTuesday is a very special article, as I reached out to a past guest (something I look forward to doing more in the future…or you’ll get a lot of “Flintstones vs Jetsons” posts in the future).

Ten days into a month-long Kickstarter campaign, I sought out newlywed and soon-to-be father Kino Beeler (my guest in Episode 48) to tell us all about Grand Arc Designs’ “Memories of Aeldaria.”

On the day that massive mega-hit Fallout 4 was released, I implore you to consider Memories of Aeldaria as a David in an industry controlled by Goliaths.

– GM

——————————–

Like any story worth telling this one is full of passion, adventure, trials, & hope. Memories of Aeldaria is a 3D, third person, action-adventure / role-playing game being developed by our staff here at Grand Arc Designs.

All of what exists today was merely a dream two and a half years ago. Countless hours were spent pouring over statistics, building conceptual designs, developing our first Game Design Document, and searching for the right talent to join our ranks. After months planning we established Grand Arc with a goal to create games we love based on solid standards and fair principals to be a force for good in this industry.

If there is one word that could describe our project, it would be ambitious. We have lofty dreams for Aeldaria and have put a lot of time into developing our partnerships to try and set us apart from an increasingly saturated Indie market. Too far from the path have a lot of companies strayed led by greed and sacrificing meaningful content for a bottom line. At least, that’s how we perceive the state of things. We truly care about making a quality product and delivering what we promise when we promise it. We will distinguish ourselves not just by the stories we tell and the worlds that we create, but also leading by example, delivering a completely realized product at fair market prices.

Trust is missing between many consumers with the publishers they once followed to what they swore would be the end and it is a shame how many of those loyal consumers are now treated. Die-hard gamers feel betrayed investing so much of their hard-earned cash into often disappointing and unrealized potential. This has to stop and both developers and publishers really need to focus on what their consumers want, and the answer is not having to spend often nearly $100 USD for a game, a season pass, possibly unreasonably long delays with little interaction between fans and developers, far less content than promised, broken or unplayable elements on day 1, and often much more.

When we see this problem and can really open our eyes to it, hopefully then understanding why change needs to happen is so important. And this is where we come in!

The Game:

coverfinal

We are developing potentially a 30~50+ hour experience with familiar elements from classic titles that are simply meant to be polished. While we want to introduce some new ideas to the mix we feel there are enough companies trying to find new ways to re-invent the wheel. We think the wheel works just fine and we understand how the wheel works. Instead the most unique part of Aeldaria is how we intend to bring these elements together.

The Story:

The player will journey as a young heroine who has temporarily lost her memory upon being thrust through space and time to crash land in the mysterious and surreal land of Aeldaria. The world and its mysteries will unfold to the player just as it unravels to her; allowing a touching glance at the once mighty Kingdom of Aeldaria as both learn together. Powerful allies and terrifying foes will be lying in wait as decisions you make alter the intricate strings of the web, ultimately leading to your chosen fate.

Why should you care?

If all of this simply isn’t enough to convince you, let’s take a look at some awesome facts about the project, about us, and about what we can accomplish together:

  • We will be building a game with tons of content that you can essentially pre-order today for only $25.00
  • Your contributions via liking, sharing, and donating to our campaign will increase our visibility and our chances of being funded. No matter how large or small your contribution is; we will be truly grateful.
  • Your contribution will support not just this project becoming a reality, but you will also be helping to create jobs for nearly 20 individuals and their families.
  • We have worked for the last year and a half diligently on a working budget of $0.00. While development will continue to churn, it will do so at a much slower pace if we cannot obtain necessary funding to enter a full production schedule.

We are dedicated to our goals and will continue moving forward with strong resolve despite learning curves or hurdles we may encounter.

Review our campaign here. 

Review the previous SE Collective campaign here.

Our website: http://www.grandarcdesigns.com/

E3 Week trailer:

Kickstarter Trailer (developed to be more like an immersive slow-build traditional cut-scene):

——————————–

Greg here – I’m excited to see this project reach its goal. That’s why I’m backing this campaign. I urge you to do the same.

What We Can Learn from #ForceforDaniel

Perhaps you have heard of Daniel Fleetwood. Daniel was a man with a terminal illness, cancer known as spindle cell sarcoma. It attacked his lungs with such ferocity that he recently had just 10% lung functionality. In other words, tumors covered the other 90% of his lungs.

On September 1, 2015, Daniel was told by his doctors that he had two months to live.

Being a lifelong Star Wars fan, Daniel’s dying wish was to see Star Wars​: The Force Awakens before he passed. This led to an enormous amount of support on social media in the #ForceforDaniel campaign. Fans around the world, media, and even some Star Wars alum got on board to see Daniel’s final wish granted.

tweeter

J. J. Abrams​, Lucasfilm​, and Disney​ made that happen last week. daniel fleetwood Today is November 10. It was on this day we learned that Daniel Fleetwood passed away. He was 32.

Now whether you have heard of the #ForceforDaniel movement or not, I truly believe Daniel’s story holds a greater purpose than just him being able to watch a movie a few weeks ahead of release. Daniel Fleetwood and his wife Ashley are, or should be, reminders that we all have it inside of us to rise up and do great things. Their story inspired a movement comprised of family, friends, and largely strangers coming together out of love.

Love is many things, and being a Catholic, I think of Saint Thomas Aquinas who said “Love is to know, to will, and to do the good of another.”

Daniel worked as a counselor to the mentally impaired. Ashley teaches the visually impaired. Both had to take significant time off of work during the progressive and late stages of Daniel’s battle. These two lived a life of love not just for each other, but for the countless families they assisted.

As their story gained worldwide attention, they taught each of us touched by their story, those of us who were cheering for them to have Daniel’s wish fulfilled, how to love.

See, friends, you don’t need some grandstanding display of love. You don’t have to record some elaborately choreographed marriage proposal.

Love can be as simple as sharing a stranger’s dying wish to see a beloved movie. Love is someone meeting with more than 500 children in the Make A Wish Foundation system (looking at you, John Cena). Love is donating time or money (or both, as long as it comes from the right place) to a community food pantry, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, animal shelter – the list goes on and on.

There are countless ways to love one another. The Fleetwoods gave us a small opportunity to lift them up in love, and when Disney, J.J. Abrams, and the extended Star Wars family took notice and granted Daniel this special screening, we all cheered in exuberance.

When you’re invited into something like this, you truly cheer with the highs and mourn at the lows. One of the last Facebook posts Ashley made before her post about Daniel’s passing, she described hearing his discomfort. I have “borrowed without permission” from her Facebook page enough, but it is heart-wrenching to hear what they had to endure in his final hours. Ashley, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry for the pain you and Daniel had to endure. And I completely agree with your sentiments. “Screw cancer. F it in the a-hole.”

If you have the means, please visit the Fleetwood’s GoFundMe page. 

Friends, this isn’t a pitch to get you to spend money. More than anything, I want your take-away from this post to be about love. Smile more often (I say these words in my head as I type them, and my wife will appreciate that I just pronounced the “t” in often, something I bemoan). Greet strangers with warmth and kindness. 

We’re coming up on a time of year where we’re supposed to be cheerful. The Christmas season wants you to smile and be friendly. Maybe I’m old, but I think Daniel’s life should remind us that we can be kindhearted all year round. We don’t need commercials and stores to tell us to be friendly. We’re the human race. We have proven time and time again that we have the power within ourselves to be decent to one another.

Make it a part of your everyday routine to be kind. Then you won’t have to try. As Jedi Master Yoda said, “Do or do not. There is no ‘try.'” Let love flow through you like The Force. Yoda also says: 

For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.

Rest in peace, Daniel. And May the Force be with You. 

Nerds United Episode 54 – The Solo Home Show

This week’s show is a home show and I explain all of that in the early minutes of the episode.

I’m talking Star Wars, Gotham, The Flash, Arrow, The Walking Dead, Man of Steel, and Supergirl.

Supergirl_1920x1080_586896_640x360

I also talk about Grant Morrison’s 18 Days (see featured image), another regrettable heroes, and a passionate plea to DC Comics!

And though I forgot to mention it in the episode, PLEASE head over to Kickstarter and help my friends from Grand Arc Designs find their independent video game, Memories of Aeldaria.

#ToughCallTuesday 9 – Prehistoric vs Futuristic

Last week’s #ToughCallTuesday had such a response that I thought I’d revisit another pair of families from the realm of classic television.

movie_MEET

 

That’s right! Flintsones versus Jetsons.

Hanna-Barbera was living right, dominating the world of animated entertainment for decades. Many of the cartoons I watched as a child were Hanna-Barbera creations. Think back. I bet you can say the same. It’s okay, I’ll wait.
.
.
.
.
.
.
See? I was right!

These two families were two of HB’s more popular characters.

The Flintstones consisted of your every-man Fred, his wife Wilma, little girl Pebbles, and pets Dino and Baby Puss. I include Baby Puss because one of my favorite parts of the cartoon was always the ending credits when the sabretooth cat hops back in the house and puts Fred out for the night.

The Jetsons featured George as the patriarch, Jane as the mother, Judy, the firstborn, and Elroy, the inquisitive and somewhat brainy younger son. (The other way to introduce them is “Meet George Jetson. His Boy Elroy. Daughter Judy. Jane, his wife.”) The Jetsons also had a pet, a dog named Astro. And they had an in-home robot maid, Rosie.

Fred Flintstone was a quarryman, working construction. His time-rock got punched twice a day, and then he would head home to his family. Fred’s best pal, Barney Rubble, also worked at the quarry. The two were bowling buddies and members of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes. Barney had a wife, Betty, and an adopted son, Bamm-Bamm.

George Jetson worked at Spacely (Space) Sprockets, where he got blamed for a lot! His at-work companion was R.U.D.I., is a computer with a human personality. And while I recall an episode where some bad programming meant some unfortunate things for George, R.U.D.I. was primarily a human-friendly computer, unlike this program…

skynet-11

Outside of work, George didn’t have much of a life, except for the time he spent zooming around trying to keep his family safe. It just seemed that Fred had a bit more downtime to enjoy some of the finer things in life.

In all actuality, maybe these two shows were inadvertent metaphors for life with and without technology. The Flintstones seemed to have more fun, and even though they faced their share of challenges, they each had time for hobbies. The Jetsons were seemingly always getting into trouble, and George was fired from his job in an unfair amount of episodes.

In a way, I empathize with George a bit more than Fred. George seems like a tough-luck loner. Fred at least had Barney. George didn’t really have anywhere to turn when he needed to vent his frustrations.

And let’s not forget the very real fact that these two families met once.

Before I render a verdict, I do want to include quite possibly the best result of either of these two storied franchises.

You’re damn right I’m talking about sugary cereals. And ever since I was a kid, that particular commercial has stuck with me. I can practically recite it word for word, playing all three roles.

This week’s decision really comes down to a topic I mentioned above – technology and the speed of the world with it and without it.

I have essentially been raised with technology. I had a Nintendo Entertainment System and an MS-DOS computer (only one of those I’d take back). I have had many types of cell phones over the years. That’s not to brag. In fact, I have had the same phone for several years (thank you Otter Box). But for the last fifteen years, I’ve had cell phones and other mobile devices, desktop computers, laptops, etc.

I’m connected. Often, I think I’m too connected.

That’s why I’m calling this week’s #ToughCallTuesday for the Flintstones, and it’s a direct result of my own personal longing to be just a little less plugged in. It’s a difficult task, certainly, because my job requires me to maintain the business Facebook page, I have my own business page as a sales consultant, plus there’s the Jittery Monkey Podcasts and Nerds United Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

And I’ll always have that, especially if I’m ever a business owner myself (Nerds United – The Store…it’s happening…someday).

Here’s my only question though…

We’ve seen two live action Flintstone movies. Where’s our Jetsons movie? Sci-fi is at an all-time high. And these are some iconic characters due for a big screen moment. I mean, everything else from our childhood has its own movie now, so what’s the worst that could happen?

Agree? Disagree? You know what to do. Sound off in the comments. What’s your preference? Flintstones or Jetsons? And do we deserve a Jetsons movie?

Also – your topics for #ToughCallTuesday…I WANT ‘EM!

#ToughCallTuesday 8 – Freaky Families

It’s Halloween week, so why not bring a little light-hearted spookiness to Nerds United?

This week’s #ToughCallTuesday comes our way from longtime supporter Josh, who said this week’s column should be:

munsters

The Munsters versus The Addams Family.*

addams

(Note – To prevent any unnecessary arguments, we’re only talking about the classic television shows. This discussion does not include the movies of the 1990’s.)

The Munsters a group of monsters who are either oblivious to their differences or hope the rest of the community overlooks them as well. They just seem to want to fit in. The Addams Family is relatively normal from a genetic standpoint (no Frankenstein’s monster, vampire, or wolf boy) who are just…odd.

John Astin (previously mentioned in #ToughCallTuesday 4 – Batman ’66 Villains) played a witty, if not charming, Gomez Addams. There was something cool about Gomez. Maybe it was the cigars. But I always thought Astin’s Gomez was smooth, yet comical.

Morticia Addams kept it simple with that slinky black dress and minimal jewelry. Carolyn Jones made a better Morticia than her big-screen counterpart Anjelica Huston (purely opinion). I mean, if you look past her obsession with cyanide and other components used for “flavoring,” she seemed almost normal.

Wednesday and Pugsley were far more innocent and well-meaning in the show than they were in the cinematic version. Wednesday just wanted to raise her pet black widow (you can have all my “NOPE’s” right there) and decapitating dolls. Pugsley was an intelligent lad who at times even tried to “fit in.” He spent time engineering an abundance of gadgets and machines, bonded with dear old dad, and had a pet octopus.

Uncle Fester was an oddball. He likes to blow stuff up and can illuminate a light bulb just by putting it in his mouth. My clearest memories of Uncle Fester are the bed of nails and the head in a vice. Lurch was the butler and could easily be summoned when Gomez or Morticia yanked on the noose (seriously…a noose. I just learned that. I always thought it was just a fancy rope). Lurch’s famous words “You rang” are still echoed through the halls of the Casa de Mehochko, and have been for several years. And then there’s Thing – the helpful hand around the house. A longtime companion of Gomez, Thing’s skill set includes getting the mail, answering the phone, lighting cigars, and…I’m guessing other tasks one does with their hands.

thing

As for the Munsters – a smaller troupe, but unique in their own way.

Herman Munster was a blue-collar worker and the sole bread winner for his 1960’s family. He went out and tried to have a normal, suburban life. Before all that, he traversed Europe, where he met and eventually married Lily. Then he moved with Lily and her father to America, joining the US Army and fighting in World War II.

Lily (nee Dracula) is a vampire, hence the maiden name. This was one of the first shows that featured a strong matriarch and a somewhat bumbling male figure who gets “the look” from his wife. OH MAN! This might have been the show that originated “the look.” Lily also keeps an eye on her son Eddie, and pities her niece Marilyn because she was “hideous” in her normality. And being the smart woman she is, when Herman and Grandpa are fighting, she typically sits it out.

Eddie was a young werewolf boy who attended grade school, had friends, fangs, a wicked widow’s peak, pointy ears, and the worst outfit ever. But he had a sweet little stuffed werewolf. Young Eddie was quite proud of his father, even if he embellished some of Herman’s heroics.

Marilyn was the normal member of the family…which meant she was ostracized be her loved ones. Lily’s niece had nothing “wrong” with her, loved her family, and thought they were the normal ones. It was said that her father was a werewolf, but it was never confirmed what her mother was.

Grandpa “Sam Dracula” was an in-home geriatric (or beyond, seeing as he was hundreds of years old). Unlike vampires of today, there was no sparkling. Grandpa could change into a bat or a werewolf. He spent a lot of time in his cellar-based laboratory. And he often worked some schemes with Herman…to varying degrees of success. But he had a sweet car:

DRAG-U-LA
DRAG-U-LA

These shows also had incredibly memorable and lasting theme songs (*snap snap*). While I think The Addams Family theme stands out a bit more, when researching for this column, I listened to both, and I was shocked with just how memorable The Munsters’ theme song is. I mean, it absolutely fits the mid-1960’s. It is a little dated, but still, having not heard it for years, I was surprised with how quickly I jumped back in and knew the melody in my head.

The verdict:

There are reasons to love both of these shows. They are iconic and while one has been transferred to the big screen and the other had an attempted reboot for today’s television audience, these are two franchises who hit their high marks with their original content. It is for that reason that I choose……

munsters

The Munsters.

It was, by many accounts, the first show that showed a more dim-witted, oafish husband/father-figure. But Herman was that inept and still scored a gorgeous vampiress. It doesn’t take Gomez much effort to exude confidence and bring about that well-polished exterior. I just like to think that Herman had to work a little harder for it. PLUS, Herman was a WWII vet.

Furthermore, The Munsters were cancelled in 1966 and replaced with Batman the Series. And I don’t have to explain to you all of the benefits of that particular show.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments, and if you have a topic idea like Josh did, let me know.

#ToughCallTuesday 7 – Back to the Sequels

I had to make a choice.

I mean, that’s the entire point of this series of blogs. It’s named a “tough call” for a reason.

Last night, the new Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens trailer debuted on Monday Night Football and the Internet reacted in fine fashion. Here’s the trailer in case you missed it (so I could say you were possibly entertained by at least one thing on this post):

So that happened. And tomorrow is the day that Marty McFly visits “the future” from 1985.

back-clock

Now I know what you’re thinking. “There have been 816 days in the last decade where Marty McFly was “supposed to arrive.” You saw them on social media going back to the MySpace days. But I assure you – tomorrow is the day:

So that brings me to this week’s debate: Which is better, Back to the Future II or Back to the Future III?

Back to the Future II has:

  • A presented time period, in fact the ONLY time period, we were able to experience. Let’s face it, unless someone has a working temporal displacement device, no one here is going back to the Old West.
  • Alternate timelines – and let’s face it, we all love a good dystopian future. Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hunger Games, Idiocracy (which, sadly, we’re already closer to that future than we are to the 2015 presented to us in BTTF2).
  • Lea Thompson’s ginormous additions!
Seriously! If you look close enough, you can see a heart pendent.
Seriously! If you look close enough, you can see a heart pendent.
  • Hoverboards. I don’t care if they don’t work over water. I thought they were the coolest part of that movie when I was a kid watching it for the first time.
  • More classic cars from the 1950s. Think about it, In BTTF2, Marty travels from 1985 to 2015 to alternate timeline 1985 back to 1955. And the climactic scene with Marty and Biff, the convertible, the hoverboard, and the sports almanac – well that’s just some great storytelling.
  • A basic understanding of time travel.

“Great Scott! Jennifer could conceivably encounter her future self! The consequences of that could be disastrous! The encounter could create a time paradox, the results of which could cause a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space time continuum, and destroy the entire universe! Granted, that’s a worse case scenario. The destruction might in fact be very localized, limited to merely our own galaxy.”

Here are the offerings of Back to the Future III:

  • Clint Eastwood. Well…sort of. Remember that was the alias Marty gave to Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen when he was asked.
  • Clint Ea-…Marty had to wrangle (no pun intended) some Western duds in a time period where, how do I put this gently…they didn’t give a crap about historical accuracy.
It just doesn't pass the sniff test.
It just doesn’t pass the sniff test.
  • No George McFly incarnation. I mean – where was Crispin Glover? Why was Michael J Fox his own ancestor?
  • Lorraine’s gigantic knockers – What can I say? They are both fascinating and hauntingly inaccurate. That is…unless the goal was to make them not at all resemble actual breasts. Lea Thompson is a far underrated actress in my opinion. She’s a doll. I enjoy her work in just about everything I have seen. And if you’re a fan, I encourage you to listen to her conversation with Chris Hardwick on the Nerdist Podcast.
  • The time machine locomotive – that beautiful piece of wonder looked like it was taken right out of a novel by Jules Verne. And oddly enough, that was the name Doc Brown and Clara chose for their two sons.
  • The final resolution – Back to the Future III was the finale of a tremendous trilogy that didn’t need to be a trilogy. If Back to the Future ends with Marty and Jennifer going out to the lake as planned, and now with the Doc racing in at the last minute and whisking them away to the future, it’s still a wonderful movie that is likely treasured for the ages. But it didn’t, he did, and we got two more movies of time-jumping and everything else that I’ve stated above. And that’s fine. But when the train comes through and obliterates the DeLorean, that’s it. No more time travel. Well, I mean, aside from the aforementioned locomotive. But that’s too bulky for every day use. The future is set right based on the destruction of the DeLorean and Marty not giving in to Needles’ challenge.

Both of these movies have their pros and their cons. For example, Back to the Future III relied on the same (yet still hilarious) gag about Biff/Buford being driven into a wagon of manure. Still hilarious. But it is also low hanging fruit.

Meanwhile, Back to the Future II had the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. And as a St. Louis Cardinals fan, that is very difficult to ignore. It is magnified by the fact that the Cubs eliminated my beloved Cardinals from post-season play last week. However, the movie was written, filmed, and released before Major League Baseball altered the playoff structure to include the Division League Series. So while the movie Cubs win the World Series on October 20, 2015, the real life Cubs trail the New York Mets 2-0 heading into tonight’s Game 3. And I think it’s just unfair to give Cubs fans false hope like that.

Also, where are the auto-fitting jackets and auto-securing shoes? It’s true that Nike was working on the shoes, but they aren’t produced or priced to be available to mass audiences…just yet.

The verdict – as it were:

I’m going with Back to the Future II. Despite the Cubs prediction and Jaws 19, there is just a ton of story packed into this movie. And its ending is so incredible. Marty sees a floating DeLorean with Doc Brown struck by lightning. The DeLorean vanishes. A minute later, a Western Union representative delivers a letter. And, well…good times occur.

“He’s in the Old West, but he’s ALIVE!”

Plus, it gets a moment in a Family Guy parody.

Now where’s my affordable hoverboard, dammit?

As always, if there’s a topic you want me to discuss in a future feature, let me know in the comments.

Nerds United Episode 53: The Cursed Studio

Well, for about fifteen-and-a-half minutes, the sound quality was what I wanted it to be. And then – right into the tank. Damn. Sorry everyone.

So in Episode 53, I talk about some recommended Doctor Strange reading, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and Marvel 1602. And I continue my series of Regrettable Superheroes.

I also discuss some of the television shows and movies going on, like the Flash, Arrow, and Thor: Ragnarok.

Also – i just picked up the following book and am really looking forward to having time to read it.

#ToughCallTuesday 6 – Title Unknown

I admit as I write this that I don’t know which direction this post will take. But it’s Tuesday, and I’ll be dipped if I don’t bring you a new Tough Call post.

The problem is that even now, I don’t think this one is a tough call at all.

I did something this past weekend that I can’t remember doing in recent memory. I intentionally skipped a televised game of my favorite college football team. Now, I’ve missed games in the past. And I’ve recorded them and watched them later. And I did that as well this past Saturday.

The difference between this game and all of those previously is that it was completely my choice how I spent my Saturday afternoon. At other times, I had commitments that I had agreed to before I knew of the starting time. This time, I was asked to go golfing – with my dad. And I readily and enthusiastically agreed.

Here’s the thing. My dad isn’t old. I anticipate (as well as hope and pray) that I get another thirty or so years with him. I hope he gets to see his grandchildren for many years, and if fate is kind, his grandchildren’s children.

So why does nine holes of golf seem so important?

Long story short? I didn’t spend as much time with him as I could or should have growing up. Am I playing catch-up, or trying to make up for lost time? Probably.

I’m not going to say I was a perfect kid. I wasn’t. I was a smart ass. Some days, I was a dumb ass. And I was lazy. I would rather sit on the couch and watch movies or play video games than pretty much anything. I could have learned so much, but I was too busy doing nothing at all.

So when my dad asked if I wanted to go golfing, there was only one answer for me. Nothing beat nine holes with him, drinking a few beers, smoking a cigar, talking about the current events in sports, family, etc. It was something I never knew I was missing until I took advantage of the opportunity to be a participant. It’s not that we didn’t have anything in common, it’s that I didn’t really know how to talk to him when I was younger, a teen. He was always the authoritative figure. Having grown, I am now able to see him on more equal terms (not completely, the man is still my hero and everything I aspire to be in a father).

As the day draws closer to my being a father, well, I don’t think I have a better role model than my own dad. He let me make my own choices as far as hobbies and interests. He was my coach as well as my dad. And I got to play catch with him, shoot hoops, etc.

I don’t write any of this to brag. I know not everyone had similar experiences. Rather, I write this as a reminder to myself to be that same kind of father to my children.

I will let my child(ren) choose between Marvel and DC, between Star Wars and Star Trek. Even let them choose their own favorite Doctor. But I hope they learn from the mistakes I made as a youngster.

I hope they choose to spend some time with their old man.

So this week’s #ToughCallTuesday isn’t tough at all.

I’ll always choose family. I’ll always put my kids first. They won’t always get everything they want. But they will never be in need. And “like my father before me,” they’ll get a dad who comes home from work and says “let’s play catch” or “let’s read a book.”

#ToughCallTuesday 5 – The Better Doctor

The 11th Doctor, the 9th Doctor…Tom Baker?

NAY!

This post is not to choose between Doctors Who. Rather (and probably easier), this week’s post is about Doctor Strange versus Doctor Fate.

image

Doctor Steven Strange, one-time renowned neurosurgeon, now the Supreme Sorcerer. He serves as Earth’s protector against threats both magical and mystical. Created in 1963 by legendary artist Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange was a member of the Avengers, the Order, the Defenders, and the Midnight Sons. He was trained in the mystical arts by the Ancient One, and harnessesing the powers of numerous artifacts, most recognizably being the Eye of Agamotto, the Cloak of Levitation, and the Book of Vishanti. Doctor Strange has been called the most powerful “humanoid” by the Marvel Universe. Literally. “Eternity,” the sentience of the Marvel Universe said so.

strange

Strange’s powers include, but are not limited to energy projection and manipulation, matter transformation, animation of inanimate objects, teleportation, illusion-casting, mesmerism, thought projection (DEEP BREATH), astral projection, dimensional travel, time travel and mental possession.

Doctor Strange has appeared in several cartoons and video games, like the 1990’s Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons. He was in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video game. He had a straight to video animated movie made about him. There was a movie in 1978…

And, of course, we will see Benedict Cumberbatch star in a Marvel Studios production of Doctor Strange in November 2016. They are set to begin production next month.

Doctor Fate has been around longer. Created in 1940 by Gardner Fox, Doctor Fate would eventually join several other Fox creations in the Justice Society of America. Fox also created or co-created the Jay Garrick Flash, Hawkman, Starman, and Sandman (Wesley Dodds). Fate draws his power from the Amulet of Anubis, the Cloak of Destiny, and the Helm of Fate, naturally.

Many have claimed the name of Doctor Fate since 1940. The powers of Doctor Fate lie primarily in the Helm of Nabu, which contains the soul of the Lord of Order, bonding it to the wearer and taking over the body. The benefit of powers being relatively transitive is that as stories, times, or characters change, others can take up the mantle. Long before there was a female Thor, there was a female Doctor Fate. There have been other diverse characters to don the Helmet of Fate, including  Khalid Ben-Hassin and Khalid Nassour.

Fate’s powers include spellcasting, flight, super-strength, invulnerability, telekinesis, telepathy, fire manipulation and lightning manipulation. A downside to Doctor Fate’s abilities are that he is unable to counteract a spell against him once it has been cast.

Doctor Fate has also been seen on television, in animation, and video games. He is a playable character in DC Universe Online and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. And he makes a cameo in Injustice: Gods Among Us. There were a few episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited that required the talents of Nabu. Doctor Fate was also on the Young Justice series, as well as a two-part episode of Smallville, titled “Absolute Justice.”

There was even a glimpse at the Helmet of Fate in the pilot episode of NBC’s short-lived Constantine series.

fate-helmet-constantine

This is certainly another Tough Call. But I think there are a few points that tilt the decision towards our winner this week, which is:

strange

Doctor Strange is one man who was trained to protect the Earth and beyond. He was not merely bestowed with magical artifacts. He conditioned himself into a living weapon, the Supreme Sorcerer. From his home at 177A Bleecker St in Greenwich Village (the Sanctum Sanctorum), Strange continues to use his gifts to defend the world from unbelievable, if not outright impossible, evils.

Of course, maybe the greatest of the all is Doctor StrangeFate…

Doctor_Strangefate_001

But that’s a story for another day.

**I apologize for the delay in not getting this published yesterday. As always, if you agree or disagree, sound off in the comments. And if there’s a tough call you want me to tackle, let me know in the comments as well.

#ToughCallTuesday 4 – Batman ’66 Villains

Batman ’66…the colorful, campy version that pre-dated the Dark Knight.

Batman was on twice a week when it aired originally, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now I won’t pretend that I watched it when it aired originally. Obviously, I wasn’t even born yet. But I did watch a lot of this show in syndication years later.

The Bill Dozier/Adam West Batman was my first introduction to Batman, as I’m certain it was for many in my generation. I didn’t actually watch the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman movie until a few years later, watching it at my friend Andy’s house on video cassette (kids, you can learn more about the ancient technology known as the VHS here).

There are a few things I remember vividly about the show. First and foremost, I think, is the legendary Batmobile.

 

1900x900_batmobile_53dad228cfc437.39159705

Second is the bust of William Shakespeare that, when you pop the top and push the red button, you Bat Cave. It was something that the designers of the last Rocksteady installment of the Batman series, “Arkham Knight,” borrowed for their own purposes.

statuebust-jpg

There was the plethora of Bat-gadgets. My favorite was the ever-popular Bat-Shark-Repellent.

But there were villains. SO MANY VILLAINS! In 120 episodes, there were 34 different villains. Villains who were smart, cunning, or alluring. And villains who were goofy and wouldn’t be taken seriously in today’s hyper-realistic, overly serious television programming. And yet, these villains were portrayed by some of the biggest names of the day. Vincent Price as Egghead, Milton Berle as Louie the Lilac, Art Carney (of The Honeymooners fame) as the Archer, and Zsa Zsa Gabor as Minerva. Also, and this is true…you can tell people that Liberace was a Batman villain.

But for the sake of time, let’s just stick with some of the more familiar characters.

The Joker – Cesar Romero was already well-known in Hollywood when producer Bill Dozier called him to the studio to play the Crown Prince of Crime. The Joker debuted and was as riotous as always, with his boisterous laugh, his gag weapons, and his dim-witted henchmen.

Romero’s Joker only appeared in nineteen of the 120 episodes of the series.

Burgess Meredith was the infamous villain known as The Penguin, a tuxedo he donned just nineteen times himself. The long-stemmed cigarette, the top hat. The Penguin had the iconic look. While this was a decade before Rocky, Burgess had been an actor since the mid-1930s, just another testament to the fearless aspirations of Dozier and Co. They weren’t going after small potatoes to fill roles on some goofy television show for kids. They took this seriously. Well, as seriously as they could for the late 1960s.

Catwoman was played by three actresses. Julie Newmar suited up the most times, playing the feline twelve times. Eartha Kitt portrayed Catwoman three times, and Lee Meriwether twice. In fact, finding the number of times Meriwether appeared as Catwoman meant a lot of scrolling down on the IMDb page, with the total cast of 630. Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, was my first tv crush before I knew what that even meant. But right behind her was the lovely Newmar, who exuded appeal. Eartha Kitt brought a whole new element to the character, as I believe she was the only one of the three to actually purr. I’d never be so bold as to tell Eartha Kitt to do something different. She rocked it as Catwoman, though Newmar is still my preferred Catwoman.

image

Frank Gorshin’s Riddler character only appeared in ten episodes, but left an indelible mark on my memory. He had that “smarter-than-you” cackle and over-animated jumping and kicking. Plus, the way he chose to attack Batman’s brain power rather than his physical strength meant that The Riddler could have been anyone, not necessarily someone in top physical shape. In fact, in Season 2, The Riddler was played by Gomez Addams, John Astin. But Gorshin’s my guy.

Of course, I guess that could be said about any of Batman’s rogue gallery mentioned here.

Then again, it was the 60’s, and in a time when Batman’s own physique wasn’t well-defined, and Robin wore hot pants, anything was possible. It truly was the golden age of television.

But this is called #ToughCallTuesday for a reason, meaning I have to play favorites. And wouldn’t you know – it is perhaps my toughest call to date. All have their merits, and they were all played by actors or actresses who seemed to thoroughly enjoy their time on this hero show.

BATMAN, Frank Gorshin, 1966. TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved, Courtesy: Everett Collection
BATMAN, Frank Gorshin, 1966. TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved, Courtesy: Everett Collection

Plus, one of my favorite sayings is “Riddle me this, Batman.”

Thanks, Frank Gorshin’s Riddler, for being me favorite Batman ’66 villain.

Agree? Disagree? Sound off in the comments. And leave a suggestion for next week’s #ToughCallTuesday!

Nerds United Episode 52: Porking Reddit

I don’t even know what that means. But I laughed. It may be the medication.

It’s Episode 52 and I’m joined by a comic book fan, creator, follower of all things nerdy, and Moderator of /r/comicbookcollabs, Ryan Burst.

Ryan and I talk about his gig as reddit moderator, writer on Stache Publishing’s Aporkalypse Anthology (see video), father, movie connoisseur, and all-around nerd.

What a great chat with a new guest who WILL be back.

Also – HI REDDIT! Be kind!

#ToughCallTuesday 3 – Jedi Master Edition

Quite the brazen title, if I do say so myself. And it’s my blog, so I do say so.

This week’s #ToughCallTuesday in the Nerd Dome explores the Jedi Masters we have seen (or will see) on the big screen as mentors for up-and-coming Jedi in training.

image
Choose wisely, young padawan.

These are the five candidates chosen for these proceedings. Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. Let’s begin.

Qui-Gon Jinn was seen in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. It really is unfortunate that we got him for only one movie yet we got Jar Jar Binks for three (and possibly a fourth, for the wily-eyed viewer). Qui-Gon was knowledgeable and patient, a well-trained swordsman and user of the Force. He was trained by Count Dooku, who enraged a captive Obi-Wan Kenobi when he stated that Qui-Gon would have allied himself with Dooku and his crusade against the Galactic Republic. Obi-Wan, faithful to the memory of his Master, naturally fired back “QuiGon would never join you.

Qui-Gon lost his life on Naboo in one of the premier moments of the prequel trilogy, the lightsaber dual with Darth Maul. He had returned to Naboo after taking on a second padawan. Already training Kenobi, Jinn thought he had found the “balance” to the Force in Anakin Skywalker. But he would not survive long enough to see if his gamble would pay off.

Qui-Gon Jinn also taught Yoda the ways of preserving ones consciousness even after death. It was a skill Yoda passed on to others – the skill we commonly refer to as the Force Ghost.

Jinn had an enormous impact on the Jedi Order. He was and would remain a stalwart Jedi Master, even if he was at times contentious with the Jedi Council.

Jedi Master Yoda is perhaps the most revered of all the widely known Jedi. A member of the Jedi Council and one of the few survivors of Order 66, Yoda sought refuge on Dagobah. Isolated in his self-imposed exile of survival, Yoda would later come across a young Jedi in training by the name of Luke Skywalker. But Skywalker was the last Jedi to receive training from Yoda in the diminutive Master’s life. Dooku, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Kit Fisto, and even played a part in the training of Obi-Wan.

Due to Yoda’s species having an extremely long lifespan, it could be said that he has used the Force longer than any others. And even at an advanced age, he was able to go toe-to-toe with both Darth Tyranus and Darth Sidious during the Clone Wars. In his final years, he met Luke and continued his training. Skywalker was not an easy pupil, often impatient and reckless. But when you’ve trained Jedi for eight hundred years, you’ve likely seen and done it all. And aside from his impressive lightsaber skills, it was Yoda’s understanding of the Force, and his calm demeanor in presenting it, that made younglings, padawans, and Jedi Knights alike respect him.

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.” – Yoda (Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back)

Anakin Skywalker had a very brief career as the Jedi Master to a padawan, with Ahsoka Tano as his lone on-screen apprentice. Wookiepedia tells us that he had several Dark Jedi and secret Sith apprentices, but since I’m basing this solely on the acts, deeds, and works we see on screen. And in Anakin’s case, that is limited to Star Wars The Clone Wars movie and series.

Anakin challenged Ahsoka from her first day under his tutelage. While doing so, he aimed to protect her, occasionally keeping her away from combat. But like her Master, Ahsoka was stubborn, and often found a way to bend the rules without breaking them. She was headstrong, which made her a logical apprentice for Skywalker. The two even had competitions to see who could take down more droids during the battle.

Tano survived Order 66, partially based on her own merits as a Jedi, but also because she was framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple. Only after a confession was she acquitted, however she refused the invitation to re-join the Jedi Order. And of course, we all know what happened to Anakin Skywalker.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first Jedi Master we encountered, way back on Tattoine when he talked about the Sand People.

The Sand People are easily startled, but they will soon be back, and in greater numbers.

Obi-Wan was the person who taught not just Luke, but all of us about the Force, about the Jedi Order, and about the Clone Wars. Not as old as Yoda, Kenobi had seen plenty of turmoil in his life. Losing his mentor and then losing his apprentice, it would seem impossible for him to find peace. It was on the dry, sandy planet that Obi-Wan kept an eye on Luke Skywalker before Skywalker went to find him in the cliffs. Obi-Wan had to train Luke, just as he took on the responsibility of training Anakin.

Training the”Chosen One” was no simple task, and Kenobi must have felt like he failed Anakin when he saw his former padawan be taken by the Dark Side. Luke was older when he met Obi-Wan, but he was still ignorant to the ways of the Force (not to mention a little whiny). And while it seemed initially that Luke may be too old to start his Jedi training, seeing the death of his mentor at the hands of Darth Vader was really the catalyst for him to take his training seriously.

We saw Obi-Wan travel the galaxy over four live-action movies, one animated film, and an animated series, constantly putting others before himself, the real hallmark of a Jedi Master.

Luke Skywalker is the one Jedi in consideration who hasn’t taken on that mentoring role in any of the films we have seen. So you have to go by what we saw in the original trilogy plus what we have seen in the trailers for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. And because we haven’t seen his training method, we don’t know what type of Jedi Master he would be.

But I’ll say this about Luke Skywalker: The future of the Force and the Jedi Order rested on his shoulders after Master Yoda phased out of the Living Force, joining Obi-Wan as a Force Spirit (YES…A FORCE GHOST). Expanded Universe canon had Luke starting a new Jedi Academy. I do not know if this will be included in the new movie, but it does seem likely that Luke will have to take on the role of Master to a new Jedi.

Let’s have a drum roll please for this week’s selection……

luke

Luke Skywalker is yet unproven as a trainer of new Jedi. Which means you have to be wondering why I went with him. In a way, he received bits and pieces of each of the other Jedi listed above him. Through both direct and indirect training, Luke was able to learn from Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Qui-Gon. The passing down of wisdom and knowledge from the Jedi that came before all manifested in Luke Skywalker.

Plus, though he didn’t have the rituals, traditions, and trials of Jedi who were trained before the great purge, one could say his training was more difficult. He didn’t have a great community of Jedi from whom he could pull knowledge. There was no Jedi Council he could go to. He was, for all intents and purposes, on his own. His training consisted of a few exercises shred by younglings of generations past, but moreso it was a hodge podge of what was available. In other cinematic realms, Luke’s training would be like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV where other Jedi would be training like Ivan Drago.

Mastering the Force took a great amount of skill, and the wisdom of those who came before. That is why I would want Jedi Master Luke Skywalker as my mentor.

#ToughCallTuesday 2 – Captain Marvel

SHAZAM!

NO! This is not an article about the DC character formerly known as Captain Marvel.

This is about the Captain Marvel that makes the most headlines these days – the Captain Marvel casting that will lead to a prominent part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

captain_marvel_logo.0

Rumors continue to swirl and will not cease until Marvel Studios officially casts the role. It seems like there’s a new front-runner to play Carol Danvers almost every week.

An early fan favorite included Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff, who has enough geek cred to shut down the Internet. And honestly, if she was selected, I think the Internet would wet its pants. I never watched Battlestar Galactica. It aired from 2004-2009. I lived in three different states over that stretch of my twenties, raising all sorts of hell. Sackhoff continues to get work, occasionally making cameo appearances as herself, like on The Big Bang Theory, so she still holds that popularity. But will the popular choice be the right choice?

Speaking of popular, there may not be an individual on the planet more red hot than our next contestant.

Various images of Ronda Rousey, fan art shared via her Instagram.
Various images of Ronda Rousey, fan art shared via her Instagram.

She has made waves on in sports, certainly, and entertainment, as well as hype videos that have gone viral, elevating her status even further. “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey recently added her name to the list of possibilities for the role of Captain Marvel. And she did it like she does everything, with unspeakable power. Her IMDb page is smaller than…well, it’s small. But credits do include a role in Expendables 3 (the only Expendables I haven’t seen) and it was recently announced that she would be cast in a remake of the 1989 classic Road House, where she would play the role of Dalton. but let’s face it, Dalton wasn’t even the biggest badass in that movie. That would be Wade Garrett, played by Sam Elliott. Because when Dalton needed help, he went to Wade.

Wait, I got off on a tangent.

Here’s what I like about Rousey – she looks like she wants this part, like she is dying to play Carol Danvers. I think she has the look. And you won’t find a badder female on the planet. Marvel Studios has the tendency, with the right script and the proper direction, to take even the most unlearned thespians and have them drop dynamite performances (looking at you, Robert Redford…KIDDING, I’m talking about Dave Bautista) but I’m not yet sold on the notion of Rousey stepping into this role. However, based on the fact that we’re probably a year from principle shooting beginning, and Rousey’s stating that she has no intention of fighting in her thirties (she is currently 28, with her 29th birthday in February), it is plausible that she could take on a multi-film role, one that Captain Marvel would demand.

Let’s keep looking.

Charlize Theron is no stranger to action movies, having just kicked some serious butt as the Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.

fury
A phenomenal movie, by the way.

My first memory of her on the big screen was in The Devil’s Advocate, opposite Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. She has spent her career not being pigeon-holed into any one particular role. With sequels coming from the Mad Max film as well as 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman, four other projects in development, and two more announced, Theron’s schedule may not allow her to take on the role of Captain Marvel. And let’s face it – that’s a good problem to have. Charlize doesn’t need this role. She may not even want this role. However, I think if the stars aligned, she would thrive in this role.

Moving right along.

I thought I was ill-informed on the next actress, but a visit to her IMDb page indicates that I’ve seen more of her movies than I thought. Looper, Dan in Real Life, Sunshine Cleaning, Into the Woods, and very recently, Edge of Tomorrow. Right there, in five titles, you have her as a bit part in one indie film (Dan in Real Life), co-starring in another small budget film, two action pictures, and a wildly popular musical. Now I doubt Carol Danvers breaks into song, but it is Marvel, owned by Disney. So it’s best to leave nothing to chance. I actually just watched Edge of Tomorrow this past weekend. She’s a believable badass in the movie, casting an intimidating presence over the uninitiated Tom Cruise.

Blunt has already has already been asked about the Captain Marvel role.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “I’ve not had a phone call about it. Not one whisper of Captain Marvel has come my way. Promise.”

Promise promise?

“Promise promise. I don’t even know who Captain Marvel is!”

But here’s the thing. That’s a song already sung by someone who denied having a role in a Marvel Studios picture, only to end up with that starring role.

Now perhaps some other words of Blunt’s will be heard by Hollywood brass. Blunt has stated that more actresses need to be considered for action roles.

“‘I think it’s because the list is very short, because we don’t see women in these kind of roles…So I think as soon as you do a role like that, like Charlize did or I did, or Rebecca’s done — there’s like four of us or something. And Jen Lawrence. So I feel like us four, we get talked about — and Angie, Angelina. So it’s a list of like, four women who are going to be considered for those kind of roles. So I think that’s why the rumors happen, because they’re like, ‘who else? Surely not another girl can wield a gun,’ you know what I mean? ‘A woman doing push-ups? There’s only one who can do that.'”

The Rebecca mentioned is Rebecca Ferguson, the latest name added to the list of potential Captain Marvels. Ferguson also starred recently opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. She was also in Hercules. the one that starred Dwayne Johnson. The one that some people actually saw. So she’s a rising star, much like Rousey.

In a Forbes.com article written last week by Scott Mendelson, the author claims that the reason there are so many names mentioned for the role of Captain Marvel is because it’s the only game left in town. And there’s a ton of truth to that. DC has its Wonder Woman. Marvel already has an established Black Widow. While there is hope of a Spider-Gwen movie down the road, there are limited options when it comes to female superheroes not part of an assembled team. Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Inhumans are all ensemble teams with standout females, but unlikely that the females will get their solo films. By that I mean, there will be no Susan Storm standalone film. Sorry…no Jean Grey either.

The role of Captain Marvel should attract many, as it is going to be a multi-picture deal with Marvel Studios.

So who do I want to see wear the colors of Captain Marvel? Well that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?

Given the options above, any that I missed, and any more names yet to be announced, I’m going to go with…

Emily Blunt!

Who do you think should get the nod as Captain Marvel? Sound off in the comments. And while you’re at it, let me know what topic I should attack for next week’s #ToughCallTuesday!

 

#ToughCallTuesday 1 – Masters of the Universe

So I came across this tidbit of information this weekend. One of my favorite characters of my youth has finally hit it big:

masters1

Masters of the Universe. I was such a He-Man fan as a kid growing up in the 1980s. The first birthday I actually remember was when I turned 4, and I had a little He-Man cake. This would be a great time to pull out the picture of me with the cake from 1986…but I don’t know where it is, and I’m not about to call my mom and ask for it just to post it here. She thinks I’m weird enough.

Speaking of my mom, I owe some of my love of He-Man to her. When I was that age, mom was a night-shift nurse working in the ICU. I didn’t have daycare because mom was home during the days. And after lunch, when she would make me a microwave s’more (it was a marshmallow between two graham crackers…I loved it), we would often sit on the family room floor and she would join me for some action figure goodness. I didn’t have Castle Grayskull, but I did have Snake Mountain, several figures, and even the Battle Ram, complete with missiles and a functioning cannon. So I always attempted to known the bad guys off of Snake Mountain (to mixed success).

Skeletor and his minions were no match for the Battle Ram and a 5-year-old.
Skeletor and his minions were no match for the Battle Ram and a 5-year-old.

But back to the movie. It came out a month after I turned five years old. Needless to say, I didn’t see it right away. In fact, I didn’t see it for several years after that, because there was no internet telling me I had to see it. But I finally did watch it one day. I don’t remember the specifics. It was either on television or I watched it with some friends. I remember being so excited to see my favorite childhood character in a movie that I may have overlooked the quality of the movie itself. And not only that, but a few other points as well:

  • Let’s start with the most obvious of all. Lovable Orco was replaced by Gwildor. At best, Gwildor can be seen as a mix between two Lord of the Rings characters, Gandalf and Gimli. But there was nothing fun or entertaining about Gwildor. And not even that Gwildor was that bad, but how do you ignore Orco and rip him from the movie? Now anyone who watched the cartoon would tell you that Orco was annoying. He was clumsy and always got into trouble. He was the C3PO of Eternia. But his his missteps always ended in a lesson from the other characters, some little moral of the story.
  • Frank Langella, arguably the greatest actor in this movie, was stuck behind a mask. The costuming left no chance for Frank Langella to do anything besides relay the awkward dialogue he was given. It was a waste of Langella’s talents, it is a stain on his IMDb page, and I feel sorry for the guy. But then I watch this clip of Langella speaking about Skeletor and the role in the movie, and more importantly, the reason he took the role. And I get it. His reason for taking on this roll is simply astounding.

  • Dolph Lundren – If Dolph Lundgren didn’t have to talk in this movie, if He-Man would have been cursed with the inability to speak, this movie would have been exponentially better. I mean, let’s face it, Dolph has had the look. Tall, well-built, topped with a golden mullet. How could it possibly have gone wrong? Well, I’m guessing Dolph had a line added into his contract stating he could use firearms. My He-Man doesn’t have guns. He had the Power Sword. Man-at-Arms and Teela both used blasters. He-Man never needed them.
  • Eternia vs Earth – He-Man is the Prince of Eternia. Okay, “Prince Adam,” if you want to get technical. But there is very little of Eternia in this movie. Instead, you have an invasion story about the forces of evil trying to conquer Earth. Sounds like a job for the Avengers, not the Eternians. Yet here we are, dealing with Courtney Cox, her boyfriend, and the Cosmic Key. This was ten years after Star Wars. There didn’t have to be an earthly tie-in. George Lucas showed to world that you could have a successful movie if it didn’t take place on Earth.

Rumors state that we will get a new Masters of the Universe movie in the near future. Christopher Yost, who co-wrote Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel Studios, was tapped to write this new adaptation. It’s stated that the movie will be dark and serious and will not be an origin film. I’m actually okay with it not being an origin film, because we all know the origin thanks to the 130 episodes of the cartoon from the mid-1980s.


May the Sorceress bless you, Filmation. Rest in peace!

I think that a He-Man and the Masters of the Universe film can be successful a variety of ways. I’ve waited most of my life for a better He-Man movie. But it’s not here yet. So I’m left with what I have.

The kid in me wants to go back and watch this 1987  movie day after day. However, the adult in me who remembers this movie being the Batman & Robin of its time knows that I can watch it once and then remove it from my Netflix queue.

That means this decision is the first in my new weekly bit called #ToughCallTuesday!

Watch it and keep it on “My List” for future viewings?

OR

Watch it and drop it like?

I have made my decision, and based it on my genuine love of the character from an early age, the quality of the film that was made, and the knowledge that a new imagining of the character, the mythos, the “universe” if you will is heading our way.

It really boils down to this simple question. Is bad He-Man better than no He-Man at all? Would you rather sit through Batman & Robin or no Batman at all? Star Wars: Attack of the Clones or no Star Wars?

Okay, two lousy example.

Let’s face it – I saw that movie appear on my Netflix. And it was big. Big meat. It was the featured option. I popped. Despite its flaws, this one will be a “Watch and keep.”

And since my parents were kind enough to keep my He-Man toys in a box in the attic all these years, I’m excited to be able to share them with my son in the future. That, and the He-Man cartoons I have acquired on DVD.

That’s it for this week’s #ToughCallTuesday. What topics do you want to see featured in the future? Let me know in the comments.

 

PS – HOW COULD YOU NOT INCLUDE KRINGER/BATTLE CAT IN YOUR MOVIE?!?

Nerds United Episode 51: JPeteranetz Returns

Episode 51 and I’m back talking with my friend Jay Peteranetz (that’s his Twitter name in the title…so follow him if you don’t already).

Jay has been busy. He’s taking up a second job as an art teacher at another school in Colorado. But he has been to Seattle for the Emerald City Con. he was the featured artist at this year’s Denver Comic Con (his badges were pretty sweet). So we talk about Captain Colorado, Magicians Must Die (fifth issue expected in early 2016), car brakes, and beer. Because it’s a Sunday afternoon, that’s why!

We also jump into the new segment exploring some regrettable heroes. And our first one: The Bouncer.

Seen here, about to bounce. Because that's all he does.
Seen here, about to bounce. Because that’s all he does.

And we also touch on some serious topics affecting us both…Jay and his wife finalizing an adoption, and me and my wife announcing news of our own:

Plus there’s a giveaway for the autographed set of Issues 1-4 of Magicians Must Die, autographed by Jay. Listen to the show to learn how to win. And here’s a shortcut to the site.

So follow Jay on Twitter (@jpeteranetz), rate this show on iTunes (Love it or hate it – at least let me know how I’m doing), and share this masterpiece with your friends and fellow nerds!

UNITE! (or UNTIE if you’re dyslexic)

Fantastic Four – An Honest Review

Well I did it. I went and saw the new Fantastic Four movie.

Directory Josh Trank (Chronicles) did the movie no favors on Thursday when he tweeted, and later deleted, the following (caught via screen grab for your benefit):

trank

The appropriate response to this can only be:

Capt. Jean-Luc Xavier is exhausted by all of this.
Capt. Jean-Luc Xavier is exhausted by all of this.

Why would you distance yourself from the movie unless you want to come off as a bitter, petulant child? It’s sour grapes, in my opinion. But maybe that’s how Hollyweird works…try to wash the hands of a negatively-perceived project in hopes of saving face. I just don’t know.

Furthermore, from Trank’s own mouth in a recent episode of Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman, he said he didn’t follow all of the hype around Chronicle as it neared its release. He even had to be told that his movie was Number 1 at the box office.

Now Chronicle and Fantastic Four are two very different beasts. One is an original title. It’s exactly the same in the comic book world. If Trank had written (with Max Landis, btw) Chronicle for Image Comics or IDW, Dark Horse, etc, it falls under the Creator Controlled parameters, and he can do with it as he pleased.

But Fantastic Four is not Chronicle. Fantastic Four is a Marvel-owned entity whose cinematic rights belong to 20th Century Fox. And while a script was submitted and either approved or altered, that script has to meet the overall vision of the studio, much like a comic book has to stay within the guidelines of the publisher’s direction.

I say all of that because there were reports out Friday that indicated Fox made one or several moves, ranging from pre-production cuts of three tent-pole action sequences to keeping Trank away from post-production as the film’s third act was being edited.

So were Trank’s accusations accurate? Possibly. Was this a PR nightmare for a film already struggling to gain ground in a saturated comic book movie world, after two lackluster (not blockbuster) movies set around the same characters? Absolutely.

And here’s the biggest problem – the movie isn’t horrible. Confidence-inspiring, aren’t I? Look, I know it has a lower Rotten Tomatoes score than Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. But this is how I would describe most of the Rotten Tomatoes users, if Bat-ffleck didn’t already beat me to it (around the 20-second mark):

Yeah – I went there. Look – if you’re going to rely on someone from the internet to tell you what to think about movies, you probably don’t listen to my show. I don’t think you’ll ever find me telling you NOT to go watch or read something (well, if you can avoid Twilight…I still recommend doing that).

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**

I thought the movie was well-cast. I thought there was some good chemistry there. And my only concern with the timeline of the movie was that Sue Storm didn’t really know Ben Grimm much at all before the transformation. Victor von Doom was still an angry genius, not a blogger. The Storm family made sense, and you got a bit of feeling of Johnny’s unwillingness to participate. He felt that because he wasn’t a science nerd like Sue, that he didn’t have as much attention as his adoptive sister. So, like many teenagers, he acted out.

I admit I was not put off by the ages of the main characters…the “youth movement” per se. Reed Richards and Ben Grimm being friends since the third grade made plenty of sense. I do wish that there was something for Jamie Bell’s Ben Grimm to do at the Baxter Institute, as I felt maybe his presence in the building of the device may have created some bond between him and Kate Mara’s Sue Storm.

Much like the first Fantastic Four movie in 2005, they can’t complete the project without Doom. But the aspects of the movie and the transformation of the characters are a direct result of Toby Kebbell’s character’s hubris and the curious nature of exploration.

It is the third act that has largely been targeted as a reason for the movie’s negative reviews. I don’t know what changes were made from Trank’s “fantastic version.” I will say that the third act and the climactic battle did seem a bit rushed. It’s odd, as the film is only 100 minutes, and many superhero movies are going two hours and beyond. I felt like there could have been a bit more in that third act. But I digress.

Now – was the movie perfect? No. Was it great? No. Was it better than most of the reviews you’ll see? I think so. Am I an eternal optimist always looking at the sunniest side? Not usually. But I think that this movie has had an uphill battle since it was announced, so I’m not surprised that the reviews coming back have been negative.

If you can save a few bucks by taking in a matinee showing, I say that’s the way to go. And don’t forget that I have a Fantastic Four movie contest going on. If you go to the show, post a picture of your ticket or ticket stubs or e-ticket to the Nerds United Facebook Page and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win one of two prizes. First Prize is an autographed copy of the first volume of Saga. Second place is the first four “issues” of Magicians Must Die autographed by my friend, artist, and Episode 37 guest Jay Peteranetz.

Call them consolation prizes if you want – a little something for sitting through Fantastic Four. But if you have spent time reading all of the other FF reviews, I hope you made it through this one. Thanks for reading. Comment below or on Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Pod Directory. And I’ll see you next time in the Nerd Dome.

Nerds United Episode 50: A Supreme Episode

You hear “Supreme” in reference to comics books. And if you’re like me…you think of “The Supreme Sorcerer,” Doctor Strange.

dr-strange-22-6-10-kc

But we’re going in a different direction. Meet Seth Ferranti, writer of The Supreme Team. He has been working with Stache Publishing’s Anthony Mathenia to transform his book into a graphic novel.

supreme_team_cover_web

Hear Seth’s own gripping tale about his life and how he came to learn the stories he shares in his writing.

You can help Seth, Anthony, and artist Joe Wills’ work to reach fruition by supporting the Kickstarter, going on all through the month of August.

Also – as promised, details about a brand new contest. AND…a new logo by Joe Dodd! WOW! I am thrilled with his work.

NERDSUNITED monkey
Seriously…that’s LEGIT!

So enjoy the 50th Episode of Nerds United. Thanks for tuning in, subscribing on iTunes or Stitcher or Pod Directory.

Another Icon Turns 75

(*Editor’s Note: This post was supposed to be written yesterday, but I was surprisingly busy at work and didn’t get a chance to do it.)

Nostalgia…I have it.

It is with this in mind that I wish Bugs Bunny a belated Happy Birthday.

Bugs made his debut on July 27, 1940 in a cartoon titled “A Wild Hare.”


Merrie Melodies – A Wild Hare (1940) by Cartoonzof2006

Ahhh Merrie Melodies. Looney Toons.

Growing up, I was a Bugs Bunny kid more than I was a Mickey Mouse kid. Call it “accessibility.” Bugs was just more prevalent. Tiny Toons came out in 1990 (I was 8) and featured an abundance of the Looney Toons characters. Merrie Melodies/Looney Toons enjoyed a long airing on TNT. Bugs and the gang tore the house down with the greatest basketball player of all time in Space Jam. And then there was the apparel. SO MUCH APPAREL!

Admit it - at least three kids in your class had this design on a shirt.
Admit it – at least three kids in your class had this design on a shirt.

Mickey is cool. But to watch most Disney stuff, especially after Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color went off the air. I remember having the Disney Channel as a youngster and then going years without it. Bugs was always there whereas the Mouse wasn’t. I guess at some point, Disney was taken off of the cable package my parents had selected. But TNT was there to stay.

Also, and you can directly credit 1990’s advertising for this. From my childhood home in the St. Louis area, Six Flags was a day trip. Get up, drive there in just over an hour, spend all day at the park, and drive home. (I am now roughly equidistant between Six Flags St. Louis and Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN.) I have been to Disney World. I had a blast, from what I can remember. I was eight at the time. I can’t tell you how many times I have visited Six Flags. And Six Flags has (or had…I don’t keep up with all the news) a partnership with Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers owns the Looney Toons characters. I think you see where I’m going with this. But it helps explain my slight bias towards Bugs Bunny.

In recent years, we have seen the 75th birthday/anniversary of Superman and Batman. We’re only two years away from the 75th anniversary celebration of Spider-Man.

75-years-of-superman-logo-262x350batman_75_years_logo_a_l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I look at a more recent timeline and attempt to imagine what fictional characters will stand the test of time as well as Bugs Bunny and his ilk, Mickey and the Disney crew, Supes, Bats, and Spidey, I fear the list isn’t as long as many would hope. Stepping outside of comic books, the characters that jump out to me are Doctor Who, Darth Vader, Yoda, and a select few other Star Wars characters, The Simpsons, GI Joe, Barbie, etc.

It pains me to say, but I doubt He-Man will ever catch lightning in a bottle again like they did in the 1980’s. And yes, I realize that was all just a way to sell action figures.

What characters do you know of in the last 20-30 years do you think will celebrate 75th anniversaries? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook.

Nerds United Episode 49: Ant-Man…Ant More

Marvel’s Ant-Man opening night. My friend Mike (go back to Episode 9 for a refresher) and I went to check out Marvel Studio’s latest big screen adventure featuring its smallest hero. And then we decided to talk about it afterwards. That conversation was going so great, I halted it mid-thought and said “let’s record this for the podcast.”

Ant-Man-7
Did we think Ant-Man was deserving of at least one Thumbs Up?

So here we are, talking about Ant-Man and more nerdy topics at 11pm on a Friday night while I’m driving through Southern Illinois. Tons of laughs and just a great conversation with a longtime friend about nerdy stuff.

Nerds United Episode 48: Memories of Aeldaria

kino

The special guest this week is Alexander “Kino” Beeler. Kino is the Founder of Grand Arc Designs, an independent video gaming developer working on Memories of Aeldaria, an epic fantasy game.

We visit about Kino’s life, including a brief period spent in the United States military.

And we spend a lot of time talking about Memories of Aeldaria, which is expected to have a Kickstarter later this year. This episode includes exclusive audio from the game – audio you won’t hear anywhere else until the Kickstarter begins.

e3 2Head over to Square Enix Collective and vote for Memories of Aeldaria to help them get some much-needed exposure.

Also I take way too long in my intro talking about Hellboy 3, Suicide Squad, Grant Morrison, Ghostbusters, Jon Bernthal, stan Lee, and Spider-Man.

Marvel/Sony Cast Spidey

Well let’s get right to it then, shall we?

tom holland
Meet your new wall-crawling, web-slinging friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Say hello to Tom Holland. “Hello Tom Holland.”

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures have announced the new Spider-Man, as well as the director and even confirmed the release date for the stand-alone Spider-Man movie.

Mark your calendars, as July 28, 2017 has just been selected for the release of the third Spider-Man franchise kickstarter.

2017 currently has seven movies set for theaters based on Marvel or DC characters. That could actually increase before it’s all said and done. Just remember how quickly the ball got rolling on a Deadpool movie.

Spider-Man will be released after The Wolverine 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Wonder Woman, and Fantastic Four. After a few months to cleanse the palates, November has in store for movie goers Thor: Ragnarok and The Justice League.

I’m exhausted (and already a little broke) just typing all of that out. And that follows a 2016 that already has seven more movies based on the Big Two scheduled for mass consumption.

Okay, I got off on a little tangent there. Sorry about that.

Back to the new Peter Parker.

Tom Holland is a relative unknown, at least to me. In fact, a quick view of his IMDb page indicates he has just ten credited roles, one being the announced Spider-Man gig. I think that’s good. I like the idea of bringing in an unknown, because you already have so many stars/heavy hitters in the MCU.

Now I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that Sony + Marvel made the announcement days after videos like this hit the internet, but I’m sure showing off the skills didn’t hurt Holland.

Fun fun fun

A video posted by ✌️ (@tomholland2013) on

It is unknown at this time whether or not Holland/Spider-Man will have a role in Captain America: Civil War. I would love for Spidey to make an appearance in the movie, because he is a pivotal character in the comics. However, if it makes the story too convoluted to include him, I say withhold him at this time. If there is no logical way to include him – if you can’t add him in without making it flow seamlessly and make sense, then I say “don’t add him.”

They are already shooting Civil War. Unless they had Spider-Man in the script and saved his scenes for last, don’t force him into the story, rushing production and compromising the picture.

I for one am looking forward to the return to Marvel of one of its biggest stars. And with Spider-Man topping the list of most profitable superheroes, this will hopefully launch the web crawler into the stratosphere as far as movies go.

I liked the original Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie. Then the Sam Raimi-led franchise started to tumble down the hill PDQ. By the end of Spider-Man 3, they were like the Jamaican bobsled team, zooming down the ice chute at blazing speeds and then wrecking in grand fashion.

Again, I enjoyed the Andrew Garfield/Emma Stone Amazing Spider-Man. It had the things that I wanted to see, like one bad guy. It stayed true to the comics with the [SPOILER ALERT] death of Captain Stacy. It also had a Peter Parker who stayed long and lanky, and didn’t become a guy who looked like he spent some time at the gym. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 brought me one of the saddest movie moments in recent memory: the death of Gwen Stacy TNA-style over-booking. Rhino at the beginning. Electro and Green Goblin in much of the middle, with Rhino inexplicably returning towards the end. And yes, I popped when you saw the Oscorp stash of Sinister Six enhancements.

The_Amazing_Spider_Man_2_42071

 

But one of the traps to which Hollywood can sometimes fall victim is over-stimulation. Give me a good story with one solid villain instead of a shoddy story with multiple antagonists.

Wow…another tangent.

I wish Tom Holland good luck as he dons the familiar red and blue Spider-Man costume. Unfortunately, the success or failure of the new Spidey franchise will undoubtedly be placed on his shoulders, much like Garfield took heat for Amazing Spider-Man 2.

But let’s face it – I’m going to go see all of these movies anyway. I can’t seem to stop myself.

Also, Marvel and Sony announced that Jon Watts will be directing the 2017 Spider-Man movie.

And let me just say…IF Spider-Man (or Peter Parker, for that matter) does appear in Civil War, I’d really like to find that out when I see it in theaters.

 

 

Nerds United Episode 47

higgins
Steve Higgins (right) and the Ink & Drink gang during Wizard World St. Louis.

One of the individuals I had the good fortune to meet at the Cape Comic Con was fan, creator, publisher, educator Steve Higgins.

Steve and I had a lot to chat about, like incorporating comic books into the classroom. We also get into Ink & Drink Comics, a publishing company based in St. Louis. They like to theme their anthologies after drinking terms. For example:

hammered

Steve also started the Tumblr – Kitties with Pottymouths. Yes – it is exactly what it sounds like:

kitties

Enjoy the show. And if you do, tell your friends. That’s how we help get the word out. You tell a friend, they tell a friend. Etc. Thank you!

Check out “On the House,” a collection of stories from Ink & Drink Comics
that cover several genres. Available on Amazon:

Nerds United Episode 46: Dr. Dan the Man

roker cake

You’ve seen his amazing creations in works of pancake art. Now learn about the man behind all that pancake batter: Dan Drake.

Learn about Dan’s beginning and how one pancake design changed his life. Hear about how his first pancake design brightened a stranger’s day. Dan has also been on The Today Show and has taken his talents around the country and across the globe.

So enjoy the show, tell your friends about it, and if this is your first time and you enjoyed yourself, go back and listen to some of the other shows. And remember: Dr. Dan did all this with pancake batter. It’s beautiful and delicious!

Michael B Jordan Addresses FF Critics

Michael B Jordan​ wrote an enlightening letter to the Internet, particularly those who disagree with his being cast as Johnny Storm in this summer’s Fantastic Four​.

Michael B Jordan as Johnny Storm (Photo Courtesy EW.com)
Michael B Jordan as Johnny Storm (Photo Courtesy EW.com)

I can’t sit here and say I had been completely on board with this since Day One. I believe I said I’d judge after watching the performance. The problem with that plan was that early on, I wasn’t even sure I’d watch the movie. I, like many, judged based purely on a cast…a cast that, from top to bottom, I was either unfamiliar with or underwhelmed by. Going in, Kate Mara was really the only name I knew. And it was “We Are Marshall” and “Shooter,” two drastically different tones of movie, in which I had seen her previously. I also understand she’s quite good on Netflix’ “House of Cards,” but that is not a show I have taken the time to sit down and watch.

So I took the “wait and see” approach.

And I’m glad I did, because what I have seen was far better than what I envisioned (which is why I’m over here typing on a computer and Josh Trank makes movies). The trailer restored some enthusiasm. This movie will not be like the previous Fantastic Four movies. In fact, many of the claims out there are that this version is less a comic book adaptation and more of a sci-fi flick.

Back to the topic at hand, that of the decision to cast Jordan (a black man) as Johnny Storm (traditionally a blond haired, blue eyed, white man). Funny thing about fanboys…they we take this stuff very seriously. And in doing so, they used the power of the Internet (and in many cases, anonymity) to unleash their collective disappointment rage to create controversy out of a non-issue.

Think of it this way. Chris Evans (now beloved Captain America) was once The Human Torch.

WHAT? NO BLONDE HAIR?!?
WHAT? NO BLONDE HAIR?!?

Granted…that was in 2005. It was the early days of social media. And Internet tough guys…(no, I’m keeping that) Internet tough guys maybe weren’t so tough.

So it was surprising when Michael B Jordan answered his critics earlier this week with a letter he penned, accompanying the newly released image of himself as The Human Torch. It was surprising because it’s not done. Many times, I think, the status quo is to “let the performance speak for itself.” It’s not Hollywood’s nature to respond to fan backlash. But I think this was the right move.

Here’s are two excerpts from Jordan’s letter:

“This is a family movie about four friends—two of whom are myself and Kate Mara as my adopted sister—who are brought together by a series of unfortunate events to create unity and a team. That’s the message of the movie, if people can just allow themselves to see it.”

“To the trolls on the Internet, I want to say: Get your head out of the computer. Go outside and walk around. Look at the people walking next to you. Look at your friends’ friends and who they’re interacting with. And just understand this is the world we live in. It’s okay to like it.”

Hear that, trolls? You have been called out by name! It’s time to put away the petty differences and embrace this world in which we live. I am slowly doing this myself as I open my mind and heart to new things.

Read Michael B Jordan’s entire letter here.

Nerds United Episode 45: Spoiler Alert

Fish Mooney sports a new look and a younger entourage in the Gotham season 1 finale.
Fish Mooney sports a new look and a younger entourage in the Gotham season 1 finale.

Episode 45 has some spoilers in case you haven’t seen the season finales of Gotham and The Flash (and to a lesser extent, Arrow).

Promotional art for the Flash season finale.
Promotional art for the Flash season finale.

Also – it’s a great time to be a nerd. more than ten (and probably closer to 15 when it’s all said and done) “nerd” movies set for the big screen between now and the end of 2016. Take, for instance, Ant-Man.

And two things I love meet up again as I learned that one of the greatest running backs of all time for the university of Nebraska Cornhuskers will add an acting credit to his resume from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

  

Nerds United Episode 44: The King Loves Comics

DMC0_RegularCover

My guest for Episode 44 is a musical legend and a member of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. And while we talk a little hip hop, my chat with Darryl McDaniels focuses more on comics, as he is both a lifelong fan and a creator.

Growing up in New York (Hollis, Queens – but you knew that already), Darryl lived in the same city as Spider-Man and so many other icons of the comic book pages. It all played a part in a boy’s early love of comics that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

dmc28n-5-web

 

 

In 2014, DMC (Darryl Makes Comics) published DMC #1 and debuted it at New York Comic Con.

In Episode 44, learn about how the comics inspired the man…and how the man inspires the comic. It’s win-win!

McDaniels shopping his book on AMC's Comic Book Men. You can get yours through your local comic book shop! I know - that's where mine came from!
McDaniels shopping his book on AMC’s Comic Book Men. You can get yours through your local comic book shop! I know – that’s where mine came from!

Enjoy Episode 44 and leave some feedback. Also – check out some previous episodes if this is your first time through. Find it on iTunes as well as Stitcher just by searching “Nerds United.” Like the show on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

And since D (yeah…we’re on a first initial basis) is a Marvel guy – let me drop a link to a book I think he would like – one that is in my own collection:

Nerds United Episode 43

Greg Land autographed this variant to Nerds United. *SQUEE*
Greg Land autographed this variant to Nerds United…obviously!

This is it – the finale of the Tenth Annual Cape Comic Con coverage. This is pretty much a recap of my weekend at the Con and does include some audio with Marvel artist Greg Land.

Also – I went and saw Avengers: Age of Ultron last night and have a quick review of the movie.

And stick around for the post-credits clip. Because, just like in the Marvel cinematic universe, it foretells my guest for Episode 44.

I’d type more, but as I prepare this, it’s almost 2am and this is technically FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! And I’m getting up early to go for a run.

Nerds United Episode 42: Cullen Bunn

cullen
Cullen Bunn – Photo taken straight from his Twitter.

 

Say hello to Cullen Bunn, writer extraordinaire. His career – his resume – is filled with titles from both Marvel and DC as well as creator-owned. Magneto, Sinestro, Deadpool – and a slew of successful creator-owned entities like The Sixth Gun, Harrow County, and the new series Hellbreak (Issue #2 available today). In this episode, we listen to the Hellbreak Panel from the Tenth Annual Cape Comic Con that was held April 17-19 in Cape Girardeau, MO. The panel is hosted by Steve Higgins with a few questions coming from the audience. Lots of insight into the differences between writing for one of the “big two” and writing your own characters. And you learn how busy a top writer can be. So kick back, relax, and check out Hellbreak #1 and #2 at your local comic book shop. A great time to do that would be on Free Comic Book Day!

#Hellbreak #2 drops tomorrow! Variant cover by @traddmoore! @onipress @cullenbunn @dragonmnky

A photo posted by Brian Churilla (@brianchurilla) on

Nerds United Episode 41: Desiree Cosplay

The finished Valkyrie, a part of the 2015 C2E2 Crown Championship of Cosplay. Good luck, Desiree!
The Valkyrie, a Desiree cosplay original, is part of the 2015 C2E2 Crown Championship of Cosplay. Good luck, Desiree!

Cosplay is a HUGE part of not just comic conventions, but this culture…this community. So I am honored that Desiree Cosplay agreed to come onto the show. Desiree gave a great panel at the Tenth Annual Cape Comic Con and shared some tips and tools about creating your own cosplay. Then in the after-panel portion, I got a chance to visit with Desiree one-on-one. And while that conversation was supposed to be about cosplay, well…it quickly went another direction.

wings
Valkyrie wings in progress.

Desiree will definitely be back on the show again in the future – because after all, eventually I have to ask all those cosplay questions I haven’t asked yet.

Follow Desiree Cosplay’s journey on Facebook and Twitter. And if you see the best Valkyrie at C2E2, it’ll be Desiree!

Nerds United Episode 40: John Wesley Shipp

flash panelJohn Wesley Shipp was a featured guest at the Tenth Annual Cape Comic Con in Cape Girardeau, MO. While there, John took part in a Q & A with fans. On Monday…the Internet sort of freaked out.

jws leak

So are the rumors true? Well there’s only one way to know for sure. Listen to the podcast.

Thank you, John, for taking the time to visit with fans, for pictures and autographs, and for being so completely cool.

The Flash and Green Lantern - a classic team up.
The Flash and Green Lantern – a classic team up.

Check out the Amazon links for the original Flash television show and some key Flash stories, including the Flashpoint Paradox!

 

Nerds United Episode 39

Hey hey hey! We’re only a couple weeks away from the 2015 Cape Comic Con. CAPE CON 10!!!

This is Ken and I when we visited last year. This time - we did it by phone. (that sounded dirtier than I intended)
This is Ken and I when we visited last year. This time – we did it by phone. (That sounded dirtier than I intended)

So what do I do? I get the organizer who has been putting on this wonderful event and talk with him for OVER AN HOUR! The history of the Cape Con and plenty of what is in store for this year.

Heading to Cape Con? Pre-order yours HERE.
Heading to Cape Con? Pre-order yours HERE.

So please, welcome BACK to the Nerd Dome – Ken Murphy! And I’ll see YOU at the Cape Comic Con, April 17-19!

Nerds United Episode 38

lego matt

Meet my longtime friend Matt. He also has a background in radio and took those talents to not one but TWO shows on the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network: GAMER and PoppedCulture.

But Matt is a busy man…a student working on his mass communications degree with a minor in creative writing. So I won’t go into much detail here, as Matt can tell his own story. But check out his Vimeo and Tumblr for some of his creativity.

Here’s his latest short film, as mentioned in the episode:

“Scrutiny” Short Film from Matthew Horst on Vimeo.

matts reads
Just a small sampling of what Matt has been reading.

Nerds United Episode 37

jay
Jay Peteranetz (right)

Meet Jay Peteranetz, a lifelong comic book reader (mostly Marvel) and artist who has helped take comics to an unprecedented medium – playing cards.

mmd3

Welcome to Magicians Must Die:

Jay grew up reading a ton of Marvel, including X-Men and the Cosmic Marvel books, including Guardians of the Galaxy. So naturally we talk about the marvel Cinematic Universe and OMG DID YOU SEE ADAM WARLOCK?

mmd2

There is a lot covered in this episode, and I’m pumped for future conversations with Jay, who will be appearing at the Denver Comic Con in May. So go check him out there.

ALSO – if we get Jay to 250 Twitter followers in the next two weeks, he’ll hook me up with all four issues (sets) of MMD, autographed, and ready to giveaway on the show. He wins, we win. GET IT?!?

Follow him at @jpeteranetz.
Go ahead and follow me as well: @nerdsunitedshow.
And while you’re at it, @jitterymunkey