Fanboys Anonymous

The words, "Never have I ever" have been spoken as a ritual during every prepubescent sleepover and drunken gathering of our young adult lives. A staple of debauchery in its prime, it often revolved around sexual encounters and shameful admissions but almost always barely scratched the surface of what we're all willing to admit. You can't have humility to play this game.

Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions

Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions follows the structure of the classic party game, with an added twist. Someone draws a red card that gives you a rule to the round and then starts the sentence, "Never have I ever..." before detailing an embarrassing scenario. If you are not guilty of the Play card, you discard it; however if you are guilty, you get to keep it and the shame you are now forced to relive. Whoever is the first to have 10 cards in their pile wins—and is arguably not the person you want to bring home to your parents.

The bright orange box includes 550 cards (485 embarrassing Play cards and 65 Rule cards) and suggests exactly what it is: a game of poor life decisions. Each card forces you to own up to the awkward one-night stands, public bouts of indecent exposure and urination, and drunken messes you once became in your younger years (or are currently).

The first time I tested this game, it was with a friend and a random guy at our table we thought would be fun to have join us. It was a great way to learn a lot about someone before you even get their name, and although I can't actually remember what his name was, I could tell you heaps about his sex life. This game is less "Never have I ever" and more "Things I have done that you are now picturing."

As we went through each round, the rules of the game were given some clarity, though we did bump up the amount of points needed to win because, let's be honest, we're adults that went through college and the majority of the cards we drew are just normal experiences that passed by with not much more than a small laugh, or at least we were mature enough to think so. The concept of it is great—each card is pretty detailed and probably not what would've come to mind had we played it the original way—and the Rule cards spice it up instead of going around in a circle with a scenario you hope you're not the only one guilty of.

Never Have I Ever rule cards

Never Have I Ever is meant for 4 to 12 players and passes itself off as a "judgment-free" game, though what is the point of the game without passing judgment on your best friends? Even one of the Rule cards suggests each player vote on whether or not you're guilty of the card you're holding on your forehead. I don't know, are you guilty of "Put my kids to bed early so I could get high," or "Used the same condom twice?" There's no judgment-free way to answer half of these without silently saying, "Yes, you are a horrible person."

Most cards, of course, involved your typical sexual, alcoholic, or drug-related experience, while a handful included the most innocent scenarios that make you scratch your head and wonder why they were even included in the deck. "Binged on Netflix without leaving the house" is now the norm and I'd probably judge you if you haven't. "Added bacon to my kale salad" is easily the most mundane card, unless you are (gasp!) a vegan, while "Wanted to have sex with someone here" is guaranteed to be met with a unified "YES!" (and if it's not, there's also a card that reads, "Lied while playing Never Have I Ever" because we all know the answer to this one).

Never Have I Ever play cards

Admittedly, my second go at this game ditched the Rule cards and turned into a round of holding up each card to my friend in Los Angeles via FaceTime. Every round garnered either an intrigued chuckle or a half-amused "Of course you did," because at that point we both agreed that we each lived sordid lives. I could definitely say that this game is much more suited for a larger group of people after a couple of beers.

My only quarrel with this game are the select few cards that are borderline slut-shame, misogyny, and rape culture. "Roofied someone" or "Tried to get someone drunk so I could have sex with them" is more than likely to make the crowd uncomfortable, and no story to explain would've been needed. It's not funny and shouldn't be included in a game that makes light of our horrible decisions. As the instructions state on the bottom, "If this game offends you, go buy our other award-winning game, Dabble. Sure, if you don't like this game, give us more money for another game.

Although this game doesn't quite match up to the widely popular Cards Against Humanity, it easily markets to the same crowd and makes for a great stocking stuffer for the holidays. It's the perfect party game for those who aren't easily embarrassed.

Never Have I Ever: The Game of Poor Life Decisions is available on Amazon and at local retailers including Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Spencer Gifts, and Target, for $25. Alternatively, there's also an app available on iTunes and Google Play, though it's not as much fun.

On episode 24 of the Fanboys Anonymous Group Meeting podcast, the panel has a roundtable discussion about Halloween's presence in pop culture and the geek community's embrace of the holiday.

Hosted by Tony Mango, the panel includes Calen Bruce, Caroline Oliveira, Shaun Walker and Angela Williams.

Some topics we address:

• Should Halloween costumes be comedic, sexy, scary, works of art or just fun?
• Stories from our past Halloween adventures
• Halloween decorations, haunted houses and other activities
• What's the worst thing you've received while Trick-or-Treating?
• and more!

You can watch the podcast below. Make sure to subscribe!

It wasn't until the past couple of years that New York Comic Con stepped out of the shadow of its West Coast counterpart. Having only formed a decade ago, the small convention that gathered hundreds of geeks had a lot of catching up to do to match the now 45-year-old Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Fans crowd the Jacob Javits Center for New York Comic Con. Photo: Caitlin Dooley

Taking place in the comic book, publishing, and media capital of the world, which is also home to some of our favorite superheroes including Spider-Man, Iron Man, DareDevil, and the Fantastic Four, it is not surprising that New York Comic Con (NYCC) has grown beyond its walls as fans tested its capacity. Around 167,000 fans packed into the Javits Center during the four-day pop-culture convention held on October 8–11, Forbes reported, topping last year's 151,000 attendees—an already huge record.

Attendance at NYCC began with only 12,000 at its inaugural event 10 years ago but reached six-digit attendance by 2011. It has since become the mecca of comics, video games, film, and television, bringing every fandom under one roof for a plethora of panels, screenings, and the Eastern Championship of Cosplay—the main event that tops off Saturday night.

"Ten years ago…we were in the basement of this lively building in one little hall," Lance Fensterman, ReedPOP's Global VP, told CNN. "We've kind of come out of the basement of the Javits Center just like our fans have come out of the basement…geek is mainstream."

NYCC's exponential growth forced ReedPOP to mimic San Diego and spiral its events out of the convention center and into nearby venues for the first time this year. Hammerstein Ballroom, located only a few blocks away, hosted a handful of large panels on Friday and Saturday, and The Walking Dead Fan Premiere—what used to be the largest panel on the Main Stage—was moved offsite to Madison Square Garden. Regular badges gave fans access to most offsite events, although special tickets were required for The Walking Dead premiere.

According to Fensterman, ticket demands for this year's convention quadrupled from 2014, far surpassing the number of VIP, 3-Day, 4-Day, and Saturday tickets available in the virtual queue when they went on sale in May. Once again, many fans were left disappointed and outraged when all passes sold out within hours and quickly popped up on third-party sites for over three times the price. As NYCC grows, ticket demand grows with it.

Major brands have also taken notice of the convention's growing popularity, taking full advantage of the demographic and marketing their products toward millennials. Six new brands were added to the list of sponsors this year, joining AT&T, who hosted the Main Stage panels that included Marvel's Jessica Jones premiere and Fox's X-Files revival. Progressive, which gave out storage lockers to attendees, had a team dressed as "Protector Girl" to hold fans' places in long lines. Pepsi offered their special "Pepsi Perfect" bottles from Back to the Future Part II to fans who dressed as Marty McFly or competed in a Wild Gunman contest.

Chevrolet, which has been a ReedPOP partner since 2011, collaborated with the American Cancer Society to create a special T-shirt designed by comic artist Amy Reeder for their Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign. Chevrolet donated $5 for each photo taken with their special Pink Camaro on the convention floor using the #IDRIVEFOR hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.


If you were unable to attend the convention, Courtyard by Marriott and Twitch sponsored a livestream via #NYCCLive and held a booth to film interviews with guests. General Mills' Honey Nut Cheerios also sponsored a morning recap livestream.

With easy access to a large crowd of young consumers, NYCC has become a major investment for companies to make a viral impact on the social media-savvy crowd, all the while creating a large economic impact for the city.

Though San Diego Comic Con has long since established itself as the front runner of some of the biggest pop culture announcements, NYCC has been persistent in becoming the new destination for film and television companies. Large banners hung throughout the TV-centric convention while panels for upcoming shows roared with excitement.

Earlier this summer, ReedPOP held its second annual Special Edition: NYC, a smaller comic-focused convention at Pier 94. Only a small fraction of the size of NYCC, Special Edition gave fans a close and intimate experience with the comics and their creators.

ReedPOP announced next year's New York Comic Con is scheduled for October 6–9, 2016 at the Javits Center. New York Super Week is set to begin on October 3rd.

On episode 20 of the Fanboys Anonymous Group Meeting podcast, the panel has a roundtable discussion about things in the geek culture spectrum that are labeled "not safe for work".

Hosted by Tony Mango, the panel includes Calen Bruce, Caroline Oliveira, Shaun Walker, Angela Williams.

Some topics we address:

• MPAA ratings for film
• Censorship on television
• Janet Jackson's Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction
• ESRB ratings for video games
• Do violent video games create killers?
• Grand Theft Auto Hot Coffee Mod
• Game of War Kate Upton sexploitation
• Parental advisory warnings for music
• Songs that promote substance abuse or racism
• Is nudity in cosplay art or just to seek attention?
• Rule 34 on the internet
• and more!

You can watch the podcast below. Make sure to subscribe!

Fanboys Anonymous will once again be coming to the Too Many Games convention, but this time around, instead of just having a table, we will be presenting a special panel!

Join us on June 26, 2015 from 6:50 pm–7:40 pm at Panel 3 for Fanboys Anonymous: Addicted to Geek Culture where we will be discussing everything from the stigma of the word "fanboy" to the things that we're personally obsessed with, how addictive fandom in general can be, and the positives and negatives of having such a devoted fan base behind the things we love.

There will be time for a Q&A session where you can speak your mind as well as pick our brains about anything you want!

Where: Greater Philadelphia Expo Center — 100 Station Ave, Oaks, PA 19456

When: June 26–28, 2015 | Friday (2 pm–10 pm), Saturday (10 am–7 pm), Sunday (10 am–5 pm)

Website: Visit http://toomanygames.com/ for information on purchasing tickets and more

Description: TooManyGames is the longest running gaming convention in the Philadelphia area and is held every June at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. The 2015 TooManyGames convention will be held June 26 through 28. In 2014 attendance numbered over 5,000 attendees. Due to a strong guest list, increased sponsorships, ticket sales trends, and vendor response we are projecting 7,000 to 10,000 attendees in 2015.

History: TooManyGames (then known as the East Coast Gaming Expo) was formed in 2004 as an event focused on bringing classic gamers together to have a special occasion dedicated to classic game playing and collecting. TooManyGames' debut convention was held in September 2004 at the Inn at Reading in Reading, Pennsylvania with over 700 people attending to play, purchase, and enjoy classic video games.

In 2005, TooManyGames began expanding the show by including a large selection of classic and modern arcade games, incorporating more tournaments as well as hosting one of our region's first video game concerts. As TooManyGames has continued to grow and incorporate new features it has expanded from its original 5,000 square feet to now encompass over 100,000 square feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center's convention space.

TooManyGames will continue to drive innovation and expansion with their convention through continuously making new partnerships with people and companies whose focus is on making gamers happy.

Some come out, see what the convention has to offer, pick up some games or artwork or whatever you're into and make sure not to miss our panel!

Hours before the doors to the second annual Special Edition: NYC (SENYC) comics-only convention opened, a crowd full of comic book enthusiasts, masked villains, and caped crusaders had already begun to form, and once again New York City got a glimpse of spandex-clad superheroes/heroines and their villains far off their respective comic book pages.

SENYC took place at Pier 94 on June 6 and 7 and gave attendees something that New York Comic Con (NYCC) hasn't for years: an intimate experience to celebrate comics and interact with their creators. ReedPOP's impressive line-up of creators included Amy Reeder (Rocket Girl), Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl), Mark Texeria (Ghost Rider), Greg Pak (Batman/Superman), and Jason Latour (Spider-Gwen).

ReedPOP had announced on June 3 that they had reclaimed NYCC tickets from scalpers and added them to the allotment sold at SENYC, so when the convention began at 10 a.m. fans wasted no time forming a line reminiscent to that seen when entering the larger pop-culture convention. Organizers soon capped the line to discourage it from encompassing the entire entrance. Tickets were set to go back on sale an hour later, but no one seemed to budge.

The convention floor of Pier 94 was dark as fans hovered over various comics tables. Most of the crowd gathered around the rows of Artist Alley to get up close and personal with their favorite creators. Unlike NYCC, the convention's panels were small and easy to get into, but that didn't mean they were any less interesting. Marvel's "Next Big Thing" panel kicked off the convention; it was held by Brian Michael Bendis (All-New X-Men), Marguerite Bennett (A-Force), Peter David (Spider-Man 2099), and Charles Soule (Inhumans: Attilan Rising). During the panel, Bendis put rumors to rest as he confirmed that his new Iron Man series will star Tony Stark and will not be a reboot. Big things were announced for this fall with Cosplay variants featuring cosplayers on comic book covers, shot by Judy Stephens of Marvel.

Other panels covered topics specifically geared toward indie creators and those trying to break into the industry, including how storytellers develop their ideas into narratives and the business behind comics from checks to contracts.

Of course, no comics convention would be complete without the cosplayers—and there were no shortage of excellent participants at SENYC. View the photos below.

The Flash Cosplay	DC Comics group

DC Comics photoshoot

Ms. Marvel Cosplay	Spider-Gwen and Spidey

Atlantis Cosplay - Siryn Cosplay and Saraphina	Mera and Aquaman

Gravity Falls	Hawkman and Hawkgirl

Mera Cosplay - Saraphina	Scarecrow

Gotham City Cosplay	Metropolis Cosplay

Superman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen	Gambit and Rogue Cosplay

The experience overall was relaxing compared to NYCC and its overwhelming 130,000 attendees. SENYC's dim lighting and casual atmosphere made it feel like a basement hangout for geeks as we talked and read comics.

Since Fanboys Anonymous revolves around the various different aspects of geek culture, any opportunity that we get to embrace our inner nerd is relished. One of the best places to do that, of course, is at a convention, and our latest endeavor in that regard was the Atlantic City Boardwalk Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts and last minute booking problems and so forth prevented us from being able to go the full four days, but we were thankfully still able to attend on Friday.

As far as the size of the convention, it's naturally bigger than your normal upstarts as it is held in the Atlantic City Convention Center instead of a small community center or the more warehouse-type buildings. However, don't let that intimidate you. In no way is this anywhere near as big as something like New York Comic Con in comparison. This is the perfect size for a starter convention to attend to get a basic idea of how these go, where you have enough time to visit all of the different attractions and attend several panels as well. To give you a basic rundown of some of the things we were able to do, take a look at the sections below.

Cosplayers

It's always fun to see what people are dressed up as at conventions, since they're celebrating the characters we love. As expected, the top choice seemed to be Harley Quinn, and believe me when I say the three below are just a fraction of the ones that were roaming the floor. Costumes ranged from the more serious and darker ones to silly renditions of cartoon characters and even more than one version of Where's Waldo? which is totally cheating and not fair.

Suicide Squad Harley Quinn	"Bitches of Cosplay"

Supergirl	Robin

The Super Mario Bros

The Twins - Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch

Captain America	Deadpool Family

Erza Scarlet Casey Jones	Steven Stone

Garnet	Lex Luthor

Found him!

Stan Lee Museum

A neat little section is what they refer to as "The Stan Lee Museum," which basically houses all sorts of miscellaneous treasures from over the years that involve the man himself and his creations. There are a dozen or so glass cases filled with special drawings, signed memorabilia, and odd trinkets, but what immediately stands out is the collection of Iron Man statues. You pretty much can't be around that area and not notice Iron Monger and the bright glowing lights of the Arc Reactor chestpieces.

Iron Man armor busts	Iron Man Mark V Armor

Different versions of Iron Man armor

Iron Man armor War Machine bust	Marvel Cinematic Universe Props Display Case

Pingo Doce with Guarana Kick	Peter Parker's Diploma	The Orb (Power Stone)

The Garage

If the Marvel movie props aren't necessarily your thing, but you still enjoy checking out some of the iconic pieces of superhero film history, there is also a section dedicated to automobiles dubbed "The Garage." You could get your picture taken alongside The General Lee from Dukes of Hazard, the Ecto-1a from Ghostbusters II, and of course, multiple different Batmobiles!

Tumbler Batmobile from Batman Begins	Batpod from The Dark Knight

The Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman	The DeLorean from Back to the Future

Panels and Celebrities

We didn't partake in the autograph and photo sessions, but we were able to check out a few names along the way during our rounds.

Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash's secret weapon for finding out what every piece of memorabilia or history is worth—Rob Bruce from Comic Book Men—was a really fun chat and is a very down to Earth, cool guy. Here's hoping we'll be able to get him on one of our podcasts soon!

Head of Fanboys Anonymous Tony Mango (left) and Comic Book Men's Robert Bruce (right)

Fellow resident Fanboy Sam Lascio is also pictured below, chatting it up with the folks responsible for the documentary The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?—writer and director Jon Schnepp (who you may recognize from Metalocalypse and Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and executive producer Robert Pierce. They're also awesome guys in their own right, so don't overlook the tables facing the wall and skip by them!

Definitely a highlight of the day, though, was being able to sit in on Michael Rooker's panel. It was a lighthearted affair filled with tons of jokes. Rooker, of course, was his usual self, prompting the first question of the Q&A session to be: "Are you as big of an asshole as you portray in your movies?"

He filled the audience in on some of the backstage info about filming Mallrats and Guardians of the Galaxy as well as his more troubled background that forged him into the badass that he is, including a story of when he walked down a street and saw everyone locking their car doors, which just made him want to become The Hulk and toss their cars around.

Michael then gave out four special figurines that he would sign and number later on, with the final one going to a little kid dressed up as Yondu, showing that despite his rough exterior, the guy's got a soft spot deep down as well.

Merchandise and Vendors

Speaking for myself and myself alone, when I go to conventions, I don't care as much about what's for sale compared to much of the other stuff. This is a force of habit of just being tight with my money, so I don't get as much of a joy of looking around at what I'm not going to purchase. However, as with any convention, there's plenty of different vendors out there for you to find a multitude of things that you would want in your collection. Whether you're a collector of T-shirts, toys, artwork and specialty-made crafts, or pretty much anything else you can name, you'll be able to find it.

Below is an example of one thing that did stand out to me, though. Superhero Jewelry had a wide assortment of very cool looking rings as well as other things, such as below:

DC Comics ring replicas

Of course, there's much more that we weren't able to participate in, such as the Cosplay Ballroom Party, the After Party, and so forth. However, that was due to time constraints on our part.

If you've got the time, head on over to ACBC for the remaining two days this Saturday and Sunday and geek out with your fellow Fanboys, pick up some swag, buy some merchandise of your favorite characters, and take some pictures with the celebrities that you're fond of. For more information, visit http://www.doacbc.com.