Contributor Profile: Jemmy

We all gather to welcome Jemmy to the fold! He will be our point man on new fantasy and science fiction releases, though I'm sure he'll cover some classics while he's at it. He may, even, educate us on topics like manga, of which we know little, yet he knows much. Either way, we are very excited to have him on board!

 

NAME: Jemmy

SECRET UNDISCLOSED LOCATION: Beantown

NERD SPECIALIZATION(S): Fantasy, Science Fiction, Manga

MY PET PEEVES IN NERD-DOM ARE: Failing to observe the distinction between the nonrestrictive "which" and the restrictive "that"!!!! Aaaaargh!

VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES, ZOMBIES, ALIENS OR ROBOTS: Zombies, and I plan to join them, not fight them. Give me a pair of razor-sharp teeth and the luck to last long enough before they fall out. Brains…. mmmm….

RIGHT NOW I'M READING: Forgotten Armies, Scourge of the Betrayer

...AND A COUPLE BOOKS I RECENTLY FINISHED ARE: The Dragon's Path, The King's Blood

NEXT TWO ON QUEUE ARE: Cloud Atlas, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, Something by Steven Erikson

MY FAVORITE SUPERHERO AND SUPER-VILLAIN ARE: Batman, The Mule.

IF I WERE A SUPERHERO/VILLAIN, MY POWER WOULD BE: The power to eat food and to convert it into energy. Check and check. Ready for world domination!

THE BEST COMIC FILM OF THE PAST 5 YEARS IS: The Dark Knight

THE WORST COMIC FILM OF THE PAST 5 YEARS IS: Far and away Green Lantern, though Daredevil and its spinoffs were pretty bad.

I JUST WATCHED [FILM X] AND IT WAS AWESOME: Okuribito, Twilight Samurai

I JUST WATCHED [FILM Y] AND IT WAS TERRIBLE: Green Lantern! It was so bad it was awesome.

EVERYONE SHOULD SEE [FILM Z] BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE: Porco Rosso

BEST SCIENCE/SPECULATIVE FICTION SHOW OF THE PAST 10 YEARS: The pilot episode and seasons 1 and 2 of Battlestar Galactica

WORSE ENDING--LOST OR BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Never made it to the end of either.

THE OFFICE--BRITISH OR AMERICAN VERSION: Huh? The Office? I don't get out much… Does Dr. Who count?

GAME OF THRONES--LIKE OR DISLIKE DEVIATIONS FROM THE BOOKS: Don't mind most of the deviations.

The Top 6 Movies of Our First 6 Months

[We nerds of a feather like things that come in sixes. So in celebration of our first six months of operation, we're presenting you with a retrospective series that looks at the best stuff we've covered in our short lifetime. In multiples of six, of course! Here are the six highest scoring movies reviewed to date by our in-house bloggers. Bear in mind, we gravitate toward cult and obscure movies, so "good" is a relative term, but the reviews should let you know what you're in for. Enjoy!]

6. Valhalla Rising

The G's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"It's a highly atmospheric, very slow and totally surreal film, with a great score and cinematography that recollects Bergman and Fellini. It's very, very artsy. But then it's also ridiculously gory. I won't get into specifics, but if you are in any way, shape or form put off by violence in film, you should avoid this one. Violence in VALHALLA RISING is intimate, cruel and over-the-top."

5.Bubba Ho-Tep

Vance's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"We know movies rely on a willing suspension of disbelief. But Bubba Ho-Tep invites you to *not* suspend disbelief, and see how far you can make it. Bruce Campbell has never been better, and Ossie Davis was a titan, so by the time these two talk about being absent fathers before heading out with their wheelchair and walker to battle a 5,000-year-old soul-sucking mummy...well, dang it, you're going to believe them and you won't be able to help it."

4. The X from Outer Space

Vance's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"This movie is bad in a very unique and magical way, and deserves to be more widely known. You could think of this as the Plan 9 from Outer Space of kaiju movies -- it's not "good" in any reasonable sense of the word, but there are definitely worse movies, and this one lives at the intersection of terrible and entertaining that makes it a truly rare bird of cult movies."

3. The Fly [1986]

Molly's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"The special effects for this movie are magnificently undated. They remain grotesque and horrifying. No really, it's seriously gross in a way that will satisfy every ten year old boy on the planet, but the love story and the conclusion -- the ultimate sacrifice -- are done so well that there is a surprising depth and sadness to the tragic path the characters follow."

2. They Live

Vance's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"There is a moment when Rowdy Roddy Piper, the WWF wrestler, walks into a bank with a gun and says "I have come here to chew bubblegum and to kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum," at which point he begins shooting the hell out of the place because his magic sunglasses allow him to see most of the customers in the bank are actually skull-faced aliens masquerading as human beings and brainwashing us through advertising."

1. La Jetee

Vance's Score: 10/10, "Mind-blowing/life-changing/best ever"

"La Jetee's real accomplishment is a lyrical and emotional evocation that is as close as anything I've ever seen to actual visual poetry. My experience of La Jetee is like my experience of T.S. Eliot or e.e. cummings. On an intellectual level I understand what's happening -- what the words and images literally mean -- but I cannot consciously account for the emotions they evoke. To try to analyze it and tear it all apart would be to rob the work of its magic. And there is a tremendous amount of magic here."

INFOGRAPHIC: 10 Deadly Solar-Powered Weapons

[Thanks to Nerd Graph for this one.]

The Top 6 Books of Our First 6 Months!

[We nerds of a feather like things that come in sixes. So in celebration of our first six months of operation, we're presenting you with a retrospective series that looks at the best stuff we've covered in our short lifetime. In multiples of six, of course! First up, books. As you know by now, we like books, and we've had the fortune of reviewing some really good ones. Here are the six highest scoring books reviewed to date by our in-house bloggers. Given that we don't dish out 9s and 10s like some others, you can count every single one of these as a "must-read." Enjoy!]

6. War is Boring by David Axe [NAL, 2010]

Philippe's Score: 8/10, "well worth your time and attention"

"War is Boring.. has considerably dashed my dreams. It’s not the violence, the disturbing imagery that a war reporter must bear witness to. It’s not the lies, the cynicism, and the amoral opportunism that thrives in war zones. It isn’t even the brushes with death. No, it’s exactly what the title warns: War is often boring. But, what’s worse is that returning from war, reinserting oneself in the normal world, into peacetime, is even more boring, according to David Axe, war reporter turned comic author."

5. The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham [Orbit, 2011] 8/10

The G's Score: 8/10, "well worth your time and attention"

"There’s a lot to recommend in The Dragon's Path. To begin, it’s a really fun story, presented in crisp, engaging prose, and full of memorable moments. The narrative voices...constitute a particular strong point. Geder, Dawson, Marcus and Cithrin are all fully realized, complex characters who act and speak like real human beings. You can easy relate to them and understand their general motivations, but--like real human beings--they often make key decisions in an arbitrary, ad hoc fashion that can be surprising, but feels very authentic."

4. Pavane by Keith Roberts [Old Earth Books, 1968] 8/10

Vance's Score: 8/10, "well worth your time and attention"

"We have come to expect narrative conventions of stories being finished, but that's not at all how real life works. Even in death, nobody's story is ever really finished (that is, until an individual's third death -- seriously, read this, and try to not get chills). And in Pavane, Roberts is telling the story of an empire that has stretched from the Holy Roman Empire into an alternate 1980s that cannot possibly conceive of synth-pop. It is fitting, then, that a narrative tapestry woven from such material should eschew such 'endings.'"

3. Rachel Rising by Terry Moore [Abstract Studios, 2012]

Philippe's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"The book is creepy, Vincent Price creepy. But Moore does not let eeriness take over the book. The dark, gothic themes are balanced by lightheartedness and actual human emotion. The book's undead aren’t zombies, but human with a dying problem.. Rachel isn’t a morose, brooding Lestat, but a confused young woman who’s trying to get on with her life -- even though it has apparently ended, at least in the conventional "we got a pulse" sort of way."

2. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski [Orbit] 9/10

The G's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"If this all sounds a bit familiar to you, it's probably because you've played or heard of the video games these books inspired. The Last Wish is a must-read for fans of the games, as well as anyone who likes character-driven sword & sorcery. As it happens, after only reading one installment in the series, I'm ready to pronounce Geralt as one of the great fantasy characters of all-time. He's a cynic with a moral compass, a killer with standards and has a way with the ladies, who are themselves similarly complex and interesting characters."

1. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks [Orbit]

The G's Score: 9/10, "very high quality/standout in its category"

"Clearly the Culture is Banks' utopia, a place without the problems that dog our own world. If that was all there was to it, though, these novels would be really boring. Thankfully, Banks has situated the Culture within a galaxy full of other societies, and his novels largely explore the interactions between the Culture and its neighbors, most of which can be described as "not good." Utopia though it may be, when the Culture gets involved in foreign entanglements, it looks awfully neo-colonial and paternalistic."

6 Things Breaking Bad Has Ruined Forever [Infographic]

Thursday Morning Superhero

Everyone has had a good 24 hours to read their weekly books and I am ready for another installment of Thursday Morning Superhero.  The DC #0 line continued with some great books, Avengers vs. X-Men is nearing its epic finale and creator owned books continue to shine a light on what comics are capable of achieving.  I know I say this almost every week but it really is a great time to be a comic book fan.  My weekly budget continues to frustrate me as I am forced to limit my purchases.  On a side note, any publisher that wants to float me a free book I will happily include it in this section with no fear of any spoilers hitting the web prior to Wednesday.

Pick of the Week:

Punk Rock Jesus #3 –This was a book that initially slipped under my radar.  Living in a smaller town, issue #1 sold out before I saw it on the shelf.  After reading tweets from authors I respected and learning of the concept, I hopped on Comixology to get caught up.  It is easy to get behind a book about a reality show based on the second coming of Jesus when he is cloned and implanted in a virgin for his rebirth.  Not surprisingly, the general public isn't keen on this idea, but also isn't turning off their televisions when the show is airing.  Gwen, the mother of Chris, is going through quite the bout of depression and isn't doing the show any favors.  Chris attempts his first miracle and nearly drowns himself trying to walk on water.  This was really a sad issue seeing the depression that Gwen was going through and the lack of identity as a real child Chris was dealing with.  Sean Murphy really developed the characters to a level where you truly care for them and feel sorry for the situation that Mr. Slate has placed them in.  The issue ends with an emotional conclusion that will leave me frustrated until issue #4 comes out.  Normally I struggle with what to select as my pick of the week, but this was easy.  Vertigo and Sean Murphy have one of the most captivating books on the market today, and this week dropped the emotional hook with amazing effectiveness.  Kudos.

Runner-up:

Chew #28 – The first couple of arcs from John Layman were some of the best I have ever read.  The concept of a detective who is a cibopath (someone who gets psychic readings from food) and must ingest the deceased to solve crime works on so many levels.  While Chew has had its up and downs in my opinion, it is currently on an upswing.  Rob Guillory captures the fun of this series and delivers some of the most brutal pages in the industry.  Newcomer Agent Poyo has been a pleasure since his inception and may be the best superhero partner in the biz today.  Poyo is a cyborg Rooster who appears to be unstoppable.  The fun and intrigue continue in a book that I continue to recommend to anyone who will listen to me.  I am just really concerned about the condition of Tony Chu.

The Not as Good:

A vs. X #11 – This issue had some dramatic twists and turns that will leave a lot of people talking.  There have been parts of this series that I have enjoyed, but I have trouble getting past the cheesiness of the Phoenix Five.  In most of the issues I can look past some of the design and dialog that bother me, but this issue was a tough read.  I did enjoy the major twists and will continue reading the series, but I have been ultimately disappointed with this event. 

The Rest:

Batman #0 – As long as Scott Snyder is behind the wheel of Batman I am on board.  The court of owls arc was brilliant and issue #0 told a great stand alone story of a young Bruce Wayne.  While I didn't care for the second story in the issue, Tomorrow by James Tynion IV, it wasn't bad.  I think having it in the same issue as the Synder story only hurt it.  Not a bad issue by any means, just not on the same level as Chew or Punk Rock Jesus.

Captain America #17 – When you combine Ed Brubaker and Captain America I am going to be one happy reader.  The current story of the havoc the Discordians are bringing to earth behind the control of Zemo was action packed and left me wondering how it will be concluded in the next issue.  Things don't look good for Captain America and crew, but I would be willing to wager that somehow things will be ok.

Batman and Robin #0 - After reading tweets from both Rob Liefeld (who hasn't been shy about his departure from DC) and Scott Snyder in praise of Batman and Robin I decided to give it a shot.  This one-shot told the enjoyable tale about the upbringing of Damian as the next heir of the Al Ghul dynasty.  While his upbringing is far from traditional (who else is trained by the league of assassins at the age of 5), Peter Tomasi definitely brings the reader on a journey that helps us understand why Damian is the way he is.  I may be on board for the future of this series. 

What I missed:

Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2 – After listing issue #1 as one that I missed you think I would have been smart enough to pick up this book.  I was not.  Not surprising that Mark Waid has another success under his belt.

Stumptown #1 – The start of the second volume from Eisner-Award winning Greg Rucka appears to have picked up where it left off.  Private Investigator Dex Parios is on the case of a missing baby of a guitarist in what sounds like a great book.

 Per usual, please leave any comments, suggestions or send me any comics that should be included in this feature.  I am at @newhousebailey so let me know what you think! 

COMING SOON: A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel

Did you love A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle as a kid? Was it one of the books that got you into SF/F and related domains of nerdistan in the first place? DO YOU LIKE COMIC BOOKS, FRIEND?

If the answer to all of these is "yes," then check out this awesome excerpt from Tor.com. Did I mention the word "awesome?" Awesome.

I leave you with art...