Category Archives: Around the Web

Around the Web April 4, 2014

This week has been all about the new season of Game of Thrones that is premiering on Sunday, April 6, so this edition of Around the Web is no different.

Apparently after the filming of season four wrapped, the cast of Game of Thrones took a trip to the beach.  Several pics from the trip are up on Lena Headey’s (Cersei Lannister) instagram account along with a lot of other great pics of sets and cast members.  Big giant NSFW (not safe for work) warning, though, so check it out on your lunch break.

Is it just me or are Cersei and Oberyn Martell looking mighty cuddly?

Some people seem to make everything around them seem that much happier and brighter–even the creepy, gloomy, or just plain horrific.  Such a person is Olly Moss, who has manage to make even decapitation and the flaying of a live man seem no less innocuous than a set of Hummel figurines.

Psychopathic, and yet adorable

Psychopathic, and yet adorable

It seems that George R. R. Martin has been sneaking clues to the future of the Seven Kingdoms and its neighbors in a most unlikely source:  the official map book, The Lands of Ice and Fire.  Apparently, the cartographer had to have everything about the maps approved by the author–right down to the color of the water of some of the seas.  Perhaps the most intriguing thing to me is summed up in this quote:

Fans of True Detective may also notice one other surprising location on the easternmost edge of the map: the city of Carcosa. Originally a strange and ancient city mentioned in the Ambrose Bierce Short story “An Inhabitant of Carcosa” and the influential Robert Chambers book The King in Yellow, references to Carcosa and its “Yellow King” have made their way into numerous works, from Stephen King stories to the mythos of H.P Lovecraft to HBO’s recent detective drama — and now, seemingly the world of Game of Thrones as well.

We’ve talked about special affects fatigue on the blog recently, but here is one behind the scenes video that is well worth watching.  An interview with the costumers, and a first look at the grandiose costumes of the Westerosi nobility.  Margaery Tyrell’s wedding dress, for example, is breathtaking.

Of course, it is FOLLOW FRIDAY #FF, and so our list of interesting and random Game of Thrones stuff would not be complete without a notable post from a fellow blogger.  Our friends over at Sourcerer have uncovered an absolutely superb video of cosplayers playing the Game of Thrones opening theme music.  Check it out on the Sourcerer blog and let them know what you’re looking forward to in season four.

Here be dragons... and hopefully lots of them!

Here be dragons… and hopefully lots of them!

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Around the Web March 28, 2014

Hey, y’all!  This weekend Andrew is in Seattle at Emerald City Comic Con meeting all my heroes, but I had to stay home.  Bummer!  Fortunately, that means I can take the helm for Around the Web this week.

We start off with a freaky, first look at the new Green Goblin, who will be appearing in Spiderman 2.   Homeboy looks like he’s been dining on extremely fresh meat a la a certain former hobbit.  If you’ve listened to the Therefore I Geek podcast “Comic Book Influences,” you’ll know that Spider-Man has a special place in my heart.  I’m excited to see a Green Goblin that is much closer to how I used to picture him.

Don’t you think he looks a little Gollum-esque?

 

In the spirit of the myriad conventions that Therefore I Geek staff will be attending this year, this website has a list of all (or at least, almost all) of the conventions in the United States and where/when they are being held.  I am very glad to have found this, because keeping track of all the cities with all the conventions all year round is really tough to do.  My hat is off to these fellows.

I mean, everyone knows THIS one, but what about the others?

Shhhh, don’t tell Andrew, but I’m starting our “Game of Thrones” week a little early with a HUGE announcement:  George R. R. Martin has released another chapter from the long awaited next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter.  I have gone incredibly far out of my way to avoid spoilers and speculation that could be a spoiler, so I have not read this chapter, but I hear that it is phenomenal.

So has winter finally arrived then? But we’ve just had our first taste of spring!

Well, that does it for this special edition of Around the Web.  What are you all up to this weekend?  Let me know in the comments.  Maybe I’ll join you!

 

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Around the Web March 21, 2014

It’s Friday, thank the maker.

One of Hollywood’s biggest fanboys, Patton Oswalt is going to be guest starring on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Oswalt, whose standup routines frequently feature references to geek culture, will play Agent Erik Koenig. Details about the character’s role in the show are still unclear, but Koenig as a comic book character dates back to 1966 with Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.

Patton Oswalt

Oswalt’s rant from Parks and Recreation is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard, so I’m looking forward to seeing him on Agents, especially now that I’ve found my cable remote and have caught up on the show.

Slowly but surely Marvel has been leaking out little bits of information about 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Fans have recently gotten some nice clues, including what Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will look like and a brand new teaser trailer that shows Iron Man’s helmet turning into Ultron’s head. One can only assume this is some hint at how Ultron will come into being.

I’m really glad Marvel is putting out a couple of movies a year now, because I don’t think I could wait till next summer without losing my mind if there weren’t other stuff to keep me occupied.

Wrapping things up is today’s Follow Friday (#FF):   Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys). Eddie has provided us with his list of Steven Spielberg’s ten greatest films.  I’ve got to say I agree with Eddie for most of this list.  I don’t know that I would have included A.I.: Artificial Intelligence–though it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that movie so I may not remember how good it is. I also didn’t realize exactly how often John Williams composes for Steven Spielberg.

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I would also like to know where The Animaniacs would fall on Eddie’s list.

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Around the Web March 14, 2014

Happy Pi day everyone!

We start off with some interesting news from Diamond. The comic book distributor has been sending out secret shoppers to determine if stores who participate in their day-early delivery program are sticking to the programs rules.  Diamond announced that they found fifty cases where stores were not abiding by the rules, although they were not specific about the store names or the circumstances under which the comics were sold. These numbers also mesh with Diamond’s numbers from 2011 that say that 98% of retailers are abiding by program rules.

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While I am not a fan of Diamond’s near monopoly on comic distribution, I do like this program and I am glad to see that most people are playing nice so  that we can all benefit.

Next up, we have a Kickstarter for your consideration. A Druid’s Duel is a turn based strategy game that reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy Tactics, which is one of my all time favorite games. Unlike Tactics however, this seems to be a much simpler game, and there is no crazy story to follow. The graphic are pretty straight forward, but clean and attractive. Best of all there is a demo that you can download for Mac or PC.

A bit like this, but much simplified and streamlined.

A bit like this, but much simplified and streamlined.

I’m looking forward to giving this one a try when I’ve got some free time.

Now a couple of good deals for you. First up is a Pi day special from Comixology. They’re offering discounts on several Image titles, today only. Second is a complete Jack Kirby and Joe Simon horror comic, available for free on Comics Alliance.

Finally, today is Follow Friday and with that in mind we’ve got a brief history of one of the all-time great X-Men, Jean Grey, brought to us by The Brotherhood of Evil Geeks (appropriately named for such an article). This post sums up Jean pretty good, without going into too much detail. They also focus on just Jean here, because they have a separate post on Phoenix.

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I’ve always wanted to see her get some Canadian lovin’… if you know what I mean.

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