Category Archives: Andrew Hales

NYCC’s Lackluster Response to Ticket Problem

nycc09-logo-ff

Anyone who has been following the blog for more than a few weeks has probably realized that New York Comicon is one of my favorite events of the year. NYCC is responsible in no small part for my current level of geekiness and the existence of this blog. Every year I look forward to the panels, exhibitors, sense of geek community and most of all, a weekend of unadulterated geeking out with my friends. This year however, it looks like I will be venturing to NYCC alone.

Now to be completely fair, I won’t be there entirely alone. There will be nearly 130,000 other geeks attending the convention alongside me, making NYCC one of the largest geek events in the country. By comparison, San Diego Comic-Con clocked in around 133,000 people last year, making it only slightly larger than NYCC 2013. It’s also likely that one or two of my friends will manage to acquire a ticket through various means—though that is by no means assured. The root of this issue is not that my friends are slackers or were caught unaware, but that there have been some pretty serious ticketing issues surrounding NYCC this year. This year, when three day and single day passes went on sale the NYCC website crashed. As a result of this crash, many people who were in the process of buy tickets were locked out and therefore unable to purchase the tickets that were already in their cart. Certainly hundreds and likely thousands of people were denied the ability to buy tickets. Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Andrew Hales, Events, Geek Life

Gene Roddenberry’s Vision

Being a science fiction fan, I’m forced to admit that, as a whole, the genre has a rather bleak outlook on the future. Some of Sci-fi’s greatest works are among its most disheartening and dystopian. In spite of this, there is still one great, shining beacon of hope and positive energy guiding the way to a brighter future:  Star Trek.

It’s safe to say that the Star Trek franchise, particularly Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation, epitomizes all of the wonderful and positive things that humanity can become. It is filled with characters that, even when faced with insurmountable choices, still manage to do the right and moral thing, even if there are consequences that must be paid. This of course is no accident, but instead the vision of one man brought to life on the small screen. As a bomber pilot during World War II, Gene Roddenberry had a first had view of the absolute worst of humanity. I can’t help but think that his experiences in the war helped shape his view of what he wanted humanity to be like in the future. Continue reading

8 Comments

Filed under Andrew Hales, Television

Why Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is Doing So Well

Losers. Criminals. A-holes. All of these are accurate descriptions of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the titular team of Marvel’s latest blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy. Not only did this movie meet expectations, it utterly annihilated them. How is it that this unlikely film has managed to do so much box office traffic?guardians-of-the-galaxy-poster-21 Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Andrew Hales, Movie Reviews, Reviews

Name that (Comic) Character, July 2014: Answer

And the answer, in honor of Friday’s release of Guardians of the Galaxy, is:

387011-14223-cosmo_large

COSMO

1) S/he was created by an English (from England) writing duo.

Cosmo was introduced by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning in Nova #8.

Cosmo's first appearance in Nova #8.

Cosmo’s first appearance in Nova #8.

2) Shares a vocation with Star Trek’s Lt. Worf.

Cosmo is the Chief of Security on Nowhere, the head of a dead Celestial which serves as a scientific research station at the edges of spacetime.

3) Loosely based on an “astronaut”.

The idea of Cosmo is based on the Soviet dogs that were sent into space during the early parts of the space race.

4) Despite appearances, s/he is a powerful telepath.

Cosmo is regularly seen using his telepathic skills in Guardians of the Galaxy.

5) S/he has brown hair.

Ok, it’s fur. I may have cheated a little on that one.

6) Has been a character in storylines involving Thanos, the Starjammers, Kang, the Inhumans, the Kree and the Shi’ar (not all at the same time though).

Cosmo encounters Lockjaw of the Inhumans.

Cosmo encounters Lockjaw of the Inhumans.

All of these storylines can be found in Guardians of the Galaxy. Seriously, it’s only 25 issues, everyone needs to read this run. It’s amazing.

Thanks to all of those who participated and a special shout out to Santana Perez for providing our first correct answer.

2 Comments

Filed under Andrew Hales, Comics