Geek Friday: What to get the nerd in your life this year
- November 28, 2014
- / Mike Ensley
- / community-dashboard
It’s easy to get Aunt Margaret’s shopping done. Just get her some of that perfume they sell by the gallon.
Uncle Herb? Socks. The man loves wool socks.
But then there’s Jimmy. Jimmy is trickier than anyone else in the family.
Jimmy is different. He’s not the black sheep of the family. No, Jimmy’s a nerd.
He loves movies and comic books (and especially comic book movies). He knows who would win if the Justice League fought the Avengers, what TARDIS stands for and who was behind the Red Wedding.
You meanwhile still say “Dr. Spock” when referring to the Enterprise’s Vulcan Science Officer. (It’s Mr. Spock.)
Don’t panic! I’m here to help.
As founder and chairman of Pensacon, I’m a huge nerd myself, so here’s some suggestions for Jimmy to make this the best holiday season ever.
Comic Books
“Wytches”
Writer Scott Snyder is one of the most sought after scribes in comics, having penned acclaimed runs on Batman and Swamp Thing. His latest project is a departure from superheroes - a horror fantasy inspired by his own childhood fears. ‘Wytches’ is a tale of supernatural beings – physically repulsive skeletal hags rendered beautifully by artist Jock – who possess advanced knowledge of the natural world and can grant people’s desires, but at a terrible price: the person seeking power must offer a sacrifice.
‘Wytches” issues one & two are available from Image Comics for $2.99 each.
Television
Batman: The Complete Series Blu-Ray
Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. While all the names mentioned are Hollywood heavy-hitters, there’s still only one true Batman: Adam West. Assisted by Burt Ward’s Robin, West’s campy take on the character was a huge hit in the 1960s and has remained a constant presence on TV in reruns ever since. After years of wrangling over rights, this box set finally collects all 120 episodes of the series in a gorgeously re-mastered set that features over three hours of bonus materials including a lengthy interview with West himself. Holy high definition!
Batman: The Complete Series Blu-ray is available for $174.99.
Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios took a chance on one of their second tier characters in “Iron Man” in 2008 and turned him into a huge hit at the box office, launching a comic book movie revolution. In 2014, they took what many would consider some of their least well known characters, wannabe hero Star-Lord, green skinned antiheroine Gamora, the physically imposing, but quite literal Drax The Destroyer, living tree Groot and cybernetically enhanced Rocket Racoon – known collectively as The Guardians of the Galaxy – and made them movie stars. Director James Gunn’s film is a fun romp, full of action, humor and heroics and is the year’s second highest grossing film.
Guardians of the Galaxy comes to Blu-ray December 9, 2014.
Games
Disney Infinity 2.0
Disney’s grasp on nerd culture continues to increase with the acquisition of both the Star Wars and Marvel universes, not to mention their own plethora of original characters. Several of these worlds collide in their Disney Infinity game series for major consoles including Playstation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and One and WiiU. Players take on the roles of Disney characters from movies and television – from Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Carribean to Elsa from the recent hit Frozen and many other Disney properties and interact in a virtual world by placing a special collectible figure of the character onto a “portal” that connects to the game console. Of note to nerds is the game’s newest additions, Marvel character like Spider-Man, The Hulk, Black Widow and Loki. Players can build their own worlds, battle other players and more inside the game and switch characters by simply switching figures.
Disney Infinity 2.0 Starter Pack sells for 59.99 and comes with three figures. Additional figures are $13.96 each.
Writer Scott Snyder is one of the most sought after scribes in comics, having penned acclaimed runs on Batman and Swamp Thing. His latest project is a departure from superheroes - a horror fantasy inspired by his own childhood fears. ‘Wytches’ is a tale of supernatural beings – physically repulsive skeletal hags rendered beautifully by artist Jock – who possess advanced knowledge of the natural world and can grant people’s desires, but at a terrible price: the person seeking power must offer a sacrifice.
‘Wytches” issues one & two are available from Image Comics for $2.99 each.
Television
Batman: The Complete Series Blu-Ray
Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. While all the names mentioned are Hollywood heavy-hitters, there’s still only one true Batman: Adam West. Assisted by Burt Ward’s Robin, West’s campy take on the character was a huge hit in the 1960s and has remained a constant presence on TV in reruns ever since. After years of wrangling over rights, this box set finally collects all 120 episodes of the series in a gorgeously re-mastered set that features over three hours of bonus materials including a lengthy interview with West himself. Holy high definition!
Batman: The Complete Series Blu-ray is available for $174.99.
Movies
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios took a chance on one of their second tier characters in “Iron Man” in 2008 and turned him into a huge hit at the box office, launching a comic book movie revolution. In 2014, they took what many would consider some of their least well known characters, wannabe hero Star-Lord, green skinned antiheroine Gamora, the physically imposing, but quite literal Drax The Destroyer, living tree Groot and cybernetically enhanced Rocket Racoon – known collectively as The Guardians of the Galaxy – and made them movie stars. Director James Gunn’s film is a fun romp, full of action, humor and heroics and is the year’s second highest grossing film.
Guardians of the Galaxy comes to Blu-ray December 9, 2014.
Games
Disney Infinity 2.0
Disney’s grasp on nerd culture continues to increase with the acquisition of both the Star Wars and Marvel universes, not to mention their own plethora of original characters. Several of these worlds collide in their Disney Infinity game series for major consoles including Playstation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and One and WiiU. Players take on the roles of Disney characters from movies and television – from Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Carribean to Elsa from the recent hit Frozen and many other Disney properties and interact in a virtual world by placing a special collectible figure of the character onto a “portal” that connects to the game console. Of note to nerds is the game’s newest additions, Marvel character like Spider-Man, The Hulk, Black Widow and Loki. Players can build their own worlds, battle other players and more inside the game and switch characters by simply switching figures.
Disney Infinity 2.0 Starter Pack sells for 59.99 and comes with three figures. Additional figures are $13.96 each.
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