Saturday, June 30, 2007

Panel Discussion: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Panels of the Week

SPOILER ALERT: Some panels contain plot points...those who haven't read their books this week should beware.

ALL IN THE TIMING: Ultimate X-Men #83

The pacing of this scene is perfect...events occur just after the Morlock leader says Cyclops has to die (click the image for full quality goodness):
Best THUDD ever! With no motion lines, artist Pascal Alixe perfectly illustrates the weight and speed with which a giant lifeless body smashes to the ground.

UNNECESSARY POP CULTURE REFERENCE ALERT: X-Factor #20
Aw, come on. I haven't read X-Factor in a few issues, I decide to jump back in, and the first thing I see is this cheeseball 300 joke? Let's Get It Together, People!

Many more of the weeks most notable panels, after the jump...



EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TENTACLE PRON: Sinestro Corps Special 01
After the unpleasant Heroes for Hire debacle over at Marvel, DC seems to be trying to balance the scales a bit with the above panel and the recently released Flash cover. Of course Kyle Raindeer is only being humiliated in a teeny panel instead of a book cover, but eee-YIKES, at least the Heroes for Hire girls weren't totally nakers! And I don't like the look in that squid things fried-egg eyes!

CUTE OVERLOAD: Blue Beetle #16
Aside from the notion of evil puppies, what's really cute is the expression on the puppies face as it narrowly avoids get blasted by some demon-energy. Instead fearing for his little puppy life, he's like, "Watch it, fools."


POKEMON ATTACK OF THE WEEK: Thunderbolts #115
American Eagle used DOUBLE SLAP!
It's super effective!

LAME CLICHE ALERT: Countdown #44
DC, enough with this evil-guy takes confused girl under with wing crap...it was already unforgivable when you did it to Cassandra Cain, now you're doing it to Forerunner, the ONE character in Countdown who was remotely interesting?


THE BANANA RANDOMIZER AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN WTF: Blue Beetle #16
The setup...

The WTF...
Jaime's ultimate power fantasy is to be...a licensed DDS? Okay, is this or is this not a reference to a classic Kids in the Hall Sketch? The sketch in question features a character (played by the awesome Kevin McDonald) who's forced to reveal his "most deeply hidden truths" under truth serum. The big revelation? "I go home late at night...I turn off all the lights...and I fantasize...about being a dentist!" To quote another Kevin McDonald KiTH sketch, "COINCIDENCE?"

Link: More of Geekanerd's Panel Discussions

Rorschach's Journal: Fan Prank, Viral Campaign, or Both?

It's been around since the web was born, but that "highlight for hidden text" trick never gets old. We recently saw it used in the "I Believe In Harvey Dent" viral campaign for The Dark Knight, and now a similar gag on "Rorshach's Journal", which appears to be a cryptic promo site for Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie. The site is just the one page as seen above; clicking on the graphic links to rorschach@rorschachsjournal.com.

Now about that hidden text...it's written in Morse code, and according to the commenters at iFanboy.com, it's displayed several different messages throughout the day.

Detailed analysis of all the alleged secret messages after the jump, plus some surprising discoveries...



10:35am: "Stood in street. Watched it burn."

This is a line from Chapter VI of Watchmen, page 25. It's from Rorshach's narration as he describes torching a dress warehouse with a kidnapper inside.

11:am: "You remind me of Weatherbee. I don't like you."


Now this is interesting - I thought it was a commenters joke at first, but someone else verifies it. This is a line from Chris Sims' hillarious Archie/Watchmen mashup, posted on Chris' Invincible Superblog. The comic can be seen here, but here's just the relevant panel, with a bit of context. It doesn't seem likely to me that an official viral campaign would reference something so obscure, but the parody IS awesome, so maybe they're just really going for indie web cred.


UPDATE: We contacted Chris Sims himself, and got this response:

"
I actually saw it posted on some LiveJournal today and I thought the same thing--that a commenter was making a joke. But then, it became abundantly clear that the people on the LJ had no idea who Weatherbee was, let alone your ol' pal Chris Sims. You're the first person to email and let me know, so I can only assume that somebody involved with the making of the site either

a) Is a "fan" of mine and thought it'd be a funny reference, or...

b) Did it by accident, thinking it was an actual line from Watchmen.

Now that second one might sound unbelievable, but when Kevin Church did a parody of Watchmen re-lettered with Stan Lee-esque dialogue (called, appropriately enough, Just Imagine Stan Lee's Watchmen), the images ended up being used in some documentary about comics. I think it was on the history channel."

1:14am: "Maybe you've forgotten how we do things..."

Checking my copy right now to see if it's in the book...sounds like something Rorschach would say to Dan Dreiberg. Any Geekanerds out there who know off-hand where the line is from?
UPDATE: Found it. Fourth panel of page 10, Chapter 10. Is indeed Rorschach talking to Dan Dreiberg, as they get ready to "Visit Bars. Squeeze People.", in pursuit of the mask-killer. It tips Dan off on a mini-rant about how hard it is to be Rorschach's friend, leading to that super awkward handshake.

UPDATE: 2:22pm, June 30th..."Kitty Genovese was the start". Chapter 6, Page 10 - the line doesn't actually appear, but this is when Rorschach talks about how the Genovese case effected him.


As pointed out by the iFanboy commenters, the site can also be viewed at http://staff.theonering.net/xoanon/rorschach/index.html, leading some to speculate that this is either a prank headed up by www.theonering.net, or the site's collective has been hired to help with Watchmen's official viral marketing. Mysterious! Who watches the pitchmen?

Read about the continuing Journal updates HERE and the revelation that the site is unofficial HERE.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Ratatouille Star Patton Oswalt on the Geek/Nerd Distinction

For obvious reasons, we here at Geekanerd are always looking for good ways to explain the difference between a geek and a nerd. In a recent Wired interview, Patton Oswalt (described in the article as "a lightsaber-toting Lenny Bruce") explained his take on it:

"A lot of nerds aren't aware they're nerds. A geek has thrown his hands up to the universe and gone, 'I speak Klingon — who am I fooling? You win! I'm just gonna openly like what I like.' Geeks tend to be a little happier with themselves."

Wikipedia defines the two terms thusly:

Geek: "An individual who is fascinated by knowledge and imagination, usually electronic or virtual in nature."
Nerd: "Refers to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual or esoteric knowledge or pastimes rather than engaging in social life"

Anyone else care to chime in with their own personal distinctions?

Also, read the rest of that Wired article for choice bits from Oswalt about his D&D midlife crisis and murdering George Lucas with a shovel.

The Future Is Here, If You We Can Afford It


The time has come, my friends. We must equip ourselves with these jetpacks and become a mighty army of flying Geekanerds. At $200,000, if 1,176,471 of you click our Google Ads we'll be able to go airborne for 19 minutes... And with that one ride we can take over the factory and steal the rest of the packs, because as we all know crime becomes easy with even the most useless mechanical advantage.

If we can't raise that kind of money we can always just kidnap a bunch of kids and strap rockets to them:

LucasArts Bastards Holding Out On Us With Wii-Saber Game


From the moment the Wiimote was revealed every Geekanerd that wasn't too busy learning Klingon thought the same thing: "Vroooom, zhooom, crackle crackle!" Now LucasArts claims they've already got the damn thing going! Jim Ward, president of LucasArts, says "We’re all over that, and internally we have already played a lightsaber game on the Wii. It’s a lot of fun, and we’ll get there."

Translation: "Hell yeah we've got it! Shit is FUUUUNNN, too! Don't expect to get your grubby little Cheeto hands on it, though, cause we're having such a blast playing it I don't expect we'll have enough free time to actually release the thing. But hey... Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things... ::snicker::"

Read the full story at Gamasutra.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s Songs Revealed

After a slow but steady stream of "leaked" tracks, we now have the full, official, 100% long-haired song list from the upcoming Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. Everything seems to be in order, can't wait to give 'em all a spin when the game comes out July 24. I hope the game itself fixes some of the problems I thought GH2 had as compared to GH1 (too steep difficulty ramping, with a boring Medium and a frustrating Hard), but even if not it'll be fun just to have some new jams in the repertoire. Also of interest is the inclusion of fake 80s group Limozeen, continuing GH's relationship with The Brothers Chaps.

Full list after the jump.
  • Caught in a Mosh (as made famous by Anthrax)
  • Balls to the Wall (as made famous by Accept)
  • Electric Eye (by Judas Priest)
  • Los Angeles (as made famous by X)
  • Police Truck (as made famous by Dead Kennedys)
  • We Got the Beat (as made famous by The Go Go's)
  • (I Think I'm) Turning Japanese (as made famous by Vapors)
  • Seventeen (as made famous by Winger)
  • Because, it's Midnite (by Limozeen)

The previously officially confirmed rockers:

  • Hold On Loosely (as made famous by .38 Special)
  • No One Like You (as made famous by Scorpions)
  • Only a Lad (as made famous by Oingo Boingo)
  • Ballroom Blitz (as made famous by Krokus)
  • The Warrior (by Scandal)
  • What I Like About You (as made famous by The Romantics)
  • Wrath Child (as made famous by Iron Maiden)
  • I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister)
  • I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)
  • Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt)
  • Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot)
  • Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio)
  • Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)
  • Radar Love (as made famous by White Lion)
  • 18 and Life (as made famous by Skid Row)
  • Bathroom Wall (as made famous by Faster Pussycat)
  • Lonely is the Night (as made famous by Billy Squier)
  • Nothing But a Good Time (as made famous by Poison)
  • Play With Me (as made famous by Extreme)
  • Shaken (as made famous by Eddie Money)
  • Synchronicity II (as made famous by The Police)
Via Kotaku.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Weekanerd: Weekend Edition - Midnight Madness, Free Beverages, and Cosplay Cleverly Disguised as an Art Class


FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2007
Fans of 1970s Grit Flicks will want to get in on this midnight movie goodness. Enjoy the classic film perhaps best known for being immortalied on stage by the inimitable Max Fisher Players. Tickets are $10.75.

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2007
Good. Lord. Gorgeous cabaret performers dressed up as X-Men characters for your sketching pleasure. Even if you think you can't draw, this is your chance for some very enjoyable practice. $10 at the door, or $15 if you want to book your table in advance here.
Featuring a live set by the Ne'er Do Evers, "free beverages" and of course, writer/artist Jamie Tanner. The comic looks interesting, the main character resembles a cross between Drinky Crow and Mo Willems' bus-driving Pidgeon. Read excerpts here.

SUNDAY, JUNE 31, 2007
This exhibition closes on July 3rd, so now's the time to check it out and brush up on your essential Marvel history and also see what Stan The Man is up to these days. $5 to get in, and well worth it.

2nd Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer Now Online


I don't see the wisdom of releasing these traileresque ads for video games...I understand they're trying to set a mood for the game, but I'd rather just see some gameplay. I hate it when chunky, pixilated video characters try to act, with their float-and-bob body language and angular facial expressions. I feel embarrassed for them. Love that CG New York, though.


Link: GTA IV on Rockstar's official site.

First Pic from Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are


I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this adaptation of Maurice Sendak's book about wild child Max being sent to his room and imagining a world of wild things like him. This pic looks so awesome I can barely contain myself.

"The 99" Documentary - Now Available Online


Frontline has posted part of a documentary about The 99, a big-deal comic book about teenaged Muslim superheroes (feel free to sing that to the TMNT song) who draw their powers from the 99 attributes of Allah. Creator Naif al-Mutawa came up with the series with the goal of giving Arab Muslim kids their own team of capes, as well as winning the hearts and minds of Westerners with a modern image of Islam. If only we could institute some kind of comic book exchange program...western kids read The 99, and Arab kids read...um...what's an positive, values-laden American comic book? Archie? Blankets?

The documentary is currently in production, directed by Isaac Solotaroff.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Snap Judgements: Blue Beetle, Thunderbolts, and The Boys

Today on Snap Judgements, three spoiler-free quickie reviews of comics out today, June 27.

Blue Beetle #16 - The Return of Brainstomp Demonface!

Everyone's favorite wife-killer/vengeance god Jean "Eclipso" Loring is through with all that "orbiting the sun" bullshit...now she's back on earth, stealing magic babies! It's a DC book alright! But what does this have to do with Blue Beetle? Well, not a lot. This book deals more with Traci 13 (who?), the issue's true protagonist. She does allow Jaime to tag along for the big fight, but he's really just there to flirt with.

The verdict on Blue Beetle plus reviews of Thunderbolts #115 and The Boys #8 after the jump.


This issue's biggest miss is the constant Wheadonesque teen-snark-speak, which is usually delivered with a much keener ear by writer John Rogers. But the book is saved by some funny touches involving the always ironic rules of magic, and some very touching (though possibility invented) continuity concerning the link between Eclipso and Traci 13 (who?).

Jean "Brain Stomp" Loring + Cheesey Teen Speak = C+


Thunderbolts #115 - Smashy Smashy II

Last week, this book gave us a big long street fight that was incredibly boring, featured a bunch of bland splash pages, and generally felt like Warren Ellis decided to take a snooze in the backseat and left artist Rain Beredo to drive for a while. This week's issue at first seemed to be more of the same - the 'Bolts are still fighting some unregistered Superheroes, aaand.....they fight. BUT - in this issue, the characters say interesting things to each other while they fight, the action is much more fluid and exciting, and there are some big plot-changing reveals. Still a few too many bulked-out Venom splash panels, but at least there's some dismemberment to show for it.

Bullseye Bein' Crazy + Whiny Penance + Dismemberment = B+


The Boys #8 - Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...

From the start, this series has played fast and loose with attitudes of misogyny and homophobia. Even for a comic book. But when the TPB was released earlier this month, I gave it a chance and found that it was too funny and engaging to write-off as shock-schlock. And though last month's issue made me cringe with a page discussed here, the lead male protagonist's attitudes towards gay men are discussed directly in this issue, as our anti-heroes investigate the murder of a gay teen. As the issue begins, it seems that nice-guy Hughie has a more accepting attitude than epithet-spewing manly man Butcher, but as events move forward we're shown that the way they actually act around gay people tells a different story. All the lead characters still treat gayness as something to be tolerated and not necessarily accepted, but I suspect that since this arc will last until at least issue #10, these issues will continue to be explored. The plotting and dialogue is spot-on as always, make sure you read Butcher's dialogue like Michael Caine for maximum effect.

Casual Prejudice + Meta Commentary + Realism? - Easy Answers = B


Tune in Friday for PANEL DISCUSSION, to find out which comic panel wins the Geekanerd Award for Best Acting, Greatest Hit, and the coveted Banana Randomizer Award For Achievement in WTF.

Original Sketchster: Jeph Jaques


While at MoCCA, Special Ops Geekanerd Correspondent Brice got Jeph Jaques of webcomic Questionable Content to draw us this adorabo sketch of Marten. Oh yeah, dig those tight indie rock jeans! I love seeing smooth and shiny webcomic characaters drawn all sketchy-like...thanks Jeph!

Steampunk Star Wars



Fans of retro-futurism would do well to check out the gorgeous "Steampunk Star Wars" art by Eric Poulton, available for viewing on his blog. My favorites include the Massive Solar-Orbiting Electro-Mechanical Analytic Engine, Mark 6, as seen above, and a portrait of Han Solo and Mr. Chewbacca. Also of particular note is an "Exotic Far East" inspired portrait of Jabba the Hutt, which landed poor Eric in a bit of hot water with commenters who had a shakey grasp on the importance of context.

Eric posted most of these images some time ago, but has very recently promised that more pieces will be appearing soon. In the meantime, you can check out this thread featuring other artist's takes on Victorian-style Star Wars.

Stephen Totilo's Manhunt 2 Experience

While the world holds its collective breath in anticipation for the fate of Manhunt 2 to be decided, read what MTV's Stephen Totilo has to say about a particularly heavy section of the game he played through, excerpted from his "debate" with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal:

"I was in control of protagonist Daniel Lamb in the last full level we played. I walked him down a staircase with a pistol in hand. The game gave me a cue, instructing me how to kill the man at the end of the hallway ahead of me with a stealth pistol kill. What struck me was that he wasn't looking my way. He was half-turned away from me, watching something through an open doorway. Whatever he was watching sounded like a couple making love. Taking advantage of his distraction, I followed orders and killed him."

Continued after the jump.

"Then I walked through the doorway expecting to see a TV playing a dirty movie. Instead the camera angle switched, and the TV you and I were watching was filled with a movie screen showing a pornographic movie – a watered down one, that is, with a virtual man and a woman hot and sweaty but revealing none of their most private parts. Daniel Lamb was standing right in front of it, fully armed. Then I walked a couple of steps and the camera angle changed (players don't control the angles in "Manhunt 2," which is a change from the first game). Now the movie screen was to his back. I couldn't see it. I could just hear it. The love-making continued. I looked out at the rows of empty seats. I was in a movie theater. A group of hit-men rushed in. Suddenly I was in a tough firefight. The whole time the guns were blazing, those sounds kept on playing. Do you think that scene was crafted to say something about sex and violence, by any chance? After I took out each of the hitmen, they lay there and the movie kept on playing. I could hear the rattle of the film projector and see the dusty beam of light it projected over Daniel's head and onto the screen. I looked over to you and to the Rockstar employee who had walked in to see what we were laughing about and said "I'm going to put an end to this smut." I pointed my Wii remote at the film projector and fired. The sound from the movie warbled. The room went dark and quiet. That was quite a moment – and one that I think is worth grown-up gamers experiencing."

Sounds riveting.

I Can Almost Promise This Might Be Our Last Wiimbledon Post

Rocketboom has their Wiimbledon segment up, and it's a good change of pace from the others you may have seen. It's... calm. Not cut together for Generation A.D.D., it lets you hear the soft murmur of the crowds at the event and has interviews that aren't rapid fire sound bytes. In other words, it's the anti-Geekanerd coverage.

AND! It's the only video I've seen that gives THE BUTTONS their due! Well done, guys.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Superbadass, Or: How I Learned to Kinda, Sorta, Not Really Stop Worrying and Love the "Vag"

Commander Ethan Segal has returned from his raid on Sony Pictures, and brought back with him a review of the highly anticipated film Superbad. Many Geekanerds died to bring us this information...

Judd Apatow is the comedic genius to beat these days. It seems like everything he touches turns to gold. While only a producer on Superbad, you can see his fingerprints all over the film (maybe not quite enough, in fact, which i will get to later). While the Willferrellowenwilsonvincevaugh
nbenstiller films seem to be on a steady decline ( Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, Blades of Glory, etc. ) Judd Apatow has taken the reigns as the King of Comedy and knocked homers with The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Now while it is true that Judd Apatow has many business and social connections with Willferrellowenwilsonvincevaughnbenstiller (especially the Willferrell part), i think it is still possible to separate him from the rest of that crew based on his style of comedy and lack of any of those actors in any of his own films. Also, while the improv aspects of the Willferrellowenwilsonvincevaughnbenstiller films have significantly deteriorated (I blame larger budgets) resulting in more stilted jokes, Apatow's films remain fresh and ripe with spontaneity.... and this is exactly how Superbad feels.

Hit the jump for the Good, the Bad, and the Superbad...


THE GOOD If you go to Best Buy this holiday season, you will undoubtedly see in their "Two-for-One" bins a nicely packaged uncut/special-edition/uncensored version of Superbad and Knocked Up. Because Superbad could be the Phantom Menace to Knocked Up's A New Hope (luckily in story arch only). You can just see how Seth (Jonah Hill), Evan (Michael Cera), and Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) will turn into the creators of a Flesh of the Stars website once they get a little boobs and booze experience in college. Which is definitely a good thing if you were a fan of Knocked Up (and I was), because they make a great a double-header for both story consistencies and comedic relief.

So yes, i know you've probably read through all this just to find out if the film is funny and it indeed is pretty damn hilarious. I would say that I probably laughed as consistently and heartily as when I saw Knocked Up. The humor, like I mentioned before, is very akin to
Apatow's previous films and relies heavily on witty (and graphic) dialogue. While it does have many slapstick moments, which are necessary for any high school romp, it doesn't abuse them.


THE BAD Although humor is pervasive throughout most of the film, the middle definitely lags both in plot and laughs. This is where Apatow's Midas touch could have come in handy. While Knocked Up was north of the two hour mark, it never felt slow or redundant. Superbad on the other hand suffers from a lack of motion in the beginning of the second hour. You feel like the characters are getting nowhere fast and the jokes aren't helping. Luckily this doesn't last too long, and you almost forget about it by the conclusion of the film. The film also falls victim to some bad editing. A few times when the film is ramping up for a big joke or just when it should be light hearted, you feel a weight in mood that is unnecessary and distracting. Only seeing it once, it was hard for me to discern whether it was the acting, pace, or music... but it was definitely noticeable. This problem mostly occurs in scenes involving the two cops, played by writer Seth Rogen and Bill Hader. For some reason many of their jokes fall flat, which is really astonishing considering Rogen played the hilarious lead in Knocked Up and you'd think he'd write himself some good lines in his own film.

THE SUPERBAD Michael Cera has got to be the hottest comedic commodity (that's a mouthful) around today. Between his roles in Arrested Development, Clark and Michael, and even his appearance in a spoof scene from Knocked Up
, Cera seems to be an unstoppable force in awkward and stuttering comic genius. So for those of you worried that his acting style might get stale in any form longer than 22 minutes, fear not, because he is the best part of the movie. His character, Evan, is essentially a potty mouth version of George Michael from Arrested Development. Although he talks about sex as if he were a 12 year old, he is also considerate and mature enough to pack condoms and lube. Cera might be the most humorous, but he is almost matched by his pudgy best friend Seth, Jonah Hill. Together they make a comedic duo as memorable as Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau in Swingers. And like Vaugh/Favreau, their humorous conversations feel genuine and unrehearsed. I wouldn't be surprised if they really were best friends in real life (although i believe there is a six year age gap). If Hill were given a little more screen time he probably would have the most laughs, which is saying a lot. Finally, Fogell, the nerdiest of the three geek friends, has many memorable lines himself, although his character definitely can't carry the movie the way Cera and Hill can. He is the comic relief third wheel who ends up falling slightly short of the Cera/Hill comic mantle. He still is superbad and plays the punching bag for many of the films funniest jokes.

If I had to give the movie a rating between 1 and 5 stars, I would give it a 4. I feel like it could have possibly gotten a 5 if Apatow had actually directed it.


P.S. Make sure you stay and watch the credits... although many films put kind of lame shticks during their credits, Superbad's will definitely bring laughs.... three words.... pop... a .... cock.

Giveaway Winners!

The winners of the first ever Geekanerd Giveaway, as randomly drawn, are Clopeck Collyer and Scott Gimple! Congrats, guys, send us some pictures when you receive your Wii Sports Packs so all the Geekanerds out there can see you playing with your new toys.

Win Buy a Date With Joss Whedon

On July 2 you'll get the chance to bid on an intimate dinner with Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. Hope you like... STAKE! Oh, and by intimate we mean there will be four other winners. And press, probably. You're guaranteed three hours of his time, and they promise "hilarious anecdotes and dark, personal secrets." Proceeds from the auction go to benefit Equality Now, which protects women's human rights around the world.

Read all about it at eBay.

In Other More Important DS News...

...apparently megastar Nicole Kidman is all about playing Brain Age in her spacious, sun-lit living room.



At first, I was sure this was one of those awesome Japanese commerials that celebrities pound out for extra yacht money. But no, the British voice-over at the end would indeed imply this is commercial is intended for those in English speaking countries. So what is with the anime-esque faical expression at :04? Strange choices abound. But I have to say I love the genuine, slightly-cautious delivery of the advert's closing line:

"...Pa-per.."

Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Intro



A 360 degree turn from the "dark" Twilight Princess, the upcoming Zelda game for the DS introduces its story (ie recaps The Windwaker) through some ultra-adorable, really well done storybook-esque cutouts. I wish they were somewhat animated, but the design is still undeniably great.

Giveaway Reminder

Today's your last chance to enter the Geekanerd Giveaway! Just e-mail us saying you want in, and the TWO winners of TWO Wii Sports Packs each will be drawn at random tonight at 8:00. Good luck!

MoCCA 2007 - A Geekanerd Special Report!

Intrepid Geekanerd Special Ops Correspondent BRICE was at MoCCA last weekend, and he's provided us with exclusive pix and a special report of what went down - dig it!

Greetings to all you readers out there in the tubes! I stopped by the MoCCA Art Festival this weekend to spend too much of my money and feed your undying hunger for all things comic. The MoCCA fest has been going on annually since 2002, and if you haven’t made a point to hit it, you’re missing out. Unlike many comic conventions, the focus is set towards smaller and more independent print and webcomics, and if you’re looking for something new or just need a break from a constant barrage of ret-conning in your monthly issues of major labels, MoCCA is the place to find stuff you’ve haven’t seen in your local shop.

This year there were the usual three main rooms covering the first floor, and an additional floor upstairs. While artists mentioned that table prices have gone up for them, they said that the large attendance this year made up for it.


Like I said, one of the great parts about the MoCCA fest is the focus on independent artists and writers. “Bigger” name publishers like Top Shelf were of course on hand, but there are tons of guys and girls writing a wide array of comics for you to sample. I was excited to find a comic about Souxsie Sioux’s (of Souxsie and the Banshees fame) childhood by Dalton Webb, who also contributes to the anthology You Ain’t No Dancer which like the popular anthology Flight is a great way to get a sampling of a bunch of different artists and writers, always a good purchase.

I picked up the newest graphic novel from artist Christine Norrie (Hopeless Savages, Cheat) called Breaking Up, as well as the latest issue of author/artist Liz Baillie’s Queer Punk drama My Brain Hurts. Both books explore high school through the eyes of two completely different female protagonists. Tom Motley’s Aline the Alien included a splash page with honeycombed panels, written and designed in such a way that provided you moved to an adjoining panel, you could go in any direction and continue with a cohesive narrative.

I made my way into the webcomic area, where, if you stand in one spot for 30 seconds, you will hear no fewer than 7 different euphemisms for the word “internet.” I stopped by the “Playground Ghosts” table, featuring such wonderful comics as “Wondermark,” “Reprographics,” and the always lovely “Fluff In Brooklyn.” Chris Yates of Reprographics was happy to chat as I purchased one of his handmade puzzles and then pose for a picture with a completely appropriate sign (it’s a well known fact that 94% of webcomic creators are obsessed with fecal matter).

I stopped off to snag a shirt and a shot from “Dinosaur Comics’” Ryan North, who was one of perhaps two people attending the con who were taller than I (the other being Jeph Jacques of “Questionable Content,” who as everyone knows is approximately 11’ tall and was barred from the NBA out of fear that he might one day trip and crush Muggsy Bogues). Speaking of Jeph, he was nice enough to provide a lovely photo and equally lovely sketch for GAN, which will go up as soon as I can find a scanner.

I made my way over to the table of internet comic collective giant “Dumbrella” and picked up the newest installment of Jeffrey Rowland’s Wigu: The Case of Atlantis. Dumbrella is a powerhouse collective with comics “Overcompensating,” “Goats,” “Diesel Sweeties,” et al., churning out stylish T-Shirts and knocking over other webcomic artists’ lunch trays out of sheer spite. I had a short conversation with R. Stevens of “Diesel Sweeties” fame in which, after learning my profession (working in TV and Film) he promptly told me that he hated movies, as well as most television programming, insulted my job, and may also have made a comment about my mother as I walked away. “Absolute power…” and all that. However I can’t fault a man who shares my love of all things Jon Cusack.

But seriously, one of the great things about MoCCA is having the time and the leisure to swap a few words with the writers and artists selling there. All of them were great and more than happy to chat. And it’s a excellent opportunity to find some good books/sites that you hadn’t seen before. If you couldn’t make it, do yourself a favor and head over to http://www.moccany.org and check out some of the exhibitors that were there. Most everyone has a website and you’re sure to find something that piques your interest. Tell them Geekanerd sent you.

Thanks Brice! Check out more of Brice's hot pix, check out the first part of our MoCCA coverage, which includes links to all the webcartoons mentioned.

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles is a website dedicated to movie title sequences. They've got a great collection of titles both new and old, with the common denominator being strong design. With a couple of exceptions. Browsing their collection is time well spent.

Via Metafilter.

Wiimbledon Big Media Blitz



Here's ABC's coverage of the super-fun Wiimbledon event at Barcade. The scene in the bar was a little tense, as a bunch of young new media (us, Heavy.com, Rocketboom, etc.) bumped up against old wrinkly media (ABC). The lead reporter from ABC came across like an out of touch ass, and this segment with its zooming in on B Button's Belly really sets his assdom in stone. Seriously, what's the point?

I should say, the PA from ABC was a nice guy. The camera guy might've been too, I'm sure he was just following the orders of Captain Asshat.



The MTV guys were nice fellas, as well.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Breaking up is hard to do.


dum de dum de dum...[trip-stumble-BANG] OW! Sonofabitch! Wha in the... Who the hell put this blog here?!? I mean, seriously! Come On!

Well, a blogs a blog, and its either this or the Huffingtonpost... but they seem to be desperately lacking in any mention of the infinite crisis so I suppose here's as good a place as any.

Onto the quick business at hand. Relationships are tough. Period. (you were supposed to pronounce the "." after "tough" but I didn't trust you to do it, so I had to spell it out for you, sorry if that insults your intelligence). BUT breaking up is even tougher. I suppose if you're a proper geek, you don't have too much experience in this arena, but I trust that most of you have, at one point, been digging on some fine anime honey (or homey) and things may have gotten serious. So you know where I'm coming from.

Well, I had to end a relationship recently and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We've been seeing each other since the 6th grade and ending it almost killed me. "Cards, comics and collectibles" in Resterstown, MD has been nothing but a loving, faithful, and supportive comic book store... and I go and spit in her face. What kind of man am I? (find out after the jump!)

Well, I'll tell you the kind of man I am. The kind who moves to the big city, forgets all about his faithful girl back home, and starts messing around with all sorts of comic book stores (brazen hussies that they are) Then I started goin steady with St Mark's Comics (the whore!)... and poor CCC back home had no idea. I cheated on her for years before I finally had the stones to break it off! I had subscription boxes in both stores! What a cad!

Well, the day of the big breakup was tough... took me almost an hour to summon the courage to cancel my subscriptions... I don't want to bore you with details... but it was messy. And now that midtown tramp, Midtown Comics, is tempting me with her $20-credit-with-ever-$100-spent offer... I'm only a mere mortal! Who can resist that temptation!

So friends, I'm writing to urge you not to make the same mistakes that I have. The relationship you have with your comic book store is special, and you have to treat them right, and with loyalty. The comic store is a refuge, a place for like-minded misfits and outcasts to come together and say "Yes! I too think Jason Todd should still be dead!" Who else knows you better than that rack of fresh comics, spines fresh to the touch. Who will take you in on a Wednesday afternoon and say, "it's ok, here, read this till you make it to the weekend." So please, treat her with respect and love. Don't be like me. Be a gentleman (or lady). Oh, and wear a condom!

Tesla Coil Plays Mario Music

Some crazy crazies have set up a rather large Tesla coil in their backyard and programmed it to play the underground theme from Super Mario Brothers. Oh, and to shoot bolts of lightning in the general direction of party guests.

Watch the video at Rocketboom.

Crisis on Infinite Comic Adaptations

CHUD.com has posted part three of their five part Crisis on Infinite Comic Adaptations series, which collects in one place all the news and rumors on every comic movie project under the sun. This edition covers Superman: The Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, The Invisibles, Metal Men, Transmetropolitan(!!!), Books of Magic, Sgt. Rock and Ronin. Take a look at parts one and two while you're at it.

Check it!

Shia LeBeouf Is A Geekanerd

Yahoo! Games has an interview with Transformers star Shia LeBeouf wherein he talks about his extreme addiction to video gaming and how tough it is to be so rich and famous he doesn't even have to buy games anymore, they just come to him.

Check it!

MOCCA 2007 - Hot Webcartoonist Action!

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art's annual ArtFest was this weekend! Special Ops Geekanerd Correspondent Brice was on the scene. His write-up will be posted tomorrow, but for now, enjoy these hot pics of some of Gnerd's favorite web cartoonists! Once you know what the creators look like, will reading their comics ever be the same? Only one way to find out...

The Dumbrella Crew throws down...featuring Meredith Gran of
Octopus Pie, R. Stevens of Diesel Sweeties, Jon Rosenberg of Goats.

More sexy cartoonists after the jump!


Jeffrey Rowland of Wigu and Overcompensating, with our man Brice!


Keith Knight of The K Chronicles - not a webcomic, but chances
are you'll have seen his strip in your local weekly papers.
Check out his site for tons of free cartoon content.


Liz Baillie of My Brain Hurts and Freewheel.


Kent Archer and Chris Hastings of The Adventures of Dr McNinja


Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content


Dave Malki(left) of Wondermark and Chris Yates of Reprographics


Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Weekanerd: "Cool" Shit To Do!

If you've got any energy-points left after this marathon of a weekend (Wiimbldon, MOCCA, Big Apple Con - hope you made it to at least one!), here are a few hot picks on Geekanerd's weekday calendar.

Disclaimer: As we're based in NYC, this feature is New York-centric, but will often include national-scale fun stuff.

TUESDAY (6-26-07)
  • Rescue Dawn - Preview Screening w/ Steve Zahn in person
  • 7pm @ the Regal E-Walk, 247 W. 42 Street, Manhattan.

This is Werner Herzog's first big Hollywood picture! That alone makes it required viewing for film snobs, and films geeks are covered too, cause it stars BATMAN! There was a great New Yorker article about the film and Herzog's very dangerous style of filmmaking. Rescue Dawn is a survival movie set in the Thai rain forest, so let's just say we should all be glad Christian made it out alive!

Tickets are $20 bucks, or $14 for members of the Museum of the Moving Image. They're no longer available online, but as of this writing, they were still available over the phone: 718.784.4520

WEDNESDAY (6-27-07)
Who doesn't like shorts programs? Especially when the line-up includes a bunch of K-Horror and sci-fi stuff, chosen by Jang Joon-Hwan (director of Save the Green Planet) and Bong Joon-Ho (director of The Host! That movie kicked ass!)

Tickets are $11 bucks at the door, buy em online here.

Seriously, pick this up. It's one of the few comics on the stands today that offers consistent LOLs. Plus it challenges the idea of what makes an acceptable superhero protagonist. A big, mean, scary anti-hero is one thing, but what if the lead character is just as selfish ass who happened into a supersuit? It's a Robert Kirkman project so the writing is great, and not just by hazy comic-book standards. Makes a great gift!