Geek Stuff

Watchmen and The Lord of the Rings Are Strikingly Similar Landmarks

October 13, 2015 6 Comments

Watching The Rings Moore’s Watchmen and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Are Strikingly Similar Landmarks   When one talks of vital contributions to the art of comics, one cannot ignore Alan Moore. With a body of work as consistently terrific as his – he has more certifiable classics under his belt than any comic writer of the last 30 years – targeting any given tale as his “best” is an impossible task. But of Alan Moore’s contributions to comicdom, one truly stands as not just an undeniable landmark, but the undeniable landmark, putting its stamp on comic history forever: Watchmen, the powerful 12-issue collaboration with Dave Gibbons circa the Reagan-era 1980s. Just how big a landmark is this now classic tale? Alan Moore’s Watchmen is to modern comics what J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord…
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Books & Authors, Comics & Graphic Novels, Geek Stuff

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The 5 Most Powerful Geeks of All Time

September 14, 2015 0 Comments

Let’s jump back a few years. Shortly after the release of Geek Wisdom, a book I was honored to contribute to, I was contacted by Men’s Health magazine to write a piece about the most powerful geeks of all time. It sounded like a fun assignment. I wrote the piece. It was supposedly filled with “awesome stuff” and “everyone at the office [loved]” it, according to the editor who contacted me. But they never used it, and I never heard from that editor again. Rather than let it languish on a memory stick, I figured I’d yank it from the archives and post it here. So here you go: The 5 Most Powerful Geeks of All Time Geeks. Hear the word and the usual stereotypes spring to…
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Geek Stuff, Random Musings

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Preacher is coming to AMC, and I’m ecstatic

September 10, 2015 0 Comments

Preacher, the darkly irreverent and hilariously blasphemous comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, is coming to AMC next year. I couldn’t be happier. AMC is on a ridiculous roll in recent years. They used to be focused on classic movies, then slowly started introducing original programming. In 2007, Mad Men debuted, and it marked the dawn of a new era. The channel would never be the same after that. (I wrote a book about Mad Men. You should check it out.) For me, the big breakout show was Breaking Bad, a show that grabbed me good and never let go. I’ve watched it four or five times over at this point. The Walking Dead didn’t start out so great, but even that has…
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Comics & Graphic Novels, Geek Stuff, Television

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X-Men: Days of Future Past is super great

June 6, 2015 0 Comments

This is. The last one, and my marathon is over. Happily, we’re ending with a good ‘en: X-Men: Days of Future Past What do you get when you mix a nonsensical script, high school level acting, dodgy made-for-TV special effects, and a ridiculously sluggish, sleep-inducing pace? Not Days of Future Past, which is neck and neck with X2 as the best of the seven-film X saga. I mean, what DOESN’T this thing get right? It opens with a bang, showcasing a grim dystopian future and wickedly creative use of mutie powers, plus gruesome mutie death. Logan is quickly sent back in time and the plot is instantly surging along. Unlike flicks like X-Men, Origins and The Wolverine, Days of Future Past knows where it’s going…
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Films, Geek Stuff

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The Wolverine: The one that doesn’t suck (as much)

June 5, 2015 0 Comments

Another day, another X-movie. By now you should know the drill, so let’s go: The Wolverine (unrated extended edition) Poor wittle Wulberine’s heart is broken because he stabbed his crush to death, then a Quirky Asian Girl shows up and brings him to Japan, where he fights ninjas and sleeps with gorgeous women. This second Wolverine movie is a huge upgrade from the first insomuch as it’s not a colossal pile of excrement. In fact, there is a lot to like here. Exploring the thread’s of Jean’s death was a good choice. Gettin into Logan’s adventures in Japan was a great choice. The tone is somber and moody and pretty much on point. Great acting by Jackman. Ninjas! Suppressing his powers was a total plot…
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Films, Geek Stuff

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