Review: Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

A few weeks ago, an acquaintance handed me a book and said he thought I’d like it. I didn’t know him very well; we only spoke occasionally, but I took the book and was automatically intrigued. The book was Mermaid, A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon.

The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, and one of my favorite fairy tales. I grew up wishing I could be Ariel (Disney ending, not the original). This might also be the reason I want to be a redhead, but I digress.

How can you not love the hair? 

Goodreads.com summarizes it as, “The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart...” but I disagree. While it is the story of two different women, the worlds are not best kept apart. If anything, the story is more about uniting all lands and worlds, whether it can or should be done, and the sacrifices that must be made to do so.

The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and the alternating between the mermaid and the mortal give the story a little something extra. Even with knowing how the story is supposed to end, I cared enough about each woman that I didn’t know who should end up with who. Anyone who can take a familiar story and still manage to surprise me is aces in my book.

One of the best things Carolyn Turgeon has managed to capture is the wonder a person feels when they see something amazing and magical for the first time. Seeing our world through the eyes of the mermaid makes me appreciate the good a little more, and seeing the ocean through both the mermaid and the mortal make me want to explore its secrets (I should probably learn to swim first).

It’s a darker version of the classic story. It stays true to Andersen’s original tale, and is very graphic at times, but as tragic as the story was, I saw more hope and love in the pages than pain. I felt like everyone was trying to do the best they could with their circumstances, and no one was out to intentionally hurt anyone else.

I loved the book. It recaptured old feelings of wonder and magic. Mermaid is published by Three Rivers and it slated for release in March 2011. To learn more about Carolyn Turgeon, check out her blog here.

We are 3 months old and we love Denmark

Today is our 3 month anniversary and I want to share some fun stats with you. We have been read in over 50 countries on 6 continents! YAY! We are still holding out for Antarctica, so if you know someone who could make that happen, that would be awesome. Now, since we are a US-based blog, our #1 country of readers is the US. But in the #2 spot is Denmark!

Hellllooo Denmark!

Since you are our (second) biggest fans, we want to get to know ya better. We know we write for US geeks but let us know about the fun stuff going on in Denmark. We care about all of our readers so please tell us about yourselves in the comments below.

Top 5 Countries who read [insertgeekhere]

1. United States
2. Denmark
3. Canada
4. United Kingdom
5. Australia

We also want to learn about our Canadian, British, and Australian friends, so please comment too! Don't feel bad if your country didn't make the list - just encourage your friends to read us!

Musical Friday - Grammy Noms (nom nom nom)

It's Grammy time! The nominations were announced last week and as usual it was filled with the obvious, some surprises, and the random. So today, we celebrate some of the picks with their parodies... Enjoy!

California Gurls - Katy Perry and Snoop Dog (Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals)




Love the Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Song)




Hey, Soul Sister - Train (Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals)




As an added bonus, because it's just so awesome--- *warning* NSFW

F*ck You - Cee-Lo Green (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban/Alternative Performance)



There you have it! A few highlights of the nominations. Here's the complete list. What do you think of this year's crop? Anyone you think was snubbed or should not be on the list? Til next week...

Support Star Wars and Geek Pride for Katie

Do you know what today is? Today is Support Star Wars and Geek Pride for Katie Day! If you are not sure who Katie is and why she is awesome, then climb out from under that rock and learn a bit.


Katie is a first grader in Chicago, who was being teased for bringing her Star Wars water bottle to school because the boys in her grade said that Star Wars was only for boys. She got very upset and tried to hide her geek pride. Luckily, she had very supportive parents who encouraged her to stand up to them! Her mom is also a blogger who wrote about this for Anti-Bullying week. Well, the geek girls saw this and took up the call. She got so many comments on that entry that the site had to set up a new page.

From Fanpop.com

That is why today is dedicated to Katie, to show her that everyone, boy or girl, can love Star Wars, sci-fi, and fantasy no matter what other people think! In solidarity, today you should wear something Star Wars to show that you love it too! Katie's parents also request that, since it is the holiday season, you donate a Star Wars gift to a toy drive and specify that it is for a boy or a girl.

To Katie:
Rock on! We all support you and hope that you let no one keep you down!
You are great just the way you are. :)

You can also join the event on Facebook here and see what other people are saying.

Geeky Gifts that Give Back

Still stumped for the perfect Christmas presents? The one that makes you seem like the bestest person on Earth? The one that is talked about for years to come. Well, we have got you covered with a great Geek Gift List. But we take it one step further. Each of these geeky gifts we have listed support a great cause. So kill two birds with one stone and help others as you help yourself...shop!

Blogger Body Calendar

Blogger Body Calendar project exists to promote a healthy body image. These bloggers bare all to raise money for the National Eating Disorders Association. This is such a great thing that these bloggers do and they are proving that healthy is beautiful . Get this for the socially conscious geek on your list.
Thanks to @GeekGirlDiva for letting me know about this!

$18 I Want This!

Comic-Con: 40 Years of Artists, Writers, Fans, and Friends!

The awesome people that bring us San Diego Comic Con bring us a book documenting the last 40 years of the best con on earth. All the proceeds go to support SDCC, which is a non-profit. After going to this for the first time in July, I want to support them, but this is also something I really want! Best part: Shipping is free on your first two books, so you can get one as a gift and one as a gift for me...or yourself. Make sure you order yours soon because all orders after December 17th won't ship until January 3, 2011. This is the perfect gift for the con-crazed geek on your list.

$40 I Want This!

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: Reward Zone

CBLDF is fundraising this holiday season with a variety of amazing gifts in their Reward Zone and eBay Store. This includes books, signed books, signed art, signed comics... Do you see a pattern? My favorite item is the In Reilig Oran Print by Neil Gaiman and Tony Harris. This can only be found at CBLDF and you can get it signed by Neil Gaiman and Tony Harris in time to be under the tree. Can't pick one thing out? Then get a CBLDF membership so your friends and family can be card-carrying geeks too! This is perfect for the activist geek on your list!

$100, signed or $20, unsigned I Want This!
$25 Membership I Want This!

#BoobieWed Epic Geek Girls Calendar

This is calendar organized by Natali of the UberDork Cafe and CoHost of The Power Geeks podcast. This calendar is super useful because it lists ALL of the major Comic Cons! Never miss a con again with this handy-dandy reminder! Part of the proceeds go to support Breast Cancer awareness and research, which is something that affects everyone. This is great for the pink comic geek on your list.

$15 I Want This!

The Hero Initiative: eBay Store

If you don't know, The Hero Initiative provides financial and medical aid to comic creators and even helps them continue working, which is so important in this economy. What you probably don't know is that The Hero Initiative has the bestest eBay store ever! With stuff to buy and stuff to bid on, donating to a cause has never been more drool-worthy! I saw a bunch of potential gifties here, including some #600 Archie Comics that have original artwork on them! Shiny! My top gift pick has to be the Stan's Soapbox Limited Edition Hard Cover. Why is this so great? Cause it is SIGNED BY STAN LEE AND JOHN ROMITA!! Not to mention that it's numbered... This is a great gifty for that hard core Marvel geek on your list!


$99 I Want This!

Four Questions I want to send out into the Internet Void

As I sit here trying to write about a topic, any topic that would be mildly interesting, I find that I
have too many questions and not enough answers. I ask the Internet Void to answer me.....though I doubt I will get the answers I want.



1 - Why does Syfy make such crappy movies and such great TV shows?

You would think by now that they would be able to do both. If the right people are what it takes, you know that you have them. Just ask them to squeeze out a movie in between shows. Jane Espenson makes some of the best shows on Syfy, just hire her for one more movie. I guarantee you won't regret it.


2 - Why do they continue to destroy my childhood by remaking TV shows into crappy movies?

Yogi Bear is enough but hearing about the Thundercats movie is too much. Just leave them alone and my memories untarnished. Sometimes it is just for the best. If you mess with She-Ra, I will cut you.


3 - Why do they continue to (poorly) reboot movies that are considered classics?


You may think that this comes from the Buffy reboot, but the reboot that angered me the most is Yours, Mine and Ours from 1968. Classic movie that was destroyed in 2005 by a movie that was nothing like the original. They basically took most of the backstory and filled in the rest with stupidity. Just makes me :(


4 - When are Video Game companies just admit they are trying to recreate the holodeck from Star Trek?

C'mon the Wii, Playstation Move, and XBox Kinect are just precursors to Star Trek's holodeck. All of these engineers just need to admit they are fulfilling that fantasy. Yes, it's true they may also have a dark desire to really kill zombies or play in the NBA, but I choose to believe that this stems back to spending their childhood watching them hangout in the Enterprise holodeck.


Do you have any answers, oh Great Void? 'Cause all of these things kinda piss me off.

All the Buffy opinions are in and we have a highfive!

So the Buffy Reboot news is in and we have learned a few facts:

1 - Kristy Swanson loves the idea and wants in.
2 - Joss = :(
3 - Warner Bros. says they asked Joss first!
4 - Fox had first dibs on reboot and passed
5 - Wait, Wha?!

Yep, that is the one story that fans seemed to miss in all this.

Fox got one right!!!

Yes, they really hurt us with Firefly. The way they handled that was terrible and awful and makes me want to curl into a tiny ball while I wear my Jayne hat. Some fans feel like they hurt us with Dollhouse but I really feel like they protected us. They didn't have to give us season 2 and they did. That says something. But this is a brand new day! They have finally learned what we are worth and that makes me feel loved.

Highfive Fox. You earned it.

From Classic Fun

This is part of our ongoing "Buffy Movie" coverage. You can read our posts here and here.
To see what others are saying about this, check out Action Flick Chick's Reboot Reactions roundup here.

Musical Friday - VideoSongs, An Educational Tour Through Music History

Hey Getsuyobi!  Just what is this crazy VideoSong thing I keep hearing about?

I'm glad you asked, Timmy.  A VideoSong is a form of music video that is posted on the "Inter-Web."  Artist Jack Conte is the one who pioneered the novel concept of actually singing and playing instruments in order to make music, something that has not been actively practiced in America since the late 60's.

Wowee!  That's educational!  So, what makes a VideoSong different from any other music video?

 Jack Conte defines a VideoSong by two main principles:

1. What you see is what you hear. (No lip-syncing for instruments or voice)
2. If you hear it, at some point you see it. (No hidden sounds)

So, throughout the video you'll see each instrument as it's contributing.  The end result is an exciting look at how real music is made.  Let's take a look at a VideoSong, so you can get a better idea.

Gee wiz.  This sure is different from all the music videos I see on TV.  I didn't see a single whore the whole video.  Are you allowed to make music videos without whores?

Well Timmy, I can't speak for these people personally; however, they certainly don't appear to be whores.  It's a common misconception by today's youth that all musicians either are themselves, or constantly associate with "ladies of questionable upbringing."  Historians have proven that this trend first began in prehistoric times with a musical group that called themselves Sonny & Cher.  Little is known about these prehistoric musicians, but our fossil-oligists believe that the one known as Cher lived to be thousands of years old before fading away into obscurity.

History is confusing.  My whole world is turning upside down.

Let's watch another!

So, people actually used to play music with instruments?  I thought music just came out of fast cars and explosions, then sexy people would sing around them.

Wow Timmy.  You really are a brainwashed little guy, aren't you.  No more MTV for you... in fact, no more TV altogether.

What's a TV?  I steal all of my entertainment from the web.

What the hell kind of child are you?!  Watch another video while I call your parents...

Okay, Timmy. I spoke with your Mother and she assured me that you are just an average America child.  I'm going to end our educational session for today and go drink.

Red Bull?

You're only eight years old!!!

I cut it with milk.

::facepalm::  I weep for the future.

Confessions of a Former Mafia Wars Addict

Why and how I finally left Mafia Wars:

If you’re on Facebook or MySpace, then you’re probably familiar with a little game called Mafia Wars. Or maybe you know one of its less violent sister games like Farmville, YoVille or Café World. Mafia Wars is a click game that was conceived by the diabolically brilliant minds at Zynga Games. It takes you through various jobs and fights and locations as you gain power in the underworld.

When I first started playing, it seemed like a fun way to kill a little time and have some fun with friends I don’t get to see often, but as time went on, I noticed my fun little game became less fun and more of a need. In my mafia, I was the player at the highest level and was one of its most powerful members. I was willing to do almost anything to stay that way, even if it meant playing several times a day, or worse, spending money so I can get reward points to get better loot and refresh my stats. What can I say? I never had a gaming console growing up and can't afford a game like World of Warcraft. (Seriously, this is a poor & lazy man's version of WoW)


So what made me finally say enough was enough? Easy. The game itself. Several months before I finally stopped, I woke up to the fact that I wasn’t enjoying the game as much, but I figured they were adding new features so it was bound to get better. Bangkok had been disappointing because, while it offered some new features, it was really expensive and took a long time to finish. Each time a new city was added I would jump on it, and I was really excited when they announced they were adding Las Vegas. It was supposed to be completely different from the previous cities. Zynga promised a completely different experience and in that sense, they delivered.



Las Vegas was a welcomed change. The images were gorgeous, the set up was different and for the first time in a long while, I was having fun with game again. At least I was until I got to the boss fights on the last level of each stage.

One of the goals of Mafia Wars is to work together with your friends to conquer the cities. It’s a great idea. It lets you socialize with your people and maybe make new friends. There are forums and groups dedicated to finding new members for your mafia. However, for someone like me, who didn’t want to go trolling the boards for strangers, Las Vegas became a huge problem. In the new version, when you got to level four of each level's final boss fight, if you didn’t have many people helping you, you couldn’t advance. There are tricks you can do to help yourself, but Zynga took that into account, and made those bosses regenerate health after a few minutes. So not only did you have to have people helping you, but you had to receive help immediately. Where’s the fun in that?



That’s what made me snap. Here I was, a reasonably powerful player, and I couldn’t finish the damn level because I didn’t have enough people to help me. Not to mention, in my desire to beat the stupid game, I went on a small spending binge to try and get more powerful. Nothing worked. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t happy in the game, but I couldn’t bring myself to quit; I'd spent three or four years building up my mafia. But I wanted to. I really did.

Then a tiny miracle appeared in the form of New York Comic Con. I tried to keep up with it, but I was so busy during the day and without my computer, then so exhausted at night, I just didn’t have the energy to play. It was a weird time. I felt the lure of the game. I wanted to play so badly, but I knew if I was ever going to quit, now was the time because I wasn’t going to be that busy any other time in the near future. So I stayed away.



The days after NYCC were the worst. I was going through Con and Mafia Wars withdrawal. It might sound odd talking about it like an addiction, but that’s what it felt like. I craved the game. Every time a friend requested help or sent me a gift, I wanted to respond, but I knew if I did, I’d be sucked back in. I tried playing a few of the other click games I liked to take the edge off, but that just made things worse. I started getting extra obsessive about them. Finally, after a couple of weeks, I hid all Mafia Wars posts from my wall. I told my friends I was slowly leaving the game, but I wanted to try and help out a few people before I went, as long as it was under supervision. I didn’t trust myself.



I never got around to helping anyone out, but recently, I felt like I could handle going back into the game to give out some of my loot. I’ll admit I fell off the wagon and played a little in Bangkok. I really did want to finish it, and it was gnawing at me, so I spent a few days finishing level one. I don't know why this was bothering me so much, but I didn't feel like I could completely leave the game unless I completed it. While I was playing, I started to feel those same obsessive twinges again and I didn’t like it. I could have easily just gone nuts again, but I didn't, and as soon as I finished level one I deleted my account. 


I would be lying if I said I didn't ever want to play again. I still do. I miss sending gifts to my friends and helping them out. I miss leveling and getting cool loot, but there are a lot of things I don't, such as having a very cluttered wall or cluttering up my non-playing friends' walls with help requests or feeling the pressure to complete the limited missions. But you know what I really don't miss? The pressure for keep leveling or finish the various cities as quickly as possible. The fact is the biggest feeling I felt when I deleted the account was relief. I felt like I could breathe a little easier, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Now I just need to find a way to channel all that pent up "gaming" energy. Anyone want to get me a console? 

Opinion: What to Do When the Buffy Reboot Comes Out

Ever since it was announced that Warner Bros. was going to go ahead with their cockamamie plan for a Buffy reboot, the Whedonverse fans have been in an uproar. I am among them, and I have been trying to figure out what the best way to deal with this is. Many fans say to boycott the movie. That was my initial reaction, but as I gave it more thought and read more comments across the internet, an idea started to form.

We, as fans, have to decide if we are Whedon fans, Buffy fans, or both. The Whedon fans are those loyal to all things Whedon, while the Buffy fans care more about her than the man who brought her to life. If one is a Whedon fan then it makes sense to boycott the movie. It is absolutely ridiculous to make a movie without its creator, but it has been done before. A perfect example is the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Wes Craven created him, but he does not own Freddy Krueger, and this led to a lot of problems with most of the sequels. In fact, the sequels that are considered the best of the bunch are the ones Wes worked on, Dream Warriors and A New Nightmare. This is what we are trying to avoid with Buffy. We don't want a new movie that is going to suck so hard Warner Bros. starts clamoring for Joss to come and make a better Buffy movie to wipe away the taint of the second movie. While we would like a Joss made movie, I don't think he would do it. Joss has been screwed over so many times by the industry, I have a hard time believing he'd make a Buffy movie. Maybe in a decade or two, long after the comics have ceased to exist, the fans are going rabid, and an embarrassingly large amount of money is thrown his way.

We are all going to be monitoring the progress of the reboot. We will be critical of casting decisions, who the crew is, and most importantly, the story and how it's written, but ultimately, I think the movie will have to be seen. I do not believe it will be a good movie, but I have to wonder what if Whit Anderson pulls off a miracle and writes an amazing movie? What if she genuinely pays homage to Joss? As a Buffy fan, I think it would be terrible not to experience the movie if it is great, but if the movie is bad, there is no way I am putting down hard earned money for something that is pooping all over a 'verse I love. So, what to do?

I propose we send in designated viewers. We convince one or two of our friends to see the movie and then report back to us. If they deem the movie worthy, we go in droves to support it. If it's unworthy, we get to not only issue a GINORMOUS "I told you so" to anyone and everyone who will listen, including the execs who green-lit the project, but we will be able to explain exactly what was wrong with it, other than Joss' absence.

Warner Bros. does not understand just how intelligent and driven Whedon fans are. They think if it says "Buffy," we will put down money to see it, no matter what the quality is. Once again, they underestimate us. We are the fans who created such a demand for Firefly that it was released on DVD, we got Dollhouse a second season, and we are the ones who brought Serenity to the big screen. There would be no Buffy, Angel, Dr. Horrible, Firefly, or any of the various spin off comics without us. We have made the Whedonverse a lucrative one because we are fiercely loyal, but we will not settle for crap.

So please, don't out right boycott the movie if you are a Buffy fan, but do NOT give a lot of money to the movie until it has proven its worth. Show Warner Bros. they cannot take us and Joss Whedon for granted.

This is part of our ongoing "Buffy Movie" coverage. You can read our first post here.
To see what others are saying about this, check out Action Flick Chick's Reboot Reactions roundup here.

The Giveaway-Gasm ends with a missing trenchcoat and two winners!

So I had a very interesting Thanksgiving with a very interesting dinner guest......Rorschach!



While he was a little cranky about being bothered on his vacation, he was nice enough to pick the two lucky winners of the "Con in a Bag" giveaway! And the winners are.....

@calmond and @sarathelaundres

Congratulations to our lucky winners!! I am positive that the crowds will be better at your con!

Musical Friday: Black Friday Exhaustion Edition

While Thanksgiving is a national holiday, it really is only the pre-event to the true American holiday, Black Friday. We as a country glorify and/or despise this day in all its greatness. Join me as we celebrate it through song.

This is the best Black Friday video I could find. Jake Broder and John Keefe really bring the true meaning of the holiday into their rap.

2bitcomic.com put this Black Friday Customer Experience to life in this video. This rap battle is played by Brian King and an irate customer played by Jason Monroe.




Doesn't this get you into the shopping spirit? So what are you still doing here?! Go Shopping!!

Firebreather Premiere on Cartoon Network!

Have you read Firebreather yet? It is the classic tale of the outcast kid in high school, with the nerdy best friend, the girl he has a crush on, his overprotective Mom and his demon of a father. Not to mention his government escort...and the fact that he is part dragon. Trapped between worlds, he fights to just find a place to belong. Duncan has the makings of the classic hero in training with a daddy complex.

Courtesy of Cartoon Network

I had the pleasure of meeting creators Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn briefly at New York Comic Con after only reading the one-shot of "The Iron Saint". It was one of those moments where I completely ignored both of them and just went straight for the book, excited to see this character I had just begun to learn about. They were both so excited to meet me (still have no idea why) and they encouraged me to keep reading, so I just got the latest issue today so I can keep up with this amazing series. While talking with them, they both seemed super excited about this film and reaching a whole new audience. Unfortunately, I missed the premiere at NYCC (grrrr) but I have my second chance tonight (yay!) at 7pm EST, when it premieres on Cartoon Network! This is Cartoon Networks first CGI movie, and it looks great. (I'm not 100% sure but I think that Duncan looks too human but I am going to hold off on complaining until I see the movie.) Tune in tonight!

Assemble the troops, we have a demon to fight.

Courtesy of Active Dollhouse

When will movie execs learn not to mess with our favorite characters? While I understand that rebooting a story is cheaper than creating a new one, when it is done poorly, it just brings the whole saga down. Which is why I died a little this afternoon.

Today we learned that Warner Bros. will be rebooting Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Joss Whedon at the helm. More than a few things about this infuriate me, so here they are:

1 - This news is maddening since they say in the press release that:


"There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this character’s return to the big screen."


As a member of this "active fan base", I just want to say this is not what I want. This is not what my fellow Buffy fans want. We want our slayer to be continued by her creator, Joss Whedon. This is the same person that is continuing the Buffy character right now in comics. Did they miss that?

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

2 - Speaking of Joss, what is this statement?


"Warner Bros. Pictures optioned the rights from creators Fran and Kaz Kuzui"


Am I missing something or didn't Joss Whedon create Buffy? They are producers. I will credit them with helping give BtVS a chance to be seen but they didn't create it. They paid for it. I paid for this computer but that doesn't mean that I can say I built it and Dell can go to hell.


3 - BtVS (the show) only ended in 2003. With most remakes happening decades after the end, why rush this? If you really care about the character's development, take the time to work on it. According to the LA Times, this could be out late 2011 or 2012. To work on having it out in 2012, the same time as Joss Whedon's Avengers, seems to be rushed. I wonder why?

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

4 - To have this written by a complete newcomer also worries me. Whit Anderson has done nothing that I can find. Taking on rebooting a fairly recent story as a first project sounds like a daunting and overwhelming task. Most actors, writers and directors are often scared to reimagine beloved characters, lest bringing the wrath of the fans. As fans, we achieved Serenity from a TV show, Firefly, that was canceled almost immediately. We convinced Fox to give Dollhouse a chance to tell its story. When we have shown our passion for these characters, the industry has taken notice. I wish that Whit Anderson feels that fear and respect for us, for Joss and for this character. We all deserve it.

"Now, we can do this the hard way or... well, actually, there's just the hard way. "

Yes, I can admit, perhaps I am jumping the gun and getting a little too excited about this, but I grew up with Buffy, Xander and Willow. They were a year ahead of me in school. They dealt with things I feared before I did: the Prom, Graduation, College Roommates.... Right now, I feel like my fandom is being tarnished and I don't like it. We need to let Warner Bros. know that this is not what we want and they will have to do it without us and our $$.

Source: For those interested, here is a link to the full release on The Wrap.



*Update* Joss has spoken. As with every other time the industry has screwed him over, he has responded with humor, intelligence, and most importantly, class. For that, Joss, we love you all the more.

The Walking Dead on AMC: Midseason Thoughts

We’re now halfway through the first season, so I decided to revisit the comics and see what the show was doing differently and how they were staying the true to the comics. 

The biggest difference is the addition of people. In the comics, the original camp group was much smaller. I like how they incorporated the new people into the show, such as lines that Rick might have said in the comic are now designated to one of the newbies. The additional people also add a heightened sense of drama. In the comics, other than some petty issues, everyone seemed to get along, while in the show, there are more diverse personalities, which leads to more tension among the survivors. Yeah, I’m referring to Merle.

Speaking of Merle, I can’t wait to see what the writers have planned for him. He’s a loon but you can’t deny how disturbingly mesmerizing he is. Unless he dies really soon, he’s a character who’s going to go off the deep end, but will wreck a lot of havoc before he goes. Hell, even if he dies soon, he’s going to cause trouble. It would be a shame if he didn’t. But I am hoping he sticks around for a little while.

Right now, the show is in the thick of the first trade paperback. Rick’s made his way to Atlanta, and joined up with the others. I’m not sure how much longer the show can keep them at their current location, but I can see it going on for a few more episodes if they wanted to, and that leads me to my biggest complaint about the show diverging from the comic: Shane’s relationship with Lori.

Here’s where it gets a little spoilery, folks. This is the one storyline that has me concerned. In the comic, Lori seeks comfort with Shane for ONE night. ONE. Later on, she says it was a big mistake. In the show, it appears as though the relationship is ongoing. She might have still been doing it for comfort but damn! Girlfriend was enjoying the hell out of it. This was more than just comfort. This was a full on affair, complete with sneaking around, ending only because Rick came along. Since there’s speculation as to whether Shane’s fate will be the same as in the comics, I worry this affair could lead to something a little too soap opera-ish. Sometimes, nipping a problem like this in the bud frees up the characters, so they can develop in new ways. That’s my hope. I hope we don’t have to deal with this for more than a few more episodes, and we can move on to all the other developments that occur in the story.

Courtesy of AMC

My other concern is Shane, himself. I’m all for switching things up and keeping him around for a while, but if the writers don’t stick with his original story, I’m going to be so pissed. Shane’s arc is such a defining event and so important to the development of other characters, that it would be a disservice to the fans to alter it too much.

Now, if I may geek out for a minute and say, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I love this show!” I can barely watch horror movies anymore because my overactive imagination gets the best of me, but not only am I watching this (during the daylight hours), I’m re-watching it. I am so stoked about it getting a second season pick up. If the show can maintain the level of quality it’s established for itself, it will go on for a long, long time.

What are your thoughts on the show so far? What do you think of Shane and Lori? Do you like the changes or hate them? Who wants more Merle?

Musical Friday - Potter-Mania!!!

The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is out today! Yay! So naturally, I had to find the oddest yet most popular Harry Potter videos floating around.

Harry Potter (Before We Say Goodbye)



Parodying Train's "Hey Soul Sister," JamesAtWar has a great voice, and knows how to tug at one's heartstrings. The lyrics are great and the kids are just too darn cute! It's a really sweet ode to Harry Potter.

Harry Potter in the Hood w/Kamen Edwards



I'll be honest, I have no idea what to say about this one. I couldn't stop laughing, and I noticed Kamen seems to be wearing a lot of makeup. Harry gettin' gangsta' - 'Nuff said.

The Harry Potter Rap



An oldie but a messed up goodie. Ever notice how a lot of the parodies talk about Harry hooking up with ALL the ladies? Except for our final video...

Harry Potter Rap! - Flo Rida/Guetta Parody



I have to thank The Girly Nerds for introducing me to this. I think this might be my favorite of the bunch. I love this song and it's just so much fun!

And there you have it! Who else is excited about The Deathly Hallows? Who's seeing it this weekend? You know even Dementors couldn't keep the IGH team from seeing it. Let's us know what you think!

Review: Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale

Finally released (after years of impatient waiting) is The Shepherd's Tale by Joss and Zack Whedon. This story answers the questions of the mysterious Shepherd Book, such as how does a preacher shoot a kneecap so well?

Minor Spoilers Ahead!!!!

The story starts on Haven, the planet community that Book starts after he leaves Serenity (the ship). We actually are watching the very scene from the movie where Haven is destroyed, which is kind of depressing but does fill in some interesting backstory. Here is where we get my favorite quote of the book, from the good Shepherd himself:

"Well, if you look at your life as a chain of events, each responsible for the next and caused by the last, where does any story begin?"

As the scene continues and the fight begins, Shepard Book begins to flash back on his life and we jump back in time a few years to Book living on Serenity (the ship), observing the crew we all know and love. We see them through Book's eyes, as he observes them in their daily scraps, such as Jayne being Jayne or Mal fighting with a arms dealer. We can see the sadness in Book's eyes when he goes to his quarters to pray. As he prays for the crew, we jump backwards again to the Abbey he lived in before joining the Serenity. And back and back we go through his life, learning about how that man got to be our Shepherd Book.

This is a powerful story that really tries to explore what makes a man choose a path and how he lives with that choice. I, along with many Browncoats, did predict some of his past but Joss and Zack threw in a few twists that shocked and surprised me. I like surprises. Best of all, this helps to sum up a mystery left hanging for the past few years. I particularly like the one scene when Book really begins to see how the whole universe is connected and how everything depends on each other.

This "tale" was written by Joss and Zack Whedon, with the art of Chris Samnee. The brothers came together to write this, with Joss penning the outline of the story and Zack taking it from there. This has a strong resemblance to the show and really supports this character. I have read that the timeline in the book doesn't exactly match up to the show but in my opinion, it doesn't hurt the story at all. The art takes some time to get used to. At first, it did bother me because it seemed so dark and shaded, but once I began to see the whole book as a memory, it began to feel more comfortable. The story made the art work.

This is the third Firefly/Serenity comic from Dark Horse Comics and they have hinted that there will be more to come. If you haven't gotten it, go already and pick it up!!! This is a great story that everyone (especially Browncoats) should read. It would even make a great TV show...... :(

Giveaway-Gasm!

Can you believe it's November already? As the 2010 Con year comes to a close, do you feel that you missed out? Well no worries, we have the "Con Experience" for you. At New York Comic Con, we got so much stuff that we created the ultimate NYCC gift bag, including everything and anything you might have picked up. Free comics? Check. Random Flyers? Check. T-shirt with weird advertising? Check. Pins? Big Check. That's not all! There is even more fun and randomness in the bag! Oh, did I say bag? I meant bags, because we have TWO to give away!!!

To enter, tweet the magic phrase
"I want my "Con in a Bag" from @IGHInsider!"

Don't have twitter? Email us at insertgeekhere@gmail.com.

You have until November 24!!! Enter now!!

An Android G2, Windows Phone 7 & iPhone 4 Get Into a Grilling Contest...

Sound like the beginning of a bad joke, right? Think again! It happened and we have it here for you! Sites like Mashable and Engadget have been talking about, it's one of the hot videos circulating the web, so naturally, we had to bring it to you. Enjoy!

Musical Friday - Literal Version

Good afternoon gentle readers! (Picture me sitting in an armchair wearing a smoking jacket) Today we tackle the literal video. Many recording artists put out videos that help enhance the theme of their songs, while others take a more creative approach, and give us more... unique, conceptual videos. Some of these videos are hard to understand or just make no sense. This is what happens when fans get tired of the confusion and take matters into their own hands.

Take On Me - A-Ha

Said to be the literal video that ignited the genre, created by DustoMcNeato, who has been making literal videos since 2008. He has some of the most entertaining videos out there. You can check them out here.

Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar

Dascottjr is another master of literal videos. Always entertaining and this one features on of the best literal choreographed dance scenes. Smiles are guaranteed!

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler

By far, the best literal video I've come across. This is my all-time favorite. It's so good it's a 2010 Webby Award Honoree, TIME's #6 Top Viral Video of 2009, and TIME's #18 Top YouTube Video!!! 

Not all literal videos are created from 80's songs; they just seem like the most fun. Seriously, what was going on in the 80's? Those videos are crazy! We'll probably revisit this theme with vids from the 90's, another decade filled with awesome "wtf?" videos. Until then, I leave you with one of the cutest, semi-literal videos I found.

Laundry Day - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog