Playing Around – Get Those Shrooms!

If you’re a child of the 80s or just enjoy the old school video games, you have definitely heard of Centipede. Created by Atari in 1980, this classic vertical fixed shooter was all about blasting the bugs that descended upon you. It was a bit of a button masher – all you had to do was move the little gnome back and forth across the bottom of the screen and keep pressing the button to shoot at things. And now you can do that in tabletop form!  Continue reading Playing Around – Get Those Shrooms!

Comics Cosmos – A Very Kirby 100

This week would have marked the 100th birthday of comic book icon Jack Kirby. For those not as familiar with the history of comics, Kirby was not only an artist, writer and editor, but he created some of the most well-known characters and styles that are still seen in comics today. His first, and biggest, character creation (working with artist Joe Simon) was in 1940: Captain America. Over his career he wrote, drew and/or created dozens of heroes and worked for Marvel and DC, as well as doing freelance work. He was a large part of what Stan Lee dubbed “the Marvel method” of creating comics in a particular style.  Continue reading Comics Cosmos – A Very Kirby 100

She Geek Critique – High Fantasy & Dragons

I have never been into high fantasy. You know the type – set in its own world, playing by its own rules, characters typically include some form of dwarves, wizards, giants, plus there are mythical creatures like dragons or unicorns. Think Lord of the Rings, Discworld, Dungeons & Dragons. I dabbled with it a bit as a kid because I do enjoy fantasy in general. But the world building would bore me, with its extensive explanations and descriptions, which I’ve never cared for. (I stopped reading Stephen King and Anne Rice as their novels got longer for that same reason.) And honestly, I’ve never enjoyed over-the-top magic, which seems to be the only type wizards and magicians in those worlds are able to perform.  Continue reading She Geek Critique – High Fantasy & Dragons

Best Geeky Finds – Ducktales Woo-Hoo!

You may recall me writing about Darkwing Duck about a year ago, and how it was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. Second to that were all the other Disney afternoon shows, most of all Ducktales. The very adventure of the show and mystery behind some of the characters (Magica, I’m looking at you, who the heck are you?) made it a perfect program for both children and pre-teens. Thankfully, in the recent tradition of 90s reboots, Disney has rebooted Ducktales. I have been waiting for this since nearly six months ago when casting was announced and confirmed that David Tennant would voice Scrooge McDuck, the billionaire adventurer who takes in his great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.   Continue reading Best Geeky Finds – Ducktales Woo-Hoo!