Fanboys Anonymous

Hello Symbi-dopes and Dead-heads! Welcome to the review of the second issue of Deadpool Vs. Carnage. Let's not waste too much time and get right to it, yes?

Okay, I lied: we have to waste just a little bit of time before we can get to it. Don't fret, though! I'll make this as quick as possible. First off, I just wanted to let you all know about a couple of Carnage-related news bits: Cletus Kasady and his symbiotic alter ego will be making his first film-themed debut in The Amazing Spider-Man 2's video game and has been teased to be the main villain for the spin-off Venom film. Looks like 2014 may be a bigger year for our psychotic symbiote than anyone anticipated!

Now let's recap issue #1. Our tale began with Carnage beginning a brand new murder spree hot out of jail and Deadpool happening upon a news station covering the story. By providence, Deadpool went on a hilarious journey to track down and kill Carnage once and for all, quickly drawing first blood and startling the heck out of Kasady. The issue ended with the first guest star of the limited series making her deadly entrance and literally melting Deadpool's face off: Carnage's old gore gal, Shriek.

The government probably spent millions in developing anti-symbiote weaponry.

Issue #2 picks right back up with Shriek and her boo having their fun with Deadpool's blasted and battered body, giving Cullen Bunn—our writer—a golden opportunity for exchanging witty snipes between the main men. As it would be expected from the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool really knows how to pick at Kasady's scabs and exploits every opportunity to do so, if not simply just for the fun of it. Bunn really plays up Deadpool's playfully planned improvisation to school Carnage on the whole chaos business he's so desperately trying to preach and live by and show the reader the fun in organized chaos.

Apparently not Deadpool's biggest fan.

We also get some great moments in which Deadpool interacts with the normal crowd, although that's really stretching it for the voluptuous Doverton character he stumbles into. (Okay, enough with the bad puns.) Doverton apparently plays a key part in Deadpool's hunt for Carnage because he's on the same crazy wavelength as the two loonies, but whether he will be making any more appearances in later issues is questionable.

I bet editor Jordan D. White had to change "fridging" to "frigding" to avoid backlash. Oh well.

The issue ends with a highway chase scene, Shriek ending up in a questionably critical condition after having her head driven through a car windshield, and Carnage and Deadpool preparing for round two. Once again, Bunn delivers a frightfully frenetic, hilarious, and reference-filled issue in which he allows both characters to really let loose and be who they were meant to be: Deadpool and Carnage. Salvador Espin and Glenn Fabry once again delight with their colorful and highly animated art, shining its brightest with Deadpool's characterizations—most notably under the mask, which is perhaps the biggest challenge many artists face with the particularly emotionless prop.

Some Cullen Bunn Easter eggs. Right: "The Storage Bunn-galo" in Deadpool Vs. Carnage #2. Left: "Bunn's Truck Stop" in Deadpool Vs. Carnage #1.

Deadpool Vs. Carnage #2 receives, again, 5 stars out of 5 for both art and writing, making it another must-read issue. No, really; pick the first and second issues up already if you haven't and let the creators know how much you love them. Then tell me what you thought of issue #2 and my review in the comments section below. Oh, and don't forget to continue following me here on Fanboys Anonymous for the next issue's review AND follow The Venom Site for all of your symbiote news, reviews, and points of views!

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

Spider-Man 2 to Feature X-Men: Days of Future Past Preview?

My take: There is a weird contractual reason behind this move, but does it not scream for "moar"? In a time when movies as mundanely well done as Thor: The Dark World make over a billion dollars, is there really no way to have large studios swallow their pride and give their paying customers what they want?

New Details and Footage of Guardians of the Galaxy this week.

My take: This is my most anticipated movie of 2014. I love that so little footage has been released and there are still so many questions surrounding the plot. With Sony releasing practically every minute of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Marvel/Disney ramming Captain America: The Winter Soldier down our throats for months, this is exciting! It's a good feeling to have a positive cast, crew, and expectations for a huge movie like this (in this day and age).

Fast and Furious 7 Will Finish with Walker's Brothers.

My take: It's amazing how respectful everyone has been regarding Walker's death. Yes, there were some nasty tweets on the weekend of the accident; people on Twitter need attention. However, these movies have gained respect for accepting their genre and running with it. It gained Vin Diesel the same respect he couldn't find in XXX and offering the Walkers the opportunity to help finish his last project is kind of nice. This is a very first world problem, I'm aware.

Panties Drop Globally as Magic Mike 2 Release Date Announced.

My take: I'm not ashamed to admit that I love Channing Tatum and will very likely be taking my girlfriend to this movie.

TELEVISION

Stephen Colbert to Take Over Late Night.

My take: I know this is old news now, but I cannot wait to see the "real" Stephen Colbert take over. He won't be playing the pundit character when he makes the move, and it will be extremely interesting to see the response. With his history with Fallon and Kimmel, this could be a crazy new era of crossover comedy that I think could be amazing.

Game of Thrones Is Back.

My take: La la la la la! I'm still on season one! I'm working on it, okay?! Move on.

Marvel Has Kingpin Rights.

My take: …or at least shares them. The Kingpin can now be a main antagonist in the upcoming Netflix Daredevil series. This will potentially spill into the films as well and make for some awesome plot lines.

COMIC BOOKS

Robin Recast.

My take: DC has been teasing all year about who will, or could, replace Damian Wayne (who met his end last year). A string of female companions have been hinted at all year, and from hearing them talk at several conventions, I wouldn't put it past DC to cast another male (giving female readership the big f-u). When confronted with questions concerning the disappearance of Stephanie Brown and Starfire's…I can't think of another word for "sluttiness"…DC brushed the topics off and the convention rooms got noticeably uncomfortable. DC, do the right thing after this year of female offerings. Don't be a bunch of Graysons.

Dick Grayson: Winter Soldier.

My take: I'm all for new takes on existing characters, but this is absolute nonsense.

TECHNOLOGY

Google Modular Phones Announced.

My take: They seem bulky but these new "block" design phones will be less expensive and highly upgradable. Considering how we love to mod our computers simply for gameplay, these phones are going to be more popular than we realize yet.

Google Glass for All!

My take: Google Glass is still in the research and development phase, no matter what they say. The public isn't ready for this yet, but they want anyone and everyone to try them out! These went on sale for one day on April 15th. If you have a pair and have used them extensively, contact us with your review!

Indie comic supporters and enthusiasts, I've found another one for ya! I stumbled across a preview for a graphic novel I think is going to be great. Thus far, I get a very "Max Payne meets ghost" vibe in this Kickstarter campaign I'd like you to scope out.

Ike Taylor is a 1950s detective and WWII vet who knows how to get things done. In fact, you might say he's very hands-on. He's had some marks against him for thinking with his fists too much, but hey, it was the 1950s.

One day, as Ike looks into a murder on behalf of a high-rolling Hollywood producer, he loses his life in a Chinatown warehouse as a result of supernatural forces. The warehouse then becomes his prison for the better part of 60 years, until it's destroyed. The result? Ike is set free in the modern world to investigate his own death.

Obviously, being a specter—while better for getting into closed or secret places—makes it awfully difficult to get things done. What would you do? Maybe rent a body. Well, that's what Ike would do.

The Kickstarter campaign hints at the possibility of Ike righting some of the wrongs done to him and helping out the love of his life. There are a million places the creators could go with it, and it could be a fantastic read. Check out Dead For Hire and tell me what you think downstairs. Indie?

Fantasy fans! Ever had a story to tell that was so out of whack, no one would ever believe you? It seems the main character in this great book, The Gift: Littlefield Chronicles, has a story to tell. Perhaps it's a farce; perhaps there's some truth to it. The thing about Tucker Littlefield is that he loves to tell it and he's very suspenseful about it. It keeps him paid and it keeps him drinking.

The book sets off from this point: Tucker in tavern, either spinning a yarn or telling a tale; however you see it. The details of his story are more Big Fish than believable, but it doesn't stop people from getting lost in his magnificent story telling. In fact, they pay to keep him in his seat. And so he tells his tale. It's a tale about a man who is a little more crooked than caring. He cares more for money than people. One night he finds himself in the company of a king, at a ball or festival of some sort.

Keeping such company is probably difficult enough, but when he meets Enon—a massive warrior of a man—and his dog, who has the ability to spy into his soul, everything he knows will be turned on its head. When a young jewel of a girl is taken from the king's home, Tucker finds himself on a quest with Enon to bring her back, and his eyes are opened to the world as it really exists.

This book was fantastic! As far as fantasy goes, The Gift adds a whole new meaning to the word. Several aspects of the novel are totally original. The relationships between the people in it—especially between Tucker and Eloise—are spot on. I can't tell you how often the situations they got into and the dialogue between them made me laugh. Beyond that, author Tegon Maus gives Tucker a "happenstance hero" kind of attitude. And to top it all off, the ending left a smile on my face. It's definitely a book I might read again, a great read, and I fully recommend it. Tell me what you think downstairs.

After all the heat surrounding Nightwing in the Forever Evil series, fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief—Dick Grayson is not going to be killed off. Instead, with the end of the Nightwing comic after its 30th issue due May 28, the old Boy Wonder will trade his superhero attire for a secret agent getup in an all-new comic series this summer, USA Today reports.

The new comic series, Grayson, launches this summer.

Simply titled Grayson, the series is among a number of launches and relaunches scheduled to coincide with San Diego Comic Con. These includes relaunches of Teen Titans and Suicide Squad, IGN announced.

Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley is writing Grayson with Tom King, a former CIA counter-terrorism operations officer. Together, they're giving the former Batman sidekick a chance to "take off the mask and step out on his own in a world where he's not simply being another hero like the hero he grew up with," King told USA Today.

King aims to make every issue of what he calls a "world-hopping" action comic feel like a conversation-starting TV episode. He told USA Today that Grayson "has to save the world, but he's dealing with an organization that may go beyond his comfort zone." He's sure to bring the pressure of his own experience working as an undercover intelligence agent, adding a measure of credibility and authenticity to the story.

The new spy is employed by the international spy agency Spyral, created by writer Grant Morrison for his Batman, Incorporated series. As the character lacks a traditional archenemy, Seeley plans to incorporate a new villain. "We want to give him his Lex Luthor, his Joker," King said.

In the current Forever Evil series, Nightwing was captured—and seemingly killed—by the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 after his secret identity was revealed. The world believes he's dead, and he must stay "dead" to protect Batgirl, Alfred, and the rest of the Bat-family. This lead to a new comic series in which he takes on a new identity.

Dick Grayson first appeared in Detective Comics in 1940 as the original incarnation of Robin. Dick watched as his acrobatic parents, the "Flying Graysons," were murdered by a mafia boss. He was taken under Batman's wing before going solo as Nightwing and heading the Teen Titans. For a short time, he took on the role of Batman when Bruce Wayne was thought to be dead.

"Obviously, he's a part of a legacy," Seeley told USA Today. "He's been Robin, he's been Batman, and now he's out in the cold by himself."

Grayson launches on July 2 from DC Comics.

Are you excited for the new comic? Relieved that Dick Grayson will live on? Let us know in the comment section below.

This past Saturday turned out to be a real treat for about two thousand lovers of classical music and thrash metal. It turns out that legendary '80s metal musician Dave Mustaine of Megadeth performed in concert with the San Diego Symphony!

The show, billed as Symphony Interrupted, featured mad axeman Mustaine (or as I like to call him, Megadave) blasting out such classics as Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries after being introduced through the orchestra's rendition of one of Megadeth's own classics, Symphony of Destruction.


If you're expecting an epic live album in the vein of Metallica's 1999 concert S&M, featuring the late great composer and conductor Michael Kamen, you'll just have to chill your bean for now. Saturday's Symphony Interrupted was the very first in a line of shows currently lined up in other parts of the U.S. As Megadave himself said, right now it's still in development. So as awesome as it may seem already, this clearly isn't a flash in the pan, and could turn out to be something mega indeed.


When Mustaine—Metallica's original lead guitarist—was fired from the band, nobody expected that he would form and lead Megadeth, the one band of its era that truly challenged Hetfield and Ulrich. While Metallica had their own unique style that helped put them on top, Mustaine challenged thrashers and showboaters alike with his incredible guitar showmanship. He incorporated classical styles into his song writing and solos, which had been done successfully only by the likes of Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, and Yngwie Malmsteen. But unlike them, Megadave was doing it and singing over it at the same time. And now he's pushing his own boundaries once more by performing to a classical standard.


So, in time we may not only get an album and/or video of Dave Mustaine in concert, we could even have Megadeth with the San Diego Symphony somewhere in the near future. Who knows?

Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls! You want this. Don't lie. It may seem too much to ask to see Megadeth follow in the footsteps of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Kiss, Pink Floyd, and Metallica, but if you don't ask, you don't get. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment for us below!

In a recent interview with IGN, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, the producers of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, were asked about a certain symbiotic serial killer appearing in the upcoming Venom spin-off film. Though not committing to a solid "yes" or "no," the idea of including Carnage in the film as an antagonist tickled their fancy, to say the least.

"What a great idea," Arad replied. Tolmach added, "Exactly. The idea of Venom and Carnage…taking it into consideration. Watch out for this Venom movie. We are crazy excited."

Crazy, he claims? Both Venom and Carnage's characters are insane in their own rights, but I would be really grasping at straws to say Tolmach's choice of words is any indication of an answer. Evidence of Cletus Kasady's rise in The Amazing Spider-Man's extended universe, however, may be providing the answer most geeks are hoping for.

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Beenox had revealed Kasady and Carnage's appearance in a trailer for the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game. Then just this last week, the film's viral Tumblr account, The Daily Bugle, posted a faux news report written by none other than Eddie Brock himself about Kasady's escape from jail and subsequent internment at Ravencroft (notably famous in the character's comic book history).

Rhino from the game (left) and Rhino from the film (right).

The last film-verse video game featured a cross-species Rhino character similar to the first film's Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard, and since The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will feature a markedly different take on the villain, it only stands to show that the video games in no way share or extend the canon of the film-verse. Only the debut of next month's Spider-Man film will confirm if any of The Daily Bugle's faux news blogs hold any ground as legitimate extensions of the franchise's canon, thus practically confirming both Kasady and Brock's existence in the film-verse canon. There is no doubt that Carnage is being lobbied about as a popular villain choice to include in the film-verse canon, so hopefully this lobbying translates into a firm confirmation eventually.

I've had my doubts about the upcoming Venom film after Arad's rather upsetting news the last time around, and I still seriously doubt Sony will give us the R-rated film both characters deserve; but for me, I'll be happy if it turns out a satisfactory Carnage and an improvement from Spider-Man 3's Venom.

"WE WANT TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!" Are you looking forward to a Venom versus Carnage showdown on the big screen? Which comic book story arcs do you want to see adapted in the Venom film? Who are your fan casts? (Ryan Kwanten as Brock and Robert Knepper as Kasady, for me!) Comment below, follow me on Fanboys Anonymous, and follow The Venom Site for all of your symbiote news, reviews, and point-of-views!

On episode one of the 4 Reel Movie Club podcast, Fanboys Anonymous members gave their thoughts on four classic movies from the mind of comedic genius, Mel Brooks.

Host: Chris Dace

Panelists: Tony Mango, Mike Paden, Michael Burhan, and Travis Goss.

The Ultimate Universe has escaped death once again—recently at the hands of Galactus—and is now poised for a new tomorrow. Although Ultimate Spider-Man #200 kicked off this new chapter of the Ultimate Universe, it's All-New Ultimates #1 that gives us our first real look at the world post-Cataclysm.

Miles Morales' best friend, Ganke, kicks things off by being mugged early in the morning by a pair of men who look part lizard, part Savage Dragon. Cloak and Dagger promptly arrive and thwart the mugging, though how is hard to say as the action panels are a bit difficult to follow. The real take away here is that lizard men with scaly handle bar mustaches are now canon. Cloak and Dagger take Ganke to an abandoned church, which they are using for a secret base, where Miles awaits their arrival. Elsewhere, a group of police offers break into a drug lab which turns out to be empty, though they find a green cadaver with melted flesh. We watch a Serpent-like person complete with boils flee through a back alley, though the police are none the wiser.

Back in the base, Jessica Drew shows up with Bombshell and gives the various heroes S.H.I.E.L.D communicators, making their team official. She then briefs them on a local gang, "The Serpent Skulls," who are dealing a Roxxon drug that's a derivative of the one that gave the team their powers. They break the group meeting, agreeing to sweep the streets and begin chasing down leads. Jessica heads over to Kitty Pryde's house where the two discuss Kitty's new found celebrity. It's a pretty frustrating couple pages as it's Kitty's only appearance in the book even though her story, having publicly defeated Galactus thus massively swaying pubic opinion of mutants, is the most interesting. Sadly, she's only used for a few conversation pages where she uses her powers to complete mundane tasks, like fetching a napkin, to make the dialogue interesting.

Later, Bombshell follows her ears to somebody shouting next door while coming home from a date. She stumbles across the Serpent Skull we saw leave the drug lab and quickly engages him and his tech-wielding sidekick. Jessica Jones promptly arrives to join the fight debuting a new costume, and demands to be called Black Widow for reasons they don't care to explain in this issue. It feels forced. The police then arrive as Spider-Man and Cloak and Dagger simultaneously swoop in. The team battles the Serpent Skulls to a stand still, which falls apart when Spider-Man dodges a desperate attack by one of the Serpents, allowing the acid-based attack to fall on one of the police officers. As the team reels from his mistake, dozens of other serpents emerge from all around, circling them.

All-New Ultimates #1 kicked off the Ultimate Universe's new super group with a whimper. There's this idea in comics that teenagers can only take on rookie or youthful threats, which decreases the scale of the book and deflates the grandeur of these heroes. This is a group of individuals who just helped circumvent the apocalypse at the hands of a giant cosmic entity and they're now having difficulties battling bikers with acid touch. Perhaps Cataclysm left a lot to be desired, but this just feels like the Ultimate line took a bold step forward, then two large steps back. The unsure tone of the book fits a world that's rapidly changing, but the overall product is simply underwhelming at best. Bendis had hinted that he has big plans for Ultimate Spider-Man. Hopefully he starts holding the other members of the Ultimate line to a similar standard of excellence.

What did you think of All-New Ultimates #1? Are you happy the Ultimate Universe survived, or has this book left you longing for a reboot? Let us know in the comments section below!

The multimedia webcomic Homestuck may be today's biggest underground geek culture phenomenon that you're not actually familiar with. Cosplayers in troll costumes haunt the halls of anime and comic book conventions, while fanart and fanfic infest Tumblr and Instagram. You can even find a score of albums of instrumental Homestuck music online.

If you're a fan, you've doubtless been expecting something interesting on April 13, 2014, the fifth anniversary of the comic's first panel. Homestuck creator Andrew Hussie has obliged with the launch of a brand new webcomic named Paradox Space.

Paradox Space is an anthology series set in the weird, wild, frayed-around-the-edges Homestuck milieu. Hussie sums it up in a news post on the site:

Paradox Space will feature many short comic stories involving literally any characters and settings from Homestuck. Any point in canon could be visited and elaborated on, whether it's backstory, some scenes that were skipped over or alluded to, funny hypothetical scenarios which have nothing to do with canon events, or exploring things that could have happened in canon through the "doomed timeline" mechanic that is a defining trait of Homestuck's multiverse-continuum known as "paradox space". There is a WHOLE LOT of fun stuff we can do here; and we will!

The first "story" is more of a teaser than an actual narrative. On the other hand, it's drawn by Zack Morrison, creator of the pretty awesome webcomic Paranatural. Zack is a skilled comic artist with a knack for conveying a lot of information and feeling through facial expressions and posture. If Paradox Space can consistently attract that level of talent, it'll be a site to watch.

In summary, if you're a Homestuck fan, bookmark Paradox Space right away. Or if this article has you scratching your head and wondering what it's all about, go read Homestuck at MSPA Adventures. Either way, tell us what you think of the new comic!

X-Men: Days of Future Past hasn't even come out yet, and eyes are already on it's sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse.

The implications of this year's time-traveling epic may change the Fox franchise as we know it. Director Bryan Singer spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the two films. He mentioned the '90s comic book story the movie will be drawing from but suggested that it won't be an exact copy. "[The movie] won't necessarily create an alternate universe, but there may be some swapping things that I'm playing with," said Singer.

Producer/writer Simon Kinberg helped give us some idea of what kind of visuals we can expect. "From a visual standpoint," he said, "it actually may be a bigger movie than Days of Future Past because there'll be disaster movie imagery, like the title would imply."

Days of Future Past will lead into Apocalypse, but they will not depend on each other. "You won't feel at the end of the movie that it set up Apocalypse," said Kinberg. "What it does is it sets up possibilities. But what we'll discover in Apocalypse is that events in this movie made that happen."

"Apocalypse deals with ancient mutancy," Kinberg added. "What would humans have thought mutants were? What would mutants think humans were? You're dealing with gods and things like that. And what if one survived and what if that found its way into our world?"

Singer also suggested that he wants to "explore the '80s" and possibly reintroduce Gambit and Nightcrawler. Are the characters going to continue as their younger selves from 30 years ago?

All this time travel provides Fox an easy way to phase out the original X-cast. Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawerence, and Nicholas Hoult are all signed on for sequels. Hugh Jackman has another Wolverine movie coming, but he admits it's time for him to move on afterwards.

Much like J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, this adventure may rewrite the timeline, removing the original X-Men movies from continuity.

Personally, I don't know how I feel about all this. To keep the characters young, the films would all take place decades ago. Do we want a younger Charles Xavier at the cost of modern-day stories?

How can the Black Panther fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)? Pretty easily. The role may have been offered to 42's Chadwick Boseman, and we may see the character sooner than we expect.

Black Panther is the the king and protector of Wakanda, an African nation with one incredible resource: vibranium. The entire country is riddled with this amazing metal.

Black Panther has successfully kept the flow of vibranium down, keeping Wakanda wealthy and slowing the spread of this potentially dangerous resource. It wouldn't be insane to picture Panther showing up in Avengers 2 to destroy or reclaim what was his.

As for Chadwick Boseman, he was approached by BlackTree TV while promoting Draft Day (with Kevin Costner).


At 3:30, he gives a telling response that may be a dead giveaway about his involvement with the MCU.

Don't forget that there's a reference to Wakanda in Iron Man 2. In Tony's bunker, there's a world map with key points highlighted, one of which is the African country itself.


Would the Black Panther fit well into the MCU? Or would he be better suited to join Daredevil on the small screen in the upcoming Netflix series?

Episode 71 of the I Got Gameplay radio show is now live! In part two of our Nintendo retrospective, we look at the history of the 3DS and the Wii U and talk about Nintendo's future. What's next for the company that single-handedly saved the gaming industry?

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

You can check out part 1 of our retrospective here: Nintendo Retrospective Part 1


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! (UK and EU) http://nerdgenious.spreadshirt.co.uk/i-got-gameplay-retro-t-A25715613/customize/color/348 (US) http://nerdgenioususa.spreadshirt.com/

The t-shirt comes in eight different colors and six different sizes, including Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and 3XL. Shirts are £16.50 UK and $19.90 US. Grab yours today!

Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel's riskiest film since Iron Man. Fans weren't sure the studio could pull off live-action films, but it's "hit the Mjolnir out of the park" every time. (Well, maybe not in Iron Man 2, but that wasn't totally their fault.)

Now, however, Marvel has gotten comfortable producing sequels to its hit properties and is reentering unknown territory. Who are the Guardians of the Galaxy? How is this film tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)?

Director James Gunn recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about who the general moviegoing audience will be meeting this summer. Comic book fans, who have some familiarity with and expectations of these characters, are excited to see them on the big screen. But what about those of you just diving right in? Here's how Gunn sums up the characters for you.

Peter Quill (Starlord): "He was abducted from Earth (specifically, Missouri) at age 8 and raised in a group of thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. He’s good with the ladies and a little bit of a dick and very lucky."

Gamora: "Thanos slaughtered her family and Nebula's, then raised them together as siblings. They were bioengineered to become living weapons. So she’s really good at killing people."

Drax: "Drax is a little mysterious in the movie. But we do know that his wife and child were killed by Ronan and he's very singularly focused on revenge."

Groot: "He's very innocent. He just wants to be liked by Rocket and do the right thing."

Rocket Raccoon: "A talking, gun-toting raccoon-like creature—and another product of bioengineering. For me, it's not Bugs Bunny in the middle of the Avengers. It's this little gnarled, creepy beast who is very sad and alone."

As for the big bad, Thanos, teased at the end of The Avengers, appears in the film. He may not be the main antagonist, but he certainly helps lead the film into The Avengers 3, where he will take center stage. Gunn says Thanos has been rendered using motion capture, so he may be performed by someone who's already been announced, and we just don’t realize it yet.

Every Marvel film has had some connection to a sought after element (the Cosmic Cube in Captain America: The First Avenger, the aether in Thor: The Dark World, etc.), which all seem to be leading to a cinematic take on the famous Infinity Gauntlet story from the comic books. When all these items are assembled, it grants the owner unlimited power over time and space. Marvel characters have always thrived in situations out of their control and over their heads.

It will be interesting to see how the soldier, the knight, and the god react to a cosmic threat of this scale. What are your thoughts? Are Cap's boots better on the ground than in space? Or does this lead to all-new possibilities?

Yo, listen up. Here's a story! About a Euro band that swept the music world. And all day, and all night and everything we heard was just Blue, on the radio, inside and outside.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, lets dive into one of the lost relics of the '90s. Chris "The Dace Man" Dace here, bringing you a gem from the '90s that was able to catch my gnat-like attention span and hook me till the end. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the 1999 album from Eiffel 65, entitled Europop.

So, I know what you're thinking: Yes, I am that crazy. But, c'mon, the moment you read the first line of this article, you know you were singing the song Blue (Da Ba Dee). To me, this album is fantastic because it incorporates absolutely nothing you'd find on my playlists. I love this album from start to finish, yet you will not find another euro, techno, italiano thingumabob song anywhere on my music player, I can guarantee that. Because of this album's uniqueness, it was one of the first albums I bought as a child that wasn't Weird Al. I mean, just take a look at the track listing:

The fact that they released a song entitled My Console, in which they sang about how they were playing on the PlayStation, is an automatic win in my book. I often find myself singing several of these songs every day over a decade later—and no, not just Blue—which I think is a testament to how awesome this album is. Am I the only one who feels this way? Quite possibly, but that's why I'm writing this article. As a teen, I thoroughly enjoyed this album from start to finish, and I still do today. In fact, as I write this article I'm currently listening in the background to the original CD—you know, those archaic round things.


On the US Billboard 200, the album Europop reached number four and went platinum twice by February 2000. It released four singles on the radio airwaves—Blue, Move Your Body, Too Much of Heaven, and My Console—with Blue reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100.  Though lightning never struck the band twice in the States, they stayed active up until 2005, and then reemerged in 2010. They're currently touring in Europe and Australia.

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. Remember, keyboard warriors: leave your feedback! Until the next time, for the few, the proud, and, of course, the Dacetacular, grab a beer—and in this case AutoTune!—and check out what's going on here in the Dace-Sphere. See ya next time!

Rejoice! Blizzard's online card game, Hearthstone, has barely been out of beta for a month, and already an expansion of sorts has been announced: Curse of Naxxramas! To be released over the course of five weeks, it is bound to bring new life into the newborn Blizzard game. A proper release date has not been set.

New bosses!

There will be five wings in the necropolis of Naxxramas, and apparently, you will be able to purchase this via real-world money or in-game gold. We'll have to wait and see just how much gold will be required - all the more reason to improve your wits, intuition, and (if possible!) luck to start winning in Play, Ranked, or Arena mode.

The precept in Curse of Naxxramas will be to adventure into a dungeon and face several of Kel'Thuzad's "bosses," each with unique cards and abilities. The progression of this single-player game will probably be similar to the tutorial tree the first time a player starts Hearthstone. Oh, and the goodie: as you progress into the dungeon, you get new cards as well! Also, class-specific challenges will be available. Intriguing and geeky, to say the least. I dig!

New board!

A lot of deathrattle cards have surfaced as well… maybe a death knight hero will be added? What do you think? New hero? No? Comment, for the King!

New cards!

A major online security bug, called "Heartbleed," plagued the Internet early this week, compromising the private and financial information of millions in a server flaw that has left major websites vulnerable.

The widespread bug surfaced the Internet on Monday, forcing major sites to scurry for a patch in their servers. Affecting everything from emails and social media accounts to e-tailers and online banks, it permits cyber-criminals to access usernames, passwords, credit card information, and other sensitive information without leaving any trace. Heartbleed also allows access to a websites's cryptographic keys to impersonate the site and exploit more information.

A Google Inc. security engineer and researchers at the Finnish security firm Codenomicon discovered the server flaw, CNN reported.

Heartbleed went undetected for two years, according to the Washington Post, and was found in the OpenSSL software that's behind many HTTPS sites and is used by an estimated two-thirds of the Internet's servers to encrypt sensitive information. It has been reported that at least 500,000 servers were left vulnerable, although it's uncertain as to which have actually been affected.

The most notable open source web servers using OpenSSL are Apache and nginx. These web servers are used on 66% of all websites, according to Netcraft's April 2014 Web Server Survey.

Codenomicon created a website that provides an in-depth look at Heartbleed, stating that the bug "allows anyone on the Internet to read the memory of the systems protected by the vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL software. This compromises the secret keys used to identify the service providers and to encrypt the traffic, the names and passwords of the users and the actual content. This allows attackers to eavesdrop on communications, steal data directly from the services and users, and to impersonate services and users."

Codenomicon tested the vulnerability of their servers, hacking in without leaving a trace. "Without using any privileged information or credentials, we were able to steal from ourselves the secret keys used for our X.509 certificates, usernames and passwords, instant messages, emails, and business critical documents and communication," the company wrote on their website.

There is little users can do to protect their information until websites patch their servers. All users are strongly urged to change their passwords and delete cookies on each website they frequent after it's confirmed that the site has patched its servers.

Among the sites where it's safe to change your password are Facebook, Google, YouTube, Gmail, Yahoo, Tumblr, Flickr, and OKCupid.

Amazon, AOL, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, HSBC, LinkedIn, Microsoft Hotmail and Outlook, PayPal, PNC, TD Bank, Twitter, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo have been unaffected as they use different software. However, American Express, Apple, iCloud and iTunes are still in the process of being patched, so do not change your password for those accounts since doing so would affect your new password as well.

There is no easy fix for the "small coding error," according to CNN. In order to protect data and encryption keys, websites must upgrade to the patched version of OpenSSL, revoke compromised SSL certificates, and have new certificates issued.

Mark Maxey, a director for cybersecurity firm Accuvant, told Reuters that, "Due to the complexity and difficulty in upgrading many of the affected systems, this vulnerability will be on the radar for attackers for years to come."

CNN has kept an ongoing tally of all websites that have been affected and patched so far. Click here to see which websites are safe and which to stay away from. You can also test websites using the Heartbleed test or the SSL Server Test.

If you are worried about your personal information on the Internet or have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.

To Nirvana, Kiss, Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt, and the E-Street Band: Congratulations! These artists achieved what is iconically considered the pinnacle of rock music—their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Brian Epstein (former Beatles manager) and Andrew Loog Oldham (Rolling Stones manager/producer) also received the Ahmet Ertegun award for non-performers.

The front-ladies of Nirvana (L-R): Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, St. Vincent, Lorde.

The highlight of the evening was Nirvana. Inducted by Kurt Cobain's friend Michael Stipe of R.E.M., most of the "wow-ing" moments of the evening belonged to the grunge gods. Dave Grohl spoke, and he was loudly applauded. (It was excellent to know that previous drummers were acknowledged, and Chad Channing was at least in the crowd.) Krist Novoselic spoke, and he was wildly applauded; he wasn't even able to make his first sentence heard.

As a very surreal and oddly beautiful surprise, Kurt's widow Courtney Love, his sister Kim Cobain, and their mother Wendy O'Connor were onstage as well. Wendy, in the most moving moment of the night, expressed her gratitude on Kurt's behalf. "I'll probably cry—I'm already crying—because, he'd (sic) been so proud… he'd say he wasn't, but he would be. I just miss him so much, he was such an angel."

What followed next was highly improbable, but it happened. Under a shower of boos and hisses, Courtney Love delivered her speech, which was a ballsy thing to do. After explaining to the bittersweet crowd that Frances Bean Cobain—her and Kurt's daughter—couldn't be there due to illness, Courtney hugged Dave Grohl, who returned the gesture. And Nirvana was officially the power trio of all power trios that belonged to the people.

Kiss, inducted by Tom Morello, were reunited and polite as Gene, Peter, Ace and Paul delivered their speeches. The crowd was no less rowdy than during Nirvana's induction, forcing bassist Simmons to shush the fans at the beginning. Highly applauded, they saluted the audience and called it quits for the evening without performing; something about a legal dispute between band members on royalties, but other than Kiss not performing, everything sailed smoothly.

Bruce Springsteen's The E-Street Band was inducted as well, and they threw a long, wonderful jam.

Cat Stevens and Peter Gabriel performed to celebrate their induction, with Gabriel bringing out surprise guest Youssou N'Dour to perform "In Your Eyes."

Hall & Oates and Linda Ronstadt did not perform due to health issues.

Nirvana performed for the first time in over 20 years (unless you include the McCartney thing, which is kinda legit), with Joan Jett on vocals for "Smells Like Teen Spirit," upcoming singer Lorde for "All Apologies," St. Vincent on "Lithium," and Kim Gordon for "Aneurysm." It was truly the capstone of a wonderful story, made even more so by the gestures of Wendy and dare I say, even Courtney, for all the bullshit was left outside as the Barclays Center of Brooklyn, New York City held an event to remember. I only wish Dave Grohl would have let his awesome vocals rip it on "Spirit" with Chad Channing on drums. Oh well.

As a super bonus, Nirvana played an after party show at Saint Vitus club to 200+ special guests (including producers Jack Endino and Butch Vig). Something tells me it might not be the last…

Kurt's mother Wendy, giving the short, sweet speech that moved even the toughest crowd.

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular Nation! Check out Episode 42 of The Dace Man Show with hosts Dace, Frank Ward, Gibby, and Nikki Mills! We have an exciting adventure in store for you today!

Join the Dace Man and crew this week as they break down the following:

::SPORTS NEWS::

• Current NHL standings.
• Current MLB standings and Opening Day at Citizen's Bank Park.
• Bat Kid... Future Cy Young award winner?

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY:: 

• He scrolled as we were on the air... that always works.

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• What makes us dumb?

::CELEB NEWS::

• Nintendo announces Smash Bros. target release date.
• Borderlands prequel in the works for this year.
• Mickey Rooney, the Ultimate Warrior, and Peaches Geldolf passed away.
• Goonies sequel in the works? 
• David Letterman announces his retirement date.

Plus the High Five: Top 5 People to Replace Letterman and The Douche Bag of The Week! All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show!



Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.

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Hey there, epic fantasy fans! All too often, the pages we read are filled with beauty and virtue, tainted by an enemy that expects to destroy all that is good. The world of man is made out to be magical. Unique races are, or may become, united. The fall of the enemy was foretold by an ancient prophecy. A hero is coming to save us all.

The Pact, a high fantasy novella by Graeme Brown, tells a tale of angelic creatures. Beautiful goblins frolic in the fields; exotic ogres paint the daytime grasses with wondrous colors; and the unborn bask in the sun, radiant and stunning. But when the sun falls below the horizon, these creatures become fiends of the night, terrorizing men and women foolish enough to be in the vicinity.



The book begins with a young boy of ten. All humans—including his family—have been forced into small areas that they inhabit and protect with their lives. Towns are spread to unfathable distances, thinning any human resistance yet further and children grow up behind walls. Aside from the walls, the only thing keeping people safe is a flimsy 200-year-old pact between humans and monsters. It's a pact that people are beginning to suspect the enemy would like to break soon, given the creatures' recent actions.

During the king's festivities one night, the king's knights march in wishing to break this pact and wage war on the enemy. So do other knights from afar. But one of the great wartime knights, feared by all, brings in evidence that the pact has already been broken. The time to wage war is upon us. The story opens up, following the children as they escape death and learn a little something about the outside world they have been protected from for so long. Will they become heroes, or won't they? Either way, they can't stay hidden from the dark and evil forces of the unborn forever.

This short novella was unique and fun. It's nice to follow fleeing children for a change in an epic fantasy, rather than a seasoned hero, or even an unlikely hero. It really changes things up. So, The Pact was a good story and definitely worth a read. Check it out and tell me what you think downstairs. Indie?