10 Best SciFi TV Episodes Of All Time

I discovered Blastr this morning thanks to a link going around showing off an Empire Strikes Back chess set made of legos and have officially added the site to my ever growing google reader.

The first article I discovered was one naming the ten best Sci Fi Television Episodes of all time. And, I gotta say, it's a pretty damn good list. Open in up in a new window, read it, then come back here. Don't worry. I'll wait.

While I absolutely agree with their Buffy, Dr. Who, X-Files, Lost & Firefly episodes (and don't consider myself fluent enough in Outer Limits or Star Trek to have an opinion), I question their Battlestar choice. 33 is a great episode and as the first ep after the mini-series it DOES establish the tone of what's to come and all that, but I tend to lean more towards the season 2 or 3 finales...not that they were brilliant stand alone sci fi pieces, but they WERE breathtaking episodes of science fiction television. I won't be so silly as to suggest my own favorite BSG episode, Unfinished Business, as a candidate, considering there's practically no sci-fi in that episode whatsoever (but a whole of love and shipping!), but 33? I'm just not so sure.

Twilight Zone has so many classic episodes that Eye of the Beholder seems like a perfectly fine choice. It's classic, but disturbing & relevant classic, not almost-silly-at-this-point classic like let's say Nightmare at 2000 feet or overdone classic like To Serve Man. So while I suspect many will object to this selection, I'm actually fine with it.

If I had to add to this list...might I suggest a showing from Angel? If we are talking fantastic episodes that both played with & showed off the conventions of Science Fiction, it's hard to not look to season five's Smile Time. Watching that episode single handedly sold me on watching all of Angel's final season, and I sure am glad I made the effort - GREAT season, by far the best of the spin-off's five years.

So what would you add to this list? What would you take off? What would you tweak? Eager to hear your thoughts, especially from those of you who watch the Sci fi shows I haven't checked out yet i.e. Supernatural and....um...that might be it.

See full post

Buffy Alphabet FTW!

Too cool. The plan is to turn these into flash cards and I will ABSOLUTELY buy them.

To see some others, click here.

How would you fill in the rest of the Buffy alphabet? My wheels are certainly turning....

Hat Tip: @NathanielR See full post

Freakin' Twilight

Okay, back at Wondercon, this thing happened with Twilight, so you already know it's going to be ridiculous. What happened was, some footage for Twilight: Twiharder or whatever the next one is called was shown during Trailer Park. Half the audience screamed with pure swooning adulation that swelled with the kind of hormonal dissonance that makes chandeliers crumble into sand. The other, predominantly male half booed, more in reaction to the excited audience members than the footage itself. A high profile blogger even commented on the latter reaction and the studio representatives' cringing responses to it backstage, although he left out the bit about the squealing. So, if you weren't at Trailer Park, you might have read this and been like, "Woah, Twilight takes a hit!"

Well, no, Twilight didn't take a hit. The only way Twilight would take a hit is if they recast Larry David in the role of the main sparkly vampire with the hair. This event is in no way indicative of how Twilight is doing with its fans or within the world of the conventions. All this is indicative of is that fanboys like to harass fangirls, which I'm pretty sure we've all known since 2nd grade. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Really, if anything, this story is kind of awesome, because it shows that there were enough LADIES in the audience to even provoke a response from the male contingency. And at Trailer Park, no less, not even a Twilight panel, or Polly Pocket or whatever the hell else it is is being marketed at us girls these days.


God, I hated Polly Pocket. Anyway.


My roommate loves Twilight. Well, okay, my roommate loves Taylor Lautner's abdominals, and the most expedient way for her to get her fix is to watch Twilight (or look at her computer's background image). I'm not going to judge her for this. Much. I suck down the True Blood novels like oxygen, I'm not about to start pointing fingers. I'm not going to judge what someone loves on the quality of the writing or production values, on the casting or the demographic to which it's being marketed. I really don't have a problem with Twilight on any of those levels. High vampire romance with a lycanthropic element? Yes, please. No, my problem with Twilight is that the protagonist is useless. But there are a trillion articles you can read on this, though I would most fervently recommend Cleolinda's Twilight extrapolations over at her livejournal.


Kevin Smith once said:

How dare you pass judgement on those twelve year old girls who like vampires? They need to be encouraged because in six years they'll be eighteen year old girls who like vampires... don't poo poo it, it's- there's a plan, and it's working.


And he has a point. So what needs to happen, really, is Dark Horse needs to publish an ashcan 1-shot comic that chronicles the love affair of Buffy and Angel. Then they need to distribute it, for free, to the line waiting to get into Hall H for Twilight. Then they need to hire teams and send them to theaters when the lines start forming for the next movie's midnight screenings, and hand them out again. Because Buffy is what these girls are going to need once Twilight is over. Buffy is going to be their portal to becoming real people.


The Chosen one will guide the way. See full post

Buffy & Angel SNOGOMETER [Full Of Win!]

Originally from SFX Magazine, we don't know why this making the rounds today, but we loves it and it's THE BEST CAUSE IT'S THE BUFFY ANGEL SNOGOMETER. That is all. See full post

This Just Made Me Cry. 11 Years Later. [Quote]

We're not good friends. Most of us never took the time to get to know you. But don't think that means we didn't notice you. It's no secret that Sunnydale isn't exactly like other school's. A lot of weird stuff happens here. But whenever there was a problem or something creepy happened, you seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you, or helped by you at one time or another. We're proud to say that the Class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history... And we know at least part of that is because of you. So the senior class offers its thanks, and gives you, uh, this. It's from all of us, and it has written here, 'Buffy Summers, Class Protector.'

See full post

Tom Lenk Is My New Favorite Person

So last night, fellow podcasters @scarletscribe, @da7e and I, along with my dear friend Matthew went to go see Tom Lenk do musical comedy at Don't Tell Mama, a Cabaret/Piano Bar adjacent to Broadway. I suspected the show would be, you know, cool, but I had NO IDEA it would be ACTUALLY incredible.

He opened the show singing a cabaret version of Gimmie More, which you can check out from an old Lenk performance below. I found the clip in an article by Nathaniel R from The Film Experience about Tom Lenk, written a while back. You should definitely check it out here.



I so wish I had recorded some video last night, but we weren't sure whether we were allowed to or not, so alas.

After the show stopping Gimmie More, Tom performed a song he actually wrote on the plane on the way here about his "Last Minute Show" which was also fantastic. He writes pretty damn well!

What followed for the next 30 min was some of the best stand up I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't seen much stand up, but holy crap was he hilarious. He regaled us with stories about how in LA homeless people love to yell at him, spit at him and threaten him with scissors and told an epic tale detailing why you should never date someone who a. asked to be set up with you because he was a fan of your work on Buffy and b. who is 8-9 years your junior.

One of my favorite portions of the stand up was when Tom busted out his favorite "Men Seeking Men" ads from Craigslist. Priceless. Even better was when Tom read out loud the comments from an old Alloy article, called "Your Next Crush," featuring Tom. The teenage girl' comments started out sweet and quickly descended into "Eyu, this guy's an elf!" It was truly hilarious, and made even better by the fact that Tom clearly takes it all in stride.

We then entered the portion of the show where Tom sang some songs he wrote in Jr high & high school, which although had hilariously juvenile lyrics...were accompanied by pretty great music. Apparently he sent in all of his songs to Cher & the B52s so they could record them. And you know, they should have :).

Then, out of nowhere, suddenly I'm crying as Tom tells us about his best friend from jr high/high school who had cystic fibrosis and had to move away in tenth grade for health reasons. Months later, she wrote him a note that he read aloud and it literally made me bawl.

We were then treated to a sketch involving a German Star Trek fan to close the show, a song about the Master Cleanse Tom wrote that EVERYONE looking into fad diets needs to hear. It was amazing.

After the randomly brilliant show, Tom stood outside and received every single one of his guests, shaking hands, taking pictures, talking as long as we wanted. He is a truly sweet, talented guy who deserves to be successful. Today he is auditioning for something pretty huge here in New York, so let's all collectively put good vibes out there in the world for him. See full post

Buffy Cast @ Comic Con 1998 - First Hand Account

So when I was 12, the whole Buffy cast minus SMG came to Comic Con for one of the greatest panels in Comic Con history. Well, greatest according to me. At the time, I wrote a poem about the experience and I thought I'd share it with all you readers.

The back story you need is that I was a kid, and because we knew the right people, my friend Heather and I got to meet the whole cast in the green room, then sit behind them when they were doing their signing. Which in retrospect is really weird. But we thought we were so cool. Our other friend, Becky, was supposed to be there, but couldn't make it.

Typed using exact phrasing & spelling from original poem. I apparently loved saying LOL and using Zs instead of Ss. Awesome.

Buffy is the bestest show
with all the nicest peeps
all the guys r really hot
this show is for keeps

I recently met them
and it made my day
they were the sweetest celebs
in every way

We got a present our our Becky
who was supposed to go
all thanx to our Heather
who was the one who got to go

We got all their autographs
and pics with them too
I was shaking when we met them
especially w/ you know who

I heard all the girlz screaming
"David, Seth I love you guyz"
and we felt so special
listening to their cries

Seth was our favorite
the nicest of them all
David at a close second
OMG he was so tall!

When we sat behind them
as they were signing
David asked how we were back there
and Heather said "sitting" (LOL)

When Seth signed Becky's poster
it turned out to be Heather's
So now on Heather's poster
It sayz "sorry I missed you" um leathers (LOL)

Nick was so goofy
makin lotz o' jokes
so were Seth & David
drinking down their cokes

During their funny panel
a girl asked for a hug
David said "of course"
and made her day just snug

Ally's hair was adorable
and she was really nice
spunky and sweet
she signed with a smile on her face

Charisma had a BF
who was really cute
they are cute 2getha
he did not play the lute (lol)

All in all a kick ass day
Heather would agree
this was to fill in Corey and Becks
so it would be like they were there, you see

The End.

And just for shits and giggles, an excerpt from my journal, written on November 9th, 1998

Ok, now it's talk about Buffy time. Tuesday night, Willow & Xander kissed! AHHHHHHHHHH! I''m so happy! Yet sad at the same time cuz Willow n Oz R SOOOOOO cute 2gether. Tomorrow's episode is called "Band Candy." In it, all the grown-ups start acting like teenagers because of this mysterious candy. Giles n Joyce make out! AHHHH! YAY! OH YEAH! I GOT A NEW KITTEN! She is 7 weeks old, born 9-14-98 and is named Willow. Full name Willow Alyson Buffy Cordelia Rosenberg [My last name].

On 3-20-99, Willow's name was changed to "Willow Alyson Buffy Cordelia Drew Gwenyth Viola Trinity Carrie Anne Rosenberg [My last name]"

On 4-19-99, Willow's name was changed to "Willow Alyson Buffy Cordelia Drew Gwenyth Viola Trinity Carrie Callisto Gabby Xena Scully Leia Amidala Natalie Rosenberg [My last name]"

It hasn't changed since. 10 years later, Willow is still alive and kicking in Los Angeles. When I see her next, I will remind her that she has 17 names. I'm so awesome.

Crossposted at the Geek Girls Network. See full post

Sunnydale High 10 Year Reunion [Event]

AHHHH I'M SUCH AN EFFING GEEK

Back to High School Edition:
Wednesday, May 27th @ 7:00pm
at The JCC of Manhattan
344 Amsterdam Avenue (Amsterdam and 76th)

This is an all-ages FREE event, though donations at the door will be gratefully accepted.
No advance tickets are available, but email us at Sunnydale1999@gmail.com with your name and number of people and we will add you to the reservations list.

The Bronze Edition:
Wednesday, June 3rd @ 8:00pm
at Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn (directions)

This event is 21+up only, and there is a $10 cover charge.
To guarantee your reservation, purchase advance tickets NOW!
(make sure to use the “select date” drop down box when ordering tickets)

SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST: Orb of Thesulah

The creators of the Buffy Sing Along are staging an all new event that celebrates those glory days: THE SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS REUNION. We are checking our where-are-they-now file to find out what happened to the graduating class of 1999 (and, for that matter, what happened to the entire town of Sunnydale), with an evening of Buffy contests, enlightening Buffy trivia, and special tributes to all of the dearly departed Sunnydale classmates. Plus, everyone gets their own alumni name badge and we’ll party like it’s…you know…with dancing to music and videos from the end of the century. Plus other surprises!

Costumes from the show and/or the late 90s are encouraged - but you are also welcome to come as you are. Everyone attending the reunion will be assigned their own alumni nametag, and at the end of the night, one special fan will be awarded with their own “Class Protector” award.

Um. I'm going. Eruditechick, so are you. We are gonna geek out, we're not gonna be ashamed about it, and it's gonna be beautiful. Although, you know what's fucked up? That season 3 of Buffy ended 10 years ago. That is NOT COOL, people. Ugh. Reminds me that I graduated college two years ago now. MUH. Whatever. GEEKING OUT. JUNE 3rd. IT'S HAPPENING. See full post

Mini James Marsters Plays Guitar! [Video of the Moment]

What you need to know:

A. I love Buffy

B. I love Spike, on Buffy

C. I love Spike on Buffy

ZaZING!

What was I saying?

Ah yes, I like it when Spike sings. Here, James Marsters and SON perform together and are adorable. Kid looks just like him! Aw! Song aint half bad either!



Thanks to @narfna for the tip! See full post

Top Five TV Shows Of All Time

So my question of the day on Twitter yesterday was "What are your top 5 TV shows of all time?" and I got some very interesting answers. Since I'd like to post both the winners and all the shows that got just one vote, I'm deciding to write it up in a post.

First of all, the shout outs. These shows all only got one vote, but it was such a variety I had to post them all. And get this - no one said Friends. I wouldn't put Friends in my top 10, but it was still interesting to me that none of the people who responded hold Friends in any particular high regard. And only one MASH! And one Star Trek! Anyway, here we go,

Shout-Outs: I Love Lucy, Xena, Angel, Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: TOS, Carnivale, Californication, Pushing Daisies, Justice League, Night Court, Attack of the Show, Monday Night Raw, MASH, Due South, BJ & the Bear, Misfits Of Science, SWAT, Lone Ranger, Buck Rogers, Twin Peaks, Texaco Star Theater, The Twilight Zone, Meet the Press, Sports Night, Big Bang Theory, My Secret Identity, M.A.N.T.I.S, Kamen Rider Time Trax, Extras, Dick Van Dyke, Veronica Mars, Mad Men, Million Dollar Man, Salvage One, Land of the Lost, Smallville, 24, Daria, Ugly Betty, MST3K, The Simpsons, Law and Order, The Prisoner, Rome, Ed, Cowboy Bebop, Mary Tyler Moore, South park, Chuck, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Original Battlestar Galactica

Anything you're surprised to see on that list? Surprised that anyone said it at all or surprised that it only got one vote? If david had voted, I know Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks & Cowboy Bebop would have been bumped up one place higher. But moving on to the actual list,

Honorable Mentions: Homicide: Life on the Street, Deadwood, X:Men, the Animated Series, Batman: The Animated Series, The Office, Freaks & Geeks, The West Wing, Spaced

One person specified The Office UK, the others didn't pick one way or the other, so I'm just throwing it up there as one whole thing. Pretty eclectic group here, with TWO animated shows about superheroes. Shows that I adore and are happy to see getting some love :). Also one of my personal favorites makes the honorable mention list - Spaced, starring Simon Pegg & Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright, all of Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz fame. The show is MADE for geeks. I've seen every episode three times. Once all the way through with the homage-o-meter on, which explains every single reference. It's badass.

5th Place: Quantum Leap/The Wire/Seinfeld/Dr. Who/Slings & Arrows/Price is Right

Probably the only time we'll see The Wire & The Price is Right on a list together. For that matter, I don't know when else we'd see Quantum Leap & Seinfeld on a list together or Dr. Who and the Canadian show about a Shakespearean theater troupe, Slings & Arrows. Odd. But awesome.

4th Place: Six Feet Under/Firefly

Lots of love for these two shows, much more than I was expecting! Six Feet Under I watched on and off throughout its run and I've seen every episode of Firefly... on DVD, I'm sad to say. Sorry, Joss. I'll never betray you again. Can anyone figure out where this list is going yet?

3rd Place: Arrested Development/Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Now THAT'S a twosome I can get behind. One of the funniest, most original comedies ever produced and the show that molded my fragile young middle to high school mind. Glad the Twitterverse agrees with me there.

2nd Place: Lost

A show that hasn't even been completed yet makes the 2nd place spot! I mean, it's definitely one of my all time favorite shows and I have faith that they will manage not to fuck it up in the season and a half we have left. I hope. Please. Please don't fuck it up.

Which leaves only first place, and I think the pick is fairly obvious considering the events of last week...

1st Place: Battlestar Galatica (2003)

Who knows if we will all still have this show on our list a year from now (I mean...I will...it's Battlestar...there's a Starbuck art print on my wall and mini mate Lee is sitting next to my computer...with my mini mate Six and my Starbuck dog tag...okay I may have a problem) but it racked up the most points, just barely edging out Lost for the win. In celebration of BSG's victory, I'm going to take a shower and go to work. Thanks for participating! See full post

Geek Force Championship?! What's Happening?! Awesome!

Randomly found this on Twitter and while I'm still not quite sure what it is, I'm excited!!!

It looks like some sort of Geek battle to figure out the ultimate champion of Geeks.



There is some voting that begins tomorrow and I suppose this voting determines the winner of each...bracket? I never understood how brackets work. I'm not into sports that require brackets. The word bracket is kind of off-putting, no? Okay, moving on.

The first battles, for some reason, having to do with how brackets work, are between the following:

Judd Apatow Vs Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Superman Vs Preacher
Apple Vs Diggnation
High School Musical Vs Nirvana

I'm going with Buffy, Preacher, Apple & Nirvana. Superman will beat Preacher, I just personally would pick Preacher cause I've read more Preacher than anything Superman. Yikes. Does that make me a weird, fucked up geek?

Head over to Geek Force Five to participate. Sounds like fun! I'll definitely be voting! See full post

Buffy #23 Features Best. Page. Ever. [Geekgasm!]

So I was finally catching up on my comics...I'm about three months behind, so I have A LOT to catch up on. Since I was only two issues behind on Buffy Season 8, I read those first. Then, in Buffy #23, I came across this bit from Andrew. This comes right after Xander asks Buffy if she's sure she can handle "hours and hours of travel time" with master geek Andrew. Now, here's the page, click to enlarge



See, what'd I tell you? Haha, thank you Drew Greenberg for this glory! I'm pretty sure I've expressed Andrew's exact same sentiments at various points in my life. Although never would I take Dee's side when talking Battlestar.

And in case you were wondering, after this panel, Buffy and Andrew proceed to geek bond over their mutual admiration of Daniel Craig. They love how he's "gritty, real AND vulnerable." Heart. See full post

Which Comics Should I Give Up? [Call for HALP!]

Due to the insanity of busy life and the fact that I can't bring myself to buy comics anywhere other than Midtown Comics (you get 20 bucks off for every 100 bucks you spend! That's a 20% discount!) because I super have no moneys, Ive becoming increasingly behind on my comics. Like...bad news bears, guys. And I've come to the realization that I may need to give up a few titles. So I'm looking to you all for advice, assuming you are probably not as behind as I am and know which titles are worth keeping with.

So here I present the titles I read as of a couple months ago. Please tell me which ones to stick with and which ones to drop!

First up, the ones I'm sticking with no matter what, to give you an idea of what I like



Buffy - I'm sticking with this one no matter what, but I'm two issues behind! SACRILEGE!

X-Factor - I'm, dear lord, 3-4 issues behind now. I don't even know the thing that happens that's all big and crazy! I got shit for this from not only EruditeChick, but from PETER DAVID HIMSELF.

Fables/Jack of Fables/Scott Pilgrim/Powers/Preacher - All of these I read in book form, not comic form, and will not be abandoning them anytime soon. I'm on book 4 of Scott Pilgrim, book 4 of Powers, book 6 of Preacher (which is over now, right?) and am waiting for book 12 of Fables to grace me with its brilliant presence

Invincible Iron Man - I'm I like 4 or 5 issues behind - I've only read the first arc - but I liked it, it's the only Iron Man title I read, I enjoy Matt Fraction, so, I'm sticking with it

Runaways - In the hopes that Brian or Joss return

The titles I'm on the fence about, after the jump!!!



The X-Men Titles



Now these are all crossovery, so much so that now I'm totally confused and have no idea how far behind I am. Do I stick with any of these?

X-Force
Astonishing X-Men
Cable
X-Men: Legacy
Uncanny X-Men
Young X-Men
Wolverine: Origins

and all those like, X-Men: Worlds Apart, X-Men: A bunch of vignettes, X-Men: Crazy shit is happening! Is Cable even in this universe anymore? What universe is Astonishing X-Men in? Will Joss ever return? Are any of them in the same universe anymore? Should I bother continuing to read any of these? What crossover are we on now? Which ones have the Prop X thing happening, cause I'll read that. Halp!

Dark Reign Crossover



Now, I read all of Secret Invasion. ALL of Secret Invasion. Every damn crossover that EXISTED, I read. I was happy to say goodbye to Captain Britain, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, New Warriors or whatever and more, but didn't wanna stop reading the storyline completely. So I picked up like, Dark Avengers and a couple Dark Reign crossover stories, sticking with Mighty Avengers & New Avengers, but now I'm so behind and haven't even read them yet, so I ask you - is it worth it to get into the whole damn thing? Someone who is reading these - is it worth it? Thunderbolts, War Machine, etc - should I pick them up?

Random



She-Hulk
It's Peter David and I love Peter David! I'm 3-4 issues behind. Started reading it when it crossed over with X-Factor and quite liked it, but would I like it sans X-Factor?

Ms. Marvel
Started reading during Secret Invasion and liked, so thought I'd continue. Again, a few issues behind and not sure it's worth it.

Deadpool
Again, many issues behind, but loved what I've read. Should I continue? Oh god, it's apparently tied into Dark Reign also. What's happening?!!?!

Punisher: War Zone mini series by Ennis & Dillon
I love Preacher, so I picked up #1 of this Punisher title, never read it, and now I have #1, #3 and #4, I think. Is this title worth it to seek out the missing #2, #5 and #6? I imagine it must be awesome, but, I need advice.

I was also loving X-Men Noir & X-Men/Spiderman and was looking forward to seeking out Spiderman Noir, but they came out so long ago, who knows what the hell is going on now.

Any titles I need to add here? Anything that will excite me as much as Fables does?

See full post

Harvard Hearts Joss Whedon [Event]

Gonna be near Cambridge on April 10th? Don't miss out!

Tickets to see Joss Whedon receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from Harvard University!

The only other recipients of this award so far are Salman Rushdie and evolutionary biologist, Greg Graffin. So, Joss is in good company.

Some more info on the event,

The ceremony will take place on Friday April 10 at 8pm, in The Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Preceding the presentation of the award, Mr. Whedon will give a short speech about his life and work as a Humanist. The award ceremony will be followed by a Q&A session with Mr. Whedon, as well as a signing opportunity in the church.

Whedon has a devoted following of fans, including the online web community whedonesque.com. In addition to his art, he has also been active in promoting women's rights through his work with Equality Now, an organization that honored him in 2006.

His speech to that group shows his passionate commitment to the positive values of Humanism.

Click here for ten dollar tickets! See full post

Buffy The Vampire Slayer in 4 Minutes

Oh, Buffy. How I miss thee. Thanks for getting me through middle school & high school. I loved Xander, Oz & Spike, never Angel. Is that weird? Also, there was a time during season 2 where I owned EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF BUFFY MERCHANDISE THAT EXISTED. This is no longer the case.

Anyway, Io9, which often makes me happy, did not disappoint today. Thanks for the tip!

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (Abridged)
See full post

Comics I'm Buying Today [Comic Book Wednesday]

A good day in the land of comics for LQ! Among today's choice picks, Jeph Loeb's Pleasantville-like one shot for Buffy: Season 8. In issue #20, Buffy gets sucked into her own animated show (the one that never got made), set in her high school days. I've been eagerly awaiting this issue and expect the wave of nostalgia I will feel reading it to force me into rewatching some season 2. Mmmm. Buffy Season 2.

Also out this week is Spiderman Noir #1

The year is 1933, and New York City is not-so-secretly run by corrupt politicians, crooked cops, big businesses…and suave gangland bosses like New York’s worst, the Goblin. But when a fateful spider-bite gives the young rabble-rouser Peter Parker the power to fight the mobster who killed his Uncle Ben, will even that be enough? It’s a tangled web of Great Depression pulp, with familiar faces like you’ve never seen them before! By “Hardboiled” David Hine, Fabrice “The Spider” Sapolsky and Carmine “Carbine” Di Giandomenico!

And Comics Bulletin says it's "everything a comic should be" so...I'm in!

More on what else I'm reading this week after the jump


Fables #79
Avengers: The Initiative #19
Dark Reign: New Nation
Deadpool #5
Invincible Iron Man #8
Mighty Avengers #20
Uncanny X Men #505
Thunderbolts #127
X Factor #38
X Men Legacy #219
Punisher: War Zone #2

Comics Bulletin also says Thunderbolts & Iron Man are right up there this week, while Mighty Avengers & Uncanny X-Men...not so much. At least Greg Land isn't doing the art anymore. Woot! On a similar note, Eruditechick and I were happy to see Larry Stroman leave X-Factor last month (bring back Raimondi!) because we found his pencils made it more difficult to read the comic. Looking for a nice familiar feel to your comic? Try Punisher: War Zone. The first reteaming of Garth Ennis & Steven Dillon in years makes you feel like you're back in the universe of Preacher, which can either be awesome or disturbing - up to you.

This weeks covers below. Which are you picking up this week?




See full post

Authentic Vampire Killing Kit Sells for 15k?!?! [WANT]

Okay, hold on. Everybody HOLD ON.



Please tell me I'm not the only person experiencing a prime geekgasm right now.

This past weekend in Natchez, Mississippi, this set made circa 1800 sold for $14,850 in the Jimmy Pippen estate sale. Plenty of period furniture, accessories and art were sold, but a VAMPIRE KILLING kit clearly out-badasses any other item that could have possibly been up for grabs.

In the set are "stakes, mirrors, gun w/ silver bullets (True Blood gets 5 points!), crosses, a bible, holy water, candles and garlic." 200 year old garlic?! Yes, please!

I literally don't know if I've ever seen anything this cool. My 12 year old self who at one point owned every piece of Buffy merchandise in existence is jumping around and hitting things right now.

Guess what I'm seeking out and buying if I'm ever filthy rich?

[Antiques & The Arts] See full post