Spider-Gwen

Spider-Man has always been a thing. I remember being younger and singing “Does Whatever A Spider Can” while swinging on the swings back in elementary school.

At some point last year, I started hearing about ‘Spider Gwen’ and seeing her pop up around the internet. The first thing that really got me was her costume, created by Jason LaTour, Robbi Rodriguez and Rico Renzi. The design was very creative and bright compared to all of the other Spider-Spin-offs I’ve seen. Not to mention, it’s Gwen Stacy, same girl (SPOILER ALERT) who was suppose to be dead.

Spider-Gwen Design

Now, I was not a huge Spider-Man fan. I liked the character, but didn’t necessarily follow along in the comics. I very much enjoyed watching The Amazing Spider-Man movie with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and thanks to the internet, was spoiled about Gwen Stacy’s demise after looking into the series. Gotta love the internet.

So other then watching both movies, I didn’t get a whole lot into the Spider-Man universe until I found out Spider-Gwen was getting her own series. I went out and bought Spider-Gwen Issue #1 when it was released. Read through, loved the art, but wasn’t instantly drawn in by the story line. It felt a little slow to me… Still decided to give it a shot and collected the next two when they came out.

Spider-Gwen Covers

Glad I did.

Spider Pig Cameo

Gwen Stacy’s sarcastic-humor is a nice touch to her character as well as the add-in of Spider-Pig in the second issue (thank you The Simpsons). Like I said before, the first villain, the Vulture didn’t seem like much of a threat at first, but I liked how the progressively built his character and pitted him against Gwen.

Gwen Stacy

Gwen’s character design is also interesting enough as well. The fact they decided to give her shorter hair than her original counterpart was a nice touch, and the fact that they give her moments of mourning for her universe’s Peter Parker is a good swing in the right direction in character development. I look forward to seeing what happens to her guilt for Peter Parker’s demise in future issues. Not to mention she was a drummer for The Mary-Janes.

P.S. – I wasn’t much of a fan of Mary-Jane in the first place, but Spider-Gwen’s version of Mary-Jane really makes me not like her. Can’t understand why Gwen stuck around with her for so long.

Looking forward to seeing where Latour, Rodriguez and Renzi take Spider-Gwen next (as well as really wanting some cool Spider-Gwen gear).

Home Improvement(s)

This past week I picked up my old copy of Animal Crossing: New Leaf with thoughts of deleting my old story (which I hadn’t touched in at least a year) and starting anew. Isabelle’s (the game secretary to your character’s mayor) frantic jibberish when I first approached the topic however made me rethink my options.

So I dove back into my old file. And I’m addicted. (Especially to fishing. Seriously, I think there should be a Fishing Anonymous out there. “Hello, my name is Emily and I cannot stop fishing on Animal Crossing.”)

My addiction to Animal Crossing however did get me thinking about home décor. My character currently has the patchwork collection going for her, while in real life… Our place is not quite as collected. What would I do if I could get furniture from neighbors and money collected from my fishing obsession?
Home Improvement(s)
I really like the urban/industrial look. Bricks, reclaimed wood, hanging lights… My house would have a lot of these traits.
Home Improvement(s)
As well as industrial décor, I would have to add in some geek elements (wouldn’t feel right without it.) I’d want to do it thoughtfully, like placing Funko POP figures in wooden frames mounted on the wall.
Home Improvement(s)
There are a lot of useful geek items too, like this R2-D2 measuring cup and Death Star cookie jar that would go in the kitchen. Books, comics, photos and my banjo would be placed on this shelving unit.
Home Improvement(s)

That’s no moon. That’s a cookie jar!

What would you add to your home (and proudly show off to your neighbors)?

Comeback Series

Everyone has them. A moment you gave up on something because it left a bad taste in your mouth, and later after some kind of persuasion you give it another chance and end up going back. And no, I’m not talking about relationships.

Whether it’s been on the TV screen or in the theatres, there have been several series I have given up on due to lost of interest due to poor storyline writing or the movie/show itself is just too slow for my taste. However, there are a few that after someone or something influenced me to comeback and watch it again that have grown on me.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of SHIELD
When this show first came out, I was very excited. I am a Marvel fan, have enjoyed the movies, and the thought of a TV show based on the Marvel movie storyline was intriguing. The first episode was good, but after watching a few more episodes I was unimpressed by the ‘no-duh’ story. I could see Skye becoming a good person and falling for Agent Ward. So I stopped watching it.

Then, after being persuaded to watch a few more episodes and seeing the changes that happened after Captain America: The Winter Solider with HYDRA, I was brought back to watching (and enjoying) the show. Characters like Agent May and Coulson had depth, and the coupling Skye and Ward didn’t end up endgame either. Thank God (way too predictable for my tastes).

Just finished season 1 (favorite scene from the finale “Hey guys, I found it.”), and am gearing up for season 2. Still not sure how I feel about Skye, but I like the other characters enough to be curious as to what happens next.

Star WarsStar WarsI never originally watched the original Star Wars movies, probably due to the fact that my dad never would have taken me for a Star Wars fan? I was however taken to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace by my dad when it came out in theatres. It wasn’t horrible, but I remember Dad not being too impressed. When Star Wars: Attack of the Clones came out, we went to see that one as well. However, after watching that, we were all unimpressed (its so unmemorable I can’t remember why) and that’s where my Star Wars story almost ended.

It wasn’t until I started dating Chris that I watched the first original movie at his suggestion. Star Wars: A New Hope was good, but I also wasn’t jumping to watch the next one. After a few more months and being suggested several times to watch the fifth movie, I watched The Empire Strikes Back and latched on. Several days later, I watched Return of the Jedi and knew why people enjoyed Star Wars. The creative storyline and planet backgrounds as well as the dynamics of each individual character was much better then the movies I had seen years ago.

Hoping Disney delivers with The Force Awakens this December. In the meantime, I’ll probably watch 4-6 again as a refresher while dreaming of Ewoks.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

The Hobbit

My family ended up getting Lord of the Rings when it came out on DVD for Christmas. I popped into the DVD player to watch one night, and after all of the scenery shots in the first 30 minutes and slow plot, I turned it off. I did not give Lord of the Rings another chance (much to the chagrin of many friends.)

However, when The Hobbit was released in theatres, several friends in college dragged me to see it on opening night. I’ll admit, I fell asleep at first (I honestly did in the first 30 minutes). I woke up after a few minutes though and watched the whole thing… And liked it. I liked the story of Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who never asked for an adventure and was very realistic in terms of character (afraid of danger, stuck to his previous ways.) I loved the magic and the adventure throughout all three movies, as well as the scenery (and was thankful said background was not the main focus.) Bilbo Baggins’ evolving character was strong and well built, hats off to J.R.R Tolkien.

(P.S.- Tauriel may have been an original character to the story movie-wise, but I enjoyed having a strong female character to follow… Also could have done without the romance.)


I’m sure there will be more comeback series in the future for me with the way stories develop. What about you? Do you have a movie/TV show you grew to dislike, and then came back to enjoy?

Ode to Paper Mario 64

Like a leaf in the wind
Oh how you float through the air
Paper Mario

Paper Mario

After playing through part of the game on the N64 growing up (I had a pretty short attention span growing up), I was very excited to see that I could finish Paper Mario on the Wii U via eShop. Both the art and the RPG style hooked me in.

Paper Mario - Kooper

The storyline is pretty interesting as well. Its simplistic; end goal is to save Peach and the kingdom from Bowser. I enjoy playing as Mario as he travels through different lands with various partners he picks up on the way (my favorite so far has been Kooper) to find all of the Star Spirits to overpower Bowser and his godmoding star wand. It’s also cool how you switch from Mario to Peach throughout the story and play spy to help Mario figure out where he needs to go next.

Paper Mario - Bowser & PeachCreeper.

With the amount of fun I’ve been having playing this game, I am a bit surprised there’s not much merchandise out there to buy. Thank God for Etsy, where I can look at things I want (and cannot afford.)

Paper Mario - MerchandiseBag | Star Keychain | Mario Keychain

Once I have completed this game, my eyes will be peeled for the sequel Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Here’s to hoping that one is downloadable as well.

Favorite Nerd Valentine’s Movies

Favorite Nerd Valentine's MoviesLooking for a different kind of movie to watch with a loved one, your group of friends or yourself and the couch this V-day? Here are a few of suggestions:

Scott Pilgrim vs the WorldScott Pilgrim vs The World
Comic effects + romance + fight scenes + Sex Bob-Oms = I’m in. Aren’t you? Plus I tend to find Michael Cera’s characters amusing. What happened to that guy, anyway?

Fever Pitch
Before Fever Pitchyou hit the back button, hear me out. When I mentioned nerd in the title, I didn’t just mean what often comes up on the brain when someone mentions the word ‘geek’. Fever Pitch may be about baseball, but it’s about a guy who is a complete NERD about his team, the Boston Red Sox, and his struggle to balance baseball nerding life with dating cute Drew Barrymore life. Seems relatable.

JunoJuno
Juno, the main character (hence the title), finds herself pregnant in her teenage years and we get to see this music-geeking girl live her life while trying to find a pair of parents perfect for her fetus (with fingernails) plus references to other things we 90s kids grew up with. THUNDERCATS ARE GO!

Spoiler: Michael Cera’s character is the dad. What did I say about Michael Cera and his characters?

Shaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead
A classic… But ever thought about watching it on Valentine’s Day? Shaun works to win back his ex-girlfriend, all while trying to survive the zombie apocalypse with his mom, and his ex-girlfriend’s roommates. Not to mention, you get to witness a true bromance that is Shaun and Ed. It is a powerful one.

Warm BodiesWarm Bodies
This is one of those movies where you have to take it as it is… But if you can do that, I promise you an amusing watch. You get to see life happen before R, the zombie main character’s eyes, after he eats a guy’s brains and starts falling for said guy’s girlfriend. Throughout the movie there’s record players with music that’s alive, more bromance, several good lines (“I don’t wanna be this way. I’m lonely. I’m totally lost. I mean, I’m literally lost. I’ve never been in this part of the airport before.”)… And yeah, some romance here and there too.

 

Any nerdy Valentine’s movies that you’d recommend?

Running in a Winter-Spring Wonderland

Woke up this morning and had an early breakfast with my mom at Emilio’s, a very delicious restaurant with friendly owners I have blogged about before. Had my carbo load of pancakes and caught up on things before heading home for my run.

Emily Run - 02-07-2015

This April I will be running a half marathon and am gearing up to run my speediest half. Today was a slow, long distance run and it was a great day to do it. Weather was perfect–40°Fs and sunny. It was interesting to run when it felt like spring yet still looked like winter from our previous snow shower a few days ago. Either way, it was great to be back out running in shorts.

Chuck

The boyfriend and I are watching Chuck on Netflix, a series I loved watching and one he’s never seen before. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Chuck is about a 20-something guy who is a ‘drop-out’ of Stanford college and ends up having all of the government secrets locked in his brain. When the government finds out, they have their top spies bodyguard him while dealing with their own missions. And Chuck can’t help but get involved.

This evening we’re going to continue enjoying the weather by grilling out with my dad. Bratwurst and beer… We are obviously wishing for summer to be here.Only 133 days to go.

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The Walking Dead: TV vs Comic

The Walking DeadWhen I first found out about The Walking Dead it was at my first office job, and the TV show was the first thing everyone talked about on Monday morning. At that point, I honestly wasn’t interested and tuned it out. It wasn’t until later on, when I was ‘forced’ by a friend to watch it, that I became addicted. I binge watched The Walking Dead on Netflix until I caught up with AMC (thank God for Netflix).

I had heard it was a comic before I started watching the show, but really didn’t think I would be able to find a way to read it so didn’t pay it much thought. It wasn’t until we borrowed the Compendium One of The Walking Dead from a friend that I gained a bit more interest in reading it.

I will admit, I am nowhere near where the TV show is comic wise, but have noticed quite a few differences in the two versions of The Walking Dead.

They both started at about the same point. Rick wakes up in a hospital, has no idea what is going on, and finds out about the Walkers (TV)/Roamers (Comics) not too far afterward. He leaves the hospital meets up with Morgan and Duane and finds out about what’s happened since Rick was in coma.

Rick Grimes Wakes Up - Comic vs TV

However, there was not the high intensity scene of Rick meeting up with Glen, Andrea, Meryl and T-Dog (Wow, had to look that name up. It’s been awhile.) and the others and trying to make their way out.

  • rickgrimes-twd-comparisonComic Rick in the beginning was way more of a trusting and nice guy then TV Rick ever was. Everyone Rick ever bumped into he seemed to explain his whole life story. I could understand Morgan, especially with just getting out of the hospital and in shock about the zombie apocalypse, but Comic Rick bumped into more people than TV Rick, and felt the need to let the world know his backstory. I was done with it after the third time I read it. We get it Rick, you woke up and the world was a much different place. I don’t think everyone you run into needs to know that. They’ve been dealing with it themselves.
  • Comic Rick has also been more trusting than TV Rick ever was. Now I’m only on Chapter 5 of the comic, and he is finally getting the hang of simply telling strangers, “We were just traveling around and noticed…” but TV Rick seemed to at least understand the idea of ‘Hey, this is an insane world I’ve woken up into. Should probably keep an eye out.’ Instead of Rick Grimes - comics
    ‘Hey, you! I like you. Want to join our group? Oh yeah, don’t let me forget to tell you my backstory!’ I hear Comic Rick gets even better though, so I won’t hold it against him too much.
  • Comic Lori is… Wow. A breath of fresh air. Where I wasn’t an exact hater of TV Lori, I didn’t find her the most useful either. Yes we get it, you thought your husband was dead and so you shacked up with his best friend who was looking out for you. Comic Lori did it once and decided she didn’t find it kosher. TV Lori seemed to enjoy her relationship with Shane until she found out Rick was alive, and then dumped him and caused more drama then needed.
  • Comic Carl grows up much slower than TV Carl. I can understand why that is for TV, since Carl’s actor is getting older, but I also enjoy the fact that I feel like we get to live through Carl’s innocence a bit more.
  • Shane was… Well, Shane. I was a bit shocked when he died so quickly in the comics (I like that the TV and Comic series both had it to where Carl finished him.) but the comic also moves quicker then the show has for the past several seasons.
  • Comic Carol… Wow. She has a different backstory and didn’t start out with an abusive husband. Right now in the comics she seems to be falling off the deep end after her break up with Tyreese (Didn’t see that one coming. The relationship or the breakup.) and has a different personality from her sharp edged TV persona.
  • Tyreese - The Walking Dead comicSpeaking of Tyreese… Wow. I like Comic Tyreese. He’s a dynamic character who doesn’t start of scared of the world around him like his TV self. He is a big help to the group and kicks some series butt. I know on the TV show he was surrounded by zombies and finally broke through on his own, but in the comic he was locked in a GYM with them over night. And survived. Kick. Butt.
  • It’s interesting not having Daryl and Meryl around. I knew they were TV only, but they added a different dynamic to the show. It’s odd not having the hunters… And not having the budding bromance of Rick and Daryl.
  • Governor - The Walking Dead ComparisonI just got to the Governor, and where I have heard he does much worse things in the comic, I’m trying to get over the fact of how different he looks in the comic.

I’ve enjoyed reading the comic, and like how the art style has changed over time. It started off looking very “indie” and new, but now has a much more rugged feel. It could be the artist, Tony Moore, changing over time, but I can’t help but wonder if that’s suppose to symbolize the group’s experience?

The Walking Dead - Art Style Variation

I look forward to Sunday’s mid-season start up of Rick and his Ricktatorship posse… But am also going to continue to enjoy the comics.