Fanboys Anonymous

Hey there fanboys and fangirls, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace back with another zombified review. Another week, another episode of The Walking Dead, and yours truly is going to break down the episode all the way down to the commercial breaks.

We've had what I would call a very slow kickoff to this season thus far. (Tip: You can go back and check out my other reviews for more of my thoughts on episodes two and three). Is this episode finally going to ramp up the season and match last season's action that we all know and love?


See, I did it in caps and bold so it catches your eye before anything else. You have been warned. Let's get into it!

So we kick off this week's episode with Rick wrapping his hands and Carol in reflection, only to be interrupted by Lizzy. While they're conversing, we see Rick trying to fill the car with gas. We also learn that Carol and Rick are going on a food run... uh oh... this could set up a conflict. Rick then makes his way into the prison and starts re-creating the crime scene in his mind. Carol asks Lizzy if she has her knife, and we see Rick staring at a knife set. As Rick holds his nose outside, Lizzy says "I'm not afraid to kill, I'm just scared." The opening segment was shot fantastically. It shows the conflict within Rick, who now knows that Carol killed two members of their camp. Time for the theme and the first set of commercials.

And we are back checking in on Daryl's group. We see Ty's continuing breakdown as he becomes more and more negative. The group walks onto the next town. We cut over to Rick and Carol in the car. Carol is trying to justify what she did. We focus back in on Daryl and Michonne interacting briefly, talking about hanging around one place for a while, but then quickly kick back to Carol and Rick in a neighborhood discussing the plan to find first aid. Again we're back to Daryl's team where they come across a gas station and a new mission to get a car working. They encounter some walkers and find Ty isn't letting go of one, which almost gets him killed. Ty's anger is obviously building either to badass level or he's-going-to-die-soon level. Now we flash over to Rick and Carol, where they enter a house looking for supplies. Rick saves Carol from a walker coming down the steps and kills it. They then meet two survivors who offer them fruit. The one dude is the guy from Accepted who had ADHD... kind of feels like he still does on first impression. On to an awesome Steven Seagal commercial!

Aaaaand we're back! Carol is tending to the wounds of the new survivors they've met. The survivors explain to them how they gathered the fruit, which was from a greenhouse. They explain they were separated from another group. The girl has a bum leg due to being trampled at a refugee camp fire. Sam, the dude, had a dislocated shoulder which Carol fixed. Rick ends their scene by beginning his three questions with "How many have you killed?" We're back on Team Meds, with Ty and Michonne trying to uncover the car. Michonne calls out Ty on his anger and lack of control. Ty retorts with Michonne's anger towards the Governor, which she explains has faded—but she'd kill him if he showed up. Daryl and the other dude who's name I can never remember are inside the workshop looking around. We're back with Rick and Carol. The two new additions beg to help Rick scavenge and be allowed to come back with them to the Prison. Rick agrees, and they break up to search the neighborhood. Back to Daryl, who asks what happen to the other dude's group. He responds that he was the last one standing, and that's why he was alone. I don't trust the guy at all. No idea why, just a gut feeling that he's gonna screw up big soon. Daryl gets the car running again and gives an inspirational line to the fourth man, who's name I can't remember as always: "You won't be standing alone no more." We cut to our next set of commercials.

Welcome back, Walkers and Skin Eaters. We see Carol and Rick searching through a bedroom, debating whether Rick made the right call. Carol says he did, while Rick second-guesses it. Carol then grills Rick about him not questioning her, and then says he can't just be a farmer. She then says he was a good leader, to which he responds he never killed their own. Carol body-slams him by saying that he killed one. Oooooh, Shane reference. Then she tells him to man up, similar to the Carl speech Rick got last season of "He did what Rick couldn't do." Not gonna lie, I missed the next scene, but I did catch Rick and Carol still gathering. Rick and Carol then discuss their dead family. Rick asks Carol why she wont say Sophia's name, to which she responds... she's dead. They then find the female survivor dead, and the two head back to find Sam... that sucks, the chick was kinda cute.

We've returned yet again to Daryl's group getting all the med supplies they could ever need. Which raises one question with me. Why not take it all?  You have large friggen bags.... man up and clear them shelves. Anywho, they make their escape and see walkers, only to walk into a dead end and get locked in a dark room. Classic someone's gonna die scenario.. They escape the room with no deaths and some badass walker killing, and we cut back to Carol and Rick waiting on Sam. Carol says they gotta go, and we're back to Daryl's group. They get cornered and make it through a window. The other guy almost drops a bag which he refuses to let go of. They save him, only to find he had alcohol in the bag. Daryl is immediately pissed and ready to throw him to the walkers. Luckily Ty talks him down, and you as the reader now know why I had the shifty feeling on the guy that remains nameless to me. Hopefully we just cut to our last commercial break.

Aww, sweet wrestling nerd moment, Chris Jericho will be on Talking Dead. We get back to Rick and Carol, with Rick telling Carol she's screwed when people find out she killed the two in the Prison. He says Ty will kill her, or the people will want her gone, or worst of all, he doesn't want her there. This is a scene where Rick is basically telling Carol to piss off—he's going back alone. We get back to Daryl's group in a minivan talking about heading back to the Prison. Michonne tells Daryl he was right about the Governor's trail going cold, and that she doesn't need to go back anymore. They leave, and we're back to Rick and Carol. Rick sets Carol up with supplies for her to go on her own and sends her on her way. Goodbye, Carol. Music plays, we start seeing close-ups on all of the characters, and we watch as Daryl's group and Rick each head back to the prison. End episode.
Overall, I think this was a good episode. Still kind of slow compared to last season, but I think it was a very powerful episode, especially with Rick banishing Carol on his own and Daryl not speaking to Bob. (Finally got his name; hat tip to Chris Hardwick.) Looking forward to next week. By the way, no sign of Sam. I wonder if he'll pop up again.

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case a leadership role—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Hey Hey Hey Fanboys Anonymous Nation! Let's kick off our Sunday programming with the episode of The Simpsons we have all been waiting for, ever since the show tipped us off that one of the familiar faces of Springfield is going to bite the dust.

Now, being a sick human being, I was pulling for Edna Krabappel dying from another T-shirt cannon incident causing even more heartache for Ned Flanders. Unfortunately, Marcia Wallace—the voice behind Edna—recently passed away for real, forcing the show to outright admit that she was not the character that would be dying in "Four Regrettings and a Funeral"—though they WILL retire her character at a later date. Poor Ned.

So, if it wasn't going to be Edna, who was going to bite the dust? Well, the answer is...

CHIP DAVIS.

That's right, ladies and nerds, Springfield's own Chip Davis has passed on from the show, joining the ranks of characters such as Maude Flanders and Bleeding Gums Murphy. An absolute nobody. How mad are you?


As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, it's not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case, a seat at a Reverend Lovejoy sermon  —and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Check out Episode 19 of The Dace Man Show with regulars Gibby, Frank Ward, Nikki Mills, Dan Raup and Michael Burhan!

 Join The Dace Man this week as he breaks down the following:

::SPORTS NEWS::

• We're half way through the regular NFL Season and we have the Week 8 Break Down. Na Na Na.
• World Series wrapped up and we lay down our prediction for the outcome... spoiler alert, Boston won!
• Current NHL Leaders... yes, we talk hockey now.
• Allen Iverson retires from basketball as a 76er... thus ending The Dace Man's knowledge about basketball.
• And QB Nick Foles to start Week 9 for the Philadelphia Eagles.

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY::

• After 19 shows he finally got some weird news!

 ::CELEB NEWS::

• The Jonas Bros. split... I'm not blaming Yoko... OK, maybe a little.
• Dr. Conrad Murray: Free Man.
• Odysseus Lappas filed a law suit claiming Justin Timberlake’s In Time was stolen from
  him, his idea being Time Card. Asking for 4.5 mil.
• Orlando Bloom is on the market.
• Chris Brown is still a dick and was arrested for assault in Washington D.C.

We talk about our trip to the Renaissance Faire, plus the High Five: Top 5 Horror Flicks and The Douche Bag of The Week. All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show!

Step onto the crazy train with Chris "The Dace Man" Dace this week on The Dace Man Show… cue the Final Countdown!!!

Follow The Dace Man on Twitter: @TheDaceMan

Catch The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8pm EST on Mega Powers Radio.

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Episode 48 of the I Got Gameplay podcast is now online. In this episode, the group talks sports, sports, and more sports, revolving around their favorite sports games franchises.

Michael Burhan plays second fiddle in this episode to Sportaholics Anonymous presenter Brandon Liggan, and the two are joined by Stephen Wadelin, Drew White, Kyla DiPietro, Zack Latour and Xander Skullion.

You can check out the episode by clicking on the following links:

Libsyn: http://smarkoutmoment.libsyn.com/rss

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/igotgameplay/id570120518

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nerdgenious/igotgameplay?amp;refid=stpr

You can subscribe to the podcast's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/IGotGameplay

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You can join the discussion by going to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/igotgameplay

Join the IGG army in style by purchasing an I Got Gameplay T-shirt from our store. To order yours just click on the appropriate link below!

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Not being a huge fan of the horror genre, I'd never watched either the original American Horror Story or the follow-up season, American Horror Story: Asylum. However, maybe because Sleepy Hollow has been so successful or maybe just because the first episode was being aired here in the UK on the day before Halloween, I decided to give the third series, American Horror Story: Coven, a try.

In retrospect, choosing Vlad the Impaler as her interior decorator may have been a mistake.

Witches, it seems are the new vampires. Or, at least, someone in TV production land would like them to be. Not since the Halliwell sisters in Charmed and Buffy's Willow have witches featured so prominently in mainstream TV shows. The Witches of Eastwick, Witches of East End, Once Upon a Time's Regina, The Secret Circle, and even Sleepy Hollow's good witches vs bad witches dynamic all seem convinced that there's an audience out there just waiting to have its interest in magic-wielding femmes fatales pricked, like so many thumbs. American Horror Story: Coven is the latest show to try to tap into this demand. But does it hubble and bubble, or is it just a steaming cauldron of toil and trouble?

Lights Out began with a colorful bang. Between the destruction of the Central Power Battery and the subsequent destruction of Oa—events that coincided with a rapidly diminishing source of green light, mind you—it seemed clear that this line-wide event would change the Green Lantern universe forever. Geoff Johns’ legendary run with the character set a special standard with similar in-universe events. Johns made the Green Lantern universe a place of consequences, with each event changing the universe in a clear and profound way—a rare commodity in modern comics. Sadly, the final instillation of Lights Out doesn't aspire to such heights and ends the arc with a whimper.

The grand finale kicks off on Ysmault after Hal strikes a deal with Guy to ensure the help of the “magic-infused” Red Lanterns. Just as the gang decides to get things in gear, the story is immediately burdened with what can at best be called a setup for future issues, and at worst a twist more fitting for Dawson’s Creek or a new ABC Family original drama. The Star Sapphires possess the ability to find whomever it is they love, no matter where they are. After inferring that Kyle is with Relic, Carol Ferris, the resident Star Sapphire and longtime love interest of Hal Jordan, confesses that she can find Rayner with that special “tether” ability, thus confessing her love for him. I don’t know how to discuss the twist nicely. It came completely out of left field and seems to be there just for the sake of drama. Furthermore, it contributes to the rushed style of this story. This is the climactic issue of a universe-wide event, and character revelations are occurring that feel like they should be in the heart of the second act. Unfortunately, Carol’s heartstrings are truly invested in Kyle and she quickly pulls the team into space before much can be done with the plot element.

Out at the edge of the cosmos, Relic is attempting to break through the wall that contains the known universe with the aid of White Lantern Kyle Rayner. After this attempt fails, Relic decides to up the ante and sets his machines on Kyle's white light. This is another odd scene as Relic justifies the betrayal with a need for more power to crack the wall. There are five corps he didn’t even attempt to go after. It's been made clear that he's more than capable of collecting the power with no real difficulty. I suppose it could be said he’s in a hurry, but it really didn’t seem like it took him long to eradicate the Blue Lanterns and Oa. As such, he resorts to blows just as Hal and what's left of the GLC arrive with the Red Lanterns in tow.

While the final confrontation gets underway, we jump to the Indigo home world where John Stewart and the rookie GLs fled following the destruction of Oa. Here, John enlists the aid of the Indigo leader in a construction plan.

Back at the battle, Hal’s Red Lantern theory—that they're effective against Relic due to a form of magic infused in their powers—proves to be hot air as Relic manages to deflect all their attacks with a familiar ease. The one sign of merit is that the Reds are able to blast Relic’s ship into the wall of the universe, thus fusing the ship with it. This seemed a bit easy, as the GLC wasn’t able to dent the ship as it decimated their home planet, but that may be due to the magic factor—although this is never really addressed.

After a quick strategy change, the team uses the Indigo’s teleportation powers to jump inside Relic’s reflectors, which float feet away from him, and give him a good ol’ fashioned knuckle sandwich in an effort to knock him, too, into the wall. A flurry of blows later and Relic is down, but still not out. Although the punches seemed to be working, White Lantern Kyle decides to play the hero card and flies straight into Relic, pushing the two into the wall together. Relic struggles to emerge, exclaiming that White Lantern Kyle has refilled the reserve of light for the universe, thus ending Relic's struggle as the wall finally claims him. The Indigo Lanterns then jump the GLC to their new home world, a freshly refurbished Mogo, complete with a brand new central power battery built by the Indigo leader under John's orders. Upon checking in, however, we discover that some lanterns don’t feel right about recharging their batteries now knowing the light supply is finite.

Across the universe, White Lantern Kyle emerges from the wall, telling the Guardians that the entities sacrificed themselves to replenish the reserves, in response to which they ominously decide, “It is time for his journey to truly begin.”

The final scoreboard shows the GLC with a new home world, a new central power battery, and a new ethical dilemma in regards to the legitimacy of using an expendable amount of green light. While the final bit should make for an interesting conflict moving forward, there wasn’t a lot of fallout to separate this event from a simple story arc. I’m not saying it was bad; I just don’t see it as worth expending an entire month's worth of the Green Lantern universe's page space. Everything just came back to a close semblance of what it was before, all nice and tidy with a big bow on top. The only other real dilemma moving forward is Hal’s newfound drama with Carol, although it's hard to have a love triangle when everyone thinks one side of it is dead.

As Rob Venditti's first big arc, it's hard to know what will come next. Do you think Relic is over and done with, or is this the beginning of something much larger? Let us know what you think in the comments section below, and thanks for following the Lights Out event with us.

This Halloween, tower defense fans have more to look forward to than just candy and stomachaches. Ironhide Game Studio’s exceptional Kingdom Rush Frontiers is back with another free update – this one featuring an appropriately creepy Halloween theme.

Dubbed the Shadowmoon Campaign, the expansion offers 3 spooky new stages, complete with 9 monstrous new enemies including werewolves and zombies, and a unique full moon mechanic that periodically sends every creature on the map into a frenzy! Also available are two grim new heroes: Dante the Vampire Slayer, who uses twin pistols and holy relics to banish evil, and Bonehart the Dracolich (it’s a fancy word for zombie dragon), capable of raining bone and disease from the skies on his hapless foes.

There are now a total of 13 heroes available in Frontiers

Kingdom Rush Frontiers is one of the best tower defense games ever. If for some reason you haven’t picked it up yet, Ironside has knocked a couple bucks off the asking price for a limited time. Kingdom Rush Frontiers is available on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets for $.99 and $2.99 respectively.

Things get crazy pretty quickly in the Halloween update

Download Kingdom Rush Frontiers here!

KRF for iPhone
KRF for iPad
KRF for Android

Halloween updates are the best. What has been some of your favorite Halloween-themed content? Shout out in the comments below!

D. Antoinette's urban fantasy novel, The First Book of Carrie, was a very fun book from the get-go. It doesn't try to be poetic or witty; it simply tells the interesting story of a young woman coming of age with an extremely powerful dark gift. Could she use this gift for good? Potentially. Will she? Not likely.

The young woman herself is descended from an ancient line of biblical monstrosities. As such, it is her destiny to follow in the family business of sin, but she hasn't quite figured out if it is her forte yet. One thing is for sure: she's only being fed crumbs of the supernatural truth by her mother, who is in the loony bin, and by her aunts, who are never straightforward. She will have to dig in and find the truth herself as she learns to either manage her own evil, or let it take her.

This read brought back memories of a book series called The Last Vampire into which I invested much of my younger years. Though the heroine in that series was millennia old, had a fine grasp on her paranormal super powers and represented a different type of immortal monster (sort of), they are the books that kept crossing my mind as I read.

I highly recommend this book for people who like witch tales. But beware! It's not a simple story about spell books and witchcraft. Though Carrie and her kin may be called witches, they have a much more sinister agenda than the typical pop-culture witch. I can't wait for another installment.

A little over two weeks ago, a self-described grown-ass man excitedly walked into GameStop at 10:02 a.m. to buy what is widely recognized as a children's game. That man was me, and I feel no shame.

When the cashier asked how he could help me, I had a choice. I could quietly ask for my E-rated interactive cartoon, hope nobody heard me, and leave the store in shame, or I could take charge of the situation like the grown-ass man that I am. "I'm picking up my Pokémon Y preorder," I said, perhaps a bit too loudly. The pre-teen browsing at the other end of the store looked over his shoulder to lock eyes with me and give a deferential nod. Nailed it.

Just over fifteen years ago, my mom bought me Pokémon Blue for my Game Boy and I haven't missed a generation yet. Sure, the games are great, but there are more powerful forces at work here. The Pokémon series makes repeated use of a few key elements to make them very easy to pick up but exceedingly difficult to put down. Without further ado, here are five reasons that Pokémon is the perfect storm of addictiveness.

ACCESSIBILITY

My girlfriend Ani, though a gamer in her own right, has no experience with the Pokémon franchise. She prefers games of a more shoot-you-in-the-face variety. I was curious how it would look through the eyes of the uninitiated, so the two of us sat down together so I could explain the gameplay basics. The conversation lasted all of five minutes before she was off on her own adventure.

Unless we're talking about competitive play, there isn't a whole lot to explain. The new games, X and Y, are far friendlier than previous versions. This time around, picking your team based on which Pokémon you like best is a completely valid strategy. The inclusion of the new XP Share item works wonders to cut out much of the grinding that we all dreaded so much whenever we caught a low-level new hotness. Very seldom did I stop to train in tall grass; I simply challenged every trainer and gym in sequence, and my entire team was consistently about ten levels higher than the opposition. While I do enjoy a challenge—for reference, Dark Souls is my favorite game ever—I believe that this was the right design choice. An easier game overall allows the player to focus on building a team of Pokémon that they really like rather than stressing over what is viable.

This doesn't even include Generation VI.

For the full-sized image, click here.

COLLECTING

If you grew up in the '90s like I did, chances are you had a collection of something. Sports cards. Magic: the Gathering. Beanie Babies. Pogs. In my case, I had a collection of all of them. To this day, I still don't understand the appeal of gathering a hoard of items with similar characteristics as part of a set. I just know that it feels good.

Game Freak knows this too, and has made amassing a respectable collection of Pokémon easier and more fun than ever. For starters, capturing wild 'mon grants experience now. Gone are the days where you had to choose between precious XP for your team and locking a seventh Pidgey in the PC Box for eternity. There is also a great deal of diversity in which Pokémon are available in the wild early on. By the time I reached the second gym, I had already filled my roster with six Pokémon—each one a different type.

The Kalos Pokédex is separated into three regions: Central, Coastal, and Mountain. As you progress through each area, you will continue to encounter different Pokémon from all six generations. At no point did I feel like I was treading on familiar territory, as each area held new 'mon for me to battle and capture. As of this generation, there are 718 Pokémon total, although not all of them are available in game—the completionists among us have their work cut out for them.

It only took fifteen years to update the graphics!

LEVELING UP

Ten years ago, the only games that had RPG elements were RPGs. Since then, phrases like leveling up, skill points, and spec or load-out have popped up in every corner of the gaming industry. Shooter fan? Borderlands 2 has skill trees and loot, and Call of Duty features a level up system which unlocks persistent upgrades for your account. Grow up with platformers? Dust: An Elysian Tale offers skills and magic that become accessible as the character levels up, as well as more powerful equipment as you progress. Even the puzzle genre has adopted RPG elements in such titles as Puzzle Quest and Puzzle & Dragons.

So why have RPG elements become so pervasive? Well, simply put, they feel fantastic. Watching a progress bar fill up then 'ding' and knowing that you just became stronger is immensely satisfying. In Pokémon it happens all the time. Even at high levels, with a full party of six, you need only battle a trainer or two before the inevitable 'ding' moment, complete with a catchy jingle.

Which brings me to my next point…

Try to think of the last time you saw *anything* in the distance in a Pokémon game.

FREQUENT PAYOUT

If you like video games and you live on planet Earth, there is a pretty good chance you recognize this music:


This short track is from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and it would play whenever you opened a large chest in a dungeon. The Zelda series is somewhat famous for using short ditties to signify progress. Here's the "solved puzzle" sound:


The Zelda series conditions the player to associate these sounds with progress. Pokémon is no different. For every 'correct' action you take—whether it is leveling up, finding an item, or healing your Pokémon—there is a corresponding 'jingle' as if to say, "Top-notch Pokémon-ing. Keep up the good work."

This technique is also used outside of the video game industry to great effect. In an interesting study on the science of slot machines, a team observed the effect of 'celebratory sounds' on a gambler's thoughts regarding their play session. The most compelling point is regarding "disguised losses." Imagine you put a quarter into a slot machine, and you win five cents. The machine lights up and plays a bunch of fun sounds, then spits out your nickel. The truth is that you just lost twenty cents, even though the machine acted as if you had won. Gamblers will sit for hours at slot machines chasing this feeling.

Silly as it may sound, this practice is present in the Pokémon games. As I mentioned above, Pokémon uses audio cues and catchy jingles to reward 'correct' behavior. After thirty hours of playtime, I could not care less about the potion hidden around the corner on Victory Road, but I pick it up anyway because that's what the game trained me to do. Pokémon is a slot machine that pays out every ten seconds—and it feels wonderful.

These guys will always hold a special place in my heart.

NOSTALGIA

If reading this article has not made it readily apparent, I did most of my growing up in the '90s. (All I remember from the '80s are birthday parties and excellent music.) I have revisited many of my favorite games from my childhood, and each time it feels as if I'm greeting an old friend.

Nostalgia is a powerful phenomenon—one that causes us to see the past through tinted glasses and sometimes remember titles with more fondness than they deserve.

Game Freak is fully aware of the power of nostalgia, and practically weaponizes it in Pokémon X and Y. Early on you are given your choice among the original three starters. (Bulbasaur, how I've missed you.) You need only walk into some tall grass to see Pokémon from the previous five generations, ready to be captured. Even the legendary bird trio from Pokémon Red and Blue make an appearance.

Pokémon remembers its roots, and Game Freak knows that their fans do too. This generation of Pokémon games has embraced both old and new. It's still the Pokémon you know and love, complete with familiar faces and tried-and-true gameplay, but there's enough new to keep it fresh and exciting (and you can move DIAGONALLY).

Several times over the course of this article, I used the words "it feels good" or some variation thereof. This is not (entirely) because I have a lot of feelings. The Pokémon series has struck an exceptional balance between action and reward. As you explore the Kalos region, you will constantly encounter new Pokémon and ones you recognize, find hidden items, and gain power, all while the game metaphorically pats you on the back. Fifteen years later, Pokémon has still got it.

Clearly I'm a fan of the Pokémon games, but if you think that I've missed anything or spend way too much time thinking about handheld games, feel free to shout out in the comments below!

Halloween is the one time of the year when everyone wears a costume and goes out—unless you're a cosplayer, in which case this is just another night out for you. Many cosplayers still consider Halloween to be one of their favorite holidays; it just doesn't have the same meaning that it used to.

With all of the costumes a cosplayer owns, you might think picking out a Halloween costume is an easy choice, right? Wrong! The decision to pick out a Halloween costume might be an even harder choice than what to wear at Comic Con. Why is it so difficult picking out ONE costume for ONE night?

Chances are, you're going out to a bar or party. What could possibly go wrong?!

Someone could spill their drink on you… or worse.


All the time spent working on intricate armor and props can be completely destroyed in a matter of seconds by one drunken idiot.

Before the party / After the party

Have you ever seen an angry cosplayer when you ruin their costume? It's not pretty.


Unless you're Sailor Moon or an Avenger, chances are no one will know who you're dressed up as.


And what's worse is this person will probably beat you in a Halloween costume contest:

Because there won't be 30 of these at EVERY party this year or anything

As cool as it is that everyone is accepting the "nerd community," once you start going to conventions, you can't quite look at store-bought costumes the same way again.

Expectation  / Reality

If you're not a cosplayer, don't be "that guy" and ask the first cosplayer you can think of to borrow their cosplays or have them make you one on October 30. They probably won't be too happy.


Because on October 30, this is probably what's going through a cosplayer's mind:

Screw it! I'm going as a pirate again!

Picking a costume is stressful, but once it's decided, they plan on going out and enjoying Halloween just like everyone else.


Happy Costuming!

Hey guys! I am back from hiatus to bring my loyal readers my thoughts of Supernatural Season 9. In case you're new to reading my posts, I'd like to welcome you and let you know how I operate. I normally watch three episodes, then I report on what I thought was good and bad (there's a lot of bad) about these episodes.

We start off with the conclusion of what happened last season with the angels falling from heaven. Sam and Dean are in the Impala talking about the shit that just went down. Dean turns to Sam and tells him he's dying, and then we get a jump cut to Sam lying in a hospital bed in a coma. Not a lot of stuff really happened in this episode, so Dean being Dean, he prayed to all the angels who fell to earth to ask them for help, in return offering to help them. Four to six angels heard this, and most of them wanted revenge for what Castiel did by banishing them from Heaven. One angel, called Zek (I don't trust this fella), is the exception, so Dean makes a deal that the angel will possess Sam to fix him from his coma while at the same time healing himself inside of Sam. The only thing I liked in this episode was the way they made Castiel human by taking his grace from last season. The episode overall was very long winded and quite boring as a follow-up of the amazing season 8 finale.


In the second episode we find ourselves reunited with Abaddon, the Knight of Hell who wants to take over as the Queen of Hell. The current King of Hell Crowley (my favourite character) is missing and presumed dead, according to the rumours in hell, but little do the demons know that he's actually tied up in Sam and Dean's bunker. Abaddon recruits these demons to help her in her quest (insert evil laugh). What does this crazy bitch do? She tortures other hunters to get Dean's phone number to organize a trap. This episode ends in a gunfight, of all things. Sam gets knocked out, and Zek takes over his body and kills the demons—which, by the way, was awesome! I still don't know why the demons had AK-47s, but it made a nice change from using the force.


In episode three we are in the hunt for Castiel, who at this point is a drifter and is losing faith in God and other angels. We see how he is coping with sleeping and eating and even passing gas (his words, not mine—chuckle). The evil new angel in charge, Bart (Bartholomy), hires a reaper bounty hunter to find Castiel, who has met a girl outside a restaurant who gives him a sandwich. I thought to myself, nobody in real life is this nice! She takes Castiel back to her place (again, if I saw a homeless guy, I would walk around him trying to avoid him, not take him home), where he ends up confessing his guilt to her. One thing leads to another, and when Castiel goes to get dressed the next morning he finds his angel blade is missing. It all comes together at this point: the nice girl is really an angel. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean capture the bounty hunter reaper and torture him to get answers about who is after Castiel. Dean asks for Zek's help to locate Castiel, and they are able to save him.

In my opinion, the first three episodes this season have been very lackluster. I can only hope they will pick up and get more interesting, because right now I have a sense of deja vu—I've seen it all before. Please leave a comment below if you agree (if you disagree, I shall see you in hell!). For all your Supernatural needs, keep it posted on the Fanboys Anonymous website.

Stan Lee was reported missing.

Choppers swarmed overhead while news commentary doubted his emergence from the valleys of Southern California, just days before the weekend of a scheduled appearance. The imagery was unreal.

He's 90 years old, I thought. What about his fans…?

In reality, Stan Lee was absent from this article on my laptop and the left hemisphere of my brain. As REM darted like The Flash between the corners of my eyes, the villain of my subconscious was infiltrated with bird's eye view footage and broadcasters announcing that the comic legend was possibly held captive and awaiting rescue—a story seemingly stolen from the mind of the man behind Marvel himself.

Luckily, my dream was far from the first or last instance of Stan Lee's ability to captivate our imaginations. Thanks to POW! Entertainment and Advanstar Communications, Inc., the largest producer of events and trade shows in the US, fans will again honor the creator this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo.

From November 1–3, not only will fans of comics, gaming, fantasy, anime, and sci-fi have the opportunity to encounter their beloved artists and exhibitors of fiction fame, but they can also interact with other collectors, enthusiasts, and cosplayers from different worlds.

As with all conventions, Stan Lee is obviously ecstatic about this year's gathering. "I'm beyond excited for this year's Comikaze Expo. Comikaze continues to grow bigger and better every year and the offerings this year are going to be immensely enjoyable for all of our attendees. It's great to have such a fun-filled expo that attracts the Hollywood crowd just as much as the geek, comic and gaming crowd and it's all right here in our backyard—Los Angeles!"

Consumers will be able to attend autograph signings, panels, and meet up with fellow fanboys, and the register tape will be reeling at "Nerd Black Friday," the retail hub of display-case dream items from Hot Topic, Toynamii, Mattel, and TokiDoki. Her Universe, a company that creates apparel and jewelry based on brands such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek, will also be in attendance with their photographer to discuss the art of fangirl fashions. Founder Ashley Eckstein will be welcoming those sporting her nerdy designs to participate in a free photo shoot on a first come, first served basis.

Speaking of eye candy, a selection of props from Marvel movies and collections of memorabilia will also be on display, so be prepared to feast your pupils on props from Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man.


Additional appearances include horror queen Elvira, Evil Dead soldier and Spiderman cameo veteran Bruce Campbell, Star Trek's LeVar Burton, artist Marc Silvestri, and the entire cast of AMC's Comic Book Men. What would you say or ask these guests if you had a chance to meet them at Comikaze? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Tickets are $25 per adult per day, and free for children under 12. Pick them up at the door or at www.comikazeexpo.com, where you can get the latest news and ticket offers.

Geek Speak LIVE! is a weekly radio show with an explosion of nerd conversation. Join hosts Craig Kellerman & Travis Goss as they rant on movies, TV, video games, comics, cartoons, technology, and whatever else is sparking our attention.


Boo! It's a spooky Halloween themed episode. We turned the lights off and watched some of our favourite scary movies. We also recall some of our favourite Halloween TV specials, reminisce about trick-or-treating, and rant about our favourite candies. Featured this week:

Scream - The scary movie that does every cliche in the scary movie book... and became a hit because of it!

Dracula - The original 1931 Universal classic starring Bela Legosi.

Evil Dead - The twisted mind-*$@% that's build a cult following and spawned a remake.

Night of the Living Dead - The George Romero film that broke grounds and influenced zombie movies forever.

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.

MOVIES

Kate Upton and Helen Flanagan up for Bond girl spots in the next 007 film?

My take: HAHAHAHA I'll believe it when I see it. This is always one of the biggest "take it with a grain of salt"-type rumors that we see every time a new Bond film is coming out. The speculation is almost entirely bullshit from all sources and the biggest example of this is always the slew of rumors for who the leading lady will be. 99 out of 100 rumors end up being completely fabricated with not the slightest bit of truth to them and they always feature models that have no place in a Bond film. Mark my words, Kate Upton will have absolutely no role in Bond 24. Helen Flanagan, I don't know anything about her, but I doubt she will just the same.

Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz and Milla Jovovich could be in The ExpendaBells, a spinoff of The Expendables series?

My take: I don't quite understand Meryl Streep's involvement....or Cameron Diaz for the most part, but hey, if you're a fan of these movies, you'll go see it.

Ned Leeds, She-Venom and more are referenced in The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Tumblr account: http://thedailybugle.tumblr.com/post/64888475045/by-ned-leeds-city-bureau-a-trial-date-has-been.

My take: I'm always a proponent of throwing in references when you know that you're not going to use those characters and you don't have to worry about ruining them for a potential sequel. This is cool.

VIDEO GAMES

Young Justice: Legacy has been cancelled for the Wii and Wii U.

My take: My God, I don't think I've ever seen a show plagued with so many issues when it comes to releases. The TV series itself had so many holes in episode broadcasts, a giant gap of time between the two seasons which was supposed to be bridged by this game, which isn't coming out until after the show has already been cancelled, and now it's not even being released on two consoles period? Ouch.

The Dark Souls 2 beta test has been rescheduled for November 9th and one of our fanboys will be writing up something about it, so stay tuned.

TELEVISION

Actor Sean Maher will be in Arrow as Shrapnel.

My take: I'm not all too familiar with Shrapnel, but hey, it sounds like a good idea.

Marcia Wallace, voice of Edna Krabapple on The Simpsons, has passed away.

My take: Our condolences to her friends and family. As a diehard Simpsons fan for my entire life, I'll miss the character, which is set to be retired according to Al Jean. Poor Ned Flanders, as well, seeing as how this will be the second wife he's lost on the series. Marcia Wallace was so good in that role and it's good that they're just retiring it, as nobody would be able to replace her.

Saffron Burrows will be Victoria Hand in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

My take: A'okay in my book.

Hey hey hey, Fanboys Anonymous Nation! It is I, Chris "The Dace Man" Dace, bringing you the latest goodie for us comic book nerds!!! The X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer has hit the internet. I, for one, am excited and thrilled for the release of this movie—hitting theaters May 23rd 2014—in which the X-Men film characters I literally grew up with and the new generation of X-Men actors finally meet. We see even more clips of the famous X-Men heroes we have read about and watched in cartoon form.

With the future in a perilous state, Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto send Wolverine back in time with hopes of changing the past to make a better future. Reprising their roles from the original Bryan Singer run are Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Halle Berry as Storm, and many, many more. They will collide with the Charles Xavier and Magneto of the past (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender respectively). With this trailer, I have goosebumps and I just want the movie even more. I could continue rambling, but the trailer speaks for itself. Enjoy!

As always, check back regularly to see what Chris "The Dace Man" Dace is looking at (and no, it's not just porn), as well as all of the other bloggers here at Fanboys Anonymous. Until then, for the few, the proud, and of course the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case, the latest technology from Trask Industries—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!