That’s No Moon

Marvel announced last year that they were going to be releasing not just one, BUT THREE new Star Wars comics, and being a huge Star Wars fan myself, I was fairly intrigued by the idea even though I hadn’t been into comics for the last several years. Over the last few months each of Star Wars, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia has come out and I’ve managed to snag a copy of each one so far. The only bump in the road I’ve hit was having to pick up a copy of Star Wars #1 off eBay as my local comic book shops sold out in a few hours. Apparently there was a lot more demand for that one than I anticipated. Or at least more jerks buying multiple copies to re-sell at a higher price.

STAR WARS #1 & #2

As expected, this comic follows the entire group as they attempt to keep the momentum of their biggest strike against the empire (blowing up the Death Star) going. I love the fact that the reader is immediately thrown back into the thick of things with the crew on another action packed mission to weaken the already loosened grip of the empire. To no one’s surprise, things don’t go quite as planned and they have to improvise to keep the mission alive. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it’s been pretty fantastic so far. I also really enjoy the art style as it has a lot of detail to it which makes it feel realistic, and really helps draw you into the world. They definitely spent some time on it and I can really appreciate the effort. Of the three comics, this is the one I’m enjoying the most, but that’s because it reminds me of the movies, which I love.

DARTH VADER #1 & #2

These comics follow Darth Vader after his greatest failure yet, the destruction of the Death Star. Due to his failure Darth Vader has been pushed out of the emperor’s inner circle and now has to report to General Tagge instead. The interactions between the two are excellent, as Vader is still intimidating and acts inconvenienced more than anything. The story is focused on him trying to secretly figure out what the emperor is up to, as well as attempting to track down the young rebel pilot responsible for blowing up the Death Star. It has been less action packed and more dialogue driven, but the writing is superb and it easily keeps my attention. Plus it does have exciting moments from time to time. The art style once again has that realistic detail, but with a slightly darker feel. I’ve got no complaints with it at all. The Darth Vader comics have been a great ride so far.

PRINCESS LEIA #1

I know there have been other Leia focused stories in the past, but this is the first one I’ve picked up, and was really looking forward to it. I was not disappointed to say the least. This story starts exactly where Episode IV left off, so you get to see what happened directly after everyone left the award ceremony for Luke and Han (still waiting for Chewbacca’s medal, damn it!). As would be expected, the leaders of the rebellion are all busy with getting the base on Yavin evacuated and finding a new planet suitable for their needs. Nobody wants Leia to go anywhere or do anything as she is wanted by the empire, but she isn’t having any of it. With the help of a rebel pilot named Evaan (also a female!), she sets out to find and protect the remaining citizens of Alderaan. Both Leia and Evaan come across as strong, bad ass characters which should make for a great adventure and story. The only problem I have with this comic is the art style. It’s not as sharp and has more of a cartoon-ish look than the other two, and I just wasn’t super impressed. It’s not bad by any means, and it’s certainly not going to stop me from buying the next issue.

Overall, I’ve been really pleased with Marvel’s latest foray into the Star Wars universe. I’m going to be picking up each of these from now on and I couldn’t be happier about that fact (although my wallet might be a tad bit sad). I highly recommend checking them out if you have the chance!

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.
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 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

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?

Lets talk about baseball!

Since the Cubs have made some significant moves, I’ve been following the off-season fairly close and decided typing up a short post on my thoughts on the NL Central teams as they currently stand would be fun. Obviously, I picked that division since it’s the one the Cubs are in, which is all that matters. I’m doing it in a worst to best order as that seemed the most logical (plus we all know who is at top, and let’s avoid that for a bit shall we). Let’s do it!

Reds (76-86)

Honestly, I’m not sure what Cincinnati is doing. When they traded Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, it looked like they might be starting a rebuild, but then traded for Marlon Byrd with one year left on his contract. That seems like a ‘Go for it now’ kind of move, but the other trade doesn’t make much sense in that regard. This will be an interesting year for Reds fans. Still with Cueto, Phillips, and Votto they could be surprisingly average and I would put them slightly ahead of the Brewers.

Brewers (77-85)

When I started writing this, I couldn’t think of much the Brewers had done this off-season, and it turns out there was a reason for that: They really didn’t do much. The only trade of significance was sending Gallardo to Texas, but there was no major league players in return so the help for this year is questionable. Ryan Braun might return to his previous form after dealing with injuries last season, but it’s not something I would count on. Not to mention Lucroy just went down with an injury, and if he is out a large amount of time the losses could really pile up. I fall into the camp that believes the insane start they had last season was more of a fluke than reality, so 77 wins seems about right. Assuming everyone stays healthy that is.

Cubs (84-78)

I never thought I’d be excited over a middle of the pack predicted finish for the Cubs, but after the last couple of years, it looks nice. Theo and company have added Joe Maddon as the manager, signed Jon Lester, re-vamped the catching situation with Miguel Montero and David Ross, and traded for Dexter Fowler to help patrol the outfield. It’s been an active offseason for the Cubs to say the least. Where they actually finish in the division will depend hugely on how well the young players such as Baez, Soler, Bryant, and others preform, which is why everyone should keep their expectations under control. If all the things break right for them (highly unlikely) they could finish well above this, but they could also finish slightly below this if the young players struggle. A middle of the pack finish is a good prediction, as they stand to do better than last year and this isn’t far above it. No matter what though, it’s going to be an interesting season.

Pirates (85-77)

The Pirates didn’t do a ton this off-season either, but have made the post season the last two seasons in a row, and I suspect a third trip is in order short of some disastrous outcome (Or the Cubs sneaking past them!). They lost Russell Martin to free agency, and didn’t add a catcher, so that could weaken them a bit. They added Corey Hart and Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang which will help offset some of that production loss, but it’s no guarantee. They also brought back A.J. Burnett, and while he is a bit of an unknown variable, if he returns to his previous form he’ll be more than adequate to take the mound every 5^th game. Plus they have McCutchen, and good lord is that guy impressive. I’d look for Buctober to come again this fall.

Cardinals (86-76)

What can I say about the Cardinals? They’re good. They have average or better players at almost every position, and the depth to overcome injuries. The only weak spot might be their rotation, but that’s only if they start to show their age and regress, and that’s a long shot. Even if that happens they’ll probably just pick up a pitcher who has been struggling or isn’t that great, and he’ll become a Cy Young candidate. The Cardinals know how to work that voodoo magic. They picked up Jason Heyward to offset the loss of Oscar Taveras (both a really tragic and avoidable accident) and made a few other minor moves that I can’t remember. They were first last year and will more than likely be first again this year. I really hate that they are this good.

So what is the takeaway from all of this? The Reds and Brewers are going to be mediocre at best, the Cubs are a huge wild card with serious upside, the Pirates will hold their own, and the Cardinals will be good as usual. As a Cubs a fan I want to believe they will win the division as Rizzo has predicted, but it’s more likely that the young guys will have their ups and downs, and the Cubs will hopefully be competing for a Wild Card spot come September. I don’t mean that as a bad thing either, it’s FANTASTIC.

No matter what the season holds though, I can’t wait for baseball to be back and the 70° weather it brings with it. Let’s go Cubs!

P.S. I just remembered the Cardinals signed Carlos Villanueva who was a good long man reliever for the Cubs. Damn it, Cardinals.

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 & Peach Creeper.

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 - Merchandise Bag | 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.

Mask wearing Link

I’m a huge Zelda fan, so when Nintendo announced they were releasing an updated version of Majora’s Mask for the 3DS, I immediately pre-ordered it. Turns out it was a good idea as the limited edition version (with a skull kid statue!) sold out with in a few hours. Nintendo did a great job with the statue and I’m really glad I was able to snag one.

Majora's Mask

In my opinion, that was the only Majora’s Mask themed item they got right. They made a Majora’s Mask 3DS, but it’s all gold with the mask in a black outline. All I can say is….what were they thinking? Majora’s mask has great vibrant colors, and they could have made a purple 3DS with the mask in full color, popping out on the lid. I only needed a passing glance at the actual design to decide to pass on it. They did almost the exact same thing for the Majora’s Mask messenger bag available to Club Nintendo members – all black and no color. I was once again super disappointed.

The other reason I was excited for this game is that Majora’s Mask is one of the Zelda games I haven’t played a bunch of times. While I’m still remembering quite a few things, there are times when I’m not a 100% sure what is coming next, and that’s a great feeling. It also helps that this game is slightly abnormal when compared to the other Zelda games. The three day mechanic and having masks that transform Link in various ways definitely make the game stand out. I’ve only completed one dungeon so far, but I’m enjoying it just as much as the first time I played it.

The only downside to the updated version? Nintendo once again added the hint stones that show you exactly what do, just like they did with Ocarina of TIme. I feel it really hurts the game if you use them as half the fun of these games is figuring out where to go next and solving the puzzles that come along. Plus, it’s fairly easy to figure things out already as Tatl (your companion fairy) gives you plenty of hints. My suggestion – Don’t use them. You’ll thank me later.

Overall, it’s still a great game and you should play it if you haven’t already. Updating this game so it can be enjoyed by both the generation that saw it released and the generations that it’s new to, was an awesome idea. Now here is a little poem I wrote during my 15 mile run on Saturday to end this post:

I finished my long run
And 15 miles wasn’t fun
But still I pushed through
with the help of Chews
Now it’s time sit on my ass
and play Majora’s Mask

Favorite Nerd Valentine’s Movies

Favorite Nerd Valentine's Movies Looking 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 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 you 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.

Juno
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 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 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?

The miles only go up

For the last 7 weeks I’ve been training for my first marathon using Hal Higdon’s Marathon Novice 2 guide, and last Saturday was set as a 14 mile run. I have never run farther than a half marathon (13.1 miles) so it was a little worrisome when I first thought about it. I say ‘a little’ because after running thirteen, I couldn’t imagine one more mile being that big of a deal. The distance bothered me a lot less when I thought about in that way. I really lucked out with the weather as it was an unseasonably warm 43° and the sun was out, which made for excellent running conditions.

I’m now going to share with you the bane of my running existence: keeping a slower pace during long runs. My legs always instinctively want to run as fast as I can, and I’m terrible at remembering to slow myself down. The one thing that has truly helped in this department is the GPS watch Emily got me last year. It’s pretty sweet. It beeps every mile and displays my current pace, which I can then adjust accordingly. Granted I still end up running faster than I should at times, but at least it’s getting better.

Noteworthy items from the run:

I used my water belt for the first time! It was rough going at first as it kept slipping down on me, but once I got it adjusted properly, it was great!
People need to clean up after their dogs better. There was dog poop all over the trail. It was like running through a mine field. A really disgusting mine field.
My legs and knees didn’t bother me until after mile 10 which is better than normal. This is extra great as I actually got to enjoy the majority of run.
I used two packets of Hüma for the first time. It was odd not to be eating it at the turn around point and using them a little earlier. (Strawberry & Chocolate for the win!)
I entertained myself by quoting movie lines along the way. Star Trek and Star Wars were the most used by far.
I had to stop because of traffic about a tenth of a mile from the finish and I immediately realized I couldn’t stop for long or my legs were not going to start again. It was amusing and made me laugh.
I SURVIVED!

(Picture courtesy of previously mentioned sweet GPS watch)

Overall, I’m really pleased with with my pace and performance during the run. Add in the fact I had never run that far before, and I’m going to put in the ‘Win’ column with a gold star.

My legs have been aching a lot the last two days, but it was totally worth it. Plus the distance only increases, so I suppose I better get used to it. Either that or Emily will smother me with a pillow from all the complaining. (Haha!)

Here’s to the 15 mile run next Saturday! Cheers!

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.

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.

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

When 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.

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.

Comic 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
‘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.
Speaking 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.
I 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?

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.

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