Archive for the ‘Geeking’ Category

I've loved Spider-Man for over 40 years, but nothing in all that run entertained me as much as the "Ultimate Spider-Man" series by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley.

A reinvented Spider-Man, with all the humor and relationships and twisty plots that I loved from my childhood but with relevance to today, an incredible ear for teenage language, and a fresh new look at the same old characters. Through all of the occasionally questionable decisions Marvel has made with their major books the last few years, "Ultimate Spider-man" has remained my always-buy favorite. This is a great way to get started with this amazing series.

Here are the first 5 hardcover collections, pulling together issues #1 – 59, plus extras, interviews, sketches and more. All of them are first printing and in excellent condition. Bought, read once, shelved.

Vol. 1: Collects #1-13 and Amazing Fantasy #15. Out of print.
Vol. 2: Collects #14-27. Out of print.
Vol. 3: Collects #28-39, plus the hard-to-find Ultimate Spider-Man 1/2. Out of print.
Vol. 4: Collects #40-45, and 47-53.
Vol. 5: Collects Ultimate Spider-Man #46, Ultimate Six #1-7, and Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59.

Auction's over tomorrow night, so don't delay!

Yet another couple items in my ongoing clean-out-my-life project, this time it's a Serenity bank heist money display and a pile of random metal gaming miniatures.

The Serenity money display is a framed and matted display depicting one of the actual Alliance bills used in the movie Serenity during the bank heist scene and the Maidenhead bar scene. It comes framed and glazed with the movie logo laser cut out of velvet finish mount board. Note that this is not one of the replica bills made by QMx; this is the real, screen-used deal. There is an imperfection with the matting, described in the, um, description. Check it out! Comes with COA from the Prop Store of London and is a great way to get a collectible piece of the movie without paying overseas shipping.

Then we have a box of gaming miniatures. I have no idea what's in here. Got a pile of gaming stuff and ended up with these along for the ride. Some are painted, most are not. The few I can identify are some Watchmen figures (Rorschach, the Comedian, the Silk Spectre and Ozmandias), some Call of Cthulu, and some Legion of Superheroes. The two still in the (crumpled) packages are a headless horseman sort of thing from RAFM Miniatures and #1211 Texas Ranger from Deadlands' Weird West Miniatures line. The rest are fantasy pieces, superhero pieces, animals, monsters, etc. Who knows, the one you've been dying to find could be in here.

For those who have written asking if I've lost interest in Firefly/Serenity: hell, no. But I've got a LOT of stuff and I'd rather keep the items with personal meaning. Seriously, I'm just getting started.

The next installment of my I-need-money-and-my-storage-space-back auctions includes something special: a rare art print of Serenity. OK, granted, pics of Serenity aren't terribly rare; she's a beautiful lady and people seem to like drawing, painting, crafting and LEGO-ing her. But this is one of only 100 "engineering proof" prints made of a John R. Mullaney piece for QMx that have never, to my knowledge, been offered for retail sale. Mullaney is, of course, the illustrator behind the amazing Serenity Architectural Cutaway Set QMx just released with its incredible level of detail. This is the same style, ink and watercolor, but this image isn't included in the set.

The print measures 11"x17", is hand-numbered 51/100, and does have a few minor flaws described in the auction listing. But you won't find many of these around; it's a beautiful work of art of our girl. Check it out!

Also up: a heap of Serenity patches of different styles and sizes. Ariel EMT patches, Alliance rank insignia patches, Independent patches, an Alliance flag patch, even Wash's Londino patch.

Both auctions end Sunday, September 19. Don't miss 'em!

More goodies up for bid in my ongoing "I Need Money and Want to Be Able to Walk Through My House Without Turning Sideways" auction. This time we have:

Strangers in Paradise "Abbey Road" T-shirt: This is the limited edition Wrap Party version of this shirt, only available by buying tickets to the Strangers in Paradise Wrap Party and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund event in NYC in 2007. It has the Abbey Road image of the SiP cast on the front and the wrap party tour dates on the back. There were 100 made; this is #2 (marked thusly, under the tour dates). Black, Adult XL, Hanes Heavyweight. Never worn.

Mal and Zoe dog tags from QMx: QMx had some dog tags made for Sgt. Malcolm Reynolds and Cpl. Zoe Alleyne, 57th Overlanders, Hera, to give out as promos at events and conventions. Brand new, made of high-quality metal plate with enamel, they measure approximately 5 cm x 2.5 cm. A black rubber silencer and chain is included with each.

Vertigo Tarot: This is a beautiful thing. Released when people couldn't get enough Sandman and Vertigo Comics, this stunningly illustrated tarot set uses characters from Sandman, The Books of Magic, Swamp Thing, and Hellblazer for the Major Arcana. Illustrations are by the amazing Dave McKean. Also includes a 128-page hardback guide to the Tarot by Rachel Pollack with introduction by Neil Gaiman. This is not the reissue or the 20th Anniversary set, this is the original 1995 box set.

Much more to come, and don't forget the items from the first load that are about to run out. Good luck!

Been waiting to see this hit the stores for a long time, now.

QMx has just released the Serenity Architectural Cutaway Poster Set, a set of four extra-large, 32" x 24” full-color lithographs depicting our lady in all her glory. Lovingly hand-painted by sci-fi technical illustrator John Mullaney, it's packed with more goodies than you can imagine.

As one of the QMx Brain Trust that helped answer John's questions about layout and details from the show and movie, I've been fortunate enough to see the different incarnations of this over the last three years as it developed and I've been in awe every step of the way. (My critiques consisted mostly of "Oh my God," and "Wow, just wow," along with some vague mumblings about Early's airlock.) He put his heart into this, and it shows. The diagrams include Serenity coming and going, the shuttles and the Mule. It's a wonderful match for the Serenty Blueprints and should just about take care of that last little bit of blank space on your wall.

In addition to all the technical detail exposed in these 3-D cutaways, every inch of Serenity is decorated with the possessions of her crew. You'll find hundreds of personal effects throughout the ship – from Jayne’s Vera to Inara's favorite incense holder – it's all here, in meticulously hand-painted detail.

The set runs $39.95 plus shipping from QMx or $35.95 plus shipping from TFAW.com. Wherever you buy it from, stop by QMx, watch the making-of video, and download John's sketchbook so you can see what I've been drooling over since 2007.

Along with all the other wondrous things to see at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA, this weekend — an amazing collection of stars, writers, artists, musicians, and a few zillion people just as passionate as you are about the same things you love — Marian Call is putting on a concert and wants you there!

Marian performs an intimate show at a private warehouse space in Atlanta the weekend of Dragon*Con, at 236 Marray Drive, Atlanta, GA 30341. Tickets are $15, $10 for students, seniors, military, disabled, or starving artist (honor system). Please purchase the appropriate ticket. In order to increase capacity, some strapping able-bodied fans may be asked to enjoy standing room; be kind and plan to take turns or leave seats for those who need them.

The concert is at 8 p.m., Friday night, Sept. 3, at The Warehouse Therapy Band Space, and tickets are available at her website (at the top).

Marian also will be making other appearances in the area this weekend, check her site for details.

I love the Internet. And not platonically, either.

Time to help raise make-the-CD money for great geek singer Marian Call! Or, to put it another way, time to use this excuse to buy some stuff you'd probably want anyway.

Marian Call — she of the angelic voice and the silly-haunting-emotional-upbeat-really-hard-to-pin-down genre — has stuff on sale and stuff up for auction, and you want all of it. New stuff for sale includes T-shirts, autographed and personalized tour posters (did you know she's touring all 50 states?), personalized voice mail calls, photo prints, and CDs in bulk.

Stuff in the auction is even cooler. Handwritten framed lyrics, an artisan typewriter necklace, first drafts of original Marian Call songs, limited edition 1st run Vanilla CDs, and a set of QMX's Serenity Blueprints signed by Geoffrey Mandel, Timothy Earls, Nathan Fillion, and Alan Tudyk.

And everything goes toward supporting a talented indie artist and her upcoming CD. It's for the arts!

Check out mariancall.com for details and pics.

Seen at SpoilerTV.com:

NBC has a comedy pilot about "a group of sci-fi fanboys in a small town who shoot their own version of a canceled tv show" titled "Our Show".

That is an amazingly cool and funny idea, rife with possibility for twists and insider geek humor! I wish I'd thought of it!

Oh, right. I did.

So do I root for it to succeed so we get more fan-themed media out there, a la Big Bang Theory? Or do I go with the they-stole-my-idea route that hardens and eventually embitters me into creating an armored suit with plasma-powered whips so I can have my greasy-haired revenge by going to Monaco and trashing NBC's race cars during the race? Does NBC even have cars in that race?

Hmm. Tough call. I'll get back to you.

Need to know where you go, out there in the black? Ben Mund and QMx have got you covered, at least as long as you stick to the New Canaan run.

The New Canaan run is favored by captains flying light- and mid-bulk transports for its diverse markets and exports. And for those who must occasionally live on the raggedy edge, its varied levels of law enforcement are a plus, as well. The route described in the 26 full-color pages of the Atlas spans 11 planetary systems, crossing from The Core through The Border to The Rim and back.

Using the same format as the successful Serenity Blueprints Reference Pack, the Atlas of the Verse includes maps and info about Londinium, Persephone, Beaumonde, Silverhold, Harvest (and Higgins’ Moon), New Canaan (and Lilac), Hera, Shadow, Ariel, Osiris and Sihnon, plus lots of "local color" for each. Learn about the ceramics available from Higgins Industrial, check out satellite maps of Eavesdown Docks, get a copy of the tactical map from the Battle of Serenity Valley and a lot more.

I've been privileged to see this developing over the last 2 years and I can tell you the attention to detail borders on the psychotic (but in a good way). Tons of insider easter eggs hidden among insanely detailed renderings and artwork. Ben has done an awesome job.

Available now for $39.95. 26 pages on 100-pound 12"x16" stock, spiral-bound.

You can get Browncoat money for free, though. As a nice little promotion for the Atlas, QMx is offering a PDF of the scrip paid to Independents during the war. Print all you like!