A Casualty of Casual Causality

Moving To Another Blog Address

2010-01-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

For some reason, Blogger will not allow me to change my email adress to my Google account address, so I created a new blog and exported my stuff there. This will be my last post at this blog site. I'm still with Blogger and the new blog can be found at http://acasualtyofcasualcausality.blogspot.com.

See ya there!

New Sade Album Coming Soon

2010-01-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

I just read that the sultry Sade will be releasing a new album, Soldier Of Love, this coming February 8th. Can you believe it's been 10 years since her last release? Looking at her past albums, the gap of time between each release increases with each new album! I'm looking forward to her new album, and hope she won't wait more than ten years to release another one!

Make It So

2010-01-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

I was able to try out the Star Trek Online open beta for several hours earlier today. Contrary to what some have been saying about a 10 gig patch, I only received a 177 meg patch, which was a sigh of relief. I did not want to spend another day downloading.

Cryptic has the game level capped, creating an artificial load by containing everyone in one place. Of course, I lost server connections and was kicked out several times, but that's something to expect in betas. There was an abundance of rubberbanding as well. Other than the problems due to overcrowding, I did not encounter any game crashing bugs.

Of the parts that was playable, I enjoyed. The Star Trek atmosphere is there, but so is the standard MMORPG mechanics as well. I created an Andorian who specializes in engineering. There were many places where I was completely on my own trying to figure things out, such as skill allocation and sector space navigation. I like the Bridge Officers concept, where you obtain and develop your crew. I have only one officer so far, a Bajoran Tactical officer.

It's only been my first day, but I think I'll enjoy playing this when it releases in February.

Still Downloading...

2010-01-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

Star Trek Online's open beta started yesterday, and I am one of the many beta testers who's still trying to download the client software. I first attempted my download Monday night via FilePlanet, but after after an overnight download session, I was only able to transfer less than 10%! At that rate, the beta would be over before I would be able to even start. Not acceptable!

I've never used torrents before, but with the ridiculous download rates from the other hosting services, I went ahead and gave the torrent a try. So far, I've been able to get a transfer rate between 5 - 500 KB/sec. It's still downloading, but is almost complete. After the download is complete, I plan to keep my copy of the file available for "seeding" to the other torrent users to help them out as well.

I've read online that after the client download, there's a 10 gig patch process! I hope that goes much faster than the client...

The Island Will Not Let You, Mr. President....

2010-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

OK, earlier I heard some distressing news that President Obama was planning to schedule his State Of The Union address on February 2nd, the same day as the premiere episode of Lost's final season. What The Chuck?!? Aren't those addresses usually planned for the last week of January?

Don't worry, fellow Lost fans. The Prez's press secretary assured us that Obama's address won't impact the show. Of course, no date for the address hasn't been revealed yet, so I won't be at ease until I hear of one.

Don't deprive us of our Lost, Mr. President. The Island demands it.

Who's The Marketing Guy For Hollywood Video?

2010-01-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

I just finished my lunch and was returning back to work when I noticed the following advertising sign posted on a Hollywood Video window:

I know that Netflix has become more popular recently and is biting into the retail video rental business, but c'mon, Hollywood Video! Giving away children to attract more business?!? That's a new low.... ;)

A New Year, A New Decade

2010-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

It may already be six days into 2010, but I still want to wish everyone a prosperous new year and decade. I'm glad to be into 2010, as the tail end of the "Naughts" haven't been kind to me personally, and it'll be refreshing to look ahead with a brighter sense of perspective and feeling.

More Used Gaming Goodness

2009-12-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

Gamestop is running their "Buy Two Used, Get One Free" promotion again, so I was able to get the following games for XBox 360 today: Grand Theft Auto IV, Prince Of Persia, and Left 4 Dead. Prince of Persia was the one marked for free.

My "From: Me, To: Me" Christmas Gift: The Motorola Droid

2009-12-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

First off, I would like to wish everyone a very merry holiday! I got to spend the Christmas day with my two munchkins, and that's the best gift I could ever receive. The next best gift was (as Munchkin No.1 likes to call) my "From: Me, To: Me" gift for myself, a Motorola Droid!

Up to this point, I had been using a basic, no frills prepaid cell phone, and had no real reason in using anything fancier. But with recent changes and going-ons in my life, I've been using the cell phone more and more, where buying the prepaid minutes were becoming just as expensive as going through a subscription plan.

Last week, I started looking for any special deals or what was avaialable through Verizon (I was already going through them with my prepaid phone). Probably designed specifically for the holidays, Verizon had a deal going where if you purchased a Motorola Droid with a 2-year contract for an initial $199, you could receive another phone for free. Among the phones available for free happened to be a HTC Droid Eris, another smartphone! After doing some calculations, I found that I would be spending about $40 more a month for two smartphones than what I was currently spending on prepaid phone minutes for my basic phone. This was a deal I couldn't pass up, and Munchkin No. 1 was more than happy to receive the free smartphone!

So now me and the munckin are playing with our new gadget toys this holiday. I've only downloaded a couple of free apps so far, and I've been playing around customizing the screens and tones. I think I'll try the Twitter app next. This is fun. Happy Holidays!

Lost Is Too Damn Addicting!

2009-12-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep to my viewing schedule of my Lost Rewatch. It's only been a couple of weeks since I started, and already I've finished rewatching the 3rd season finale! This show is just too good that if I continue watching at this pace, I'll be done with the 5th season before the end of the year, leaving me a month or so before the final season premiere...

To put my viewing schedule back on track, I've decided to stop watching Lost at the end of Season 3. What will I do until I can get my rewatch back on track? Play the video game, Lost: Via Domus, of course! The game is geared around the first three seasons, so starting the game now is perfect.

I found a used copy of Via Domus at Gamestop for only $12, so I'm gonna start playing now. Namaste!

A Replacement Found For My Dead Zune!

2009-12-19T20:28:00.000-08:00

After about a week since the death of my Zune 120, I debated on what I would get as a replacement. Another Z120? A replacement hard drive to install myself? The Zune HD? Another brand of player altogether? Well, I can say that I made my decision and went and purchased a Zune HD, and I'm glad that I did!

This Zune HD is great! It sounds better, the form factor is nice, and the touchscreen is fun. I'll miss the storage capability of the Z120, so I only have my music, pics, and some podcasts installed at the moment, filling the player to about half of its 32 gigabyte capacity.

I am so happy to have on-the-go access to my tunes again!

Ack! My Zune Died!

2009-12-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

After rewatching Lost's "Walkabout" last night (one of my favorite episodes!), I tried to start my Zune 120 to listen to some tunes before going to bed. Alas! As soon as I began to hear sounds coming from my player, I instantly knew things were not good. I eventually received an Error Code 5 and a message to contact support.

This morning I tried the various two-button and three-button resets for my Zune, but I knew it would be no use. I didn't need to contact customer support to know that the cause of death was the hard drive. I'm familiar with those whirring and clicking noises of the hard drive arm to know that it wouldn't be able to recover. My poor Zune has died.

My Zune had a good run, however. As you can see from my Zune card, I was able to get at least 35,000 plays out of it. In about a year's worth of time, I was able to fill it with about 45 gigs worth of music, podcasts, pics, and video. I always had my player with me. Keeping me company during the doldrums of cubicle life at work, keeping me focused while painting my minis, and soothing me to sleep at night. R.I.P. Zune 120...

What to do now? Go back to my older Zune 30? Nah, I had given my older Zune 30 to Munchkin No. 1 and I'd have to pry it from her cold dead fingers before I would be able to get that back. I'd like to get another Zune 120, but Microsoft has discontinued all of their other players since they released the Zune HD. Zune HD? Another brand altogether?

I can feel the withdrawals already... No access to my music.... Grrzztch... I need to get a player soon. Now. Damn, I miss my Z120.

Rewatching Lost

2009-12-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

With the release of the DVD and Blu-Ray Season 5 of Lost, I will be ramping up my anticipation of the final season in February with a rewatch of the entire series. I've spaced out my viewing sessions to coincide with the season 6 premiere, but considering how addicting the series is, I don't think I'll be able to keep my schedule!

Happy Turkey Day! Gobble, Gobble...

2009-11-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Turkey Day wherever you are! I won't have the munchkins with me until this weekend, so I'll be spending the holiday all by my lonesome. Sniff... sniff...

Well, boo frickin'hoo! Why should I crawl in a corner in my solitude? There's no point in feeling sorry for myself, so I had planned my holiday out.

First, after a tasty bowl of Cap'n Crunch, I'm heading out to go see Ninja Assassin. I heard it's got mindless action and gore, but gooood mindless action and gore. Shit, it's gots ninjas...

Yesterday, Gamestop started they're "Buy Two, Get One Free" used game sale, so after the flick, I'll be playing some games. Which games? Well, I'll be playing some Fable II, Fallout 3, and Beatles Rockband! Woohoo! Also, I downloaded Torchlight too, so I'll be dungeon delving as well.

What's for Thanksgiving dinner? Considering that it's just me, I won't have to go buy a bird. And I'm also vegetarian! I got some stuff from the grocery yesterday, so it'll pretty much be dinner like normal...

So that'll be how I'll be spending my Turkey Day! I hope you have fun on your holiday, and watch the tryptophan!

Woohoo! The Forums Are Back Up!

2009-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Privateer Press message boards were down for the weekend (probably preparing for the release of the field test rules of Hordes Mk II), but they are now back online! It's pretty much empty at the moment, so I'm not sure if they're going to migrate the older posts. Message away!

Painting Lord Tyrant Hexeris

2009-11-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

I like reading how people paint their minis, so I thought it might be fun to post on the blog my mini painting process. I am by no means a professional painter. Hell, I don't think I'm even a good painter. Just about average. So please don't take this as a painting guide, but just my journey through painting a mini!

After the black undercoat on Hexeris had dried, I began painting the figure, starting with the head. I used a basecoat of Bleached Bone, painting it over the entire head except around the eyes, openings of the nose, and the tiny area around his lips. It wasn't until after the basecoart was applied that I noticed that this guy has four fangs instead of two! I flipped through the Primal book, and yup, his picture shows him with four. It's funny since the pic of Hexeris on Privateer's site (which I printed to use as a reference) shows him with two. I also took this time to carefully put a little Codex Grey on the raised pupil of his scarred right eye.

Next, I brushed a wash of Ogryn Flesh over the head. I love the GW washes, because it saves me the time of having to paint the shadows in the recessed areas, which is much harder for me to do. I thought of using Devlan Mud for a greyish color to the shades, but I stuck with the Ogryn for the brown/red color, matching the picture from the Primal book.

After the wash had dried, I started painting the highlights to the raised and unshaded areas of the head. I just used Bleached Bone again, using very light drybrushing strokes instead of applying paint directly to the head. This way, some of the wash shows through the paint. For extremely raised areas such as the cheekbones, dome, chin, and eyebrows, I drybrushed it several times.

Next, I started detailing the head area. For the rings lining the top of the head, I used Chainmail. speaking of rings, I wasn't sure what was going on above Hexeris' left eye. I think it's a ring piercing over his eyebrow, so I painted it that way. This guy is bad-ass!

Now for the fangs. I was a bit undecided on a color for while. Using either a white or black color may not show up very well, considering his skin is a paleish white, and the mouth area is colored black. So I decided to go the middle route and painted the fangs Codex Grey.

Finally, the scar. Red/pink like the pic on Privateer's site? Brown like the pic in the Primal book? I chose the brown, but not like the book. Instead, I used Snakebite Leather, which has a slight yellowish tinge to the light brown. I think it turned out well, since the skin areas around the scar makes it look like a disgusting pus color.

Well, that's it for Hexeris' head area. It took me a total of about four hours to do, but hey, I'm a notoriously slow painter. I'm going to take break now, and cook up some pancakes and watch some low budget crap on the See Fee channel (Oh it's SyFy. Right....).

On A Mini Tear

2009-11-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

In the past three months or so, my interest in wargming miniatures was rekindled after an eight year break. At first, it was back to painting my 6th Edition Warhammer Orcs. Then it was on to my Lord Of The Rings Fellowship starter Moria Goblins and Numenors. But after a few weeks of painting these older guys, I wanted to see what was new in the mini hobby.

After browsing through my FLGS, I came upon the Warmachine and Hordes line by Privateer Press. I believe I've seen these before, but I had always walked past them without even a glance. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at them in more detail. These figures are fantastically sculpted compared to GW's line of figures! I was instantly hooked, but knew nothing about them.

After doing a bit of research on the 'net, I discovered that Warmachine was in the process of a revision and Hordes would be undergoing one pretty soon. Even though many recommended waiting on purchasing the rulebooks (the new versions were already online or would be soon), I still wanted to get all of the books since the lore is really good and the artwork is excellent.

Anyways, after looking through the all the factions, it looks like I'll be starting armies for Skorne, Cryx, and Cygnar, with Skorne being the first. I bought a few warlocks, a warbeast, and a unit or two. I like the Skorne color scheme, but I think I'll be reversing the black and red color schemes. As a test, I painted a Paingiver in the modified colors:

I think the colors turned out alright, so I'll stick to this color scheme. My next painting subject will be my first Skorne warlork, Lord Tyrant Hexeris:

Up to this point, I've never had the need to use Greenstuff, but in Hexeris' case, the socket for his weapon-wielding arm was just too deep for the superglue to bond.

I think I've applied the greenstuff OK, and it seems to have stuck well. Now it's on to painting the guy.

Wow, it's been almost three years since my last post...

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

Family, friends, work, and the recent holidays have kept me busy and away from blogging, so I wanted to spend this quick free time to wish everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Here's some quick tidbits on my hobbies and interests during the time I couldn't post here:

Comics: I am seriously behind in my comic reading since about October(?), and the only book I read on a timely basis is 52. I've even cut my visits to my LCS from weekly to bi-weekly. With the major holidays behind us, I'm hoping to go back to my regular Wednesday visits.

Movies and Television: I haven't been to the theaters much, and the only movies I've seen at the theater since the summer were Rocky Balboa and The Good Shepherd! I have been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD, and have finished the first season, and I am currently about halfway through the second.

Music: I'm listening more to Netcasts (Sorry, the "P" word has been personally banned...) than music recently. I got a whole bunch of CDs for cheap before Tower Records closed down, so when I have the time, I'll rip those to .mp3. Speaking of MP3, My MP3 player went on the fritz, and I can only listen out of the right headset at the moment...

Gaming: Games I've played recently: MtG, WoW, Nightfall, EQ2, Star Trek: Encounters, Dyansty Warriors 3, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, Pirates CSG Online, Titan Quest, and Puzzle Pirates. Games I've dropped recently: WoW, EQ2, and Titan Quest. Games I've come back to recently: Pirates CSG, HeroScape, and EVE: Online (a three year break on this one!). I've been giving serious consideration in buying a XBox 360 within the next several months. Gears of War looks seriously wicked!

Again, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year, and may your casual time be spent with lots of fun!

8^B

Guild Wars Nightfall Funnies

2006-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

I've been spending more time having a blast with Nightfall. The wide open spaces, the heroes, the quests and missions, and the humor. The humor?!? Yup, ArenaNet seem to be a lighthearted bunch of folks (God bless 'em for that!) who like to sprinkle their games with "easter egg" pop culture references or little bits of quirky humor. Part of the fun of playing with the Guild Wars series is finding these little snippets. Here's a few I found this weekend:

I found this Inscription on a focus item and had to salvage it. If you're a fan of the Seinfeld TV series you'll catch this reference.

Another Inscription, it'll be hard to find anyone who doesn't know this reference to the scene between Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tom Cruise from Jerry Maguire.

I received a quest to rescue one of my heroes who was captured by the enemy. I LOL when I read the description for the quest rejection option!

Ok, I wasn't really playing for 12 hours straight (I just left my character logged in while did some real life stuff), but I thought it funny that ArenaNet was concerned enough to remind me how long I could have been playing!

After just being rescued from a hellish prison, what's the first thing Koss wants to do? Go out and get some "perfomance enhancing" elixirs! I love the reject option description.

I can now hear the theme music playing in my head...

I'll post more yuk-yuks when I find them. You're a bunch of goofballs, ArenaNet! :)

8^B

Tags: Gaming Guild Wars Nightfall

Lost in Elona...

2006-11-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Where, oh, where, have I been? Well, I've been vacationing on the sunny isle of Istan! For those who don't know where that may be, it's located in the latest Guild Wars PC game release, Nightfall.

I've been an on and off player of Guild Wars since its initial release back in the spring of 2005. I was attracted to the game for its "No monthy fees" setup, the Magic: The Gathering style of skill management, and gorgeous graphics. After it's initial release, the game has seen a free update and two Stand-alone "expansions".

The latest Guild Wars release, Nightfall, is light years beyond it's previous two releases. Heroes, Inscriptions, templates, graphics, and gameplay make Nightfall the game to get. I've been spending most of my play time either customizing my heroes or getting my existing characters to the islands to unlock their heroes.

I have to admit I needed to take a "Mental Health" day from work just to play Nightfall. Other than that, I've only been able to devote a couple hours per night to play. So far, I haven't even been able to leave the island, but that's typical of my casual PvE playstyle. I like to stop and smell the roses...

If you see me in game, say hello! I play a variety of characters, all with the Chi Qin surname. So if you see Szechwan Chi Qin, General Chi Qin, Mu Shu Chi Qin, or Bharak Ali Chi Qin, that's me!

8^B

Tags: Gaming, Guild Wars, Nightfall

I'm with Future Hiro!

2006-10-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

The Heroes TV series is kicking all sorts of ass! What started off as pedestrian storytelling has now picked up in pacing as the individual heroes' storylines now begin to intertwine. Nikki/Not Nikki is hooking up with That Bastard Nathan, while Mimic Peter is running around with Professor M looking for Destiny Isaac, and Wolvie Claire is dishing out the vengeance on a much deserved creepo. Poor Telepath Matt, where will he end up? And Hiro?!? Future Hiro, or should I say Kyle Reese/Cable/Hiro makes a kick-ass entrance!

Heroes has been picked up for the rest of the first season, so it'll be interesting how the current arc will transition into the rest of the season. I'm certainly along for the ride!

8^B

Tags: TV Heroes

The WTF?!? of the Week: "The Meat" Action Figure

2006-10-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

If I had a What the Fuck?!? of the Week, this week's entry would be The Meat Action Figure from the Rocky line of action figures by Jakks Pacific. That's right, folks, they've made a side of beef into an action figure! I can see it now, "Mommy, Mommy! They have The Meat figure! Can I have it, please? I want The Meat!".

Munchkin No. 1 and I were cruising the local KB Toys store this weekend when I ran into this thing. Actually, it was the Rocky logo that first caught my eye, but while going through the figures, I did a literal double-take when I found The Meat. This figure was so "out there", I had to get it.

The Meat has ZERO points of articulation, and it doesn't even have a display stand to hang the carcass. It does comes with a "bloodied" meat jacket for the Paulie figure to wear. Now that I think of it, I guess you can have the Paulie figure hold up the side of beef while the Rocky in Training Gear figure pounds on the slab...

I can see these selling out in specialty shops (for the novelty factor), but clogging the pegs at mass market stores...

8^B

Tag: Toys Action Figure Rocky The Meat

New Comics for the Week

2006-10-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here's my interest list for this week:

Pull List:
Uncanny X-Men #479
52 #23
Green Arrow #67
Green Lantern Corps #5

Strong Interest:
Annihilation #3
Escapists #4
Devi #4

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books

Mag Warriors are Magnificent!

2006-10-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

I first saw the Mega Bloks' Mag Warriors line of poseable magnetic action figures at a Target last year. I thought they were cool, but I didn't bother buying any. At the time, I was fascinated with the Xevoz line of poseable figures, and I didn't take the time to actually examine any of the Mag Warriors.

Flash forward to the present, and while browsing for Heroscape stuff at a Walmart, I happened upon a Mag Warriors Dark Portal set clearanced down to $10! Naturally, I picked up the set along with the other clearanced set, Doom's Gate. I took these sets home and discovered that these little guys are very well made, and best of all, they are extremely poseable! I had to get the rest of the figures!

Unfortunately, with at least year since their release, finding any Mag Warriors from the first wave would probably be hard to find in stores. After visiting a couple of stores, I found it to be true. Mega Bloks has moved on to another wave of figures, and for some odd reason, they've repackaged the line to be placed next to the Magnetix building sets. I get the "magnetic" thing, but these are action figures....

In dire need of a "Mental Health Day" from work, I decided to spend the day visiting all the major chain stores and toy stores I could reach within the city to get the new figures as well as any from the first wave. The new waves of single figures were easy to acquire, but the ones from the first release were a bitch to find. I ended up finding all four initial figures at two different Kmarts (the only two in the city).

All I need now to complete my sets are the two figures that come with mounts! I don't know if they've been sold out, or if they haven't been released yet. I may also go back to Kmart and pick up the rest of the first wavers to be used for army building.

8^B

Tags: Toys Gaming Mag Warriors Mega Bloks

Heroes Snags A Dedicated Viewer

2006-10-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Last week's premiere of NBC's Heroes wasn't quite as exciting as it was hyped up to be. Maybe the expectations were too high, or (from what I read) maybe because it was really only "half" a premiere (I guess this week's episode would be the second half). In either case, I wasn't "wowed" when I saw it last week, but given that it's comic book show in disguise, I decided to give the show another chance and watched it tonight.

Tonight's episode rocked! The characters were better developed, and the story flowed well. If the premiere was indeed split into two episodes, NBC made a mistake. I'm sure there were many of last week's viewers who are probably no longer watching the show because of the "incomplete" story of last week's episode. That's too bad.

Right now, my favorite characters are Hiro (Super Hiro!) and Mohinder. Hiro is such a supergeek, I can oftentimes relate to the guy (uh oh, geek alarm!). The guy is too funny. And it seems this week, there's more to his powers than just 'portin. As for Mohinder, he has no powers (at least not yet), but I like the character. I can see him being the Professor X of the group if/when they are assembled.

I'm glad I stuck around for the second episode, as it has me looking forward to Monday nights at 9pm. That reminds me, isn't 24 (the 6th season coming this Janurary) on Monday nights too? Arrrgh!

8^B

Tags: TV Heroes NBC Comics Comic Books

Blade TV Series Cancelled

2006-10-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Damn. I just read on the CGS forums that the Blade TV series has been cancelled. Well, at least it lasted one season. Actually, I'm not quite surprised of the cancellation, considering it was on a cable channel which has a hard time finding its own identity. The only bummer is that the show "ended" on a cliffhanger of a season finale, and the show also left some plot points unresolved. Let's hope another (better) channel picks up the series.

At least the Blade comic book started last week...

8^B

Tags: TV Blade Comics Comic Books

Comic Cover of the Week: Ramayan 3392 AD #1

2006-10-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Virgin has launched their comic book line at a great pace. I don't normally read Indian-based stories, but I currently read The Sadhu, and have started to read Devi. The fledgling company has released a new series, Ramayan 3392 AD, which is basically a "retelling" of India's greatest legend.

This version of the epic tale couldn't have started off better than having none other than an Alex Ross cover painting! The cover has such dynamic action, that you can't help yourself but pick up this book off the shelf. This is why Ramayan 3392 AD deserves this week's Comic Cover of the Week!

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Book Virgin Comics Ramayan 3392 AD Alex Ross

New Comics for this Week

2006-09-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

New comics for the week have arrived, and my interest list is pretty big compared to previous weeks:

Automatic (On my pull list):
Amazing Spider-Man #535
Eternals #4
52 #21
Action Comics #843
Batman #657
Justice League of America #2
Teen Titans Go! #35
Wizard Magazine #181

Stong Interest:
Blade #1 (Re-Order from last week)
Civil War: X-Men # 3 (Re-order from last week)
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3
Ninja Scroll #1
DDP Quarterly 25 Cent Issue
Ramayan 3392 AD #1
The Sadhu #3

Mild Interest:
Captain America #22
Civil War: Frontline #6
Ultimate Spider-Man #100
Red Sonja: Monster Island One-Shot

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books

Wiggin' Out!

2006-09-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, It's been a while since I posted anything here. I just want to let you know that I'm still alive, it's just I've been distracted and having fun with my new Digital Audio Player (DAP), the Sansa e250. Well it's not technically new, since I bought it earlier this year, but I just haven't busted it out of the shrinkwrap until a couple of weeks ago, since I did not want to start using my new one until I found a decent case for it (I've been using my wife's cheap DAP in the meantime).

Well, Best Buy had a 5 piece traveling set for the Sansa on sale, and I went ahead and bit the bullet and purchased it. The Sansa is a nice little player. Music, Video, Photos, FM Radio, and Recording all for only $149 (at least that's how much I paid for it at the time. It's probably cheaper now). I also bought a 1mb Micro-SD card for it, to up the storage memory to a total of 3mb.

As much as the music lookup services are fast and convenient, I've found them to be innaccurate as well (mostly typos). Being the total anal-retentive that I am, I have been manually tagging all of my music files these past couple of weeks. I've also been ripping some of my CD collection to .mp3s, and burning my online music purchases to CD and back to .mp3 (I refuse to utilize either the ACC or the WMA format).

In addition to all the ripping and burning, I've been scouring Google for good album art images for my music. I've been trying to find the bigger versions of the pics and resize them down to 200x200 which is aesthetically just right for my Sansa. So far, I've been able to find most of the images online. The only ones I haven't found are for some of my older Beethoven CDs (I ended up taking the pictures myself).

This DAP has also got me on a music buying binge! I've been browsing MusicMatch and iTunes online, and hitting the B&M stores (just in time for Tower Records' $9.99 CD sale!).

It has been an addicting and fun experience!

8^B

Tags: Music

New Comics Thursday

2006-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

With the past Labor Day Holiday, the New Comics Releases has been delayed one day to Thursday (today). Here's my interest list:

For Sure (On my pull list):
Uncanny X-Men #478
52 # 18
Detective Comics #823
Nightwing #124
Outsiders #40

No Doubt (Strong interest):
Mystery in Space #1
Beowulf #1
Lone Ranger #1

Uhhh, Maybe (Mild interest):
All New Atom #3
Nitrogen #1
Snakewoman #2

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books

I Received My Guichuan Today!

2006-08-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

I received the latest Pirates promotion in the mail today! The massive 10-master, Guichuan, is truly one big ship! All of the pictures of the Guichuan I've seen on the 'net were solo pics, with no pics to compare it against other ships, so I was surprised to notice that the ship arrived as a set of oversized cards! The image above shows the comparison with a regular Pirates card.

As for stats, this is one costly ship at 30 points! You'll be bringing this guy only for the huge naval actions. When you do bring her out, she's a competent gunner with average short rangers and above average long rangers. When it comes to abilities, the Guichuan is pretty powerful as a hauler, with the abilities of Ghost Ship, Junk, and Treasure Ship.

In addition to the ship, we also receive a crew card, The Headhunter, a special version of the crew originally found in the Pirates of the South China Seas set. This version of the vile crew member has a specific ability tied to the Guichuan, Headhunter's Domain.

In all, for 12 game packs of Davy Jones' Curse and some shipping and handling, you get a cool ship and crew. It's worth sending in those packs!

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main

New Comics for Wednesday

2006-08-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

I received my New Comic release list from my LCS pretty early this week! Here's the books I'm looking forward to:

"I've got you now!" (on my pull list):
52 #17
Action Comics #842
All Star Superman #5
Justice #7
Teen Titans Go! #34
City of Heroes #15
Wizard Magazine #180

"Stay on target..." (Strong interest):
X-Men: Fairy Tales #4
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #2
Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon #1

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." (Mild interest):
Trials of Shazam #1
Battlestar Galactica #1

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books

New HeroScape Sightings

2006-08-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

For a game that promotes its non-collectibility factor, HeroScape's figures and terrain sets are certainly very hard to find. Whether its Hasbro's spotty distribution, or simply the game's popularity, yiou're lucky if you can walk into a Walmart or a Target and find these sets on the shelves. I was lucky last week to find a boatload of new (and old) stuff!

At my nearby Target, I was able find all sorts of Wave 5 figure sets. Also on the shelves are the Thaelenk Tundra terrain sets and the Raknar's Vision: Heroes of Lindesfarme figure sets. I picked up the Tundra set (I'm a sucker for terrain sets), and will return later to pick up the figures (if they're still there).

At the nearest Walmart, they didn't have any of the new sets, but they did restock on Wave 1 figures galore! I was never able to get the Heroes of Bleakwoode figure set, and I was not going to pass up this opportunity, and got two of these. I also got two sets each of the Grut Orcs and the IX Roman Legion, a set of Snipers and Vipers, and a Heroes of Laur set. What was even cooler was The Road to the Forgotten Forest was clearanced at $15.00 a pop! I got all of this and placed them on layaway (except for the three RTFF), since my wife would kill me if she saw me walk into the house with all of this shit.

There were no castle set at either location (cry), but the Walmart had the ID sticker on the shelf, so it's coming. As much as I hate Wally World, I'll have to stake out the store for those castle sets...

8^B

Tags: Gaming HeroScape

All Quiet on the Pirates Front?

2006-08-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, its been several weeks since I last posted Pirates stuff on the blog. Am I no longer playing the game? Have I lost interest? On the contrary; I've actually been pretty busy when it comes to Pirates. So what have I been doing Pirates related?

Data entry: As you may know, I'm writing a quick and dirty database for my Pirates cards. At the moment, I am populating the database with card entries. I haven't completed the inventory portion yet, I'm just entering all of the info on ships, crew, and treasure based on the cards that I have (about three long card boxes worth).

Modular gaming board: My interest in creating modular gaming boards goes back before Pirates, back to when I used to collect and play Warhammer Fantasy. Once I got out of that hobby (it's just too damn expensive), the idea to create modular gaming boards dropped out of mind. It wasn't until I was recently browsing through some gaming terrain websites that the concept of creating a modular game board for Pirates came to mind. Why not? I asked myself. So, I've spent the last couple of weeks brainstorming, designing, and gathering materials for my new "project". I'll keep you informed with how well (or bad) things go.

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PotSM

Comic Cover of the Week: 52 #16

2006-08-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, two weeks in a row where 52 takes the Comic Cover of the Week! With this issue, the artists at DC utilize light and shadow in a very effective way. Also, the poster in background clues us in to who Renee Montoya and the Question are facing against. With the flowers in the foreground and the weapons ready to fire by the characters, a bit of irony is thrown in for good measure. Those guys at DC really know how to make great covers, and it just gets better every week! Kudos to them!

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC 52

New Comics for this Week

2006-08-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Another week of new comics is arriving tomorrow, and no annoucements of any major cross-over event books being delayed today! (jab, jab) I got my list of new arrivals for tomorrow, and here is my interest list:

Is the Sky Blue? (On my pull list):
Eternals #3
New Avengers #23
52 #16
Batman #565
Justice League of America #1

My Glass is Half Full (Optimistic interest):
Heroes for Hire #1
Birds of Prey #97
Wonder Woman #2
Sadhu #2

I'll Pay You Next Tuesday... (Mild interest):
Flash #3
Warlord #7

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC Marvel Virgin

Mann is "The Man".

2006-08-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

When it comes to crime dramas, Michael Mann is the best director of the genre today. The guy can take a "cops and robbers" flick and provide it with story, detail, characterization, authenticity, and just plain coolness. Thief. Heat. Collateral. Sure, he can direct a great movie outside the crime drama, just take a look at Last of the Mohicans, The Insider, Manhunter, and Ali. But it's the urban crime noirs that he excels at. His latest venture, Miami Vice, is another such movie.

I just saw Miami Vice this past weekend, and I have to knock myself in the head for not seeing this sooner. I even saw Taladega Nights before Miami Vice, which is a shame (Don't hate me too much, I had no choice in seeing the Will Ferrell dreck of a movie). After watching the masterpiece of Heat back in the mid ninties, I promised myself to never miss a Mann film, but I didn't expect to wait so long before seeing Vice.

Maybe it was the marketing, the less than stellar word of mouth, or the low box office after its release, but I was hesitant to see Miami Vice, and was actually beginning to doubt the brilliance of Mann. I don't know why, but I just felt that way. But this weekend, I decided to go see Miami Vice before it at least is removed from the theaters (which may be pretty soon by looks of the Box Office numbers).

I don't know what other people are smokin' up their pipes, Miami Vice is an excellent movie. From the main leads to the supporting characters, the actors excelled in portraying seasoned cops under deep cover and serious "we ain't playin'" crime lords. There is no establishing introductions to the characters, they are just there. At the start of the film, it's obvious that Crockett and Tubbs have been close knit partners for a while, where they can communicate to each other by looks alone. The baddies are equally as good(bad?). In one scene, Jose has his back to the camera, but you don't need to see his face to know that this guy is pissed and is contemplating his next move. And Montoya? He doesn't even have to speak (which he barely did). All that's needed are those piercing eyes of his, that seriously say, "Don't fuck with me".

The actors aren't the only excellent characters in the movie. Miami, Havana, and Columbia are also living, breathing characters on the same level as the actors, but that shouldn't be a surprise considering that Mann is at the helm. He can bring a locale or cityscape to life like no other. Even the freakin' clouds (and the planes that pass through them) tell a story!

It's known that Michael Mann is a perfectionist when it comes to his movies, and it shows, down to the little details. Admit it; If Bay directed this movie (and I only use him as an example due to many people incorrectly comparing Vice to Bad Boys), Crockett and Tubbs would have been using cell phones instead of the sattelite phones Mann had the characters use. Right? Right?

When it comes to firefights (and what's a Mann crime movie without one?), Michael Mann can really get down to the nitty gritty with the visuals and the authenticity of the audio. It's nice to see someone spray their submachine gun on an open target but miss because he's too damn far to make a submachine gun effective. It's also nice to hear gunfire matching the actual firearm instead of using canned gunfire sounds (the only other director I know that did this was the late John Frankenheimer).

Mr. Mann, I will doubt you no more.

8^B

Tags: Movies Michael Mann Miami Vice

Comic Cover of the Week: 52 #15

2006-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

This week's Comic Cover of the Week is DC's 52 #15. When a comic publisher sells a cover stating that "Someone dies!", they most oftentimes pull a "bait and switch" on you with the story within, and said character craftily or sneakily escapes the clutches of Death to fight crime another day. Not this time! DC really pulled the plug on Booster Gold! He didn't go out quite the way the cover implies, but Damn! There's no missing corpse to debate over this one.

Of course, there are some (me included) who think that the Booster who bought the farm isn't the one we all know and love....

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC 52 Booster Gold

Upcoming new comics I'm interested in

2006-08-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

I received my weekly email of new comics from my LCS. Here's my interest list:

Of Course! (On my pull list):
52 #15
Nightwing #123

Interesting.... :
Catwoman #58
Green Lantern Corp #3

Maybe, maybe not:
Ghost Rider #2
Civil War: X-Men #2

There seems to be lots of new books coming out this week. Unfortunately, not many that interest me, so it'll be a small week of books for me tomorrow. I'll make sure to supplement my books with Pirates stuff. :)

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC Marvel

Comic Cover of the Week: Superman #655

2006-08-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

It's not often that we get a comic cover that contains word balloons on them anymore. It seems that word ballons on a cover are a part of the Silver Age, and that's why this week's Comic Cover of the Week goes to Superman #655.

This month's cover to the Boy in Blue is pretty interesting. It certainly brings back memories of books I read when I was younger, when word ballons were pretty much a norm. And it not just the word ballons, but it's the fonts used on the text that evoke a response from a potential buyer. It looks like the direction DC wants to take their titles to with their One Year Later "relaunch" is working, if they keep up with "retro" covers and stories. I'm along for the ride!

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Book DC Superman Comic Cover of the Week

No new comics for me until Friday

2006-08-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

I won't be able to go my LCS today, and will not be able to pick up my pile until this Friday. As a result, I won't be able to post my pulls until then. The Comic Cover of the Week will not be posted until Friday as well.

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Book DC Marvel Comic Cover of the Week

You know, for kids!

2006-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

I was late to the Coen Brothers fan party, and did not become a fan of their movies until I recently saw The Big Lebowski last year on DVD. After seeing that great film, I went and saw Joel and Ethan Coens' other great films such as Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou, The Ladykillers and Raising Arizona.

For some reason, I never got around to watching The Hudsucker Proxy. I don't know why I didn't devote any time to watch it, it's just one of those movies that you go "hey, that looks good, I'll have to see it some time," but never do. This afternoon, with Munchkin No. 2 sleeping in one arm, and the remote in the other hand, I was flipping the channels until I got to the Independent Film Channel (IFC), which happened to be broadcasting The Hudsucker Proxy. Well, now's my chance, so I sat down on the sofa, and started to watch.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was stylistically like The Big Lebowski with its blend of fantasy and reality, carefully crafted dialogue, larger than life characters, and not to mention a dream sequence. All this mashed into a quirky, funny pic.

Tim Robbins was great as Norville, the wide-eyed and naive man with a dream, and Paul Newman chews the scenery as the conniving and scheming Mussburger. Jennifer Jason Leigh really steals every scene she's in as the fast talking, career minded, Archer (man, I've been a fan of hers since Flesh & Blood!) .

It seems that in every Coen Brothers movie, you have to get into the movie and make sure to carefully watch and listen to every scene, since the Brothers like to put in extra stuff in the frame and dialogue. My nephew came over while in the middle of the movie, and he seemed to enjoy most of it, but he did interrupt me with quite a bit of "what's this..", "why did he...", "who's that..." questions that took me out of the movie experience. Oh well, I still enjoyed it, and plan to rent this (or buy it if it's a decent DVD) in order to catch all the references and moments. I recommend you do the same if you haven't seen this excellent flick.

8^B

Tags: Movies The Hudsucker Proxy Coen Brothers

More Pirates stuff at Target

2006-08-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

It seems that one of the nearby Targets has resupplied on Pirates gaming stuff. They had the Special Edition boxes, Pirates tins, and Davy Jones' packs. I was able to get the following:

- Special Edition box with Drowned Man ship
- Special Edition box with Electric Eel ship
- Pirates tin with sunken ships cover
- Pirates tin with battling ships cover (new for me)
- 2 Davy Jones' Curse game packs

I opened one of the Pirates tins (the sunken ships), and I did not get a single rare card. I did get quite a few uncommon however. Here's the breakdown:

Spanish Main
- 048 HMS Belle of Exeter (uncommon english 3-masted ship)
- 105 Cannoneer (generic pirate crew)
- 064 Thomas Gunn the Younger/Musketeer (common english crew)
- 056 HMS Lord Walpole (common english 3-masted ship)

Revolution 1
- UL006 Hades' Flame (common pirate 2-masted ghost ship)
- UL028 HMS Nautilus (common english 3-masted schooner)
- UL094 "Diamond" Nelson Turner (common american crew)
- UL113 Captain (generic english crew)

Revolution 2
UL066 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)
UL082 - Philadelphia (uncommon american 2-masted ship)
UL072 - Louisiana (uncommon american 4-masted schooner)
UL119 - Helmsman (generic french crew)

Revolution 3
UL009 - Tiger (uncommon pirate 2-masted ship)
UL066 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)
UL073 - Saratoga (uncommon american 4-masted schooner)
UL127 - Explorer (generic english crew)

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main Pirates of the Revolution

Pirates' Ship of the Week: Golden Medusa

2006-08-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

The Golden Medusa "crosses the T" to fire her portside cannons.

Name: Golden Medusa
Set: Pirates of the Revolution
Card Number: 003/UL003
Rarity: Uncommon
Number of Cards: 3

She sails the "Ocean Blue".

Ship Cost: 15 Points
Faction: Pirates
Number of Masts: 4
Cargo Capacity: 4
Movement Range: S + L
Cannons: 3L/2L/2L/3S

Very effective cannons!

Ability: Schooner. This ship's crew cannot be eliminated unless she sinks.
Link: Lady Baptiste
Flavor Text: Lady Baptiste embodies all the best qualities of Robin Hood, with the Golden Medusa as her swift sword. Her crew serves for honot, above even gold.

With Medusa's swift movement, the French won't catch her...

Notes: Welcome to my first Pirates' Ship of the Week entry, the Golden Medusa! A very well made ship, the Golden Medusa has firepower, speed, and a determined crew. This ship will be a beast to defeat one-on-one.

When the Revolution set first came out, I wasn't a fan of the schooner design (I'm a square rigger guy), but when I put together this 4-master, I've actually grown fond of the design. I'm glad that schooners have crossed over to other sets.

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main Pirates of the Revolution PSM PotSM PotR

Cover of the Week

2006-08-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

Here's my comic book Cover of the Week: The All New Atom #2. Yeah, I admit it's not a spectacular layout. It's not even an above average drawing. The reason its got my pick this week is because it strongly reminds me of the cover to Llyod Alexander's book, The Castle of Llyr. If you've never seen the cover of the book, it basically has the armed hero, Taran, going after a weapon being held down by a giant cat. Ok, there's no cat on the Atom cover. It's the two extreme sizes of the characters that brought up the fond memory of the book I read as a kid.

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC Atom

Quiet week for new comics

2006-08-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just received my weekly new comics list from my LCS last night, and as they stated, it's a pretty small comic release this week. Going through the list, I have to agree. Here's my interest list:

Oh Yeah! (my comic pulls this week)
Moon Knight #4
New Avengers #22 (reorder. I didn't get mine last week)
Uncanny X-Men #477
52 #13
Detecticve #822
Outsiders #39

Hmmmm.... (strong consideration)
Marvel Team-Up #23
All New Atom #2
Creeper #1

Meh. (light interest)
None this week.

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books DC Marvel

Pirates pics and stuff

2006-07-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Like the pic? I've been busy the last couple of days getting ready to take pictures of my Pirates of the Spanish Main ships. I've always liked dioramas as a kid, and I've had the urge to set one up with the ships I have ever since I first saw the game packs last year. This weekend I finally motivated myself to doing it. I'm also thinking of maybe doing a "Profile of the Week" for the pirate ships, and using the pics to supplement each profile. We'll see.

In addition to taking pics, I've also been busy working on creating an Access database for my Pirates cards. It's taking a while, as I plug away little by little on a daily basis. So far, I've created the lookup tables, several queries, and created the crew table and form. Next, I'll be working on the ship, treasure, and event tables and forms.

As far as new packs, I got a couple more Pirates of the Revolution packs from Walgreens this morning, and I pulled one of my personal "Holy Grail" cards: John Paul Jones! Woohoo!

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main Pirates of the Revolution PSM PotSM PotR

My first Super Rare pack!

2006-07-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

I've read about these packs on all the Pirates boards, but I never thought I'd ever pull one, but I did tonight! What's even cooler is that I got it from one of the packs from the new Pirates tins! The super rare pack was from a Pirates of the Revolution game pack, and I'm not complaining. Here's the breakdown of the packs:

Spanish Main
106 - Captain (generic spanish crew)
049 - HMS Dover (uncommon english 4-masted ship), no abilities?
014 - Windjammer (uncommon pirate 3-masted ship), this is weird: A fort ability in a set that preceded forts....

Revolution 1
UL055 - La Danae (common french 2-masted ship)
UL115 - Captain (generic french crew)
UL092 - Kikowa (common american crew)
UL077 - Boston (common american 3-masted schooner)

Revolution 2 (my super rare pack!)
UL141 - Asp (super rare pirate 3-masted galley)
UL142 - Star of Siam (super rare pirate 2-masted galley)
UL143 - Wesley (super rare pirate crew)
UL144 - Chainshot Specialist (super rare pirate crew)

Revolution 3
UL092 - Kikowa (common american crew) Another one?!?
UL053 - La Belle Etoile (common french 3-masted schooner)
UL015 - Jean Laffite (rare pirate crew)
UL059 - Le Bon Marin (rare french 1-masted ship
UL135 - Shipwright (generic american crew)

Being the collector that I am, I probably won't punch these out to play until I receive another super rare pack. Let's hope I get more from the tins!

8^B

Tags: Gaming WizKids Pirates Pirates of the Revolution PotR

Well, that sucked...

2006-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm "on-call" for work this week, and I was working on a job when I noticed that Stan Lee's Lightspeed was playing on the tube. I totally forgot about the movie, and I would have missed it had the TV not been on the Sci Fi Channel. I took a few moments from my work to see how the movie went.

Geez, what a craptacular movie. How could Stan "The Man" Lee stamp his name onto this dreck? It may have worked better as a comic book, but the acting and camera work flat-out sucked ass.

I was watching the scene where the big baddie snake dude was going through the hospital, looking to kill off a knocked-out James Bond Jr. (ala Elle going after the Bride in the hospital from Kill Bill Vol. 1). What's up with Snake dude? I had the volume on the TV down pretty low, but it looked like he was uttering philosophical quotes while snappin' the necks of the hospital staff. Ok. and when he gets to 007's son, he cranks up the "radiation". Why not just snap his neck too? Unless he wanted him to live, meh, it was just bad.

Speaking of Bond Jr., for a guy hooked up to all these cables and radioactive equipment, why the hell is he laying on a cheap-ass cot? The springs on the cot were easily visible! Oh right, this was a direct to cable movie, AKA NO BUDGET, NO PRODUCTION COSTS.

Fortunately, I was busy fixing something for work, and I didn't have time to devote my attention to the dreck on the television. I did occasionally look up to the screen every once in a while, hoping to see something better, but no, just more crap (BTW, the cinematographer loves those close-ups). Crap, crap, crap.

8^B

Tags: Stan Lee Lightspeed Sci Fi

Goodie Wednesday!

2006-07-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are my purchases for this week:

Comics:
Xena Warrior Princess #1
52 #12
Nightwing #122
Wolverine Origins #4
Warlord #6
Action Comics #841
Amazing Spider-Man #534
Batman #655
Highlander #0

Gaming:
Pirates of the Spanish Main x2
Pirates of the Crimson Coast x2
Pirates of the Barbary Coast x2
Pirates of the South China Seas x2

On the comics front, I didn't receive my New Avengers for this month. The weekly email from my LCS indicated shortages of this title (and Blank Panther), and it looks like I was one the regulars that didn't get a copy. I'm not sweating it though, since my LCS is pretty good when it comes to reordering and replacement. They even go so far as to replace copies which were damaged during shipping. So, I'm pretty confident I'll get my copy by next week or before then. I just have to avoid spoiler sites and boards...

If you've been reading the blog the past couple of weeks, it will come as no surprise that I got more Pirates packs. I got packs from most sets except for Pirates of the Revolution and Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse. I didn't get any Revolution packs 'cause I have so many already from the tins, and I didn't get any Curse packs 'cause there weren't any at my LCS!

Cover of the Week

With last week's Catwoman cover, I decided it was fun enough to do a Cover of the Week from the regular hauls I get from my LCS. For this week, it was a tight decision. It came down to either Action Comics #841 or Batman #655. I liked the media-like cover to Action, but in the end, the Kubert art won me over. The Batman cover has that grim feel, but not the Bat-Dick seriousness.

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books Marvel DC Dynamite Wizard Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM

New comics for this week

2006-07-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is New Comic Wednesday! My LCS sent me an email with all the new releases for tomorrow, and here's my interest list:

No Doubt! (on my pull list):
Amazing Spider-Man #536
New Avengers #23
52 #12
Action Comics #841
Batman #655
Nightwing #122 (about frickin' time!)
Teen Titans Go! #33
Wizard Magazine #179

Looking Good...:
Birds of Prey #96

Ehhh, Maybe:
Nothing this week.

We'll see tomorrow what other books and stuff (Pirates?) my LCS will reel me in with.

8^B

Tags: Comics Comic Books Marvel DC

My Sunday morning jaunt to Walgreens

2006-07-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

The family here doesn't read the paper on a regular basis. We only read the Sunday paper, and it's mainly just for the ads. The one place I pick up the paper is at Walgreens, which seems to be spreading like the plague lately, with one popping up on every street corner.

Instead of the normal routine of popping in, picking up the paper, and scooting home, I decided to browse around the drug store. With my continuing obsession of all things Pirates, I cruised through the toys and games section to see if they sold Pirates stuff. I normally don't buy toys at Walgreens (since they are almost always so damned expensive), but I just had to check for Pirates goodies.

Sure enough, they had a Pirates game pack display for Pirates of the Revolution. This display stand was really worked over, really bad shape. There was one pack that was busted open, with several cards strewn about. By the chaotic looks of it, it didn't look like a gamer or collector had rifled through it, but more like some little kiddie or teen had trashed through them. There were still about six or seven unopened packs that looked to be in good condition, and I bought a couple.

Can you believe my addiction to Pirates is that bad? I still have unopened Pirates stuff from last week, and I still had to get a couple of packs, from a Walgreens no less!

8^B

Tags: Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Revolution Walgreens

My Pirates addiction continues...

2006-07-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the breakdowns from last week's purchases of Pirates game packs:

Davy Jones' Curse 1
126 - Cannoneer (generic french crew)
076 - La Charlemagne (rare french 5-masted ship)
070 - El Martillo De Dios (common spanish 2-masted ship)

Davy Jones' Curse 2 (this was a great pack!)
084 - La Toussaint L'Ouverture (common french 2-masted ship)
002 - Gog-Clochthoth (rare sea monster) My first monster card, and it's a kraken! Woohoo!
025 - Davy Jones (rare cursed crew)
128 - Explorer (generic cursed crew)

Davy Jones' Curse 3
122 - Cannoneer (generic cursed crew)
096 - Hessian (rare american 1-masted ship)
073 - The Inquisitor (rare spanish crew)
061 - Jean Desailly/Commander Spencer Portland (common french/english crew)
038 - Selkie (common pirate 3-masted ship)

The second of the two tins I bought last week had a nice set of cards. The Spanish Main pack was ok, but the Revolution packs were outstanding. Four rares!

Spanish Main
115 - Musketeer (generic pirate crew)
054 - HMS Wycliffe (common english 3-masted ship)
096 - Commandante Antonio De Silva/Oarsman (common spanish crew)
050 - HMS Bolingbroke (uncommon english 3-masted ship)

Revolution 1
UL093 - Carl Smith (common american crew)
UL053 - La Belle Etoile (common french 3-masted schooner)
UL107 - Cross of Coronado (rare unique treasure)
UL080 - Hannah (common american 2-masted ship)

Revolution 2
UL061 - Phillipe Amqui (common french crew)
UL076 - Carolina (common american 3-masted schooner?) This ship has no abilities.
UL013 - Banshee's Cry (rare pirate 1-masted ship)
UL091 - Jonathan Haraden (rare american crew)
UL137 - Musketeer (generic american crew)

Revolution 3
UL135 - Shipwright (generic american crew)
UL068 - Constitution (rare american 5-masted ship)
UL080 - Hannah (common american 2-masted ship)

As I stated last week, I was on the prowl for the Pirates tins. I found my first two at Target, and I vowed to scour the other Targets and comic shops to find more. Well, I found some, but not just tins! I... just... can't... stop....

8^B

Gaming Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM WizKids

A Brokeback Batman movie? :P

2006-07-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's now all over the 'net (at least comic and movie related 'net sites). Rumors are flying that an offer was made to Heath Ledger for the role of the Joker for the next Batman movie! So far, I've read the news on Latino Review, The Movie Blog, and MovieWeb. It pretty much has been or already been anounced at Comic-Con.

My opinion? Good, and Bad, and I Dunno.

Good in that he'll probably do well in the role. With his recent success in a dramatic role in Brokeback Mountain (I have yet to see it...), let's hope he can carry that success to the Batman franchise.

Bad in that Adrian Brody is out of the picture. Adrian had the looks and the acting chops to fill the role really well. Oh well..

I Dunno in that I don't think Heath has played a major villain (and a whacked out one at that) before. This will be unknown territory for both the actor and the audience.

If the rumor turns out to be true, then good luck Mr. Ledger. Please, please don't camp it up!

8^B

Comics Comic Books Movies Batman Joker Heath Ledger

New Comics Wednesday and a sweet cover

2006-07-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I try to stick with purchasing only from my pull list with an additional impulse buy or two, I can't. My LCS has so much goodness, I can't help myself but add more and more to my buy pile. This week I bought a shitload of comics, way more than I listed on my interest list on Monday. Here's what I purchased:

Daily Bugle Civil War Newspaper
Flash #2
Sadhu #1
Annihilation: Nova #4
Spider-Girl #100 (reorder)
X-Men Fairy Tales #3
Civil War: X-Men #1
Witchblade #100
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1
Eternals #2
Uncanny X-Men #476
Justice League of America #0
Civil War #3
Catwoman #57
52 #11
The Battle for Bludhaven #6

I don't think I'll be able to read them all before the next round of new releases! Also, let's hope I'll stick to my pull list next week too (although I don't think I'll be able to).

I have to admit, as much as I don't let cover art influence my buying decisions, the cover to Catwoman #57 is massively cool. The humorous homage to Lone Wolf and Cub is instantly recognizable, and that baby is way too cute.

8^B

Comics Comic Book DC Marvel Top Cow Virgin Catwoman

Nightwing is MIA for the 2nd week

2006-07-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Nightwing #122 was delayed last week, and it looks like he's not showing up this week either. Hmmmm.... Is it possible the delay was caused by the recent news of a new creative team being announced for the book starting with #125? I wonder who/what is the source of the delay...

8^B

Comics Comic Book DC Nightwing

I can make movies on my PC?!?

2006-07-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

With movies and gaming as two of my favorite hobbies, how could I pass up an opportunity to run my own movie studio and make movies on my PC with The Movies?!? Of course I wouldn't pass up the chance!

At the end of 2005, I bought this game and started to make my own movies (as soon as I got through the Sim-ish game) for my movie studio, Into the Aether. I had time to complete two movies and was in the process of third, before Munchking No. 2 came into the world a little early!

The first movie I released to the public was The Return. It was a gritty western of a sheriff determined to take back his town from the evil Kurt Logan, by any means neccessary. It averaged 4/5 stars, and was praised for the excellent editing. Not too bad..

My second movie was Waking Dreams, a story of a college student who has trouble distinguishing between dreams and reality. This was a movie where I created my own credit sequence, a first among The Movies community at the time. It averaged 3.91/5 stars.

I was working on my third movie, Operative Raven: The Hit, when my second munchkin was born. A "hold" was placed on production, but now I have a bit of free time to continue "filming". Since I started work on the movie again, Lionhead Studios has released an expansion pack (more like a program fix), Stunts & Effects. Included was the "free camera" option, which should have been included in the initial release.

Stay tuned here for more info on my upcoming movie, Operative Raven: The Hit! In the meantime, why don't you visit the Into the Aether movie studio and catch a couple of my movies! Don't forget the popcorn!

8^B

Gaming Movies The Movies Lionhead Studios Into the Aether The Return Waking Dreams Operative Raven: The Hit Stunts & Effects

New comics for this week

2006-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things my LCS does for me (besides giving me a generous 20% discount on all comics) is provide a weekly email of all of the new releases for the upcoming Wednesday. Here is an extract of what I found interesting for this week:

Absolutely Interested (on my pull list)
Civil War #3
Eternals #2
52 #11
Crisis Aftermath: Battle for Bludhaven #6
Justice League of America #0

Solidly Interested
Annhililation: Nova #4
Daily Bugle: Civil War Newspaper Special
X-Men Fairy Tales #3
Catwoman #57
Spider-Girl #100 (reorder)

Remotely Interested
Civil War: X-Men #1
Flash: Fastest Man Alive #2

8^B

Comics Comic Book Marvel DC

I'm gonna get a Guichuan

2006-07-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

WizKids is holding a PSM promotion where you can get a free Guichuan, a cursed 10-masted ship! All you need to do is submit 12 Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse game packs (with receipts) and some shipping and handling. Since I already have nine packs from this weekend, I only need three more!

"Hey, Hon," I said to my wife. "Do you remember that we need to get some gifts for all the kids parties we'll be attending this month? "Why don't we hit the Toys 'R' Us to get the gifts?" I slyly suggest. Hehehe...

If my wife new how much I was spending on PSM, she'd have me walk the plank!

WizKids Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM Guichuan

James Bond Jr. and Bionic Man in a Stan Lee movie!

2006-07-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, three major franchises (well, sort of) in a single Made-For-TV movie! Comics Continuum is reporting that Jason Connery, son of 007's Sean Connery (one franchise), will star in a Sci Fi movie by Stan Lee (two franchises) called Lightspeed. Also starring in the movie is Lee Majors, none other than the Bionic Man (three franchises!) himself!

The movie will air on the Sci Fi Channel on July 26 at 9/8C.

8^B

Comics Continuum Lightspeed SCI FI

My Pirates stash from Target

2006-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the breakdown of my PSM goodies from yesterday's plundering of Target:

Barbary Coast 1
UL088 - Intrepid (uncommon american 4-masted schooner)
UL116 - Captain (generic corsair crew)
UL013 - Meshud (common corsair 3-masted galley)

Barbary Coast 2
UL071 - Admiral Alarico Castro (common spanish crew)
UL030 - Morocco (common corsair 2-masted galley)
UL053 - HMS Lord Kenyon (uncommon english 2-masted ship)
UL047 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon corsair crew)
UL128 - Musketeer (generic american crew)

Barbary Coast 3
UL083 - Benoit De Marseilles (common french crew)
UL031 - Griffin (common corsair 2-masted galley)
UL112 - Smokepot Specialist (generic english crew)
UL018 - Goldent Peacock (common corsair 3-masted galley. Pretty ship, no abilities)

Tin contents of one of the two tins:

Spanish Main
026 - Batavian Bat (common pirate 3-masted ship)
037 - Skyme the Monkey/Musketeer (common pirate crew)
110 - Helmsman (generic english crew)
016 - Recreant - (uncommon pirate 3-masted ship)

Revolution 1
UL057 - La Felicite (common french 2-masted schooner)
UL038 - Ramsgate (common english fort)
UL037 - Robinson/Raft (common english crew/event)
UL128 - Explorer (generic french crew)
I received two islands in this pack. Woohoo! :)

Revolution 2
UL009 - Tiger (uncommon pirate 2-masted ship)
UL039 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon english crew)
UL135 - Shipwright (generic american crew)
UL003 - Goldern Medusa (uncommon pirate 4-masted schooner)

Revolution 3
UL051 - Le Courageux (uncommon french 2-masted ship)
UL066 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)
UL122 - Cannoneer (generic pirate crew)
UL026 - HMS Oxford (uncommon english 4-masted schooner)

8^B

Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM

Blogarama: A new member of the community

2006-07-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

I just received an email earlier this morning that my blog has been accepted into the Blogarama directory! Woohoo! I feel special! If you like to browse the many blogs on the 'net, take a look at the site. It certainly makes blog browsing much easier.

8^B

Blog Blogarama

Pirate fever!

2006-07-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest didn't wow me like the first movie (it's still a good movie), but it did do one thing; It rekindled my fascination to all things related to the Age of Sail!

As I posted a couple of days ago, I've been on the hunt for the new Pirates of the Spanish Main game pack tins, but without success. Today, while I was at Target shopping for diapers and baby food for Munchkin No. 2, I cruised through the toy section to check for any PSM stuff. I almost overlooked it, but I actually found two tins! I snatched those two up, and I snagged three game packs of Pirates of the Barbary Coast too.

It looks like Wizkids went with a blue theme on their tins this year (one of the reasons I almost didn't see them), unlike last year's creamy, parchment color. My addiction has run high, so I'll be hitting up on several Targets in the next couple of days. Muuussst have mmmorrre shhhipsss...

Here's the breakdown of the PSM packs I got yesterday:

Crimson Coast
075 - Le Triton (common french 3-masted schooner)
016 - Royal James (common pirate 2-masted schooner. This card was scratched :( )
087 - Claude Perier (common french crew)
104 - Helmsman (generic english crew)

Revolution
UL094 - "Diamond" Nelson Turner (common american crew)
UL004 - Pride (common pirate 3-masted schooner)
UL119 - Helmsman (generic french crew)
UL030 - HMS Lord Cauldwell (uncommon english 2-masted ship)
UL066 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)

Davy Jones' Curse 1
087 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)
037 - Sea Fox (uncommon pirate 2-masted ship)
035 - Dragon's Breath (uncommon pirate 4-masted ship)
111 - Captain (generic english crew)

Davy Jones' Curse 2
075 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon spanish crew)
080 - Le Republicain (uncommon french 2-masted ship)
107 - Cursed Conch (rare unique treasure)
010 - Executioner (uncommon cursed 4-masted ship. A ship of bones! uber cool!)

Davy Jones' Curse 3
084 - La Toussaint L'Ouverture (common french 2-masted ship)
063 - El Cristal Del Obispo (rare spanish 5-masted ship)
112 - Captain (generic spanish crew)

Davy Jones' Curse 4
014 - Sea Monkey (uncommon cursed 3-masted ship)
129 - Oarsman (generic cursed crew)
040 - Orca (common pirate 2-masted ship)
031 - Sargasso Nightmare (common cursed crew)

Since I already have dupes from a couple of days ago, I'll punch out some of the cards to take pics of 'em soon.

8^B

Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM WizKids

Comic and gaming goodness! :)

2006-07-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to hit my LCS on New Comic Wednesday, but I had some time to go today. Here's my haul:

Superman #654
The Escapists #1
Ghost Rider #1
Green Lantern Corps #2
52 #10
Green Arrow #64
Annihilation: Silver Surfer #4
The Sentry #1 (mini)
The Sentry #2 (mini)
Scooby-Doo! #93 (for Munchkin No. 1)
Justice League Unlimited #2
Justice League Unlimited #3

Besides the books, I also got the following stuff:

Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica booster
Magic: The Gathering - Guildpact booster
Magic: The Gathering - Dissension booster
Pirates of the Crimson Coast game pack
Pirates of the Revolution game pack
Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse game pack x4
Card box for PSM cards

My LCS sucked me dry like a starving vampire today! When I get a chance, I'll post my breakdowns of what I got from the cards. This weekend will be busy...

8^B

Comics Comic Book Marvel DC Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM Magic Magic: The Gathering MTG

Pirates of Davy Jones's Curse packs. Arrrr!

2006-07-13T23:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't followed the Pirates of the Spanish Main (PSM) game recently, but with the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie sequel last week, my interest in the game has been reinvigorated. Yesterday, I read a message post on Pojo's Pirates Site that the second set of PSM tins were now available. This set of tins contain four game packs: One Spanish Main pack and three Revolution packs. Since I was away from the game for some months, what better way to catch up on some packs than a tin at $10 a pop!

During lunch today, I went over to my local Toys 'R' Us to see if they had any PSM tins (That's where I found the first set of tins last time). Unfortunately, no tins were to be found. I would have been totally bummed, but what I did find was pretty nifty: Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse game packs! I quickly scooped up five game packs and busted them open as soon as I came home from work. Here's the breakdown:

Pack 1
078 - Le Bonaparte (uncommon french 4-masted schooner)
131 - Chainshot Specialist (generic cursed crew)
094 - Swamp Fox (common american 3-masted schooner)

Pack 2
027 - Devereaux (common cursed captain)
021 - Nightmare (common cursed 2-masted ship)
110 - Captain (generic pirate captain)
014 - Sea Monkey (uncommon cursed 3-masted ship)

Pack 3
076 - La Charlemagne (rare french 5-masted ship)
133 - Stinkpot Specialist (generic cursed crew)
071 - El Pulpo (common spanish 2-masted ship)

Pack 4
083 - Le Duc D'Enghien (common french 3-masted schooner)
035 - Dragon's Breath (uncommon pirate 4-masted ship)
124 - Cannoneer (generic english crew)

Pack 5
133 - Stinkpot Specialist (generic cursed crew)
040 - Orca (common pirate 2-masted ship)
067 - Santos Romanos (uncommon 2-masted ship)
029 - The Unblinking 99 (common cursed crew)
087 - Firepot Specialist (uncommon french crew)

Only one rare, and no monsters. That's ok, I'll run into a creature card eventually. When I pick up my comics from my LCS tomorrow, I'll see if they sell the tins. If not, I might pick up more packs, most likely from Barbary Coast or South China Seas. We'll see.

8^B

Pirates Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM Pojo Spanish Main Revolution Davy Jones' Curse

The Heroine that can't be killed!

2006-07-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Comics Continuum is reporting that after the final issue of Spider-Girl is released this week at #100, Marvel Comics will launch a new Spider-Girl series entitled, The Amazing Spider-Girl! The new series will be out in October. The female arachnid's fan base is one rabid bunch! (I just wish MTU's fan base was as dedicated...)

8^B

Comics Comic Book Marvel Comics Continuum Spider-Girl

"How Can I Lose?" - Fast Eddie Felson

2006-07-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

After the family goes to bed for the evening (everyone but me is an early riser), I usually have about three to four hours of "free time" before I begin to nod off. I normally use this time for various things such as catching up on my comic pile, 'net browsing, a quick session of Guild Wars Factions, or movie watching.

Last night, I was planning to watch one of the used movies I bought at Hollywood Video, but I was a bit too tired (ok lazy) to get off the couch, walk ten feet over to the DVD shelf, and put a movie into the player. Instead, I picked up the remote and did some channel surfing for a movie. After several clicks of the remote, I found The Hustler playing. Oooh!

What's great about last night's broadcast was that it was playing on Turner Classic Movies (TCM, my favorite basic cable channel), where they broadcast their movies in its Original Aspect Ratio (OAR), and there are no damn commercials breaks to interrupt the movie!

Anyways, back to the movie. The Hustler is so damn good, it's a movie I can't get away from. If it's on the tube, I have to stop what I'm doing just to watch it. The character interaction just sucks you into the movie, it's mesmerizing. It's not surprising it was nominated for nine(!) Oscars.

The movie is also jam packed with top notch actors; Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott and Jackie Gleason. Each played their role so well, they all were nominated for an Oscar (although Scott personally refused to be nominated). Unfortunately, none of them won (which sucks big time).

Many people claim this is the best pool or sports movie ever made. I actually don't see it as a either type of movie, but more of a character study of a man with a great talent who can't seem to use that talent to its greatest potential because of his self destructive nature. It's not until he meets and experiences life with his soul mate (who has similar shortcomings) that he can move beyond his deficiencies to become the best at what he does. Of course, to become the best, he has to make sacrifices, some that he may later regret.

If you haven't seen this movie, go see it. Now. Rent, borrow, or buy it. There aren't many movies like this anymore, and it'd be a shame to miss a great piece of cinema.

UPDATE: Nelson?!? I'm a frickin' idiot!

8^B

Movie DVD Turner Classic Movies Hustler Paul Newman Piper Laurie George C. Scott Jackie Gleason Pool

New Comic Wednesday

2006-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another Wednesday, another round of new comic releases! Actually, I won't be able to pick up my pull list until Friday this week, but I thought I'd at least list what I'm interested in.

Definite (Pull list):
52 #10
Superman #654

Most Likely:
Green Arrow #64
Annhilation: Silver Surfer #4
Ghost Rider #1
Green Lantern Corps #2

Maybe:
Ms. Marvel #5
Next #1

On Friday, I'll list any additional purchases I'm sure my LCS will lure me in with. :)

8^B

Comics Comic Book Marvel DC 52 Superman Green Arrow Silver Surfer Ghost Rider Ms. Marvel Next

Marvel Team-Up to be cancelled?!?

2006-07-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I read a post on the Comic Geek Speak message boards that Marvel Team-Up may be cancelled after issue #25. Let me tell you, this fuckin' sucks. I have to admit that I didn't read the series until after listening to the recommendations from the CGS guys on their podcasts, but after reading the first two issues, I really enjoyed it and started hunting for the rest of the back issues.

Marvel Team-Up is just plain fun. The book reminds me of the earlier team stories of the 70's Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One. This book can take the characters literally anywhere and can explore the Marvel universe in great detail. Marvel is missing a great opportunity here.

Due to low sales numbers, I can understand why Marvel may be cancelling the series. It is a business after all. What I don't understand is the utter lack of marketing Marvel gave this series, which may contribute to the low sales. If they gave a tenth of the marketing to Marvel Team-Up as they gave their event stories, I bet Marvel Team-Up wouldn't be on the brink. Dang you, Marvel!

8^B

Comics Comic Book Marvel Team-Up Comic Geek Speak

The New World: Pocahontas done better

2006-07-09T00:39:00.000-07:00

When Terrance Malick releases a film, it's usually an event. The guy doesn't direct very often, and every movie he's done has been great. I find it surprising his latest movie (and only his fourth so far), The New World, was released with little fanfare. Maybe it's because we were too busy dealing with the arrival of Munchkin No. 2 that I didn't take time to notice how well this movie did in the theater, but I was shocked to find this movie already available for rental.

The New World is the story of Pocahontas, and how her presence affects those around her. The story is initially told from the point of view of the British arriving to the New World (with great use of Richard Wagner's Ring music!), but once Pocahontas shows up, the focus of the movie is on her. I have to say this is the most historic version of Pocahontas I've seen on film, although the Smith/Pocahontas relationship is still romanticized.

Malick knows how to film nature and match it against what's going on in his story. He did an excellent job of it in The Thin Red Line, and he does it again in his latest movie. The Disney version also uses the theme of nature, however it works better here considering the "virgin" territory the Europeans land upon.

Malick also likes to delve into the characters' thoughts and motivations through voiceover. The dude uses it so much that there seems to be more internalizing than there is dialogue. I would have liked a tad more vocal interaction between the characters, but that's just me.

It's too bad I was too busy to see this at the theaters. Seeing and hearing it on a big screen probably would've been gorgeous.

Movie DVD New World Terrance Malick Pocahontas

A cool Pirates of the Spanish Main diorama piece!

2006-07-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

After doing the groceries yesterday, I dropped by the McDonald's drive-thru to get a Happy Meal for Munchkin No. 1. As it so happens, the Golden Arches snagged the toy licensing for the newly released Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest movie! The toy we received was a Magic 8-Ball Pirate Skull.

After an initial "gross!" response, Munchkin No. 1 had no interest in the skull and gave the skull to me (she's more into Minnie Mouse and My Little Pony). After playing with it a bit (It's got cool pirate themed answers such as "Yo Ho, maybe so!" and "No way, Arrrgh!"), I started to think that this would be a great diorama piece for the Pirates of the Spanish Main constructible card game! With just a couple coats of primer and some drybrushing, and a bit of painted and flocked foam, you could have your own Skull Island. Sweet!

8^B

Pirates McDonald's Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Pirates of the Spanish Main PSM PotSM Spanish Main

A ship without a wind in its sail?

2006-07-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful, summer day today, I decided to go outside, enjoy the sunshine, breathe in some fresh air, and take a nice stroll to my local theater and catch a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

I arrived at the theater around 11:30am to catch the noon showing. Hey, I figured it would have been enough time to buy some popcorn and get a nice seat. Boy, was I wrong! Stepping up to the box office, I discovered that most showings for the morning were already sold out, with the next available showing was at 1:15pm! Egads, I should have seen this coming! Oh, well, I had some time to kill...

To whittle away the time, I decided to do some people watching, to gauge what the audience would be like. Lots of teens hanging around, especially girls. Oh right, it must be that dreamy Depp guy and that Bloom girl, err guy who are drawing most of the crowd.

I also noticed families taking along their younger kids. Hmmm, from what I remember of the first film, I thought the movie was a bit intense to have Munchkin No. 1 watching, who is only six years old. Eh, parents do what they will with their kids. The highlight of my people watching was seeing a family dressed up in pirate gear, from the mom and dad, down to the teen boy and toddler girl. That was pretty funny to see.

Anyways, back to the movie. All I can say is that the movie is good, not as great as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, but it certainly had a better final act (and a kick-ass ending!), leading directly to the third film next year. But in order to get to the kick-ass ending, you have endure a dreadfully slow first two hours (yes, the movie is long!). The first hour or so of the movie was agonizingly sloth-like, like a ship in the middle of a dead calm with no wind to push it. See the pic above? The whole scene with the natives could have been cut, and I would have enjoyed it more. It was just unneccesary.

What the second film also lacks from the first is a sense of fun. Black Pearl repeatedly shifted from one fun scene to another, taking you along for the ride. Dead Man's Chest has its exciting moments, but it's slowed down by the character stories of the three major characters. It's nice that Jack, Will, and Elizabeth have character journeys, but they're all taken separately, which drags the film until they are all back together.

Once the trio are united, that's where the movie starts to take off. From the mexican stand-off to the final scene, it's a thrill ride. And oh boy, that final scene! I won't spoil it, but it's worth the price of admission alone (matinee at most). With a year until the third movie, let's hope the filmmakers put the fun back in.

8^B

Technorati Tags: Movie Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Johnny Depp Orlando Bloom Kiera Knightly Black Pearl

Outsiders #38

2006-07-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Outsiders is a title that's been "on again, off again" on my pull list for the last year or so. Oftentimes, Judd Winick is spot on with his stories, but every once in a while he just irritates the shit out of me. Take One Year Later (OYL), for example. Now, I don't know how much of it is editorial direction, but why is Winick writing Nightwing, one of my favorite DC characters, to be such a dickhead like his former mentor, the Batman? And why is Nightwing in Africa in this book and at the same time in New York in his solo book (arrrgh, don't get me started on the crappy NW book!)? As much as this irritates me to no end, Winick seems to bring me back with his excellent endings.

In this latest issue, The Outsiders have been tracking down Mallah and the Brain, the two who sold the Jay Garrick clone to the nation of Mali from the previous issues starting off OYL. Not much goes on (although Winick again has Nightwing go Bat-Dick, this time on Boomerang), until the group faces-off at the end against the two villains they were trying to find.

Pop Mhan does some guest pencilling this issue, most likely due to the much deserved rest regular penciller, Matthew Clark, needs after what he went through recently (I hope you get better, Matthew!). Pop's art is OK, but I prefer Matthew's thinner pencils much better.

Daniel Acuna's covers are excellent as always, and this cover is especially good. I really like the layouts he did, especially with the ladder snaking up into the light. This cover makes me wonder if Acuna had recently watched a zombie flick...

Overall, #38 was a good issue, and I hope Matthew returns soon!

8^B

Technorati Tags: Comics Comic Book DC Outsiders Judd Winick Nightwing Mallah Brain Pop Mahn Matthew Clark Daniel Acuna

New Comic Wednes- errr... Thursday

2006-07-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

With the July 4th holiday, new comics will be hitting the LCS today instead of the normal Wednesday. It's a small week for me this time, and I'll be getting the following new releases after I get off work this afternoon:

52 #9
Detective Comics #821
Outsiders #38
Uncanny X-Men #475
Superman Returns: The Movie Adaptation

In addition to the comics, I'll be picking up a shortbox and a set a 100 backing boards. I have recently started rebagging my collection, and will be doing about 100 comics per week. At this rate, I'll probably finish rebagging my collection in about a year.

UPDATE: Like any good LCS should, they tempted me with other great books on their shelves and bins, and I ended up buying the additional titles:

Green Lantern Corps #1
The All New Atom #1
Hack/Slash Slice Hard Special
Dark Horse 20 Years Special
Catwoman #56
Age of Apocalypse featuring the X-Men #6
Scooby-Doo! #69
Marvel Team-Up #13
Marvel Team-Up #14

8^B

Technorati Tags: Comics Comic Book Marvel DC 52 Detective Outsiders X-Men Superman Green Lantern Atom Hack/Slash Dark Horse Catwoman Apocalypse Scooby-Doo Team-Up

Ultraviolet: Ultrasilly, yet Ultracool

2006-07-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

I was able to watch this movie earlier tonight, and this movie is all visual. Silly story, silly character development, and silly acting, but it still manages to look cool. When this movie was released earlier this year, it was obvious from the trailers alone that there would be little to no substance to the movie, but one would be entertained by the great visuals and excellent "Gunkata" action.

Ever since I first saw Milla Jovovich onscreen in The Fifth Element and later in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, I've had a small crush on the lady. She reminds me a bit of a younger Natassja Kinski, but with that quirky voice that only Milla has. In this movie, Milla is smokin' hot(!) with all of the different getups she goes through in the flick. Her acting in the movie is a bit stilted and "off" slightly, but I think it may be because of the poor editing this movie went through.

The one thing I love about this movie is the universe it's set in. Just like the opening credits depict, this movie was meant to be a comic book. I'm surprised I haven't heard or read any news that a comic series doesn't exist for Violet and the world she inhabits. That's a shame...

When this movie was released earlier this year, I wanted to go see it at the theater, but I was not able to due to family priorities (a newborn kid can do that ye!). When it was finally released on DVD however, I quickly snatched a copy to rent! There were plenty of rental copies at the video store, so I don't think I will have any problems finding a copy to buy (I still haven't seen the special features or listened to the commentary) when this flick is available for sale "used" in a couple of weeks.

8^B

Technorati Tags: Ultraviolet DVD Movie Gunkata Comic Book Milla Jovovich Fifth Element Messenger

Hollywood Video Rentals and Specials

2006-07-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Over the holiday weekend, I went to our local Hollywood Video to rent some flicks. I signed up for their special of "Rent 1, Get 1 Free" for $10 for 30 days. They also had two Previously Viewed sales, "3 for $25" ($14.99 movies and under) and a "Buy 2, Get 2 Free" ($9.99 movies and under). As a result, I got a boatload of movies!

Over the next several days, I'll be posting some of my opinions of flicks I'll be watching. Here is a list of some of the movies I got at the store:

Ultraviolet (rental)
The Barbie Diaries (free rental for my munchkin)
The New World (rental)
Tristan + Isolde (free rental)
The Day After Tomorrow (purchase)
Collateral (free purchase)
The Ring Two (Unrated version, purchase)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004 version, free purchase)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (purchase)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (purchase)
Ringers: Lord of the Fans (a lucky find purchase!)

Needless to say, I'll be busy cooking popcorn and watching!

8^B

Technorati Tags: Hollywood Video DVD Ultraviolet Barbie New World Tristan Isolde Day Tomorrow Collateral Ring Manchurian Narnia Potter Ringers

My First Entry!

2006-07-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my little blog on the 'net! Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am a very casual person, one who takes life at a relaxed pace. This also applies to my hobbies of comics, movies, and gaming.

I'll be using this blog to give you a peek into my hobby interests, and I hope everyone enjoys their stay! :)

8^B

Technorati Tags: Blog Comics Movies Gaming