Ridiculous Joke for today

January 8, 2010

Just for Lauren.

Aquaman lays back in his tub, watching the Olympics on a portable television.

The announcer says Michael Phelps’ name, and the superhero winces.

A twinge of jealousy. A scowl. A clenched fist.

He looks at his costume folded up on the toilet seat.

Orange, green, black, and yellow… sure, the colors are ugly, but it’s a classic.

And functional, too, he reminds himself. That technological suit they wear in the Olympics still can’t produce race times like a true superhero.

Or let them talk to fish.

“Give it up, dude,” says his pet goldfish.

Aquaman sighs, and changes the channel.

~Han

I hate both Aquaman and Phelps! 😀

Even with a cold,…

January 7, 2010

So I’ve been working all day with my nose dripping on everything I look at and sneezing like an asthmatic in a wood shop (would asthmatics sneeze in that situation? I don’t know. I think you get the picture.) (Just dropping in to say, as an asthmatic, if I were in a wood shop, I would probably have an asthma attack. The sneezing would be something else entirely. -Lauren)

I grabbed a box of tissues with my tea and sat down to grumble about being sick and attempt to feel even a smidgen better. Then I thought about it….What Would Batman Do with a cold?!

He’d kick the cold’s ass from one side of Gotham to the other, and make a set of tissues to boot.

Yep. Straight from eBay, you can wipe your nose (or the dribbling nostrils of a munchkin child) with Batman’s Epic Face.

Spiderman would make a hot water bottle for those feeling a little achy.

And Superman, well, he’d swoop in to protect your toilet from those, erm, purges.

You think you’ve seen it all, and then the Internet comes to tell you that you’re wrong. Well, it’s good to know that superheros have my cold taken care of, and I should be back on my feet in short time.

And I looked. There are no Aquaman toilet seats. But, if Aquaman had a toilet, it would probably be this:

~Han

Comic book clothing for your 8 month old.

January 7, 2010

I can say with certainty that now is the perfect time to be a comic book nerd with a kid, or a kid on the way. Like my Dad did, you probably hope your kids will share in your  geeky hobby of comic books. In the past it was harder. When I was born, Batmania had swept the country due to the Tim Burton films. So maybe it wasn’t so hard with me. Batman did get me hooked thanks to my Dad turning it on everyday. But growing up I certainly don’t recall there being any comic book clothing for children. Trust me I looked. If I had a Batman hoodie available to me in my size as a 7-year-old, I would have thrown the temper tantrum of the year for it.

Today my Dad and I walked through our local Old Navy and were surprised at the amounts of baby comic book gear that was available! If you have a 6-12 month year old you’re in luck! Old Navy carries Batman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Superman hoodies for them. They also have tee shirts with Iron Man, Batman, ect, for your 6 month old baby.

Really though, this is awesome: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=49045&vid=1&pid=674496&scid=674496002

Another popular retailer, Target, also carries baby super-hero clothing! Both places have pretty comparable pricing though.

I don’t have any kids, but I assure you I’m stocking up when the time comes. You never know when this super-hero trend is going to die, so better get it now while the going is good.

-Lauren

Lauren posts too much.

January 6, 2010

It makes me feel lame.

Either that or I don’t spend enough time looking for geeky things to talk about.

~Han

….PS: I have a plan.

In my defense, I try to post once a day. Today though I was feeling extra inspired! Be grateful it wasn’t another anti-Aquaman post. -Lauren

You’re extra geeky. ~Han

Pot, meet kettle.

Mera is a bad-ass motherfucker

January 6, 2010

Mera is Aquaman’s wife. But unlike Aquaman, Mera can actually do something usefull. Like fighting. In Blackest Night she gets to really kick some ass (including Zombie Aquaman, but shit who couldn’t beat the fuck out of Zombie Aquaman?), and prove to me that not everyone related to Aquaman is a complete waste of imagination.

Mera is such a bad-ass motherfucker that she even gets to fight a certain other female hero in the DC universe, and she really kicks some ass. Also, she uses water as a weapon. That’s awesome. Do you know what Aquaman uses water for? A place to hide. He’s lucky his wife (who clearly wears the pants in the relationship) is a bad-ass.

Hell, in Blackest Night she beats the fuck out of other zombies too. She tears the jaw off of one before shoving her trident in the assholes chest. I even feel bad that Aquaman and her son are dead, because the bitch is fierce and deserves a loving family.

And meanwhile, in the Hall of Justice, Zombie Aquaman was eating The Little Mermaid because he’s a piece of shit.

-Lauren

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

January 6, 2010

I have a secret to tell you. I like to read kids books. I also want to write kids books, so I guess it’s a good thing I read kids books. Anyhow, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is one of the best kids books I’ve read to date. The series is hilarious! Greg, the protagonist, is urged to keep a journal that his mother gives him, so he can write down his emotions or what have you. We meet all of the main characters; Greg’s family, his best friend Rowley, and an evil piece of cheese on the black top of his school.

This book is funny for one big reason; The reader, no matter the age, can relate. I started reading this series in late 07 when the bookstore I worked in got a promo copy of the second book. I was in tears over how funny it was. A lot of what Greg “writes” about is based in reality, such as girls liking boys who can run the fastest (or some other dumb reason, which we did). Or not wanting to participate in gym, or not wanting to help around the house, or finding ways to black mail his younger brother into doing things for you.

Now, some people might find Greg to be a little bastard because he really isn’t a good kid. But, he’s a kid. He does the same things we did as a kid. In the end, Greg is a nice kid who tries to do the right thing, but it’s a learning experience for him, as it was for us (and still is for some of us). I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone who has kids, or anyone who just likes to read. Kids who normally avoid reading would highly enjoy this book, since there are pictures on almost every single page. It’s well written, highly enjoyable, and if you haven’t done so already, go read it!

Also, in the not so distant future, there’s going to be a live action movie! This excites me greatly. You can read more about the movie here: http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/30/first-look-diary-wimpy-kid/

To get more info about Wimpy Kid, please click here: http://www.wimpykid.com/

-Lauren

Batgirl Pilot

January 5, 2010

Haven’t seen the Batgirl pilot yet? Here, allow me:

Obviously it would have been a spin-off to the Adam West show, or maybe it was a way to introduce Batgirl to the networks for the already existing show. Either way, unlike her female counter part Wonder Woman, Batgirl is beauty, brains, has a job, AND kicks ass while saving Batman and worthless Robin. But what strikes me is odd, is that Bruce Wayne is in the library. If you happen to be one of the richest men in the tri state area, or half of the country, or is the Goddamn Batman, then you probably have no use for a library. You probably have a pretty awesome library at home. But then again, if you’re Bruce Wayne, you’re clearly at the library looking for some booty. Clearly this is the only reason Wayne would ever be seen in a library. Even if his “ward” was with him. Showing off your adopted son to the ladies always adds points.

The villains here are odd. All Batman villains are odd. But these guys are hanging out, in a library, while wearing hats with antenna on them. Now, maybe I’m just guessing, but if an odd ball bunch of guys wearing costumes in the middle of a month that is not October were in my place of business? I would ask what the fuck they were doing, and to get the fuck out. 

I also don’t know why she keeps her Batgirl costume at the library. Is the library constantly attacked by menacing thugs? Does she have a problem with the Joker not returning books on time? I must give props that she uses the cape as a skirt though, thats pretty awesome.

And hahahahaha Robin is clearly jealous of Batman slobbering all over Batgirl. Oh Robin, you are as useless as Aquaman, but I like you slightly more because you’re with Batman.

-Lauren

A look back on conventions of 2009: New York Comic Con

January 4, 2010

With the 2010 convention season just months away, let’s have a look back on some of the cons of 2009. Included are New York Comic Con, Wizard World Philly, Baltimore Comic Con, and Big Apple Comic Con.
New York Comic Con:

New York Comic Con 2009 was my first year attending the con. While I had some issues with the con at first (such as my pre-reg never actually going through), it was still enjoyable. But it was also bitterly cold (which they couldn’t help) and crowded. The con center was also hosting a different convention that same weekend. The artists alley is always my favorite spot of the con, and also where I spend the most money. I got a sketch done by Dan Parent, one of the most talented Archie artist on their roster. Since the con was very over whelming for me (which is odd, since I was a veteran of Otakon) I didn’t do much else but walk around and take everything in. Perhaps in 2010 I’ll stay for the whole weekend, so I can really enjoy it!

-Lauren

Hampton Comic Book Store

January 3, 2010

I was in Hampton, VA this weekend to visit my boyfriend, and he took me to the comic book store. It was actually a decent sized store, but I discovered it wasn’t actually a “comic book store,” but more of a “geekery store.” And that was cool. But it was called “Comic Store,” and the comic selection? Pretty meek.

About 3/8 of the store was comics. Most of that was moderns, but the center glassed in areas were older collector’s comics. There were no slabs, and a lot of collector’s pieces (models, etc.) A quarter of the store was Star Trek/Wars & related paraphanalia, a quarter was D&D and miniature war games stuff, and another quarter was something I wasn’t interested in so I don’t even remember.

The store was poorly lit in REALLY yellow lighting. The longboxes were packed so tightly you needed to fight to get anywhere in the box, risking bending and ruining the comics. There was so much going on, it was hard to focus on ANYTHING. The woman who was available to talk to hardly spoke English, and when she finally figured out my question, had to go ask somebody else for the answer. In their single case of “NEW RELEASES” comics, the comic I was looking for was, in fact, the previously released book. The organization of books was ridiculous, and their graphic novels were two books behind. It was a bigger store than some I’ve seen, but the cons here outweighed the pros.

I was really excited to go in and when I saw it was that big and the ceiling was so high, I was happy to think I might have a positive shopping experience. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I did find some things that have been on my list.

I picked up Harley Quinn books #13, 16, 21, 27 and 37. Progress, yay! But still, the fact that the whole place was so disorganized and difficult to navigate, I probably walked around in circles five or so times before I actually found anything. The yellow lights made judging the condition of the comics pretty difficult, and I would never even THINK of buying a high dollar book there because it’s just impossible to see the book for what it really is. I’m glad I was just looking for readers…but I don’t think I’ll be going back there again.

~Han

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

January 3, 2010

Yesterday afternoon, at around 430pm-ish, I began to watch the 20 hour movie known as Watchmen: Ultimate Cut. This movie is longer then the directors cut since it has Tales Of The Black Freighter woven into it, along with some extra scenes not seen in the directors cut version. HOWEVER, Tales adds nothing to the film, in fact it just gets in the way and is generally really annoying to sit through. The animation is crappy, and it honestly added nothing to the already too long and really drab movie. I fell asleep during the movie, and I still had to turn it off for the night because I wasn’t even halfway through the fucking movie. It’s just too long. This isn’t Gone With The Wind, people. This movie is pretty terrible, although it’s a treat to look at, especially in Blu Ray. 

The nice thing about the DVD is that it includes the motion comic, which is actually pretty decent. But if you really want to experience Watchmen at it’s best, just read the damn graphic novel.

-Lauren