Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year From Lady Strongreen


Do not make HER angry! Who's writing Marvel's copy these days? What about "You wouldn't like HER when SHE'S angry!" Or "SHE-Hulk Smash!" Emphasis. Or maybe a joke about how the old She-Hulk was a lawyer. "Sustain THIS." Or "THERE'S A NEW ORDER IN THE COURT". Or "FIRST YOU MUST HAVE THE BODY". I like that last one.

Happy New Year, The World! Geekanerd will be back in full force in 2009, rested from our various vacations in tropical and metropical locations. Anything you want more or less of in the New Year? Hit us up at tips@geekanerdblog.com.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Panel Discussion: Scans from Buffy #20, Batman #683, and Thunderbolts #127

Every week we at Geekanerd rip panels from our comics and put them on display here, recognizing the best, worst, and weirdest moments of the week. Beware some light spoilers if you haven't read your books this week.

Cute Overload - Buffy Season 8 #20
Oh NOES! Buffy has gone back to Season 1! And to reflect the relatively angst-free atmosphere of the early episodes, she's an adorable cartoon character! And Joyce is alive and also cartoony! And Dawn is a pre-teen instead of a key! THIS IS AWESOME.

Buffy also nicely retcons the whole Willow/Xander affair...awk!waaard. This whole issue is filled with squeeable moments, why can't they make a All Ages title like this?

PS: This is all based on the pitched but never sold Buffy cartoon series; here's the pilot with many original cast voices! Cept it's not very good...still, cute, right?



Crazy batman after the jump...

Clearest Example of Batman's Insanity - Batman #683
We all know Batman has a lot of baggage surrounding the Robins. Here, Batman is being mind-raped by some Darkseid minions, who are making him quickly relive some of his most traumatic momments. But in this garbled memory, Tim Drake seems to be emerging, in full costume, FROM JASON TODD'S SMOKING REMAINS.

Most Painful Panel - Thunderbolts #127
Ai yee yee yee! Songbird juuuust stops Bullseye's sai from nailing her in the eyeball by stopping it....with her palm. This kind of injury is pretty tame by comic standards, but that red splash in the background and Songbird's horrified expression really bring the sting home.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Henchmen 21 & 24 Wish You A Super Fabulous Christmastime!


It's ChristmasTime! That means Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick are gifting us all with their beautiful character voices via their annual Venture Brothers Christmas Carole. Is that coherent? I've got jetlag.

Venture Brothers Season 3 SPOILER after the jump! But chances are you won't really care, just click!


Merry Christmas! I always kind of hated 24, so this holiday season, his death is Astro Base Go's present to me. Hit the picture to go to QuickStop Entertainment, where you can download the MP3.

It's nice to hear Doc Hammer sing with something approaching a normal voice, freed from the constraints of his Doctor Girlfriend gravelvox. He's actually got a really nice signing voice. Has he had a chance to showcase that in the show? I don't think he has. Musical Episode? CAAMONN.

PS! If, like me, this song gives you the wonderful chance to feel young because you HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS, here is the original 1979 video by living legend, Paul McCartney.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Disturbing Chritmas Wishes From The Joker

Unless you have a serious aversion to LedJoker impressions and/or disturbing Santa Claus iconography, this video is a virtual lock for Geek Christmas card of the year.


This is an off-shoot from the fanvid series Batman: The Joker Blogs, which, despite a terrible title, is startlingly good and will probably get it's own post eventually once I've had time to collect myself. Seriously, even if you're not feeling the Xmas vid above (dude kind of falters at the deep 'n' scary Joker voice, I know), you'll probably still want to check out The Joker Blogs. As fan tributes go, TJB is an extremely well written, well acted, and dare I say insightful piece of work, and when he departs from Heath's line readings and starts inhabiting the character on his own, dude's Joker impression is something special.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Geekanerd Spotter: Mexico Edition

Hola pistolas! Greetings from warm and sunny Oaxaca, home of half the AHR family tree. Oaxaca is a great place to relax and ride out the inevitable video game withdrawal, but just like the song says, there is always something there to remind me.

Also of note; no one here seems to care about Dark Knight very much, but the Resident Evil animated movies (??) are HUGE.

Also thought some of you might appriciate this...
This image really confused me. It looks like a legit Disney character design, but who is it? From whence did it come? The combination of dark skinned girl, walrus, and penguin had me thinking...Eskimo Princess? Could this be some sort of Direct to DVD Disney flick available only in Central American markets?

The answer is: no. It's just Young Ariel colored to look Latina. The shell necklace is a giveaway. Inside the book, she's a redhead as per usual. Pretty disappointing, actually.

UPDATE: Okay, so the real explanation is even less interesting. A Gnerd commenter more up on the recent crop of Disney Classics informs us that the girl on the book is actually Ariel's DAUGHTER, who does in fact have black hair on account of her parentage (Eric, anyone?). Still...darker skin color, right? Maybe? Bah.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer!

While we're on the subject of geek movie franchises, here's the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer! Luckily, unlike the Eddie Murphy thing, there's no chance this is a hoax. I wasn't expecting much from this movie... but the trailer actually makes it look pretty cool. What do you guys think?
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Eddie Murphy to be the next Riddler?!?


In what we can only assume/pray is a horrible prank, the Sun UK is "reporting" that Eddie Murphy is signed on to play the Riddler in the Nolan bro's followup to The Dark Knight (currently under the working title Gotham). Christian Bale and Michael Caine are still on board... and everybody's favorite franchise killer, Shia Labeouf is signed on as Robin. Rachel Weisz is said to be up for the role of Catwoman. Also Maggie Gyllenhaal is... wait, her character's dead?... man, that still blows my mind.

Ok. I wrote a few months ago that the Nolans have written themselves into a corner- The Dark Knight is a virtually impossible film to follow up. So it seems they're going the Spiderman III route? Sheesh. Stepping back a moment... Catwoman and the Riddler? I know I speak for others at GNerd when I say that we were hoping for some new villain blood... perhaps a Ventriloquist? Maybe a Mad Hatter? Hell, we'd even take a Clayface! Alas, we can only hope this is a scandalous rumor without an ounce of truth to it... It is the Sun after all. By the by, kudos to the Sun's graphics department... we couldn't have done a better/cheesier Eddie Riddler graphic ourselves!

While we're on the topic, what Batman rogues do you want to see in the next film?

Monday, December 15, 2008

Zombie Combat Club Prepares You For The Inevitable

Back around the time of our ill-fated Zombie Hunter post, we were contacted by a representative of the Zombie Combat Club. At the time, we were worried the Geekanerd audience might be suffering from Zombie Fatigue, but now that we're completely obsessed with Left 4 Dead, it seemed the right time to clue you all in to the most exciting new movement in zombie preparedness.
The Zombie Combat Club launched just a few months ago, and focuses on an often neglected area of zombie preparedness; hand-to-hand combat. In Left 4 Dead you can find automatic shotguns just lying around in the street, but that's not how it is in real life, people! Even if you do stumble across some sort of high-powered assault weapon, do you know how to use it without blowing your own head off? Probably not. So to that end, the Zombie Combat Club gives handy lessons on how to fight off zombies in a number of close-combat situations.

Beyond that, they've got lots tons of excellent information on subjects such as zombie anatomy, recommended exercise regimens for the committed survivor, and an important article on the best methods of protecting cute little babies from zombies.

The site has very well put-together, professional write-ups, and even more impressive original illustrations by NYC's own Young Nam Heller. The site hasn't been updated in almost a month, but there's still more than enough content to kill an afternoon, not to mention any hordes that might come clawing at your door.

In other Zombie Survival News, our Zombie Escape Route post has been given a total revamp, and is now twice as informative and three times as panic mongering. Enjoy!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Panel Discussion: Scans from X-Men: Noir and Dark Reign

Celebrity Casting Corner - X-Men: Noir #1On the couch today are Tom Halloway and Remy Le Beau, played by The 39 Steps' Richard Hannay (Broadway version pictured) and Adrien Brody.

Computers have a bad influence on comic art, plus ugly Namor and Norman Osborn going insane, after the jump! (There may even be a bit of Darth Vader for those that stick around.)

(Mis)Adventures in Computer Coloring - X-Men: Noir #1 How do you ruin some decent linework? Why, by throwing some blurry uprezzed computer art and too-crisp Photoshop text behind it! (You may have to click that second one to see just how blurry that book cover is). Am I the only one that can. not. stand the use of computer text in comics for stuff like signs and books? The world of the comic is already being filtered through the pen of the artist, why make an exception for the text? It NEVER looks like it belongs.

Best Actor - Norman Osborn, Dark Reign #1
Oh hell yeah.

The Beer Goggles Are Off - Dark Reign #1
Eww, I thought Namor was supposed to be a hot, exotic Atlantean prince, not a slimy booky from the Bronx. Or some undesireable part of Europe. Or Hell. I mean, hot as fire Sue Storm has a mad crush on this guy! I like to think that every FF book he's in, we see him as Sue sees him, and since she's not in this book we see him as he really is. OR Atlanteans have the ability to cast a charm spell like a vampire's thrall, and he's been projecting how he'd like to be seen into everyone's mind, but since he just walked into a room with superpsyche Emma Frost and magically-enhanced Dr. Doom, all that bullshit has gone out the window. What do we think?

Look Familiar? - Dark Reign #1
It's not just me, right? There are certain images that are as part of the geek consciousness as the Last Supper is to all those other schlubs. Totally Doom Vader.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Comics So Good They Should Not Be Free: Steve Purcell's Toybox

Steve Purcell, best known as the creator of Sam & Max, is the man. I can't think of any comic writer with a more distinctive voice. His humor is dry and clean, yet anarchic. Like a pitchfork attached to a ceiling fan. As much as I love his work on Sam and Max, I never had the chance to read anything else by him; as far as I knew, there WAS nothing else by him (his Wiki page indeed has few other writing credits, except for a Batman Villains one shot).

But now! Thanks to Steve's art blog, which I should have been following MONTHS ago, fans can revel in the wit and wierdness of Toybox, a genuine 12-page comic starring two decidedly non Salmonax-characters. Well, the duo of Toybox is actually not so different from the Freelance Police; we've still got the combination of one detatched and deadpan character paired with a impulsive and slightly violent pal. The story was published in Fast Forward 3, a sci-fi/fantasy anthology to which Steve was asked to contribute "what you want". Given that prompt, this is one of the stranger things I could imagine a person coming up with.

The whole thing was posted around Halloween; eh, so sue me. Read it, it's upsetting and delightful.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Batman: Brave and the Bold actually not bad!


If you haven't realized by now, we're bat purists here at Geekanerd. We prefer our Batmen to be of the Kevin Conroy persuasion, sans pun and eyebrow. So of course Cartoon Network's latest Bat offering, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, had me cursing its name. This was the Batman of the swinging 60's; dropping lamer puns than Bond and fighting campy villains with comically over sized death traps. This was the Batman that killed comics for a good 2 decades! How dare Cartoon Network glorify this false idol!

But then I watched it. Two episodes in fact. And, well, it's pretty good. Stepping outside my love of Batman for a second, I can appreciate what this show's going for. Its unapologetic fun; basking in the inherent silliness of comics (which is frankly a nice change of pace from current generation DC and Marvel books). Capitalizing on the pulp stylings of 60's entertainment, this show is driven by the same tastes that drive The Venture Brothers. However, Batman: BnB is more homage than parody (and its opening intro music is an even better approximation of the original Johnny Quest theme than the Venture Brothers').

Is 60's nostalgia not enough to get you on board? Well, there's a secret second reason why this show is a ton of fun. In fact the show should really be called:

Yeah, a HUGE dick. Sure, he has "pithy" one liners and obvious puns for the villains... but his crimefighting companions are the ones who truly earn his oozing contempt. You really see why no one in the DC universe is good friends with the guy-he's condescending to Everyone. In the Christmas episode, the adorably robotic Red Tornado asks him why he dislikes Christmas; to which he responds in the most condescending tone possible, "I don't dislike Christmas, I dislike crime." That shut him up. We even get flashbacks of lil Brucie during Christmases past... and guess what, he was a dick looong before his parents were gunned down in an alley (which this show suggests happened on a Christmas, so I guess you can cut the guy some slack).

So don't let the clunky and unappealing character design stop you (yes, I know, also a throwback... but still it's not that attractive). Even if campy fun isn't enough to get your attention, then let the asshole we all know Batman to be win you over. I promise, even if this isn't your cup of tea, you'll still find yourself chuckling.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Fables to get a pilot on ABC!


If you haven't heard, the Hollywood Reporter is Hollywood reporting that Bill Willingham's Fables will be getting a pilot for the Fall '09 season on ABC. "Six Degrees" creators Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner are writing the script for the hour long drama and David Semel (dir. of the Heroes pilot) is on board to direct.

Ok, here's the deal... Fables is one of the best comics of the last few years and consists of some of the finest old-school storytelling in comics period. The story is almost perfect for television and ordinarily I'd get extremely excited by this. However, I haven't enjoyed a network drama in a long time and the thought of seeing one of my favorite comics laid bare by crappy TV writing and network standards... well it's heartbreaking. If this were slated for an HBO drama, I'd be crapping my pants right now. As it stands, we won't know for another year what this is. It could revitalize network television and bring about a long overdue golden age... or it could be yet another nail in the coffin of network programming. I don't care too much about the fate of the networks... I just don't want to have to qualify my love of Fables like I do my love of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen... I Swear! It's nothing like the movie!!!

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Panel Discussion: Scans from Batman, Hack/Slash, Secret Invasion and More

Most Surprising Revelation - Batman #682
Who's that dapper momma's boy? Why it's that nice billionaire fellow, Bruce Wayne. You know, the gentleman that nothing bad ever happened to? In this alternate universe fantasy, we see that without the traumatic murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne would be...Clark Kent.

Disappointing sex, questionable cameos and rats... Lots of rats... After the jump.

Most Disappointing Sex Scene - Hack/Slash #18
The character design in Hack/Slash is one of the series' most endearing qualities. The girls have tons of personality, and resemble real people a lot more than most comic girls. And they're super cute.
So, imagine my delight when our bi-curious heroine Cassie finally decides to go all the way with her lesbian pal. HAWTHAWTHAWT! BRING IT ON!
Annnnd....what? This issue was actually drawn by regular Emily Stone AND backup artist Kevin Mellon, the latter of which ended doing all the sexy stuff. And unfortunately, his art is generic and totally ices the heat that should be emanating from this long awaited scene.

Cameo Alert? - Hack/Slash #18
So in this week's issue of Hack/Slash, one of the characters is attacked by a bunch of characters from...something? I see the Toxic Avenger, someone who really looks like the Amazing Wolfman, something that kind of looks like Spawn...um...the House Bunny....and some sort of weird Scud knock-off? Milk & Cheese show up later, are any of these other guys real characters?

Asking Too Much... - Secret Invasion #8
Alright, so the end of Secret Invasion puts Norman Osborn in charge of everything. He's the new Tony Stark, the leader of the Avengers and the Initiative. Ok... Everybody who's anybody knows this guy is the Green Goblin! Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but this is just ridiculous storytelling!

Creepiest Moment - Amazing Spider-Man #579
The setup here is that a bunch of people are stuck in a dark subway tunnel, and Spider-Man is pulling them up a shaft all at once and there's only one light and even though Spidey is making all sorts of troubled noises he insists the light be kept on the people he's rescuing. When they finally find another flashlight and shine it his way, we find out why he's been grunting so much. Ew.

Somebody Call PETA - Amazing Spider-Man #579
In follow up to the previous panel, Spidey kills all the rats by activating the Shocker's vibraglove (or whatever that thing's called... vibraglove sounds like a bachelorette party gag gift).

Can I Just Say Again... - Amazing Spider Man #579...how much I love Marcos Martin's Spider-Man art? I can? This is my blog? Ok, good.

Somebody Didn't Get the Memo - Iron Man / Hulk / Fury #1
Looks like whoever drew this movie tie-in didn't get the memo that Terrence Howard is out and Don Cheadle is in as Rhodey.

Photos: Uglydolls Galore at UglyCon3

Saturday, December 7, 2008 was Uglycon 3, the third annual convention for the fans, collectors and creators of all things Ugly. It was held at Giant Robot, an awesome designer toy store and exhibition space in the East Village.

Chances are if you're a nerd you've at least seen Uglydolls at your local comic store and at conventions, but you may not fully understand the level of fandom associated with these little guys. They have the distinction of being adored by both girls and boys, a mutual demographic most toy designers will tell you is simply preposterous. And of course adult collectors go nuts for them too, because there are tons of variations of scrounge up. All of these groups were well represented at UglyCon, and no one was shy about showing their enthusiasm for all of the new prints, toys, and dolls available at the show.
More pictures after the jump...


Handmade versions of the upcoming line of Uglys were available to purchase by raffle, and were displayed high the wall, presumably to avoid scenes by kids who couldn't control their fandom. Below there were paintings by Uglydoll artisan Sun-Min Kim. My favorite was Ox dressed a pirate, which is a very appropriate costume because, as one collector observed, Ox is "a little thief".


Creator David Horvath was on hand to sign anything fans wanted him to, and was extremely gracious about making sure everyone in line got an autograph. I insanely forgot to bring my Ox doll, but David was kind enough to give me a sketch on the back of one of the show postcards.

Huzzah! Here, Ox seems to have his pal Wedgehead on his mind (aw). As the good Mr. Horvath sketched, I mumbled that my Ox doll frequently helps to resolve disputes at my apartment (true), to which he replied "Yeah, he's good at that."

I thought the coolest part of the show were original posters and prints by David Horvath featuring the Uglycast. Horvath's unique voice for the Uglys (somewhere between LOL speak and Beavis and Butthead) is a big part of why they appeal to both fans of cuteness and weirdness. They're kind of dumb and a little mean, but ultimately adorable.

Babo seemed to be a major fan favorite. Heard lots of people squeaking out his catchphrase, "WHAT DAT?" These Babo Os look like something I might not want to eat.


Lots of Japan iconography on the prints, like this Yakitori house. Nom nom nom.

Some blank artists proof were on display, such as these casts for the Miny and Chocco toys, who got their start on designer candy bars. True story!

I am ashamed to say did literally all of these things in junior high, but to my credit it stopped there. Don't hurt me guys!


Here's a painting by Laszlo Horvath, David's brother. If I could have bought one painting at the show, it would have been this one.

My favorite of the new Uglys...everyone at the Con seemed to know all these new guys names, but I don't. Any fans want to help me out?

Lots more photos, including detail shots, at the Geekanerd Flickr. You may also want to check out the Giant Robot site, which I think will eventually have photos of the costume contest (that's right). And David Horvath has a very kind write-up on his UglyBlog. And for New York readers, this show will be up until the end of December (we've got a link on Weekanerd, in our sidebar), and I highly recommend it.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Nerd Icons Rendered As Bento Boxes

People love eating things that look like things. Anna The Red makes bento boxes that look like nerdy cartoon and video game characters. This Wall-E and EVE is incredible, though I'm very upset about the exclusion of M-O. Look, they've already got the little compacted trash cubes!

More Miyazaki toons than you can shake a chopstick at (sorry), plus Portal and Rabbids, after the jump...

That adorable chubby mouse from Spirited Away, plus his little bird pals and those dust things.

Tootaroo!
No Face and company...this one is particularly perfect.

A box full of Rabbids...okay so this one isn't that pretty, but there are must cuter cookie Rabbids on their Flickr page. DAAAAA!

This is a triumph. Again you can see details on Flickr, as well as Anna's blog. There are several other series represented, and Invader Zim fans will definitely find a lot of stuff to like.

Like this...