The Cosmic Treadmill Takes a Look at Monkeybrain's EDISON REX

December 10, 2013, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: Wanna See A Goat Who Sounds Like JERRY LEWIS? Why Am I Even Asking?

≪ Previous: The X-Men That Almost Were – Chris Claremont’s X-Men Forever Universe

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I like myself some Superman, heck, I even like Lex in a way.

When it comes to new superhero comics, I have a go-to theme that I like too, and that’s of the Superman gone bad vs. the world and the super villain gone good to stop him.

While that’s not exactly the case here, as seen in The Mighty or Irredeemable, but Chris Roberson and Dennis Culver’s Edison Rex (Monkeybrain comics) transforms the world’s most formidable super bad guy into the man who will save the world. It won’t be easy for him, and it also won’t be easy for him to shake his bad public perception as he puts on the hero hat. IDW Publishing has released the first volume of the digital first Monkeybrain comic, a great independent comics gift idea this season.

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Wanna See A Goat Who Sounds Like JERRY LEWIS? Why Am I Even Asking?

December 10, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Win and Jumpstart Your Blu-ray Collection!

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The following video is of a goat who sounds remarkably like Jerry Lewis...there are also some close-up shots of his balls as well if you are into that.

No need to thank me, I do this all for you.

Video after the break.

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Win and Jumpstart Your Blu-ray Collection!

December 10, 2013, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Win Marvel's 'IRON MAN & HULK: HEROES UNITED' Blu-ray and Iron Man MiniMate

≪ Previous: Wanna See A Goat Who Sounds Like JERRY LEWIS? Why Am I Even Asking?

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You Haven’t Seen Your Favorite Movie Until You’ve Seen the Special Features!

This Holiday rediscover the #MovieMagic behind your favorite films. Blu-ray offers exclusive special features that put you in the filmmaker’s chair, with a behind-the-scenes access to all of the magic: Special effects, talent interviews, alternative endings, unreleased scenes, bloopers, and more!

With a Blu-ray combo pack, you can enjoy your favorite films in high-definition whenever and wherever you want. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD in the car, and the digital copy on your phone for when you’re on the move!

Grab your favorite movie lover a Blu-ray this holiday!

Highlights:

• With the combo pack you can take your favorite films wherever you go. You can keep the Blu-ray disc in the living room, DVD for the car, and the digital copy on your mobile phone while on the move!
• Blu-ray lets you to watch your favorite movies with unmatched sound and video that is SIX TIMES the quality of DVDs!
• Blu-ray offers the most premium possible in home entertainment experience
• You don’t have to worry about the buffering that happens with streaming videos

Check out the Blu-ray #MovieMagic Blog App:

• Behind-the-Scenes #MovieMagic GIF Grid - Mouse over each of the GIF squares and click to view a behind-the-scenes clip exclusively from the film's Blu-ray special features.

• The Next Generation of Blu-ray - Don't get left behind with old tech! Check out what's next for Blu-ray in 2014 and beyond!

And after the jump learn how you can win a Blu-ray to add to your collection!


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Win Marvel's 'IRON MAN & HULK: HEROES UNITED' Blu-ray and Iron Man MiniMate

December 11, 2013, 3:00 am

≫ Next: THE STAR WARS #4 (review)

≪ Previous: Win and Jumpstart Your Blu-ray Collection!

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Two of the biggest Heroes from the Marvel Universe team up in “Marvel’s Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United,” the first full-length, direct-to-video CG animated feature from Marvel Animation Studios. Featuring the voices of Adrian Pasdar (TV’s “Heroes,” “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Iron Man and Fred Tatasciore (TV’s “Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Hulk, this groundbreaking Marvel movie experience is available only on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital platforms December 3, 2013.

And we're giving away a copy (along with an Iron Man MiniMate) to a Forces of Geek reader!

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THE STAR WARS #4 (review)

December 11, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: GEEK DIY: Make Your Own Cellphone...Sequins Not Included

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Review by Tony Pacitti

The Star Wars #4 (of 8) 
Writer: J. W. Rinzler  
Artist: Mike Mayhew  
Colorist:  Rain Beredo  
Cover Artist: Nick Runge  
Published by Dark Horse Comics
On Sale December 4th, 2013 

So Han Solo looks like Martian Manhunter with Swamp Thing’s weird nose-bill-thing. That’s kind of a let down.

In general this issue was a bit of a bummer.

We’re now halfway through the series and I feel like it’s kind of stalled out. Skywalker and Starkiller have managed to get the royal children to the port city of Gordon, where they meet a Solo who is not the scoundrel I know him to be.

Which is fine, except that he’s so dull compared to the real Han Solo.

He’s just another righteous freedom fighter in a cast of plenty of them. Outside of his hulking, green frame there’s nothing special about him and the characters here already have a hard enough time standing out from one another.
  
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GEEK DIY: Make Your Own Cellphone...Sequins Not Included

December 11, 2013, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Meet the ORCHID MANTIS...Looks Like A Beautiful Flower, Will Totally Eat Your Face Off

≪ Previous: THE STAR WARS #4 (review)

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This is one of those projects that people with a fair amount of tech-savvy will absolutely love while those of you who are frightened by things like buttons and wires will more than likely steer clear of, which is probably a good thing. But if you do happen to be someone who swoons at the idea of constructing a phone from scratch and cherrying it out via Lisa Frank stickers then perhaps the DIY Cellphone will be up your alley. 

The project is going to run you around $200 to complete (which will include the circuit board and other components) and you will need to know how to use a soldering iron in order to make the phone. There are also a few other items that you will need as well like plywood and veneer and access to a laser cutter (for the circuit board) or some way of creating the enclosure for it.

In short, this is not going to be something you can complete lickety-split. You will need patience and some know-how going in but the end result is that you will end up owning a super-personal phone that can make and receive calls, is able to text and will have a contact list that you can call from...you know, the basics.

If you are psyched to make one of these babies for yourself click HERE for all the instructions, as well as links to purchase the components and circuit board.

I can't wait to see how your uPhone turns out.

Source: Red Ferret

Meet the ORCHID MANTIS...Looks Like A Beautiful Flower, Will Totally Eat Your Face Off

December 11, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: More Proof That Astronaut CHRIS HADFIELD Can't Stop Being Cool

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Nature has a way of creating some of the most beautiful and complex camouflage for the animal and insect world, but nothing on this planet freaks me out more than staring at what I believe to be a beautiful flower and then watching it devour another creature right before my eyes.

The Orchid Mantis is one of those creatures that do that kind of thing and it is only by the grace of Chewbacca that contamination from a nuclear reactor leak has not created a race of Godzilla-sized Orchid Mantises roaming the country-side biting off the heads of humans like their very own Go Gurt pack. And believe me when I say that I have absolute faith that something like this will occur thanks to Fukushima nuclear plant going all wonky after the tsunami hit it in 2011.

Seriously, you wait and see.

But if you need more proof that nature loves things that can gut you while you are alive and screaming, check out the video after the break to see the Orchid Mantis in action...it even has some off-putting music that will ice the blood in your veins just to make it clear that we will eventually fall prey to one of these creatures. 

Enjoy.

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More Proof That Astronaut CHRIS HADFIELD Can't Stop Being Cool

December 11, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Five Pop Culture Cover Fails

≪ Previous: Meet the ORCHID MANTIS...Looks Like A Beautiful Flower, Will Totally Eat Your Face Off

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I love Chris Hadfield. I love him in the same way that I loved River Pheonix, Elvis Costello and all those wondrous crushes that made my teen heart swell back when the world was filled with endless possibilities. I love him because he is awesome. Because he made people interested in space. Because he isn't afraid to look like a dork and have a good time. Because he is simply one of the most awesome people alive today. 

And yes, I do sleep with a picture of him underneath my pillow (along with ones of Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, Adam Savage and John Green).

Why do I think he's so fantastic?

Well, primarily because of the following video in which he covers The Beatles' Across the Universe with a Canadian choir called the Wexford Gleeks and isn't concerned with whether or not people think he's cool. 

Watch it and learn people, the kind of guys that will separate chicks like me from our panties will always go for a rousing rendition of a Beatles song while encapsulating enough Dork Appeal to moisten our geek parts. 

Video after the break.

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Five Pop Culture Cover Fails

December 11, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: The Not So Art of The Long Game

≪ Previous: More Proof That Astronaut CHRIS HADFIELD Can't Stop Being Cool

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Years ago, I declared New York Magazine to be better than the big-apple periodical institution The New Yorker, but now it looks like they've been forced to a bi-weekly model.  Call me crazy, but perhaps they shouldn't have been so quick to give away a digital copy to print subscribers, or spend their money on expensive direct-to-door delivery in Manhattan.

Not that we needed another reason to fear the elephant in the printing house that "Print Is Dead."

Here are five perfectly disastrous pop-culture print cover stories from the past that are best left out of the archives...

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The Not So Art of The Long Game

December 11, 2013, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: Grand Finales - The Greatest Movie Closers Ever

≪ Previous: Five Pop Culture Cover Fails

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The new trend in Hollywood screenwriting is intricate plots that depend on characters that possess uncanny foresight. Plot after plot in movies and TV shows involve seeing ahead twenty steps, knowing exactly what a reaction will be to an action. 

One of the most obvious examples of this has been the sheer number of movies in just the last two years where the bad guy is such a diabolical genius that their scheme always includes what seems like an improbable gamble: purposely being captured.

We’ve seen this in: The Avengers, Die Hard 5, Star Trek: Into Darkness and Skyfall, to name a few.

In all instances the villain further advances towards his goal through a series of events playing out like a Rube Goldberg Device — Action A, results in B, which prompts response C, causing action D, and so on. 

But this phenomenon is not confined to the scheming of bad guys.

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Grand Finales - The Greatest Movie Closers Ever

December 11, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: 2013 Holiday Gift Guide Addendum: PJ McQuade's Pop Culture Holiday Cards, Prints & Stickers!

≪ Previous: The Not So Art of The Long Game

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I confess: I’m one of those guys who prefers to stay all the way through the ending credits of a movie.

I don’t necessarily read every word, but I have always enjoyed hearing exit music while summarizing in my head everything I just saw and taking mental notes on familiar names from other movies I’ve seen.

I could never relate to those hasty folks who immediately bolt from their seats and shuffle to the doors at the first sight of a credits scroll, often blocking my view of the screen.

As far as I’m concerned, the credits are part of the film. I inherently knew this and respected this at a very young age, even before I started to be rewarded for my patience and dedication with extra bonus scenes and what nowadays gets called a “stinger.”

Just as a terrific opening title sequence can perfectly summarize and set the tone for the picture that follows, so too can a closing credits sequence allow a film’s thunderous impact to roll around just a little bit longer inside your head while you decompress. Some movies go far beyond simple bright scrolling credits on a pitch background. Some movies prefer to go out with a bang.

Below are some of my favorites, in a variety of styles.

All apologies to readers who might’ve thought my delving into opening credits sequences in my last Spasm was a bit, um, nerdy. This is where we separate the men from the boys, the true cinema geeks from the mere casual fans.

Plus, I’ll also recap some of your excellent suggestions I overlooked in my previous Spasm.


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2013 Holiday Gift Guide Addendum: PJ McQuade's Pop Culture Holiday Cards, Prints & Stickers!

December 11, 2013, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: 10 Random Facts From 'THE WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS 2014'

≪ Previous: Grand Finales - The Greatest Movie Closers Ever

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If you are lazy like me, you haven't even started sending out holiday cards to friends and family members alerting them that you are, in fact, still alive and looking for presents.

But before you head to your local Walgreen's and pick out some foil-centric holiday cards that convey nothing of who you really are, perhaps you could invest in PJ McQuade's awesome Star Wars Holiday Card 9-pack which features the likes of a bearded Yoda, a red-nosed Chewbacca, sexy Lando and many other characters and scenes from the most boner-worthy trilogy that has ever graced the silver screen.

Hell, even the envelopes are all Star Wars-y:

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10 Random Facts From 'THE WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS 2014'

December 12, 2013, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Silver Age BATMAN Comic Strip Collection Annouced by IDW And The Library Of American Comics

≪ Previous: 2013 Holiday Gift Guide Addendum: PJ McQuade's Pop Culture Holiday Cards, Prints & Stickers!

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Every year, The World Almanac and Book of Facts finds it's way into a place of prestige in my home.

The bathroom.

There, the book will be read, reread and be not only an invaluable reference, but also an essential resource in my ever growing sub-conscious of useless trivia.

With the 2014 Edition of the World Almanac out now, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a bit of the knowledge I've already gleamed while sitting on my porcelain throne.


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Silver Age BATMAN Comic Strip Collection Annouced by IDW And The Library Of American Comics

December 12, 2013, 5:00 am

≫ Next: SPIDER EGGS: One Part Music Video, One Part Animated Brilliance...Watch It Now

≪ Previous: 10 Random Facts From 'THE WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS 2014'

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SPIDER EGGS: One Part Music Video, One Part Animated Brilliance...Watch It Now

December 12, 2013, 7:00 am

≫ Next: The HONDA AIRBAG SMARTPHONE CASE N: Not A Real Thing, But It Damn Well Should Be

≪ Previous: Silver Age BATMAN Comic Strip Collection Annouced by IDW And The Library Of American Comics

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Animator/designer/writer/creative wunderkind Taylor Baldry is one of those people whose head is filled with so much befuddled brilliance that when he comes up with something new, it kind of takes your breath away. 

Seriously, the guy is a crazy genius who you should get to know, like, immediately.

And in this hilarious, yet off-putting, animated short called Spider Eggs, Baldry and his musician pal Shea Bartel have managed to create something so bizarre that it would be a shame not to share it with you.

Video after the break...and don't be surprised if the song stays with you for a long time afterward.

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The HONDA AIRBAG SMARTPHONE CASE N: Not A Real Thing, But It Damn Well Should Be

December 12, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: KICKSTART THIS: 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story

≪ Previous: SPIDER EGGS: One Part Music Video, One Part Animated Brilliance...Watch It Now

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In this 4-minute long video by Honda, a sad and emotional Honda Researcher and Developer is pondering (in Japanese) why no one has created a safety system that protects our phones well enough to keep them from breaking every time we drop them to the floor.

And since Honda has pretty much established itself as a leader in airbag technology, well, why can't this safety feature be utilized for the most important piece of tech that we own?

The ad is subtle, funny and beautiful to watch so take a look at it and dream of a world filled with automatically deployed phone bags.

The future is here...or it could be.

Video after the break.

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KICKSTART THIS: 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story

December 12, 2013, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Surviving Christmas Without Video Games

≪ Previous: The HONDA AIRBAG SMARTPHONE CASE N: Not A Real Thing, But It Damn Well Should Be

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Growing up, I was never a doll person and when I received a Cabbage Patch Kid back in the wee 80s, I was flabbergasted as to why anyone would give a shit about a plastic headed doll that was born in a garden...I mean, it was a dirt baby for Christ's sake.

But then something came along that made fun of those jacked-up dolls which made my weird heart burst with love and giddiness, The Garbage Pail Kids sticker cards.

My god, it was as if Topps looked into my evil and bored shitless suburban heart and bestowed upon me the greatest thing that a 10 year-old girl could ever want:

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Surviving Christmas Without Video Games

December 12, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: The Milestone That Almost Was – DC's Wasted Opportunities With the Milestone Universe

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Christmas will soon be upon us and with it comes the obligatory social interaction with our families, tolerating bad food, being peer-pressured into wearing a stupid hat and having to be nice to our siblings. But the worst thing about Christmas is being gifted a brand new console or receiving shiny new games only to be told you can't play any of them because it's anti-social.

The alternative?

Playing board games and family games with your relatives.

Yep, unfortunately for you this activity is mandatory every festive season. Fear not because I have a few tips on coping with a non-electronic Christmas and for the most part, it's all about viewing them as video games. 

Personally I enjoy board games, whether I'm playing with my relatives or not.

But if you don't like them or just don't feel like playing them, then try thinking about them differently. 

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The Milestone That Almost Was – DC's Wasted Opportunities With the Milestone Universe

December 12, 2013, 3:41 pm

≫ Next: Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: UNITY #2, G.I. JOE #11, BRAIN BOY #0 plus CODE MONKEY SAVE WORLD #2

≪ Previous: Surviving Christmas Without Video Games

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For those collecting comic books in the 1990s, there was an imprint that came along that was unlike much of what was on the shelves at the time.  While most mainstream comics featured predominantly white or Caucasian leads (and still do), Milestone Media burst onto the scene in 1993 offering a refreshing alternative.

The brainchild of prominent black writers and artists like Denys Cowan and the late, great Dwayne McDuffie, the Milestone books put forth showcased minority leads that were more than stereotypes or blaxploitation clichés.

And it was awesome.

With books like Icon and Blood Syndicate leading the way, Milestone turned out some unique and fascinating books, quickly gaining enough traction that in 1994, the characters and their respective titles crossed over with the main DC Universe (Milestone was published through DC) in Worlds Collide, a story that was highly entertaining, but never really had any ramifications for the DCU.

Still one of the coolest costumes in comics.

Unfortunately, despite having a solid stable of characters, by 1997, the comics just stopped coming due to low sales and it was a shame because so many stories went untold.

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Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: UNITY #2, G.I. JOE #11, BRAIN BOY #0 plus CODE MONKEY SAVE WORLD #2

December 12, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Win an Ultimate TV Bundle Featuring TEEN WOLF, FAMILY GUY & FUTURAMA on DVD!

≪ Previous: The Milestone That Almost Was – DC's Wasted Opportunities With the Milestone Universe

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Christmas comes a little early this year with some amazing comics this week!

In fact, paring this list down to four was hard for the first time in a while.

The Valiant Universe crossover continues in Unity #2, our friend Fred Van Lente takes two spots with his last G.I. Joe #11 and an early adventure in Brain Boy #0.

On ComiXology, Code Monkey get pants and more in his origin, Code Monkey Save World #2.

UNITY #2
WRITER: Matt Kindt

ARTIST: Doug Braithwaite
Publication Date: December 11, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200312300211
Buy it HERE

The struggle against X-O Manowar continues this week in the Valiant crossover Unity #2.

Toyo Harada’s first wave of infiltrators, a team of Harbingers was largely unsuccessful, and Ninjak got himself captured by the Visigoth and is now trapped in the Vine ship in Romania.

Does none of that make sense to you?

Don’t worry, with only two issues in, you can start from the beginning and get a sense of story.

Valiant, by design, is making their second wave of comics great jumping on points for new readers, and are attracting more with consistent five-star reviews for this Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) written crossover limited series.

In issue #2, Livewire, Eternal Warrior and Harada infiltrate the ship and tap into the virtual controls, in attempt to rescue Ninjak and save the planet from Aric’s invasion.

The virtual reality fight scenes drawn by Doug Braithwaite ramp the action up to eleven, making for a true page turner.

I’m telling you, drop event comics from the big two and hop on Unity. Valiant is doing it right.

Explosive action with real consequences to characters you’ve just met makes for the best kind of comics.

Not sure quite yet? Wait for the reasonably priced trade in a few months.


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