2012: The Year of.....

Borrowed from cloudtimes.org

Another year at its end, 2012 brought us a lot of stuff that we celebrated or cried over as the year went on...Disney buying Star Wars, The Hobbit, Marvel Now, and another failed apocalypse. However, some of the best moments came from one persons mind. Yes, you have probably guessed who I am talking about.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

What's Better than Monster Hunter?

By ladyvader99 

I was 19 and I saw it from across the room. It took my breath away.

In this past six months, I have gotten a tattoo on my inner right forearm of a Monster Hunter “forbidden hunter” seal. In the manga, a monster hunter is given this mark to allow them to hunt the most dangerous and the rarest of beasts. Seeing as I have over 3000 hours logged into the Monster Hunter franchise, I deemed myself worthy. There are a total of 10 entries in the Monster Hunter series, spanning over a variety of platforms, with only 4 released here in the United States. The most current installment, Monster Hunter Portable 3, is currently Capcom’s fastest selling game ever.

I was 19 (maybe 20…the years blend!) when I came across Monster Hunter for PlayStation 2. The game play was simple; you are a wandering young person who undertakes the task of relieving a small village of the monsters that plague it in exchange for room and board. These range from small, docile herbivores to HUGE dragons. The game forces you to use every bit of cunning and strategy you possess and the sense of accomplishment when you take down that first Rathalos is immensely satisfying. Every creature you take down allows you to carve material off of it to make superior armor and weaponry, thereby making you stronger and able to withstand attacks from stronger, more hostile and intelligent creatures. There is no “end” to the game, so you can literally play forever.

I got the most fun out of Monster Hunter when my now husband, two best friends and I bought Monster Hunter Freedom for PSP. A Saturday did not pass where we four were not huddled around our PSPs for hours of marathon gaming, A/C adaptors plugged into the wall so our PSPs wouldn’t die mid-quest. Monsters are typically more intelligent and the quest objectives for each are harder when you play online with someone via ad hoc or alone so they represented a bigger challenge. I love the creature design, the landscapes are PHENOMENAL, and it’s truly incredible how they always keep you guessing, even after you think you’ve got a creature’s movement pattern down.

Because Monster Hunter is my favorite game of ALL TIME, whenever I attend a convention, I zoom around the dealer’s room, searching for a statuette, a key chain, or plush of SOMETHING. Japan gets amazing Monster Hunter merchandise and I long to own everything I can! So far, I’ve been able to accumulate a Felyne statue (a cat that assists you in quests and hunter “duties”), plush of a Gigi whelp (white tadpole looking thing with teeth…adorable!), some posters, and a tiny Felyne key chain.

Monster Hunter is definitely not a game for those who want to hack and slash their way through it. This kind of approach will frustrate you since you will die very quickly and quite a lot. Monster Hunter is like the girl you want to take home to your mom. Approach with love, trust and commitment because before you know it, you’ll be 10 hours in and that’s it. You’re in love.

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Review: City in the Desert: The Monster Problem

Out this past week is City in the Desert: The Monster Problem, the debut graphic novel from Moro Rogers. Published by Archaia Entertainment, The Monster Problem is the first volume for the ongoing series.


This is a cute story following a rogue-type, monster hunter Irro and his young companion/assistant Hari.    They are happily killing monsters that are hurting their village until a new religious group comes to town with a permanent monster solution.  Irro and Hari have to discover if the clerics are for real and if they are out of a job!  Irro reminded me of Indiana Jones with more magic.  He has his light-hearted moments, but is all business.  Hari, possibly part monster herself, is a warrior whose past is definitely in question.  Still, her dedication to Irro is unquestioned.

Best High School Movie Trailer Ever!

Why is it the best high school movie ever? Just because it includes clips from so many others. That, Batman and the fact there is a thought process involved.

Wouldn't you want to see Gotham City High? Check it out!

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Finding YOUR Villian

By ladyvader99 

I thought this kind of informative writing would be a door opener to fellow nerds. If you haven’t branched out and “met” a villain you loved to hate, maybe this will help! I first embraced villains as a young, messy haired girl of four. Speed Racer and Sailor Moon were watched almost 24/7 and let me tell you, Snake Oiler and Queen Beryl ruled my dreams. I don’t know if it was the kickass clothing or the devious way they held themselves that made them memorable.

Let’s start by defining what a “villain” is. Aw, who are we kiddin’, it’s the bad guy (or in the better story lines, IS it?)! I’ll begin with Marvel villains and I’ll dedicate this post to the lesser known Ultron and Apocalypse. My cohorts and I may post more of our faves so keep a lookout and let’s dive into the metal insanity that is Ultron.

NYCC '12: Day 4 Highlights

Well,  as soon as NY Comic Con starts, it ends.  I admit, part of me is glad because I am just so tired.  Still, I love all the time I spend hanging on the floor.  As usual, we all split up at the con, running off into different directions.

Wysefyre fought against the hoards of people to get into the Javits Center in time to catch the Sesame Street show on the Varient Stage featuring Elmo and Gordon (Roscoe Orman). There were more adults at the show than kids, and everyone had fun. Then she met up with a friend, and wandered the floor for a few hours. Wysefyre also spoke with Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza, and the nice people over at the CBDLF. Also, she saw a guy dressed as Zangief from Street Fighter 4 give an exceptionally long hug to another person and ate some Hi-Chew and Nerds.

Today I jumped onto the floor first thing to go swag hunting.  I scored a lot of good items and can't wait to sort through it all.  After that, I got a chance to sit down with animation king Bill Plympton to discuss his new and upcoming projects.

Then I spent the afternoon celebrating Spider-Man's 50th Birthday at the Marvel booth!  Yeah, I know, who would have thunk it that Spidey is 50!  One way that Marvel was celebrating is by trying to set a new world record for the most greetings on a card.  I had a chance to chat with the Guinness World Record representative about the process to make a world record.  I am happy to say that Marvel made it!

Then I went over to Artist's Alley, met up with Wysefyre, listened to Dan Slott talk, then spoke with Peter David, David Marquez and Jamal Igle.  Wysefyre made her 7th or 8th trek across the Javitz, then we finally got some food.

We had a great time this year at NY Comic Con!!!  This was such a great time to see old friends and meet new people.  We are also so thankful for all the people that gave us some of their time.  For now, we will be working hard to share all the great details we gained over the past few days.  Make sure you stay tuned!  Until next year!

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NYCC '12 Day Three Highlights

Day three started in the best way possible - meeting with Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano for roundtable interviews about The Dark Knight Returns Part 2. From there I raced into the The Dark Knight panel and the audience was treated to a fantastic Q & A. We were shown clips from TDKR Pt. 2 and a new movie slated to come out next spring. I tried to go up to the floor, but could barely move around. The crowd was insane, so I said hi to a friend who was working at a booth and ran back downstairs. 

I jumped into the King of Nerds panel featuring the stars of Revenge of the Nerds franchise, Curtis Armstrong (Booger) and Robert Carradine (Lewis). There were nerd debates and jeopardy, and they gave away fun prizes. 

Next, came the Fables 10th Anniversary panel. What a treat! While we were waiting for it to begin, Bill Willingham was telling awful, corny jokes and keeping us entertained. Prizes were given, questions were answered, and laughs were had by all. 

After that, I wandered around for a bit, met up with some other friends, and finally started to explore Artist's Alley, where I got to talk to Sanford Greene. There I met up with Wilderowens, and we went to the Geek Girls Network Geek Out, where we hung out with old friends, met some new ones, and had a fantastic time.

Wilderowens finally had a mellow day, wandering the floor for a bit. She hung out with Cully Hamner and Josh Fialkov at the DC booth. While she didn't get her interview with Joel Hodgson of MST3K, (but will via email!!!) she did get to chat with Fred Chao, the creator of Johnny Hiro!!

NYCC '12: Day Two Highlights

Day two kicked off with a little bit of stress and a whole lot of awesome. 

Wilderowens went to a crowdsourcing panel at Kickstarter HQ with Craig Engler of Syfy, and Brad "Cheeks" Bell and Jane Espenson of Husbands. After she came back to the Javits, she spent the day interviewing a whole slew of people: Mike Richardson, President of Dark Horse Comics, Liam Sharp of Madefire, Pierre Leroux, Producer of Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, Warren Spector, Creative Director for Epic Mickey 2. She met with RedBubble PR, Matt Inman from the Oatmeal, got autographs from DC's Ricardo Sanchez, Dark Horse's Brian Wood and ate a pop tart. She and Getsuyobi also got interviewed by a French radio station about geek culture and comic con. 

After a rough start to the day, I spent the day mostly in panels. I missed out on the Christopher Lloyd Q & A, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Instead of leaving that panel to grab lunch and then fighting to get back into the room for Sean Astin, I grabbed some lunch went in to to MTV Geek panel. I didn't even know MTV had comics. It was a great panel and featured people such as Joshua Hale, David Tischman, Sanford Greene, and Val Staples. 

Then the Sean Astin panel started, and it quickly became my favorite panel of the day, and possibly the entire con. He was funny, interesting, engaging, and extremely genuine. He was shocked at how full the room was. He was full of fantastic stories including one about his audition for Lord of the Rings. It turns out he had never even heard of The Hobbit and LoTR before he got the call for the audition. We were also treated to a surprise guest,  Terry Pratchett.

After that, I wandered the floor for a little bit, chatted with people, ran into a few friends, and finished the day by going to the Webcomics panel with Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but this turned out to be extremely informative. Sohmer and DeSouza did the panel Q & A style, and talked about what it takes to be a successful web creator, and it was also one of the filthiest panels I have ever been too. The dirty jokes came hard and fast. ;-) It was a great panel, and the perfect way to end the day.

I can't wait for day three! That's when the crazy really kicks in. 

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NYCC Highlight: Electronic

One of my favorite parts of comic cons is meeting independent creators.  I never know what new, exciting stories I might find.  One such new story is Electronic created by Joe Corallo and Danny Luckert, published by Venturous Publishing.

From Electronic FB page:

In a future not as far as you would think, corporations rule. It took decades upon decades of countries rising and falling as corporations withstood the test of time. As more struggling governments gave in to their demands and outsourced more of the government’s work to them, they would find their opportunity and go for the kill. 

These corporations would rebrand themselves as nations. As a result, national borders fade and in many ways people are brought closer together. However, there is still conflict.

One nation, RAND, has enjoyed its status as the global hegemony for years. Its robotics division, led by Jean Young, has been keeping RAND ahead of its competition with their humanoid robots, known as ELECs. One of her finest works is Elec 2.9 AKA Carly Cash. This is her story.

The first issue is an excellent read, with the storyline just pulling you in.  C'mon, who doesn't believe that corporations may one day rule the world.  Within the first issue, you are introduced to this world and I for one can't wait to read more.  In case you don't believe me, check out some preview pages below.

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

If you are at NYCC, check them out at booth #2271!  If not, make sure you ask your local comic shop to stock Electronic and stay tuned at their FB page for updates!


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Here we go again at NYCC! Day One Highlights!

NY Comic Con kicked off today with a floor full of awesome. The best part is the floor wasn't crazy crowded. Nice and easy to walk, which is rare. The other bonus was that NYCC used the construction to their advantage this year. The tunnel between sections of floor was transformed into the TMNT sewer. Very fun and I'm glad I got to see it before its packed full of people.

It looks cooler in real life, I swear.

When we got inside, both Wysefyre and I went our separate ways immediately, covering different sections of the floor. She checked out "The Block" which is the designer section (you may remember it as the cultyard). After more wandering, she checked out the Justice is Served panel, featuring a ton of amazing authors, including Myke Cole and Amber Benson. Wysefyre promises to give complete details after her shoulder regains feeling from all the freebies she got!

On my journey, I checked out the main comics and gaming for a bit, while I waited to do some interviews. My favorite had to be the Assassin's Creed III preview I got to see. I'm no hardcore gamer, but the graphics and storyline seem fantastic. It's definitely going on my list. I also got the ultimate picture of the day at the bandai gaming area!

Just love Gaming Abe

Then I got a chance to speak with the director of Silver Circle, a new animated film and graphic novel followed by a fun interview with the new Editor-in-Chief of Dark Horse Comics, Scott Allie!  I ended my night taking a quick jaunt around the crazy big Artist Alley!! This is huge and a great excuse to try out the panorama function on my phone. Can't wait to go back with some cash in my pocket to spend!!!

Until tomorrow....



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NYCC '12: Special Events

Oh my god! I just realized NYCC is only two days away. That’s right. TWO days. What am I going to do? Who am I going to see? What kind of goodies will I get? Will I remember to eat? More importantly, where am I going to go after the con?

Here is a list of all the great events happening after the Javits Center lights dim and the partying begins as well as a few taking place while the sun is out.

Wednesday, Oct. 10

A Celebration of Pop Comics! - 

"Wednesday, October 10th, on the eve of New York Comic Con, Depth Of Field Magazine is proud to present an evening of conversation, refreshments, signings, and general revelry as we celebrate the intersection of comic books and popular music. 

This event take place at Jim Hanley's Universe on West 33rd Street, beginning at 7pm. The panel discussion features an astounding line-up of artists, writers, and commentators, including Charles Soule, Avi Spivak, Jamal Igle, Elizabeth Keenan, Andrew Robinson, John Holmstrom, Ronald Wimberly, David Gallaher, Kieron Gillen, Joe Keatinge, Vivek J. Tiwary, and other special guests. Complimentary refreshments are being contributed by some of New York's finest establishments: Tompkins Square Bagels, Southampton Brewery, Saranac Brewery, and Lost Tribes Brewery.For more details and the most up-to-date info, check the press release."

Extreme Makeover: The Comics Edition - 

"Join Jeff Yang, editor of the new graphic novel collection SHATTERED and curator of Marvels & Monsters and Alt.Comics, as he and a celebrity panel of comic book authors and artists discuss how stereotypes ruin stories and turn characters into cliches. The fun really begins when we invite leading local graphic novelists to share their own "Comic Book Extreme Makeovers”. Panelists include Keith Chow, Larry Hama, Jerry Ma, and Greg Pak." Starts at 7:00 PM. Get more information here.

Thursday, Oct. 11

Art Wars - A New Hope Intergalactic Custom Toy Show by Scott Kinnebrew and Jason Chalker at KRNY - 
"The Force will be with us at Kidrobot New York for the one-night only Art Wars – A New Hope Intergalactic Art Show. Going down October 11 from 6-10pm, this Star Wars inspired spectacle will featuring new art and custom toys by Scott Kinnebrew and Jason Chalker. This one night exhibition will be hotter than Tatooine so don’t miss out!" Kidrobot New York is located at 118 Prince St.

*just added Geeks! The Musical -"Geeks! The Musical! follows the adventures of a gaggle of geeks through a Comic Book/Sci-Fi Convention. Will the geek boy find true love and a mint copy of Batman #92? Will the artist and Goth girl sell their avant-garde comic? Will the has-been sci-fi actor get cast in the remake of his old TV show? These questions and more will be answered as they sing, dance and debate if Batman could beat Spider-Man in a fight! Be square, be there!

Visit: www.geeksthemusical.com and www.writeactrep.org"

Whether you're visiting NYC or local, if you're looking for an affordable NYC theater experience that ties in perfectly with NYCC, this is the show for you. 

The show is running from 10/4 - 10/28 at the Richmond Shepard Theatre at 309 E. 26th St. You can read our review of it here.

New York Comic Con Kick-Off Concert with Ben Folds Five -

"Ben Folds Five start it off right with a concert at 8:00 PM in the IGN Theater. The concert is free to all VIP's and 4-Day ticket holders BUT seating is first come, first served and will be extremely limited due to size of the auditorium and popularity of the event. Ultimate Access and Special Access VIP ticket holders will be guaranteed to get into the show first; then, 4-Day ticket holders will be let in until the auditorium is full. The concert is open to all 4-Day ticket holders on a first come, first served basis and we cannot guarantee that all 4-Day ticket holders that want to attend the show will be able to get in."

FANGIRLTV - First LIVE show - Billed as "half talk show, half burlesque, and all geek," the show will feature "Nerd themed BURLESQUE, a lively panel discussion featuring AMAZING Geek Girls, exclusive clips from the FANGIRLTV web series, and GEEKY GO GO! Doors open at 8pm, show at 9pm! Arrive in COSPLAY or with New York Comic Con 2012 Pass! -- ONLY $10 (otherwise, it's still only $15!!!!!)" Takes place at The Producer's Club at 358 W. 44th St. Must be 17+ to enter!

A Night with Geeks at Geeks! The Musical!

Last night, Wysefyre and I attended the opening night of Geeks! The Musical! by the Write Act Repertory. Book and Lyrics by Thomas J. Misuraca and Music by Ruth Judkowitz.

The story follows three couples of friends. The DC fan/main man Jordan and his Whovian Chip, played by Zachary Conner and Eli Bosnick.  The marvel fan/girl! Kerry and her hates everything friend Emerson, played by Meredith Owens and DaWoyne A. Hill. The final duo is the struggling artists Trey and Audrina, played by Danny Moreno and Ayelet Firstenberg.   All of their paths collide at SDCC as they all search for the top collectible, a publishing deal and finally, love. Through it all, Jordan and Kerry get to meet their childhood hero, has-been actor Mel Tyler, played by John D'Arcangelo.

Artist Brad Walker at Midtown Comics September Book Club!

Last week, I attended the Midtown Comics Book Club. September's book was Guardians of the Galaxy: Realm of Kings written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and the art by Book Club guest Brad Walker!

As a bit of back story, Walker loved superheroes when he was little especially Spidey. His mom taught him how to draw and got him started.  However, he decided to become a comic artist in his teens.  He loved drawing Disney-style back then but wanted to draw something real-looking.  He also loves that the comics medium doesn't have limitations like film.  Anything that you can imagine is reality.

David Selby Talks About Being the Top Cop in Gotham

Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the premiere of DC's The Dark Knight Returns: Part 1. While on the red carpet (totally fun experience, btw).  I had the sincere pleasure to interview David Selby, who is the voice of Commissioner Jim Gordon.

On the off chance you don't know, Selby is known best for creating iconic roles in television. We all know him best as Quentin Collins from Dark Shadows or Richard Channing from Falcon Crest. With a history like that, I had to ask him what it was like to step into a role already portrayed by so many. Selby did his best to avoid any previous incarnations of Gordon. He failed though when it came to Gary Oldman. No matter what, Selby couldn't get Oldman's picture out of his head. Even months after filming, seeing Oldman in Tinker was enough to rattle Selby.

We had a Cthulhu Party!!!!

That's right, we had an impromptu Cthulhu party on our Facebook page.  It all started when I found this amazing meme.

Not sure who created this but I heart them.

I challenged our readers to become this fearsome beast.  It felt very Dr. Frankenstein.  I created the monster!  Muwahahahaha!  Two brave souls jumped in and make the transformation to become......Tie-thulhu!  Thanks to Michael F. and Michael R. for taking the leap into the great Lovecraft unknown to become the most fearsome, well-dressed creature alive!

Random Thought: The Avatar - Too Young For a Relationship?

I finished reading Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise last night. I'll talk more about that in another post, but it made me want to watch the series again, so I fired up the ol' Netflix queue.

As I was watching it, I was reminded of how cute it was to see Aang crushing on Katara and all the other characters dealing with teenage problems as they get ready to fight the Fire Lord, but then I remembered something very important. Aang was only supposed to be about eleven or twleve years old when he came out of the ice. He's way too young to be putting serious moves on Katara! What is up with that?

I understand that this is a cartoon but in some ways, doesn't that make it worse? Young kids watched or are going to watch it. At that age, do they really need to be thinking about how to put the moves on a possible crush?

Maybe I'm being a grumpy old lady shaking her cane yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, but even if the kid shows remarkable maturity and wisdom beyond his years, they are still a kid. Also, eventually, there are still those pesky little things called hormones that will rear their ugly head at some point. So why push a pre-teen into a relationship with a teen?

Don't get me wrong, I grew up on Disney and rom-coms, so I always end up rooting for the 'ships that seem to make sense (even when they don't), and I loved that Aang got the girl, but come on, he's twelve! I can't be the only one thinking this, can I? 

In an ideal world, I would have them have a sweet, young "romance," but then break them up, and give them a chance to experience other relationships. Then I'd bring them back together because they've matured enough to really understand what a relationship is, and they are each other's first and last love. Maybe I'm asking too much from a children's cartoon, but given that Legend of Korra exists, maybe I'm not. What do you think?

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[IGH] Tackles TV: The Doctor Returns

As I mentioned in earlier post, I recently became a Whovian, so it would be silly of me not to talk about the newest episodes of Doctor Who.

We're three episodes in to season seven, and already it's been a bumpy ride.

*Warning: Mild Spoilers (Nothing that hasn't already been announced)

Ep1 Asylum of the Daleks

What a way to start the season. I've watched it four times. It gives us a quick glimpse into the lives of Rory Williams and Amy Pond without the Doctor, and then throws us right into the crazy. It also introduces us to Oswin. I can't talk too much about her because that would give away too much, but she is amazing. She's like a female version of the Doctor, but human. She's who I imagine a child between the Doctor and Amy would turn out to be. Sassy, funny, brilliant, emotional, and wonderful. But if Amy and the Doctor had a kid, it would be a little too weird and complicated even for the Whoniverse. She's played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, who is slated to play the Doctor's next companion. How that is going to work out I have no idea, but I'm sure it will be good.

Ep2 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

I wanted so much more from this episode. It has dinosaurs, a spaceship, Queen Nefertiti, Finch (David Bradley) and Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) as Rory's dad. This screams storytelling gold, but unfortunately, it fell flat. The characters were underutilized or used poorly, and the story lacked substance. I don't need all of my stories to be deep and poignant like "A Good Man Goes to War" or "Vincent and the Doctor", but give me something like "Let's Kill Hitler." There was so much more they could have done with this. There were a few really great moments. I enjoyed meeting Rory's dad, Brian Williams, and seeing the interaction between the two of them, and there's a wonderful moment at the end with Brian looking at Earth that is just so touching. It's exactly what I would want to do if I ever had the chance to go to space (a gal can dream.)

Ep3 A Town Called Mercy

And we are back. This is a much stronger episode than Ep2. The tone of the episode is interesting. You'd think with the setting being the Wild West there'd be more humor, but no. There was more humor in Asylum of the Daleks than this. There's a darkness to the story. You get to see more glimpses as to why the Doctor should not travel alone. It's reminiscent of the 10th Doctor in "The Water of Mars." There's also an ambiguity to the story that I would love to see explored more in different episodes. Does someone's good deeds cancel out their bad ones? That said, I think the best part of the episode is Susan. You'll know it when you see it.

My biggest complaint about these episodes is the underutilization of the Ponds. It's established that they are not traveling with the Doctor as much as they used to, but when they are there, they feel like bit characters. The emotional vein is there. You can see how much everyone cares about each other, but let them talk and do stuff. Also, I miss River Song. I want more River.

I really like how they are setting up the Ponds' leaving. I know it will have a fantastic Whovian twist, but right now it's about growing up and growing apart. Everyone can relate to that.

I can't tell if the next couple of episodes are the ones that will really set the tone for the season, or if they will just be a conclusion to a wonderful ride with these companions. Either way, I'm confident that we're in for a ride.

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Talking Aliens, Trek and Salad with Colorist Kate Finnegan

By ladyvader99

Kate Finnegan is a robust, gorgeous 26-year-old ex-RN who currently makes her living as a colorist for Big Dog Ink and Azurek Studios. This Irish beauty hails from Pennsylvania and has a love for Batman that is unrivaled! Her interests include Batman, comics, Star Wars, Batman, Game of Thrones, Photoshopping herself onto men and her ideal mate must possess a strong physical build, resistance to most diseases, sharp eyesight, acute hearing, knowledge of wilderness survival, martial arts, and firearms/other weaponry.

L: Kate, I’m going to start off by saying you are my female soul mate. How does that make you feel?
KF: It makes me feel like a unicorn farted in my chest and then sang me a love song.

L: Hahaha, that is hilarious to picture! Here we go, question #1: if you were a Star Trek [or Star Wars] character, which one would it be and why?
KF: For Star Trek, I would be Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE because I would be bald, smooth, and sexy. Plus, I could run around telling people to “make it so.” For Star Wars, I’ve been told I’m like a female Han Solo even thought I don’t smuggle things on a regular basis. If I got to choose, I’d pick Chewie because then I would never have to shave my legs again and my lush pelt would be a thing of beauty!

Holy Frak! We Survived Another Year!!!

We're two years old today. Where did the time go? This year has been one heck of a ride. It's been full of ups and downs, and through it all, we've had you, the people who support us. To celebrate, I made this:

What's the deal with Phase 3? Our Top Ten Hopes!

Give a big hearty welcome to our newest contributor ladyvader99!  You should know her awesome brain thoughts from IHOGeek!

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By ladyvader99

If you’ve paid attention to what Marvel’s been up to, you’ll notice the words “Phase 2″ lurking over the collective films coming out from 2013-2015 which include Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, Avengers 2, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. While this might be the first time we all squeal over impending sequels and trilogies, the fangirl within can’t help but look off into what the future might hold as this is the best time to be a comic geek. Hundreds of heroes are waiting in the wings with years of story telling just begging to be brought to the big screen. While I would personally LOVE a buddy cop type of flick with Nick Fury and Agent “Cheese” Coulson, I’m going to try to be realistic in my wish list below. These are in addition to whatever other installments of Thor, Captain America, and Avengers Marvel decides to have greenlit, so let’s take a look, shall we?

Drinking the Whovian Kool-Aid

This summer I decided it was time to bite the bullet and check out the series that I had been avoiding, Doctor Who. As someone who loves pop culture, I knew enough about the show to get by, but given its nearly 50 year history, I found it a bit intimidating to just jump into the show. I was encouraged to start with the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, and go from there. Thank you to everyone who said that.

I wanted to write this post a few weeks ago, but I found myself having a really hard time doing so because there's so much to talk about. Each time I sat down to write, I would end up writing a master's thesis on the various aspects of the show. Instead of doing that, I'm going to talk about the very strange journey I went on.

It normally takes me a while to warm up to fandoms. I enjoy shows, books, movies, etc. but I usually don't become a hardcore fan until several months or even years later. This was not the case with Doctor Who. It snuck up on me and then planted itself, refusing to leave.

While watching series 1 with Eccleston, I remember thinking, " Oh, this is interesting and odd. I like the angry quirkiness Eccleston brings, and Rose is pretty cool, even if she does treat Mickey like dirt. Let's see what happens." Then there's the regeneration, and I was bummed, and thought about giving up, but everyone told me I HAD to watch David Tennant's Doctor. So I kept going. 

I found the transition from 9 to 10 a little rough, and I wished there was more Eccleston, but I liked Tennant. He's a bit insane. I hated what happened to Rose, resisted Martha, and later, Donna Noble, but as the series progressed, I found I wanted to watch more episodes in a row. I became more emotional. I became invested. I fell for the Doctor and his companions, not to mention Jack Harkness. I am still convinced John Barrowman is not human or Barrowman is the alias, and he's really Harkness and unable to die. Seriously, he doesn't age! What's up with that?

Con In A Bag! SDCC Edition!

I totally rock MS Paint.

Win our Con in a Bag!!! That's right, I slogged through the San Diego Comic Con floor just to get the best of the best freebies and give it away to our readers!  Four lucky readers will get bags stuffed full of anything that they might possibly get at SDCC. This includes comics, books, buttons, t-shirts, random autographs (Tom Morello anyone?) and tons of random pieces of paper.

Each bag is sponsored by an awesome company, with stuff that you can only find on eBay:

Random Thought: Authors Who Give Up on Their Series

I was staring at my bookcase, not really paying attention to what I was looking at, when one of my books caught my eye. It was by an author I used to read. I started thinking about him. He had a popular series of books of few years ago. They weren't super popular but did well. I loved them. The characters were interesting and funny, and the stories were always twisted and complex but great, quick reads. Perfect to read on a train or at the beach or curled up at home.

Anyhoo, as the series progressed, I got the feeling that the author was growing tired of the characters. He moved his main protagonist to a new location and the plots made a little less sense. Finally, he announced the ending of the series. I was sad, but every story has its time. However, when I read the final book, instead of sad I became angry.

What made this series so good was not only was the main protagonist an extremely likable character, but the group around him was equally incredible. Think Buffy and the Scoobies. That's exactly what this was like, and in the final book, the few who made it into the story were underutilized and some of them completely disappeared, and the explanations given for their disappearance made no sense. Not only that, but the story itself was convoluted, rushed, and lacked all the wonderful elements that had made the series so good. There are books my favorite authors have written that I have not cared for, but rarely have I read something that's made me question the quality of their writing.

I found out later the reason the author ended the series was because he had written a book unrelated to the series that he was extremely proud of, and the fan reception he had gotten was "this is nice, but when does the next ---- book come out?" This understandably upset him. He had put a tremendous amount of work into his book, and it wasn't fair that it was being treated as a placeholder. I read that book; it was great, but I feel like his response was unfair to the fans.

He should have anticipated that kind of response. He created a wonderful series, and that was what he was known for. Yes, he wrote other stuff, but he was best known for his series. It's what made him popular. Of course, that's what the fans were going to want.

I respect his decision to end the series so he could pursue other projects. You can't hold creativity back, but what I don't respect is not giving the characters a proper send off. Sure, we're lucky he was even willing to tie everything up, but in some ways, the final book was so subpar that it might have been better if he didn't write it, did other projects, and may some years down the road revisited the characters and given them a better ending. 

Have you had this experience? Are there writers out there who you felt really dropped the ball on their series'? And for any writers reading this, am I being overly harsh or have you ever felt this way? I'd love to know your side of the story. 

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Meme'd

I made my very first meme!  Super proud of myself and just wanted to share it with the world.  And yes, this is totally real and actually happened to me.

You can share it or add a new caption if you want!  Make sure you post the link to it below and/or share it on our FB Page!

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Random Thought: Will Supernatural Ever Get Adam Out of the Cage?

*Editor's Note - This was published later than when written to ensure that the writer wrote this coherently, and it was not just a string of letters that she thought made a post.

It's 3 AM, and I'm trying to sleep with no luck. I'm laying in bed, computer off, listening to soothing music, doing relaxation techniques, yadda, yadda, yadda, when I suddenly find myself wondering about Supernatural and the *SPOILER ALERT* third Winchester brother, Adam. 

Save me!!!

For those of you who might not remember, Adam is Sam and Dean's half-brother, who was killed by ghouls in season 4, only to be brought back to be the meat suit for the Archangel Michael when Dean refused. Both Sam/Lucifer and Adam/Michael fell into the Cage in hell during the climatic finale of season 5. Sam got out but was lacking a soul, and Dean tried to get it back and Adam out but was told he could only choose one. Naturally, he chose Sam. It wouldn't be a show without Sam, but is that it? Are the Winchester men really going to let Adam stay in hell? Or will this be one of those plots that get mysteriously dropped and never spoken of again similar to the younger sister on Family Matters, who went upstairs and never returned? Or before the show comes to an end, will the Winchesters mount an epic rescue mission, taking on the hordes of hell to save the last piece of their family?

More importantly, why is this what pops into my head when I am trying to sleep? Does this happen to anyone else? I'm going back to bed. Clearly, I need some sleep.

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5 Signs That The Article You’re Reading May Not Be Written By A Geek

Let's give a nice [IGH] welcome to our newest guest contributor, LoudmouthLee!

My name is LoudmouthLee, and I am a nerd.

I am also a geek, but I’m pretty sure that nerd encompasses who I am more than anything else. I love trivia, I have an unquenchable desire to learn. I have odd hobbies, and I like to read… a lot.

I’m really proud of my offbeat sense of humor. I’m a teacher, and my students will tell you the same thing… Mr. D is WEIRD…. but we love him.

Back in the day, no one wanted to be called a nerd. It meant you were an outcast. You were picked on, bullied… It hurt. I vowed to myself that when I became a teacher, I would do everything in my power to make sure that the future geeks, nerds, goths, potheads, etc. all had a safe haven with me… And throughout my career so far, I’ve been successful.

The past few years have seen a boon to the geek subculture. All of a sudden, being labeled a geek was… well… awesome. Hot girls started wearing I <3  Geeks shirts. Even television began to embrace geeky characters.

The geeks embraced this to no end.

However, there’s something wrong… and we need to unite!

After being linked to and reading Jenn Hoffman’s column entitled “10 Signs She’s Not Really A Nerd," I stared blankly at the screen for a few moments. I began to have this pit in my stomach… and I think it’s time for someone to set these pseudo-geeks straight.

Jenn Hoffman has done her best, in one single post, to try to exclude people from the subculture. The geek subculture is predicated on acceptance. As a geek, or a nerd… most of us have felt excluded at one time or another… possibly ashamed of who we were.

Why would we go out of our way to do exactly what others have done to us forever?

With that, I give you this: 

5 Signs That The Article You’re Reading May Not Be Written By A Geek

If you aren’t expecting a sarcasm bomb… consider this your fair warning.

1) If the article excludes people from being a part of the club.

Face it, all of us are geeks, in some way, shape, or form. Some just hide it better than others. Some people neglect to embrace their geekiness in fear of rejection or backlash. We need for these people to feel more confident in who they are, not knock them down a few pegs, thereby pushing them to the side of a subculture that they are begging to be a part of.

2) If the article resorts to appearance in order to classify between real geek and fake geek.

I don’t need glasses. I still have me a nice pair of nerd glasses. I use them when I’m looking at the computer screen for a long time, or when I want to look smarter than I really am (AKA: Parent Teacher Conferences). Whether or not I actually have the glasses on doesn’t make me a nerd or not one. It just makes me come to the realization that, to this day, I am still completely clueless about fashion.

3) If the article uses “Ranch Dressing” as an appropriate test for anything…

You better not, EVER, sully the name of ranch dressing every again. I want me some cheese fries with bacon and ranch dressing. Yum.

4) If the article thinks that listing other geeks in your blog posts gives you credit.

Chris Hardwick is funny as hell. Seriously. He makes me laugh. Just because I’m namedropping doesn’t mean that you should take me any more seriously. Anyway, I prefer Alton Brown over all of the other nerds that Ms. Hoffman may have listed. I have met some pretty clueless nerds out there, except for their field. I have a few friends who are not book or science smart, but are ridiculously awesome bowlers. Some have amazing marble collections. Are they geeks/nerds? Sure. Don’t hate and don’t name drop. PS: I <3 Wil Wheaton! OMG

5) If the article finds a way to completely ostracize the writer’s own gender in an article.

The article referenced above does a very good job in pointing out the girls are stupid, fakers, and some don’t belong in the super-secret geek club. They fake their way to fit in, because they’re not fitting in anywhere else.

Oh wait. That sounds familiar.

I am the proud father of a 1 ½ year old daughter. I’m going to raise her to know that she can do ANYTHING that she wants to do. She can be ANYTHING she wants to be. Just not a porn star. Sorry. I have to draw the line somewhere.

The truth of the matter is, well… everyone has flaws. Everyone wants to be accepted. Please don’t tell me that you’ve never tried to be someone else just to impress someone. Bullpoop.

We’ve all been pushed down, spit at, and told we aren’t good enough. Now that we’re in the limelight, don’t you DARE go and be one of them. Ms. Hoffman, you’re the bully in this situation, and I think you owe the geek girls of this world an apology. You’ve done them a disservice.

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