Archives 2020

Hello Nerds! We made it… Week one in the NFL has begun!
So here is what Ole Jack gathered from the Sunday Fun Day action.
First, Marquez Valdes-Scantling catch something… you made an amazing touchdown in the 2nd to close the half… Then drop 2 touchdowns after?
Same ole MVS if you ask me, IDC what Rodgers Says…
So while listening to few different games i did notice the audio technician for each stadium had different effects planned for different plays. Maybe they all did and I did not realize the change. I swear the best by far this weekend was New Orleans! I hear OOO’s and AHHHH’s and nobody in the stands.
I would personally love to hear a bit more jawing back and forth from the players on live TV but it was a solid attempt by the NFL to make it seem like everything is normal.
So can we just agree already about Dobbins, CEH, Lamb, Ruggs, shoot the whole 2020 rookie class is legit. I can count 15 easy Rookies that made an impact play, first down or touchdown. Amazing first week especially with the absence of a pre-season.
My Boo-Erns Player of the day… its a 3 way tie
MVS- I need you to have a big year but you are going to let me down and there is nothing i can do about it.
1st half Kirk Cousins- It was pathetic!
Dalton Shultz- You didn’t lose the game with your lackadaisical play but you sure didn’t help. Even the Cowboys deserve better then what you gave em.
It was a great start to the season, maybe not the season we needed but the season we deserve… I went Dark Knight on you.
Check out my other posts… Sports card collecting. Draft King Submissions.
Ill show ya my week 1, I ain’t scared!

Fire and Brimstone fall from the sky! It is the end times! Pay attention as we discuss Batman: Three Jokers, chapter 1, verses 1-54! It may just save your soul!

This is the word according to the infamous Geoff Johns
As envisioned by Jason Fabok

The official plot:

“Three Jokers reexamines the myth of who, or what, The Joker is and what is at the heart of his eternal battle with Batman…find out why there are three Jokers, and what that means for the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s a mystery unlike any Batman has ever faced!”

DC Comics

The official story has a lot more pomp and circumstance than this…but I edited out all of the self serving stuff. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say that this description is intended to cover the whole series…because we certainly don’t get the promised explanation.

My Impressions:

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Joker
• Joker
• Joker
• Red Hood (Jason Todd)
• Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
• Death of a Joker

Bottom Line: 5 Stars!

Everyone, who’s anyone already has multiple copies. May I suggest the Red Hood (Jason Todd) variant cover?

WELCOME TO THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF A NEW SERIES WHERE WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON ONE OF THE EXCLUSIVE CHAOS WARBANDS FROM WARCRY. TO START THINGS OFF WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE IRON GOLEM.

The Iron Golem  is one of the warbands in the core box for Warcry and hail from Ferrium Mountains in Chamon. For those that aren’t aware Chamon is the Realm of Metal in the Warhammer world. It is home to the Yellow Wind of Magic, specifically transmutation. Being from the realm of Metal it is not a surprise to see the members of Iron Golem to be covered in armor.

The units within Iron Golem are slow, deal decent damage but can really take a beating. This warband is best used as a training faction. Most units only have short ranged attacks, moderate melee attacks and a high defense.

Out of the box, either the core set or faction only box, a couple of the models offer some customization options. Specifically the Signifier can be modified to be a Prefector. By name these don’t mean much but the Signifier is essentially the Banner Bearer for the group. Changing him to a Prefector offers you a higher critical hit damage but in exchange you lose the Buffs provided by the Signifier. Personally I went for visual aesthetic of the Signifier. I typically go for the higher damage units and minimal buffs but the look of the Signifier was so awesome I couldn’t not use him.

The reason I say this is best for learning the game is because of the high defense. The more of a beating you can take the longer you are in the game. For trying to win with this faction you are best off using your lower cost Legionnaires to soak up damage while you move your heavy hitters into position.

PLEASE ENJOY PAINT JOBS PROVIDED BY THE AZ WARCRY AND AGE OF SIGMAR PUBLIC FACEBOOK GROUP:

My fellow comicphiles, attend as we discuss Superman in the book of Action Comics, chapter 1024, verses 1-32! The House of Kent part 3!

This is the word according to Brian Michael Bendis
As envisioned by John Romita, Jr.

The official plot:

“The city of Metropolis has been rocked by Luthor’s latest attack and the drama surrounding Superman’s truth, and that gives the invisible mafia a new foothold to change the City of Tomorrow forever. Meanwhile, the Daily Planet is under siege! The fallout from Superman: Villains continues as Clark Kent steps out into the world as a reporter for the first time.”

DC Comics

Almost all of this is untrue. Only “Meanwhile, the Daily Planet is under siege!” is correct…and the siegers are the FBI!!!

My Impressions:

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
• Superboy (Jonathan ‘Jon’ Samuel Kent)
• Supergirl (Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers)
• Superboy (Kon-El/Conner Kent)
• Red Cloud (Robinson Goode)
• Character Death: Deputy Fire Chief Melody Moore (off panel)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

You’ve got to love a pissed off Superman! Go look for parts 1 & 2…and get on board.

WARCRY IS A GAME THAT FOCUSES ON SMALLER SKIRMISH BATTLES AND NOW YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE EXPLOITS OF YOUR FAVORITE WARBANDS!

Each story follows a specific warband at their core, focusing on what really makes them tick. One of my favorite warbands by appearance was the Unmade and David Annandale’s tale about them, The Harrower, made them actually make sense. They are addicted to pain, sometimes cutting off their own limbs and attaching weapons to them. Seems rather extreme to me but seeing it through the eyes of the warband you could see why they relished losing their limbs. Each drop of blood, each ounce of pain they feel is joy for them, a blessing from their gods. At least that’s what they tell themselves and each other. This is just one example of the great stories within.

Each story is full of action and more than that just sucks you in as a reader. Most books take me months to read as I typically read about two or three pages a day due to my schedule. This book only took me two weeks to read!

If, like me, are a fan of the chaos gods, the game of warcry or stories about anti-heroes cutting down their foes you will absolutely love this book!

Here’s the full story and author list (some of which were previously released by the Black Library as short stories outside of this collection):

The Harrower by David Annandale
The Method of Madness by Peter McLean
The Devourer’s Demand by Ben Counter
Proving Ground by Sarah Cawkwell
Eight-Tailed Naga by David Guymer
The Iron Promise by Josh Reynolds

Invocations is a Warhammer Horror Anthology from the Black Library and features such names as C L Werner and David Annandale!

Invocations is a collection of horror stories, most of which are exclusive to this collection, while four were previously released as ebook short stories. Perhaps my favorite story from the list was From The Halls, The Silence which took us back to Solus as a followup to The House of Night and Chain. The original tale had a solid ending that still left me with questions and this tale resolved some of them.

The worlds of Warhammer 40k have always had a tendency to fall along the lines of horrific between the machinations of Chaos or the terrifying swarms of the Tyranid. This means that these stories must be absolutely dreadful to be labeled as Horror. Many of these stories however are about on par from what we’ve come to expect from the Black Library but a few definitely pushed the envelope a bit further. This is the second Horror anthology and also the second contains both Warhammer Fantasy AND Warhammer 40k stories. Overall this book is a great read when you are looking for easier to digest stories. These stories still kick some major ass despite their length.

Here’s the full story and author list (some of which were previously released by the Black Library as short stories outside of this collection):

The Hunt by David Annandale

The Confession of Convict Kline by Justin D Hill

He Feasts Forever by Lora Grayv

Stitches by Nick Kyme

The Healer by Steven Shiel

Blood Sacrifice by Peter McLean

The Growing Seasons by Richard Strachan

Supplication by Jake Ozga

From the Halls, the Silence by David Annandale

A Sending from the Grave by C L Werner

Flesh and Blood by Ray Cluley

The Summons of Shadows by David Annandale

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to deliver packages in a world of ragdoll physics? In Totally Reliable Delivery Service from Epic Games and TinyBuild you can!

Totally Reliable Delivery Service was a title I was given to review courtesy of Epic Games and TinyBuild, but their generosity has in no way influenced my thoughts on this game. We were able to test it out on both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. My son preferred the controls on the Switch and I thought they felt more natural on the Xbox.

The concept of the game is that you play a delivery person who must deliver an assortment of packages. The base idea is rather dull and I’m sure there are more than enough people that would not want to play a video game based on their day job. Epic Game and TinyBuild took a very different approach. Instead of the tedious driving door to door and dropping off of packages you drive, fly and carry packages across dozens of scenarios including up a steep hill to a ski lodge while avoiding falling trees or using a forklift to deliver an explosive through a second story residential building. There are ramps to jump your vehicles over, hidden castles and plenty of challenges to keep you having to replay missions to grind them all out.

My son found the game to be dull and gave up playing after his first time playing it. I spent probably about five total hours on the title, messing around more than trying to score well on challenges and agreed. It is a bit dull in terms of story and excitement but the game is cute, family friendly and easy to pick up and play for a few minutes at a time. Longer doses of this game leaves me prone to yawning after I explored all of the areas I felt there was no need to keep at it and removed the game from my system. One day I may revisit it but chances are slim on this title.

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY FOX I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part One of this article (shared a couple weeks ago) I discussed The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Red Sparrow. Part Two discusses Maze Runner: Death Cure, Alien Covenant and Love, Simon. Part three covers Super Troopers 2 and Murder on the Orient Express. Part Four discusses Sorry To Bother You and Darkest Minds. Part Five discussed The Predator and Bad Times at the El Royale. Part Six covered Bohemian Rhapsody, The Hate U Give and Once Upon a Deadpool. Part Seven talked about The Sisters Brothers, London Fields, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Widows and the Favourite! Part Eight covered Destroyer, The Prodigy, Alien 40th Anniversary Edition, Vice, The Kid Who Would Be King and If Beale Street Could Talk, and Part Nine we discussed Missing Link and Alita Battle Angel. Part Ten we discussed Tolkien, Booksmart, X-Men Dark Phoenix and Stuber. Part 11 discussed The Art of Racing in the Rain, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Ad Astra, and Ready or Not. Part 12 talked about Ford v Ferrari, Spies in Disguise and A Hidden Life.  Part 13 was the last part I did with PNTV and discussed Downhill and The Call of the Wild. Part 14 (and our first with the Nerd Cult) is all about Underwater!

Underwater

When I heard about this film I was certain it would be garbage. The lead is Kristen Stewart, that alone was reason enough for me to not want to watch this film but after seeing her in Charlie’s Angels I knew she had the ability to rise above her role in the Twilight movies. She plays an Engineer, a believable one too, in an underwater station and within the first few minutes of the film the station starts to collapse. Her and the other surviving members of the crew must escape to the surface and the captain is determined to save as many of them as he can. Expectations were low but I must admit that this film was quite enjoyable. The suspense was well managed, visuals were stunning and the acting was great. I highly recommend this film for fans of science fiction and survival horror.

WHICH OF THESE FILMS FROM 20TH CENTURY FOX HAVE YOU SEEN? WHICH WAS YOUR FAVORITE?

THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT POSTAL FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, THE END OF THE VOLUME BUT NOT THE END TO THE CHARACTERS….HOPEFULLY.

The final installment of this volume of Postal is here and it is by far one of the most perfect endings to a story we’ve ever had the pleasure to read. The issue gives a perfect ending while leaving it completely open for a new story arc. Last issue resolved all remaining threads concerning Mark’s father by giving him a homemade lobotomy in the basement of a church. This issue focuses on Mark as he becomes the mayor he wanted to be instead of the mayor his mother wanted a year after his father was defeated.

Oddly Mark visits his mother’s grave. The act itself is not odd but the fact that she died and we didn’t see it happen in previous issues, does that mean she’s really dead? Is there a flashback showing what happened? To find out you will need to read the issue and I can tell you that this issue does answer those questions.

The artwork was by far some of Isaac’s best and I hope to see him back on the book when it finally returns. It won’t be the same without him. The same can be said for the rest of the creative team as well. This book continues to be one of the best series I’ve read and even though all good things must end I must say that I wish it wouldn’t.

UNTIL THE NEXT VOLUME BEGINS PLEASE ENJOY THIS PREVIEW COURTESY OF TOP COW PRODUCTIONS AND IMAGE COMICS:

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD IS THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE LIFE OF HARRY POTTER BUT IS CENTERED AROUND HIS SON ALBUS.

The folks at the Curran Theater invited us to attend the opening night showing of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. With showings in only four cities we knew this was our only chance to attend in the near future. Taking the long drive we arrived and were excited for the show. Entering the theater we made two immediate observations. The first was that the theater was gorgeous. The design speaks to years of history. The second observation was that the carpets and walls were adorned with the letter H. Speaking with my contact at the theater I was able to confirm that this H was for Hogwarts and was part of the transformation the theater underwent for the play.

The Cursed Child follows as Albus, Harry’s son, decides to try to go back in time to save Cedric Diggory, believing that his death was needless.  The book is written as a full script which was intended to see stage instead of a screen.

The play was not only performed by a fantastic cast but it featured effects that made magic come to life on the stage. During the moments of time travel the effects team performed some lighting tricks that made the physical set appear to become liquid. Every time this happened I tried to figure out how it was done and could not.

The play was a stunning masterpiece that should be required viewing for all fans of the Harry Potter films or books. It is divided into two parts, each about two and a half hours long including intermission and as the world is changed by the actions of Albus the staff and decorations have shifted to a Voldemort theme and we’re greeted with “Happy Voldemort Day”. It’s touches like this that made the experience even better.