“The Strange Talent of Luther Strode” SNEAK PEEK

Finding a new comic title that’s exciting and somewhat fresh is hard to do these days, but every now and then you stumble on something really cool.  The last title I had the pleasure of really sinking my teeth into was Lil’ Depressed Boy (still one of my favorite Image titles) but now Image is throwing out an amazing hero/slasher/nerd-turned-bad-ass title called The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, written by Justin Jordan.  You may have seen this title in a recent Previews issue and thought to yourself “well, this looks interesting.”  As it turns out, it is.  And it’s not just interesting, but it’s fun and different.  I’ll admit that I was skeptical when I first saw it, thinking “yeah, yeah, I’ve seen this before.  Nothing new.”  I’m happy to say that I was wrong and now I’m on the Luther Strode bandwagon.


We’ve all seen the story where the nerd needs a change in his life so he goes out to do something about it and, VOILA!  Superhero.  This starts out similarly but with a bit of a twist in that not only does his body change physically into a magnificent figure of a man, but he gains incredible fighting skills all because he’s learned to focus and concentrate.  The magic of Luther’s choice is no super-soldier serum or radioactive experiment, but a book called “The Hercules Method”, the end-all-be-all of changing that pathetic little form into an Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator.  And though he seems to maintain his sense of self there are hints that maybe this new technique he’s discovered is doing more to him than just making him tougher.


After Luther beats up the school bully, in a fantastically bloody fashion, and gets the girl the meat of the story starts to develop with a mysterious bad guy who’s got a thing for tying people up like mummies.  Our beloved baddie seems to have some strange talents of his own and is looking to expand his ranks.  Perhaps with one beaten-up bully?  Fascinating… and a plot point I look forward to reading.  There is also hint of a dark past with Luther’s father that I’d like to read more about.


This title is one that anybody can enjoy.  If you like superheroes, you’re good.  If you like hack and slash, you’re better.  If you like mystery, you’re set as well.  Luther becomes the equivalent of a Batman-esque figure rather than a Superman or other over-the-top heroes, which is what makes him so interesting.  There’s a bit of a darkness inside him that he probably didn’t even know was there, but I’m sure we’ll get to see it soon enough.  Another beauty of this title is that you can see where Justin Jordan gets part of his slasher influence from by simply looking closely at some of Tradd Moore and Filipe Sobeiro’s art (Voorhees High School?  Brilliant.).  I’m not one to give out spoilers, so the fact is that you’re going to have to read this one on your own.  That said, you probably won’t regret spending only $2.99 on this sweet new title that’s slated for an October 4th release.  Below are a few pages for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of Image Comics.


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Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 21 September Permalink

Joe Madureira Chats with NK and NFamousgamers.com

I don’t exactly remember if it was a call or IM from Flitz that day of E3 but I do remember what was said. I could have sworn Flitz had just changed his pants three times as he got the chance to interview one of his favorite comic creators, Joe Madureira. Those unfamiliar with the name have to be born with half a brain or have been beaten to half a brain. Joe “Mad” Madureira is known for his work during the 90’s on Uncanny X-Men and Age of Apocalypse. The comic creator turned game developer has taken his art skills and applied them to the upcoming action title Darksiders.

Darksiders is loosely based off the Book of Revelation and the events surrounding the apocalypse. As one of the four horsemen, War, you travel the wrecked Earth as you find out that you are on the losing side of the end all be all battle of Good versus Evil. As War you are not on either side fighting for Heaven or Hell but instead much like the comic character Spawn you are stuck in the middle of the conflict bringing your own sense of cosmic judgment on both angels and demons. The game is enjoyable from hands on playing at Comic Con. If Kratos got Zelda pregnant, the child would be this game. Mixing the brutal combat elements that would be familiar to fans of God of War and the puzzle solving nature of the Zelda series Darksiders mixes together a concoction that would satisfy any gamer.

Flitz with the help of Zach Starr of NFamousgamers talk to “Joe Mad” about the differences between comics and games, his role throughout development, and his work on Marvel Comics’ The Ultimates 3. Want to see more from Joe Madureira? Run down to your local comic shop and pick up The Ultimates 3. The art alone makes it a pick up!

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 7 September Permalink

Mystery Team Review

These days the internet is giving birth to some of the biggest names in just about everything. Every other day it seems like we find the next “big thing” on YouTube or any other forum you can upload your video or song. However, every so often there is one group that can make an ever lasting impression.

The folk’s over at Derrick Comedy were able to make that impression on me from the second my friend Matt showed me some of their sketches. Ever since then I have constantly checked their site to see what they are up to. Then about a year ago I heard that they were going to film a movie and honestly couldn’t wait to see it. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of Mystery Team during our visit to San Diego Comic Con and all I have to say is WOW.

Mystery Team follows childhood friends Jason (Donald Glover) teams master of disguise, Duncan (D.C. Pierson) the “boy genius”, and Charlie (Dominic Dierkes) the strongest kid in town, as they take on the biggest case of their young careers as neighborhood detectives. From murder, battles with strippers, gun fights with a drug dealer, and a final showdown with the master mind of the sinister plot, there is not second within this film you are not entertained and or laughing.

Now you should know that before being asked by a young girl to figure out who murdered her parents, the biggest cases the Mystery Team has to solve were things like who stuck their finger in Mrs. Kimmel pie. So you can guess that the Mystery Team wasn’t taken that seriously with their peers especially since they are seniors in High School and still playing detective. However, this one young girl has a feeling that they can solve the case and bring closer to her and her older sister.

As the film progresses we witness the team goes through all their “leads” on the playground, which leads them to nothing. Finally it seems like the Mystery Team catches lucky break after lucky break as they work their way to solving this mystery once and for all. Of course, those breaks wouldn’t come without hysterical circumstances and life treating danger.

You can tell that the guys and girl over at Derrick Comedy put their heart, souls, and hard earned money into making this film (they literally did).

Mystery Team is well crafted and in its self sketch comedy gold. You don’t get the feeling that this is one long sketch, even though you feel like this film could be broken up into sketches. If that were the case it wouldn’t have worked and probably not have been as funny as it was. Some people might get the feeling that it is a cheap comedy, but if you pay attention to the dialog you well see just how well crafted it is and how each character is worked into the script.

As I sit here trying to figure out my favorite part of the movie I can’t because it was just that great.

If you have the chance to catch Mystery Team at one of its mean upcoming screenings I suggest you do so because your cheeks will hurt from laughing so much. Or you can wait until Mystery Team hits theaters nation wide this October.

4 out of 5 poop and pee filled stripper toilets

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 4 September Permalink

‘9’ Movie Review

When watching the trailer for the film ‘9‘, the average gaming nerd would say something along the lines of  “WTF, The Sackboys from Little Big Planet are getting a movie!”. That statement couldn’t be any more wrong. Little big planet is cute and fun, ‘9’ is scary and can be at times quite disturbing; not saying that’s a bad thing. Yes, they both consist of the ‘stitchpunk’ style characters, but they couldn’t be more different. ‘9‘, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. As many fear to this day, man has been the cause of his own demise by way of his own titanic inventions.


The average movie go’er needs to keep in mind that this stuffed potato sack adventure has a PG-13 rating attached to it. With the screen play by Pamela Pettler (Monster House); the mind of Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas); and director of the original 11-minute short film [‘9‘] Shane Aker at the reins, viewers needs to be prepared for a dark mind bending ride.


‘9’ is a dangerously imaginative action adventure that will grab you by the throat and refuse to let go until you appreciate what it’s world has to offer. Very creative yet menacing entities wander this existence. Accompanying the larger creatures are smaller more human-like beings. The beings harbor a series of numbers instead of names. Through their clever utilization of items and tools around them, they survive. From the awakening of “#9”, the film sets a slow burn. He is innocent, knowing so much and not understanding any of it. Within a short amount of time he encounters “#2” (Martin Landau), a very inspired and venturesome soul, and so the adventure begins. Every character has some sort of redeeming value which makes them relatable or lovable -  some more than others. The Fabrication Machine (the main antagonist), has no voice at all, it is through it’s frightening creations that it gets it’s point across; The red-eyed crafter’s essence isn’t just limited to just that of it’s conceptions, there are moments where the mute machine can almost seem human as well. The personality of a very evil human, but a human none the less.


Each voice actor fit perfectly with their number named counter part. As sexy as Jennifer Connelly is, there was nothing sexy or sensual about her animated persona, #7. It is actually fairly easy to forget that character is supposed to be female in the first place.  #5, voiced by John C. Reilly, is a fair conveyance of another angle of innocence. Lately, more commonly seen in more comedic roles, John’s presence here is softer and a more human side all of us could use more of in our everyday lives. #1, is the old fashioned fuddy-duddy driven by fear, played by Christopher Plummer. He is what we very often see in the world today. He means the best for those younger than him, and he may even have a point; But at times what people think is best, is just slowing the inevitable. Then there is Elijah Wood as the voice of #9. To be honest there isn’t much to Elijah’s performance, at the same time the role didn’t call for much. With each character filling a very unique state of being, #9’s was conveyed more through his actions than his words. Only briefly did #9 have to go through the motions of explaining why he must embark on his life threatening adventure - but any of us could have figured out that he made the poo, and it was his job to scoop it into the doggy bag. Taking away nothing from Elijah as an actor, his attachment to the role of nine could possibly be thought of as nothing more than a name.



All in all, ‘9’ is a griping film. It can hold you to a point where it can be emotionally draining. It slows down when necessary, but not for so long that you are anticipating the next big move. Some of the more clever disheartening foes, like the Seemstress, will make a lesser man shit bricks. You will come to appreciate the level of detail that has gone into all the creations of the film. For you older individuals, who have forgotten what it meant to be a child and have an active imagination, ‘9’ just might re-spark that section of your jaded-by-life experienced brain. By the middle of the movie you may notice you can’t take your eyes off of the screen. You start to care about the stitchpunk characters. They begin to have souls and stand-out individual personalities, while existing in an era that is all too believable. There are plenty humanistic undertones, with a tinge of political ones that are relevant to this day. The soundtrack is seamless and very fitting, as the themes were done by Danny Elfman, and the score by Deborah Lurie.  There are aspects of the film that feel slightly forced, and horror film cliché, but those are easy to look past. It will be very easy for a nerd to watch the film and say, “I could totally see this a 3D-platformer video game”. This film is by no means a feel good movie, and nothing about that is a bad thing. By then end some may even feel the urge to cry, whether is be out of joy or sadness; some may feel excited and driven, while others may leave confused and wanting more. Like the films pace, the impact of ‘9’ is a slow burn, imprinted on to your frontal lobe. it has very many aspects a cult classic is made of. Some of you might want to get your numbered zip-up potato sack costumes ready for Halloween, because ‘9’ could be sticking around for a while.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 4 September Permalink

The Level Cap: Interview with Sean Becker

With The Guild Season 3 premiering exclusively on Xbox Live today, I thought it would be cool to give the community a little treat! Exclusively on Xbox Live, you can download episode one here. Those who are waiting for MSN Video have to wait until September. Last night on Twitter, I asked Sean Becker for a quick little text interview. He accepted my quest for him and gave some great answers. Below in a quick and easy format, you can read through the interview. Thanks for all the questions sent in by the community on short notice and I hope you guys enjoy reading what Sean had to say.

1. When and how did you first hear about The Guild?

-I first knew of the Guild from my friend Kim Evey, who is a producer on “The Guild” and Greg Benson, Director of Season 1. I had previously worked with Greg and Kim on Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show and Comedy Gumbo, which were two shows for Sony’s online division, Crackle.com.

2. Other than The Guild, what have been your favorite projects that you have worked previously

-Comedy Gumbo, which is a web show that I co-created with my producing partner, Payman Benz through our company, Awkward Pictures. It’s a sketch show for those who don’t have time to watch a sketch show. Season one is now available online and we just finished shooting Season 2, which will be released this December.

[caption id=”” align=”aligncenter” width=”500” caption=”Part of the cast with @AndrewSeely and @AlexandraMokh”][/caption]

3. Do you have any other things you are working that don’t deal with The Guild currently?

-See reply to answer to question two. I’ve also done some recent freelance editing work with Second City Entertainment.

4. If you have one, what would you consider your gateway to nerdom if you consider yourself a nerd?

-Being a part of the “The Guild” definitely helps. I am an avid comic-book collector and am now starting to get back into console gaming. I don’t play any MMO games, but just installed World of Warcraft onto my laptop. I’ve been too busy working on “The Guild” and “Comedy Gumbo” to pursue that any further yet.

5. Back to talking about The Guild: Season Two of The Guild had different sponsors, are there any new ones this year? If so, who?

-Its the same sponsors as last year with the main sponsor being Microsoft.

6. From Season One to Season Two, the production equipment increased not only by volume but by quality as well. Is there going to be any increase with equipment moving into Season Three?

-We’re working with basically the same equipment as season 2 so the show will stay consistent. We do get to work with plenty of new locations to keep things interesting.

7. With the success of different YouTubers, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog and The Guild; do you think the future of the film industry could have a large impact online?

-I think its a possibility, but it’s still a far way off. With the popularity of websites like Hulu, it seems that online audiences are expanding their attention span for longer form content. The online format for original content seem most effective because the creators keep the episodes short.

[caption id=”” align=”aligncenter” width=”500” caption=”@SeanBecker with Robert Welkner (@pennyman)”][/caption]

8. The end of Season Two was very unexpected, but with new characters coming into the story I have been wondering: will Riley and Wade return to Season Three?

-Riley will be there while Wade is off playing Henchman #2 in another movie.

9. How soon will we see Wil Wheaton and his guild during Season Three, if you can answer?

-Soon!

10. Out of curiosity, is there anything that you have not teased yet that you want to get out there? Anything that won’t spoil the story, but something that fans of the series will know what you are talking about.

-Everyone dies in the end. I guess that’s a pretty big spoiler. Forget I said anything!

11. Ever since the first episode was released to the Internet, people have been speculating what MMO the characters have been playing throughout the episodes. With Blizz-Con wrapping up over the weekend, The Guild had its own panel. Is it perhaps that The Guild is based off of World of Warcraft?

-The game is never actually addressed in the show. All we know for now is that it is a WoW-like game that they play.

-BONUS JOKE ANSWER - It’s actually based on Q-bert!

12. During productions, there are always random things that happen that ends in a funny moment. Is there anything that has popped up during film that was most memorable for Season Three?

-Killer scarab. that’s all I’ll say for now. You’ll have to refer to the gag reel which will be released in a few weeks.

13. Felicia Day has been writing the scripts for The Guild since the beginning of the series. With this being your second season on the series, is there anything that you want to apply or write into The Guild that you have yet to do?

-Not really, that’s all up to Felicia. Being a huge fan of these characters, I’m always excited to get the new scripts from her and see we’re the show is going. I’m along for the ride.

14. In Season One, Zaboo and Clara had family members that they interacted with. In Season Two, all the Guildies talked to each other and meet new people that they were surrounded around. Is there a possibility that friends that have been talked about in season two will become a part of the cast? Is there?

-Is there? I’ll have to look back at the script.

15. With The Guild getting more popular, has there been any discussions about extending the length of the episodes? If so, what time spawn were you thinking of each episode?

-The beauty of having a show online is that you have full control on how long it needs to be on an episode to episode basis. For us we write, shoot, and edit depending on what fits the story best. Right now, our episodes range from five to nine minutes. It seems like a fitting episode length for this show and its audience. I do not know of any plans to extend the episode length in future seasons.

Check out The Guild website to check out even more fun stuff from the show.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 25 August Permalink

District 9 Review

District 9 hits theaters just a week after the popcorn fest G.I. Joe and offers something totally different. The sci-fi film takes the concept of aliens, turns it on its head, and presents us with a realistic and xenophobic take on the idea.



“D9” presents itself as a collection of documentary interviews, news reports, security tapings, and traditional storytelling to show a progressive character study of an unassuming, weak paper pusher Wikus van der Merwe, who works for a private security firm that deals with the aliens that have taken refuge in Johannesburg, South Africa. Wikus becomes an unlikely protagonist transforms from a man for personal survival due to his own ignorance to turn and exemplify the best of human nature in the face of failure. Throughout the film, Wikus is a pawn in the bigger social structure and he challenges his own identity and structure. MNU, the private security firm, plays the stereotypical role of an evil government organization, but within human reason. Still the villain, MNU exemplifies the xenophobic fear, thirst for power, and human survival that was common amongst explorers during the age of discovery. The film starts off slow and revs up towards the end. Exchanging character development for full on action may seem like typical Hollywood crap, but for District 9 the only logical resolution and climax for the film is the action.


The “Prawns” are alien but not exactly how we picture alien. Horrific stereotypes are out the window. Only in appearance are the Prawn alien, but even then the super jumbo shrimp are human. Survival of life coupled with the pressure of not being wanted and wanting to go home creates an internal struggle that should resonate with audiences. Humanity’s ignorance and fear makes the Prawns actions justifiable and completely reactionary. Only through the Prawn named Christopher and his child you will come to understand the struggle as well as being a social outcast.



Should you go watch this? Yes, then buy the DVD when it comes out. This movie will be a classic and don’t be surprised if other films start to mimic it. District 9 blends a thinking man’s sci-fi with enough action to satisfy fans of simple popcorn flicks. For those that want to know more about D9, check out the short film which the film is based on, titled Alive In Joburg, below.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 15 August Permalink

Motion Comics: An Oxymoronic Term

Motion Comics are defined as a hybrid between animation and comics. Adapted motion comics take the panels from the adapted text and animate certain sections or sequences. Motion Comics us a variety of techniques to combine the effects of these two mediums and in the end they create absolute crap. Motion Comics, besides being an oxymoronic term, are just bad. This article is dedicated to showing examples of comics and motion comics to show you what I specifically mean.

Lets start with what exactly these terms mean. As recounted by Scott McCloud in Understanding Comics, comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence. A comic is different from animation and film in the sense that its sequential in time, but not spatially side by side for the viewer. While a motion comic takes those sequences and arranges them in time instead of space. While this might seem like metaphysical nonsense, there is a huge difference.

When one reads a book, that is maximum viewer involvement. In a book, you must supply a lot, your imagination must really be a worked muscle for books to be enjoyable. While words are in fact given to you, how it comes together in your mind is what makes it such an immersive experience. Art, static art in museums, is about what the intrepretation is. While the image is given to you, there is no context for that image. Again your imagination MUST supply a lot of what is going on. On the most immersive form of fictional enteratainment is a movie. For those wondering, a videogame does not allow you to be a passive observer. A movie allows you to sit and have words and images thrown at you, and your mind processes it. While your imagination is not overtaxed, your brain DOES process things intellcutally. What the meaning of something is, your imagination at work but not so much as in a novel.

Which comes to comics and motion comics. Comics give you an image and the words to a story, so it would seem that it would be closer to a movie then a novel in terms of imagination. A casual observer, even an experienced person would think that. You have to look closer at the true art of sequential telling. The space between the panels, called the gutter, is where the magic of comics happens. In that space, is our imagination as we, the audience, connect the dots of the story.

In motion comics, that sense of closure is completely erased. Our imagination is now being handled by a director. Unlike a movie where the camera is used to great effect to bring a reader in, the static images of motion comics keep the reader at a distance. In their own embarressment of the word balloon and sound FX, motion comics have turned comic books into 19th century puppet theater. The images dance around like marionettes, teasing the audience into caring about the performance, but never giving any substance to their flash.

Motion Comics are seen as the future to comic books. We have seen classic stories told in motion format to a variety of reactions. You dont say something is the future of the medium„ when it eradicates what makes that medium work best. Motion Comics take the soul out of the comic book and put it into some cold, unfeeling homoculi that stumbles around and tries to pretend its a new thing. Motion Comics needs a name for itself, and it needs to become its own medium. If they could somehow do that and stop using old comics and raping them of their gravitas, maybe I could accept them. Until then, they are an abobmination to comic books, comic bok creators and comic book fans. All flash and non substance.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 11 August Permalink

Are Social Networking Sites the Death or Rebirth of Journalism

Over the last few weeks, social networking sites have been featured in the news frequently due to their impact on the culture. It first became apparent to the news media with reports from the Mumbai terrorist attacks, but the real boom has been with Iran. But its not just political news that is affecting us, but any kind of news. Gamers just had their big convention event with E3 this year, and twitter and facebook were a big part of it. Now with San Diego Comic Con, we are probably going to be seeing even more people using social networking sites to get their news rather than the traditional online sites. The question that arised from the events in Iran, or the deaths of popular entertainment icons, is whether social networks are a good thing or a bad thing for journalism and for the people that read and absorb news.

The events in Iran, which I am using as an example due to the high amount of publicity it garnered, showed that perhaps the so called “traditional journalists” were falling behind in the times. Due to the fact that media has been banned in Iran, it was only through the efforts of the citizenry that any news other then from the government was allowed to break through. It wasnt until much later, after Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and others social networking sites broke the news, that traditional media started reporting. They started reporting with the disclaimer that these were not journalistic reports, but reports from the ground and from the citizens.

So what is considered journalism? According to The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel there are ten elements. The first is that Journalism is the obligation to the truth, that its first loyality is to the citizens, the essence of journalism is the dicipline of verification, its practitioners must maintain an independence from the stories they cover, it must serve as an independent monitor of power, must provide a forum for public criticism and comprimise, it must stive to make the significant interesting and relevent, it must keep the news comprehensive and proportional, its practitioners must be allowed to excercise their personal conscience and lastly added was it has the rights and responsibility of citizens.


Why do I bring up these elements? Because the news we received has only some of these elements. I can understand traditional journalists becoming aggravated due to the fact that these news stories are missing probably the most important job of a journalist next to actually reporting what they see. Independence from the topic at hand and the idea of verification. Now, with Iran there is no way to verify what is going on with the citizen journalists, anymore then at comic con when a fan has a chat with a comic creator and posts on his blog the “interview”.

But these sort of reporters are not unheard of, they are the new eyewitnesses to the news world. They are the deputy newsman that we turn to when there is no other outlet. The fact that major news networks have a disclaimer that these news reports are from the citizens both serves as a warning that there is some sort of bias by them, but also shows that they have their journalistic heart in the right place. Putting things up for public criticism, making the significant interesting, and most importantly: they are getting the news out there to the people that need to hear it.

Traditional Journalists have always used eyewitnesses and deputy journalists. There is no reason this tradition can no longer continue into theWeb 2.0 phase of our existence. Rather then just sending photographs, we send videos. Rather then interviews we see tweets. What is missing from the deputies is the ability to analyze and fact check. This is why the deputy journalists must work together with the traditional sheriff to both get the information out there quickly, accurately, and most of all with the heart of the people, but the restraint of an observer.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 1 July Permalink

What is an Industry Analyst?

If you have been to any gaming website over the last few weeks, you will have noticed a veritable ton of articles about one gaming industry analyst Micheal Pachter. While it would be easy to focus on one industry analyst, no matter how prolific, it would be like kicking a gamer after he lost the final battle. What exactly IS an industry analyst and why do so many sites try and cover them as actual news resources?

An industry analyst performs research on whatever his particular field of interest is. In terms of Michael, that would be gaming, but he is far from the only gaming analyst, or for that matter nerdy analyst. An Analysts primary job is to determine the state of the market that they are specializing in and recognizing trends within that market. If the Wii is selling well to casual gamers, or if Green Lantern is doing well with post-adolescents, that is a trend in their respective industries. They focus on the “big picture” of the industry, which means the big news items. For gaming, it would be price drops for consoles, for comics it would be iconic characters getting a reboot, and for tech it would be the latest in cell phone technology. So an analyst captures the marketing trends, interprets the latest business models and forecasts what this means to the person they are representing. Essentially giving their various customers the inside scoop on whatever specialty they have.

This is a relatively beneficial idea. Basically, they are trying to get their customers an edge. Another function of an analyst is to analyze what is going on in their respective industry, and advise the actual industry on how well they are doing. If Supersquad action figures is selling well and its targeting a younger audience, an analyst might advise Marvel to target more people in that demographic. Hence we get a large number of new things focusing on THAT perspective. Which is why we see Marvel’s Superhero Squad online game and cartoon series aiming at the same sort of audience.

Everyone has analysts, because an analyst is someone who communicates your vision to a broader base of people. Its similar to a presidential campaign where you see polls showing how the candidate is trending with the public on a variety of issues. The problem that analysts face in terms of the mainstream public is akin to a presidential scandal with lobbyists. Analysts work for companies and show how that company can take the current trends and make money off of them, but this also gives analysts a bias for that company. There is a matter of trust on whether an analyst is trying to subtly push a customer to a certain direction with their analysis. Its essentially a persuasive essay without telling you that they are trying to persuade you. Because of the co-dependent relationship between industry analysts and product vendors, we might never know who is sleeping with whom.

An Industry Analyst is a resource we all use, and they have a place in our society. The issues arise when we are not sure exactly WHO the analyst is servicing. Are they offering their latest opinion, and trying to guide the customer to the right direction, or are they trying to railroad the customer into going with the company they represent? IBM, for example, does not disclose how much they invest in industry analysts. The thing to remember is to do your research when buying or reading the news, and don’t blindly trust analysts without researching who they represent.

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 1 July Permalink

Should There Be Another Batman?

Lately, articles have been popping up regarding the possibility of a Dark Knight sequel not happening. Rumors such as Warner Brothers having a short-list of replacement directors to close sources saying that Nolan won’t return to the film due to Heath Ledgers’ death. As much as many want a sequel to The Dark Knight, should there really be one?

The Dark Knight was a box office juggernaut grossing a little over 1 billion dollars world wide. It is a no brainer that Warner Bros. is pushing Nolan to bring in a sequel regardless of the quality. The hype surrounding Dark Knight, which was also helped by the untimely and unfortunate death of Heath Ledger, propelled this movie into being a must see not just for comic book and pop culture fans alike, but also for all movie goers. My own opinion on the movie, it is the epitome of what Super Hero movies can be when given care and development.

Regardless of the fanboy trolling or praise, or movie studios thirst for money, should there really be a sequel to The Dark Knight? I’m on the side of the fence that is saying to not even go there. Personally, TDK is one of the greatest translations of a comic book character to another medium. As much as I and others would like to see a continuation of the world that Nolan created for the new Batman, the ability to be consistent with the quality of story always comes into question.

Heath Ledgers death unfortunately help propel the movie to a much higher success. Whether the success of the movie would have matched it based on hype alone and not his death will be something we will never know, but Ledger’s brilliant performance as The Joker outshone and made The Dark Knight. Any actor taking up a villain role either as The Joker or someone else in the rogues gallery has to live up to the standard set forth by Ledger and under Nolan’s guidance to fit into the universe. It wasn’t like the Tim Burton interpretation where Jack Nicholson played as The Joker. Ledger became The Joker. Transforming into a character and becoming something unrecognizable to yourself is difficult and almost unmatched by Ledger’s performance.

Christopher Nolan has a clear vision and story he intends to tell with Batman and the characters surrounding his interpretation. Reports stated but never confirmed by Nolan that his latest film was to feature The Joker as the prominent villain in the sequel. While Ledger’s Joker would have been great to see in a sequel to TDK, it seems more of a retread as many will say that The Joker was the star and villain of TDK. As much as mainstream pop culture and the nerd fanbase love the Clown Prince of Crime, in Nolan’s Batman introducing or reintroducing one of Batman’s many villains would allow the world to grow and tell other stories surrounding Gotham City, Batman, and the people.

As any movie studio that hits a cash flow boom with a successful franchise, they want to continue that cash flow. The one name that keeps popping up as a replacement director in case if Nolan decides not to return to his Batman world is Zack Snyder. The problem with changing directors with different styles is the shift in tone and execution. Nolan’s Batman films are very story driven filled with more drama then a high school prom. Zack Snyder visual style is very slick and sexy but has been shown that he is very dependent on the source material using it as a literal translation from page to movie screens. If Snyder or any other director were to take the reigns of Nolan’s Batman they would be put under pressure by the public and the studio to make another Dark Knight.

History tends to repeat itself but with the Batman franchise the 90’s is plagued with bat-nipples along with the rest of the camp and crap of the first franchise. Movie studios should not mess up a good thing and ruin this franchise the George Lucas way by shoveling half-assed stories just because “that’s what fans want.” If Christopher Nolan walks away from this series then the franchise should take a rest and wait 5 to 10 years before relaunching with a new director with a new vision.

More importantly what do you guys think of a sequel to The Dark Knight?

Posted by Nerd Boy Wonder 29 June Permalink