Once Upon a Geek

Dude, I’m totally jazzed!  It’s just been announced that DC Direct will be producing a Blue Devil action figure!  That’s right, because I demanded it!  Yup, just me.  I can’t imagine anyone else besides me has been clamoring for this.  Blue Devil just so happens to be one of my top five favorite superheroes of all time.

The figure is part of the new “History of the DC Universe” line from DC Direct.  These Series One figures are due in stores on June 10, 2009.  … … Seriously, dude … … June 2009?  You’re killing me!  I can’t wait that long.  I guess I’ll just have to play with my Justice League Unlimited Blue Devil figure until then. 

I’m not entirely sure that I love the face on this prototype figure.  My hope is that the final figure’s face will look slightly more like the comic character.  I love that the figure is patterned on his classic costume.  While his Shadowpact garb is pretty tough looking, I prefer Blue Devil’s original blue & gold suit.  Just for fun, here are a couple classic covers from the Blue Devil comic books series.  Sooner or later, I’m going to write a few posts here about the wonder that is Blue Devil and why he deserves to be one of my top five favorite superheroes of all time.

Blue Devil’s first appearance is below.  I’m a sucker for this comic.  Typically when I stumble across this comic in a quarter/fifty cent bin, I end up buying it.  Even though I know I’ve got a handful of copies of this comic already.  It’s a sickness.

Here is Blue Devil #6.  Around this time it was established that Blue Devil had become a weirdness magnet. Lots of fun hijinks came out of that plot thread.  I’ve always loved Blue Devil’s facial expression and clean lines on this cover.  Just a really nice piece.

Okay, back to the action figures… Here is the official information from the DC Direct website about the new figures:

HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE: SERIES 1

BASED ON THE ART OF GEORGE PÉREZ

The first in an ongoing line of action figures that spans the broad history of the DC Universe, as presented by artist George Pérez in the classic book HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE!

Planned to include more characters than any DC Direct line ever, this series will feature characters from a variety of teams and eras, as well as some renegade solo characters.

The History of the DC Universe will undoubtedly increase the breadth of DC characters available as action figures, while satisfying many oft-requested fan favorite characters.

Here is a shot of the rest of the figures in Series One of the History of the DC Universe line.  I can’t wait!

I recently recorded an episode of Views from the Longbox with Michael Bailey in which we covered the 1988 story “Batman: Death in the Family“.  The episode should be available for download within in a few weeks.  “Death in the Family” is the story in which the second Robin, Jason Todd, was murdered by the Joker.  … Sorry if I spoiled anything for you there.  You should probably be caught up enough in your reading to know about that. If not, my bad. I mean, it only came out 20 years ago.

Reading that story inspired me next to re-read the 1989 stories “Batman: Year Three” and “Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying“.  “Batman: Year Three” chronicles the third year of Batman’s crime fighting life, the year Dick Grayson came to live with him and became Robin.  Published immediately after “Batman: Year Three”  was “Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying”.  That story is set in modern times and tells the story of teenager Tim Drake and his desperate attempt to reunite Batman and Dick Grayson (now known as Nightwing).  During his quest, Tim Drake finds himself becoming the newest Robin.

So I’m only two issues into my new reading assignment, but I just gotta rave about “Batman: Year Three”  — well, at least Parts 1 & 2.  Wow!  What great comics!  First off, check out the amazing cover below for Part 1.  George Perez did an outstanding job depicting the death of Dick Grayson’s parents, while wrapping other story elements around the image.  Just a truly iconic cover.

The inside isn’t disappointing either.  Pat Broderick’s interior art is impressive!  His facial expressions always communicate exactly what the character is feeling.  He is also a master of creating a sense of motion in his work.  Finally, in this comic there are typically 6 panels per page (some with as many as 10 panels).  This is something you just don’t see in modern comics any more.  The panel per page count is WAY down nowadays.

The reoccurring theme throughout “Batman: Year Three” is that Batman is over the edge.  Just months before, Batgirl was crippled by the Joker.  Shortly after that, Robin was murdered.  Batman is mentally traumatized and descending into a brutal existence.  Despite a long-standing strained parental relationship, Dick Grayson returns to try and help Batman mentally recover.  This provides the framework to tell how Dick Grayson came to live with Bruce Wayne and eventually became Robin.

I won’t go into too much detail here because we’re going to review these stories on an upcoming “Views from the Longbox” podcast.  However, I have to compliment Marv Wolfman for putting together a phenomenal story.  It’s structured incredibly well with three intertwining plots — Batman trying to stop an organized crime killing spree, Dick Grayson trying to reach Batman emotionally, and Alfred doing what he feels is right to protect his loved ones.

Each issue is packed with story and you walk away feeling like your time was definitely worth it.  This is Marv Wolfman at the top of his game.  It’s a real shame “Batman: Year Three” has never been collected into a trade paperback.  I guess it probably never will be now, since the more recent “Batman: Dark Victory” provides a slightly different origin for Dick Grayson’s Robin.

If you don’t own these issues, you can pick them up dirt cheap at Mile High Comics right now.  “Batman: Year Three” runs through  Batman issues #436-#439.  Seriously, at the time of this writing you can buy all four issues from Mile High for a combined total of $3.05 plus shipping.  If you also want to pick up “Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying”, that story runs through Batman issues #440-442, and New Titans issues #60-61.  That story will set you back a whopping $5.20 plus shipping (at the time of this writing).  It’s a great time to buy back issues if you are interested.

If you already own these issues, I highly recommend you dig them out and re-read them.  I think you’ll  find a satisfying story that offers a quality and quantity that seems to be lacking in most comics nowadays.

The new Star Trek movie is coming, whether you like it or not! And this time they are aiming to make Star Trek cool.  Hard to believe, I know.  Directing and producing this new Star Trek film is J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Fringe, Cloverfield), so there is a good chance the movie will be entertaining (even if you don’t like Star Trek).  In fact, Abrams has been quoted as saying, “We weren’t making a movie for fans of Star Trek. We were making a movie for fans of movies.”  That’s encouraging!  The release date is May 8, 2009, but there is already lots of news and photos making their way through the tubes and the internets.

• You can see the teaser trailer for the movie at the official website Star Trek Movie.com.  The full trailer is scheduled to debut in front of “Quantum of Solace” in just under a month.
• There is a lengthy article explaining the new vision for Star Trek at Entertainment Weekly.com.  Watch for spoiler warnings as you read the article (if you care).
• There will be a prequel comic book mini-series from IDW called “Star Trek Countdown” that focuses on the origins of the Romulan villain Nero.  Be advised, there are minor SPOILERS in this link.
• Lots of information in the Wikipedia entry on the movie.
• You can check out the viral campaign at NCC-1701.  Click the little numbers (like a combination lock) to get the picture clarity to 100%.

After looking through all this information, I’m really starting to get psyched for the film!  Can’t wait for May 8, 2009!  And now… on with the photos!

Teaser poster.  Picture from IGN.

Kirk played by Chris Pine.  Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

Spock played by Zachary Quinto (Sylar from ‘Heroes’). Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

Dr. McCoy played by Karl Urban, with Kirk in the background. Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

Sulu played by John Cho.  Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

The Enterprise Crew — Pictured L to R: Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Kirk (Chris Pine), Lt. Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho), and Uhura (Zoe Saldana).  Picture from UGO Movies.

Spock throttling Kirk.  Picture from Ain’t it Cool News.

The saucer section of the original Enterprise under construction. Picture from Screen Rant.

The updated bridge of the Enterprise.  Picture from MTV Movies.

Kirk climbing from a crash landed shuttle.  Picture from IGN.

Nero, the Romulan villain played by Eric Bana. Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

Another Nero pic.  Picture from JoBlo.

USS KELVIN - Before Kirk is even born, this ship comes under Romulan attack, launching the plot for the new movie.  Picture from Entertainment Weekly.

The USS Kelvin takes a hit in the film’s opening sequence. Picture from TrekMovie.com.

And finally, not a picture from the new movie but a motivational poster I absolutely love.  Picture from Screen Rant.

Here are some Halloween costume ideas!  All of these costumes could be made by you at home with a little time and effort.  These pictures were taken by me at DragonCon over the past few years.  Some of these pictures have been featured previously here at ONCE UPON A GEEK, but they merit being shown again for Halloween ideas.

A brilliantly funny take on “Iron Man”

Ladies… you can pretty much pick any sexy-looking thing out of your closet and just call it a costume.  No guy is going to argue with you.

A few white cardboard boxes + scissors + tape + black marker = Genius Cardboard Stormtroopers!

Lego’s and patience are required to make “Lego Fett”

Red Bathing Suit/Underwear + Blue Wig = Sexy version of Thing 1 & 2 from “Cat in the Hat”

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Costumes!

Hancock Prisoner costume!  Very clever!

Death from Sandman.  Easy and subtle costume.

Be creative, just don’t expect to always roll a Natural 20.

Got a Pirate Flag?  Then you’ve got a costume!

Axl Rose!  Mimicking a celebrity can be fun!

Indiana Jones and friends.  Fairly simple, but immediately recognizable.

Build yourself a Wii!  Be your own plaything. 

Duct Tape… check!  You’re done!

1950s Zombie Family!  Easy and the whole family can play along.

Life-sized Tetris!

The All-Spark from Transformers. Subtle, but smart.

Sometimes a costume is as easy as just wearing underwear; like this Droog from Clockwork Orange.

Pac-Man Fever!

Funny hats and lots of alcohol are all that’s required for Devo!

Trick or Treat!

The new cartoon “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” is beginning to look like awesome!  Check out this teaser trailer below.  The music has me totally groovin’!  If you can’t see the embedded video, click here.

How cool does that look?!?!  I know many of us believed this cartoon would be for little kids (like the “Super Friends” action figure line), but I gotta say after seeing this trailer it looks pretty interesting.  For most of us geeks, nothing will ever compare to “Batman: The Animated Series”.  However, I think this show has a chance of being great with a different kind of Batman.  At first glance, it looks like this cartoon will embrace the kookiness of the 1960’s TV Batman, and meld it with modern action and fun superheroics.  How can it not be awesome with fantastic guest stars like Green Arrow (Van dyke-less), Blue Beetle (the new BB), Plastic Man, the Atom, Red Tornado, and Aquaman?

I’m willing to give this new cartoon a chance to win over my heart.  And if the music in this trailer is indicative of the music in the series, then it had me at “Hello”.

My thanks to EDP over at “I don’t read my blog either” for posting this video and making me realize how cool this series could be.

Just a heads-up… I’ve been horribly negligent and haven’t mentioned the podcasts I’ve appeared in recently.

The Unique Geek Issue #76 features the usual gang as we discuss what we were looking forward to at DragonCon 2008 (obviously recorded prior to the event).

The Unique Geek Issue #78 features audio recorded while the Unique Geeks were on-site at DragonCon.  We recorded the audio by just putting a digital recorder down and forgetting about it (most of the time). So you will hear a bunch of background noise, but there is some good stuff in there. This is one of those ‘casts that you just play in the background while doing any number of more important things. You can hear exciting things like how much to tip a “special” masseuse, Ravenface and myself arguing about Star Wars (I was right!), and Jon making coffee.

Views from the Longbox Episode 51 & Episode 52 feature Michael and I giving our recap of DragonCon 2008.  In these podcasts we discuss things like the dealers room, why Laurell K. Hamilton is awesome, why Mai Tais are now the official drink of the Unique Geek, art sketchs we commissioned, what happened Sunday night after Michael left,  and the unfortunate death of Michael’s grandfather while we were at the con.

Be sure to check out these podcasts and the rest of The Unique Geek & Views from the Longbox podcasts.

I try to be positive and encouraging in my blog, rather than negative and pessimistic.  However, there are a few things that simply bother the heck out of me.  One such thing is the Marvel Comics superhero named “The Sentry“, the golden guardian of good with the power of one million exploding suns.  Goodness gracious, why can’t this character die or simply fade away into obscurity?

The Sentry was introduced in the year 2000 and is essentially the Superman equivalent in the Marvel Universe.  I’m not going to cover his whole background here; you can read all of that over at Wikipedia.  The primary difference between Superman and the Sentry is that Superman has his act together.  The Sentry is a psychological wreck.  In general, I think that’s an interesting concept - What if Superman came to Earth but suffered from mental breakdowns?  There are some fascinating stories that could come out of that idea with some really dense plots.  However, the writing for the Sentry character so far has been so lackluster that most fans simply are waiting for him to go away.

I never got to read the first Sentry mini-series, but I’ve heard it was decent.  In the mini-series it’s revealed that the Sentry was one of the premier heroes of the Marvel Universe back in the day (along with the FF, the X-Men, Spider-Man, etc).  Due to a series of circumstances, the memories of everyone in the world were altered to forget about the Sentry.  So when he returned in 2000, it was quite confusing for him and the others that began to remember him.  That’s actually an interesting plot.  It seems very feasible to me that one of the kooky 1960’s stories featured planet-wide memory alteration.  In fact, it was such an interesting concept that DC Comics did almost the exact same thing back in 1994 with a JLA character named Triumph (six years before the first appearance of the Sentry).  Considering how crappy Triumph turned out, you’d think Marvel wouldn’t have bothered to steal the idea.

After the first mini-series, the Sentry joined Brian Michael Bendis’ “New Avengers“.  As one of the most powerful individuals on the planet and a member of the foremost superteam, the Sentry managed to do just about nothing over the course of a couple years.  Then came the second Sentry mini-series, which was one of the most painful comics to read… EVER.  It was really, really bad.  Next, for no apparent reason, the Sentry joined Brian Michael Bendis’ “Mighty Avengers” and has continued to contribute very little.  And finally, Marvel has recently started a new mini-series entitled, “The Age of the Sentry“.  While the new mini-series has a new writer and a retro feel to it (see picture right), I just can’t bring myself to read another Sentry comic.  I’m voting with my dollars on this one and I hope many other fans will do the same.

While the Sentry could have been the deciding factor and resolved many Marvel Universe stories (such as “Civil War”, “World War Hulk”, and “Secret Invasion”), he seems incapable of setting his mind to anything during times of extreme stress.  When he does finally commit to being involved in these world-threatening events, he ultimately contributes very little.  Personally, I think this is a writer’s crutch so that the Sentry doesn’t just sweep in and fix any problems the writer has created for the heroes.  At first I could buy into the fact that the Sentry didn’t get involved for whatever reason of the day.  Now that it’s happened a few times, I think it’s just ridiculous.  The Sentry could actually be a cool character, but time and again he’s been reduced to a coward or an indecisive flake.  The Sentry also has some subplots that could be interesting… the operative word being “could”.  These subplots include: his mechanical assistant CLOC, his repetitively-resurrected wife, and The Void (Sentry’s dark half/alter-ego).  Again, less-than-stellar writing has made these subplots more bothersome than fascinating.

Brian Michael Bendis seems keen on including the Sentry in his Avengers titles, so I gotta think he has a plan for the character.  Since the “New Avengers” title began back in 2004, the Sentry has pretty much been surplus to requirements.  So maybe Bendis is planning to shock the readers with some big revelation or action regarding the Sentry.  For example, maybe the Sentry’s destiny is connected with the “Secret Invasion” storyline.  When Bendis started the “New Avengers” title he had already begun to map out what would eventually become “Secret Invasion”.  Perhaps one of the reasons Bendis has continued to carry the Sentry character is that he’s integral to the “Secret Invasion” series.  Who knows?  One can dream and hope.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the Sentry was simply a Skrull or died in the penultimate battle with the Skrulls?  That would be many kinds of awesome.

Now it’s fair to say that I’m about a month behind on reading my comics.  So if Sentry has done something interesting in that time, I’ve missed out.  However, my Sentry-Sense hasn’t been tingling, so I seriously doubt they found anything worthwhile for him to do other than cry in the corner.

If I had my druthers, Marvel Comics would either kill the Sentry or simply make him go away.  Considering how little he’s added to the Marvel Universe, why does he continue to hang around?  Can’t he indecisively meander off to the Avengers Has-Been Home?  He could play checkers with Silverclaw and shuffleboard with D-Man.  Wouldn’t that be nice for his golden years?  (pun intended)

I’m not the only one who feels such frustration about this character.  The folks over at Old-Wizard.com did a great piece on him in August entitled, “Worst Character Ever?” The guys at iFanboy did an article in June entitled, “The Sentry Problem: Void Where Prohibited“.  Both are definitely worth a read.  And finally, I wish the owner of the URL http://www.killthesentry.com/ would get that site up and running.  I’d be a big supporter.

I picked up my copy of the Iron Man DVD on Tuesday from Target.  If you haven’t seen the packaging yet for the “Ultimate 2-Disk Edition” from Target, it’s SWEET!  There are several different retailer exclusives, but I personally like the Target version best.   The DVD package itself is shaped like Iron Man’s head!  How cool is that?!?!?  See the pictures below.

Other retailer exclusives include comic books, access to exclusive digital comics, bobbleheads, a DVD featuring the first episode of the new animated series, and more.  You can find a complete list of the exclusives at SuperHeroHype.com.  Special features included with the “Ultimate 2-Disk Edition” include: deleted and extended scenes, a “Making of” documentary, a “History of the Hero” feature, a segment on visual effects, Robert Downey Jr’s screen test, the actor’s process, still galleries, and more.

When I sat down to watch the movie again, I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it as much.  I was completely over the moon for the film when it was first released.  On occasion in the past I’ve really enjoyed a geek-related movie, only to find myself suffering from a “geek hangover” upon second viewing.  That was not the case this time!  This movie still rocks!  It starts with a bang (literally in Afghanistan) and keeps a hold of you all the way until the end.  Jon Favreau directed a comic book masterpiece here.  This is definitely my favorite comic book movie yet!  Robert Downey Jr really is the perfect Tony Stark; suave, focused, handsome, and can really act the rich playboy.  I also really like Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper.  She’s not exactly like Pepper from the comics, but she did a fine job as Tony’s girl Friday.  It doesn’t hurt that she looked really hot in this film.  While I wasn’t thrilled with Terrance Howard as Rhodey the first time I watched the movie, he’s growing on me.  I can’t wait to see him as War Machine!  And Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane… just wow!  Who would have guessed he could pull off such a menacing villain (and bald too!).

Two minor characters worth mentioning are Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).  I really liked the unassuming character of Agent Coulson.  Once he got his chance to shine it was great.  On top of directing an outstanding movie, Favreau was also fun to see as Hogan.  In Daredevil he played “Foggy”, in Iron Man he played “Happy”.  Sounds like he’s collecting his own seven dwarfs cast of roles. 

The special effects in this movie were completely seamless!  It was very difficult to tell what was CGI and what was costume.  I’ve also been negligent in complimenting the script.  What a well put together story with lots of action, drama, and humor!  If the script had been lousy, these great actors and fantastic special effects wouldn’t have been able to save it.  I hope they get the same script writers back for Iron Man 2!  I’m looking forward to the “Demon in a Bottle” storyline.  Finally, check out the deleted scenes on the DVD… there is more on the Stark Industries airplane with the sexy stewardesses!

To sum up, “Iron Man” truly is an invincible movie!

After watching the movie again, it makes me want to bust out some of my old Iron Man comics.  I was a pretty big fan of ole shellhead back in the day.  I have over 130 issues of his comic; I collected pretty regularly from 1985-1987, 1992-1993, and 1995-2003.  My personal favorite era was the 1985-1987 stuff, which a lot of the movie was based on.  Just check out the cover to Iron Man #200 from 1985.  Awesome stuff!

If you know me, then you know I love the TV show “Chuck”.  I didn’t watch much TV last season, but I sure as hell didn’t miss an episode of “Chuck”.  Funny, action-oriented, clever, geeky, and a beautiful Australian blond.  That’s a recipe for awesome.

The good news is that the season premiere of “Chuck” airs on NBC on Monday, September 29.  Check out the official NBC website for details. The even better news is that the season premiere can be seen online a week earlier (Monday, September 22) on Hulu.com according to the “Chuck Online” fansite.

If you haven’t seen these already… check out these cool, yet subtle costumes from Dragon*Con that I saw this year.

If you need something to tide you over until the season premiere, you can watch older episodes of Chuck online through NBC.com or Hulu.  Additionally, you can check out the “Chuck” comic book from Wildstorm (see an earlier post of mine for details).

Finally, here are a couple “Chuck” season two commercials to get you jazzed.

Old-Wizard.com just posted their “Top 11 Nerd Sites”.  ONCE UPON A GEEK came in at #6!  As my friend Ravenface would say, “Hooray for us!”

My thanks to the fantastic folks over at Old-Wizard.com for the nod.  Please stop by their site sometime.  They are a great gaming blog (console, table top, RPG, etc). They also dabble in comic books, Star Trek, sitcoms, and other nerd related topics.  Personally, I’d support them no matter what simply based upon their dislike of Marvel’s character The Sentry.

Check them out!