Em’s Week Adventures

This past week has been one of the most fun and nerdy ones this year. Winter is no longer keeping us locked inside and the sunny, warm Spring weather has me out and about.

Thursday AND Saturday night I saw The Avengers: Age of Ultron and enjoyed it thoroughly both times. It must have had to do with the witty, Joss Wheedon one-liners, great acting by the cast, and more Hawkeye screentime.

-SPOILERS, HIGHLIGHT TO READ- I wasn’t quite sure why people didn’t enjoy the fact that Clint had a family. Sure, I know ships were sunk, but I felt like that was a nice plot twist. Also wasn’t quite sure why people were so upset about Natasha’s story either. Yes, she was upset when she revealed to Banner her sterilization in the Red Room, but I feel like she was more upset by the fact that she didn’t get to choose if she could have a child or not.

Also, that Quicksilver ending. Chris had me believing half way through the movie the first time that Hawkeye was going to die. “They’re revealing too much of his background story.” He whispered throughout the movie. He even started grabbing my hand through the battle in Slocovia. When Ultron fired those shots from the plane, my hand was squeezed and I couldn’t help but think, ‘Oh shit oh shit oh shit.’ Quicksilver was pretty much right on the dot. I didn’t see that one coming.–END SPOILERS-

Comic Book Day 2015 Stash

Saturday, as everyone knows, was Free Comic Book Day. We went to our favorite local comic shop who was having a small event. We grabbed a few comics as well as a commissioned sketch from a local artist. I asked for Hawkeye while wearing my “Because, Boomrangs” shirt from the Matt Fraction & David Aja comics, and the artist knew my taste. I got Clint Barton AND Pizza Dog. Spot on.

Hawkeye & Pizza DogMonday AND Wednesday Chris and I were in St. Louis watching Cardinals vs Cubs baseball. Both were fun games, and we ended up evening out in the end. Cardinals won Monday, Cubs won Wednesday. I did however win the war, as Cardinals took the series. Those are my boys.

Busch Stadium

While in St. Louis on Wednesday, we stopped by a comic shop I use to visit frequently during my St. Louis living era. Star Clipper, which had closed in one area, reopened in another part of town. I of course had to check it out. While it had the same vibe as the one I had frequented before, the new one felt more… Refreshed. I also liked chatting with the staff, nice to be around friendly fellow nerds.

Star Clipper

Friday night was spent seeing Matt & Kim live in concert. If you don’t know Matt & Kim, give them a listen. If you haven’t seen them live, go do so as soon as they are close to your neighborhood. I learned about Matt & Kim while I was in college, and have continued to love them because of their upbeat and energetic tunes. Their concert is just as upbeat and energetic, and we partied (aka jumping and screaming/singing) until close to midnight. (Their opening act, Waters, was good as well with their rock/upbeat music.)

Matt & Kim

Days of Future & Past

Things have been a bit hectic in my life, but let me help bring you up to speed…

Days of Past

This winter I had been training for an event I completed two weekends ago. I completed my second half-marathon with a personal record of 2:01.

Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon

The course was slightly hillier then I expected, but the weather was perfect for racing conditions. At 7:30am when the race began, it was 37°F and at the end it was closer to the upper 40s. The Sonic in me was strong.

After that race, I began to plan for the next full marathon I’d do… However it couldn’t be too far into the year because on November 15th, 2015 Chris and I will be….

& Future

2014 Avengers Half Marathon

…in Anaheim, California running the Avengers Half Marathon. Being a midwesterner, I have only been to Disney World, so it will also be the first time I’ve been to Disney Land. We are taking suggestions on where to visit and what to do while we’re in the area.

Speaking of, Avengers: Age of Ultron is starting to show on Thursday. Already have our tickets to see the movie.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

So far from everything I’ve seen previews wise, I’m feeling like this will meet Avengers standards, entertainment wise. Looking forwards to Hawkeye having more show time being himself and kicking butt then brainwashed this time around.

Also, might I say, Black Widow is looking quite badass in her new gear.

This is quite the geek weekend, as Saturday, for those who do not know is Free Comic Book Day. Looks like there are several good choices out there for grabs. I’ve got my eyes on Boom Comics’ issue. You?

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
StarWars1

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 & #2Darth1

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 #1leia

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!

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.