Origin of the Nerd (Part II: Comic Books)

No, I'm not talking about the origin of the word "nerd" or even the origin of nerds as we know them. I'm going to do a three part series about how I got into the things I talk about most on this blog: Video Games, Comic Books, and Movies/TV Shows. I don't often write about myself, so this will be an interesting exercise. And maybe I'll connect with some readers who have had similar experiences, would like to get into new things, or want to talk about how they themselves got into the given subject.

Some of the Nerd-Cave wall.

Last time I defined my favorite definition for "nerd." This week, I'd like to take a look at a related term, the word "geek":

"Geek is a cooler term for a fan. A devoted fan. An over-the-top, obsessive fan of some hobby or media. They are a part of some fandom or speciality, their jokes and allusions no one can get except other geeks, they spend money on their hobby instead of some Serious Business. They waste time debating their favourite media on message boards and writing articles about geeks in Wikipedia and TV Tropes. And if there were no conventions and no Internet, many of them would have never socialized."
-Television Tropes and Idioms

While I feel I have some attributes listed above, I have far too many branching and unrelated interests to be truly obsessive. I have things I consider myself well versed in (Star Wars, Spider-Man, etc...), but not to the degree I feel a true geek would.

Note: These definitions list these words as derogatory. I do not think this is the case -- these are titles to be proud of, at least in this Nerd's opinion.

For this second installment, I want to talk about how I got into Comic Books. Check it after the break.

Pull List Review: Gotta Catch 'Em All

This post is going to be a whirlwind storm of back issues that I've yet to review for a PLR. These will be short and sweet -- if you see something you want me to expand upon, let me know in the comments section below:

Err... I have some catching up to do...

Favorites (Best of the best)

All-New X-Men #4 - #7: This series is still going strong, though it has slowed down a bit. My favorite parts are Angel meeting Angel, young Cyke blasting Wolverine, and Jean working with Kitty. I really can't get enough and wish these would come out faster! 10/10
Star Wars #1 and #2: The rebels have to find a new base after Yavin 4 and the destruction of the Death Star while rooting out a spy. The spy bit is WAY overdone in Star Wars Extended Universe, but I'm liking the classic characters and the new roles Leia is being put in. Nice to have a strong leading lady who isn't falling for men left and right. Also, loving the art. 10/10, this is a good book.

Staying Strong (Nothing special, good or bad)

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 - #20: An Ultimate Venom is back and attacking Miles (and his dad). Interesting, Venom looks especially monstrous, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. 7/10
Venom #29 - #31 - Nothing super special, but Venom is now in Philly and dating Valkyrie. Oh, and being stalked. I do NOT like how Flash is having possessed blackouts, but I guess they won't leave well enough alone. 7/10
Age of Apocalypse #11 and #12: The series is coming to a close. Maybe? Weapon X is deposed, things have been shaken up, but there seem to be more changes on the horizon. An 8/10 for finally getting interesting.
Cable and X-Force #2 - #4: I don't know any of these characters particularly well, but so far seeing their connections and an X-team screwing up royally is always nice. Not sure about the series, but I'll stick with it for some more, I'm enjoying the Cable exposure. 7/10
Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 and #16: Doc Ock being in the shoes of Spidey and teaming up with all of Peter's old pals? Avenging may have just gotten interesting. It loses a point for having a Spidey/Wolverine (my favorite pairing) fight that made me sad :( 7/10
Uncanny Avengers #2 and #3: I'm liking the Red Skull action, the possession shtick is ok, and Wolverine just got his ass kicked by Thor. Yeah, that's pretty solid, and looks like Apocalypse is coming up soon! 8/10
Nova #1: This was a random grab. I know nothing of Nova so am a bit in the dark, but though it was interesting. Reminded me of The Last Starfighter a bit, netting it an 8/10 in my book, and added to the pull list.

Missteps (Series with recent issues being sub-par)

Scarlet Spider #12.1 - #14: Mexican werewolves. Kaine dies again. Kaine comes back all spidery again. This series is too new to already be repeating itself with a death and pointless reincarnation. Also, Spider-Kaine looks really, really stupid. Hoping this picks up soon. 4/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 - #17: The issues aren't particularly bad, but as a tie in to the Death of the Family tie in, they are especially weak in regards to events happening, aren't coherent at all, and don't advance the Outlaws at all, other than apparently Jason getting some face melting at the last page. Hopefully, with the event having wrapped up, we'll see some interesting stories again. 3/10

Dropped Series (Series I've dropped from my Pull List)

Deadpool #1 - #3: The story is funny, but the writers have completely given up on any interesting plot to fill it with camp. That's fine for some, but for me, I don't like sacrificing interesting for funny. 2/10 because I did laugh some.

Thunderbolts #1 - #4: I only got to issue 4 because they came out so fast. Honestly, this would get a low score on the art alone (I HATE THIS ARTIST! Everyone looks the exact same, why does Marvel still employ him!? Every book he touches leaving me feeling dirty after), but compound that with the cliche story and lackluster character choice, and mark this as a 0/10 and the official death of the Thunderbolts for me.

This is a sad day because the Thunderbolts are what prompted the creation for this blog :(

A+X #2 - #4: I don't remember if I actually dropped this yet or not, but it's only being dropped because I've grown tired of the too-quick stories that really won't amount to anything in the end. Still, not a bad series, so it's getting an 8/10 because I DID enjoy them.

Avengers Arena #1 - #4: Marvel's Hunger Games with maybe 3 characters I actually enjoy. Not an awful premise, but drags along too slow to keep my interest. 4/10


Ok, I know this is a really compacted version, but that's just because I've been too lazy to do a PLR on time. This format is what future PLRs will look like, though I would like to go into a bit more issue specifics.

If you have any thoughts or comments to add on the above issues, please post them, I'd love to hear them!

UPDATE: Sorry this post took a bit longer to go up... My PC has died (NOOOOOOO!), and I'm not sure when I'll be able to fix it. I still have a laptop I can use, so the Nerd is down but not out!

Coming up next: First Impressions of Bioshock Infinite. Sometime after that, I'll finally take a look at the Thor: God of Thunder series.

Seriously. It will happen.

The Comic Book Movie I Want to See Made

Howdy folks! I know my Friday posts have been a little lack luster lately, and for that I apologize.

This week, I'm switching it up a little. Instead of reviewing or talking about a TV show or movie, I'm going to talk about a movie that I want to see made:

The Thunderbolts!

Never heard of 'em? Shame on you! Hop on the Wikipedia and learn something! Or, for a VERY brief summary:

The Thunderbolts were, originally, the Masters of Evil masquerading as heroes after the Avengers were apparently killing during the Onslaught Crisis. Afterwards, when some of the characters liked being heroes, it turned into a group focused on redeeming themselves. Then, when that didn't always pan out, they turned into a government funded program of villains being used for jobs other heroes wouldn't want... Yeah, they have a lengthy history, and the mentioned changes all happen within 120 issues...

You may be thinking that we need a Masters of Evil movie first, if that's the case. I disagree!

First, I want a minimal of two movies: "Justice, Like Lightning" and "Faith in Monsters," two wildly different storylines in the Thunderbolts saga (the first starting with issue #1, the second starting with issue #110).

For "Justice, Like Lightning," the characters would need to be introduced in other Marvel films as villains, even if they are just cameos. Example: Screaming Mimi could be introduced in the next Iron Man movie as a B List villain that Tony apprehends quickly, much to the adoring public. If she curses and says something along the lines of, "The Masters of Evil won't stand for this," we get a plug and one of the major Thunderbolts characters.

Baron Zemo could be worked into the next Captain America movie fairly easy -- his father could have been killed in one of Cap's raids on the Hydra bases in the first film, and this film could feature Zemo as part of the team making the Winter Soldier. Zemo could me a major or minor villain, depending on how the movie is sticking to the Winter Soldier story line, and could even be seen with any character that might be hard to work in otherwise (Beetle comes to mind, if there isn't another Daredevil movie).

Then "Justice, Like Lightning" could be able these characters planning to get their revenge by taking the Avengers out of the limelight before eventually revealing themselves as the Masters of Evil and taking over the world. Similar to the comic book arc, some of the villains would realize that, along the way, they enjoy being heroes. Pretty simple stuff, really, and the plot can be taken from the comics fairly easily.

If Marvel ever works its way up to the "Civil War" storyline (which would be difficult without Spider-Man, in my opinion), then the Thunderbolts could get the second movie, "Faith in Monsters," in which a new team of Thunderbolts is put together by the government to hunt down unregistered heroes. Again, a pretty simple concept, and the team could be compromised of some returning characters and some new ones -- they wouldn't even have to stick to the comic book cast on this one, they could pull any villains mentioned or shown in the Marvel movie-verse.



Anyone have any other comic movies they want to see, or want to comment on a Thunderbolts series? Let me know in the comments!

Suggested Reading (Comic Book Edition)

In no particular order:

Thunderbolts: This is the series that got me back into comic books as well as was the original inspiration for this blog. The idea behind the Thunderbolts team is that the Masters of Evil have (ostensibly) reformed from their villainous ways in the wake of the Onslaught Crisis, robbing the world of many of its villains. The first run is the best, but I'm personally up to issue 80-something (it started to renumber the issues as "New Thunderbolts" around then, but snapped back to normal numbering in time for issue 100). I'm especially looking forward to see how Civil War changed the team -- already, they've changed a lot since the first run that introduced the villains-as-heroes theme Thunderbolts does so well. A good series to meet some interesting characters and see some unusually mixed up heroes. Suggested issues: Thunderbolts #1-??, and more if you find yourself enjoying it.

Maximum Carnage: This is the series that got me into comics when I was younger. This is a series that gets a lot of love/hate debates going, so let me preface that this is an early '90s run of comics, which means the story is generally pretty bad. What this series does bring, however, are fan favorite (and loathed) characters Venom and Carnage into an epic fight that spans all of New York City (as well as 14 issues). The story? Carnage gets free and goes on a killing spree in New York, picking up a small band of villains (Shriek, Doppelganger, Demo-Goblin, and Carrion) along the way. Spidey has to gather a band of heroes (many make appearances, but most notably Venom, Cloak, Dagger, and the Black Cat) to stop them. That's it, for 14 wonderful issues. Good super-hero action, all in all. I might do a series review for this, eventually. Suggested Issues: #1-14 (Made up of: Spider-Man Unlimited #1 and 2, Web of Spider-Man # 101-103, The Amazing Spider-Man #378-380, Spider-Man #35-37, Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203 -- Or just get the TPB) For now, this will be the only Spider-Man listing I'll make here. I'll do a separate "Suggested Reading (Spider-Man Edition)" soon.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan: You do not get a bleaker post-apocalyptic world than Wolverine's Old Man Logan (OML) run. Even the Age of Apocalypse has its upsides for mutants. OML has pretty much everyone screwed equally. I don't read much Wolverine (when he's not teaming up with Spidey), but this has a good story, great art, and some really interesting visions of a much darker future timeline for Marvel characters. Note: If you warm and fuzzy feelings, do NOT read this. If you like post-apocalyptic stuff and bleak/dark stories don't bother you, PICK THIS UP!!!! Suggested Issues: Wolverine #66-72 and Wolverine Giant Sized Old Man Logan

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: I believe this may be another love/hate series. It is set, once again, in a grimmer (alternate) future, this time in the DC universe (dystopian, not apocalyptic). Batman comes out of retirement at the age of 55 to put the beat down on a world gone mad. The problem is, the world doesn't want him, for the most part. I think the story is wonderful, though I'll admit I don't care for the art (too dark and at times indistinct). Climax is a Super-Man vs Batman fight, and Batman had time to prepare. What can be better than that? Suggested Issues: #1-4 (Made up of: The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Triumphant, Hunt The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Falls)

Ex Machina: For something a little different, take a look at Ex Machina. It is set in an alternate New York City and, while published by DC, falls under the Wildstorm logo and has no relation to any other comic universe (that I've seen yet). The series follows the current Mayor of New York, Mitchell Hundred. Before he was mayor, Hundred was a masked super-hero known as The Great Machine, who's power was the ability to talk to machines (and, you know, tell them what to do). The issues tell the story of Mayor Hundred as present day while The Great Machine's story is told as a flash back. This series has great characters, a really interesting story/concept, and is creatively told. Mayor Hundred has to deal with issues from marijuana legalization to gay marriage while The Great Machine has to defeat his nemesis, Jack Pherson, while trying to make a super-hero actually fit in today's society. Oh, and one of the major reasons The Great Machine was able to become the Mayor of NYC was his actions during 9/11. The series, as far as I can tell, prefers a "leave no stone unturned" mentality, and it works. I'm personally about 40 issues in and plan on completing my collection as soon as I can. Suggested Issues: All of them. Seriously.

That's all for now, folks. Keep an eye out for a few more "Suggested Reading" posts; I'll do more general Comic Books series, specific comic book runs, and novels that I've enjoyed. I read a lot, so this could take a while... I'll try to keep them short(ish) installments like this one!

Everyone Loves a Come Back...

So. Been a long time since I looked at this. It never got off the ground, obviously, but I've returned to bring this blog new purpose.

I'd like a place to write down my thoughts and feelings about all things video game, comic book, nerd, movie, etc... related.

This will be that place. I'll hang on to the first few posts -- I'm MUCH farther along in the series and may sometime hark back to writing about the Thunderbolts.

For now, I'll be working on:

New design for the blog (It's hideous!)
Marvel AR App Post
Spider-Man Costume (among other things) Post
Star Wars: The Old Republic Post
And more!

If you read this or anything coming in the future, please share a comment, I'd love to see other ideas that folks have on what I'm writing about.

Thanks for reading and catch you next time (really, really soon, I promise!).

-Dustin

As Far as Heroes Go...

I've finished issue 1 and it's good. Of course this is the issue where the Thunderbolts are actually revealed to be villains donning new disquises.

The concept is really interesting, and I'm waiting to see how it will go. I know the very basics, but I look forward to finding out the different motives for the hero facade. With Zemo, it has to be assumed something diabolical is being planned for the future. Is everyone else on it, or are some trying to redeem themselves in the public eye and really become heroes to the people?

And, off of that, what makes a hero? I wonder if they count as becoming heroes as they prevent theft, battle villains, and even repair damage done to the Statue of Liberty. Sure, they've got some shady pasts, but does that permanatly bar them from becoming the good guys? At least their actions have been heroic so far, but it must be assumed they have some motive... And yet everyone has a motive for everything they do, even the "selfless" acts of heroism have some inner drive causing the actions to surface when needed.

The first issue was more about revelations. Unfortunately, I don't have any revelations to supplement this fact. Went to my first Comic Con (Boston) last weekend and it was much better than I could ever had expected. Not only were there a lot of different vendors presents, but the sales astounded me. I grabbed the Warren Ellis run for Thunderbolts for cheap, and got other issues relating to my favorite superhero; Spider-Man. I may not agree with the changes they brought about at the end of Back in Black and certainly not the resulting One More Day, but at this point in Amazing, I can appreciate the interesting and engaging stories and newer arcs. So far I'm not dissapointed.

I also played some catch up and grabbed a few Trade Paper Backs from the Civil War event. I look forward to the next time a Comic Con comes close to me, and next time I'll be much more prepared!

-Dustin the Determined

The Lightbulb

Blogging is supposed to be a good tool to use for writers. I'd like to write in my life, and eventually getting published would be nice.

So here starts my first blog. It's theme will revolve around the Marvel Comics "Thunderbolts" series. I should be getting #1-58 tomorrow; they should be stewing in a mailbox somewhere. If possible I'd like to relate life and the future to these comics as I get them. I like the idea of a team of villains acting as superheroes, and I like even more that each character has their own agenda. We'll see how it pans out when relating to life, either mine or in general.

As to posting; I don't plan on posting every day, but at the very least I should update every week. This won't be a journal, but more a collection of themed writing by none other than myself. I'm uncertain if I should develop a Blog Identity or keep the one I was born with. It might fit with a masked vigilante theme... But I am just writing. That's for the future. For now I'll end this opening unmasked.