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Kickstart this – A crowdfunding round up

Andy Haigh
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Kickstart this – A crowdfunding round up

Welcome to the latestest edition of GP’s crowdfunding round up, this is what’s been pinging on the radar at GP HQ.

 

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Curia Regis by Robin Hoelzemann is an on-going webcomic (you can read it here) which tells the story of Maren a courtier and Jacques a self- appointed monarch in training against the backdrop of revolution in 18th century France. Hoelzemann is wanting to collect the first eleven chapters together for Curia Regis Volume One.

Why should you care?

Curia Regis is an engrossing historical character drama with a story that features underhand machinations and machiavellian scheming along with a cast of interesting characters, there isn’t really anything else like it, Hoelzemann’s talent for depicting backgrounds, environments and architecture as well as people makes this world much more engrossing too.

For more on Curia Regis go here.

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Snippy’s Dead Zone Tour Guide Book is a book about the world of Romantically Apocalyptic. For those that don’t know Romantically Apocalyptic is a post apocalyptic sci-fi webcomic (read it here) created by Vitaly S Alexius (with the help of various other folks) which is based around the misadventures of Zee Captein the unhinged egocentric commander of a crew of soldiers including Snippy, Pilot and Engineer. The webcomic is known primarily for two things, its twisted sense of humour and the lush art depicting the world the characters are exploring.

Why should you care?

The book is a good introduction to the world of Romantically Apocalyptic and also functions as guide book for Snippy as a citizen of Eureka, a sprawling mega-city and hub of civilisation on the ruined Earth. The guide book explains the rules and myriad factors of life for Snippy before he met Zee Captein and the rest of the crew. Ofcourse the book will be shot through with the twisted sense of humour that Romantically Apocalyptic is known for.

For more on Snippy’s Dead Zone Tour Guide Book go here

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Distict-Z-The Cult is a new stand alone game from Rubi-OH! Games set in the world of District Z featuring a dark, macabre art style and the hook of ‘something gone wrong’ in the Zombie infested apocalypse.

Why should you care?

Interestingly this a solo game rather than one that requires other players. Using a ‘choose your own adventure’ style rulebook, this is a brave move by Rubi-OH! Games, showing an exploration of an area in tabletop gaming that is still in relative infancy. Couple this with custom dice, four different starter characters and an engaging theme and it makes for interesting concept.

For more on District Z- The Cult go here

 

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Suicide Squad Review and Giveaway : Not so Rotten after all!

joshkingofgeeks
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Suicide Squad Review and Giveaway : Not so Rotten after all!

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*****POSSIBLE SPOILERS WITHIN*****

****Make sure to check out the Suicide Squad Giveaway at the bottom of the review.***

I walked into the midnight screening at my local Vue with optimism and an unbiased mind, I had read the review that Rotten Tomatoes had done and I really couldn’t believe they hated it that much. So like a cat, filled with curiosity, I took my seat and waited for the magic to begin.

First off, before i delve into my review let’s have a run down / a quick catch up on who and what the suicide squad are!

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The Suicide Squad initiative functions as an unorthodox work release program, which explains why many of the DC Universe’s supervillains remain perpetually on the loose—regardless of how many occasions they are apprehended and incarcerated for their latest crimes. The modern incarnation, the Suicide Squad, is an antihero “strike team” of incarcerated, death row supervillains. Acting as deniable, covert assets of the United States government, it undertakes high-risk, black-ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary under the directorship of Amanda Waller.

Notable alumni team members are: Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, Count Vertigo, Deadshot, Enchantress, Poison Ivy and Killer Frost.

In December 2014, the cast of the film was announced.

In addition to confirming Will Smith as Deadshot we had Jared Leto as the Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. Out of the blue and in a remarkable twist, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer were considered for the role of Amanda Waller, with Viola Davis winning the role. Ben Affleck reprises his role as Batman from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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Most people have already seen the devastating review on rotten tomatoes and from other, if not short sighted critics, you could tell by the atmosphere of the cinema screen I was in that it had left a sour taste in their mouths. Well I’m here to tell you a simple truth; “it ain’t all bad”, in fact its really good!

If you stop seeing it as a standalone film but rather a bridge between BVS and JL, then you’re going to follow it really well. I laughed, I cringed, I cheered and I may have also gone “mmmm” at a few scenes but hey, I’m a red blooded male!

So let’s cover the story shall we:

In the aftermath of Superman’s death, intelligence operative Amanda Waller assembles a team of dangerous criminals, the deranged Harley Quinn; elite hit man Deadshot; pyro kinetic ex-gangster El Diablo; opportunistic thief Captain Boomerang; the monstrous Killer Croc; and specialized mercenary Slipknot at Belle Reve Penitentiary and places them under command of Colonel Rick Flag. They’re disposable assets for high-risk missions and each member has a small bomb implanted in their neck designed to detonate should any member rebel or try to escape. Enchantress is the naughty wench who does the ole ‘destroy the world’ ploy with the help of her equally magical and naughty brother Incubus, so it’s up to our merry band of misfit’s to save the city.

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WHAT I LIKED

This film sets the tone just like Guardians of the Galaxy did; to a soundtrack. Which works brilliantly and you can tell David Ayer really wanted the action sequences to have an action feel and rhythm to them, so he featured music by the likes of ‘Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eminem, Black Sabbath, Panic! At the disco and Sweet’ already a soundtrack I’d love to own. Will Smith’s portrayal of ‘Deadshot’ was outstanding, with Smith taking ‘Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot’ and almost pulling him out of the comic book. The relationship with Lawton and his daughter is well written and the emotion and attachment between the two is heart warming, if slightly tragic.

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Margot Robbie as ‘Harley Quinn’, now there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding Margots version of ‘Harley Quinn’. It’s been scrutinized, picked apart, even been deemed too sexualized for the film. It’s this geek’s personal opinion that people really need to lighten up when it comes to a comic book character who over the years has had a very colourful array of costumes and may I add skimpy ones too, some border lining on BDSM. ‘Harley Quinn’ is in my eyes a great addition, she’s the perfect blend of cute, crazy, sexy and lethal all wrapped up in hot pants and a baseball bat. So in review, let’s just appreciate the fact Harley is on the big screen and her finer moments aren’t with her “puddin”.

Jai Courtney as ‘Captain Boomerang’ was in my eyes the Comedic asshole we all know him to be and his scenes did leave you chuckling, his arrival into the film was welcomed by a great cameo from our very own Scarlet Speedster. Jay Hernandez as ‘El Diablo’ and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as ‘Killer Croc’ have some of the best scene stealing moments in the film, to the point I really wanted to see more of them especially Diablo.

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The action sequences in Suicide Squad are just that but the thing that makes them really good is that the Director had the foresight to add some fun into them. Consider the Suicide Squad the dark side version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, once you except that and stop being so cynical about it you can actually enjoy the film. The CGI and special effects are something else, from Enchantress and her mists, diablos fire and the prosthetics covering three quarters of Adewales body, you almost believe he’s a croc.

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The Batman! Even though his scenes were minor and short lived, it was fresh to see Batman from the bad guys POV, silent, deadly and badass exactly what we’ve come to expect from Batfleck.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

Jared Leto as the Joker…

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He was never my first pick as the clown prince of crime, as a fan of the joker I always wanted Willam Defoe to play him but Leto it was to be. Now, I know the writers and Production Company wanted a new and up to date joker; a Gangster, a mob type, almost cocaine fueled maniac, ala Heath Ledgers Joker but hat we got was a James Cagney, tattooed, teeth grill, eye brows shaved joker type Kardashian that couldn’t laugh on cue if his life depended on it.

The laugh alone I think was a deal breaker for me; like an old man who’s been constipated for weeks and only now the laxative he took has worked. That’s the joker laugh of Jared Leto! Forced!

The relationship between Joker and Harley is something I wasn’t expecting, Mr. J is obsessed with getting Harley back from Belle Reve, to the point he’s willing to die for her. That’s not the abusive and violent not giving a crap about Harley Mr. J that we all know and love. Instead, it’s more of a dependent on her, he can’t be without her and goes to great lengths to get her back.

Kitana, I honestly feel there was no point to her character being there, she didn’t play a huge role and didn’t have to be added to the already stella cast line up. Shame as her character is an interesting one and Karen Fukuhara was an excellent choice for her; unfortunately this was no maximised and so her character was left pretty ineffective.

Finally, the pace of the film!

I have never witnessed a film more wanting to go from start to finish in record time. Suicide Squad started and then before I knew it they were out, mission was a go, fighting in the city, hooray they won and the lights were coming on in the cinema. The story was there but the pace of the feature was all too fast to keep up with what was going on.

CONCLUSION

Rotten Tomatoes and other critics didn’t, in my opinion, give the film a fair review, in fact, it makes me wonder if they even saw the film  at all or just used the trailer footage to come up with their sham use of webpage space.

This Geek? I enjoyed the film. Bright, loud, humerous and a hell of a lot of gun fire; Suicide Squad is a great bridge movie and undeserving of the recent ridicule from over zealous ‘critics’

NOTE: there is a mid credits scene, so don’t leave the cinema straight away!

 

Win a villainous Suicide Squad prize bundle

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 On August 5, meet the worst heroes ever when Suicide Squad arrives in UK cinemas!

To celebrate the imminent debut of the bad guys from Belle Reve, we’re offering you the chance to win an incredible prize bundle, which includes: a black hat, LED Power Bank, playing cards and more!

All you have to do is answer the following easy Question, Tweet the Answer (A, (B or (C with the hastags #Suicidesquad #giveaways #Geekpride and make sure to follow us  @geekpride1

http://www.twitter.com/geekpride1

Question:
Suicide Squad stars this Australian actress as Harley Quinn – aka Dr. Harleen Quinzel – a former psychiatrist who fell for her most famous patient – the Joker – and now views life as one big joke. This actress is best known for her breakout role in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and the recent Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Name this actress.

A) Margot Robbie
B) Nicole Kidman
C) Cate Blanchett

From director David Ayer (“Fury,” “End of Watch”) comes “Suicide Squad,” starring Oscar nominee Will Smith (“Ali,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), Oscar winner Jared Leto (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Focus”), Joel Kinnaman (“Run All Night,” “The Killing”) and Oscar nominee Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Doubt”).

It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity.  U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do.  However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

Written and directed by Ayer based on the characters from DC Comics, the film also stars Jai Courtney (“Insurgent”), Jay Hernandez (“Takers”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Thor: The Dark World”), Ike Barinholtz (“Neighbors”), Scott Eastwood (“Fury”), Cara Delevingne (“Paper Towns”), Adam Beach (“Cowboys & Aliens”), and Karen Fukuhara in her feature film debut.  It is produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

SUICIDE SQUAD opens in cinemas August 5

Join the conversation with
Facebook.com/SuicideSquadUK
Twitter.com/SuicideSquadUK

For more information on Suicide Squad visit:
https://www.warnerbros.co.uk/movies/suicide-squad

© 2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TM & © DC Comics.

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Terms & Conditions

  • Competition will close on 14/08/2016
  • Open to UK residents only
  • www.Geek-Pride.co.uk is the competition promoter
  • Prize for each of the two (2) winners is x1 (one) black hat, x1 (one) playing cards, x1 (one) LED Power Bank, x1 (one) black ¾ t-shirt, x1 (one) tattoo sheet and x1 (one) set of ten t-shirts
  • If any item listed above is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute with an alternative item of similar value
  • Prize winners may be required to take part in reasonable post-competition publicity for Warner and may be filmed, photographed or otherwise recorded by Warner or other third parties for publicity and he/she consents to the use of his/her personal data for such purposes
  • Prize winners may be required to sign a Prize Acceptance Form before the Prize is awarded. If a Prize winner is under the age of 18 years, a parent or guardian may be required to sign a Prize Acceptance Form before the Prize is awarded
  • There is no cash alternative to Prizes which are subject to availability, non-transferable, non-negotiable and non-refundable.  Prizes may not be sold, offered for sale or used in connection with any other competition or promotion by the Prize winner
  • Prize details are correct at the date of this Agreement.  Events may occur that render the Media Promotion itself or the awarding of Prizes impossible due to unforeseen circumstances or reasons beyond the control of Warner.  In this situation, Warner may at its discretion vary or amend Prizes so as to provide reasonable alternative Prizes and Prize winners agree that no liability shall attach to Warner or parties connected to Warner as a result.
  • The prize will be delivered to the winners within 28 days of confirmation of delivery address
  • Winners will be notified via email and their full postal address requested for prize fulfilment
  • Failure to reply to notification within 2 weeks renders the competition void

 

 

 

Firefly Cargo Crate 003: Big Damn Heroes

xdustineflx
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Firefly Cargo Crate 003: Big Damn Heroes

Although I am no longer a regular Loot Crate subscriber, I am continuing on with their Firefly Cargo Crates, having been a subscriber since the first one. Thanks to a deal with Quantum Mechanix, the official merchandiser of Firefly replica items and collectibles, the quality of these boxes is top-notch, and I have yet to come across an item in the boxes I didn’t like. Does the third box in the series, featuring the theme “Big Damn Heroes”, continue the trend? Let’s take a look.

Starting off, we have a QBits blind-box figure, a staple of the Firefly boxes. Each month, you usually can get one of two or three options.

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The past two that I got featured Jayne and Book, respectively. This month…

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…It’s everyone’s favourite pilot who was tragically killed in one of the worst on-screen deaths in history, Wash! Okay, that was a little brutal. I am truly sorry. At least the figure is adorable.

Continuing the trend with collectible figurines, another staple of these boxes are the Little Damn Heroes figurines. We’ve got Zoe this month.

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These make for some beautiful collectibles. Nice detail and a beautiful paint job. She’s going to look really nice next to the Jayne and Kaylee ones received in previous boxes. Speaking of Zoë, we’ve got another collectible just for her.

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This is a Certificate of Valor for Zoë from her time in the Independents. Not much can be done with this, but it will likely look pretty nice once I get it inside a frame. It’ll go well with the other posters and photos currently adorning my walls.

Next is my absolute favourite item in the box, a challenge coin that was exclusively available at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

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I had my eye on this, and was planning on buying one through QMx like I did the last time they did one of these exclusively for SDCC. Fortunately, now I don’t have to. Let’s take a look at the coin itself:

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Beautiful. This is my third Firefly coin from QMx and fourth overall (I also have one for the 10th anniversary of the “Can’t Stop the Serenity” charity screening) and this is easily my favourite thanks to the bright colours on the front and back as well as the detail put into Serenity herself. QMx can include as many of these they like in future boxes, as far as I’m concerned.

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This is a leather-bound journal, perfect for the Browncoat writer in the family. It’s too pretty to write in, though. Fortunately, I rarely write with a pen and paper anymore, so that won’t be a problem. Perhaps when I start writing Mal/Castle/Captain Hammer fanfiction. I mean, if I was planning on doing that. Which I’m not. Yet.

Three more items left. The first is a sticker, also found on the outside of the box.

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Nothing too fancy, but it’s nicely done.

There’s also a lapel pin, the fourth pin total received in these boxes. They’re pretty sharp, and this one is no different, featuring the name of theme of this box, which is also part of one of the most famous quotes in the show’s criminally short run.

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Finally, we’ve got an exclusive t-shirt, one that comes with the added bonus of being designed by none other than the costume designer on Firefly, Shawn Trpcic.

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The title is “Stand Firm”, and really doesn’t have much to do with the show. However, Shawn Trpcic made it, so who cares? It’s still a pretty slick-looking shirt, and my wife claimed it immediately. Considering we have nearly a dozen Firefly/Serenity shirts in our house and all but one of them are mine, it’s only fair she gets at least one more, right?

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Hard to pick a favourite out of the three boxes received thus far, but this one might just get the nod thanks to the challenge coin. Either way, the trend continues of boxes full of fantastic items with no duds. If Loot Crate could put this much effort into their regular subscriptions, I never would have canceled. I’ll be back here in two months for Crate 004: A Leaf on the Wind.

Fallout 4: Vault Tec Workshop DLC

Lauren Croft
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Fallout 4: Vault Tec Workshop DLC

Fallout 4′s penultimate DLC has finally been released and it follows on in the footsteps of its every so popular app, Fallout Shelter.

The Vault-Tec Workshop is all about clearing, building, running and experimenting with your very own Vault. The DLC starts with an incoming radio signal from Vault 88 on your Pip-Boy. After making your way to the south-east edge of the map, you’ll need to clear out a gathering of raiders before finally gaining access to Vault 88. Once inside you’ll find the current occupiers waiting for you, along with the long standing overseer.

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After carrying out a number of small and menial, yet necessary, quests you can begin to clear out the half finished Vault of its current occupiers, junk and rubble.

The construction of the Vault follows the same basic method as all the other settlements, just with a lot more fiddly bits and pieces. There’s not really any clear instructions on how to construct the antechambers and ramps, or how you introduce water and power to the vault, which can lead to destroying and re-building segments a frustrating amount of times whilst wasting previous resources.

The space available to clear for building usage is huge, with multiple offshoots, chambers and antechambers. This might sound great having so much space to experiment, but it’s really not. If anything, it comes across as a bit of a tease as the overall size of the Vault (or settlement) bar has not particularly changed, thus limiting your creativity yet again to the amount and size of potential builds.

A lot of pieces are required to build an average sized fully functioning Vault, and although each piece doesn’t really require a lot of materials you will never the less find yourself running through them rather quickly, in particular rubber and steel which seem to be the more acquired materials.

Once your Vault has been constructed you can choose to side with the current overseer, and assist her with conducting any long awaited experiments set out by Vault-Tec, or you can choose to be your own overseer and run the Vault to suit. The experiments aren’t particularly interesting and don’t really add benefit to anything, you can however choose to be as evil and manipulative as you wish by deciding the extent of the on going experiments.

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The Vault-Tec Workshop is overall a fun addition to the building aspect of the game but lacks added content in regards to story and development.

Basically, it is what it says, which is another glorified settlement workshop.

New Firefly Deck Building Game announced

Mark Canty
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New Firefly Deck Building Game announced

Legendary® Encounters: A Firefly™ Deck Building Game brings together the story telling of a cooperative deck builder with the Episodes of the hit TV show Firefly.  Players must work together to complete a set of Objectives for each Episode, gain credits, and hopefully win the game.

Firefly - RiverFirefly - Kaylee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As an evolution of the previous Legendary Encounters games, the Firefly edition focuses on the Avatars, with each member of the crew becoming an Avatar in the new game. During setup each player selects and Avatar, with 5 main and 4 supporting characters available. With less than 5 payers, you choose extra avatars to ensure that 5 are in play, while the remaining 4 go beneath the playmat – they still feature in the game, but are not players. Their 14 card decks are combined into the Crew Deck for use in the game itself.

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With release due on August 10th, we’re anticipating more news to come. The cards look good, and we’re looking forward to trying the game!

Gone Beyond the Veil – RIP Jerry Doyle 1956-2016

Mark Canty
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Gone Beyond the Veil – RIP Jerry Doyle 1956-2016

It was announced just hours ago that Jerry Doyle, best known for playing Michael Garibaldi in Babylon 5 from 1994-1998, has passed away at the age of 60. A resident of Las Vegas, his family have not yet confirmed the cause of death, but the news was posted on his Twitter feed and his verified Facebook page.

Jerry Doyle

Jerry Doyle was most recently known as a talk show host with strong right-wing beliefs, with a show across the US, and the founder of news site Epic Times. A passionate host with moderate right wing beliefs, the first comment on his family’s announcement of his passing was from a woman who admitted she wrote to him after listening to his show last year to tell him she had always been a leftist, and while his show was entertaining, he wouldn’t ‘convert her’. Within an hour he had replied to her: “I’m not out to convert anyone, All I’m trying to do is make you think about things, and dig a little deeper to find the truth”. He may have been a celebrity, but he never thought he was above anybody else. As J Michael Straczynski said in his statement “Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast.”

Babylon 5 - Ivanova, Sinclair and Garibaldi

Jerry was an orphan, adopted by a police officer and his wife, and raised as their eldest son in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated college in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics, and was a trained pilot, working first as a corporate jet pilot, and then as a stock broker for a decade. In 1991, he decided he wanted to become an actor, and moved to New York.

His first role on television was with that other noted balding actor, Bruce Willis, in Moonlighting, but Babylon 5 was his first significant starring role, as the station’s troubled and troublesome Chief Security officer, Michael Garibaldi. He commented that he was “A Mick from Brooklyn playing a Wop from Mars“, which was definitely one way to put it. Michael Garibaldi was a blue collar misfit, constantly sabotaging himself because he didn’t think he deserved what he’d achieved, even as he earned the friendship and loyalty of a number of people he himself respected. He valued loyalty, but found trouble trusting others, which was probably the founding of many of his problems, while also ensuring he generally came out on top, though not without a lot of pain and heartbreak.

A touchstone for many viewers as an ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation, he often did the heavy lifting no-one else could or would, because he rarely stopped long enough to realise it was impossible until he was done. We last saw him finally happy, in his own way, with his lost love, Lise. A frequent frenemy of Londo Mollari, a friend to Stephen Franklin when he needed grounding, and a bad influence on Ambassador Delenn’s protege, Lennier, to help him see society beyond his sheltered upbringing before he became a Ranger, Garibaldi was originally there because the first commander of the station, Jeffrey Sinclair, insisted on him. As a burned out, rebellious NCO, Earthforce was about done with him, but Sinclair needed someone who wouldn’t pay games, and he could trust. Constantly trying to keep up with the various agendas of the station’s inhabitants, Garibaldi managed to stay on top of things by the skin of his teeth, but all too often towards the middle and end of the series he was caught in the middle of the escalating crisis, and no-one could entirely be sure if he was an ally or a friend. In the end, though, he came out on top, as he generally did – He was too stubborn, and too loyal to be broken or give up on the people that mattered to him. Though I will always treasure his scenes with Walter Koenig, in his second best known role as the Psi Corps agent Alfred Bester.

Jerry was married to Andrea Thompson, his Babylon 5 co-star from 1995-1997, with the ceremony almost as short as the marriage, Doyle commenting “If the ceremony takes longer than it takes for a margarita to separate, it’s too long“.

Following Babylon 5, Jerry stood for election as a Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives. Defeated by his Democratic opponent, Brad Sherman, he still achieved more than 43,000 votes without spending any money to compete against his opponent. A charismatic and passionate speaker, he then moved into his radio show, the Jerry Doyle Show, described as “the fastest growing show in TRN Enterprises’ history”, and the sixth most popular talk radio show in the United States. He also continued to act, and had his own production company, which he described as “an experiment”.

In 2010 he published a book called “Have You Seen My Country Lately? America’s Wake Up Call” – A look at his life, giving insight into his past, while commenting on the state of american society and the causes of it’s ills as he saw them. It’s reviewed as being quite harsh, and definitely a shock to anyone who bought it for the picture of Mr Garibaldi on the cover!!

It seems, upon reflection, that far too many of Babylon 5’s alumni, who gave us so much pleasure and made us think so hard, in the 90s and since, have left us too young. Starting with Michael O’Hare, and not forgetting Richard Biggs, Jerry Conaway and Andreas Katsulas, there are many who now await us all beyond the veil. We hope you’ll join us in sending our condolences and sympathies to his family and friends at this sad time.

According to his biography at KDWN, one of the radio stations that syndicated his show, “Doyle has served as President of the Easter Seal Society, Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees and the Multiple Sclerosis Board of Directors. He has raised funds for many charities including Disabled American Veterans, UCLA Medical Center, Breast Cancer, Aids Walk-LA, Cystic Fibrosis and the Motion Picture and Television Fund. He has received numerous awards and accolades including Honorary F-16 Test Pilot, Honorary Naval Aviator and Distinguished Supporter of the Nation’s Space Program.” – Not bad for a Mick from Brooklyn that played a wop from Mars, eh? Let’s all take a moment to acknowledge the Egyptian God of Frustration, and say good bye to a man who felt like a friend, even when so few of us had met him.

B5 Cast

"You see, I believe that when we leave a place, a part of it goes with us.. And a part of us remains. Go anywhere in this station, when it is quiet, and just listen. After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations, every thought and word we have exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in the walls, for as long as this place remains.

But I will admit that the part of me that is going will very much miss the part of you that is staying"

G'Kar, Objects in Motion

 

B5 Cast

Infinity Crate: July 2016 Box

Daniel Delargy
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Infinity Crate: July 2016 Box

I have a confession – I have never subscribed to a Crate or Box before in my life. The idea of a monthly crate of geeky goodies appealed to me, but I never got around to setting it up! So, this year, I decided I wanted to try something new. Something different. And, as it happened, the opportunity came along to review a box from Infinity Crate, a UK based monthly crate delivering service.

Infinity Crate offer a selection of crates for you to choose from; Classic (£16.99 per month), Premium (£24.99 per month), Kids (£16.99 per month), and a T-Shirt Only (£7.99 per month). With the exception of the T-Shirt crate, you are guaranteed a POP! Vinyl figure and a T-shirt (or 2 T-shirts with the Premium crate). Additionally, before I got the crate I was asked a couple of questions – namely what my geeky interests were so that the crate could be tailored to my interests.

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What’s in the box?

So, about a week later I received my crate in the post. I have to say I liked the box, with the logo on top and the request to take photos and share on the side. It was all packaged quite neatly, but unfortunately what I didn’t get was an information card to tell me if there was a theme of the month.

First up, let’s check out the Pop! Vinyl Figure.

Daredevil

Ah, classic Daredevil – bobble-head style! This is nice, as I’ve never started collecting Pop! Vinyls, but have always meant to get at least one to put in my room. It’s a very classic design, and the fact it is a bobble-head makes it a fun addition to my desktop as I write essay! I’ve been a fan of Daredevil for a while, and with the TV series going strong I am really glad I have my own little Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

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The next item on the agenda – a Batman themed cotton tea towel! I quite like this, especially as the design of the Batsymbol is based off the one for Ben Affleck’s Batman. This is a really cool addition to my gear to take to university, and I like that it’s something practical I can use which is also geeky. From the way it was packaged, I want to assume this is an Infinity Crate exclusive…which makes it even more awesome!

Oyster card, I choose you!

Next up, we have a Pokemon themed card holder! This I will definitely be finding useful in the immediate future to store my University Student Card and Oyster travel card when I move to London to start my MA in September. Plus, with everyone playing Pokemon Go right now, it’s pretty cool to have something to tie in with the nostalgia craze.

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Next up, we have two really cool little collectables which I will definitely be using in the future – a Flash coaster for whatever drink I’ll be having, and a very nice Millennium Falcon keyring/bottle-opener! I have to say, I love the Flash – thanks to the comics, as well as Grant Gustin and Ezra Miller – and so I’m really glad I got some speedster memorabilia. Also, the keyring is really detailed and is just about the right size.

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Now, I was prepared for some items which I might be a little less-than-enamoured with – I mean, the thing with these box services is that you never really know what you’re going to get. I got lucky, as I got a lot of cool stuff, but there were two items which I thought were a bit underwhelming. One was a small Deadpool pad of paper. It’s small, it’s got a picture of the merc with the mouth on the front…I will be using it as a small doodling book, but I saw it less as a ‘collectable’, and more as a ‘freebie’. The other…a Spongebob Squarepants button.

Now I do know that various crates include buttons in their selection of goodies, and I won’t lie – I do like collecting geeky buttons which I can put on my bag. The problem is that not only did it not fit at all with the superhero ensemble, but I hadn’t said anything about the childish square-panted cartoon at all when telling them my interests. It’s a little thing, which is good all things considered, but it did feel very out of place amidst the collection of quite nice stuff. It felt like it was intended for the ‘Kids’ box, and got slipped into this one accidentally.

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Finally, we have not one, but two t-shirts! These both have really cool designs, with the red t-shirt sporting a Magneto showing off his power, and the black t-shirt advertising the futuristic Nike Sneakers from Back to the Future 2. They also fit really well, which was something I had been worried about. Whilst I do think that the Back to the Future t-shirt seemed a little off-theme compared to the rest of the crate, I did like the nice surprise to have something else geeky that can join my ‘Save Ferris’ shirt in my collection of late-80s geekiness. Really nice quality as well, so I can’t wait to wear them in the future!

That's all folks!
That’s all folks!

So there we have it! Not a bad collection of booty! I have to say, for my first crate, I was really excited and this crate definitely delivered! I’m still a little unsure about the exact theme of the crate, and am a little confused about the badge and how it fits with the rest of the collection, but overall this was a very good collection which I am really glad I got! Infinity Crate is definitely a box I will consider applying for in the future!

If you want to order your Infinity Crate today, here is the link; https://www.infinitycrates.co.uk/

Geek Pride at MCM Comic Con Northern Ireland 2016

Dave Foy
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Geek Pride at MCM Comic Con Northern Ireland 2016

 

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It’s a typically wet Irish Saturday morning in June, and after a 15min train ride from Belfast to Lisburn, I find myself boarding a shuttlebus into the unknown. This year’s MCM Comic Con has made the bold decision to re-locate from the iconic Kings Hall, close to the centre of Belfast, to the site of a former prison a good distance outside of the capital which, truth be told, could be described as being in the arsehole of nowhere.

DSC_0863 copyAs the bus takes us further and further into the countryside, there are rumblings of discontent from some of the other passengers: “Is this thing in a bloody field?!” exclaims a parent with two young Kylo Ren dressed children in tow. “I think I should’ve brought some wellies!” responds another. As I survey the rain pouring down onto the green fields around us, it’s hard not to disagree with that sentiment.

But then 20mins into our rural odyssey, something catches my eye – an imposing grey structure suddenly jutting out of the green. As we move closer, and the scale of the building and the parking facilities around it becomes clearer, I immediately think to myself “Touché MCM, touché”. This feeling only increased when we actually entered the event.

 

Setting/Facilities

Once the initial shock of how a venue of this size came to be in a remote location like this begins to pass, we head inside and are greeted by a massive modern all-purpose hall. It’s contents include a large café area, plenty of toilet/changing facilities, and a large stage and viewing area for the Q&A and Cosplay masquerade sections of the event – all of which were incredibly welcome, as they were sorely lacking last year. 

Also, unlike the slightly decrepit Kings Hall, which felt like an airless sauna at the best of times, the Eikon centre had ample air conditioning – which was particularly helpful for cosplayers stuck under layers of foam/plastic/spandex for a few hours.DSC_0793 copy  Overall, the Eikon was excellently organised, with the stalls spaced in a way where there was little chance of bottlenecking and everyone had full access to the products being sold.

As with all MCM events, there were stalls to cater for all interests: from the larger vendors such as Forbidden Planet and CEX, to various smaller local independent retailers and artists, cosplay and larping helpdesks, and much much more. Once again there were only a small number of comic/graphic-novel retailers – but this was only a minor gripe, and one that (according to a member of the MCM staff) will be improved in time for next year’s event.

The event’s excellent E-Sports Arena was back with a vengeance this year, giving attendees the opportunity to pit their wits in competitive matches of e-sport staples League Of Legends and Star Craft, but with the welcome addition of the pretty decent Street Fighter V for those that simply want to inflict some quick carnage onto their friends/family.

The Comic Village also made a very welcome return, showcasing the talents of a range of local and travelling artists, including 2000AD and DC Comics stalwart Gary Erskine and Belfast comic legend John McCrea.

As always, all of the scheduled events were extremely well organised and facilitated by the events staff, and done so in a positive and pro-active manner.

 

Guest Stars

To be blunt, the 2016 list of guest stars wasn’t of the usual high standard that you would expect from an MCM event. After last year’s line-up of the incredible John Noble, Arrow star Katrina Law, and British comedy icon Danny John Jules, my expectations in the run-up to this year’s event were high regarding who would be booked. When the 2016 attendees list finally turned up, to say that it was a disappointment is a bit of an understatement.

DSC_0941 copyWhen your highest profile guest is the sort-of presenter of a niche reality TV show, you know you may have issues. Sean Kelly from Storage Hunters joins the likes of Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace (Eastenders’ Alfie Moon and Kat Slater) in the ranks of ‘stupidly random guests at a Comic-Con’. In all fairness, while I didn’t have the chance to meet him myself, I did hear from others that did take the opportunity, that Sean was extremely warm and friendly with those that attended his signing (even giving away a free t-shirt to each person who bought an autograph, which was a nice touch) – but from the lack of attendees at his Q&A session, it became painfully clear that perhaps the organisers should focus on booking guest stars that better reflect the target demographic of the attendees.

Thank god for Ian Beattie and Peter Davison!

Comic-Con regular and the man responsible for bringing cricket whites to 1980s sci-fi TV during his run as the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison brought his usual wit and panache to proceedings. During a lively Q&A, he discussed in detail his own experiences as the Doctor, as well as the difficulties that the show seemed to face during the 1980s (“…lack of production money, lack of quality writers, abysmal effects, and an influx of American TV shows plaguing the British airwaves.”), while also discussing his love of the recent rebooted series – particularly the shows starring his real life son-in-law David Tennant.

The presence of the Game of Thrones star and Belfast native, Ian Beattie, was an extremely welcome one. He had an excellent Q&A session, covering everything from the beginnings of his acting career (at 11 years old, as a clown in the local circus that his uncle ran) right up to his starring role as Ser Meryn Trant, naming his favourite GOT episode (‘Battle Of Bastards’, of course) and character (Cersei Lannister), and even his feelings on the recent Brexit vote, and it’s potential impact on the Northern Irish film industry. All questions were answered with genuine warmth and humour – and this was quickly followed up with a free signing session for attendees – which went down like a house on fire.

 

DSC_0931 copyHighlights and Lowlights

  • The new location and facilities are excellent. Yes, it is a bit of a trek outside of Belfast – but with plenty of parking spaces and the convenient shuttlebus service put on by the organisers, getting to the site was easy. Plus – why does every event need to be in the centre of Belfast?!
  • The range of vendors/stalls continues to improve. Seeing more and more local vendors given the chance to sell their wares is excellent to see. We still need to see more stalls selling actual comics though…it is a ‘Comic’-Con after all!
  • The staff could not be more friendly and helpful – a pleasure to deal with, really helped to contribute to the positive atmosphere.
  • Ian Beattie and Peter Davison – legends! The other guest stars not so much.

 

All in all, another excellent MCM Comic Con in Northern Ireland – proving that last year’s success was not just a flash in the pan. If the large and varied crowd in attendance was anything to go by, the countdown to next year’s event has already started. Bring it on!

 

The Trainspotting Cast are Back in this Teaser for T2

Becca Harper
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The Trainspotting Cast are Back in this Teaser for T2

It has been 20 years since Trainspotting was released, I was a mere 17 years old drinking Thunderbirds and dancing away to ‘Lust for Life‘ How life has changed in that time, but may be not so much for the characters seen standing by a train track in this little teaser. To hear Iggy Pop‘s Lust for Life blaring brings back memories of a time gone by and a few hard to forget images from the original film that have stuck with me through the years.

Danny Boyle is back to direct and has brought the original cast with him. Spud (Ewen Bremner), Renton (Ewan McGregor), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) are all back and somewhat older, but it is nice to see Sick Boy’s hair colour hasn’t changed. Based on Irvine Welshes‘ sequel to Trainspotting, Porno, we find the characters paths cross again only this time the porno industry is the back drop for their story.

T2 opens in the UK on the 27th January 2017 hitting North America a month later.

 

 

BoJack Horseman Season 3 Review – Hilarious, Horrifying & Haunting

SeanPWallace
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BoJack Horseman Season 3 Review – Hilarious, Horrifying & Haunting

There’s an episode in BoJack Horseman season 3 entitled ‘The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.’ It is the start of a joke/horrendous cycle in which something terrible happens to BoJack, he realises that he loves Princess Caroline for a few weeks, and then kicks her to the curb in favour of someone else. BoJack Horseman’s third season is about these cycles, about patterns of behaviour that people get caught in and how they break out of them.

It’s also about silly animal people. Mr Peanutbutter comes from the Labrador Peninsula. It is shaped like a dog.

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BoJack Horseman has long been a difficult series to define. If you are a rational human being and you love it, it can prove very hard to sell to other people. ‘It’s a cross between a silly comedy and a heart-wrenching, withered drama.’ The show has all of the hallmarks of a comedy like Airplane, with background jokes so dense you need to watch it a few times to get them all and sharp wit. It also ruminates heavily on depression, failure, relationships, and – particularly in this season – cycles.

Season 3 starts with BoJack on the Oscar trail, trying to drum up nominations for a film which he didn’t actually star in. In typical BoJack fashion, he struggles immensely with this, knowing that people who rave about the film aren’t actually giving him praise but the complex technical team who replicated him. Of course, BoJack gets stupidly drunk and spills the beans to a reporter.,,

I don’t want to follow the story throughout the season for fear of spoiling it, but BoJack Horseman takes on some tough themes during its third season, really stretching itself and displaying nuance in surprising ways. The abortion episode particularly stands out for this, with the ridiculous Sextina Aquafina displaying how over-the-top idiocy can help people through tough and horrible situations. Perhaps a shot at justifying its own tackling of difficult subjects, but it works.

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Mainly, though, it does cover cycles. BoJack is a destructive narcissist and he once again makes all the same mistakes. That would be one of the few criticisms I have for this season: much of the ground is recovered, with BoJack pushing people away or betraying them, and hurting himself in the process. Without wanting to spoil too much, this season differs in that there are real consequences for his actions, particularly in one gut-punch I will speak no further on.

This feels like a transformative season for the show, which is already confirmed to have a fourth season in the pipelines. We discover more about the characters, explaining some of their behaviours, and there seem to be some concrete next stages for the cast coming up. Politics, relationships… though not all of them break their destructive cycles. Even BoJack, potentially.

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Something BoJack Horseman shouldn’t lose as it does it so well is callback humour. Season 3 is no exception: a well-placed ‘What are you doing here?’ pierces a sombre moment; Erica continues to make her offscreen appearances; and even Captain Peanutbutter has no luck when ordering signs… There’s even another bender episode, this time with blackouts that lend to some great jokes and wrenching moments.

BoJack Horseman will need to go to new places if it’s to continue its critical acclaim. And this season did show signs of the writers stretching their wings. There is an almost dialogue-free episode with a beautiful soundtrack, and narrative-breaking twists throughout. They also expand into other areas of the BoJack world, such as the aforementioned Labrador Peninsula, or the realm of the underwater manimals. With many of the same themes covered again, for the last acceptable time, the writers’ need to keep the show fresh is stronger than ever.

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Changes are hinted at, with a few motifs toward fatherhood and a scene in the final episode, as well as Mr Peanutbutter’s bizarre offer, and hopefully the show will show real ambition in continuing to tell a very different story in a unique way.

But that is, as I said, a quibble. There are incredibly well-written jokes aplenty, beautiful pieces of drama, and revelations of just how certain characters have become who they are. One scene in particular, where we learn that BoJack’s selfishness may have been the final straw for Sarah Lynn’s innocence, still remains with me. BoJack Horseman’s third season is so gorgeously considered and thought through that anyone missing it is missing one of the best pieces of television this year.

Yes, that does include Game of Thrones.

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