Batgirl #40 Review

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.  Those are the first words I thought of when I saw the cover for “Batgirl” this week.  As a big fan of Prince and Purple Rain, this was a must have the second I saw it.  I bet some of you are saying, why are you doing a review based on the cover?  Well...because I can that's why!  Just kidding everyone, there is no need to click that little X in the corner.  Just stay right here and keep reading.

Batgirl 40 begins with Batgirl facing off against a computerized darker version of herself. Said darker version of Batgirl is a result of a computer program that she was working on while recuperating from her injury, inflicted upon her by The Joker.  This digital version of Barbara has been corrupted by her own anger at what has happened to her.  Riot Black makes an appearance as an enforcer for the corrupted version of Batgirl.  His inclusion in the issue is brief, and fits in nicely. When Batgirl discovers the her corrupted version plans to kill residents of Gotham who may have become criminals or have criminal connections later in life,  Batgirl is able to free herself.

This issue is action packed and reads incredibly quickly.  The issue passes quickly because it really never stops, which I happen to love. Constant action, no areas of distraction and or boredom from a lull in action.. This issue is done in such a way that you never get tired of what's going on.  The dialogue is fun and written in a way that expresses the writer's deep comprehension of the characters for whom they write. Personally, I think this is really refreshing because there are instances in which writers don't seem to understand or have a grasp on their characters.  

The art is great in this issue.  The corrupted Barbara is drawn to portray a static image, which fits very nicely for a character who is on the edge and unstable, as readers learn when the story unfolds.  The emotion is portrayed through subtle changes in the color in the flashback panels.  

I walked in not expecting a whole lot from this issue as I picked up on a whim solely based on the cover's reminiscence of Purple Rain. However, it was an enjoyable read and the art really looked phenomenal.  If you're a Prince fan like me and want to pick this up for the novelty, go for it.  Take a read through the pages once you get home, and I have a feeling you'll enjoy it.  And even if you aren't a fan of Prince, I suggest you go ahead and pick it up. It really is a fun read that is executed incredibly well.

Pick it up right now!

DC Comics Designer Series 3 Greg Capullo Batgirl Action Figure - $22.45
Retail Price: $24.95
You Save: $2.50

Batgirl #40 (Movie Poster Variant Cover Edition) - $2.69
Retail Price: $2.99
You Save: $0.30

Batgirl #40 - $2.69
Retail Price: $2.99
You Save: $0.30

Marvel Select: Cable

X-Force fans can finally rejoice this week. The new Marvel Select Cable from Diamond Select was released this week.  Cable has already had a few figures made, but he's definitely been on the short end of the stick for figures, especially considering that he was incredibly popular during the 90s and has been featured in several runs during the last ten years.  

So now that he has his own Select figure what is it like?  It looks great.  The detail that was put into Cable is spectacular.  Cable's vest and the additional grenades are done well.  Cable's techno-organic arm looks great.  Cable's face has the familiar scowl and his techno-organic eye though unfortunately his eye isn't well defined.  It's incredibly small which makes it disappointing because his eye tends to stand out in the comics.  I feel like the eye does detract a bit from the overall awesomeness of the figure.

The articulation is a little disappointing as well but the vest is a problem.  It's huge, which cuts down on his shoulder movement. Elbow to shoulder you have limited movement, however, from the elbows down, there are no movement problems at all. The loss of upper arm movement is a problem from a posing standpoint.  The legs don't share the same issues as the arms. They're not held back by any limitations at all, in fact Cable can even do the splits should you feel the need to pose him like that.  

Cable comes with five guns and one knife.  He has three holsters to carry two guns and one knife, which is attached to his back.  The weapons look great and Cable would be proud to have so many readily available at his disposal.  They attach without too many issues once you figure out how to manipulate the hands and figures.  The larger gun has an issue with how far it goes back.  Once again the vest becomes an issue because the larger gun sort of runs into Cable's vest. However, the wrists are able to twist so you can sort of get around it.

I really want to love this figure because I'm a huge fan of Cable and I've been looking forward to this release for months.  Don't get me wrong, I do like it...but I don't love it.  The vest takes so much potential away from this figure.  It reduces the amount of poses that the figure can do.  It's far too bulky and restricts a large amount of movement that could be possible.  Also, I really wish they had a better job with Cable's eyes.  There just isn't enough detail in the eyes for my liking.  

Still, I would recommend this figure to fans of Cable and X-Force. Despite the criticisms it really does look pretty awesome. Obviously you aren't going to get the detail that higher end action figures have, though I really wish that they had put in a little more effort in the painting of Cable's eye and in doing some testing with Cable's arms.  Really these two issues are the only negatives of this figure.

 

The Differences That Will Set the DC Cinematic Universe Apart From Marvel

By Jesse Merkel

We’re still a year away from seeing the second official installment in the DC Cinematic Universe, but that hasn’t stopped Marvel fans on the internet from ripping it a new one every chance they get. While there are those who are fans of both, it’s the negative voices that are the loudest of all.

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a huge jump on the competition. Next month, Marvel will have released 11 movies in a cohesive universe, with several more on the way. Next year, DC will have rolled out it’s second and third. While DC has sat on the sidelines for years, they were watching, and learning.

Contrary to the loud opinions that are constantly being tossed about on movie commentary sites around the web, there are several things that the DC Cinematic Universe could use to its advantage.

Real Feelings and Consequences

After the first picture of Ben Affleck in costume came out, people took joy in producing ‘Sad Batman’ memes as a way of pointing out that once again DC had chosen the depressing path. It may be a fun way for hipsters to get more attention, but it really misses the point that the DC and Warner Bros. are going for.

If someone calls Man of Steel hopeless, they’re probably the type of individual that need things explained to themslowly. Man of Steel showed us an alien who was alone in a world. We saw him move from job to job, using his gifts to help people, all the while trying to heed the cautionary words of Jonathon Kent.

When he finally gets to meet others of his race, he is forced to defend his adopted home world from them. Like he did several times in the comics, Superman is left no choice but to kill the one man who could tell him what his home and family were like. That is why instead of making a wisecrack after snapping Zod’s neck, he cried out in anguish.

The characters in this new DC movie universe are going to face many more real world issues and emotions than their jocular Marvel counterparts. It may not mean as many laughs, but it will lay the groundwork for some interesting character development along the way. Remember the rumors of a shrine to Robin in the Batcave? Yeah. That.

Stronger Villains

If there is one thing that has been the dark spot on Marvel’s record, besides Howard the Duck, it’s their record with villains. Extremely talented actors like Christopher Eccleston and Hugo Weaving were reduced to boring, bland bad guys. And while Loki, the favorite bad guy of that world is beloved by the fans, ‘scary’ isn’t one of the words that people use when they describe him.

One advantage that DC has is a litany of marquee villains that are just as famous as their hero counterparts. Lex Luthor, Harley Quinn, and the Joker could each carry a film on reputation alone. When you add the phenomenal casting of Jesse Eisenberg, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto, base it on fan-favorite source material, and throw in a dash of real word grittiness, the table is set for some absolutely frightening villains. Just imagine how well a method actor like Leto will do when he dives headfirst into the role!

The majority of those villains wil either be rolled out or featured in next years Suicide Squad. Joker, Harley Quinn, Rick Flagg, Enchantress, Boomerang, Deadshot, and Amanda Waller are all scheduled to show up, with Lex Luther and Deathstroke both rumored to appear.

Linear Storytelling

Marvel’s strategy has been to release several independent movies, tease the audience with post-credit sequences, and provide a payoff in the form of a team up movie like The Avengers.

A change in tone isn’t enough to truly distinguish oneself from the competition. You need to change the way you tell a story. Rather than laying out a series of loosely connected solo stories, it appears that the DCCU is going to be relying on a more linear form of storytelling.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is going to be directly influenced by Man of Steel, and it’s a good bet thatSuicide Squad will continue the story. And while Batman v Superman will feature a number of cameos by other Justice League team members, Suicide Squad may arguably be more important to the DCCU.

Enchantress is a common Wonder Woman foe, while Boomerang regularly challenges the Flash. Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Amanda Waller have all made Batman’s life a living hell, while Lex Luthor is one of Superman’s greatest adversaries. After that movie comes screaming into theaters next year, there will be a host of well-defined baddies to help continue to story for future solo movies in the universe.

Yin to the Yang

DC taking a different tone and path than Marvel isn’t just gutsy. It’s smart. Anyone remember Green Lantern? Remember the lighter, more comedic tone? Remember the post-credits scene? It bombed for a reason. The Marvel tone doesn’t work for the older, more demigod-like characters found in DC Comics.

First of all, if they just copied everything that Marvel did, they’d be called rip off artists, and I, a huge fan of DC, would agree. Do we want to see a bright orange Aquamanriding a purple seahorse? Would Wonder Woman be at all believable with the invisible jet? No, it’d look ridiculous.

Unless you’re going to focus on escapism like Marvel, things need a real world explanation. That’s the reason for Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman looking like a Polynesian warrior, focusing on the alien nature of Superman, and a Lois Lane that’s not fooled when Clark Kent puts on a pair of glasses.

There is no wrong way to build a cohesive movie universe,and it’s fantastic that there are two great companies putting their products out there. For any fan of super hero movies, it’s nice that there will be so many more flicks to go see at the theater. With the two giants of the comic industry doing something different, it’s a good bet that we won’t get bored any time soon!

Between Two Cities - Kiskstarter

Greetings gamers! I just wanted to take the opportunity to spotlight two games from some terrific local board game companies, here in the city of St. Louis that are running some very interesting kickstarter campaigns right now.

The first game that I would like to mention is a game from Stonemaier games called Between Two Cities. You may remember this from a preview that I posted in board game news but to refresh you, Between Two Cities is a semi cooperative tile laying and drafting game that will challenge players to construct the best cities they can by cooperating with the players on their immediate right and left. The twist is that a player can only score as high as their lowest scoring city so players will want to do well but make sure their competitors aren’t doing too well to win the game.

An example of a section of a city featuring homes, parks, offices, taverns and factories.

I’m mentioning this game again because I am truly thrilled by the ingenuity of it. Many tile laying games often feel like solitaire games being played in a group without any real interaction. This game will encourage you to work with or sabotage your neighbor to build strategically while keeping an eye on what all of your opponents are doing. I haven’t seen a game where a player is so dependant on others but also must be so wary of their motives at the same time. It looks like it will not only be challenging but also very satisfying given that it provides a ton of interesting gameplay in a short time frame.

The game does have some cool wooden meeples featuring various global landmarks. I love having different tiny pieces of wood to mix and match in other games. This one features a tiny version of the Gateway Arch, the symbol of my city, which excites me because I don’t feel that St Louis gets a lot of positive notoriety in different types of media, especially games. The other miniatures included in the base set are also very neat and feature the Roman Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, and Sydney Harbour Bridge among others. They are also offering a deluxe version of the game that will include many other monuments.

A preview of some of the cool monument’s that will be included in the game as player score markers.

Another thing that has me really pumped about this game is the way it will scale for multiple players. I have a weekly game group that can sometimes suffer from agonizingly slow turns due to some over analytical players (Mostly from me, apologies) This game will have all players drafting and playing at the same time which will vastly cut down on playing time. Play tests with inexperienced gamers playing without a designer or teacher other than the rulebook have clocked average playtime between 25-30 minutes. This is absolutely perfect for so many game groups that want to get in a quick game that has some very meaty strategy elements and not feel like they have to devote an entire evening to one game. Often times I feel lucky if I can get two games played in a night and if this game goes over well, like I think it might, I might be able to squeeze three in.

The price point on this kickstarter is also very fair. For $30 you can get the base game (With shipping within the US included!) This a great deal for how much custom material you are getting. The tiles and meeples all look fantastic!

Between Two Cities kickstarter will end on Monday, March 16th so I encourage you to jump on board quickly. As of writing this the project has already eclipsed it’s goal of $20,000 and is sitting on a nice chunk of change at nearly $160,000 and is starting to unveil some very enticing stretch goals such as variable art on all of the tiles and a single player variant.

Stonemaier games has built a strong reputation within the gaming community and is well known for delivering projects quickly, often within a few months of funding without sacrificing quality. I can’t recommend these guys enough.

I would like to add, as a caveat, that I, and Livingthenerdlife.com are in no way associated with Stonemaier games. We have not received nor asked for any advertising money or promotional items for any of the above comments. (Though if Mr. Stegmaier would ever like to offer some review copies of upcoming games I would greatly appreciate them. :) I am simply a huge fan of board gaming and the board gaming community and I genuinely believe that this is worthy project to get behind.

Thank you very much for reading. Keep checking Livingthenerdlife.com where I will be posting a follow up to this article showcasing Bottom of the Ninth by another St Louis board game company, Dice Hate Me Games.

Kickstart this gamer here 

Who Doesn't Love Ninjas?

Figma has hit another one out of the park. I absolutely love this new Ninja Slayer figure. The figure is based on a character that was actually written by Americans. I’ll admit I know nothing about the story though. But just based on the cool factor of the figure I’m going to look into it.

Even if you are not familiar with the character who doesn’t love ninjas. The last decent ninja I can think of was marvel legends Red Hand Ninja, but the articulation on that guy sucks compared to this master. The figure also comes with a treasure chest of accessories. Two pieces of sushi, nun-chucks, stand with about 5 comic speech bubbles, 3 heads, 1 dead ninja head, 7 sets of hands, throwing stars, one extra throwing star, extra scarf and the normal base that figma figures come with. 

You can get this guy into all types of great poses, I give it a fun factor of 10

If you like ninjas and are a collector this is the figure for you. Also would be great to army build with this guy, but at around 55 bucks that would be an expensive army. 

Posted by: Chris @cgoosy

Southern Cross #1: Review

New from Image Comics this week is “Southern Cross.”  In the beginning, we find lead character Alex Braith traveling to the moon, Titan.  She is traveling aboard the Southern Cross in an attempt to bring back her dead sister, Amber.  So, immediately this series begins with a bit of a mystery.  We find out that Alex is the rebel and that her sister, Amber, is the good one.  Somewhat of a cliched storyline, but we'll run with it for now.  

This plot and storyline have certainly been told before and the question for this series becomes, how will the story be told?  Will the characters be fresh and pull you into the story? Unfortunately, that just doesn't happen here.  Alex isn't the most personable character and doesn't exactly interact well with the other characters that are introduced in this issue.  She's very stand-offish and cold. While you understand her desire to know what happened to her sister, there is nothing else that is you can relate to with her character. We do discover that she had some issues on Earth, but nothing is explained further.  It's like the writers drop a seed and seem to forget that it was mentioned.  The inner dialogue is dry and doesn't pull do anything to make you want to know more about the character, except to find out what happened to her sister, Amber.

Overall, the art is decent in this issue.  The drawing of the ship and the loading of the ship is impressive, those aspects really are well done. There are some other scenes with the Gravity Well that look pretty awesome as well. As a whole, the colors are VERY dark throughout the issue, but the coloring does match the general feeling and atmosphere of the issue. The storyline is dark and the colors reflect that well. There is a scene where Alex shuts her door on her neighbor and with the way the door is closing it looks like the neighbor should be pulling his arm through the door but the panel doesn't portray that very well.  Instead, it looks like he was just placed there and the scene was drawn around him.  Scenes like that add to the overall lack of emotion that permeates throughout this issue.

As a whole, I think that “Southern Cross” is a decent first issue that is off to a precarious start. I'm left wondering is whether or not future episodes will make this series a compelling read?

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

Slow Zombies Vs. Fast Zombies: The Struggle Of Real Fear

A topic that is widely discussed, but never has come to a conclusion, is who is scarier: a fast zombie, or a slow zombie? I’m not sure if this article will be biased, or debunk the struggle or what! But, what I do know is this……. The answer is slow zombies. Case in point, I’m more scared of the idea that is, no matter how fast I run, or how strong I am, that they could still over power me. Watch these movies below, you will see my point:

*Dawn Of The Dead (the original).

*Night of the Living Dead (any of them).

*The Walking Dead (TV show, still proves the point).

*Shaun Of The Dead.

*Resident Evil (the first one).

*Cockneys Vs. Zombies.

*Grindhouse Presents Planet Terror.

Now I’m fully aware of how many people are probably shaking their heads at this. So let’s look at the movies that have fast “zombies”. Yes, getting chased down by someone who wants to rip your face off SEEMS scary. However, I find it to be much less realistic. If I think of a virus that brings the dead back to life, I’d figure it’s only bringing back simple motor functions (like a newborn baby, learning to walk) and just has the urge to feed (in this case, on your pasty white ass). But I don’t think fast zombies are realistic, or have the sense of “anger” behind them. For instance, this listing of movies, portrays what are considered zombies, but are not realistic in my eyes, because of how they move:

*World War Z.

*Dawn of the Dead (remake).

*Quarantine.

*28 Days/Weeks Later.

*Warm Bodies.

*Zombieland.

Side note – the zombies in the movie above are slow when no humans are around. But when a human shows up, they start to run.

Please do not get me wrong in thinking I’m prone to picking slow zombies as being the winner because of my views. To try and take a non-biased opinion, I look at the facts from both sides, and try to make an honest assumption of what could be scarier. Also, one key factor that most misrepresent between the fast zombies and slow is kind of a major factor. If the dead return to life, they are decaying, muscles are weak, missing body parts, etc. Can you run fast with those factors hindering you? George Romero, a personal favorite, has directed most of my favorite Zombie movies. He takes the dead aspect, and truly brings to life something that is scary, horrifying, suspenseful, but realistic (if the zombie apocalypse happened).

While I speak of realism, I want it to be mentioned that I speak of which is more realistic, to make the point that if something is more realistic, it’s scarier. I am more than willing to have friendly debates if you are up for the challenge! Please follow me on Instagram at @lorneondrums. I hope this has provided some insight for you, and if you care to debate, I hope you bring you A-Game!!!

Your friendly Funko Collector and Zombie Movie Fanatic,

Lorne

Walker Wednesday

Episode 5:13 "Forget" 

House party anyone? 

SPOILER ALERT! 

*by continuing to read on you willingly know you may read something that might spoil your Walking Day episode 513 eperience if you have not watched it yet*

This episode found out group in a peculiar situation, one that may be more uncomfortable then surround by a group of walkers. This episodes central theme was a house party that Deanna was throwing for the group. The people of Alexandria have had the luxury of not really experiencing what is going on beyond the saftey the walls of Alexandria provide. This is evident by the party that is being thrown for our group. 

Our group struggles with the idea of attending a party, when just a few days prior they were held up in a barn pushing back a door keeping walkers away during a tornado. Now drinks, snacks and lively conversation with the neighbor folk? Sasha seems to be the only one holding on to life outside and is struggling more than Daryl to accept Alexandria and Sasha lets that be known during her Party Pooper meltdown. Speaking of Sasha and Daryl we may have a potential job for Sasha which is being on look out duty and Daryl was officially asked to be a recruiter with Aaron. Also, can you say Bro-mance? You'll see what I mean, spaghetti and a motorcycle? Watch out ladies Aaron is laying it on thick.

Carol officially became more awesome this episode during her talk with a young kid who followed her into the gun supply. Ill save this for you to see because it was the best part of the episode and writing about it does no justice. Let's just say I'd take the cookies.  

It's also official that Rick wants to get down on some Jesse. He proves it with one of the most awkward cheek kisses in probably TV history. Plus he almost gunned down #porchdick on the streets of Alexandria. If you don't know who that is you need to watch Talking Dead because #porchdick was trending.  

So what did you guys think? How about that snazy party?  Anybody else tired of Sasha? Do you like Daryl's new job? Let me know what you think and comment below now!

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Game of the Week: Trivia Crack

Trivia Crack is a mobile app that allows users to compete against friends and people around the world. Modeled after popular games such as Trivial Pursuit, it became the most downloaded game in December 2014 from the Apple App store. The game initially launched on October 26, 2013 specifically to Latin America, until it had eventually been translated into English.

The game is developed by the company Etermax, whose offices are located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is available as an app on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Facebook, or the Amazon App Store. As of December 2014, the game is available in 10 different languages.

-Wiki

If you haven't heard of this game you have most likely been living under a rock for the last several months. This game has literally made gamers out of some of my family members that were not gamers by any means. This game has turned my mother as well as my uncle into gamers. Granted its a Trivia game but a game none the less.  

As a player you can challenge your either a random person to play against or one of your Facebook friends after linking Trivia Crack to your account. During the game you have to answer 3 questions in order to receive a crown. Questions vary between 6 categories: History, Geography, Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Science. Answer 3 trivia questions correctly and you get a chance to answer one question in a category of your choosing to win that crown. Or you can challenge you opponent for their crown by answering 6 questions. Whoever answers the most questions wins. The object of the game is to get all 6 crowns before you opponent does.  

Positives: 

- Free: you can pay for an ad-free experience but isn't needed

- Addicting: once you get in a rhythm you don't want to put your phone down

- Simple: games with a simple concept are the most fun and addicting

- Social: playing and beating your friends, no better pleasure

Negative: 

- Lives: if you have a bunch of friends trying to play you may have to wait for more lives

- Timeframe: you have 2 days to play your turn. Sometimes its frustrating to wait

- Geography & History Questions: I only want Sports & Entertainment questions! 

I would reccommend this game to anyone with a mobile device. It's something that is easy to play on the go or when just relaxing. However be warned it's highly addicting! 

Thanks for checcking out my brief review hope you enjoy Trivia Crack like I do. 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Redbox Rental of the Week: Dracula Untold

At the turn of the century, the young lord Vlad and his family live a peaceful life ruling over their small kingdom, but when a Turk warlord demands from Vlad a thousand boys and his son to create an army Vlad seeks a terrible power that will allow him to protect his kingdom and family from the Turks at a terrible cost. -IMDb

Luke Evans plays the role of Vlad the Impaler in this story of Dracula and doesn't mess around getting us right to the vampire action. Following Vlad and a group of men scout a cave containing the vampire and he easily takes out the group, except for Vlad of course.

A couple of scenes later you see Vlad hosting a party where a group of Turks interupt and demand Vlad to hand over 1000 boys to replenish their army, including Vlads son. Vlad goes to meet with Mehmed the leader of the Turks to plea with them to take him instead of the kids and his son. Since an accordance could not be struck you find Vlad approached by a group of Turks looking to take his son. This was the first of several scenes where Vlad goes HAM on some Turks and this was pre-dracula his attacking ability only enhances. 

The only way to save his family is to become that which men fear, a monster. Vlad confronts the vampire from the cave and consumes his blood. This gives Vlad 3 days to be what men fear and will turn back to his normal self, unless he is unable to fight the urge to feed. If this happens his felt is sealed as a vampire for eternity. 

Watching Vlad with his powers attacking thousands of Turks at a time makes this movie a must see. I give it a 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

All New Hawkeye #1: Review

Debuting in comic shops this week is the “All New Hawkeye” Issue 1.  I hear you asking now, what about “Hawkeye” 22?  Well that's a good question that I don't have an answer for.  I know personally I loved the Hawkeye series that was brought to us by Matt Fraction.  It was really great and yet here we are starting with Hawkeye all over again.  Oh Marvel, what are you doing to us?  

I thought I'd do a review of “Hawkeye” since we just got the third and probably final trailer for “The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron.”  I don't think I'm alone here, but shut up and take my money, and why isn't it May yet?  

This series seems to be the spiritual successor to Matt Fraction's series.  For me, this first issue was just as enjoyable as Hawkeye 22.  The sarcastic humor wasn't quite the same, but there definitely was humor in this issue.  Not the kind of humor that makes you laugh out loud, but certainly a smiling to yourself kind of funny, at least that was my experience.  Considering the side story and the end, the subject matter was relatively light.  Clint Barton and Katie Bishop are fighting their way through a Hydra base for S.H.I.E.L.D.  They are searching for secret weapons that were supposed to be located on the base. However, they aren't too happy with their mission since they aren't able to find the weapons.

In between the action, we get an origin story of sorts.  We are given a picture of a young Clint and Barney Barton in their foster home in Iowa...score one for my home state!  The art displayed during these flashbacks is done quite well.  It really feels as though you are watching a flashback scene from a movie and it's like a dreamlike sequence to these scenes.  Later in the issue, a bloody red coloring is used to symbolize the child abuse taking place inside of the house.  For me, as a father, I thought this was a really great way to show the brutality without actually depicting a child being beaten.  

In the “now” panels, you get the same type of art that would be familiar to anyone who was a fan of the earlier “Hawkeye” series.  This art was well done and it really pulls the reader into the actions.  The colors are very vivid and the attention to detail is spectacular.  

Some people might be hesitant to pick this up, especially those who loved Fraction's series.  I have to admit that I was pretty unsure about getting this, but you won't disappointed if you take a chance and get it. I have to say that this issue was a lot of fun and I'll definitely be picking issue number two up in April.

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

The ThreeA Virgin

Wow, it felt so good to get this figure. lol. I bought my first ThreeA Ashley Wood 1:12 action figure. Amazed, is the first word that comes to mind. The detail, the weathering, the paint apps. THE ARTICULATION!!!. I’m sold. 

I’m sure a ton of you out there are familiar with ThreeA or own their figures as well, so you already know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know, you should look into it. These things are my newest addiction. I’m seriously 
rethinking my marvel legends vice.

The figure I bought is called TK Slicer Kyuuketsuki. I have to admit I’m not 
familiar with the story these characters come from. I bought the figure based on just liking the way it looks. But now that I see him, I’m going to start reading these stories. Anyway thanks for reading, and keep on collecting

Posted by: Chris @cgoosy

Walker Wednesday

So we have had a few days to let this weeks episod of the Walking Dead sink in. What did you think? 

This weeks episode found the group struggling with accepting their current situation in Alexandria. Some find it easier to give in to some of the benefits of Alexandria while others still haven't completely put their gaurd down.

Don't confuse me saying they give into that easy as them being weak because I don't mean that at all. Take for instance Rick and the now infamous shower and beard cutting scene. Or Michonne brushing her teeth for 20 minutes straight. Some like Daryl are holding on to the fact that they can't trust anyone except each other and isn't giving in to the temptation of a warm shower. Some of them are just more open to the idea that this may indeed be a safe place.

Both sides are cautious and Deana, the leader of Alexandria, conducts interviews with our group members to obtain more information and to place them in jobs in the town. The jobs make me think of the movie Maze Runner, you have Runners who go get supplies, Leaders and then Gatherers who cook, clean etc. Some get their jobs by the end of this episode while some don't.

This episode also introduced us to a few new characters. Carl's new friends Ron, Mikey and Enid. Jesse the new good looking woman on the show and her husband. Deana, her son Aiden and his pal, plus a couple other characters.   

Highlights of this episode:

Rick and Michonne were asked to be Constables of Alexandria

Carol acts weak in her interview and while turning over her weapons

Jesse - the new hot girl! 

Glenn rocks Aiden  

Rick's stashed gun has been taken

Carl tries to make friends

All in all it was a really good episode and I'm looking forward to see how the interaction goes with the group and the members of Alexandria. The winner of the highlights I noted above: Glenn's right fist square on Aiden's nose. I was hoping it was going to happen earlier in the episode and it finally did. It was the little cherry on top of this episode for me. 

For more make sure you go and check out our Podcast on this episode and the others since the mid season premiere. You can find us on LivingTheNerdLife.com at the Podcast page as well as on iTunes! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Game of the Week: Flop Rocket

You will probably remember that last week we posted about Butterscotch Shenanigans and their recent release Flop Rocket. Since hitting the iTunes Store its been a top game and for very good reason.  

For starters BS (Butterscotch Shenanigans) has the the coolest intro I've seen from any company. Download the game to see what I am talking about! Anyways back to the game, I've been playing on and off for the last 4 days. Getting right into it I rage quit right off the bat. Soon after I was back playing and enjoying the game. Getting coins and completing small missions to beef up your rockets abilities is a lot of fun. These small missions are what gives this game so much replay value. Let's check out the Positives and Negatives. 

Positives: 

- Music: The Techno up beat music is done very well

- Visuals: Coupled with the music and the game although simple is exciting

- Simple: Tap to boost, steer by sliding your thumb up and down

- Mission: These are small, short and fun which increase the replay value

Negatives:

- Controls are a bit wonky at first but you'll get it

- Missions: Some seem to require the Butter Up! option and hard to beat without

- Not too much negative about this game really, had to stretch to come up with those!

Overall the Butterscotch Shenanigans crew did a great job with this game and the BUTTER UP! option is definitely worth doing. I'm definitely proud of the association just being around the St. Louis area which they pay homage to in the game. Definitely go check this game out and their others, I know that I will have more Games of the Week from Butterscotch Gaming.  

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Lorne's Funko POP! Haul

Lorne here! Your Funko Pop Vinyl extraordinaire. I've got another haul for you this week!

Everything came from eBay! I can always find any Pop I want, at a great price! (You're welcome eBay for the plug!) Anyway, this week I had 6 Funko's come in.

1. Mystery mini - Bloody 'Merle Dixon' from The Walking Dead
2. 'Sullivan' from Monsters University
3. 'Baymax' from Big Hero 6
4. Baby 'Groot' from Guardians Of The Galaxy (great movie)
5. 'Wreck-It-Ralph'
6. 'Crush' from Finding Memo

I'm so excited for this week's haul! Obviously because it expands my Funko collection, but as usual, I'm in love with their detail!

For example- Merle Dixon's bloody clothes and the knife attached to his arm, just like in the show! Sullivan with his 'Oozma Kappa' sweater on (no one liked the snobs from his competing fraternity, Roar Omega Roar anyway!). Also, how adorable is Groot is in his little flower pot?! You know, if it wasn't for Rocket Raccoon, we may not have gotten to see him this cute! Plus, Dancing Groot is a 'bobbleheads'. Everyone knows how I feel about bobbleheads, if you read my past posts. (However, I think it's fitting since he is supposed to dance!)

One of my favorites, Baymax! While he doesn't look like it, he is actually the LARGEST of the group. If anyone dares to question that Baymax isn't the cutest character ever made (and deserves to be a part of everyone's Funko collection) then we may have to duel....Not really....Ok, we still might!!! In the meantime, can someone put a smile on Ralph's face?! :) 

The funniest Funko of this haul definitely has to be 'Crush'. Now, if you are following me on Instagram, then you'll know I recently held a "500 Followers Giveaway". Once I hit 500 followers, I was going to giveaway a 'Crush' Funko. (We DO finally have a winner!) Please follow me if you want to be a part of future giveaways! Now, back to what I was saying....I thought the 'Crush' character was really adorable, so I ended up buying 2! One for me & one for the giveaway. What can I say, I was all like, whoa! And you were like, whoa! (Hopefully you get the reference I just made...)

Thank you guys for reading my review on my Funko haul this week! As always, make sure you continue following the site for most posts, reviews, giveaways, etc... & You can follow me on Instagram @lorneondrums

We will see you on the next one!

Suiciders #1 Review

Vertigo's “Suiciders” starts off in an interesting way.  The main character, The Saint, knelt before a large statue of the scourged Jesus on the cross.  “Suiciders” is a comic series that occurs in a dystopian society, thirty years after the “big one” hit Los Angeles.  Los Angeles is now known as New Angeles and is separated by a large wall keeping half of the remaining living population out.

The story revolves around the character “The Saint” who participates in a blood sport like show that is known as “Suiciders.”   Just like the other participants, The Saint is surgically enhanced and on performance enhacing drugs.  In addition to having to face each other, the coliseum where “Suiciders” takes place is filled with additional weapons and obstacles that serve to increase the level of danger faced by the participants.  In this first issue, we don't get much a feel for the character of The Saint, other than the fact that he doesn't exactly live up to his name.  At least, his opinion of the people on the other side of the wall certainly wouldn't win him any humanity awards.

The other half of this issue revolves around the smuggling of people from the other side of the wall into New Angeles, and the two police officers patrolling the wall.  It is here that the reader gets a sense of the motivation for deciding who would stay beyond the wall. The exact thought process is pretty nebulous, so it's hard to say without any confidence how they make these decisions, but I think that seeing more during the duration of this series will help to reveal why people are on either side of the wall. Based upon what I've seen so far, the make-up of New Angeles seems to be upper class individuals, while those beyond the wall are the less fortunate.  It's unknown at this point if the smugglers are going to be in the story more often, or they are only here to show us the underside of this society.

I liked the story so far and I'm definitely curious to see where this goes and what happens with The Saint.  I also want to see more of New Angeles and what society is really like after the “big one.”  This issue was laid out well and leaves the reader wanting to know more.  Hopefully the story keeps evolving and we discover more about how this society really operates.  Learning a little more about The Saint's background and motivations will help keep the story moving as well, since that is one thing that readers are left questioning.  My impression of this character is that he enjoys what he does, but beyond his interactions with other characters, I can't really say that as readers we don't learn much about him.

Lee Bermejo, who wrote this issue, was also the artist and truly did a wonderful job on the artwork.  It's dark and shadowy, which really enhances the darker theme of the issue.  The action scenes are good even if they are limited in their display.  The violence is intense and extremely graphic and this series is definitely not for little kids or those opposed to violence. But, you'd think that the title “Suiciders” would dissuade those who don't want to read about violence in the first place.  

Overall this isn't on my must pick up list.  I'll definitely pick up the next few issues to see where this goes and it really wasn't bad at all.  I enjoyed it the issue because the writing was good and the art was great.  Overall though, this just didn't grab me completely.

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

Weekly Redbox Rental: The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill

In March 1963, a black mass was held at a ruined church in Clophill, Bedfordshire by a coven of dark witches. Tombs were looted, animals sacrificed and human bones arranged during a macabre ceremony. Further defilements continued at Clophill in the following years, with cattle in nearby fields found mutilated, evidence of necromancy discovered and perpetual sightings of paranormal activity witnessed at the isolated ruin. 50 years on from the original incident, the Clophill legend remains etched on the psyches of the local populace. In 2010, a documentary team was assembled to investigate the legend of the Clophill witches and to try and uncover the truth behind the paranormal events. What followed during that long weekend at Clophill was a terrifying journey into the unknown.

-IMDB

Got a couple bucks on your credit/debit card? Or better yet, do you have a free code for a movie rental from Redbox? Then when scanning through the selections at your local Redbox make sure you keep on scanning by this title.  

I'm not sure ill be able to do a review here as I think we both fell asleep... but from what I saw it was a documentary of this group investigating an in a location called Clophill. The interesting bits of the movie take place with about 20 minutes left in the movie so if you do feel like wasting some money and renting this just fast forward for a few slight scares. 

BOO! <--- if this scared you then the couple of scarey parts at the end may be scarey for you. 

I give this a big 1 out of 5 just don't do it... 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Walker Wednesday

The Distance

So what did you all think of Episode 511: The Distance?

Overall I felt it was just ok. 

The group struggles with Aaron's proposition to join him and his people. Rick I feel does a lot of overthinking in this episode that puts the group at risk almost costing them his, Michonne, Glenn and Aarons lives. 

Putting myself in his shoes I completely understand his decision and Carol even lets him know this at the end of the episode by saying, "Even though you were wrong, you were right." Everybody knows that all of his overthinking was to protect his family and I don't mean just Carl and Judith, but everyone in the group. 

One of the biggest question marks or eyebrows being raised from the episode that was left unanswered was where is the picture of you people? Aaron comes up with a shakey at best story that the film developed but came out bad which lead to the 3 questions. How many walkers have you killed? How many people have you killed? Why?  

How about Glenn's driving through the walker highway from hell? This scene was pretty crazy and again one that could have been avoided. During the panic to get back to the group following a signal flare Aaron steps up with Glenn to help save both Rick and Michonne. From there they find the group and another new cast member, Eric. The episode ends with the group staring down the gate to Alexandria

What do you think of Aaron and Eric? Is this Alexandria really safe? Can the group trust these people? 

Find out more of our thoughts from this episode with a more in depth review/discussion on our podcast at the footer of the page. 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Bloxels

Introducing... Bloxels

It's a video game building system. Using building blocks, a game board, and the free B.R.A.V.E. Squad mobile app, you can create, play and share video games. 

 

What is Bloxels? 

Compatible with iOS, Android and Kindle devices, Bloxels is a build-and-play game based on similar technology to our popular Floors and Adventure Time: Game Wizard apps. But with Bloxels, instead of drawing glyphs, players use colored building blocks to represent gameplay objects. 

Available Holidays 2015

Pre-Order Coming Soon

ProjectPixelPress.com/Bloxels/ 

We at LivingTheNerdLife.com are looking forward to getting and reviewing Bloxels for you all and supporting local companies like Pixel Press. As you can see by the video this should be an easy way for people of all ages to enjoy playing games together. 

Some information about Pixel Press:

Pixel Press, a company located out of St. Louis Missouri started with a small brainstorm project that got backed on Kickstarter raising over $109,000. The game was Pixel Press Floors where the user draws out his level and it is transfered to your tablet to play the level you created. Floors has generated over 100K original games and 500k game plays. 

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

A washed up actor, who once played an iconic superhero, battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself in the days leading up to the opening of a Broadway play. -IMDB

This movie is filled with huge name actors and actresses:

Michael Keaton​

Zach Galifianakis​

Edward Norton​

Andrea Riseborough​

Emma Stone

It's apparent from the get go that Riggan played by Michael Keaton is struggling with trying to find himself as an actor, writer and director. What Riggan struggles with is trying to live up to Birdman a comic book superhero role he played 20 years prior. ​

Throughout the movie Riggan battles the loss of the supporting man in his play due to his actions. Looking to replace that role with Mike played by Edward Norton who Riggan feels threatened by due to his acting process. ​Along with struggling with his career his personal life seems a mess. His daughter Sam, played by Emma Stone, is a recovering addict that he hired to work for him and is falling for Mike. Plus an actress he has worked with the past couple of years may be pregnant with his child. Along with everything else Riggan catches himself battl​ing Birdman with numerous inner monologues in scenes that catch you wondering what is going on here. 

How does Riggan recapture his glory days? Maybe a brief walkabout in Times Square in only your underwear perhaps? ​Maybe he decides to make Birdman 4? Or maybe his play goes off better than he anticipates? 

This was a crazy interesting movie! First I would say this movie is very intimant and its clear by how this movie was filmed. Scenes with deep character emotion and dialogue the camera ​pulls in for an up close and personal shot. I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 and highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I am now a fan of Michael Keaton as Batman as well as Birdman!

I also wanted to take a moment and give a shoutout to @fletch_art one of the people I follow on instagram. He recommended this movie to me. So make sure to go and show him some love and give him some "likes" and a "follow" right meow! Thanks again @fletch_art! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd