Fanboys Anonymous

Pokémon has stood the test of time.

I remember watching Ash Ketchum travel the Kanto region: I'd be playing my Game Boy Color and not have a care in the world whilst doing so.

Now, a little under 20 years later, I'm playing Pokémon on my 3DS.

However, when the anime became a little to childish for me, I began to invest my time in reading the Pokémon Adventures manga series; so, I thought, why not go ahead and compare the two?


The Plotline

The Anime

The story follows a young trainer named Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Arriving late to the ceremony of young trainers leaving Pallet to start their journey, he is unable to receive one of the three starter Pokémon. Because of this, he receives a wild and disobedient Pikachu. After overcoming trial and error during an attack from a flock of Spearow, the two become friends and travel the Kanto region as Ash tries to become a Pokémon master. Upon traveling, they become friends with the Pewter City gym leader, Brock, and the Cerulean City gym leader, Misty. This trio is constantly met with annoying challenges from the goofy villains of Team Rocket, but never fail to send them "blasting off again!" Eventually, Ash would go on to defeat all of the gym leaders in Kanto but fail to win the Pokémon League tournament. Ash would go on to challenge many other regions following the same formula for years to come.

The Manga

The story also follows a young trainer from the town of Pallet. However, much like his video game counterpart, he is known simply as Red. With Red already being a pretty decent trainer, he knows how to catch Pokémon. In addition, he has a pretty powerful Poliwhirl to start off with. Much like the games, Red battles the evil terrorist group, Team Rocket, who will stop at nothing to capture legendary Pokémon. Throughout the manga, he finds himself in confrontations or defending Pokémon like Mew, Mewtwo, and the legendary bird trio. In the end, Red and his rivals defeat Team Rocket on their path to the league. Red also bests his rival, Blue, and is recognized as the league champion. Red's role throughout the later arcs would change, but he always remains a constant in the Pokémon Adventures series, even if he wasn't the focus of the story.

Winner: The Manga. It seems as if the anime series would always save the huge confrontations with legendary Pokémon for the movies, which would be fine if they made an effort to acknowledge the movies in the regular series. The Manga just did such a good job of keeping the action fresh and giving us awesome moments against Team Rocket, making them feel like a legitimate threat as a opposed to comedic relief bit. All of those confrontations with legendary Pokémon would play into the plot line for arcs to come, too. In addition with Red taking a back seat later on in particular arcs, he never overstayed his welcome, keeping the manga fresh.

The Characters

The Anime

Ash Ketchum is a young, naïve character who is headstrong. For a series about creatures kicking the crap out of each other with weird powers, this seems appropriate and can make for some memorable moments. However, he is still just that years later: young and naïve. While he does show some glimpses of maturity, you never truly feel the character grow; and while you can appreciate that they're trying to keep him accessible to the same demographic each series, it does make it difficult for the viewer to connect with him at the beginning of a new series. To make it even more difficult, not only does he not age, but his Pikachu becomes incredibly weak at the beginning of each season…URGH!!!

Rivals: if there is one thing the anime got right, it was this. Let's start off with the most famous: Gary Oak. That guy was an absolute douche bag. He's 10 years old and has a Corvette and cheerleading squad. Oh, in addition to that, he bests Ash throughout almost the entire anime up until their one epic battle much later on. Ash would go on to make a variety of different rivals—some for a longer duration of time, some for a much shorter duration. In the end, no one could top Gary Oak, but Paul sure as hell did a good job. He was cold and arrogant, but fleshed out with a back story that merited his attitude. During Ash's trek through the Sinnoh region, Paul's addition seemed to fill a missing void.

The enemies suck—at least Team Rocket does. Don't get me wrong; I have a special place for Jesse and James in my heart, but with their inclusion as the main enemy in the series, their act gets old and redundant. You know they're never going to one-up the heroes, and you know they pose no real threat. Now while some of the enemy groups were taken more seriously and kept your attention longer—outside of Team Galactica and N—none of them seemed to have any damn personality.

The Manga

Red starts the series as quite the cocky and enthusiastic trainer. He is 11 when the series starts off, and is 16 as of right now. You truly feel you go on a journey with Red as he starts off as a rookie and makes his way to becoming a champion, by which time he has matured and tackles situations with more understanding in addition to not being so cocky. During the series, we even see Red lose his confidence after coming up short against Deoxys. It's always a roller coaster with him and he never really overstays his welcome when the focus shifts to a new cast of main characters.

The manga takes a bit of a different approach to the rivals: besides Blue, they're toned down quite a bit. More often than naught, rivals either take more of a back seat to the story or find themselves working with one another during the series. It benefits the plot in the long run, but they're not the most memorable characters.

The enemies in Pokémon Adventures are goddamn amazing! In fact, it's where the bulk of the plot line is driven from and it never disappoints. Team Rocket are such a legitimate threat with several of the gym leaders actually being members of Team Rocket. In addition, Lance and other members of the Elite Four want to destroy humanity for the sake of the Pokémon's well being. The main antagonist of the series is the Mask of Ice: Pryce of Mahogany town, often thought as nothing special in the games, in fact plays this role. He became cold and distant after the death of his Lapras and kidnaps Green and Silver as children along with various other people. He later becomes the leader of the second coming of Team Rocket and is the reason for all of their horrible deeds, including creating an army of Gyarados at the Lake of Rage. I could give the Mask of Ice his own article if I continued on, but he truly is a fantastic villain with a more fantastic back story than is game counterpart. He truly benefits from a variety of characters and their personalities. Having a true antagonist is awesome!

Winner: The Manga. I'm not exactly biased or anything, but—and it's hard to argue beyond the cast of rivals—the manga just does a much better job of not only building the enemies up as something special, but it gives you a refreshing supply of them throughout the duration of the story. Plus, the main character is so much easier to connect to.

I'll wrap things up here saying that I'm a big fan of both, and maybe I'll tackle this subject again later on down the road, but for me, I just enjoy the manga so much more. Until then, if you want to hear my and other Fanboys Anonymous members' thoughts about Pokémon, go and check out Addicted to Anime this Sunday, April 27th, at 8pm EST on Mega Powers Radio as we discuss Pokémon.

I'm also interested in your thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with my review? Let me know in the comments section below!

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

Star Wars Movies Budgets Will Keep Between $175 and $200 Million Each.

My take: This will quickly change, guaranteed. At least for VIII and IX because the stories will have to get more and more complicated to keep interesting. Plus, the amount (and cost) of CGI is getting higher and higher. I'm fine leaving this in JJ's hands for now, but if fans hate the first released footage, reshoots (remember LOST, JJ?) could happen immediately.

Star Wars Expanded Universe Unwelcome in New Movies.

My take: Screenwriter Simon Kinberg confirms that the expanded universe is not part of the movie canon, however, it's open season for Star Wars Rebels. The good news is that we'll definitely see all new, original material. The bad news, if the six existing movies are "canon" then, well,… "midichlorians."

Son of Batman Released and Overall Hated.

My take: Personally, I hate the idea of Damian Wayne, especially in The New 52 timeline. It was an interesting dynamic, sure, but now we're stuck with this additional character that throws DC's "five year rule" into ridiculous question (even if he incubated at an accelerated rate). Also, enough with the chin straps on all the costumes now, yeesh!

Barbie Movie to Start Production Before 2015.

My take: It never even occurred to me when I saw this story that there had never been a live-action Barbie movie (unless you count Legally Blonde). What 7-foot-tall woman is going to play Barbie?

TELEVISION

Beware the Batman Back on the Air This Summer.

My take: The last 15 episodes will air at 3am, which makes Cartoon Network's animation focus for superheroes seem all the stranger. Green Lantern: the Animated Series was constantly on hiatus, Beware the Batman was cancelled outright with no explanation, and there are no new series announcements. Considering animation is the one thing DC does RIGHT, I don't know what this means for animation fans.

Amazon Prime Scores HBO.

My take: While Netflix is doing very well, any company with exclusive streaming rights to HBO has pretty much hit a home run. The available shows are very select (no Game of Thrones yet), but this can only mean big bucks for Amazon.

Netflix Signs Arrested Development Creator for New Series.

My take: I'm happy to hear some original comedy shows might get some attention. I enjoy the occasional drama but I think we're a little overloaded with them. Plus, I have two kids and watching an hour long show is extremely difficult to fit in.

Sean Bean to Star in New FBI Series Legends.

My take: …aaaaand his character is dead already. Dammit.

COMIC BOOKS

Batman to Appear on Every DC Comic Cover in July.

My take: Really, DC? Sticking to your one strength? This just shows how much they rely on this one vehicle for sales. Although, Marvel did something similar with Venom last year.

Oprah Says Read a Comic Book!

My take: Specifically, March: Book One covers the story of Congressman John Lewis during the civil rights movement. It's a start.

TECHNOLOGY

Humans Invent Powdered Alcohol.

My take: Adult Tang! The website for "Palcohol" used to boast that the powder could be snorted and you would get drunk instantly. There is no good that can come of this product.

Game Boy's 25th Anniversary.

My take: Want to feel old? Read that headline. It sure worked for me. I didn't get a Game Boy right away, I had to earn it (yes, I have those kinds of parents) so I think I got a later version. In any case, I sure recall spending plenty of nights playing Tetris and Spider-Man, especially when the power went out. No power? Great time to play video games.

Ladies and gentlemen, I've spent a lot of time working on nonsense manuscripts. In fact, I like comedy pieces that rely heavily on it. I enjoyed Dream Catcher and, no matter how many people tell me it was supposed to be a serious story, I'm not about it. Being John Malkovich, How to be a Serial Killer, Wristcutters: A Love Story... Some of the best fantasy novels and reads are strictly based in nonsense. I mean they literally have little basis in reality, which makes them, literally, nonsense. Imagine then what it feels like to read nonsense that has an absolutely nonsensical dialogue, inner dialogue, and narrations to boot. Think The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe.

You Can't Kill the Multiverse (But You Can Mess with Its Head) is ridiculous. I was recently sent an excerpt from the author, a fellow purveyor of nonsense like myself, and I was blown away by the writing style. It reads like intelligent gibberish, which I loved. I was stoked to find that it's part of a series for those of us who take life a little lighter than others and expect our reads to do the same.

This sequel to Welcome to the Multiverse (Sorry for the Inconvenience) is almost an invention of style itself. Very few authors would dare it and far fewer publishers would relish in the idea of publishing it. The story goes something like this: A young man, a nearly failed but still "accomplished" (in that he made it through school) wizard is working into the night. His plan is the same as every dark wizard's, to punish humanity through magic. What better way is there to accomplish such a feat than to turn every vehicle on Earth into frogs. Wait, huh? That's right, he turns every vehicle on Earth into frogs, accidentally.

So, he's a bumbling, fumbling idiot. Perhaps not the best trait for a dark wizard. That isn't even the most funny part. The narration of the entire story seems to come out almost like a thought—with pauses, doubling back to slightly change a statement, and modesty overridden by small inlets of truth. I loved it. The only thing more enjoyable are the comments from other characters that hilariously make smart remarks about their own situations or actions. Definitely a book worth checking out, or set of books as it were. Check 'em out and let me know what you think downstairs. Indie?

More WonderCon 2014 goodness! Enjoy a 30-second clip from Disney XD's animated series Star Wars Rebels featuring Hera and Chopper. The series is scheduled to premiere on the Disney Channel in Fall 2014. After the 1-hour premiere episode, the series will shift to Disney XD.

It's hard to say if this is the final animation or if it requires more rendering. Either way, I don't mind it. There is action, clear dialogue, and familiar-looking spaceships. Have a look:


The one character they really pushed a few months ago, Chopper, seems to be the loose cannon here. Any concerns about the series having a Jar Jar Binks-like character may be founded. Hopefully, this is from an episode in which he's on space-crack or something and he's not always such a spaz.

Are we worried or excited for this series? I think it looks like they may have learned from the mistakes of the prequels and The Clone Wars and are putting the fun back in Star Wars.

Possibly the best-known Biblical story tells how our fashionably late lord and savior, Jesus H. Christ, turned water into wine!

Yes, we're a very selective bunch when it comes to paying attention. It's not that we don't enjoy looking for extra sins to add to the other seven. It's not that we don't take the Ten Commandments seriously, even though what happens in church tends to stay in church. It's just that after everything the human race has been through over the last two millennia, everything we've screwed up by trying to be clever—like creating the atomic bomb, poison VX gas, and world-killing viruses—if there ever was a Second Coming, we'd probably ask JC to turn the seas and oceans into vodka and then take a long swim. Every single one of us.

Earlier this week, it seemed that the prayers of millions had been answered, in that respect, when the previously unknown Mr. Mark Phillips introduced something seemingly less destructive. Well, probably less deliberately destructive than smartypants physics boffins making craters out of foreign countries.

"Move over Buddy Christ and make way for Palcohol," the headlines might as well have said. You may have read about that, the powdered alcohol that you add to water, to make your favorite beverage to get shitfaced with? Only just introduced to the United States this week, this happy hour in a packet was soon to be the savior of every boy and girl who couldn't get served at pubs, bars, and booze stores across the States, or those who simply couldn't afford high liquor prices.

Well, Fanboys Anonymous now reports that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has just very hastily reversed their approval of the product, thanks to a flurry of negative publicity. So long, Palcohol, we hardly knew ya! Gutted!

One for ma homies...

Palcohol, which came in different types of spirits (mainly vodka and rum, followed by cocktail flavors such as mojito, margarita, etc), was designed as a handy means to a refreshing beverage in difficult circumstances. It could have been very convenient to those of us who don't have the luxury of weekends, or evenings away from work; it could have saved a lot of money at weekend music festivals and the like; it would also have saved luggage space on hikes and camping trips (thus making the perfect addition to your Zombie Survival Kit).

You may also have used it, at the website's suggestion, for cooking purposes or smuggled it into large event venues (which was a big reason the TTB pulled it), and I imagine the straight vodka mix would have made a handy first aid kit if you needed an instant disinfectant or astringent..


However, beyond the TTB's own reasons for their reverse decision, introducing this miracle beverage posed great challenges that society hadn't yet taken into account. Firstly, it presented minors with the opportunity to sneak alcohol around unnoticed. Kids have been covertly bringing vodka into their schools for decades by mixing it with coke and energy drinks. The difference with Palcohol? You wouldn't have had to conceal its appearance with soft drinks to get it into the building. You could go right ahead and slip it into your bottled water, allowing you to ruin your future at will.

Terrible waste of cigarettes.

Secondly, in the UK—where Palcohol may have a much harder time becoming legal—we have issues with drink. Northern England has some of the worst binge drinking rates in all of Europe, leading to especially high mortality rates and reported alcoholism in cities such as as Blackpool and Newcastle. But would we have needed Palcohol, as fun and convenient as it sounded? Well…

I don't have a drinking problem, except when I can't get a drink! - Tom Waits, Bad Liver and a Broken Heart

NEVERRR!!! - Marv, Home Alone 2

No, Palcohol wasn't entirely aimed at responsible drinkers, despite the product's disclaimer to "Drink Responsibly!" Even a half-witted marketing team knows that in order to maximize profits for something that's meant to be a breakthrough product, they must make that product appeal to those between the ages of 15 and 35, even if it can't legally be sold to those younger than 18 or 21.

The young and carefree, the old enough to know better but still too young to give a shit, and those who don't understand the concept of moderation, these are the intended markets for any alcoholic product that isn't a reputable brand. It's competition, it's market saturation. Lipsmark (the company behind Palcohol) may not have directly advertised to minors, but they wouldn't have been the only ones selling this stuff in the near future, had it proved popular.

There are other concerns you would have to consider before playing around with your powder of choice. If dumbasses will take a shot of vodka to the eyeball, they would have done the same with Palcohol. As vodka generally ranges from 36 percent to 40 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) at least, this behavior has already proven dangerous. It might only have been a matter of time before somebody handed you a double dose. Then what? Sue the company? What does it matter when the damage is already done?

The same goes for snorting the stuff. You might not have been warned. You'd be an idiot to shove anything up your nose, but that doesn't stop people from doing it. An outrageously fun night of drunkenness and high spirits makes some people act idiotic. The rest of us tend to stand back and laugh, because who in their drunkenly right mind would listen to the voice of reason?

"I lurrr da smell of Palcohol in the morning... reminds me of Cuba!"

Otherwise, butt-chugging? LOL

Although Palcohol was a very clever invention, it wouldn't have been likely to reinvent the alcoholic beverage industry. It doesn't improve on what we already have access to. It just would have given drinkers another convenient option. Yet I think it's safe to say that the novelty would have made Mark Phillips a profitable man. Palcohol may even have become a familiar sight on store shelves, but I doubt it would have dented sales statistics of well-known brands. This would have been a little Internet shopping phenomenon at best, the one place where anybody can get their hands on stuff they shouldn't.

An afterthought: When I read about this last night, I'd previously skimmed an article on disgusting convenience foods. As a result, I immediately thought that Palcohol belonged to Yum! Brands. You know, those guys that make monstrous fast food items because they think people have no standards?!

Was this just another irresponsibly marketed Frankenfood, or was it more clever than we're letting on? I'm sure astronauts everywhere were pissing themselves with excitement, as were prisoners looking for new and exciting things to hide up their bum. Yet after way over a decade of destroying my guts with beer, wine, and spirits, I was seeing past the novelty the moment I laid eyes upon it. This could easily have been another irresponsible product that encouraged young people to destroy their health just for shits and giggles.

Sound off, Fanboys and Fangirls! What do you make of this sudden change of heart? Would you have liked to try Palcohol and do you think the decision was unfair? Comments below and thanks for reading.

Hey readers, thanks for swimming by! For those of you who didn't catch my Noah review, it's about half-accurate (to the Bible) and half-fantasy. Personally, I got into a few parts and thought it was quite good, beginning with the murder of Lamech by Tubal-Cain when Noah was a child, and then jumping into the future during the time when Noah is contacted by God. The book and, I'm assuming, the play/movie make a pretty decent addition to the religious fantasy arena.

For me, the story's inaccuracies are probably the least of its issues. After all, it's difficult to accept the Bible as pure fact. My biggest problem was with some of the fantasy aspects, but putting aside everything I know about the Bible—or even the Koran and a large portion of other original religious books and stories—I actually enjoyed the read quite a bit. There is a definite story and plenty of action, but Ila's Story—a novel covering Ila's perspective on the Noah story—wasn't as enjoyable.

What I didn't like about it was that there appear to be gaps in Ila's story whenever she doesn't appear in the Noah novelization, almost as if her character doesn't exist unless there is someone around her. Does a tree make a sound if it falls and there is no one to hear it? I don't know, but I know Ila can't hear any trees falling unless someone is there to see her hearing it.

Honestly, it was nicely written. It wasn't terrible, and it did add a little extra perspective, including a more feminine view on the plight of Ila as she deals with the hardships that dominate her life. The problem is that the novel doesn't add much in the way of extra story. What went on with Ila behind the scenes, and what else did I miss that went unmentioned? Considering that the Noah novelization relied so heavily on fantasy, I expected to see more fantasy elements in Ila's Story. It ends up being a wasted read, if you ask me. Indie?

Fanboys Anonymous is always looking to showcase the talents of people who are fond of the same things that we are, and artist Zahir Batin is a perfect example. Through proper framing, lighting, and the right ideas, Zahir has brought a massive amount of life to otherwise immobile Star Wars toys and figurines. Depicting scenes from everyday life and getting down to the level of the figures in such a skillful way has allowed Zahir to create amazing pieces of art that look as though they are legitimate shots from the real world. Awesome job, Zahir!

Follow Zahir Batin on DeviantArt

Artist Darren Rawlings has taken it upon himself to merge different cars from pop culture and figure out what they would look like if they happened to also be Transformers in their humanoid forms. It's an incredibly Fanboy-esque idea, and the execution is amazing. Below are some of my personal favorites out of his gallery, but you can check out his DeviantArt account Rawlsy and follow him for more of these as well as his other work.

Twenty-five years ago, on April 21, 1999, the handheld gaming system known as "Game Boy" hit the Japanese market. It hit the ground running, selling out the entire stock of 300,000 units in just 2 weeks. The hype didn't stop there, either. After its successful moves to the United States and Europe, it became clear the system was the must-have console of its time.

The Game Boy began its journey in 1980 with Japanese video game designer Gunpei Yokoi. After observing businessmen trying to entertain themselves on the train, he saw a need for a reliable handheld console. This early version that set the groundwork for the Game Boy was titled "Game and Watch" and looked similar to today's Nintendo DS.

Nintendo wasn't the first to try and push a handheld console; the Microvision, released 10 years earlier, was the first. Game Boy also had competition from Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, and TurboExpress, all which seemed more advanced than the Game Boy at the time. How did Nintendo manage to beat these other handheld consoles? The others had color, backlights, and networking capabilities, all of which certainly affected the price. Game Boy was released at $89.99 and managed to get 10–12 hours of playtime, more than double the playtime of its competitors, proving people valued functionality over looks. With Game Boy used in so many homes it opened the door to a new audience. Its accessibility meant more people could indulge in video games wherever and whenever they pleased. According to reports from Nintendo, 46% of players were female, a large jump from the 29% who used the NES.

The major staples of the system were Tetris and Super Mario Bros. Other games included Alleyway, Baseball, and Tennis. Satoshi Tajiri, a fan of the link cable accessory, designed Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue for the Game Boy, which hit the market in 1996. Pokemon has since taken a top spot in the Nintendo world and has become a huge selling point for many consoles to come.

The Game Boy also opened many doors for what handheld games could be. The steer away from Tetris and Alleyway toward Pokemon, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and other story-based games made a huge impact on what people would come to expect. Handheld games no longer served as distractions but as real forms of entertainment that could last many hours.

Overall, the system did wonders. It brought many of our favorite titles into existence and paved the road for future games. The ingenuity of Nintendo had proved itself again and allowed them to continue to create games and systems.

Here's to 25 years of Game Boy, and here's to 25 more years of Nintendo!

Episode 72 of the I Got Gameplay radio show is now live. Michael Burhan, Zack Latour, Travis Goss, and Craig Kellerman talk Pax East. From cosplaying to gaming, the gang talk their favorite moments from this year's biggest gaming expo!

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 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!

Resurrection is a tricky thing to pull off. Although there are countless stories about it ranging from who's done it, how to achieve it, and why you shouldn't do it, Death remains a natural part of life and should garner the same amount of respect that life does. When there is a lack of respect for natural order, terrible things usually happen. Look at Jurassic Park: great example of how meddling with powerful forces can cause a heap of trouble. Sometimes it’s better to leave things alone rather than try and "fix" them, as illustrated by the following examples.

Aunt May

Art by Joe Quesada

Let's start with Peter Parker and Aunt May. Although technically not a resurrection, the argument still stands that he should have left well enough alone. In the "One More Day" storyline, Aunt May, a woman who has pretty much had a target on her head since the day Peter got his powers, is shot and her life is hanging by a thread. Grief-stricken, Peter makes a deal with Mephisto, who just happens to be passing through this plane of existence. Mephisto offers to save Aunt May, but only if Peter sacrifices his marriage to Mary Jane and all accompanying memories. He agrees, saving Aunt May from what could have been a very nice peaceful rest and bringing her back into a world of being a perpetual target.

Question: What's the worst that would have happened if he'd let Aunt May die? Sure, he'd miss her and he'd grieve but he'd get over it. Maybe there'd be an inheritance. Maybe he'd hit the town all fancied up, hang up the suit for a night, and actually enjoy himself. Who knows? We won't because heroes aren't supposed to be happy. But it's nice to fantasize about, especially for Peter. He's had some rough days. 

BTVS - Season 6 Episode 1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Knowing that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series, I'm still including it due to Buffy's second death and subsequent return to the land of the living. Also, people who use magic shouldn't be trusted. Just putting that out there.

During Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy Summers died twice; first by drowning (resuscitated through CPR) and second when she sacrificed herself to close a portal that would have destroyed the world. Fearing that Buffy was being tormented in a hellish afterlife (but not thinking to check and see if they could contact her, which to be honest should have been the first step; if you're powerful enough to bring someone back from the dead, you should at least be able to spirit-Skype or whatever), her friends bring her back to life using magic. Because they didn't check, they had no idea that Buffy was doing just fine and at peace. Instead, they shove her back into an ugly world that she has to defend all over again. Also: no one was there to maybe give her a hand getting out of her grave and possibly give her a hug.

The depression and self-loathing she experiences as a result of being brought back to life could have been avoided if her friends had just left her alone. Ten Slayers agree: upon Buffy's death (for realsies) another Slayer had already been activated, so bringing her back was neither needed nor deserved. Especially without there being some sort of welcome committee waiting for her. That just sucks.

Daredevil #190 - Frank Miller

Elektra 

Elektra's death at the hand of Bullseye and Daredevil's actions afterward completely make sense. Why she still ends up resurrected does not make sense and, just so you know, the Skrull fiasco will not be addressed.

Here's the scenario: after being stabbed by Bullseye, Elektra shows up on Matt Murdock's front doorstep and dies in his arms. Murdock is heartbroken and buries her but does the right thing when he finds out The Hand is going to attempt a resurrection. Daredevil intervenes and stops the ceremony, ensuring she stays dead. In a momentary lapse brought about by his many feels, he thinks that The Hand may have actually brought her back and tries to revive her. Why? Who knows, maybe the huge cold stone slab she was lying on moved because it was settling, and he thought she had moved her eyes. In any event, he fails to bring her back but succeeds in purifying her soul, which is a pretty great parting gift for your troubled girlfriend but also kind of invasive.

Elektra's mentor Stone is a troubling man: he disappears and takes her body, somehow managing to resurrect her. After the usual round of "What the hell am I doing here?" followed closely by the much angrier "Why didn't you leave me alone? I was happy dammit!" he tells her to go do some stuff like help Wolverine regain his humanity (another story in itself). In a "totally-saw-it-coming" twist of fate, Elektra discovers that the evil purged from her soul didn't actually dissipate: it created an evil double named Erynys. So of course Elektra has to fight her, and when Elektra defeats her, the evil that had been cleansed from her soul is regained and Elektra is as tainted as she was when she died. Hindsight is always 20/20, even for the blind.

The usual suspects such as Barry Allen, Jean Grey, Superman, Bucky, and all the rest who pop up whenever "resurrection" is mentioned were not included for one very good reason: they bore me. Personally, I don't think their stories are quite as frustrating as those mentioned (and believe me, I could have gone on ad nauseum) and I just wish that dead people would stay that way unless they are either Deadman or Resurrection Man. Those guys are cool.

What do you think? What's your least favorite comic/television series resurrection?

With Justice League: War a distant memory and Son of Batman coming out May 6th, we already have another DC animated film to look forward to. Batman: Assault on Arkham looks like it could also be called the Suicide Squad movie.

Set in the world of Microsoft's Arkham video game series, this movie focuses heavily on Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Frost, Black Spider, King Shark and Captain Boomerang. They are Task Force X, or The Suicide Squad, teased at the end of Arkham Origins. Check out the trailer here, which will also be included in the Blu-Ray/DVD of Son of Batman.


The plot centers around the Joker holding Gotham City under the threat of a dirty bomb. The race to find him is between this team of villains and Batman himself.

DC has been trying to push Suicide Squad for years in the comic books, video games, live action and animated features. They have recently been on CW's Arrow and this might be another showcase for them to pitch a live-action film. I was a big fan of DC's Secret Six series, featuring Catman, Deadshot, Bane, and others, and would be on board for something in that genre.

What are your thoughts? Is this a campaign for the next Arkham game or a pitch for the Suicide Squad film?

WonderCon helped celebrate Batman's 75th Anniversary by releasing a new Batman Beyond animated short, featuring the happy return of voice talents Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle.

The animation style is in line with the original series but somehow comes off as a little more cartoony? Am I alone on that? Still, this short is a hell of a lot of fun. Check it out!


Batman's anniversary is being celebrated in The New 52 comic books as well. The future Batman himself, Terry McGinnis, appears from five years in the future in the new mini-series titled Futures End, which brings together the entire DCU including possible crossovers with the growing multiverse.

The time-hopping adventures of Terry McGinnis will introduce him into New 52 continuity. Do we want DC to tell us the future? Or are they covering their butts by offering multiple timelines already?

The comic book industry can be quite confusing to follow. With dozens upon dozens of titles for each character, decades' worth of continuity that is always being changed and manipulated from one writer to the next, and so many in-universe ways to completely change canon in the interest of keeping things fresh, it's virtually impossible to keep track of what's going on. Even when DC and Marvel make company-wide mandates that the continuity will reboot and start anew, things always get muddied up and confusing sooner than later.

It has been a mission of many fans that are supremely dedicated to this form of entertainment to try to fill in the gaps and answer the questions that have no answers. As a result, Hypercrisis was born.

This is the attempt on behalf of the Fanboys out there to weave a thread of interconnectivity between virtually all aspects of the DC Universe, primarily using the works of Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns as the basis. For the most part, these two writers were chosen not just because they are two of the most prominent creators in DC today, crafting some of the most influential stories that affect the continuity, but they are also two of the best historians that DC has. They are always bringing up old things and incorporating them in new ways and trying their best to make sense of the haphazard nature of comics, very much in the spirit of what the fans themselves do.

One fan on 4chan took it upon himself to give his Hypercrisis theory, and it makes so much sense that DC Comics themselves may just consider adopting it as an actual part of their plan. Below is the anonymous member's post (unedited):

So get this in DC Cosmology, the boundaries of the Universe are this massive impenetrable barrier called the Source Wall right? And on the other side is The Source, the cosmic originator of all things?

Well, it's pretty apparent that Sourcewall= Fourthwall.

Because check this, when we see the multiverse, it's set up like a massive cell structure, with the walls acting as membranes while being held together within the bleed, or to make it more literally, comic book panels within the gutter. From there we can see that the Sourcewall isn't only metaphorical comics "Fourthwall" but the literal Fourthwall as well. In the same way that the stages Fourthwall is the invisible barrier between the audience and the front stage. Thus, what is the Source other than US. OUR reality? We are in fact the Source of everything in the DCU. Readers Writer editors etc., we all feed into the massive microverse that is those comics. Why do you think communication with The Source takes the form of writing?

What makes this even better is how this gels with the Anti-Life Equation. What is the Anti-Life Equation? It's an objective proof of nihilism, effectively proving to any lifeform that its life is meaningless and pointless and worthless. Now, how else could one do that outside of SHOWING THEM that there life has no real value, that it isn't real? This is why we see the Antilife equation beyond the Source Wall, and why it is described as the negative aspect of the Source. Can you imagine what would happen to your psych if you found that you and everything you've ever known were mere fiction cooked up by the brains of a thousand different people? The Anti-Life equation would just be a Crimson Chin-esque existential blast.

Now let's talk about The Flash. You ever notice how one is always involved in these various cosmic muckamucks? Flash of Two Worlds? Crisis on Infinite Earths? Final Crisis? Flashpoint?

Because you really have to look at the nature of movement, time and the multiverse itself.

The Speed Force is defined as the cosmological "force" that is the very act of movement within reality. It is in effect the abstract embodiment of agency. Now looking at the idea of the Multiverse, what is it other than a series of possibilities? Many Worlds theory literalizes this by presenting it as the result of an infinite chain of Boolean actions, but that mechanic need not objectively apply. But the neutral tenant is that what differs one world from the other is choice; movement. One particle is here instead of there, one earth is there instead of here. In effect the various configurations that Space can take up over Time form a Multiverse.

So therefore, what more is the Speed Force that the cosmic engine that runs the Multiverse? This extends to the time travel powers they all have as well. (As seen in the very first issue of Barry comics) time itself is merely the summation of various actions taken on each other in scale. When you extend these many points, or actions in series with each other you get a line. The timeline, but in a multiversal model you account for all the OTHER possible actions not accounted for and thus you achieve a massive branching cube time.

This is what we call "Hypertime."

You can see this then that the various Flashes act as its champions called upon the Speed Force to serve it in times of multiversal crisis.

And, for bonuses, as we stated above the Multiverse is made from the Red of the Bleed and the Yellow of the Source Wall. And what colors are The Flashes? And the Speed Force? Red and Yellow. These are also the colors of the Waverider, seer of Hypertime. (Whose Skin was made to create the time traveler Skeets). And , most importantly, the Kryptonian Symbol of"Hope." For what is Hope but the recognition of Possibility. (Thus the sea of Blue in the background)

This is why Barry Allen was given a Blue Lantern Ring. By that same onus That's why Barry was able to overwhelm Darkseid's Anti-Life Equation in Final Crisis. The Speed Force ("3X2(9YZ)4A") is the "Life Equation."

Speaking of the Lanterns this acts a good Segway here. Now what is a Lantern? They are, regardless of the color, devices that translate the energy of a pure emotive "drive" into physical aspects. A construct. They are in effect the end point of the very IDEA of technology (or magic, from which out word "Machine" share its roots.)

And what does the energy take the form of? A Flame.
Going off the Promethean and symbolic aspects of Flame as the embodiment of Human Progression and achievement. (See: The Flame of Olympus) we can take this to the realm of the New Gods.

Remember, when the forge god Himon created them, he needed to give them a "mysterious rapport with nature" they were powered by Element X, the ultimate power source.

This Power Source of Course, when seen, was a burning white flame.

The Same white flame that we see the Entity embody; the sum total of all the emotive drive of the universe.(In the same way White Light is the sum total of the Spectrum)

Thus we can see continuity. From the basic fire uses by the first men to the Super Science Lantern Rings to The Anything-inator: the Miracle Machine to the God Box, the Mother Box.

Devices at their core that are the same as any device, something that translates living desire, living will (thus it being at the center of the spectrum) into an action.

That's why it is the most powerful force in the universe. It's Imagination.

For after all what are comic, stories, cultures, nations, or ideals but imagination? What makes us human, are sentience is that we can take our feelings and manifest them in ways utterly new to the world. Our Language are technology our fiction, all began as ideas within us. Making something up doesnt mean it's not real, making something up makes it REALER.

The Comisc Flame, Emotional Engine, whatever you want to call it, it's the same thing at the core of all of us. And in the dramatized Hyper-Energy real of Superheroics. it's the most powerful force there, because it's the most powerful force here.

If you want to read more reactions to the original post, it is archived here: http://archive.foolz.us/co/thread/58260677/

So what do you think of this theory? Does it hold up, or can you find some holes? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Fanboys Anonymous will be at the 2014 South Jersey Geek Fest convention coming up April 19, 2014, at the Woodbury Heights Community Center in Woodbury Heights, N.J.

Members of the team will be there to represent the website as we celebrate being a part of the geek culture community with our fellow nerds! We encourage you to join in on the fun. Come out to say hello to us and support everyone who will be showcasing their projects, artwork, businesses, and so on and so forth. The floor for this micro-con will be split between vendors, artists, game developers, YouTubers, and websites and will even include tournaments and open board game play.

Fanboys Anonymous will be giving out various prizes throughout the day, including comic books, movies, and more! We will also be filming for our YouTube channel, so if you'd like to be featured on there, make sure you stop by!

Admission is $5 in advance and $8 at the door. Children 10 and younger are free with a paid adult purchase. No outside food or drink is allowed. No alcohol is allowed on the premises.

Date: April 19, 2014
Location: Woodbury Heights Community Center – 741 Helen Ave, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mission Statement:

We want to put on a small, one day con in southern N.J. to have some fun with our geeky interests. What type of geek are you?

The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people, with different connotations ranging from "an expert or enthusiast" to "a person heavily interested in a hobby," with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual." Although often considered as a pejorative, the term is also used self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride. Its meaning has evolved to connote "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake."

For more information about South Jersey Geek Fest, please visit http://sjgeekfest.com

Hey, hey, hey, Dacetacular Nation! Check out episode 43 of The Dace Man Show with hosts Dace and Gibby! 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
• NBA playoff spots

::WEIRD NEWS WITH GIBBY:: 

• Curious if he did his research…

::FRANK'S CORNER::

• He disappeared again.

::CELEB NEWS::

• It's melting pot of Hollywood!!

Plus the High Five: Top 5 Musical Artists We Want To See Live 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.

Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | I Got Game Play | Geek Speak | Rose Colored Reviews | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime

Son of Batman - Directed by Ethan Spaulding. Written by James Bobinson, Joe R. Lansdale, Grant Morrison (comic book), and Andy Kubert (graphic novel illustrator). Starring Jason O'Mara (Batman), Stuart Allan (Damian Wayne), Thomas Gibson (Deathstroke), Morena Baccarin (Talia al Ghul), Dee Bradley Baker (Man-Bat), Xander Berkeley (Kirk Langstrom), and Giancarlo Esposito (Ra's al Ghul).

Following in continuity with DC's most recent animated film, Justice League: War, this is the next in line to building a cohesive universe between the comic book characters after Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox kicked things off. Son of Batman is an adaptation of the Batman and Son storyline from 2006, wherein Bruce Wayne learns that he is a father. His son, Damian Wayne, is the offspring of his former love affair with Talia al Ghul, the daughter of one of his greatest enemies, Ra's al Ghul of the League of Assassins. Fans that are not interested in the comic books should still recognize those names from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, despite how Damian was never a part of that series.

It may seem gimmicky at first, but the concept of Damian Wayne has always been something that I really liked, so when this animated feature was announced, I was excited to check it out. Would it be able to carry the weight of the plot, or would it fall short and not be able to express the gravity of the situation, making it feel like a cheap thrill ride?

It's time for another REVIEWPOINT as we break down the film's hits and misses.


As always, let's start with the bad news first.


1. DEPTH

There are far too many important emotions that have to be rushed and, in turn, are sacrificed when you cram everything into such a short time frame. Damian doesn't really develop much of a reason to turn into a more heroic version of himself—he just sort of does because that's the ultimate end goal. At most, you can say that he was convinced to turn over a new leaf because of one line of dialogue in one scene, where Batman expresses that there is a difference between having trainers and having friends. That's not good enough.

Unfortunately, this is a BIG miss, as it basically encompasses the entire plot and spans between each scene. The plot itself is more than fine, but the execution of it doesn't do it justice.

2. ANIMATION / VOICE SYNCING

More than a few times in the film, the characters' mouths don't move when they are talking. This comes off kind of ridiculous.



1. VIOLENCE

While I'm not someone who thinks violence in and of itself is a "hit," nor am I someone who constantly argues that things have to be rated R in order to be good, there are benefits at times. Whenever something is toned down too much, it runs the risk of being silly. In a story that literally revolves around death and blood oaths and swords, showing blood is pretty unavoidable. Thankfully, this both avoids being over the top as well as nullified. When someone gets stabbed, there is blood, but you're not watching gore porn.

2. ALFRED'S SARCASM

One of the best traits for the Alfred Pennyworth character is his sarcasm. Showcasing this and making it a point of tension to illustrate just how annoying Damian is at the beginning of the story was fun to watch.

3. "AND YOU CAN GO FU-"

Similar to Alfred's dialogue being a highlight, Nightwing's line, albeit nothing that directly influenced the story, was something that I enjoyed quite a bit.

4. CHARACTER PHYSIQUES

Something that always seems to be hit or miss with DC's animation is the art style that the characters are drawn in. Frequently, humans can be too muscular and have extremely puffed out lips with beady eyes or disproportionate body parts where it would be impossible for them not to be too top-heavy to walk, let alone be as agile as we are supposed to accept them to be. When they do it right, however, as in this film, each character has the appropriate musculature.


Not necessarily. It's too simple and it doesn't hold up to the standards of a non-animated film. As a fan of the source material, it was an interesting way to spend an hour plus, but I'll never watch it again because it didn't convince me that it deserved another viewing. There's nothing special about it and if you aren't a comic book fan, you wouldn't even enjoy seeing Damian in animated film mode. This is for the truest of Batman fans and for people that want something to watch just for something to do—not for the viewer that can pick it apart. It's serviceable fun and not much more.