A Look Back at 2011

As I read all of the 2011 recap posts, I thought back through my highlights of 2011.  All of my major geek highlights are because of you, and [insertgeekhere].  And while the big news items of 2011 are important, I wanted to share with you my own personal highlights.

In the past year, [insertgeekhere] has grown by leaps and bounds.  Our family has grown by hundreds, and I just want to say welcome to all of our new fans.  I am so thankful that you are supporting us.  Our best addition has to be Teacup, a new contributor we met at NYCC.  In the new year, expect to see many more great posts from her.

I never thought that the blog would bring so much into my life, but this year proved me wrong.  In the past year, I have met more comic writers, artists, and editors than I ever thought I would.  Interviewing people like Scott Allie, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, and John Ostrander has made me feel much cooler than I am.  The best people I have met though are the other bloggers and fans.  I have made more friends around the world than I ever thought possible.

Looking back at 2011 makes me excited to see what 2012 brings for us.  I can't wait to see what insanity Wysefyre and I stumble into, because I know it will be fabulous.


Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!  See you on the other side.  ;)


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Gamer Girl Manifesto

Well, this has been a fun week for gender stereotypes. Not only has Riley been circling the web, but this has gotten a lot of attention too.

Greedy People Piss Me Off

Well, the big gifts this holiday season were Apple products.  I know a lot of people wanted those but probably didn't get them.  So they took to twitter to whine about it.  Really?!  It got so bad that Jonathan Mann even wrote a song about it.

*Language is NSFW, so lower your volume before playing it!

For everyone, unhappy or not, do me a favor.  Go out to your local grocery store.  Fill a cart to the brim with household, non-perishable staples.  Buy them.  Then take them to your local food bank.  Helping others is better than an iPhone that will be out of date in 6 months.  Trust me on this one.  

(Found via Laughing Squid)


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Excelsior! Happy Birthday to Stan Lee!

Happy Birthday to the man of Marvel, Stan Lee!  He turns a young and vibrant 89 today!  

Make sure you tweet your birthday wishes to @therealstanlee!

Have a fabulously wonderful birthday!

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Video Fun!

Here are some great videos making the rounds.

Finally, I meant to do this earlier but with finals and the holidays, I couldn't. In case you missed it, here is the gorgeous official trailer for The Hobbit.

Some Girls Like Superheroes, Some Like Princesses

This video was uploaded in May of this year but has recently been getting a lot more attention because of the holidays. This is Riley. She's maybe four years old, and she understands that there is a serious problem with gender stereotypes. Listen to her as she rants against toy makers and their desire to push princesses on girls and superheroes on boys.

The Greatness of Google+: Jason Freeny

Since joining Google+ many months ago, I have been able to connect with the best mix of geeks and nerds from my facebook and twitter feeds.  G+ also has the best mix of comic artists and writers.

One of my new favorite finds on G+ is artist and creator Jason Freeny.  While I am new to his work, it has quickly become a favorite of mine.  His style is a little weird and disturbing, which fits me perfectly.  My favorite pieces of work are his one of a kind sculptures, which I have begun saving up for!  Now is the time to buy from him, since he is the "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" from the 2011 Designer Toy Awards in Clutter Magazine at SDCC!

Happy Holidays!

by Michael Cho (How perfect is this?)

No matter what you celebrate (or don't), all of us at [insertgeekhere] want to wish you happy holidays. Thank you for spending time with us. We love having you and want you to keep coming back for more. May the holidays bring you love, happiness, prosperity, good family and friends!

Have a very Merry Christmas Eve!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was sober, not even a mouse.  The glasses were filled on the bar with care, in hopes that Santa would bring more to share.

I could continue but I would rather share this much funnier video from the guys at Drunk History!  Have a Merry Christmas Eve!

Drunk History Christmas with Ryan Gosling, Jim Carrey and Eva Mendes from Ryan Gosling

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Streaming Wars: Amazon Prime

By Teacup

Streaming movies and television online is the next step in entertainment, so it's not surprising that many websites are now offering paid subscriptions to streaming content. Netflix, until recently, was on top of that throne, but their recent decision to split their previously combined lending and streaming service lead to the collapse of their monopoly on mainstream streaming content. They still may be on top, but their lead is nowhere near what it once was. Coming in closely behind are websites such as Hulu and Youtube, but a curious new contender has shown itself in the past year. Amazon.com, international shopping behemoth, added a video streaming service to the list of features for users with an Amazon Prime account.

After receiving so many emails in my inbox about this new service, I finally caved and purchased myself a Prime account. But I let it sit for a good couple of months, because I had a thesis to finish and a pile of school books to read, which took precedence. Finally, thesis turned in and pile of books demolished, I started at the beginning of the content Amazon had acquired and went all the way through to the end.

Geeky Christmas Trees

Christmas is right around the corner and you know what that means - last minute brawls to get the present you forgot, fruitcake, and Christmas trees. Here a few geektastic trees.

Preview Conan #1 from Dark Horse Comics!

A long, long time ago in October, Dark Horse Comics announced Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan as the new team for the classic hero, Conan.  As you all may remember, I got the awesome chance to interview them after this announcement.  That is why I am so excited to check out the preview pages Dark Horse sent along!

These aren't quite what I imagined but I am hooked.  The story starts off so quickly, and leaves you wanting more!  On top of that, the art is visually stunning, especially that last panel.  I have no idea how I'm going to wait until February when it's released to find out what happens next!  Take a look for yourselves and let us know what you think!

Happy Hanukkah!

It's Hanukkah aka The Festival of Lights, and what better way for a geek to celebrate than with your very own geeky menorah! Here are some great ones.

Happy Hanukkah! Eat some latkes for us!

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The Dark Knight Rises First Official Trailer is Out!

Look what hit the internet!





I don't know about you, but I just went from excited to jumping up and down giddy! I can't wait for next summer. Are you as excited as me?

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Sunday Links for Dec. 18th

We lost two great comic contributors.  We just want to thank Joe Simon and Eduardo Barreto for their amazing contributions over the years.  Our thoughts and prayers are with their families at this time.
(via The Comics Beat and Comics Alliance)

CBLDF is defending the rights of middle schoolers in Maine to read about middle school. Just wow, really?
(via The Comics Beat)

Apparently Frank Cho is a dirty mind. He also loves Georgia O'Keefe and vaginas. I'm so not kidding.
(via The Mary Sue)

Not really geeky but definitely interesting: Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, yeah that Rudy, was charged with securities fraud! He seemed so honest and moral in the movie. I guess Sean Astin shined through there.
(via Reuters Entertainment)

Until next week....



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Video Awesomeness!!!

Hi-Diddly-Di! One of the best things I love about this holiday season is all the great videos that are popping up. I thought about doing one specifically for the holidays but then some great trailers premiered and then there were Jedi Ninja battles so I'm just going to give up a mish-mosh of all of them! (Yea, I said that.) Let's start with those Jedi Ninjas.





(via youtube)





(via Geeks Are Sexy)





(via Huffington Post)


WARNING! NSFW!



(via youtube)


Finally, we'd like to dedicate this last video to Roy, one of our more active FB page members. He mentioned Calvin & Hobbes snowmen and we found this video inspired by Calvin, the "greatest snowman mass murderer of our time."





(via Nerd Approved)


Enjoy everyone!

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Today is Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars Day!

Today is a day for everyone to declare their heart exists only for lightsabers and Millennium Falcons.  Today is Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars Day!

In case you never knew this day existed, here is the background. Last year, the interwebs learned about Katie. Katie is a first grader who loved Star Wars so much that she carried her Star Wars water bottle to school. The boys in her class made a point of teasing her that "Star Wars was only for boys." Katie's mom blogged about this incident and the larger issue of bullying. Soon after, geeks from all around the world were siding with Katie, letting her know she was not alone in her love of Star Wars.

So that brings us to today. Today you should celebrate by wearing some Star Wars to show your love and donate a Star Wars toy to a toy drive, making sure to specify that the toy is for a boy or girl.

Ultimately, today is about acceptance and equality for all. Even if you don't like Star Wars, you should still find meaning in that. Still, everything is better with a Wookie.

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Random Gift Idea: CBLDF Membership

Hitting the wall for gift ideas?  Stuck with shopper's block?  Well, we are here to help with some random gift ideas for every boy and girl.  Every once and while, we will post one item that will probably fit one person on your list.  Plus, we will personally approve all of the gifts we suggest!  These are [IGH approved], so have no fear!

For the comic geek that has read everything, get them the opportunity to keep reading by defending their rights. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has been protecting the rights of comic readers and creators since 1986. You can buy them a gift membership, which comes with an amazingly beautiful card designed each year by a comic artist. I'm just excited to say I'm a card-carrying geek!

If your comic geek is already a member, then you can take a look in the CBLDF store at all of the amazing goodies they have. Just remember, CBLDF is a non-profit, so every dollar you spend is helping.


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Review: Star Wars: Agent of the Empire

When Dark Horse sent me the preview copy for Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #1, the thought of seeing inside the Empire really grabbed me. To be honest, I haven't read Star Wars comics. I was happy with the original trilogy and had made my peace with the prequels, but I liked the idea of reading about the Empire's inner workings. Agent of the Empire does just that and so much more.

Cover by Stéphane Roux
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

For timeline's sake, Star Wars: Agent of the Empire takes place three years before Luke blows up the first Death Star. We jump into the story aptly titled Iron Eclipse following Jahan Cross, the James Bond of the Empire. How James Bond-like is he? Well, he even has his own Q building all sorts of gadgets for him. His boss is even a little similar to M. It's the spy game though, and our fav has to head off to see how the Corporate Sector got their hands on stolen droid technology. Without giving away spoilers, I can tell you that the first issue builds up a very exciting cliffhanger. I will spoil you on the two very familiar faces on the cover will show up in the first issue!

The art, by Stéphane Roux, is really wonderful.  Seeing the Empire drawn is exciting and does remind me of the films.  The Imperial City is just downright beautiful.  I can't wait to see what Roux comes up with next!

As for inner workings for the Empire, we get to see some of the everyday guys that run things. Clones don't do everything, and most of them seem to be normal people making a living. One thing that stood out though was a lot of racial tension. I never knew that the Empire is human-centric. That was always one thing that I felt Lucas kept out of the films.

That aside, I really enjoyed this first issue. I definitely plan to keep reading. I liked it so much, I even interviewed the writer John Ostrander! He gives a bit more detail but not much more, even with begging for spoilers! Star Wars: Agent of the Empire is out today, so grab yourself a copy now!

Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #1

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Stéphane Roux
Inker: Julien Hugonnard-Bert
Cover Artist: Stéphane Roux



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Hunger Games - Katniss' Fire Dress

The release of The Hunger Games is only about three months away, so naturally excitement is building. I'm trying to keep on top of the info that's coming out, because I love the books (currently on my fifth rereading of the trilogy), and I came across this article on InStyle magazine's website depicting several big name designers vision of the infamous fire dress. This is the outfit that introduces Katniss as "The Girl on Fire" and is one of the more highly anticipated moments of the movie. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to big moments in adapted works and I want them "as is" when on the screen. Some of the designs are not that at all but they are beautiful, and a few I would love to see on the runways. Here's a peek.

This is my favorite avant-garde design. It's by The Blonds and as you can see, they certainly capture the "on fire" aspect of the outfit. Aside for the book calling for something simpler, my biggest reason for why this isn't the right design for the movie is by making it so extreme now, it would make it very difficult to top this when part 2 comes out and Katniss is outfitted in something far more extravagant that the first fire outfit.

Then there is this design from Tadashi Shoji. I fell in love with this dress. It's gorgeous. I want to wear it. It's just not what the book describes. Not even close. However, I believe this dress should be made. I think it would be popular.


So did any of these designers come close? Any of them capture the feel of the book while creating a piece that could translate well to the screen? There were three designers I think came close - Christian Siriano, Christian Cota, and Charlotte Ronson. The Christians designs were wonderful. They kept it simple, true to the color scheme (black) and made it look good, but ultimately, I think it is this by Ronson that wins my vote.

Katniss does not really wear a dress in the book. She wears a simple black unitard with lace up boots and a cape that's lit on fire. This interpretation is true to the book but is altered just enough that it would look incredible on screen. It would make the splash it's supposed.


What do you think, gentle readers? Do you like these or do you have a different preference? Does this make you more excited for the movie? To see the other designs, check out the article here, and let us know what you think.

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Interview with Star Wars writer John Ostrander

Cover by Stéphane Roux
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

Through the awesomeness of Dark Horse Comics, I got the opportunity to read an advance copy of Star Wars: Agent of the Empire.  This introductory issue gives us a view of the day-to-day workings inside the Empire.  I have never read Star Wars before, so this was a great learning experience.  So when Dark Horse gave a chance to interview the writer John Ostrander, I jumped at it!

I just want to say a big thanks to Mr. Ostrander and Dark Horse Comics for making this happen.

If you keep reading, you will be exposed to very MINOR SPOILERS for Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #1!

Sunday Links for December 11th

We lost a piece of living comic history this week with the passing of Jerry Robinson. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Robinson at MoCCA last year. He was a very nice gentleman who told us what it was like to create all of the iconic characters we love and the behind the scenes juicy gossip. I am so glad that I got that chance, and I will cherish the experience for the rest of my life.
(via Comic Book Resources)

Marvel just asked for geek girl wrath this week when Tom Brevoort put his foot in his mouth about the lack of female Marvel characters.
(via The Mary Sue)

If the Teletubbies weren't bad enough, Fox News has confirmed the The Muppets are anti-corporations. I heard that they are investigating the Scooby gang for socialism.
(via Zap 2 It)

Diamond Comics released the full list of Free Comic Book Day titles this week. I am especially excited for the Buffy/Guild flipbook and the DC 52 book. I'm disappointed that Marvel is reprinting a bad Avengers comic.
(via [insertgeekhere])

Until next week....


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Random Gift Idea: The Homeland Directive

Hitting the wall for gift ideas?  Stuck with shopper's block?  Well, we are here to help with some random gift ideas for every boy and girl.  Every once and while, we will post one item that will probably fit one person on your list.  Plus, we will personally approve all of the gifts we suggest!  These are [IGH approved], so have no fear!

Looking for a comic gift? Then check out The Homeland Directive by Robert Vendetti and Mike Huddleston. The story follows Dr. Laura Regan as she tries to find out why the U.S. government is trying to kill her.  She is helped by a trio of rogue federal agents as they try to unravel this mystery before they get caught.  Conspriacies run throughout the book as you see just a glimpse of secret government dealings. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat.

Whether you are surprised by the ending or see it coming, the realism will definitely terrify you. After reading The Homeland Directive, you will never look at a news report the same way again.  This book is a great gift for your conspiracy theorist friend or your politically-minded parent!  You can find it at your local comic shop or at Top Shelf Productions.

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Free Comic Book Titles Have Been Released!

Can't Wait For This!!!!
Courtesy of Diamond Comic Distributors

This morning, Diamond Comics released the full list of Free Comic Book Day titles.  Now we have five whole months to sit and dream about the wonder of that magical day!  I can't wait for May 5, 2012!

In case you don't know about Free Comic Book Day, it is a day of Free Comic Books.  I know, right? It's awesome!  It was started by the industry to encourage new and lapsed readers to give comics a chance.  This is a great day to take that friend, sibling or random stranger from the bus stop and go to your local participating comic shop to try some comics!

Just a word of warning though: Your local comic shop doesn't participate for free.  They purchase these books at a reduced rate.  So, don't forget to say please and thank you when you get your free books, and it doesn't hurt to buy something neither...  It's up to us to keep our local businesses thriving!

As you go through this list, if any titles are a must read, please let your LCS know now!  They are ordering these books very soon, so if you wait, you will miss out!

Free Comic Book Day Titles

Gold Comic Books
• Archaia Entertainment: Mouse Guard, Labyrinth & Other Stories HC
• Archie Comics: Mega Man: Let The Games Begin
• Bongo Comics: Bongo Comics Free-For-All/SpongeBob Freestyle Funnies Flip Book
• BOOM! Studios: Peanuts/Adventure Time Flip Book
• Dark Horse Comics: Star Wars/Serenity Flip Book
• DC Comics: DC Comics-The New 52 #1
• IDW Publishing: Transformers #80.5
• Image Comics: Image Comics: 20 Anthology
• Marvel Comics: The Avengers #12.1
• Oni Press: Yo Gabba Gabba! Free Comic Book Time!

Silver Comic Books
• Antarctic Press: Diary of a Zombie Kid
• Arcana Studios: Arcana Presents: The Intrinsic #1
• Archie Comics: Sonic The Hedgehog: Two Steps Back…Special Edition
• Aspen MLT: Worlds of Aspen 2012
• Boundless Comics: Lady Death: The Beginning
• Bluewater Productions: Burt Ward, Boy Wonder #1
• BOOM! Studios: Dune: Origins #1
• Capstone: The Incredible Rockhead & Zinc Alloy 2-For-None
• Caption Box: Muqtatafaht: A Middle East Comics Anthology
• CBLDF: The Censored Howard Cruse
• Dark Horse Comics: Buffy The Vampire Slayer/The Guild Flip Book
• DC Comics: DC Nation Super Sampler/Superman Family Adventures Flip Book
• Drawn & Quarterly: Marble Season Preview
• Drawn & Quarterly: Moomin Color Special
• Fantagraphics Books: Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Family Comics
• Fantagraphics Books: Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby Sampler
• Gemstone Publishing: Overstreet’s Comic Book Marketplace 2012
• Hermes Press: My Favorite Martian Special Edition
• Image Comics: Witchblade: Unbalanced Pieces
• Liquid Comics: FCDB 2012 Dinosaurs Versus Aliens
• Liquid Comics: Graphic Elvis Preview
• Marvel Comics: Spider-Man: Season One
• Oni Press: Bad Medicine #1
• Papercutz/NBM Publishing: The Smurfs/Disney Fairies Featuring Tinker Bell Flip Book
• Radical Publishing: Under The Faerie Moon
• Rebellion: 2000AD Judge Dredd Special
• Red 5 Comics: Atomic Robo & Friends 2012
• Th3rd World Studios: Finding Gossamyr & The Stuff of Legend IV
• Top Shelf Comics: Top Shelf Kids Club 2012
• 12-Gauge Comics: Anti #1 Preview
• Valiant Entertainment: Valiant Comics 2012 Preview
• VIZ Media: Voltron Force: Shelter from the Storm
• Yen Press: The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel
• Zenescope Entertainment: Jurassic Strikeforce 5 Preview
• Zenescope Entertainment: Animal Planet Presents: The World Most Dangerous Animals 2012

Additional Promotional Items
• HeroClix: Marvel Avengers Thor Figure
• FCBD: FCBD 2012 Commemorative Artist T-Shirt: Jim Lee (Blue, White, Black)
• FCBD: FCBD 2012 Generic Logo T-Shirt

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X-Men Minimalist Posters.... Must Have!

Are you an X-Men fan? Have a friend or family member who's one? Looking for a neat gift to give? Look no more! Check out these amazing minimalist prints by designer Harshness.

(via Forever Geek)

My favorite is Nightcrawler and Wolverine. There are a few other prints not shown. If you'd like to see them and more, head over to Harshness' Etsy Shop. These are going for $19 and a spectacular poster with all 8 prints is going for $110.

Whether it's for you or someone you know, these look like a great buy. I'd say they were [IGH approved], but I don't have one yet. If anyone wants to me have one... ;-)

My Time at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

This year, I vowed to spend more time delving into independent comics. So, I jumped on the opportunity to go to the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival (BCGF). Filled with (almost) every indie publisher under the sun, it's a great opportunity to try some new comics that aren't always accessible. And with a $0 admission fee, I definitely had a few bucks in my pocket to do just that. This festival wraps up the year in a fun comics bow, plus gives people a chance to get some prezzie shopping done. Here are a few of my favorite things from BCGF....

Walking Dead Season 2 Midseason Finale

I am suffering from nerd rage. I kept hoping it would go away but it hasn’t. I know shows that are adapted from other source material tend to be different. I'm okay with that. I expect it. BUT when a creator says he's going to stick to the basic framework of the source material, I expect them to keep their word. That's right. folks. I’m raging about the midseason finale of The Walking Dead.

If you haven’t watched the finale or read the comics...


STOP NOW!!! Spoilers a-plenty!

Random Gift Idea: The Secret Life of Toys

Hitting the wall for gift ideas?  Stuck with shopper's block?  Well, we are here to help with some random gift ideas for every boy and girl.  Every once and while, we will post one item that will probably fit one person on your list.  Plus, we will personally approve all of the gifts we suggest!  These are [IGH approved], so have no fear!

Credited to Marcos Minuchin and The Secret Life of Toys

While wandering around Union Square's Holiday fair, I found a gem in The Secret Life of Toys.  The artist Marcos Minuchin creates a behind-the scenes look at toys, and he just makes me laugh.  It is very Robot Chicken-esque in its style and humor.  You can get these awesome works as a metal, canvas or high quality print for your wall.  Albeit pricey for certain styles, these also make a great and unique gift for your geeky art friend.

Credited to Marcos Minuchin and The Secret Life of Toys

My particular favorite, and the one I bought myself, is the Lego version of Magritte The Son of Man.  It just gets me and my love of Legos.  If that one isn't your speed, check out my second favorite I'm Your Father.  Make sure you check out all of the fun works, and you will definitely cross a name off your gift buying list.

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Sunday Links for Dec. 4th

Do you think that your rights are violated at cons? Well, here is a list of rules and right that fans and the pros are entitled to from Peter David.
(via Comics Alliance)

If you are dying to see the first 6 minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, get planning. The studio has released the list of IMAX theaters that will get the clip.  It really depends though; do you want to help the Mission Impossible box office numbers....
(via Cinema Blend)

Still not sure how feel about the concept but they have locked down Andy Kubert as the artist for the Watchmen prequel.
(via Robot 6)

For everyone dying to make it to the Three Broomsticks for a drink, its about to get easier. They are planning to build a Harry Potter theme park in California as well as abroad.
(via Reuters)

Until next week....


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Random Gift Idea: Lost At The Con

Hitting the wall for gift ideas?  Stuck with shopper's block?  Well, we are here to help with some random gift ideas for every boy and girl.  Every once and while, we will post one item that will probably fit one person on your list.  Plus, we will personally approve all of the gifts we suggest!  These are [IGH approved], so have no fear!


Here is a random gift idea for everyone that wants to support an author directly!  Check out Bryan Young's new bookstore, where you can get autographed copies of his amazing work.  

In that shop is the [IGH approved] Lost At The Con, which is a must read about the real world of cons.  Wysefyre reviewed it as "funny and smart and thought provoking" and "the perfect book for geeks and non-geeks alike." So pick this up and cross one more name off your shopping list. At $18.99 (includes domestic shipping), it is a great autographed gift for the con goer in your life.

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Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Turns 1!

I never thought this would happen but Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is celebrating its anniversary... sort of. It's been one year since STOD opened on Broadway, but that was version 1.0. Version 2.0 premiered June 4th. Either way, congrats on making it this far.


I was fairly vocal about how flawed STOD was in its original incarnation, and I'm yet to see 2.0, but after sitting in on the STOD panel at NYCC, and reading many, MANY reviews from people I trust, I'm happy for the Spidey team. They took what had originally been a disaster and apparently fixed it. This kind of situation is so rare on Broadway, it's kind of amazing.


Thanks to the success of the show, the producers can make plans to recoup the investment and turn a profit. A recent New York Times article spoke with the producers of the show and a few of the ideas thrown around were adding new scenes and a new musical number each year and expanding their radio campaigns in all across the US. There are no plans to take the show overseas, but it is an eventual possibility. I don't know if I like these ideas, but I admire their willingness to be creative, and I think I've finally come on board the STOD train. I'm sincerely rooting for them. 



If you haven't seen it yet, give it shot. One of the people who told me he loved the show was Amazing Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott. I ran into him at the STOD panel, and he couldn't stop talking about how much he loved it. I believe he's seen it 4 times already. If you're going to take anyone's advice on seeing the show, take his.




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Dark Horse Comics Wants to Kill You!

I'm really not kidding about that.  With the premiere of The Strain comic coming up, they are giving one fan the chance to get killed by a vampire in an upcoming issue.  How do you get the chance to get killed?  By writing the best survival plan of course!

A face only a mother can love....

I am actually a huge fan of The Strain Trilogy.  This series is flat out terrifying in how it begins, especially since it takes place in New York City.  At one point, I was reading a part of the story that took place in Penn Station and sitting in Penn Station.  It just made my imagination go into insane overdrive, and I began looking for vampires around every corner.  Despite my own crazy, it was a fantastic, engrossing set of books.  To be honest, after reading these books, I am not sure what a good survival plan would be!  This is such a dangerous world that Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan created.  


So now do you have a death wish?  Here are the official rules:

1. Post a comment of at least 200 words on the Dark Horse Blog by 11:59p.m. PT on Sunday Dec. 4th, 2011 and describe how you plan to survive the coming plague.

2. Come back next week as we post the top 5 Survival Tales, once per day through Dec. 9th. 

3. Starting Dec. 9th. come back to the blog and vote for the best Survival Plan through Dec. 13th. 

They will announce the winner the same day The Strain #1 hits stores, December 14th!

Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

The Star Battles!

There is an epic geek battle happening right now on the interwebs.  It is a classic battle of fandoms that spans generations.  It is Star Trek vs. Star Wars!  That's right, we are still in the struggle of two classic scifi influences.  This is not an old argument; it has become so mainstream there was even a movie with a running joke dedicated to it!

Trekkers really aren't that bad 

I rarely meet someone who hates one versus the other.  In the long run, I think most geeks are like me in that we enjoy both franchises for various reasons.  I don't even consider them in the same field since SW is definitely more fantasy than ST.  Additionally, ST takes place in our future where SW takes place in someone else's past.  In the end, they are only compared because they both have "Star" in the title and have greatly influenced pop culture.
    
Still, this battle has taken a backseat over the past few years, especially since everyone put aside their differences to hate on Twilight.  So how did this all start up again?  You can blame Bill Shatner for that one.  He posted a short video talking about how Star Trek was so much better than Star Wars....