My Top Ten Picks for TableTop Guest-Players

So, my favorite show over on Geek and Sundry is Wil Wheaton’s TableTop.  If you haven’t seen it or at least heard of it, you are either not enough of a nerd to be reading my blog or you have been hiding under the preverbal rock.  Either way, it is a webseries in which Wil Wheaton level Celebrates play nerdy table top games (usually Euro style board games, but dice, card, roll playing, and Ameritrash games as well).  Here’s a sample episode (this episode runs about 25 minutes):

This list is my picks for Guest-Players who need to appear on the show. 

10.       Lisa Foiles – a quasi-famous former TV star turned internet phenomenon (like Wil Wheaton).  Lisa is probably best remembered for appearing on Nickelodeon’s All That, but is now better known as a video game journalist and web-star – previously hosting The Game Station’s Remag and currently hosting Top Five with Lisa Foiles.  Plus, we already know she’ll win, cause she’s a redhead, and redheads always win on TableTop. 

9.         Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer – probably not the biggest celebs to ever appear on TableTop (Jeri Ryan is at least as big, right? And Seth Green?).  This duo of BSG stars are no stranger to YouTube nerdom appearances.  Katee appears in Team Unicorn’s “Geek and Gamer Girls” music video and Tricia is in The Nerd Machine’s miniseries Trailer Park Heroes. 

8.         Adrianne Curry – this is either a stroke of genius or a recipe for disaster.  Should be fun to watch either way.  Not only is Adrianne a self admitted nerd and video gamer, but she also has a show Super Fans on Stan Lee’s World of Heroes YouTube channel and let’s face it, you can’t have more nerd cred than Stan Lee.  She is, however, a bit scandalous…and naughty…and nsfw.

7.         Joss Whedon – a god in the greater nerd pantheon, Whedon is responsible for Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse, and Marvel’s The Avengers.  He’s also responsible for Felicia Day (who first rose to nerd prominence in Buffy, Dr. Horrible, and Dollhouse) and he’s already made an appearance on Geek and Sundry starring in “Scary Smash,” the inaugural episode of Written By a Kid. 

6.         Dr. Drea Letamendi (@ArkhamAsylumDoc) – Fangirl, cosplayer, psychologist.  Drea is, in fact, Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon’s shrink in Gail Simone’s Batgirl.  Drea is also an expert on the psychology of “fandom.”

5.         Jim Parsons  – there is this one show, you may have heard of it.  It’s called something like The Big Bang Theory maybe, does that sound right?  Anyway, there’s this one character on the show named Dr. Sheldon Cooper and this Sheldon has an arch-nemesis named Wil Wheaton (played by Wil Wheaton, the host of TableTop).  Their rivalry is often expressed in friendly games of competition, such as bowling and the fictional trading card game Mystic Warlords of Ka’a.  Bringing Parsons onto TableTop – a show were Wil almost always looses – would finally allow Sheldon to pull one over on his mortal enemy.  Or maybe he’ll just yell “Wheeeeatoooon!”  Either way. 

4.         Liz Katz – or as my mom calls her: the naughty aerobics instructor (look for Super-Hero Boot Camp on YouTube to make that make more since).  Liz is a hard to classify girl.  She’s smart and funny and nerdy.  But she’s hot and dingy and hot, too.  Some of her videos are a little lame (I’m looking at you “I Don’t Wanna Be a Turtle”), but overall she’s pretty entertaining, if a little ADHD at times (to check her out better, head over to YouTube and take a look at her channel or watch my playlist “The Best of LizKatz.”

3.         Katie Wilson – let’s let Katie speak for herself:

A fan movement to get Katie onto TableTop is in the works and hopefully this one at least can come true.   On a side note: Chad and Angie from Screen Team Show would be another similarly ideal group to appear on the show, either in the same episode as Katie or in a separate one. 

2.         Nathan Fillion – ok, probably way out of Geek and Sundry’s budget, but we can always hope.  I mean, come on!  The Geek God himself on the Geek show!  Possibly in a themed episode with John Barrowman and Anne Wheaton.  And if you don’t know why you should definitely google image search “Nathan Fillion Wil Wheaton.”  It was the first two pics when I tried. 

1.         Me – I think that one is pretty self explanatory. 

So that’s my list.  Who would you like to see on TableTop?  Leave a comment or let me know on my twitter @nerdisnewcool.

Until next time,

Nerd Is The New Cool, signing off.

New Comic Day Special DC’s Villain Month Edition

To be honest, I’m not sure exactly what to put here, or at least how to start.  The problem is, this last month DC has been doing what DC and Marvel do best:  a companywide money-grabbing no real point crossover event.  Every title in DC’s New 52 line has been preempted by Villain Month, in which instead of, for example, Batman 23 we get The Joker #1, The Riddler #1, Penguin #1, and Bane #1.  Actually, that’s not exactly correct either.  They are actually The Joker #1 23.1 and The Riddler #1 23.2 … you get the idea. 

This is all kicked off by Forever Evil 1, the first in a 7 issue limited series.  The issue establishes the Crime Syndicate (Earth-3’s villainous alternate versions of the Justice League of America) as the crossover’s main antagonists and sets up Lex Luthor (yes, that Lex Luthor) as a protagonist. 

For a companywide crossover mini-series, the story here is top notch and very acceptable (an acceptable version of an unacceptable thing?).  Luthor remains true to his villainous self while displaying pathos and working as the issues protagonist.  The issues other protagonist, however, an actual hero this time in the form of Nightwing (Richard Grayson, the former Robin, for the uninitiated among us) takes a firm second fiddle to Luthor and in many ways seems a pale imitation to the characters usual portrayal. 

The art in Forever Evil, provided by penciller David Finch and inker Richard Friend, is among the best I’ve seen in the crossover, but the centerpiece a four page wide single panel depicting dozens of DC’s top villains is uninspired and such a letdown as to have been a waste of space in the book.  What should have been a poster worthy entry would have been served just as well by taking up at most (and I’m being generous here) a two page spread.  It is so far beneath the quality level of the rest of the issue as to be jarring, taking me out of the wonder it should have impressed upon me. 

Other week one titles, where to me, largely a waste of paper.  I leafed through several, including The Joker, a title that left me with a bad taste in my mouth and my money still firmly in my wallet.  The art in Joker, was by and large subpar – even in comparison to the above mentioned four page spread – and far undeserving of so pivotal a DC character.  The story itself was of such an awkward nature, that I couldn’t even bring myself to read more than the occasional snippet.   

I have not picked up Darkseid or Ventriloquist preventing me from giving an honest review of either, but I have heard the former was of an enjoyable read and the Gail Simone byline on the latter gives me hope for it. 

Week two presented few titles that caught my eye, of them I picked up Harley Quinn for no other reason than brand loyalty to a classic character of my youth – I did grow up on Batman: The Animated Series after all firmly planting both Quinn and Montoya in my list of favorite Batman characters.  Oh, but had I pasted this train wreck by.  The story – largely a sketchy and convoluted origin – was unimaginative at best.  Harley’s origin was confusing, primarily due to her somewhat unreliable narrator status, with the narrative of it sometimes at odds with the images but more often just not synced up with them, like a badly dubbed Godzilla movie.  Worst was the complete lack of any of the character’s customary psychotic pathos.  Like Hannibal Lector, one usually finds it hard to dislike Harley.  Even when killing people, Quinn is usually a fun yet tragic anti-heroine, never more than one more beating and betrayal by the Joker away from rehabilitation and a life of quiet solace for her past evils.  But always pulled back by a well timed kindness by her puddin’.  This Harley, however, while looking the part of the lost little girl, is presented as unredeemingly evil. The art on this issue’s cover, by Chris Burnham & Nathan Fairbairn, far outshines its interiors by the abysmal Neil Googe. 

Week three brought us several notable titles including Lex Luthor, which in retrospect I really should have picked up instead of the horrendous Eclipso, and The Cheetah, another book I didn’t pick up myself but have heard good things about. 

I have to admit, as much as I hate CWCOs (companywide crossovers), I kinda love CWCOs.  And Eclipso: The Darkness Within will always have a special place in my heart (right next to Marvel’s Infinity Gauntlet and Dark Horse’s not quite companywide Comic’s Greatest World).  Eclipso is among my favorite DC villains.  Over the years, I have forgave DC a lot when it comes to Eclipso: the ongoing series, cancelling the ongoing series, completely forgetting Bruce Gordon in later appearances, Jean Loring.  But this travesty, somehow written by the usually inspired Dan Didio and scribbled by Philip Tan and Jason Paz, is too much.  Bruce Gordon is back-ish.  He is apparently in the witness protection program though cause they’ve mostly changed his name to Gordon Jacobs, otherwise he’s still Bruce…love interest named Mona, solar energy expert, supporting character named Dr. Bennett.  DC appears to have just wanted to bring Gordon back but thought it would be too confusing what with Commish Gordon over in the Batman books.  That irks me.  Either create a new character or use the old one…don’t both while neither.  Add to that terrible art and a lame character redesign and we have the low point of my Villains Month experience. 

 Which brings us to week four, this week.  I had originally planned on grabbing Joker’s Daughter, but it vanished from shelves far too quickly (we’ll talk a bit about that down below in a moment), so instead I was left with Ocean Master.  Oddly, in a week that also included Doomsday, Bane, Killer Croc, and Sinistro, I pick up a book focusing on a character I care little about.  Perhaps this should have been my strategy the whole time. 

This issue, with so-so art by Geraldo Borges and Ruy Jose, was by far the best book I picked up all month.  The character was dark and cold, unmistakably a villain, yet he had the pathos Harley was lacking in her book.  The story was inspired.  It was maybe a little familiar (I’m thinking of the Silver Age Sub-Mariner over at Marvel as a classic example), but still remaining a worthy read in a sea of issues that seemed to be more interested in murdering trees and making money than they were ever interested in entertaining loyal readers and fans. 

Now back to that vanishing from the shelves thing.  As far as I can tell, as a whole, DC drastically under printed these issues.  While I was at my regular comic shop today, at least four sold out, not counting several that were already MIA when I arrived.  I visited another shop to try to pick up the afore mentioned Joker’s Daughter and not a single Villains Month issue was still to be had. I’ve been told the shops are also under stocked as well.  Perhaps this was simple under ordering on the shops’ part, but every shop in the city?  Or perhaps it is merely an accident on the publisher’s part.  But is that an excuse?  To under publish a minor villain would be one thing, but Bane? Joker’s Daughter? Darkseid?  Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I know of several people with pull lists who didn’t get issues they should have.  Anyway, moving on…

Perhaps this crossover’s biggest sin is the covers: 3D lenticular motion covers.  My main question is why?  The speculator boom of the 90s was full of foil covers, dicut covers, hologram covers, popup centerfolds, and a million other gimmicky wastes of time.  Why restart a trend that only caused its own bust, when collectors – in it for the gimmicks and the hope of turning a profit investing in comics the way you would invest in stocks – realized the new comics were never going to be worth the money old comics are. 

I can understand the business behind a CWCO, trying to get fans to pick up extra issues that month, but this kind of gimmick is insulting to fans – at least this fan – and is self-detrimental to future sales, in my humble opinion. 

But I’m just me.  I don’t speak for the whole world.  So I ask you, Fanboys, what do you think of the motion covers, of CWCOs in general and in Forever Evil/Villains Month in particular? 

Feel free to give me your humble opinion, or even hit your caps lock and yell at me, in the comments below or on my twitter @nerdisnewcool

Until next time,

Nerd Is The New Cool, signing off.  

Top Ten Super-Hero Films That Should Get Made (But Never Will)

So over on the Black Nerd Comedy Channel on YouTube, Andre Meadows asked his viewers what Super-Hero they would like to see get their own movie (You can watch his video here: 

Be sure to give him a thumbs up and subscribe to his channel.  He’s a pretty funny guy.  Tell him Nerd Is the New Cool sent you). 

So in honor of Black Nerd, here is my list of 10 Super-Heroes (and Teams) that deserve their own feature length film... but aren't going to get one...

10.       Chase (DC Comics) – Chase is kinda DC comics Nick Fury – only young, hot, blonde, female, and sporting a full set of eyes.  Cameron Chase is a DEO (that’s Department of Extranormal Operations for the Newbies) Agent operating primarily in New York, though several of her adventures are in Gotham City and Metropolis (homes of Batman and Superman). Chase is the daughter of murdered Super-Hero Acro-Bat (think the Adam West incarnation of Batman if Eli Roth wrote the final two parter), a former teammate of the Martian Manhunter (then using the name Bronze Wraith).  Her title only lasted about 10 issues, not leaving a lot of source material, but giving a fairly in-depth mythology that could be mined. 

Chase Fan Casting: Jennifer Morrison as Chase, Hugo Weaving as Dr. Trap

9.         Eclipso (DC Comics) – ok, I know what you’re going to say.  Eclipso isn’t a hero, he’s a villain and thus not even eligible by my own title to be given this spot.  My heartfelt and thoroughly thought out response to this honest and constructive criticism on your part:  shut up, it’s my fraking list.  But in all seriousness, Eclipso both in his early lame villain self and as his more resent awesome godlike villainious glory, is a pretty cool villain and one of the better ones to ever headline their own title (he had both a feature in House of Secrets and a self titled book, not to mention helming a couple of miniseries).  He’s cool, he’s inexcusably evil, he’s kinda funny at times, and he’s down right demented at others.  Plus, he’s got a pretty decent supporting cast: Dr. Bruce Gordon, who had a long time Jekyll-and-Hyde connection to Eclipso; Gordon’s fiancé Mona; the Atom’s ex-wife Jean Loring, gone insane and serving as Eclipso’s host; heroes Creeper, Starman, and Lar Gand (Mon-El) all have significant dealings with him.  He could easily be featured as a villain in someone else’s movie, say Green Lantern or even Superman, but to be true to this classic character, he needs to be taken back to his roots and given the reins of his own project. 

Eclipso Fan Casting: Andy Serkis or Michael Emerson would make interesting choices for the Bruce Gordon Eclipso.  Claudia Black as the Jean Loring incarnation

8.         Valiant Heroes (Valiant Comics – some now at Dark Horse) – I’m not sure if I’m calling this a series of individual movies – of which I think X-O, Shadowman, and Rai are all especially good choices for, with Turok and Bloodshot being secondary contenders  – or an ensemble film – my first choices there would be the Malev War or the initial Spider-Alien invasion with Unity being a distant third for an initial outing.  More than anything else on this list, I can’t ever have this film/series.  Magnus, Solar, and Turok aren’t Valiant anymore, the others are drastically different in the “Summer of Valiant” universe.  Aww…but if only…

Valiant Heroes Fan Casting: Chris Hemsworth as X-O (too obvious?), George Takei or Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Harada

7.         Werewolf by Night (Marvel Comics) – ok, Disney, listen up and listen close…non-Super-Hero comics do exist and are cool and should be mined for movie ideas.  Marvel’s titular lycanthrope is just one of several great Marvel Monster titles ripe for the big screen adaptation picking.  The story of Jack Russell – initially told in Marvel Spotlight 2-4, Werewolf by Night 1-43, and five Giant-Sized issues – if full of recognizable Marvel characters including Topez, Moon Knight, Dracula, and Tigra all of whom could be introduced and spun off into their own movies… ok maybe not Topez, but you get my meaning. 

Werewolf by Night Fan Casting: Christian Kane (though I also thought about Taylor Kitsch) as Jack/Werewolf, Amy Aker as Lissa Russell, Timothy Dalton as Dracula

6.         Astro City (currently at DC/Vertigo) – another almost impossible to make film.  A good Astro City film would be on par with Watchmen and The Avengers, but possibly with a bigger cast and more special effects.  Individual films could focus on Samaritan and/or Honor Guard, The Confessor (the “Confession” alien invasion storyline would be a great second or third film), Steeljack’s “Tarnished Angel” storyline, or any of the sundry other unique and familiar characters in the AC universe. 

Astro City Fan Casting: Neal McDonough as The Confessor, Dean Cain as Samaritan, Harry Dean Stanton as Steeljack, Eli Wallach as Mr. Bridwell

5.         X (Dark Horse Comics) – X my personal favorite Dark Horse hero is sorta a cross between Batman and Punisher.  In recent years, his (dare I say) frienemy Ghost has greatly overshadowed him as the ultimate representative of the Comics Greatest World line of comics from Dark Horse – and I would gladly accept a Ghost film as well or instead of an X one – but X remains my favorite.  Of all the ultra violent Batman clones in comics, X has the most grit and the most flair.  Of all the Punisher clones, X is the only, in my humble opinion, to outshine the original.  I would love to see a scuffle between a big screen X and the Pit Bulls – his still violent but much more “good guys” vigilante antagonists – as well as appearances by Monster (with well done Hulk-like CGI or equally good practical Thing-like prosthetics/makeup) and Ghost.  But the main thrust of the film would have to be the gangster Carmine Tango, hitman Gamble, and my favorite X-villain Gretchen the corrupt mayor’s secretary – what can I say, I like bad girls.  Also, success with this film could open up more CGW films: Vortex, Barb Wire (they did? When? Pam Anderson? I don’t recall that…and you say it was a Casablanca rip off? Doesn’t sound like Barb Wire at all…), Titan, Golden City/Catalyst, spin offs for Ghost or Pit Bulls, even a full adaptation of the original Comics Great World mini.

X Fan Casting: Karl Urban as X, Eliza Dushku as Ghost

4          Micronauts (Marvel Comics) – ok, this movie would be a logistics nightmare, mostly because Marvel doesn’t have license for the Micronauts anymore…some of the characters, but not the team or the main villain… So that’s a big strike against it.  But a big screen adaptation of these little guys would be monumentally big…err… small, I mean.  An adaptation could be made of the Image (or Devil’s Due or Kinetic Underground) title or of the franchise without using any comic company as source material, but Marvel is the classic incarnation and everyone who would flock to this is fans of the Marvel version…add in the Marvel Cinematic Universe non-comic fans and a good cast and this could be a blockbuster.  Done right it could be a holiday season family film money maker or a summer action flick, either way. 

Micronauts Fan Casting: Patrick Warburton as Rann, Adrien Brody as Bug, Colin Salmon as Acroyear

3.         Metal Men (DC Comics) – there are a number of ways that this could be played out.  As a straight action/super-hero movie, as a sci-fi movie, or as a comedy.  It’s very rare that a serious comic works as a comedy on film, but this one might be able to pull it off.  However, I think the best way to go would be as a serious Sci-fi movie.  The Metal Men lend themselves to it so well. They are after all robots, they fight Tohoesque giant monsters, and they are led by a mad scientist.  Don’t even emphasize the comic book source material in the trailers, just treat it like a sci-fi film.  You’re not listening are you Warner Bros.?  You’re going to either not do it or do what you did with Jonah Hex and make it a super-hero movie aren’t you.  I give up…

Metal Men Fan Cast: Pierce Brosnan as Doc Magnus, Charisma Carpenter as Platinum

2.         Man-Thing (Marvel Comics) – No, they haven’t!  But the reason you think they have is the reason they never will.  There was a few years ago a God awful movie called Man-Thing, a terrible horror movie with nothing to do with this comic yet somehow baring its name and the worst application of “based on” ever.  The real Man-Thing is an anti-heroic monster dripping with pathos.  With the right script, a decent FX budget, and the backing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe label, a good film adaptation could be achieved. 

Man-Thing Fan Cast: Josh Brolin as Ted Sallis, Amber Benson as Jennifer Kale, and Stephanie Szostak reprising her role as Ellen Brandt from Iron Man 3

1.         Adam Strange (DC Comics) – the ultimate comic book, sci-fi hero.  He’s been an honorary member of the Justice League and a member of the Forgotten Heroes.  In the Silver Age, he was an A-lister, then he dropped down to the C-list, but since the 52 mini-series, he has had a strong showing as a B-lister.  Kinda like a certain Metal Guy over at Marvel, you know, the one who is the central driving force in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Kinda what DC needs to start its own Cinematic Universe, a strong B-list character who can become a box office A-lister.  DiCaprio has had this project in Development Hell since at least ’09. 

Adam Strange Fan Cast: since DC seems insistent on not casting him as Green Lantern, how about having Nathan Fillon don a red space suit instead as Adam Strange

So there you have it, my Top Ten Comic Book movies we ain’t never gonna see, but should. 

What comic books (whether Super-Hero or elsewise) would you like to see make it to the big screen?  Let me know in the comments or on twitter @NerdIsNewCool

Oh, and by the way #AllisonScag4Cassie (not on the list cause it's still gonna happen!)

Nerd Is the New Cool Blog Returning

We will be returning from our extended hiatus starting tomorrow, Monday September 23, 2013. There will be a few changes to our schedule of posts, beginning with Nerdy Top 10s move to Mondays and also including a format change for New Comic Day in which we will now be discussing the overall new release schedule rather than reviewing a single issue as we have in the past.

More new developments are also in the work so keep an eye out here and on my twitter @nerdisnewcool

I will see you tomorrow with The Top Ten Super-Hero Films That Should Get Made (But Never Will).  

In the meantime, to keep you occupied here is a cool new video by our friends at ScreenTeam:



Nerd is the New Cool, signing off