Review: Kick-Ass 2

Out this (past) week (yeah, I know its late, but RL sucks) is one of the biggest releases of the year (for me at least), Kick-Ass 2. We get another glimpse into the world of Kick-Ass and Hitgirl as they fight crime and get through school and life as blossoming superheroes.

Since we left our heroes, Hitgirl has moved back in with her mom and stepdad, Marcus (who you might recognize from the movie. He was in the first series, in the background, for one panel). She is really trying to be...normal...? Kick-Ass is moving up the superhero ranks as he trains to be the hero he is inside. The story starts off fast with Kick-Ass walking the beat and builds up a lot of loose threads that will (hopefully!) be explained soon. With a new superhero team possibly forming and Hitgirl giving up the life, I am truly exciting to see what happens to Kick-Ass as he continues his journey under the mask.

Mark Millar has set the standard again and I am so glad he did. You can really see that he enjoys writing these characters and I do wonder if some of the wisecracks represent his true feelings. The art is spot on, thanks to John Romita, Jr. He brings back the style that worked in the first series. The way the story looks to be going, we are going to get to see some great fight scenes and I am sure he will highlight every blow.

I need to admit, I have loved this story from the very beginning. Growing up, I was Dave, in my way, wanting to grab a mask and make my mark on the world. Very few people have that dedication but we all wish we did. While yes, it would probably be a stupid and dangerous thing to do, it would be memorable.

Check out this series, 'cause it will rock your world and make you want to buy that mask. Just get some combat training first. The first issue is out now so make sure you grab a copy. If you haven't read the first series, make sure you pick it up!

Musical Friday - Halloween Time

It's Halloween and we've got some awesome new videos for this Friday. The best part of Halloween is all of the great horror & sci-fi films all over TV and theaters. Since I was a child, one of my all-time favorites has been the original Ghostbusters. Anyone who remembers the original 1982 movie can't help but think of the classic theme song by Pay Parker Jr. Our first video is one of the greatest mash-ups I've ever seen. Featuring the classic GB theme and rock legends AC/DC. I defy you not to crank this up and totally rock out!



Our next video is actually a rare bonus feature from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film was a masterpiece of CGI when it was first released in 2001 and for its DVD release the animators went back and recreated a few scenes with outtakes for a blooper reel. This short dance segment was also created as an Easter Egg for the bonus content section. It wouldn't be Halloween without Thriller!



Lastly, not so much a music video but a movie trailer featuring one of the creepiest songs of all time. This trailer shows another classic film in a whole new light (darkness?) Most people wouldn't argue that Gene Wilder's version of Willy Wonka became the cult phenomenon it is thanks to the underlying darkness and sadness he gave the whimsical character. Please enjoy the horror movie version of the trailer featuring the infamous "Wondrous Boat Ride Song"



Hope you've enjoyed the spooky music. Let us know what your favorite Halloween songs are by leaving a comment or shouting out to us on twitter @IGHInsider. Have a fun and safe weekend!

Review: Weekly World News Vol. 1 TPB

Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!

  “Only thing worst than being saved by a democrat is being saved by a freak.”

Weekly World News, by Chris Ryall and Alan Robinson, follows Ed Anger in his quest to rid America of freaks, democrats, gay, pot smoking, vegetarian Indians, etc. but mainly freaks. Now when I say freaks, I mean honest to goodness freaks, ripped straight out of the WWN such as Manigator, UFO Alien, and perhaps the most famous of them all, Bat Boy, whose ability to be in the right place at the right time has earned him the love and trust of the American people, and even churned out a musical. (*Note - I was able to see Bat Boy the Musical during its off-Broadway run, loved it, it was hilarious, and think it should be revived.You can find more info about it here.)

But back to Ed, whose hate, anger, and bigotry almost destroys America. To save the country he loves so much, he has to team up with the very freaks he absolutely loathes in order to learn a very valuable lesson in tolerance: America has always had freaks.You don’t have to like them but you do have to accept them. It’s the only way to survive.

It took me a while to get into the story. When I started reading it all I could think was, “Why am I reading about a crazy bastard who stands for everything I hate and does this story have a point?” But I kept on reading and all these little details started to pop out at me. There were so many pop culture jokes in the writing and art they needed to add a blurb at the end to explain them all. I particularly enjoyed the Twilight Zone “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” sequence. It fit so perfectly with Ed’s paranoia. There was also a couch jumping Tom Cruise panel, two of the Three Little Pigs, and my favorite - a nod to Jack Kirby in “Sgt. Kurtzberg and his Fightin’ Commandos” posed to echo the cover of Marvel’s “Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos” #1. But did anyone notice Howard the Duck, Devil Gumby and Commissioner Gordon in the hand holding scene? Big smiles!

The three things I loved most about this -

Ed believes Bat Boy is an attention hound and glory hog. Bat Boy really does manage to show up at the perfect moment to save the day and get the photo-op. Makes one wonder if he is genuinely lucky or is he a diabolical mastermind who somehow manages to orchestrate these incidents?

Bat Boy’s mouth never closes. I don’t know if it’s possible but he never talks. Just says, “Skree” over and over as if we’re supposed to understand what he’s saying.

However, the absolute best part of this story is Manigator. Ed goes down to Florida after learning about Manigator’s existence and boy, is he in for a shock when he learns Manigator talks about prayer while drinking American beer and owns an unregistered weapon. As Ed puts it, “Aww dammit, you’re a Real American!” He is also the reason Ed Anger is able to learn how to be more tolerable and able to save the day. Besides, how can you not like a guy who’s impressed by ice cubes?

As I said earlier, it took me awhile to get into the story and while I had parts I loved, overall, I wasn’t sure if I liked it in its entirety, but once I started to really digest the story, and tell people about it, I quickly appreciated what a unique voice it had. That’s when I realized how much I liked all of it. It’s a great romp. So, if you like fun and quirky stories with depth, and filled with quality art, then this is the story for you. Read it then come back and tell us who your favorite freak is!

Halloween - Things to See and Do

With Halloween is right around the corner, it was time to put together a list of some of the fantastic events happening in New York City.

Let's start with the Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement & Third Rail Projects have come together to bring us once again, the Steampunk Haunted House. Billed as "a beautiful and terrifying dreamscape of neo-Victorian elegance and phantasmagoric clockwork horrors" it's said to terrify and delight without spilling a drop of blood.

Oct. 26 

Head into Astoria, Queens for Haunted Oktoberfest at Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, New York City's oldest beer garden. Going on through the weekend, be sure to check out their Jack O' Lantern and costume contests as you enjoy some of the best beers around. 

Oct. 27

At The Times Center, sit down with horror meisters Wes Craven ("Nightmare on Elm Street," "Scream," "My Soul to Take") and Oren Peli ("Paranormal Activity", "Area 51") as they talk about horror and scary movies with Times theater critic, Jason Zinoman. 

Oct. 28

 After Dark at Madame Tussauds New York allows you to explore the attraction in almost complete darkness while trying to figure out who's real and who's not.

Swing by Bushwick, Brooklyn for The Horror Show. Set in a half abandoned 1900's brewery, patrons climb to their seats and watch amazing twisted acrobatic feats in this gothic circus-ballet created by Anya Sapozhnikova.

Oct. 29

Head over to Forbidden Planet for their Annual Costume Contest. Stop in at any time starting at 10 am on the 29th until 9:30 pm on the 31st and get your picture taken for entry. 

Straight Up Vampire at Joe's Pub is what happens when you put vampires, 80's pop, Paula Abdul and Quakers together. A young Quaker girl loves a young, politically idealistic vampire but is being forced to marry someone else and MC Skat Kat and Benjamin Franklin vie for power in the Assembly.

92YTribeca is hosting a Labyrinth Sing-Along and Costume Party. Whether you're dressed as the Goblin King or any of the muppet cousins, you'll have a beer in hand as you sing your heart out.

Oct. 30 

Party Like a Rockstar at Hudson Terrace. It features a complimentary open vodka bar, only for an hour so get there early, live performances, special effects and a costume contest with the winner taking home $500. 

Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn will host A Very Heathers Halloween, an event dedicated to all things Heathers. Featuring drink specials such as the Hull Clean and all your favorite 80's chart toppers. 

The Spirit of the Golden Age Halloween Party at Opia Restaurant is the place to throw on your best 60's attire and enjoy vintage cocktails, prizes, a live big band, and tons of fun. 

Oct. 31

Starting early, the Highline Ballroom will be hosting a few of Halloween events, beginning with Phantasmagorey, An Edward Gorey Halloween Brunch Spectacular, and ending with Hussies From Hell! A Divas and Deviants Halloween Party where you can hang out with drag queens, go-go dancers and burlesque performers. 

Oh! You Pretty Things: The Rocky Horror Picture Show 35th Anniversary Bash is an all-night event filled with live performances, a Rocky Horror stage show, a costume contest and various other fun things.

Webster Hall will be transformed into Webster Hell and all four floors will be filled with "ghoulish freaks to badass queens to sexy nymphos and everything in between." There'll be plenty of excitement as you watch the virgin sacrifice ritual as well as many other spectacular theatrics and entertainment. Don't forget about their $5000 costume contest featuring some of the sickest, most creative and interesting costumes you can find. 

Of course, you can't forget New York's Village Halloween Parade. The best Halloween parade around, join various dancers, artists, bands, puppets and tons of New Yorkers in their Halloween best as you walk your way through the village.

These are just a few of the many options available for Halloween fun. There are also plenty of events happening on Long Island if you can't get into the city. Be sure to click the links because many of these events run through the weekend. Remember to be safe, don't do anything too stupid, take tons of pictures if you do and have lots of fun! Happy Halloween!

Lego Musical Friday!!!!

Wysefyre here with this week's Musical Friday. Today, we're talking Legos. Most of us had them growing up (if you didn't, call your parents & yell at them for depriving you) and they provided us with hours of fun. We built villages, machinery and vehicles, and took the heads off of the little Lego people and played with them (or was the just me?)  Over the years, Legos have gotten more impressive and more themed. You can build the Star Wars and Harry Potter universes or more generic pirate ships and wild west towns. The possibilities are limitless (this is sounding too much like an ad so I'll move on). It was only a matter of time before people started getting really creative and making movies and video games with Legos. Here are some of the great videos floating around...


Pump It - The Black Eyed Peas




A jail break and a giant killing robot? How does it get any better? Parker W. Young does an amazing job with this.


Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen



This video has it all - Queen, Death, his personal assistant, Beelzebub, and salsa! Who can ask for anything more? Now we go from Queen to.... Broadway?


Blackout - In the Heights (Original Broadway Cast)




My current musical obsession is In the Heights. As you can hear, it's not your parents' Broadway show. It's something different and exciting. I saw this video and fell in love with it. It's a fairly accurate portrayal of the show's staging and they're so darn cute. $100 is the most money he's ever seen? Makes me smile every time. Now to finish up, what Lego post would be complete without..........


Star Wars Gangster Rap - Bentframe




You can learn more about Bentframe here. Be sure to check out their other songs. Hilarious! The video was created by Michael Inglis and it's such a perfect compliment to the rap. You know you love dancing Stormtroopers and a break dancing Yoda as much as I do.


There you have it, a small taste of the power of Lego. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe this will spark your imaginations and you'll want to go out, get some Legos and create amazing videos yourself. (If you do, send them our way so we can feature them.) Until next time....

My Epic Con Fails

@Wilderowens here with a little insanity break.  I have been reading all of the NYCC reviews and recaps about other people's experiences.  Everyone loves to talk about all of the awesome people we meet or the cool stuff we do at cons. Well, sometimes it isn't always so easy or fun for us. I personally can think of 5 things I wish I could do over at New York Comic and San Diego Comic Con.  Please join me in lamenting over my Epic Con Fails:

     5 - At my first NYCC, I thought I was so prepared.  I had just made it into the Chronicles of Narnia panel and thought I had figured out all of the good stuff to do that day. I was so excited until I learned that I missed out on a easy to get into Seth Green signing. I had mistakely thought it was later in the day. The panel wasn't even that good.

     4 - At this year's NYCC, I had a guaranteed Frank Miller bracelet for his signing. I thought that was so awesome considering that they are so hard to get.  Except I couldn't find the person who had it for me in time.

     3 - At my second NYCC, I had my research done (I learned from my mistakes), and had everything I needed when I walked into the Javits Center....except my ticket.

     2 - At this years SDCC, I had another chance to meet Seth Green. I waited on line for two hours to   meet him and was second in line. As you now know from above, I had been dying to meet him for years. Now I had my chance. Seth Green is a classy guy.... I'm not so classy. I was so tired at this point and so driven to get this autograph (since this really was years in the making!) that I kinda went crazy. I had given my camera to someone for a pic and they asked if we were ready. I said loudly, "Let's take a pic!" and proceeded to grab Seth Green and put my arm around him. I even pressed my cheek against his. When I walked away and began to calm down, I realized how crazy I was acting.  I even considered going back to apologize, but that probably would have made it even worse.  Now this isn't the first time I have met or even worked professionally with a celebrity, but this was the first and only time I lost control.

     1 - At this year's SDCC, I made it to the Eureka screening, and sat through a weird Klingon play just to get in the second row. All for a good pic of Wil Wheaton. My friend, who didn't come, and I are both harboring huge crushes on him. Wil speaks and then sits down, right in front of me! I have brilliant plan of having him hold up a sign I wrote saying hi to my friend while I take a picture. I quickly write out a sign, turn on my camera and go up to him right before the screening starts to ask. For the record, Wil Wheaton is awesome. He says yes and holds up the sign. I step back to take the picture, my camera shuts down right then, the lights dim and his handler says "You have to return to your seat." Wil Wheaton hands me back the sign and says sorry. I had thought I might have a shot after the screening but he left early. That sucked so much, I thought I would die. I hate my camera.

After writing this, I am torn between laughing and crying at my exploits.  Please share some of your embarrassing experiences too so I don't feel so lonely!

Guardian Project Panel at NYCC

@Wilderowens here with more NYCC info.  While at NYCC, the whole team was able to attend the Guardian Project Panel starring Stan Lee! (Unfortunately, we were not allowed cameras or recording devices, so I will do my best to explain what we saw through words and mime.)  To be honest, we had no idea what this panel was about, just that there was a Stan Lee signing attached. That sold us. We were near the front of the line and waited for about two hours, just chatting with Deadpool and working on our schedules. 

As part of this panel, we got limited edition numbered posters designed by Neal Adams, which is neat. So going in, we rush to get as close as we can to Stan..I mean, the stage.  Still no clue what's going on.  Then it starts....

I have to take a minute to talk about introductions. At these events, the moderator introduces each panelist with some small details.  However, big names don't get introductions because everyone knows them.  Stan Lee, well he hates being introduced as "the Man that needs no introduction", so he was kindly introduced as "The Man Who Loves People" Stan Lee! 

The Guardian Project is a joint venture with the National Hockey League, but is not going to be a hockey story.  The main protagonist will be a human boy who has the ability to summon a number of heroes with a wide range of unique powers.  The heroes will be original creations from Stan Lee, each based on an NHL team.  There weren't any clarifications made about the actual plot, but based on what we saw it seemed kind of like a Ben 10-esque action show targeting a younger audience.

Stan Lee talked about how he played street hockey as a kid and how excited he was to work on this. He was originally going to do this with another unnamed league but they dropped out at the last minute.  He loves hockey so to do this with the NHL seems like his dream come true.  Stan Lee was the one who brought Neal Adams in to create the art, which is spectacular.

We also heard from some staffers on the project and learned some fun facts.  This project took eight years to figure out how to work a story around the teams.  The NHL saw this as a great way to connect with their younger fan base.  They truly wanted to be partners in this project.  We got to see an exclusive trailer with the characters.  (And this is where the mime begins.) We saw all 30 characters but they ran by very, very quickly for the most part.   The one that really stuck with me was the San Jose Sharks hero, who was a regular guy with a shark head.  He looked really cool.  They also showcased the NY Rangers hero (way to play to the crowd) and he was an actually ranger!  The one that they featured the most was the LA Kings, who appears to be the centerpiece of the NHL Guardians.  In the video, they also talked about motion capturing actors to simulate the heroes, which leads me to believe that this might also be a TV series but nothing was clarified.


Here is a shadowed trailer from the Guardian Project website:



The initial reaction from comic book fans that I spoke with about this was a not-so-optimistic reaction.  I have to admit, my first thought was similar, but after they kept talking about it, I began to change my mind.

1- They are creating brand new characters, not reusing the mascots.
2- The stories are told in the hockey world, but not about hockey.
3- These comics are not for you and me, they are being written for a youth crowd. That makes a lot more sense.

Their big reveal is on January 30, 2011 in Raleigh, NC.  Stay tuned here for more updates.

Musical Friday: Whedon Edition

@Wilderowens here with a Whedon-flavored treat.  With the Dollhouse dvd coming out this week, a new music video was released as a treat for fans.  This is not the only great music coming from actors in the Whedonverse.




This is "Remains" by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon.  This video is hauntingly beautiful and such a great tribute to the show.




This is the Macarena sung by Amber Benson, Tara Maclay from Buffy, and Common Rotation, which includes Adam Busch, who we know as skinless Warren.  This video was actually a gift to her fans for posting comments about her book, Death's Daughter.  You can learn more about Amber Benson in this interview.





This is actually a tribute video for "Do You Want to Date My Avatar?" by Felicia Day, creator of The Guild, also know as Vi from Buffy and Penny from Dr. Horrible. This is just funny.


I also wanted to include Christian Kane's new video, The House Rules, but CMT won't let the video embed properly!  You are going to have to watch our favorite lawyer here.  I am not a huge country fan but he adds a little rock in there.  His voice is great and he is so hot.




This is Adam Baldwin singing his Firefly classic, The Hero of Canton. I just love his passion and his hat.




This is Joss singing from Commentary! on This American Life. He is my master.

Retired Extremely Dangerous - Cully Hamner talks RED

RED and Other Astounding Tales

As a fan of the comic, I was excited and a little apprehensive going into this panel. I wanted to know more about the movie but worried the movie, now with additional characters, was going to take away from what made RED so great.

I had thought the panel was going to be crowded so I left the panel I had been in, Intro to Animation Voice-over Acting with Stevie Vallance, a few minutes early, hoping to slip into the panel before RED. That panel was the Spotlight on Ne-Yo. Imagine my surprise when nearly everyone left after Ne-Yo was finished and the room was empty. Where were the hoards of people rushing to get a good seat? At the beginning of the panel there were, at most, a dozen people in the room. I was disappointed by the turnout.

The people who were going to be talking were Ben Abernathy, the editor of the comic, VP and General Manager, Hank Kanalz, and one of the men who brought the world of RED to life, artist Cully Hamner. I think they were a little surprised by the lack of people but once they started talking, it didn't matter.

Cully was asked how RED came into being. He explained how he and Warren Ellis had wanted to work together but never got around to it, and finally around '02 - '03, Cully whipped up a brief treatment of a story and sent it to Warren, asking what he thought. Warren responded by saying he was just going to get in touch with Cully because he had something else in mind. It was RED. After that, everything fell into place pretty quickly and they went to work.

A few of other interesting points:

• According to Ben Abernathy, they liked the idea of a small miniseries and the three issue format of RED was something they were going to try with other stories/projects. I don't know if that ever really happened.
• RED was the last project Cully worked on which was hand lettered. Lettering was done by John Costanza.
• RED is currently in its third printing.
• Cully is working on the prequel to RED, called Red Eyes Only. It tells the story of why Moses decided to retire. Cully knows it's late; he accepted the blame for it, but it's because he's putting his guts into it.
• The reason for RED's unique three panel cover is because Cully felt that Warren Ellis' script was so movement oriented (it is!) he didn't want to use a single static image, and instead, opted to use three sequential  panels. 
• They talked about the prequel comics that came out for the movie. Each one gives some background to the other characters. The art styles work very well for each individual character. My favorite comment during this was Cully saying the comic about Morgan Freeman's character was written so you could practically hear Morgan Freeman narrating the comic using his "Shawshank Voice."

After everyone had talked for a little bit, they showed an extended trailer for the movie, found out what RED stands for (see title), and then opened the floor up to questions. Some highlights were:

• Was Cully surprised by the actors who were picked? More like flabbergasted. He said each week he'd get a call and another big name would be attached to the picture like Bruce Willis or Ernest Borgnine. He could believe such star power wanted to be a part of it.
• When he draws, does he think about what he's working on could be eventually turned into a movie? No, he thinks cinematically but in terms of doing the comic justice. He never thinks past that. As Cully put it, "I'm a comic book guy." 
• How involved was he with the movie? (This was one of my favorite stories) Cully wasn't involved and at the time of the panel, had not seen the movie, but he did visit the set in New Orleans. When he got there he saw that the RED trade paperback was all over the set, being used for references, and on the back of all the set chairs was his art and logo. They even sent him his own canvas chair backing with his name and the logo on it.
• Did Cully have anyone in mind when he drew Moses? Warren Ellis had dinner with Patrick Stewart one evening and remarked to Cully how impressed he was by how hard and fit Patrick was. So Moses is part Patrick Stewart with some Sean Connery thrown in and little bits and pieces of other guys Cully didn't mention. He said when he draws he tries to pull from faces he's familiar with and goes from there. 

This wasn't the most exciting panel I went to during Comic Con but I really enjoyed it. Cully Hamner is a very interesting guy and I could listen to him talk about his process for a long time. By the end of the panel, there were more people listening but again, I was really surprised by how few people were there. I also wanted to yell at the people who had been there the whole time and kept asking Cully questions about the movie, even after he said he had not seen it.

The movie looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. It has a stellar cast and it appears as if they kept the tone of the comics. It opens tomorrow, October 15, and I hope many of you go to see it.  - wysefyre

We got an interview with.....Amber Benson!!

Sunday, as New York Comic Con was ending, a book signing was happening downtown. We had wanted to go because we are all fans of Amber Benson, but as you might have read in our recap of day three, we couldn't due to wacky shenanigans. Instead we sent a friend of the IGH team, Faith, to cover the event. This was especially fortuitous because Faith happens to be acquaintances with Amber. So without further ado, please give a warm welcome our guest blogger, Faith, and enjoy! 

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Interview with Amber Benson

Sunday, I caught up with an acquaintance of mine at her book signing at Books of Wonder, on W18th Street in NYC. The acquaintance in question is the renaissance woman, Amber Benson.

After a wonderful panel including Amber, Mindi Scott, Laura Toffler-Corrie and many others, as well as book signing by these amazing writers, who call themselves the 10'ers, the 2010 incarnation of a community of authors debuting YA or MG novels, (The 2009 incarnation was called the Debutantes, and the 2011 writers will have a catchy nickname as well.) Amber made some time for me and was more than willing to answer my questions.

Will [your movie] Drones be coming to NYC?

Slamdance took up a lot of the promotional time for Drones, and as hard as we tried to make deals with IFC and the like, it just didn't happen. However, it's coming to mainstream theaters in March, so it isn't much of an issue.

What are you currently writing? 

I'm working on the fourth book in the Death's Daughter series. Book three will be out in March, it's with the publishers now. There's going to be a fourth and a fifth book.

Any news on Ghosts of Albion?

Oh, I would SO love to write more of that, Chris [Golden] and I would both love to write more of them, but our Editor left, so we're sort of stuck on that front at the moment... but keep your eyes open, we both love it so much.

What are you doing now? New books, new film projects, acting?

Adam and I have another film project we'd like to begin, we're working on funding right now. It's sort of a "Hard Day's Night" meets "Cinema Verte". We're definitely in the planning stages, so you heard it first!

How is Adam [Busch]?

Adam's great, he wishes he was here, actually. He's in Phoenix, for Drones, it's sort of the baby we have joint custody of, sometimes he watches it, sometimes I do. He's on diaper duty right now.

Does it bother you when people come to the book signings and are strictly Buffy fans?

Not at all. It's all part of the package, and y'know, I feel like no matter how they got here, they're still here. It's really great to be recognized in that way.

So, with how busy you are, what's your guilty pleasure right now?

Reading. Most definitely. I write so much, that it's wonderful to be able to sit down with a book. I love mysteries right now, I'm reading a book by Henning Mankell. It's really wonderful.

Amber's always wonderful to talk to, and I consider myself very lucky to count her among my acquaintances. She promised to keep me apprised of her projects, and I'll keep all of you in the loop!

~Faith Alana Alastair (@faithlessfate)

We are one month old!!

Happy Anniversary!!

[insertgeekhere] is one month old today!!  Since we began, we have gained followers on blogger, twitter, and on our new tumblr, and the blog has amassed over 1300 views!  We have connected with some great comic artists and writers, other blogs and even NY Comic Con.  We promise to continue passing on anything and everything geek that comes our way.  For our great fans we have many fun ideas for the blog.

In our future we plan on:

- More tv reviews including some fun spoilers
- More comic reviews
- Interviews with awesome people
- Giveaways
- Gaming coverage
- Features such as People We Want to Touch
- Anything else that we can think of

Thanks again to all of you!

The [insertgeekhere] team
@wilderowens, @wysefyre & @getsuyobi

Review: The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour - Episode I: Tag

@Wilderowens here with the best video of the week.




This is the very first episode of the The Jeff Lewis 5-Minute Comedy Hour, entitled "Tag".  Just overlook the fact that it is only 4:32, which I suspect was done on purpose....

This video answers that life altering question: How do you play tag?  This father and his friend try to teach it to his kids with hilarious results. More importantly, it shows how kids today can't just go out and play.  They need everything to have purpose and direction and lack imagination.  It makes me miss playing tag (and feel old).  I loved just running around until I fell over.

Anyways, this is funny stuff!  We all know the Jeff Lewis who plays our favorite leader Vork on The Guild but we very rarely get to see the cursing Jeff Lewis.  I have had a geek crush on him since I saw him in the Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em Improv show during San Diego Comic Con in July and this video just made it even worse.  This also stars other guild staples Brett Sheridan (Mr. Wiggly), Vince Caso (Bladezz) and Tara Caso (Dena).  Everyone had their acting hats on because they played it so straight-faced that it made everything even funnier. Vince and Tara came off as so monotone and bored that they reminded me of other teens that I know.

So thank you Jeff Lewis for making me laugh until I peed a little and making me think and making me feel old.

Well actually, just thanks for the first two.

NYCC Quick Recap Day 3 - A Comedy of Errors

@Getsuyobi here for our third and final recap of our day at New York Comic Con.  Sunday held a lot of special events at the con: Kid's Day, Movie Screenings, Special Panels and last but not least, our own personal Legends Day.  As you may have read in our Friday recap, we scored not one or two but three tickets to the Guardian Project Stan Lee signing this afternoon.  In addition to looking forward to that, it was also the day we planned on camping for signatures from the Romita family.  How did it all go?  Well... we had successes and frustrations, but in the end we escaped the day with our coveted autographs.


Before the drama, let's talk about what else was going on in Con-Land on Sunday.  As I mentioned it was Kid's Day at NYCC and the young nerds-to-be were out in full force.  Children under 12 got in free and there were plenty of activities planned to focus on this huge demographic of tiny people.  Animated Heroes had a big presence with the premiere of Cartoon Network's "Firebreather", a Ben 10 Celebration for 10/10/10, Marvel's Super Hero Squad, and many more presentations and panels.  There were also lots of constructive events like drawing lessons and lightsaber training.  The best part of it all was probably the adorable costumes the kids got to dress up in.  It looked like Party City's Halloween section exploded in the lobby.  We got to see little heroes, Jedis and even what appeared to be a lightsaber toting hobbit (for real).

There were also plenty of "adult" events going on (not like that, perv!).  With panels for AMC's The Walking Dead, the 10th anniversary of Unbreakable, a screening of the new full length Gundam 00 movie, and spotlights featuring the likes of John Romita Jr. & Sr. and the cult legend, Bruce Campbell.  Many of these were on our schedule for the day, but unfortunately most were missed.  As promised we have a tale of heartache and drama for the last day of Comic Con 2010.

It started as any other Con day would, masses of people of all ages walking to the Javits Center with their poster tubes and foam swords in hand.  Our first priority of the day, mine especially, was the last Autograph Alley session with the Romita family.  If you don't know who the Romitas are (shut your head in a door), they are a father and son duo who both have an amazing body of work in the comic industry.  Most notably each penciled for Amazing Spider-Man in their respective generations.  I was the first on line at the table at 10:30am for the noon signing.  I got to speak with some other die hard fans while waiting, and wait we did... well past noon.  Due to a scheduling snafu (yeah I said snafu) the Romitas were not aware that close to 100 fans were waiting on line to meet and greet them.  The staff at the Alley and the team at the Marvel booth were very sympathetic and did everything they could to get people to another scheduled signing at the Marvel booth.  The [insertgeekhere] team ran into a unique dilemma however; while we were promised places in line if we went to the Marvel booth, we now had only 15 minutes before the ticketed Stan Lee signing.  Luckily, a very helpful NYCC Hero was able to work with us and alert the booth that if we could make it they'd let us in.  So, dejected but still hopeful, we headed downstairs to meet Mr. Lee.

The Stan "The Man" Lee signing was a ticketed raffle event from the Guardian Project (more on that later, we promise) panel on Friday.  As we waited on line we got to chat with some other lucky winners.  One of whom was actually already a reader of IGH!  Before we knew it the line began to move and we were all very excited, that is until the line kept moving past the room and up the escalator... confused glances were exchanged and questions to the staff went unanswered.  Like lost sheep, we each followed the person in front of us hoping that our journey was not to a slaughterhouse.  The line quickly dissolved as we were led through the main lobby of the Javits Center and some courageous leadership by our own @Wysefyre kept most of us together.  We were led to a balcony meeting room and we all hastily formed a new line holding our tickets up so that others could find us in the crowd of the lobby.  A little annoyed, but happy to have gotten through, everyone started to get out their various prints and books out for the signing.  Then we were told by a staff member that Mr. "The Man" would only be signing the poster that was given out at the Guardian Project panel... the same one that many did not have on them because no such instruction was given at the panel.  Annoyance turned to anger as we felt more and more like we were being toyed with.  The angry fans who did not have a poster were able to negotiate a signature on their raffle ticket, but nothing more.  Once the signing started it was a cattle drive through as guards took the posters from the fans and handed them to Stan, who in turn signed them and put them on the table to be retrieved. The whole event was being videotaped and photographed for their own PR and the already disheartened fans were asked to step aside and not block their shots of Stan signing like a robot.

After the Stan Lee debacle we raced to the Marvel booth, where the staff from Autograph Alley was able to get us to the front of the line.  We all got our signatures from the Romitas as well as genuine apologies for the scheduling error that led to our morning drama.  After surviving all of that the team was pretty much shot.  We'd had a roller coaster ride of emotions and traveled the length of the jam-packed Con floor twice over. One last sweep of the floor to say hello to the Blind Ferret crew and the Tenacious Toys team and we decided that we'd take a lunch break and ended the day at Burgers & Cupcakes on 9th Ave.  On the way out we were met with some karmic fortune and actually ran into Mark Waid, lead writer for multiple Marvel titles and the creator and writer of Irredeemable from BOOM!  Expecting nothing more than to be able to gush a little and express our appreciation for his work we were all thrilled when he offered to sign something for us and even take a picture!

In much higher spirits we enjoyed a great lunch of custom burgers and gourmet cupcakes.  I had a burger with cheddar and double-thick bacon, then for dessert a marble cupcake with chocolate and peanut butter ganache.  With only an hour left of the Con we decided to lick our wounds (and cupcakes) and call it a early day.  As we all dozed on the train home, we reflected on all the ups and downs of the day.  It was by far the strangest close of a Con for any of us and we all will have lots more opinions and thoughts to share.  Over the next few days, we all plan to review our notes and come out with some more in-depth reviews and commentaries, so please stay tuned for more.  If you want to know when we do update, give us a follow @IGHInsider.

Bonsoir mes amis!

New York Comic Con 2010: Quickie Recap - Day 2

Wilderowens here with our Quickie Recap for Day 2.

We all overslept so we got to the hall around 11am.  Getsuyobi went to wander the floor in search of comic book cover prints while Wysefyre and I went to the ReedPop resume session.  I was able to talk with a member of their HR team about possible career opportunities and Wysefyre asked about volunteering.  After that, Wysefyre started a crazy amount of panels, and I wandered the floor.

During my wanderings, I met so many great people, so here is the rundown.  First up, Mike Cavallaro, the artist for The Life and Times of Savior 28 (and the number one thing I was looking forward to).  It was awesome to talk with him and exchange contact info.  I plan to write more about him and Savior 28 in the future.  I learned about another project he worked on called Foiled and also met Jane Yolen, the writer.  I got the first book and learned that they are working on the second one. 

I met Matthew Dow Smith when I got a copy of the Supernatural comic signed for my sister.  He also works on the Dr. Who comics, which I must start to read. I continued to wander and found a copy of Firebreather and got it autographed by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn.  They are premiering the Cartoon Network movie tomorrow!  Finally, I got to hang with the great Georges Jeanty.  He is the main artist for the Buffy comics and quite possibly the friendliest guy I know.  Love him and his work!

While I was hobknobbing, Getsuyobi was at The Thing panel and Wysefyre was at a whole bunch of panels.  She was in an amazing Voiceover panel that she hasn't stopped talking about, that was run by  Emmy-winning vocal director, Stevie Vallance.  She attended the LXD panel, which is an amazing dance group that has a web series.  This group also includes our favorite Glee dancer, Harry Shum Jr. or as you know him, Mike Chang.

After lunch, I went to the V Panel (also on my list) and there was so much goodness in that panel that all I can say is wow.  I promise to elaborate soon. :)  Getsyobi and Wysefyre attended the Comedy Central panels: Ugly Americans and Nick Swardson's Pretend Time.  I couldn't make it inside but I could hear the laughter and all I heard was how funny it was.

For tomorrow, we have Legends Day.  We have our Stan Lee tickets and we are going to get on the line for the John Romita, Sr. & Jr. signing.  If you are on the line, find us!  We always love a good line party.

Our First Giveaway ended with a Guest Judge!!

We had our first giveaway for a snazzy copy of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, signed by the great Rick Riordan.  For this giveaway, we assigned each entry a number and had our guest judge pick.  Our guest judge was none other that one of the most hated men in Buffy Fandom, @Bitsyrant of BuffyFest!  Yes, we know that he isn't quite the most hated but he is getting pretty close.  He is waiting for some Hate Fan Fic about him, so if you are bored.....


Our first winner is...... @Hakkaiduo!!  We do know that she is excited and had this to say
"*Flails* OMG yay!!!" and "I won an Autographed Percy Jackson Book!! Eeeee!!!! *flails* thank you" 


All of us are happy that she is so excited and hope that she didn't injure herself with all of that flailing. ;)


We have some good stuff in the works so keep watching for more awesome giveaways!

New York Comic Con 2010: Quickie Recap - Day 1

Day one of New York Comic Con is over and we are now slowly recovering and preparing for day two. We'll go into more details about the panels after NYCC but here's a brief recap of the day for the IGH team.

Getsuyobi and I got on to the exhibition hall around 12-12:15. We had all upgraded to the VIP passes and that alone made it worthwhile. Wilderowens, unfortunately, had to deal with her day job and joined us about an hour later. We walked around the somewhat empty floor, checking out the booths and picking up fun, free swag. Video games were tested, Yeti codes were looked for with blacklights over at the Animal Planet booth (check it out, it's awesome!), we got to see some amazing costumes and then we headed over to the Cultyard.

The Cultyard was cool. We saw a lot of great vendors. One of our favorites was the RockLove. Her jewelry is amazing. Wilderowens and I each got the Zydrate Gun necklace. We will be talking more about RockLove later on. We also got to make good on a promise to bring cookies to Marvel's own Jeff Suter. While on our quest to find him, we also got to meet Tim Dillon, which made me happy because I've been following him on Twitter for a long time and wanted to say hi. Then Wilderowens went in search for the elusive and coveted Frank Miller signing bracelet and Getsuyobi and I went downstairs to enjoy overpriced pretzels, sit and chat with tired Con goers and check out the panels.

This is the point of the adventure where we hit some troubled waters. Stan Lee was going to be doing a panel after one I had really wanted to go to. The plan had been to go to the X-Men panel and stay for Stan Lee. However, because the Stan Lee Guardian panel involved tickets to a signing with Stan, the room was to be emptied after X-Men. Since meeting Stan is a huge opportunity, the decision was made to give up X-Men and wait on line for Stan. Getsuyobi and I snagged a spot right at the front of the line and Wilderowens joined us shortly, her quest for the bracelet ending in disappointment. :(  We camped out on the line for nearly two hours and made friends with several of the people around us, including the gal who will eventually become Slutty Big Bird and Deadpool. 

The panel information says that in order to go to that signing, attendance at the Guardian panel was required, but no one knew how that was going to be handled. We had hoped that by getting on line early, they would be handing out tickets at the door and the first 60-100 people who got in would get the tickets. It turned out not to be the case. We were all let into the room and during the panel, told to check under our seats for a ticket. I don't know how we got so lucky but all three of us scored a ticket and we're going to meet Stan Lee on Sunday!!! We're so excited about this but do wish they had been a little clearer about what was going to happen.

After we got out and finished celebrating our ridiculously amazing good fortune, we headed over to catch the second half of the "Note to the Spiderman IV Movie People: Be True to Your Parker" with Tom DeFalco and, who I think was, Fred Van Lente. It was a fun fan forum-type panel that had a very funny crowd. Then we had hoped to learn more about how to be better bloggers at the Geek's Guide to Podcasting and Blogging panel but were disappointed to find it was a panel entirely about podcasting. Oh well. We were all starving at that point anyway, so we cut out early and went to Ben's Restaurant for dinner.

At Ben's, they were having a rehearsal for their new interactive comedy, The Bar Mitzvah of Harry Boychick. It was interesting trying to eat dinner with people coming up to you, trying to get you to participate but the best part was just as we were getting ready to head over to the Geek Girls Network tweet up, the drama started to unfold and getting out was a little difficult. We wanted to know what happened but we also really wanted to leave. It looks like it'll be a really fun show and we'll try to come back and see it.

The tweet up was held at Stitch Bar & Lounge and featured the music of Kirby Krackle. Lots of fun was had, though it was a little difficult to hear the person standing next to you. We got to meet new people and catch up with others we hadn't seen in a while. We then decided it was time for sleep and headed home, hoping to go to bed at a semi-respectable hour, so we'd be ready for day two of the con because day two is always more insane than day one. More people, more panels, more chaos, and more fun!  We are doing our best to tweet when we can, so keep watch on our twitter @IGHInsider!

Stay tuned for Quickie Recap - Day 2! - Wysefyre

Musical Friday - Cover Songs!

Welcome & Bienvenido to our latest rendition of Musical Friday!  My name is @Getsuyobi and I'll be rounding out the [insertgeekhere] crew as resident web-person/geek/gamer.  For my first post I'm sharing with you my strange fascination with stolen music.  I'm not talking about piracy, but the art of the cover song.

Cover songs aren't actually theft of material (usually), but meant to pay homage to the original artist and add a new dimension to a song.  Some of the best cover songs are the ones that take a song completely out of its original genre and twist it into a new composition altogether.  My first pick for this Friday is a cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" by the awe-inspiring duo of Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn, otherwise known throughout the interweb as Pomplamoose!



Awesome, right?  Talk about taking a song in a new direction.  Pomplamoose actually released a whole cover album on iTunes that includes some more amazing covers, like Beyonce's "Single Ladies" & Lady Gaga's "Telephone".  I'm a little ashamed to say I know all the words to those songs now as a result of their covers.  Pomplamoose is one of my favorite indy/internet bands.  Their videos are always entertaining and they have so much damned talent!  I could gush over Pomplamoose for an entire post (idea!), but on the the next song...

The next cover comes from the R&B group Ahmir.  They're doing a mashup cover of Owl City's "Fireflies" & "Vanilla Twilight".  Another great example of a group making you hear familiar lyrics in a whole new context.  Enjoy the soulful harmonies (and cheesy choreography) of Ahmir.



... get it?  He fell asleep?!  So funny!  Anyway, Ahmir was actually invited to an Owl City show at the House of Blues last April to perform on stage with the band!  The video of the performance is available on their YouTube channel.  It's pretty funny to hear them side by side with the original artist because they actually blow him out of the water!

Okay, it's Friday, let's all rock out with our last cover from Italy's own Vanilla Sky.  They're covering what will forever be "the song of that Eliza Dushku danced to in that awesomely tiny dress on episode 1 of Dollhouse" or you could shorten it to Lady Gaga's  "Just Dance"  This brings me back to when I was first obsessed with cover songs.  It was the time of napster and CD burning, and every cover on the internet was some punk band covering pop hits.  Those were the days.



... ahh Echo...!  Sorry, I got a little lost there... Well I hope you enjoyed my Cover Song Musical Friday.  Please check out all of the bands mentioned on YouTube & MySpace, while all of their careers are taking off, they can use all the support we can give!  Also don't forget to give us a follow on Twitter (@IGHinsider) for more updates and sweet tunes every Friday.

Peace!

Not at NY Comic Con? We got you covered.

So if you are not at NY Comic Con or you are but looking for more fun stuff to do, make sure you follow our twitter @IGHInsider.  We will be updating with NYCC goodness throughout the day and night.  If there is something you hear about, or something you want more info about, send us a tweet.  We will try to get you all of the information you want!

We have also created an ever-growing list of people that are tweeting during con, so make sure you follow that too for the latest info. If there is someone missing, let us know.

We hope to see you or hear from you for NY Comic Con 2010!

Glee (Season 2, so far)

This has spoilers so read it at your own risk.

From day one, Glee had me hooked. The way the show handles feeling like or actually being an outcast was something I related to. The show has handled tricky subjects very well while still maintaining its humor and fun and it uses music to push the stories forward. That's right, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Glee is musical theater on TV. Even when the writing hasn't been stellar, the actors have more than made up for it with their superior skills. It's my love of Glee that has prevented me from writing about it this season, but after this week's episode, I had to speak up.


I don't know if I like what has been going on with Glee's sophomore season. I found the premiere episode, Audition, forgettable. I remember the songs, mostly because they were so good, Charice & Lea Michele's version of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" is amazing, but also because a song like "Empire State of Mind" should never have been covered. Let's be honest here, the cast is not filled with rappers and to try and take on someone like Jay-Z is insane! When they tackled "U Can't Touch This,""Ice Ice Baby," and "Good Vibrations," it was fine because these songs were more campy so they could be played with more (I'm not even touching Shue's covers of the Thong Song & Gold Digger). If they had done the Alicia Keys version, it would've sounded good but I feel like the Jay-Z version just showcased their weaknesses.


I liked the introduction of the new characters. Coach Beiste, played by the wonderful Dot-Marie Jones, was  a welcomed surprise. She gets to be the new antagonist to Sue but instead of having her be just the badass, no nonsense, new coach (which she is), she also gets to cool. I'd much rather have a coach who makes me work my ass off but can also have some fun than someone like Sue Sylvester who believes fear is the best way to motivate people to do their best. I go back and forth on whether I liked showing her vulnerability at Sue & Shue's stupid childish pranks. I like that she's shown as being a person with feelings but I would've loved if they showed her as a woman who is certainly different but strong, confident and comfortable with herself. I hated them showing her putting on lipstick before coaching, not because she shouldn't want to feel attractive and feminine but because it doesn't fit with what she was about to do. You don't see her with noticeable makeup the whole time but because she was being picked on, she had to reach for the lipstick? That's not right. Her overreaction to Finn and Artie was far more appropriate.


On to Britney/Brittnay. Let me start by saying Heather Morris has been woefully underutilized. The character of Brittnay is one of the funniest characters on television today. Her randomness and dimwittedness bring a whole new level of humor to the show and Heather Morris plays her perfectly but Heather is also a phenomenal dancer and as seen in the episode, a decent singer. I wish they had let her sing earlier but this was a perfect introduction for her. I don't think anyone in the cast could've pulled off Britney like Heather did but I don't think they've featured her dancing as much as they could have. Harry Shum, Jr. is the dancer of the group but if you watch any of the previous episodes and look for Heather, you'll see how awesome she is. Why haven't they featured her more?


Storywise, unfortunately, Britney/Brittnay did very little to advance the overall plot. I was left wondering what the season was going to be about. It felt like it might be more of last season. Audition, at the very least, introduced us to new characters.  Oh sorry,  we were introduced to the hotness that is John Stamos, aka the anesthesia happy Dr. Carl. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Uncle Jesse and I like seeing Shue go stupid when he realizes that not only is Emma dating someone else but he's a good looking doctor who is bringing Emma out of her shell, but this was a weird way to introduce a character. He should not have given in to Santana's demands about going under, though it did bring about one of my favorite lines, "So get up in my grill, cause me and Britts wants to get our anesthesia on."


The music was amazing but other than Artie's version of "Stronger," none of the songs really did much other than pay homage to Britney Spears. I did not like Lea Michele's version of "Baby, One More Time." She raised the key in the song and I feel that not only was it unnecessary but it detracted from it. It also makes the song harder to sing along with. I liked the stripped down version of "Toxic" but singing a song like that for a school assembly with your teacher is not only strange but also wildly inappropriate. Why would someone sing a song that sexually charged to a group of teenage hormone bombs? As demonstrated by the characters, Laura Izizes and Jacob "Can he get any more disgusting and perverted?" Ben Israel, being exposed to that level of sexuality can cause craziness or as Sue Sylvester put it, "It's a Britney Spears sex riot!" If I were a parent and heard this had happened at my kid's school, I'd be concerned. I know Britney Spears has other songs that are a little less over the top and better suited for a school assembly. *Side note - I don't know if it was noticed but I loved seeing Mark Kanemura from "So You Think You Can Dance" as one of the dancers. He was one of my favorites from the show.*


From here out, I'll be tackling each episode as it airs. Comments and opinions welcomed!

What I Am Looking Forward To At NY Comic Con!

 With less than one week to go, we're working out our final "plan of attack."  We have different things we are going after, so we're sharing our top 5 picks.

Wilderowens Picks

1. Mike Cavallaro - The Artist for The Life and Times of Savior 28
I never enjoyed a comic book like I enjoyed Savior 28.  This book tells the story of the fall from grace of the worlds favorite Superhero.  The art reminds me of classic Action Comics or Captain America and the story is a haunting portrayal of what happens to those we admire, especially in America.  This is the comic book that I truly enjoyed and can't wait to thank him for it. 

2. The V Panel
One of the panels I wanted to see at San Diego Comic Con that I just didn't make it into.  I think this is an awesome show that pushes some boundaries, especially for network TV.  Since the show doesn't come back until November, there may be some great spoilers for the new season. 

3. The Unbreakable Panel
This movie is my favorite Shamalayn movie, so celebrating it during con is a highlight for me.  Yes, I know that this isn't really recent but sometimes it is a good thing to remember the past enjoyments.  And, considering all those involved in the film, those "special surprises" could be pretty awesome.

4. Artist Alley
The best thing at NYCC is Artist Alley.  It is huge, filled with artists from every area of the comic world and they are all willing to hang out with you.  Every year, I pick up amazing pieces of art from artists that I love and artists that I just met.  If you want to connect with the heart of the comic world, spend some time in Artist Alley.

5. The Cultyard
I am not really sure how this will turn out but I am excited.  It is being billed as a eclectic grouping of vendors with a lot of artistic talent.  With all of the vendors there, I foresee myself spending a lot of money.


Wysefyre's Picks

1. Stan Lee, John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr.
I don't think I need to explain much about this. These men are icons and their words and art showed me a different way to tell a story and ultimately set me on the path to geekdom. I am willing to wait outside all night, if it means I get a chance to say thank you to any or all of these men. If not, I'll settle for seeing them in panel.

2. The LXD featuring John. M. Chu
The LXD are some of the most amazing dancers you will ever see and if you're a Gleek, you'll recognize Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike aka the other Asian)as one of their dancers. The dance series can be viewed on Hulu or their website. Director Jon M. Chu (Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D) will be showing a sneak preview and answering questions.

3. Anime Press Your Luck
I grew up watching games shows and this was by far, one of my favorites. It was the Whammys. They got me every time. While I'm not a huge anime fan, I think it's a perfect fit for Press Your Luck and I'm really excited to see how Sonic Whammy Enterprises pulls this off.

4. Intro to Animation Voice-Over Acting with Stevie Vallance
As someone who's studied acting, voice-over work interests me for a variety of reasons. I'm dying to know more about the process and the chance to turn myself into a "Toon" and watch others do so is going to be fricking hilarious.

5. Bruce Campbell
The man is finally coming to NYCC. Not only is he the star of the Evil Dead movies and currently co-starring on Burn Notice but he's done oodles of movies, tons of voice work and is an accomplished author. He's Bruce Campbell. baby. Need I say more?


What are you excited about and what do you think we are missing?

Unison Fetish aka Interpretive Cupcake Dancing

Picture it – Bleeker St., New York, September 26, 2010, you’re sitting in a park. It’s gray and rainy. There are people playing chess and kids at the playground. Then you hear it. It starts out faintly; you can’t make out the actual words but you can tell people are singing. You turn in the direction of the sounds and find yourself staring at Magnolia Bakery, when they appear. Seven people dressed in bright magenta dresses, doing a bridal march down the street, cupcakes instead of bouquets in their hands, singing “God Bless Magnolia.” Who are they? They are the Cupcake Cadet Corps of Unison Fetish and they are about to perform ritual dances of cupcake lust and desire for you.

Once the Corps marched to the park, not only did they sing "God Bless Magnolia" but also "God Bless New Bleeker St." and "God Bless the Tourists." Then the real dancing began. To be honest, I don’t know how to describe this to you.  The music started out with an electronic/new agey vibe and the dances had bits of ballet, modern and my particular favorite – Sumo (you heard me). I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what vibe they were trying for, campy or serious, in their expression of lust for the cupcakes but I’m leaning more towards campy. Watching the Corps yearn for their cupcakes, lovingly lick them or just giving in and devouring them, would make anyone want one too and the line at Magnolia did grow shortly after the performance.

It was wonderful, confusing, and fun, but for me, some of the best moments were watching the spectators’ reactions. When we got to the park, there were not a lot of people there but as the Corps marched down the street, more and more people followed until there was a sizable crowd in the park. Little kids couldn’t help but stare and you knew they begged for cupcakes afterwards. Even though the weather was not the greatest, it was an enjoyable performance and I look forward to next year’s performance.

Unison Fetish was conceived and choreographed by Sue Hogan with costumes by Liz Prince. The Cupcake Cadet Corps featured Christina Amendolia, Heather Kemp, Anne Lentz, Sheiline McGraw, Becka Vargus, Emily Wassyng, and Matthew Westerby (yes, he wore a dress too).

                  Pictures taken by our resident web slave, @Getsuyobi

Time to get ready for New York Comic Con! (Now Chock Full of More Tips!)

We are less than one month away from New York Comic Con!!  All of us at [insertgeekhere] will be attending this year.  We all love NYCC and have been going to this con for years.  As we get closer, we will be posting some of the highlights of the show and taking suggestions from those readers that cannot attend.  



For all of the NYCC virgins, we have a list of important things that you might need:



Do your Research (and carry it with you) – There is a lot going on at this con, and you won’t get to see it all.  Make sure that you go over the NYCC website and write down everything that you want to go to.  Then, it can get tricky.  In order to know all of the fun stuff going on, you need to do some searching online for everything that is not on the NYCC website.  Some of the best stuff is happening at the booths, and it is only posted on their website.  This includes NYCC exclusive items and many of the celeb appearances are at booths and not listed as well.  The reason to carry it with you is that there are some things, no matter how long you wait, that you will not get into.  Rather than be disappointed, you will have a plan of something else you want to go to. 



Loud Alarm Clock – Are you heading to NYCC for autographs?  Then you better get there early!  The line for autograph tickets starts outside the Javits Center and for the right celeb, people will sit out there all night.  If there is a must-have autograph on your list, make sure your alarm clock can wake the dead.



Layers of Clothes - The weather is becoming cooler in New York. Be sure to dress appropriately. It will get hot in the convention center but whether you’re waiting on line, outside at 4 AM for that coveted autograph ticket or you’re leaving the center at 11 PM when your panel lets out,  you’re going to get cold. Bring a hoodie or something else you can easily remove.



Good Shoes – You will be walking a lot.  While that can be said for every con, this one is in New York City.  Chances are you will be walking everywhere.  Take care of your feet.



Get a Metro Card The closest subway/train stop is Penn Station on 34th St. & 8th Ave. The A, C, and E stop there as well as the 1, 2, & 3 (they involve a little extra walking). The Javits Center is three long avenues from Penn so pack your days things accordingly. If you have to bring several items such as half your comic book collection for signings or a sleeping bag, you can also take the bus from Penn. I've never done that but I've asked around and the best buses to take are the M32 and M42. They run crosstown on 32nd St. and 42nd St.


Pick a Meet Up Spot You're going to get separated from your group at least a few times during the con. Whether it's because you want to go to different panels or there are too many people in the exhibition hall, you're going to lose each other. While everyone is sure to have a cell phone, the reception isn't always the greatest and batteries can died so it's best to arranged a particular time and place for everyone. Speaking of phones.....


Good Phone and Charger – They charge for wi-fi access at the Javits Center.  Bring an internet ready phone so you can get twitter updates.  Many booths announce giveaways and celebrity signings during con.  If you are draining your battery with all of your tweeting, try to charge during a panel or when you are taking a short break on the floor.



Extra Comic Bags and Boards – If you are going to stock up on all the great comics that will be there, pack a few bags and boards to protect them.  You don’t want your brand new NYCC Exclusive Uncanny X-Force #1 to be wrinkled by a free junk toy you just shoved in your bag.



Poster Tube – You will have the opportunity to get all sorts of nice posters and amazing works of art.  Protect Them!  Make sure that you have something to put them in!  If funds are already spent on the fun, keep your eyes out for freebie poster tubes.  There are always one or two of the major booths giving them away.



Reusable Water Bottle and Protein-Packed Snacks – This can be said for every con but here it is again: DON’T BUY FOOD IN THE CONVENTION CENTER!  It is always overpriced and frankly, not that tasty.  There are a few places in walking distance but they will be packed.  Make sure you have something to keep you going without leaving that panel.



Keep Clean - This shouldn’t have to be mentioned but it is in every article written about cons. You’re going to be in a crowded space with several hundred people. You’ll be racing from one end of the center to the other to get to that one panel you HAVE to see; everyone else will be doing the same thing. It’s going to get hot and sweaty. The last thing anyone needs to be subjected to is someone who decided to save time by not showering. Bring some moist wipes to freshen up during the day and don’t forget to shower each morning/night.



Show Respect for the Professionals - As a dedicated lover of comics and all things geeky, you, of course, have strong opinions about particular artists and writers. That’s great. The professionals who go to the cons want to hear from their fans but be sure to ask for permission before snapping a pic or going in for a hug. Also, if you see a professional whose work you dislike and you feel compelled to tell them, do it in a calm and respectful way. Most pros are open to hearing complaints provided they are intelligent, thoughtful and not just because you didn’t like it. Whatever you do, don’t be like the guy who walked up to Rob Liefeld last year, demanding an apology for Heroes Reborn and handed him a copy of How to Draw the Marvel Way. Not only is it disrespectful and mean, but it ruins the con for all the other sincere con goers who wish to show their appreciation.  Keep in mind, the story will go viral and you will be subjected to ridicule and condemnation by not only the fans but the very professionals you so admire. 



Find People to Walk With New York is definitely a safer city but if you're from out of town or you're being a lot of things with you or you're not familiar with the area, the walk to and from the Javits Center can feel a little lonely and isolating especially at night. If you came by yourself, try looking for groups of people leaving the Con and stick close (but not creepy stalker close), you might even make some new friends. If you're going with friends, it just makes sense to leave with some of them, if not all of them. It's more fun, you're less likely to get lost and less likely to get jumped & robbed of all your sweet Con swag.


Have Fun - You’ve done all your planing, you know exactly which panels and screenings you have to go to, you’re ready to wait all night to score a ticket to get Brian Michael Bendis’ autograph, and you’ve decided on the exclusives you must have,  so now what? Now it’s time for you to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the con. You’re not going to be able to do everything you want and that’s okay. The most important part of the con is the experience and the celebration of all things comics.



Finally, Don’t forget your Ticket!!!