That F'ing Monkey

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

2012-02-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

This Sunday I got to test Disney’s newest activity in Walt Disney World, the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. Before we get into this, I do want say that except for 4 years while I was active duty military, I’ve lived in the shadow of the mouse’s house since I was 8 years old. I can be very jaded when it comes to the Magic Kingdom. This will also be a pretty in depth write up, because I have a lot to say about this new game.

It all starts when you enter the park onto Main Street. If you look over to the firehouse you’ll see a sign saying, “Sorcerers needed! Enlist here today.” When you enter there are helpful cast members who are there to get you started. A swipe of your ticket will get you 5 spell cards and 1 key card. At this moment this is the only way to get cards. Anyone with a ticket can request cards though, so make sure everyone in your party gets some. The reason they swipe your ticket into a reader is to make sure you are only getting 5 cards a day.

After you get your cards you’re given a short training session that describes how to play and the premise of th game. Hades is trying to capture a crystal that he can use to take over the Magic Kingdom. The crystal is broken and he is enlisting the other Disney villains to help him get the crystal fragments back. Merlin is enlisting you to stop him. You’re given a brief run down on how the game works, handed a map, and then the video shows you a symbol telling you that is where the next portal will open up.

The map you are given is divided up into four sections; Main Street, Adventureland, Liberty Square, and Fantasyland. The different portal videos will always end with a symbol, letting you know where to go to next. For the most part the symbols are located away from attractions so you won’t interfere with any of the ride lines. You’ll know you’re in the right spot because you’ll see a large lock with a keyhole in it. There will also be the Sorcerers seal on the ground. When you put your key card against the lock the portal comes to life. The portals themselves are very well done. They may be hidden in picture frame, in a stained glass window, or even just an empty space of wall. The videos that the portals play are subtitled; that might not seem important but once you’re in the middle of a battle and the parade starts behind you, you’ll be glad you can read what is going on.

During the videos you’ll be prompted to use your spell cards. There are two hidden cameras at each portal, so when you hold up a card it can tell which one you are using. Different cards cause different effects to fly at your enemies when you attack them. Sometimes you’ll be prompted to use your Sorcerer Crest, which means to show the back of any card. The camera setup is why there is a Sorcerer symbol on the ground. Standing on it will help them catch the card you are holding. You may still have to move the card up and down for it to trigger though. If you hold up more than one card, the results combine. For example I held up a Lumiere and a Frozone card. A blast of ice shot up the middle of the screen, and then a candle appeared over it and shot fire over the ice.

The cards are very nice and come with a ton of information on them. First it has a spell type, things like animal or hero spells. Below the name are three numbers; so it has an attack value, boot value, and a shield value. These values also have another identifier like Charming, Gross, Energy, Quick, etc… In the testing phase everyone is playing at the lowest difficulty. When the portal tells you to use an attack card, it doesn’t matter which one it uses. At higher difficulties these types and values will come into play. Currently there are 70 cards.

Each round of the game will pit you against one villain. The general set up is the first portal will show you Hades recruiting a new villain, then through the next four portals you will battle that villain and assorted minions. At the end you’ll have reclaimed one of the crystal fragments and be given a new location if you want to continue. The rounds stay in an area, so you if your first portal is in Main Street all the other portals during that round will be in Main Street also. Considering all the expansion going on right now, this could be easily expanded to other areas of the park.

To complete the game we were told that you would have to complete 8 rounds. We completed 5 rounds; 1 in Main Street, 1 in Liberty Square, 1 in Adventureland, and 2 in Fantasyland. Here is the greatest thing about the game, the day we were there the pack was packed. Lines were out of control, even for Disney. I spent over 5 hours in the park and had a great time. We spent the whole day playing the game and it was completely stress free.

I honestly can’t wait for the harder version of the game to come out. I want more cards. I’m sure Disney will eventually start selling booster packs and I’ll probably buy some. If you are headed to the park for the first time, ignore the game. Go check out everything else, trust me you’ll be busy enough. If you’re a local or have already seen everything Disney has to offer multiple times over, check out Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Group Of Exceptional Individuals Part The Second

2012-02-13T15:27:00.015-05:00

Here we are again poised for an epic post when the fates and the fact that I have had 3 people quit on me for "higher paying jobs" (like that is a real thing) in as many weeks. However That F'ing Monkeys Group of Exceptional Individuals has proven to be quite the hit, so I am going to extend it. In fact we now have multiple teams of Individuals. So in that spirit I have devised some categories for your teams. First up is an 80's team, I have gotten a few submissions with members from Indiana Jones to Egon Spengler.

So, if you have not already submitted an 80's team let me hear it. Next up is a Space Based Team. Then we need an all Video Game group. You want Johnny Gat to lead up a team? The answer to that by the way is hell yes you do.

Finally how about a humor based group? That is what I originally based this idea on. A group with the aforementioned Ron Swanson, Dwight Schrute (thanks to Reaper for that sugestion), and Muscles Glasses.

There ya go some categories for your own Groups. So lets hear some more of your nominations in the comments, on our facebook page, or click the Contact Us link on the side bar. Also if you have a category to submit throw that in as well. Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard!

Flash Friday: I Slept With the Rogues

2012-02-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Lia over at Speed Force wrote a fantastic piece on her love for the Top. It got me thinking about my own love for some third and fourth string characters, it also got me thinking about just when I started liking the Flash’s Rogues. I think I’ve figured it out. See I used to sleep with them. Shocking I know.

Before jumping to the Rogues I want to quickly go over my discovery of the Flash. While there is more information about it HERE, my fascination of the Flash started with a tiny comic that retold his origin. There was something magical in those pages and I was hooked from an early age. That book does feature the Rogues, but it is extremely brief. You see maybe a panel of each one getting defeated by the Flash.

Fast forward to the Superfriends. I was a superhero junkie as a kid; I had toys, underroos, and even sheets. The sheet set I had is pictured above, it was a white sheet that repeated the picture of the hero and the villain line up. Even as a kid I remember knowing that the Flash’s lightning bolt was pointing the wrong direction. The pillow case even had a larger version of the picture; the heroes on ones side and the villains on the other.

The villain portrait was especially interesting to me as a kid; I remember always wanting to look at that side. As an older comic fan I’m amazed by how most of the characters used are Rogues. Think about it. There are four Bat villains, seven Flash villains, and no villains from any other villain. Lex Luthor? A total no show. Black Manta? I guess he wasn’t available. Cheetha? She didn’t get the memo. Sinestro? Maybe he was off world. Even Gentleman Ghost was too busy I guess.

Now I realize where most of the image they used is from. Still, it is strange that the core of the super villain piece was taken from a pin-up of the Flash’s villains. I have to admit that during this time, most of who I liked or disliked was based 100% on how they looked on the pillow case. I thought Captain Cold was awesome and that Heatwave looked like a dork. And that’s the story of how I used to sleep with the Rogues.

Hangover Thursday: Drinking in the Day

2012-02-09T10:04:00.003-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I am slammed, slammed, slammed at my day job. I can’t tell you how much I’d like to sneak off to a dark bar and have a couple pints. Since I don’t have much time today, I’m going to share a song. Not one written by the Tossers, but probably my favorite of their songs.

Green Lantern HeroWorld

2012-02-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

As someone who is about to be a father, I’m very excited by the amount of DC toys being released in the younger kid toy lines. With all the HeroWorld and Imaginext stuff even the smallest Batman fan is going to be happy. I guess Fisher Price are banking on the Green Lantern cartoon getting popular, because the Green Lantern is getting a whole line of HeroWorld toys. Some of them are already on the shelves of your local Toys R Us.

Starting with the biggest of the sets I found is the Green Lantern Jet. It comes with a Hal Jordan figure. The jet has an “actionator” dial that pops out the wings, makes sounds, and lights up. It also has landing gear, shoots a missile, and has a flip down “flight grip”. I love the toys that actually come with handles like that. It was one of the reasons the Captain Power ships were so cool. Since this is a bigger set, it comes with the largest price tag. Flying around your living room in the Green Lantern Jet will cost you 35 dollars.

Tomar-Re comes with a Turbo Sled. The Turbo Sled also has an “actionator” dial. It doesn’t do quite as much as the jet though. Turing this one will spin the turbo booster at the back of the Sled. The Sled also has a clear green missile that fires from the front of it. Almost half the cost of the jet you can get Tomar-Re and his Sled for 16 dollars. Still, let's be honest here, there is a Tomar-Re toy for children. That is awesome.

You can’t have Green Lantern toys without including Kilowog. The Wog comes with a motorcycle that’s ready for battle. There is a cannon mounted on the front of the bike that shoots out a clear green fist. Turn the “actionator” and two clear green shields pop out from the sides of the bike and cover the front end. I thought it was the coolest design of the three. Wog and his hog have the same price point as Tomar-Re, so if you want to take him home it’ll cost you 16 dollars.

Finally I took a picture of the back of the packaging. I didn’t see these single figures anywhere, but I think it is a pretty interesting line up. I’m sure plenty of adult collectors will be grabbing these sets. Atrocitus and Sinestro may be cool, but obviously the highlights of this line are the Dex-Starr and the B’Dg.

Secret Weapon Bases

2012-02-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have already mentioned that I’m a mediocre painter. When working on my Warhammer 40K army I have to find other ways to make my little plastic army look better. One of those ways is basing. Basing is when you paint or add material to the plain black bases your figures come with. I don’t remember basing being that popular when I first played 40K back in the 90s, but it is very popular now. For good reason too, a good base can make a huge difference in the look of your models.

Great looking bases don’t have to be a lot of work though. There are plenty of kits that will help you add the elements you’re looking for. In addition to that, you can buy resin bases that are already sculpted to fit your theme. My personal army is the Salamander Space Marine Chapter; they come from an inhospitable volcanic planet so I wanted bases with lava on them. Enter Secret Weapon.

Secret Weapon has a great selection of bases to choose from and they are always adding new ones. What I’m showing off are from their discontinued Lava Flow Straight Bases. The bases came in three sizes; so I could use them on my normal troops, my terminators, and on my dreadnaughts. The bases come unpainted. They need a quick rinse off and a minimal amount of flash trimming before they are ready to be painted.

Painting these bases is ridiculously easy and I usually do it was I’m painting the rest of my figures. First I start with a black primer. After that I paint the lava sections with Skull White. When the Skull White dries I cover it with Sunburst Yellow. Before I go further, this is a good spot to remember how lava works. The hottest part of the lava will be bright yellow, as it slows it begins to cool. So we want the center, moving areas to be bright yellow and the areas or dried lava to be the darkest red.

With that being said, I take Blazing Orange and cover most of the Sunburst Yellow. Also I wanted to say that I’m not exactly neat with the paint applications. If a bit of rock gets a little extra color on it, it will look better in the long run. When the Orange is dry I go over the far edges with Blood Red. It is good to dry brush the Blood Red over some of the rocky areas too. To finish off I’ll take Chaos Black and cover any areas that I’m not pleased with the look of.

Obviously I could add even more to the yellow/orange/red progression, but I’m happy with my three color version. On one figure it looks good, on an entire army, it really looks impressive. In fact the bases are usually the first thing people mention when they see my army. If you’re looking to base your figures, check out Secret Weapon, I really can’t recommend them enough.

The Group Of Exceptional Individuals Part The First

2012-02-06T15:33:00.007-05:00

How does one follow the epic that is GaoGaiGar? One does not. Also real life intervenes, so there is that. I am however going to preview my topic for next week - The Group Of Exceptional Individuals. What is that jive, you ask yourself? Well let me explain, everyone knows The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Well this would be the pop culture version of that, the 'Merican version if you will. Where the League is classic literature characters like Allan Quatermain and Hawley Griffin, this would be pop culture characters such as Ron Swanson from "Parks and Recreation"

So I ask you to put in your nominations, Reader, as to who you would like to see in this great undertaking (a.k.a. waste of valuable time). Let us know in the comments, on our Facebook page, or hit the ol' Contact Us tab.

The King of Braves is Born, Part Two

2012-02-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we started our in depth look at The King of Brave GaoGaiGar’s very first episode. So far we’ve seen a baby in the mouth of a robot lion, jet powered rollerblades, underwater bases, and a robot made of garbage. At this point 3G has called in Guy to help them fight E1-02 and save the school children trapped aboard the boat that was absorbed into E1-02’s backside.

Much like the first entry, this is going to be long.

Two years before Guy was an astronaut who was injured when the first alien robot E1-01 appeared. He was saved by Galeon and was turned into a cyborg by his father using technology from the Galeon. Guy confronts E1-02 and attacks it with the twin drill unit known as DrillGao. While the drill doesn’t seem to do any damage, Guy is able to reach the children. Before he can save them though, he is thrown into the water and E1-02 turns into a train!

E1-02 rushes down a bridge and into the subway system, destroying cars it goes. Another train quickly catches up to E1-02, it’s Guy driving the 3G train LinerGao! Yes, 3G actually has a train. As the team believes that Galeon will be getting back up they approve “Fusion”. Once E1-2 reaches downtown he turns back into a robot and starts to destroy city hall. Galeon and Guy show up and perform the “Fusion” maneuver, which involves Galeon swallowing Guy and then turning into a robot named GaiGar. You read that right, to merge together Galeon swallows Guy.

GaiGar dodges the first attacks that E1-02 sends at it and then calls for StealthGao. StealthGao is a stealth jet that GaiGar can use as a jetpack. GaiGar uses StealthGao as a diversion and cuts the boat portion off of E1-02 to save the school kids. E1-02 continues to attack though, strangling GaiGar. Guy asks for Final Fusion, but it is untested and no one thinks it will work. The president of 3G Taiga doesn’t care he says, “The percentage means nothing. A courageous heart can make anything possible! Final Fusion-Approved!”

There is this great bureaucratic feel to the way 3G operates. Final Fusion is when GaiGar merges with StealthGao, DrillGao, and LinerGao to form GaoGaiGar. To perform Final Fusion Taiga must okay the act. Then Mikoto must enter the okay on her computer console and slam her fist down to break the glass over a secure button. This may be the best part. After each transformation they must replace the glass, because she breaks it in every episode. Other powers involve just as much build up, some even included Taiga to slide a security card through some kind of reader on his desk.

With Final Fusion approved GaiGar transforms into GaoGaiGar. The process has GaiGar spray out a smoke that conceals the background, ensuring that the same transformation sequence can be used in later episodes. GaoGaiGar faces off with E1-02. He uses his Protect Shade to defend himself against E1-02’s microwave blasts. His Broken Magnum (basically a Mazinger rocket punch) is able to break through E1-02’s barrier. Guy is informed that the barriers is down but it will be back soon, so GaoGaiGar uses it’s Heaven and Hell technique. He forces his hands together and rockets towards E1-02, punches through its body, and pulls out its core.

GaoGaiGar tries to destroy the core when Mamoru sees this and sprouts glowing fairy wings. I promise you that I’m not making this up. Mamoru flies down to GaoGaiGar and the episode ends! That’s right. Why doesn’t want Mamoru want the core destroyed? What’s up with the fairy wings? Those answers will have to wait for later. I just wanted to give you a taste of the craziness that is known as GaoGaiGar. If you enjoyed it, let me know and it may speed up how quickly we get to episode 2.

The King of Braves is Born, Part One

2012-02-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of giant robot cartoons out there. Voltron, Transformers, and Robotech are probably the first ones that I remember seeing as a kid. Yes, yes I know the whole Macross/Robotech thing. It was Robotech when I first watched it, so let’s move past that. Even with all those robots, my all time favorite is one I discovered much later in life. The King of Braves GaoGaiGar was a Japanese cartoon that ran from 1997-1998 and was followed up with an OVA called The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL.

I’m doing something we haven’t done for a while here, a full weekend episode breakdown. So make sure you check back tomorrow for the conclusion of the episode. As you’re about to see, GaoGaiGar starts out strange and then builds from there. Over the 49 episodes things get really weird as the cast grows and grows. The amazing robot cast is best left for another article. Today we’re starting with the beginning. Also this gets pretty long, so check out all the fun stuff after the break.

The episode opens with caption letting us know that this is happening eight years in the past. A couple is driving down a snowy road while the woman is wishing on a falling star that they’d have a child. Something comes streaking down from the sky causing them to be thrown from their car. In front of them is a giant robot lion which opens its mouth to reveal it is carrying a baby. Once they take the baby from the lion’s mouth it flies away. That is a baby that rides in style, Superman is jealous all he got was a rocket.

The episode then cuts to the amazing theme song and we’re back to present day. A school group has been taken to an island made of garbage as some sort of conservation field trip. The teacher informs them to “walk around but watch your step.” I love the idea that a school let a bunch of 8 year olds wander around a garbage dump mostly unsupervised. Mamoru (the now grown lion baby) finds a cave of television screens that crackle to life as he walks in. The villains that will be showing up later all flash on the screen and he runs out to find his teacher. A giant robot rises out of garbage dump, scaring everyone on Garbage Island.

At the same time the giant robot rises from the refuse the robot lion from earlier is seen breaking free of some chains that had been restraining it. The lion has been named Galeon and it becoming active quickly alerts the members of the 3G. 3G is the Gutsy Geoid Guard a secret Japanese organization formed to combat alien threats who has a secret base under an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. As they are alerted we are briefly introduced to all the members of the GGG, from their president Taiga to the crazy jet roller-skate wearing scientist Leo.

3G member and tactical advisor Geki is in a helicopter above Tokyo Bay and reports about the giant robot that seems to be absorbing all of the electronic garbage on the Garbage Island. Galeon is trying to break out of 3G headquarters so they surface the part of the base he is being held in. Yes, the underwater base is made up of multiple submarines. Finally released, Galeon flies off into the air. We see school kids are on a boat that has been partially absorbed by the robot and are pretty much hanging from its butt.

Defense Force jets fly towards the robot (named E1-02) but they are quickly destroyed by a microwave blast. The arm is actually made up of hundreds of old microwaves from the dump. Galeon comes streaking down from the sky but hits some kind of forcefield. The robot hits Galeon with another blast and freezes it (the freeze powers are due to the refrigerators and air conditions located in the other arm. The robot lion lands in the bay. One of the 3G members notices his little brother is one of the 5 children trapped on E1-02. At this point the team agrees to send in Guy.

So who is Guy? What’s up with Gaelon? Will the kids ever get off E1-02’s butt? You’ll have to come back tomorrow and check out the second part of The King of Braves is Born.

Flash Friday: Zazzle

2012-02-03T10:30:00.002-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Over the past Flash Friday articles I’ve talked a lot about Flash merchandise. From shirts to phone covers we’ve covered a lot of ground. Today I’m going to talk about all those things and even more. Zazzle is one of those websites that creates items on demand. Want a specific picture on a coffee cup? In a few clicks and some money and they’ll make it and send it to you. When they first got the DC license they had a handful of Justice League designs, but nothing with just the Flash. Since then they’ve added a few things.

There are now 36 images just in the Flash category. Some of these are symbols, some are logos, and some are characters. There are a lot of images to choose from. Once you’ve picked the image you want you have to pick something to put it on. Zazzle offers different types of shirts, a few types of mugs, pins, stickers, mouse pads, skate board decks, hats, aprons, key chains, magnets, greeting cards, stamps, binders, and phone covers. The only real limitation is that a lot of the items have a white background, so if your perfect item needs to be bright red you will probably be disappointed.

I’ve ordered things from print on demand shops before. I was always a little disappointed with the shirts, but the other items were quite good. It’s very possible that the shirt process has improved greatly. Unfortunately I can’t review the quality of the Zazzle items, I haven’t put in an order yet. I will be ordering the coffee mug you see pictured above. I won’t be ordering the mouse pad. Just look at the picture. He just looks so disapproving, it’s like he already knows the websites I’m going to go to and he’s disappointed in me. I don’t need that kind of pressure while I’m online.

Hangover Thursday: Sidekicks

2012-02-02T11:21:00.003-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I’d suppose most people are taking their drinking easy this week in preparation for Super Bowl parties. Personally I’ve had a couple Black and Tans the past few days. I think having two a night would improve my overall view of the world. Things tend to seem better after two beers. Today’s Hangover Thursday is about Sidekicks. And while I could write numerous articles on my love for Short Round, I’m not talking about that kind of sidekick.

Sidekicks are shot glasses with a hidden compartment! Well, I guess it isn’t actually hidden since they are clear. The bottom compartment unscrews from the rest of the glass allowing you to drop in candy, peppers, or anything else you want to make your drinks more interesting. The bottom of the top portion is slotted, so any liquid you pour in will mix with the bottom compartment.

The glasses are made of hard plastic and a four pack will run you 20 dollars over at Think Geek. Sure shots with peppermints in the bottom sound neat, but I think you’d have to let them sit for a while to really get the flavor. The (no pun intended) coolest usage would be to drop some dry ice in the shots. I could see that going over really well at a Halloween party.

SWTOR- A New Meme

2012-02-01T11:10:00.001-05:00

I am slammed at work today. So I’m sharing a video that I can’t stop watching. At seven minutes long, there should be something you find funny.

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

2012-01-31T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, if you've been keeping an out out on our comment section you may have noticed a lot of responses that don't make any sense. Usually there is a line of gibberish and then a link to another website. Yup, we've been overrun with Spam.

We try to make it very easy for you to leave us comments. Putting more restrictions on that would decrease the Spam, but would decrease how easy it is for you to reply. So for the time being we are keeping things the way they are right now. If you do see one of these Spam comments before I can delete them, please don't click on them. It only encourages them.

That F'ing Podcast

2012-01-30T14:06:00.001-05:00

We here at That F'ing Monkey have been throwing the word podcast around for a little while now. What we need is some input from you, the Reader.

The show would be split into 3 main parts that fall along the Comics, Games, and Booze tracks. Those being pretty self explanatory as well as integrating things like beer recommendations from you. The show would most likely be about once a month and an hour long. So would you listen to Ken and I ramble on? Do you have any suggestions? As always Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments, on our Facebook page, or click on the F'ing Email button.

New Painting Setup

2012-01-28T10:29:00.000-05:00

Today I’m showing off my new painting setup! Let me start today’s entry by saying I am a very mediocre painter. In the coming weeks I’m going to be spotlighting the tips and items that I use to cover up my paint skills. Before we get to them though I have to talk about where I put all of these things together and since I just put together a new space to do all my painting I figured I’d show it off. I just set it last night, so you’ll notice that there aren’t any works in progress on the table.

The desk was something my mother found at a garage sale. It was initially intended for my wife, but she has found something that is more her style. That’s when I got the bright idea to use it as a painting table. On the top shelf is Game Workshop’s painting table. When I was originally just using our kitchen table to paint I needed something that was easy to pick up and put away. On the main desk surface is a really cheap cutting board, a desk lamp, and a portable DVD player. I like watching season sets while painting. Currently I’m on season 3 of Chuck. Before that were Black Sheep Squadron and BJ and the Bear.

Below the desk I have space to store my Battlefoam 720 troop carrier. We will definitely be talking about that in a later entry. The white container with the three drawers is my bits box. I get pretty OCD about bits, inside those drawers all the bits are grouped together in tiny zip lock bags. One bag is full of backpacks, another arms, another heads, etc… Below the Battlefoam are boxes for the two tanks and assault bike that I need to put together. I almost forgot, I use the Converse shoe box when I got to my local store and paint. It's useful to carry around all my paint supplies.

Flash Friday: What Would You Accept?

2012-01-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! I may have been vocal in the past about wanting DC back the way I liked it, but I will admit that I am enjoying the new Flash series. Of course I would be much happier if Wally West was back, but that idea brings up a number of questions. How exactly could you fit Wally back into the new DC?

The first hurdle we’d have to jump is the age issue. Barry and Iris are younger now. Okay, so Iris really wasn’t looking “older” in the series right before Flashpoint either, but the point still stands. Not only are Barry and Iris younger, but Bart is around as a teen-ager. So if Barry is in his mid-20s and Bart is around 16, where does Wally fit into that picture? So if Iris is 25/26 do we put Wally at 20/21?

Let’s not forget no one can be married in the new 52. The twins never stood a chance did they? Especially with the de-ageing it seems very unlikely that one of the younger tier characters would be married with children. Would Wally go back to being a irresponsible womanizer? DC could make the decision that the Wally West the general public is familiar is the wise cracking Justice League Unlimited version.

Now here is the biggest question. If DC does bring Wally back as a speedster, would you accept him with a different name? I don’t mean changing Wally’s name, I mean making Wally a hero other than the Flash. It is unlikely that Wally would have years of being a sidekick, so why not let him form his own identity? All the pictures I’m using for today’s entry are done by Brett Booth, as you can see in one of them he played with making Wally blue instead of red. If they promise not to use the Cobalt Blue name would you be okay with Wally in blue?

Obviously I have no control over the direction of DC comics, so any suggestions listed here are just me thinking out loud. What kind of changes are you will to allow in order to have Wally West back?

Hangover Thursday Needs You!

2012-01-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Today is going to be a little different than other Hangover Thursdays, because instead of showing you new alcohol related items I’m going to be asking you for some. Well actually I’m asking you for some beer suggestions. It will all make sense I promise.

I worry a lot about getting new content and readers to the site. Between my real job, the website, my family, and other hobbies I have to juggle some times. Those days the updates may not be as long and well thought out as updates where I’m able to take my time. Hangover Thursday is one of those things I would like to improve. Here is where you, the reader, come in.

I’m looking for new beer. Beer I can drink and review here. If it can be found in Florida and Texas, Brandon will drink and review it too. Sounds like fun doesn’t it? All I need is some of your suggestions. Because it will take some time to find the beer, research, and review it this will probably happen about once a month. If you have something you want us to try, please click on the “F’ing Email, Click Here” button on the right hand side of the site.

Why I Love the Old Republic

2012-01-25T10:37:00.000-05:00

It is no surprise at this point that I’m still waste deep in the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. When my day has finally wound down I usually jump on for an hour or more before I head to bed. The game isn’t perfect. It does have issues, but there are other things in it that make me smile. I’ve played Star Wars video games before, but there is something about this one that has made me grin numerous times just by including little things.

Tatoonie is a perfect example. The maps are spread out and mostly sand dunes, quite fitting of the planet. I’ve read where other players have complained because it is so spread out, but to me it feels perfect. I want Tatoonie to be spread out. I grinned like an idiot when I saw my first Sandcrawler. I was genuinely excited the first time I saw a herd of Banthas. Hoth was much the same. Wampas, Tauntauns, and Ortolans? I wanted to replace all of my crew with little blue elephant people.

We’ve also discovered a game within the game. No, it’s not Pazaak. If it was Pazaak I wouldn’t be typing updates to the website, I’d be playing Pazaak. It’s Droid Boxing! Robot Fight Club! Summon your ship’s droid, disable its healing powers, duel another player, target the other player’s droid, and then tell your droid to attack the other one. It’s serious fun for the whole family!!

Star Wars Valentines

2012-01-24T10:20:00.000-05:00

Since the original Star Wars movies were re-released in theaters there has been a steady stream of Star Wars merchandise. With the continued re-releases and new properties like the cartoons, I don’t know that I’ll ever see a time in my life where Star Wars isn’t represented on the toy aisle. It’s when Star Wars moves away from the toy aisle that things start to get a little stranger.

I had a hard time trying to decided what order to put these in. I wanted to put the strangest thing last, but that is hard to do. In fact the people who have already seen these couldn’t agree which was the strangest. Starting out our look at Star Wars Valentines are these chibi plush versions of Boba and Vader. Both of them are holding a small package of chocolate hearts. This one looks like they just packaged two existing items. The plush probably existed well before this. Someone just bundled them together for the holiday.

Next up are full sized candy boxes, with either Darth Vader or Darth Maul’s face on them. I get the first time. A kid likes the plush and they get a kid sized box of chocolates. These suckers with their strange glitter frosted tops seem like they would be a little big to give to kid. Who exactly is this aimed at? And why Darth Maul? I know Phantom Menace is being rereleased in 3-D but is really the spokes person you want for this? Everyone knows that Kit Fisto is the real Star Wars embodiment of Valentine’s Day.

Frosted glitter wasn’t the only variety of chocolate boxes though. They also had rhinestone. This thing blew me away. Done in a tasteful black, we get a lovely rhinestone version of Darth Vader. I almost bought this. The sheer strangeness of it stopped me in my tracks. Just an all black heart shaped box was enough to stand out. Someone is buying these things though, because there is also a version that has Yoda on it. The Yoda version was already sold out.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: The Demo

2012-01-21T10:37:00.000-05:00

The demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning came out the other day. The game is interesting for a couple of different reasons, but a lot of attention is getting paid to its demo. The game’s executive designer is Ken Rolston, who was lead designer on Morrowind and Oblivion. So right out of the gate the game already has a pretty good bit of hype. Then R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane came aboard. Salvatore created the game universe and lore while McFarlane worked on the artistic duties. While personally those names are more of a deterrent than an incentive, a lot of other people do enjoy their work.

I played through the demo the other morning before I left for work. Much like Fable you can seamlessly switched between casting spells, shooting arrows, or swinging your weapon. I really like the skill trees; they easily let you specialize as a warrior, rogue, or warrior. The game moves quickly, to me, it felt very arcade-y in the way it moved. The other thing I want to say is the demo was surprisingly long. After you finish the tutorial part, the demo gives you 45 minutes to explore and quest in the first area. That is a surprising amount of time for a demo. A very cool move, I really wish they would have told me that before I started though.

The other important thing about the KoA demo is that you can unlock two pieces of DLC for Mass Effect 3. I’m sure as we get closer to ME3’s release date we will be flooded with bits and pieces of DLC offers. I won’t lie, like a pokemon master, I’m going to want to catch them all. I realize how silly that is, especially since I rarely use the items once I’ve collected them. I think after tracking down all those Dr. Pepper codes for ME2 that I only ever used one of the helmets. For starting the demo you unlock the Reckoner Knight Armor. For finishing the demo you unlock the Chakram Launcher.

The Reckoner armor will increase melee and weapon damage. They have not said if the armor is like the Blood Dragon and other promo armors. So at this point I can’t tell you whether or not you’ll be able to disable your helmet. If you finish the entire demo you’re awarded the Chakram Launcher. The Launcher sounds like it would be a heavy weapon, but it is actually an assault rifle. Both of these items were designed by Todd McFarlane.

Flash Friday: Tales from the Brain Jar, #20

2012-01-20T10:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Today we’re going to be crossing Flash Friday with one of my favorite reoccurring features, Tales from the Brain Jar. In case you missed any of the earlier entries, I’ve been having pieces added to my brain jar themed sketchbook since 2004. Today’s entry is posted on Flash Friday because the picture is of Bart Allen back when he was Impulse.

This piece was done during the 2009 Megacon. If you can’t tell just from the looks of it, it was done by the incredible Humberto Ramos. I was very excited about this sketch, when I picture Impulse in my mind it is Ramos’ version that I see. While talking with him that day he said he was embarrassed that so many people come up to him thinking that he designed Impulse with Mark Waid, when Mike Wieringo was actually the artist behind the character.

For those not familiar with Bart when he was still Impulse, one of the things that made him stand out is that he never had text in any of his thought bubbles, it was always pictures. It was very different and one of those little quirks that I knew I had to have included in my sketch. I don’t think it’s bragging to say that the sketch came out amazing. I got to talk a lot about his run on Impulse and his thoughts on the character in general. We also talked about the Dark Horse mini-series Revelations, but that is a topic for another day.

Hangover Thursday: The Waiting

2012-01-19T13:03:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I didn’t actually drink last night. I spent last Sunday at a Highland Games festival, so I had enough excellent beer to keep me going for a few days. I am getting ready to go on a real tear soon though; I’m waiting for a new bar to open. Anticipating a new bar opening is a strange thing; let me try to put it into perspective.

I’ve been considered a regular at probably four bars in my life. When I stationed in North Carolina there was a little bar attached to a Mexican dive that expected me and my friends there every Monday night. When I got back to Florida there were years where my friends and I were known as “the boys” and we were expected every Friday night. When living in Tucson for three months, I spent 4 or 5 nights a week at the Surly Wench pub. Hangover Thursday exists because I used to go to the Copper Rocket pub every Wednesday night. I really need to make it back over to the Rocket; my schedule hasn’t let me do that lately.

So now a World of Beer is about to open close to me. Really close to me. It is literally a 9 minute drive from my house. That many beers that close, I’m excited. I really want to hate World of Beer, but I can’t. I like dives. WoB’s are always well lit and super clean. I love nasty, greasy bar food. WoB lets you bring food from the neighboring restaurants. I like owner/operators. WoB is a chain. I love their dedication to carrying so many kinds of beer that I can’t help but be excited.

I’m sure I’ll have pictures when the new bar opens in February. Until then I really need to go visit some of my old haunts.

SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T09:48:00.000-05:00

No update today. I'm not turning the entire site black, but I am asking you to research SOPA and PIPA for yourself. Do some background reading, find something on both sides of the arguement if you can. This is a very serious issue, don't pick a side because your favorite website tells you which one to pick. Go out and educate yourself on it.

Bond 50

2012-01-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

Do you like James Bond? No, I mean do you really like James Bond? If you do, then you might want to start saving your pennies. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. No. Don’t think for a second that MGM isn’t jumping for a chance to promote 50 years of the film franchise. They are releasing the Bond 50 boxed set which contains all 22 of the Eon movies on Blu-ray. You’ll get a box full of Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig.

Amazon hast the list price for 300 but they are offering it for 200. Considering the sheer number of movies you’re getting, it’s not a bad deal. The set also contains an extra disc that just contains “brand new bonus content” that is supposed to be an hour long. MGM is keeping quiet about the release date on this set, but rumors seem to point to it coming out in October.

As I mentioned, this set only contains the Eon films. So if you were dying to see the original Casino Royale or Never Say Never Again you’re out of luck. Personally I only need about three Bond movies in my collection to be happy, but your mileage may vary .So what about you, are you a diehard Bond fan?

Tales of the Random Lanterns

2012-01-16T16:24:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the first Tales of the Random Lanterns. This is much like Tales from the Brain Jar as it has to do with my sketchbook. We all know that Ken has a unique theme for his book, well in 2005 when I started mine it was unique at the time as well. Not so much any more, but c'est la vie. Anyway this is the first page in my book done at Motor City Comic Con in 2005.

Roger the Homunculus from Hellboy by Guy Davis. Roger is one of two of my favorite characters from Hellboy (the other being Lobster Johnson). When I asked for this sketch I got an odd look from Mr. Davis, then his eyes lit up and he proclaimed that he had just the thing. I think it came out amazing and set the bar mighty high for the artists that would follow. All artists, save one, have met that task, but that is a story for another day.

As always Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Flash Friday: The Wagon

2012-01-13T10:33:00.001-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone!! After a month off, Flash Friday is back and ready to go. I stumbled on the subject of today’s Flash Friday while I was walking down the decimated toy isles in my local Target. It was about a week after Christmas, so the shelves were still pretty bare looking. They had just installed the new decorations to the shelves, so that was a neat surprise. And then I saw it.

The Hot Wheels DC Comics Original Flash ’70 Chevelle “SS” Wagon. That is a giant name for a tiny toy car. I have a fascination with toy cars that slap a Flash design onto them, but this is the first one I’ve actually purchased. In fact I’ve talked about Flash and cars before; you can go back and read that HERE.

There are some strange choices on the Flash car. I guess they went with a wagon to give them more space to paint the Flash figure. The majority of the car is gold and the top image is done in blue. I was initially confused. Why isn’t it red? Then I thought if the car was red, then the Flash would blend in. So now I’m stuck wondering why they didn’t go with a darker color. The packaging on this line is sharp. I’ll probably never take the car out.

The Flash isn’t alone in this line and after seeing what characters got what vehicles the Flash Wagon doesn’t sound so strange. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were obvious editions. Joker and Lex Luther are also pretty normal choices. Bizarro showing up in his truck is a bit of a surprise. Harley Quinn is driving a bread truck. A bread truck. That is strange even for the criminally insane.

That’s it for this week’s Flash Friday.

Hangover Thursday: Beer Diet

2012-01-12T09:57:00.001-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I’m nursing an Old Republic headache. Actually it is more just being worn out because Old Republic won’t let me sleep. We are midway through January, the holiday buzz has worn off, and many people are looking at all the weight they packed on during those big holiday meals. Author Joe Konrath (or J.A. Konrath) has decided to start a diet that is very relevant to Hangover Thursday, he is started the 30 Day Beer Diet.

Inspired by monks, Joe is going 30 days on nothing but beer and water. Even I think it sounds crazy and I love beer. The best part about this is that Joe is documenting everything that is happening. Check out his blog HERE. He is currently on Day 11, so you’ll want to jump back to his first post and read on from there. Regardless of whether or not you believe this is a good idea; the journey is fascinating. Joe talks about his energy level, what beers he is drinking, and what it is all doing to his digestive system.

I’m not recommending anyone try this diet. I know I couldn’t, when I drink I get super hungry. I am recommending you go check out Joe’s blog and read about it though.

Dark Horse April Solicits

2012-01-11T11:40:00.000-05:00

I don’t normally talk about a company’s solicits. I guess it would be easy. I could stretch it into a couple posts if I did a separate one for each of the big companies. Normally that doesn’t feel right to me though. I generally want to talk a little more about things then, “hey this is coming out.” I’m very excited to talk about one of Dark Horse’s April releases, but as I looked over the other solicits I wanted to talk about them also.

Here is the big one. Dark Horse Presents #11 is the debut of Francesco Francavilla’s Black Beetle. Black Beetle is a character that Francesco created on his own blog, Pulp Sunday. Since this seems to be a big year for the Black Beetle Francesco has also created a blog specifically for the Black Beetle. Trust me; this is a book you’re going to want to read. Besides being one of the nicest people on the planet Francesco is such an amazing storyteller. This is very big stuff and we will be talking about it more in the future.

There is also a Criminal Macabre one shot out in April. We love Steve Niles at That F’ing Monkey and we especially love his pill popping detective. Anything Cal McDonald is an instant buy for me. I’m pointing this one out because of that amazing Fiona Staples cover. I love it.

The last thing I feel like I need to mention is that the Mass Effect line is starting a series of single issue stories. The first is starring James Vega. This is the strangest choice ever. The internet is already pretty much against this douche-y looking new character. The bonus is that the writer of each comic will be the person who wrote the character in game. I look forward to seeing who else gets a one-shot.

Mass Effect Toys Return

2012-01-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

Back in 2010 there was a large part of my life consumed by Mass Effect 2. One of the things I was excited about was DC Direct’s line of action figures. I waited, and waited, and waited. The line was delayed and when it finally did come out, it did so very quietly. Months later I finally found the Tali figure at a comic shop I stopped into while on vacation.

Well the line is back and no one should be surprised to hear that DC Direct is not involved this time. The company who has taken the Mass Effect reins it Big Fish Toys. They are re-releasing the first wave of figures and the second wave. The first wave is male Sheppard, Thane, Grunt, and Tali. The second wave is Garrus, Legion, Mordin, and Miranda.

With Mass Effect 3’s release date getting closer and closer you have to wonder if Big Fish is already hard at work getting new lines of figures ready. Sadly, I never play with the default Sheppard, so the figure looks good, he just doesn’t look like Sheppard to me. Still, anyone who missed out on the figures the first time around should be happy.

Random Thoughts Again

2012-01-09T05:20:00.012-05:00

As I work the "whores hours" to make up for the fact that I dare to take a vacation, I have a random thought post today.

My beloved Tampa Bay Lightning are the definition of inconsistent so far this year. Currently sitting at 17-20-3 with a pittance of 37 points, 25th in the league, and 9 points outside of the eighth playoff spot. It is a far cry from last year when they were looking good. However with all of the hot and cold the team is rocking, the top three of Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Stamkos are playing great. In fact Stamkos is currently in the lead of the goal race with 28, four points ahead of Phil Kessel of the Maple Leafs. I blame it on the boring generic "modern" jerseys. Fuck those sweaters.

I have not had a chance to play Star Wars: The Old Republic in almost 3 weeks. Nothing else here, that just sucks that I am so busy as to not be able to play.

While I was in town Ken and I had a game of 40k. His Salamanders vs. my Eldar. I was hoping for a win so I could rub it in for a while, but it ended in a draw so no bragging rights to either one of us.

That F'ing Monkey's All Swines Day was a rousing success, as much pork was consumed. There was also a cameo appearance by some crazy tasty butterbeer and bacon cupcakes. Although I may have had one too many Everbeers (sneaky bastards), fun times were had by all.

So how is your Hockey team doing this year? Got any pictures from your own All Swines Day? As always Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Starman Week: Statues

2012-01-07T10:46:00.000-05:00

Today is the last entry in our first ever Starman week. I hope you’ve had a good time. I had a good time. Today we’re talking about some collectables a little nicer then action figures, we’re talking about statues. There aren’t a whole lot of Starman statues, but what is out there is worth tracking down if you’re a fan.

We’re starting off with the Eaglemoss Starman. I’ve already talked about how much I love the Eaglemoss line in my numerous reviews of the Flash related releases. Hand painted lead figures. They aren’t very large, but that makes them affordable and easy to display. They are quickly my favorite way to get a collectable of a character I like. As you can see Jack looks fantastic.

I was even more impressed with the piece when I got a look at the back of his jacket. The Starman symbol is a little more complex than most of the designs I’ve seen recreated on the Eaglemoss stuff so far. I think the picture speaks for itself. Unfortunately there isn’t a Golden Age Starman in this line. The good news is that they are adding a Stargirl though, she was just recently announced.

Then we have the statue DC Direct released in 1999. Sculpted by Tim Buckner and based on Tony Harris’ designs I’ve had this piece in my collection for a long time. The pose makes it an interesting piece. The base on the statue is sized normally but since Jack is kneeling it takes up much less space than if he was standing in some kind of dynamic action shot. It is cold cast porcelain, so it has some heft to it.

The tip of the staff is a separate piece, which makes it much easier to transport. It fits into the staff snuggly though; I’ve never had any issues with it falling out. The Starman zodiac is also nicely painted on the back of Jack’s jacket on this piece too. Despite it being older, you can find this popping up on eBay pretty frequently.

That’s it for Starman week. I’d like to do it again some time. As always there is a “Contact Us” button on the right hand side if you have any suggestions, complaints, etc.

Starman Week: Figures

2012-01-06T10:12:00.001-05:00

Starman Week marches on! So far we’ve covered the books, the mini-series, and shared some stories about convention sketches. Now it’s time to talk toys! DC Direct did make a Jack Knight figure but it won’t be in today’s article. When the DC Universe Jack came out I considered it an upgrade and packed up the DC Direct version somewhere in my closet. I suppose there is a certain irony to a character who is a collectables dealer being turned into a collectable himself.

DC Universe Classics did a version of Jack and one of his father, the Golden Age Starman. As you can see by the sticker, they were part of the line that debuted at K-Mart before showing up at other stores. I had looked all over for the Jack figure, but couldn’t find him on the store pegs. I ended up buying him for a little bit of a markup at Heroes last year. The bonus to buying him there was I got the package signed by Tony Harris.

This week is really turning into a love letter to Tony Harris isn’t it? I like to open most of my figures, even if they are just going in a display. That way I can make sure I like the pose they are in and things like that. Well, once you get the packaging signed you’ve pretty much decided to leave the figure in or carefully cut out the back of the packaging. I decided to just leave him in there.

I wasn’t sure I was going to buy the Ted Knight figure. It was one of those situations where buying one item snowballs into buying another just to have a complete set. I found him in a store one day and debated with myself whether or not to pick him up. Obviously the collector in me won out. Just because I already had Jack, Ted stays in his package also.

There is a DC Universe Stargirl figure. I haven’t picked her up yet. I’ve seen her in the stores and had the same debate I had with the Ted Knight, except this time my diminishing display space won out. I do have this fantastic Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. minimates set. I haven’t really covered Stargirl this week; she’ll have to wait until I decide to do another week dedicated to the series. I don’t know why I’ve kept them in package, but most the minimates I’ve purchased remain unopened.

That’s it for the figures, check back tomorrow for even more Starman!

Starman Week: The Shade

2012-01-05T10:49:00.000-05:00

Hangover Thursday takes a week off as we continue Starman week! It would be wrong to have a week dedicated to Starman and not mention the Shade. If you haven’t read the series yet that might sound like a strange thing to say. But James Robinson changed a generic villain into one of the most compelling characters in comics. He plays a major role in the Starman series and not just as a cackling criminal. He’s practically a co-star.

Shade moved up to full star for amini-series that came out during Starman’s run. All four of these issues are now in the Starman Omnibus that we talked about Monday. Currently there is a twelve issue Shade mini-series that is only a third of the way through. In fact I think issue number 4 comes out next week. Now I realize that sometimes coming back to a beloved series doesn’t always work. James Robinson has jumped right back into the feeling of the first series though; you’d never know they were written so long after the original end.

I’ve been talking about the writing, but the art is also amazing. Covers have been provided by Tony Harris, we’ve already established that I’m already a fan of his. The interior art for the first three issues were all done by Cully Hammer. Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone worked on the cover and interiors for issue number 4. Javier Pulido takes over art duties on issues 5 and 6. I can only speak for the Cully Hammer issues, since the others aren’t out yet. It’s good, so good that Cully Hammer has been added to my sketchbook wish list.

The last thing I want to mention is that James Robinson has tweeted that DC isn’t happy with the numbers this series is pulling. There is a danger that it may be cut short. If you’ve haven’t jumped onto this series yet, swing by your local shop and grab the first couple issues. You won’t be disappointed.

Starman Week: Tales from the Brain Jar, #19 pt2

2012-01-04T11:06:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to Starman week and the second part of my Jack Knight Tales from the Brain Jar. Yesterday I discussed the Heroes convention in 2008 where I met Tony Harris and his unique way of picking what sketches to do. Today’s story is from that very same day, although it was later in the afternoon when he was getting ready to do my sketch.

I was walking past Tony’s table and he called me over. He was getting ready to start my sketch and he wanted to ask me a few questions. So as I walk over he says, “Goat or no goat?” I wasn’t really expecting it, so I was caught a little off guard. I must have gone slack jawed for a split second, but I recovered and realized he was talking about Jack’s facial hair. He nods approvingly and then tells me that he’s going to put something in the sketch that I should get since I’ve read all the books.

I didn’t say this yesterday, but I’ll mention it today. I am intimidated by Tony Harris. It’s just that I admire his work so much, and he just seems so cool, I don’t want to say or do something that would appear dumb in front of him. Is it geeky? Yes, I realize it is. I’ve talked to him numerous times and he is a fantastically nice person, but I’m still nervous that I’m not cool enough when I’m around him. So the fact that he was putting an Easter egg into my sketch was awesome and terrifying at the same time.

My mind was racing, what would happen if it was some obscure reference from the comic and I didn’t catch it? I’d be humiliated. As he worked the two of us talked about tattoos and the series in general. No matter how awesome that conversation was though, I was constantly thinking about that reference that I needed to get. Luckily for me, it was something I easily recognized. You’ll notice the name of the tattoo parlor is a reference to Turk county in the story. I can’t really describe how relieved I was. Of course besides getting the reference, I also recieved the amazing sketch that we've been talking about.

That’s it for this Tales from the Brain Jar. Check back the rest of the week for more Starman goodness.

Starman Week: Tales from the Brain Jar, #19 pt1

2012-01-03T10:35:00.008-05:00

I hadn’t realized it, but it has been months since we’ve ran a Tales from the Brain Jar. Just in time for Starman week comes one of the most impressive sketches in my entire book. It is by Tony Harris and it was done at the Heroes convention in 2008. There are two stories attached to this sketch, so we’ll get right to the first of them. Because this may run a little long, I’ll post the second story tomorrow.

Any time I know I’m going to a convention I keep track of the artist list so I can budget both time and money accordingly. I usually plan for 1 sketch, with the possibility of picking up a second depending on how much I’ve spent already. For Heroes, I knew I wanted a Jack Knight from Tony Harris. I could have left the convention with just that and still called the weekend an amazing success.

Due to someone very awesome that I won’t name right now, I managed to get into Heroes about 10 minutes before the doors were opened. I quickly parted with my benefactor and started for Tony Harris’ table. I found him about 5 minutes before the doors opened and found that I was the third person in his sketch line. I was disappointed I wasn’t first, but I figured there was no way I wouldn’t get a sketch if I was third in line. That’s when the convention opened and Tony explained what he was doing this weekend.

Tony explained that he can do a certain number of sketches during the convention (I forget what that number was). He then went on to tell us that to make it more interesting to him, we would have to write our names down and then write down what we wanted a sketch of. Tony would then to the sketches that he thought were interesting. It made sense, but I was suddenly terrified that Jack Knight getting a brain jar tattoo wouldn’t be interesting enough to make the cut.

The first guy in line writes down his name and then writes “Batman”. Tony looks at the list, arches an eyebrow and pretty much tells the guy. “Hey, Batman is pretty boring. I get tons of Batman requests, there is a good chance I won’t do this one.” The guy sticks to his guns though; he seems indifferent about the whole thing. He doesn’t go into an impassioned speech about how Batman is his favorite character in the world; he just kind of nodded and went on.

Guy number two walks up and writes down “Wonder Woman.” Inside I’m cheering, I’m still worried that my sketch isn’t interesting enough, but if this is what I have to compete against I figure I’m a sure thing. Tony looks at this guy the same way I must be. I honestly don’t believe he thought he would get a Batman and Wonder Woman so quickly after telling people he didn’t want to do generic sketches all day.

Finally it is my turn. I get my first omnibus signed. We both comment on how nice the book is. I joke that after the singles, the trades, and finally the omnibus that the story must be something special because at this point I’ve bought it three times. I write my name, what I want, and I show him the other 18 brain jar sketches in my book. I was relieved to know almost immediately that he would be doing my sketch, but the story isn’t over yet. Check back tomorrow to find out what else happened.

Starman Week: The Omnibus

2012-01-02T08:00:00.008-05:00

This week we’re going to take a long look at my favorite comic book series ever, Starman. Now considering the website has a serious Flash bias I can understand the confusion that statement may cause. The Flash is my favorite superhero, but the Starman series with its definite beginning and end is my favorite superhero story. The Flash in one form or another is ongoing, there are good arcs and there are bad arcs. So when you talk about a good Flash story you talk about an issue or an arc. When I talk about Starman I’m talking about the whole thing.

So what is so great about this story? Well a lot of it has nothing to do with superheroes. Sure it is masked in a love letter to both the Golden Age and the Silver Age of comics, but if you look deeper into Starman you can see other themes. The importance of family is one of those themes, even when you don’t get along with them. Growing up and the changes that come with growing up are another one. I won’t lie, I see a lot of myself in Jack. I will also admit that even though I’ve read through the entire series five or six times, I have cried every time I read certain issues.

As a superhero story it has all of the things I loved about DC. The stories take a heavy look into past characters. Because Jack is an outsider, all this information is fed to the reader slowly, so you’re never overwhelmed by it. It celebrates Opal City and makes it iconic. I love DC’s fictional cities and I’m thrilled when a writer takes the time to really define them. Also defined are Jack’s supporting cast. As you read through the story you’ll have your own favorites, but all of them are memorable.

If you are new to the series you can’t go wrong with picking up the Starman Omnibuses. There are six hardcover omnibuses that collect the entire series. I understand, six 50 dollar books don’t exactly sound like an economical way to read the series. The books are beautifully put together and the contents of them are worth every penny.

XS Stock Light Freighter

2011-12-31T08:00:00.013-05:00

We’ve talked about the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO a few times before it officially launched. Now that I’ve been playing it for a little while I can honestly say I love the game. I’m planning a much longer article on that though; today I want to talk about something very important to my Smuggler, his ship. Smuggler players are given an XS Stock Light Freighter; other classes are rewarded with other ships.

Even though I was disappointed with Dark Horse’s replica Normandy I’m going to put this out there, I want a replica XS. There have been tons of vehicle lines for the Star Wars universe, there needs to be one for the Old Republic. I’m not asking for something the size of a coffee table like the deluxe Millennium Falcon. Something in the scale of the old Action Fleet would be fantastic. Hell I’d even take something in the smaller Titanium series. This is an amazing looking ship and I want one for my desk.

Please Hasbro. The only other option I’d have would be to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set and then modify it to look like the XS. That sounds like a very large and expensive work around. Unless of course Lego wants to do an Old Republic wave, then I’d be rendered powerless and would have to buy one.

Bad Ass

2011-12-30T10:14:00.000-05:00

We live in strange times my friend. A trailer for the movie Bad Ass just hit the internet. Danny Trejo, Charles S. Dutton, and Ron Perlman are all in it. Bad Ass is based on the “Epic Beard Man” video from 2010. If you are unfamiliar with the video it shows two men having an argument on a bus that ends with the older of the two unleashing a furious beat down. Because of his white beard and “I am a Mother Fucker” t-shirt the internet dubbed him Epic Beard Man. Danny Trejo’s character is obviously based on him. Check out the video below.

Hysterical right? Well much like the amazing “Shark Pool” this isn’t a real movie. An April release date. A production company named “Amber Lamps” which is another part of the Epic Beard Man meme. Despite the fact this movie would become a cult classic if it was real; I have to say this is just a trailer made for laughs. Part of me is very glad it isn’t real though. The real story of the Epic Beard man is at times sympathetic and at times vile. I’d feel strange seeing a version of him portrayed as a hero to the people considering how racially tense the real story is.

For the record, I'd still pay to see a full length Shark Pool.

Hangover Thursday: Tea Rex

2011-12-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I’m planning to do all my drinking this weekend, so my head is pretty clear this morning. So clear that we aren’t actually talking about alcohol today; instead we are going to talk about tea. Heresy I know. Outside of the occasional Chinese restaurant I don’t really drink tea. I might have two or three cups a year. Today I found something that makes me want to drink tea.

The Tea Rex is currently up for pre-order HERE. This little silicone dinosaur is made so that you can pop his head off and fill him with loose tea. Then you just drop him in your cup of hot water and let him do dinosaur-like things in there. I don’t know, slow lower him into the cup on his chain and imagine he’s actually in a tar pit. “Roar!” The mighty T-Rex struggles but it can’t escape!

Anyway, the little guy will be shipping at the very end of February. If you want a tiny terror in your tea cup it’ll only cost you 14 bucks.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller

2011-12-28T10:22:00.001-05:00

In 1987 television was graced with something unique from Jim Henson, a collection of myths and legends retold using a mixture of live action and some Jim Henson’s Creature Shop magic. Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller had 8 half hour episodes that ran either a specials, a regular show, or as part of The Jim Henson Hour. It even spawned 4 more episodes as The StoryTeller: Greek Myths. The show was amazing. Someone at Archaia Comics felt the same way, because this December they released The StoryTeller graphic hardcover.

The book is good, really good. If you have fond memories of the show, this is a must buy. If you like reading myths and legends, this is a must buy. If you just enjoy a well told story and beautiful art to go along with it, this is a must buy. If you’re tired of all the shakeups in your current superhero comics, buy this book. Do you see where I’m going with all this?

Inside the book there 9 stories from all sorts of sources from Japanese folktales, Aesop fables, all the way to Appalachian folktales. The most exciting is adapted from an unused screenplay from Anthony Minghella, He was credited with the final script on every episode of the StoryTeller, it is incredibly cool to be reading what might have been another episode.

I haven’t really talked about the talented group they found to work on the book. The list of writers and artists are amazing. I just want to toss out a couple of names. When you think Muppet comics you have to think of Roger Langridge and thankfully his story opens the book. Tom Fowler does beautiful work, as does Evan Shaner. Plus you get work by people like Ron Marz, Craig Rousseau, and Katie Cook. I’m leaving out so many talented people that you need to see this for yourself. Seriously, at 20 dollars this book is a steal. I honestly hope there is already a second book in the works, because I'd like to have a new one every Christmas.

Blog Update

2011-12-27T12:02:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, just a quick update to talk about what is going on behind the scenes. Even though there are still a few more holidays to get through, expect regular updates for the rest of the year. Next week will be a special themed week, so make sure you check back to see what we’re talking about. If all your Christmas cards were full of cash and checks, remember that we still have F’ing Monkey shirts for sale.

Unlike last year there won’t be a major site overhaul for the new year. This weekend Brandon and I are going to be talking about new ways to better the site though. One of those topics will be Podcasts. If you’re interested in listening to us ramble, please let us know. It just might happen. I’m already lining up some convention stuff for next year, so if you like this year’s convention coverage that will hopefully be improving.

Finally I want to say thank you again to everyone who takes the time to stop in and read for a bit. Even more thanks for those who like us on Facebook or comment on the articles. And if it is possible, I'm even more grateful to those of you who have passed this site on to others. It has been a great year and I look forward to the next one.

Yikes

2011-12-26T13:20:00.006-05:00

We here at That F'ing Monkey hope that you had a good Christmas yesterday. I was planning on taking today off of the blog, however I randomly ran across something that I had no idea even existed.

"The Year Without a Santa Claus" is a classic Rankin and Bass Christmas special made in 1974.

That is one of the more well known music numbers in the show. And no, Ken and I are not planning on doing those costumes. Well apparently in 2006 someone had the idea to remake the special. In live action. Yep.

So there ya go. See everyone next year.

A Christmas Song For You

2011-12-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

CRUDBUMP and Married to the Sea have teamed up to bring you a very special Christmas song. It is not for sensitive ears, but I thought it was a lot of fun.

With that said, or sung rather, the F'ing Monkey staff is taking tomorrow off to enjoy the holiday with our families. Brandon will probably be taking Monday off, so check back on Tuesday! Merry Christmas everyone!

Hangover Thursday: Tom and Jerry

2011-12-22T13:22:00.002-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? The Christmas season is in full swing so I wanted to talk about a Christmas drink that you might not know about. The Tom and Jerry has been around since 1821, so it is not named after the cartoon cat and mouse. It was created by a writer named Pierce Egan who was trying to promote his book Life in Londo: or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom and the play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London.

I want to emphasize that for just one moment, to promote his book and play he came up with a brand new drink. It actually became a really popular Christmas drink; obviously it lasted longer than Egan’s fame. It probably helped that he modified the existing Egg Nog recipe that was already popular. So what exactly is in it? Check out the full recipe below.

1 Teaspoon Sugar
Nutmeg
1 whole egg yolk
1 whole egg white
1 ounce dark rum
Dash Brandy
Boiling Water

Beat sugar into the yolk.
Then add rum and egg white.
Transfer to coffee mug.
Fill with boiling water.
Add brandy and grated nutmeg

Fugazi Live Series

2011-12-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

Recently I was reading about how different internet sites and services were creating a new uprising in Do It Yourself musicians. Bands that aren’t worried about the big music corporations, ending up in music magazines, or being household names are flourishing right now. That got me thinking about one of the best DIY bands ever, Fugazi. Because of this train of thought I discovered the Fugazi Live Series was just launched this month.

From 1987 to 2003 the band played over 1,000 shows. Over 800 of those shows were recorded by their sound engineers. That is a ton of music. The Fugazi Live Series is restoring that music and making it available HERE. In addition to loading the shows to the internet they are also trying to add any additional material like photos, flyers, etc… to the website. Obviously a project like this is going to take some time, they are starting with 130 shows and will load more as they go.

To download one of the shows is only 5 dollars. There is a preview so you can check out the sound quality before you throw your money down. If you’re a completionist and now have dreams about listening to all 800 shows, you can sign up for their Full Access package. 500 bucks will get you all of the shows. Sure it sounds like a lot, but it would be 4,000 if you paid for each one individually. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the 1993 recording from the Edge in Orlando; I was at that one.

SWTOR Tips

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

Star Wars the Old Republic officially launched today, so I’m sure a tidal wave of new players are hitting the servers. Having spent the last couple days jumping onto the game when ever I had some free time, I wanted to share a couple tips that I’ve learned either on other sites or through my own trial and error.

Never sell anything you’ve crafted. You can Reverse Engineer it. You get some materials back and you may also get rare schematics.

You can store you crafting materials in your bank and still use them for crafting.

Shift + Left click is how you split up stacks of items.
/ginvite (name) can be used to send a Guild Invite to a character that is currently online

If your companion was left near death after a combat, dismiss and re-summon them. It is quicker than waiting for them to heal. Right Click on your compainion's portrait for the menu to dismiss them.

Don't forget to repair your equipment.

You can view comparative data for Companion equipment as well as your own. It is in the preferences.

AOE looting is in the UI preferences. You’ll no longer have to click on each corpse individually.

In your ability screen there is a power called “Emergency Fleet Pass”. You can use it once a day. It takes you to the Fleet.

When you train for level 10 you get to pick your advance class. Your trainer will have two tabs at the bottom. The first tab contains skills for your basic class; the other tab is for your new advance.

Your experience bar is at the bottom of your screen. The empty bar below your experience bar is for Legacy experience. It won’t do anything until level 30. You can disable it in the preferences.

Logging out in a cantina or on your starship will grant you rested xp when you log back in.

Thunder Busted

2011-12-19T15:49:00.005-05:00

As I prep the shop for my pending vacation, I don't have much time today. So enjoy this mash-up.

Chris Pronger’s Season is Over

2011-12-17T11:21:00.002-05:00

News broke Thursday that Philadelphia Flyers captain Chris Pronger will not be playing for the rest of the 2011/2012 season. It’s been reported that he is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome. Things started going downhill for Pronger when he hit in the face with a stick on October 24th. He missed six games and 16 days after that. He did come back to playing, but when you play as physical as he does, you’re going to take a couple smacks to the head. The symptoms persisted and now he is done for the season.

Hockey fans are a loyal and sometimes ruthless bunch. I’ve seen some comments about karma and mentions of how ironic it is for such a dirty player to be injured. He is one of those players that spends a lot of time in the penalty box. I like watching Pronger, I like the way the Flyers play. I like that the Flyers are stepping up without their Captain and still getting the puck in the net. I hope Chris is able to overcome the post-concussion symptoms. Not just because I’d like to see him play again, but because I can’t imagine what it would be like going through life dealing with them.

Flash Friday is Dead!!

2011-12-16T10:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! I don’t think it is a surprise to say that although the new Flash series is a quality book I’m not happy with the re-imagining the DC Universe has taken. That disappointment has killed a lot of my enthusiasm for comics. The Flash is still my favorite superhero but I’m not as excited talking about the character in his current state. So I’m taking a couple Fridays off from talking about the Flash. There will still be updates Friday, they'll just be about other things.

This isn’t really the end. Flash Friday will resume in January. I’ve done 75 Flash Fridays; there will be more of them. I just need a week or two where I’m not worrying about what Flashy topic to comment on. I also realize that a massive amount of the site’s traffic comes from the Flash topics, so please remember we do update 6 days a week with lots of other fun stuff.

Hangover Thursday: All Swine's Day Reminder

2011-12-15T11:05:00.001-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I had some Winter Lager last night while doing some Christmas shopping but not enough to cause any serious damage. We are in the big holiday rush right now. New Years is just around the corner too. After that is the official holiday of That F’ing Monkey, All Swine's Day.

We invented All Swine's Day last year and I have to say it went fantastically. So today I’m talking about it so that everyone can enjoy the day. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of January. This year it happens to fall on New Year’s Day, but that really was just poor planning on my part. It’s a chance to relax with some friends; one last big meal before worrying about diets and exercise.

The perfect All Swine's Day gathering starts around 2 pm. No need to get up early. While your menu can vary, we went with a breakfast theme. Bacon weaved taco shells, bacon and pan fried potatoes, diced ham and sausage, scrambled eggs, cheese, and sour cream. This year I’ll also be making the F’ing Monkey drink of choice, Everbeer. I’ve already been told a few more people will be celebrating All Swine's outside of the people who are coming to my gathering. If you plan on celebrating, please send us pictures!

Old Republic Early Access

2011-12-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

It started this morning, at 7am EST. If you listened hard enough you could hear people hitting refresh on their inbox. That’s when the first of the invite emails for Star Wars the Old Republic were sent out. Exactly how earlier your access was determined by when you entered your pre-order code. So if you immediately jumped when it became available then you probably are already in. I know I ordered around midnight on the first day and got my invite around 11am.

For those who waited, the game will be available to everyone on the 20th. I’m really impressed on how they are handling launch. I’ve been in from the start on a handful of MMOs and I think this is the overall best experience. The fact that I know my Guild is already waiting for me before I even start playing is a huge benefit. The ability to download the game days before launch was even better. Considering both Brandon and I are playing Old Republic you’ll probably be hearing more about the game soon.

They Mostly Come Out On Ice, Mostly.

2011-12-12T13:50:00.004-05:00

The original "Alien" is one of my favorite all time flicks, and the sequel "Aliens" is in the top 15 or so. When I ran across the news that some enterprising nerds did a musical version of "Aliens" I had to see it. Then I found that it was musical AND on ice! Oh my.

Yep, that exists. Thanks goes to Topless Robot on this one. You can also hit Youtube and search for "Aliens on ice" and you can see more. And you want to see more.

What nerd properties do you want to see as a crazy ass ice show? How would you go about it? Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our facebook page.

DC Super Hero Legos

2011-12-10T15:53:00.000-05:00

The amazing looking DC Superhero Legos are starting to his store shelves. The report I read said they were showing up at Toys R Us, but I’m sure they’ll be on shelves pretty quickly so that everyone can get in on that Christmas spending.

The traditional mini-fig sized sets come a few different options, most of them are Batman themed though. There is a small Batman/Catwoman set, a Batwing/Joker-Copter set, a Batmobile/Two-Face set, and the incredibly cool looking Lex Luther power armor set. The Lex set also comes with Superman and Wonder Woman. Besides just being cool looking it is automatically my favorite for not being Bat related. We’re also supposed to be getting a new Batcave set, but I don’t think it has been released yet.

There are also a few figures in the Bionicle/Hero Factory scale. Surprise they have a Batman and a Joker! I know, I know, you’re as shocked as I am. The other figures isn’t Superman, it’s Green Lantern. I’m not a huge fan of these. Something about them just looks odd. They look more like giant robots dressed like Batman or Green Lantern. That being said I’ll happily buy the Flash if one comes out.

I doubt I’ll be picking any of these up, but that temptation will be there every time I see them. Why does Lego always want to take all my money?

Flash Friday: Onesies

2011-12-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Today we’re taking a look at how to show the world that you are a Flash Fan by dressing up your baby! That’s right; we’re looking at Onesies/snap suits/whatever you want to call them. Think of them as baby Underoos or something.

First up is the uber-detailed Flash costume Onesie. Not only does this one sport the Flash symbol, you also get the lightning belt and a vaguely sculpted chest. I think the belt part is pretty cool, but to be honest the chest definition kind of freaks me out. I think it’d look even stranger on a baby.

Next up is much more to my liking, a simple Flash logo. Besides not having any creepy fake baby muscles it has a larger symbol then the other suit. Sure you lose the belt, but I think it is a better over all look for the fastest baby alive.

Finally we have one that isn’t just Flash-centric. Instead we get Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, and the Flash all represented on toy blocks. Wonder Woman and Aquaman’s symbols are both missing, but I guess the designer wanted a more uncluttered look. At least the Flash was included in this one.

By this point, I know what you’re thinking, Ken, why are you showing us all this baby stuff. Well the That F’ing Monkey family is growing. Patrick O. is still in pre-order status at the moment but is expected to ship sometime in early April. And yes, he will be getting at least one of these fine pieces of geekery.

Hangover Thursday: Slim Pickings Fat Chances

2011-12-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I had a couple Shiner Blacks list night, but my head is still clear this morning. Today we’re going to look at the amazing student film by David de Rooij and Jelle Brunt. Certainly you should check out their website talking about the project HERE. I know what you’re thinking, what does this have to do with booze? Give it a chance and I think it will be apparent pretty quickly.

Games Day 2012 Ticket Unboxing

2011-12-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

UPS was busy this morning. As I was leaving for work this morning I found a large box on my doorstep. Usually I seem to be at the end of their delivery day; sometimes I get packages as late as 7pm. Today’s was delivered before 9am. When I saw how big the box was sure my wife had orders another American Girl doll, it’s a big box.

As you can see in the picture, it’s a big box. When I saw Games Workshop on the box I had that thought; this can’t be my Games Day ticket, someone had to have sent me something awesome. Make no mistake, this box contains a ticket. It also helps explain why the shipping was 7 dollars.

Inside the box is…well it’s mostly empty. Lots and lots of packing filler. It is kind of a letdown to open such a large box and only see real contents in the bottom quarter of the box.

Here is the lanyard, a clear ticket holder, and the actual Games Day ticket. I have to say, sending an actual Games Workshop lanyard is nice. Most companies would just send you the ticket and let you purchase one of their lanyards when you were at the convention.

There was still more in the box though! I can tell you that the box in the picture above does not contain a “New Tank” even though it says so. This box was folded flat and tapped down. That’s a shame really, my army could really use a tank or three.

Inside that protective cardboard was actually a matted 8.5”x11” print of a Grey Knight. The print is limited to the first 500 people who ordered a Games Day ticket. I am not sure if they are still available or not. And that’s it for the unboxing.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, That F’ing Monkey will be going to Games Day North America in July. That means it’ll get our normal convention coverage. So expect more information on that as we get closer to July.

NHL Realignment

2011-12-06T09:56:00.001-05:00

Since the Winnipeg Jets moved from Atlanta the NHL has been rife with talk about how it would have to re-structure. Teams like the Blue Jackets and the Red Wings have been complaining for years about the amount of travel they have to do because of their conference placement. Yesterday new broke and we finally got details of the NHL’s realignment. The four conferences haven’t been named yet but this is how they have been broken down.

1: New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Washington, and Carolina
2: Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Florida, and Tampa Bay
3: Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas, and Winnipeg
4: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado

The top four teams in each conference will all go to the playoffs. In addition to that the first two rounds of the playoffs will be within the same conference. So check what teams are in our favorite team’s conference; you’re going to be seeing them a lot next season. It is also planned to have each team play every team in the league once at home and once away. This is huge for transplanted fans who might not get to see their favorite team every year.

While there are good things about the realignment, it isn’t perfect. Tampa and Florida look pretty out of place in their division. In fact I’d say they get pretty screwed by it. The new division may also hurt some long standing rivalries. The other thing to consider here is I highly doubt there will be a Phoenix Coyotes for very much longer. What happens if they end up somewhere far away from the West Coast?

How do you feel about the changes? How is it going to affect your favorite team?

Smile, You Son Of A Bitch!

2011-12-05T08:00:00.008-05:00

So Universal had announced that they are closing the "Jaws" ride at Universal Orlando effective on January 2, 2012. This news makes me very sad. I have a personal connection with this ride, as when I first moved to Orlando I was a skipper on said ride. It was a fantastic experience and I had a blast shooting that shark 50 times a day. Pun intended.

As it happens, Ken was on my boat at one point and I used his name for the skipper on the sunken boat in my act. I thought it was clever, leave me alone. So as "Jaws" goes the way of the "Ghostbusters" stage show and "King Kong" lets hope that they don't replace it with another boring thing like "Twister", damn that attraction sucks. So everyone remember to keep your hands and feet inside the boat at all times.

I never had to wear that stupid hat, just in case you were wondering. Also as we are talking about one of the best movies ever, this made me chuckle. Thanks to Steve Niles for finding this gem.

So folks how do you feel about this news? Ever been on the ride? As always Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our facebook page. "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies..."

F’ing Monkey Hockey Talk

2011-12-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

This year’s season is in full swing and we’ve been pretty quiet about it. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened that way. It has been a pretty interesting start. So far we’ve seen the return of the Winnipeg Jets. The return of Sidney Crosby. The day after Thanksgiving we got the earliest televised game on a major network. On January 2nd the Flyers will be hosting the Rangers in the always entertaining Winter Classic. The big rumor going round is that next year’s Winter Classic will be at Michigan Stadium. If that is the case I’ll be getting my airplane tickets up to Detroit soon.

When we get closer to the playoffs That F’ing Monkey will be hosting another beard challenge. There is no prize of course, but we may be looking into doing some charity work. Obviously we are a ways off from the playoffs, but if you’re interested in participating this year please let us know. All it would require is shaving clean a week before the end of the season and sending us pictures at the start of each round. Besides I’m sure everyone wants to see more faces then mine and Brandon’s.

So how has the season been for you so far?

Flash Friday: Salamander Smackdown

2011-12-02T11:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Today we’re talking about Salamander Smackdown. Much like yesterday’s article, even though the name would lead you to believe otherwise, this is not about my Warhammer 40K Salamander army. Instead today’s article is about a book in the DC Super-Pets line names Salamander Smackdown.

The book actually came out in August; somehow it slipped under my radar. Apparently I’m not studying the book releases in the 7 and up category closely enough. Here is the absolutely amazing description of the book:

The Terrific Whatzit, pet turtle of The Flash, loves to show off his speedy skills! He normally lives as his alter ego, Merton McSnurtle, but when danger rears its ugly head, he becomes the fastest turtle on Earth – the Terrific Whatzit! However, not all of the pets in Central City love Whatzit – in fact, two cyborg newts dream of being the pets of someone else – the Super Villain and the Flash’s nemesis – Professor Zoom! These two newts, X-43 and Bit-Bit so want to impress Professor Zoom that they hitch a ride out of the pet store and set out to make Professor Zoom’s evil robot come to life. Can two newts make a broken down, evil robot work again to bring grief and misery to Central City and will the Terrific Whatzit be able to stop this unbelievably powerful robot before it destroys everything?

Salamander Smack Down is written by John Sazaklis with art by Art Baltazar. I don’t have this book in my hands yet, I really did just stumbled upon it. Even though it is a kid’s book, I’m excited because I love DC’s speedster turtles. For years I’ve wanted a Russian Tortoise of my own to call Whatzit. Anyway, expect a full review when I get my hands on the book.

And just because he is awesome, one more picture of Whatzit.

Hangover Thursday: Beer Hammer

2011-12-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? The temperature is dropping in Orlando, making it the perfect time to start looking at Imperial Stouts. Of course I’m usually ready for a good stout any time of the year, but they become more readily available during the winter. For those of us who aren’t covered in snow, the cooler temperature also makes it the perfect time get around to some of that work outside we put off in the summer. That’s why we’re talking about Beer Hammer.

Normally when I hear Beer Hammer I think about playing Warhammer and drinking beer. That isn’t the case today though, we’re talking about a hammer with a built in bottle opener. It’s an easy scenario to imagine. You’re outside or in the garage hard at work, maybe you have a cooler nearby. It might not be hot outside, but you are working so you’ve gotten yourself a little parched. You pop open the cooler and realize the beer you bought needs an opener. With this hammer, you’re never without a bottle opener.

Okay, in all seriousness there isn’t much to say about a hammer that has a built in bottle opener. Leave it in your tool box and you’ll always have easy access to your favorite beer when in the garage or working in the yard. If you’re interested in owning one, I first found the hammer at Think Geek, but some Google-Fu will take you to some stores that have it even cheaper.

Elvis Costello: The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook

2011-11-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

Elvis Costello is one of those artists I think should be more famous. Yes, I know that he is famous, but it just seems someone that talented should be more famous. On December 6th the Super Deluxe Edition of his new album “The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook” will be available. In a strange twist Elvis is urging fans not to buy the Super Deluxe Edition.

On his website he has posted the following:

"Let's make things sparkling clear"

We at www.elviscostello.com find ourselves unable to recommend “The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook” as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire.

All our attempts to have this number revised have been fruitless so we are taking the following unusual step.

If you want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we suggest, “Ambassador Of Jazz” - a cute little imitation suitcase containing ten re-mastered albums by one of the most beautiful and loving revolutionaries who ever lived – Louis Armstrong.

The box should be available for under one hundred and fifty American dollars and includes a number of other tricks and treats.

Frankly the music is vastly superior.

If you should still want the component items in the above mentioned elaborate hoax, they will be available separately at a more affordable price in the New Year, unless you are one of those pirates who imagines they are evangelists or that other people’s rights absolve their own thievery, in which case this is between you and your dim conscience.

Tickets are currently on-sale for the Spectacular Spinning Songbook appearances in the U.S., U.K. and Europe during April, May and June of Spring of 2012. More dates will be announced in the very near future.

The Super Deluxe Edition is over 200 dollars. The statement makes more sense now though doesn’t it? For 200 dollars you get a CD, a DVD, and a 10” Vinyl EP. The recordings are from a live set that occurred over a 2 night stand in Los Angeles in May of 2011. The set is limited to 1, 500 copies and come with an autographed card from Elvis Costello. There is also a 40 page hard cover book with photos, a tour diary a concert poster, and a post card. That’s a lot of stuff, but I think I’ll be waiting like Elvis suggests.

Holiday Gifts for the Non-Comic Fan

2011-11-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving behind us the avalanche of Christmas themed items is upon us. The radio stations are playing the songs, the televisions channels are dusting off those Christmas specials, and ever geek related website is getting a list of potential gifts for you to give to your non-comic reading fans. Every year I see the lists of trade paperbacks and other comic paraphernalia; all I can do is shake my head. If I know a friend or family member doesn’t like comics, I have the perfect gift for them….SOMETHING OTHER THEN COMICS. A nice bottle of booze, a video game, a movie they like, etc…

I realize that the comic book community is shrinking; it does need new readers to survive. You can absolutely be an ambassador to your hobby and promote it all you want. Are you really helping things along by handing out comics as presents to your non-comic reading buddies? Can you imagine if people who were interested in other hobbies did that? I have a friend that likes to golf; I can happily say I’ve never gotten a golf related gift.

So this year save that copy of Watchmen for later and go get your friends something they really want.

In The Grim Dark Future There Is Only Nerf

2011-11-28T16:46:00.004-05:00

For the past few months both Ken and I have been fairly immersed in the 41st millenium. It is a universe of militaristic science fiction were life is dark and the future outlook is grim, also know as "grimdark". It makes for a great setting for a tabletop wargame were everyone is constantly at each others throats, but it can get just a bit dull when delving into the background stories. That is were Sandy Mitchell comes in. He is the writer of the Ciaphas Cain series of books.

Cain is a Commissar in the Imperial Guard. Commissars are morale officers responsible for discipline. Most Commissars are only good at the discipline part of their job, killing anyone for the slightest infractions. Cain on the other hand is all about the morale bit, and shows quite a bit of concern for those under his charge. On the surface that is. In reality he shows that concern in order to get the troops on his side, mainly so he does not get shot in the back and has an abundance of human shields when it gets dicey. Through a combination of pure luck and a shrewd mind for saving his own ass, Cain has become a living legend.

The book series is a sort of memoir of Cain looking back on his numerous adventures. The series is a super fun read so far. They come at the world of Warhammer 40k from another perspective, one of a "normal" guy just trying to make it in "the grim dark future where there is only war". I would recommend picking up an omnibus or two if you are into Warhammer at all or have read any of the Black Library books. My only complaint is that Mr. Mitchell tends to use the defining characteristics of the characters pretty much every time he talks about them, and it gets just a bit tedious at times. It is a small complaint though and the comedy infused in the stories breaks up the drab grey of the dark future.
I would be remiss if I did not tell you that the title for the blog today comes from a quote of Ken's at a DragonCon one year. It was said as a group of folks dressed as what can only be described as post apocalyptic goths armed with bright and unpainted NERF guns walked by.

On another note, if you have not seen "The Muppets" you need to as soon as possible as it is fantastic.

Have you read the Ciaphas Cain books? Don't care about 40k and wish I had just done a review of "The Muppets"? Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Flash Friday: Black Flash Friday

2011-11-25T11:20:00.002-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Today is Black Friday where everyone goes crazy trying to save some money on their Christmas shopping. If you are going shopping today, remember to be nice to those poor people who are stuck at work today.

I wonder what he is shopping for.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say Thank You to everyone that reads That F’ing Monkey. Especially those who pass the site on to others via their own websites, Facebook, etc… Brandon and I are honestly grateful that the oddness we put out on a daily basis is interesting enough for you to spend your internet time here.

And just because it’s a Thursday and it would feel wrong not to talk about booze…

If anyone does gravy shots tonight, please send in pictures! 2 parts gravy + 1 part booze. Apparently Vodka is usually the booze of choice.

New Muppet Soundtrack

2011-11-23T11:26:00.002-05:00

If you’re like me you still have the Green Album in your car’s CD player, but if you’re looking for something new to listen to you are in luck. The soundtrack to the new Muppet movie came out on the 21st. Music has always been important to the Muppet movies and this one is no different. Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords served as musical director of the movie and wrote two of the new songs. Check out the teaser video for the soundtrack to get a preview.

Make sure you watch the whole thing. The Animal part at the end is fantastic, but I'm biased towards him anyway.

Replica Normandy Review

2011-11-22T11:00:00.004-05:00

From looking at the articles on the site, there is no denying that I am a huge BioWare fan boy. I love their games. Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and we can’t forget Mass Effect. Mass Effect is something that consumes my thoughts. I become obsessive about the designs, the characters, the story, and the ships. It was heartbreaking to see the Normandy torn apart in the start of Mass Effect 2. I was cheering when the Normandy SR2 was revealed.

Because of these feelings I was very excited when Dark Horse announced that they were doing a replica of the Normandy SR2. I quickly pre-ordered and counted the days until it showed up at my local comic shop. With all of that setup you’re probably expecting a glowing review. I really give it one in good conscience though. Unless you are a crazed die hard, the replica just isn’t worth 35 dollars.

The Normandy measures just under seven inches in length. It is cast out of resin, so the details show through the mold, you just have to be careful it doesn’t take any dives off where ever you display it. It also comes with a display stand. The bad news is that the Normandy looks like I painted it. That is not a good thing. Seriously. The paint applications are sloppy and ugly. It really detracts from the model and makes it look cheap.

So in my opinion, the Normandy is a big letdown. I really wanted to love it. I was all ready to make ship noises and zoom it all over the house. Unfortunately it is the only replica available. Well there is another version of the Normandy, it’s identical to the one I bought but painted in the Cerberus color scheme. If you must have a Normandy on your shelf/desk/etc… this is sadly your only option.

UPDATE: So after posting my review I see that "Antique" version of the Normandy has been solicited. "This version is offered as a limited edition of 1,500 pieces, with a custom base treatment (not pictured) that is different from the regular edition." It is retailing for 50 dollars So now you can pay more for a model where they don't even bother to paint details.

I Blame Q

2011-11-21T05:28:00.003-05:00

Another quick one this week. Putting out fires at work in the wee hours of the morn will do that.

Enjoy.

Next week we will get some laughs out of the grimdark world of Warhammer 40k with a very special Commisar. Stay tuned friends.

The Muppets and Ken O.

2011-11-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

The new Muppet Movie is coming out next week. When the news first broke, I was very worried. As more and more details emerged I was skeptical, but I was starting to get excited. Then the parody trailers came out. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I really wanted to see the new movie. There is still a part of me that thinks the movie is going to be horrible, but it is the most excited I’ve been to see a movie in a long time. So what is the big deal about the Muppets anyway? Why do we keep bringing up Muppets on That F’ing Monkey?

The Muppet show premiered a month after I was born, so obviously I wasn’t watching it then. The series did run for 5 years though. I definitely grew up watching it. Those episodes stuck with me and while I didn’t realize it till later in life, they were teaching me important things that I still take with me. Animal was my favorite. There was no competition. I had an Animal puppet (I still have it actually) that I carried everywhere for a little while. Gonzo was next. After that it gets even more obscure, Uncle Deadly. He was the creepy looking Muppet who most remember from the Vincent Price episodes. He fascinated me.

So as I got a little bit older, well I grew up strange. Most the people reading this probably felt the same way. Everyone is watching football and I’m thinking about monsters, T-Rex slap fights, and zeppelins. Although I found people with interests like my own, there were many times growing up that I wondered why I didn’t like the same things “normal” people did. Yeah, I was one of the weird kids in the back of the class. At some point in my early teens I came back to the Muppets.

I think it was the first Muppet movie. That great big group of weirdoes were saying if it made you happy, it was okay if you want to spend your life throwing boomerang fish. I think it was Nickelodeon who started replaying the original Muppet show. So many of the songs they sang just reinforced that it was perfectly alright if you were different. I’m not saying all my confidence comes from the Muppets, but some of it does. So I get a bit excited when I see Muppets. I get a bit choked up thinking about Jim Henson. And I'll be seeing the new Muppet Movie at some point next weekend.

Flash Friday: Eaglemoss Boomerang

2011-11-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Today we’re talking about Eaglemoss again. I say again because this is the fourth time I’ve talked about their figures. I am a huge fan of the line and I’m always happy when I hear one of my favorite characters announced. For those of you who haven’t seen them before; the Eaglemoss line are hand painted lead figures who come with a magazine that talk about the character, their friends, enemies, and important story lines.

Today we’re looking at Captain Boomerang. This is the new and updated Boomer, reflecting the look he’s been rocking since Blackest Night. I have to be honest, I like his new look. It’s mostly the look his son wore, but I won’t turn this into an article about how Junior was mishandled. The figure sculpt is good, although with the outstretched arm and boomerang it is a little more fragile than most.

We’ve been seeing a lot more Boomerang merchandise since he got a makeover. The Action Force figure, the DC Universe Classics figure, and now the Eaglemoss figure. The more old school look showed up in the JLU three pack though. Captain Cold might be my favorite Flash villain, but I love all the Rogues, so I’m happy to see Boomer getting so much attention. When placed next to the Cold Eaglemoss, Boomerang seems tower over him. I know that is partly to the poses but I wish the line was scaled a little bit better.

Since we are talking about Eaglemoss I wanted to mention that they are doing a chess set with the Bat family of characters. I’m jealous and happy all at the same time. I’d love to have a Flash chess set with Eaglemoss figures but I’d hate to pay for it. I’m not exactly thrilled with their choices either. I’d want the pawns to be multiples of the same generic character; like Gotham cops and nameless henchmen. Maybe when I'm not in the middle of painting armies, video games, and 18 other things I'll make my own chess set.

Hangover Thursday: Yuengling Tampa

2011-11-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Saint’s Row the Third has me sleep deprived, but not hungover. This past weekend I took a trip with the family down to Tampa to check out some of the sites. One of those sites was the Yuengling brewery. For those not on the East Coast Yuengling has the record for being America’s oldest brewery. The old one is in Pennsylvania, so obviously the one I visited was a little less historic.

Just because it wasn’t the oldest brewery doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fantastic visit though. To begin with they offer free tours. You can’t beat that price. The tour starts with a 10 minute video about the history of the company and then takes you into the actual brewery to explain the different parts of the brewing process. I’ve been to a handful of breweries so I’m familiar with the process, but our tour guide was very fun and informative.

The tour saves the best part for last, the actual beer tasting. They give you two decent sized glasses of any of the Yuengling brands. While the free tasting glasses aren’t a full bottle or anything like that, they are at least twice the size of the last tasting I went to. There is also a nice gift store with pretty surprising prices. When was the last time you saw 10 dollar shirts at a corporate owned store? If you’re in the Tampa area make sure to check it out.

Coon Skin Cap Guy

2011-11-16T10:14:00.003-05:00

Today I have to share a video that is going to be huge. I bring to you, the Coon Skin Cap Guy.

I'm hoping this gets song-ified. I imagine we'll be seeing shopped images of this guy all over the internet pretty soon. For now, just enjoy the original.

Please Stand By

2011-11-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

Something didn't update correctly tuesday. Expect to see things returning to normal soon. Wednesday will update as usual.

A Long Time Ago In An MMO Not So Far Away...

2011-11-14T16:14:00.004-05:00

So this weekend I was involved in beta testing of the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. And it was damn good times, so good in fact that I can't tell you anything about it. It is very fun and I would recommend that you pick it up when it comes out on Dec. 20th.

Sorry it is a short one this week, we are still having some computer issues at work and that is where I normally write.

So are you excited about SWTOR? Perhaps you would like to guild up with us F'ing Monkeys in game. Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Midnight Openings

2011-11-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

Take pity on your local game store employees, they’ve been staying up late a lot lately. More specifically I’m talking about midnight releases. When game stores will open at midnight just so everyone can get their hot new release the second it becomes available. I haven’t been to many; I have a love/hate reaction to them. The first one I ever went to I was picking up Mass Effect 2 and wanted to hand out severe beating to a handful of the teenagers that I was in line with. Obviously I didn’t, mostly because I was afraid of not being able to go home and start playing my game.

The most recent was for Batman Arkham City. This one was more than a line of people waiting outside the store. There were people in costume and all sorts of games and give a ways. There were some people who acted like they don’t eat a large bowl of lead paint chips for breakfast every morning. At the end though, when we did need to get in line via our ticket number only like 6 people knew how to line up. The rest of the crowd just stood around in a big mass. I suppose it is possible I bunch of them didn’t know how to count past five, so the Southwest Airline style queuing procedure was beyond them.

I understand Digital Distribution, it circumvents all of this. But I like the people that work in my local store. I like chatting about game experiences or about what is coming out. It’s pretty likely that I’m going to brave the lines again Monday night although I’m already dreading that crowd. I’ll be there for Saint’s Row the Third, but a new Halo and Assassin’s Creed are also coming out that night. There was a secret midnight release once, I can’t talk about the specifics, but if you were involved with it and you’re reading this, just know that was awesome and I appreciate it. So have you done the midnight release thing? How'd it go?

Flash Friday: Return to Flashpoint

2011-11-11T12:04:00.002-05:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! Before we get started due to last week’s delay, there was a Hangover/Flash Saturday last week. You can read that HERE if you missed it. I have to make a confession about this week’s Flash Friday. I have no idea what I’m doing anymore. Like the protagonist in a Lovecraft story I think my sanity may be quickly slipping away from me. I only hope that by reading these words that you don’t start down the same path that I did.

I purchased the subject for today’s Flash Friday about a month ago and have been meaning to write about it since then. It was the same week I wrote about the Squatz. If you remember on that article I talked about how I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the look of Squatz and wasn’t going to spend even 8 dollars on them. And yet just days before that I bought a cardboard display and a full set of pins for the Flashpoint event; an event I was overall pretty disappointed (there were some exceptions). I won’t say what I paid for it, but considering it came with all the pins I think I got a pretty good deal. It was more then 8 dollars.

I had asked my local shop if I could buy it off them when Flashpoint was finished. It was before the first issue had even come out yet, so I was still naive about what was to come. I won’t say I was disappointed by the main Flashpoint story; I was more bored by it. No reaction might be worse than a positive or negative one. The problem was I had already committed to buy it. I suppose I could have backed out and let the store try to sell it to someone else, but I didn’t feel right about that.

So despite my feelings on the series I have the pin display on my shelf. Had I liked the series more I might have framed it. Right now it sits with the rest of my Flash collection, a trophy of mediocrity amongst all my favorite Flash stuff.

Hangover Thursday: One of Every Beer

2011-11-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I was beer free last night. Although it might have helped the monster headache I had. Today I bring very important beer news. Pop Char Lab is holding a huge contest. Everyone that purchases one of their beer related charts between October 1st and December 31st will be entered to win one of every beer on their “Very, Very Many Varieties of Beer” chart.

Above is the Very, Very Many Varieties of Beer chart. That is a lot of beer. That you could win. Remember you get entered if you order a print or a shirt. Go over to Pop Chart Lab and check out their designs. You’ll be able to see their awesome charts in much better detail then I have posted here. And good luck in the contest if you order something.

Cards Against Humanity Expands

2011-11-09T09:59:00.001-05:00

Back in June I talked about Cards Against Humanity (you can click HERE to check it out). The free to download card game had a really nicely put together physical copy that you could order from Amazon for just 25 dollars. One player lays down a black card with a question on it. Every other player lays down a white card with an answer on it. Funniest answer wins the hand. Oh yeah, and almost every question and answer are offensive or in poor taste. I did order it and I’m very happy I did because the game is a crazy amount of fun and it sold out. For those of you who missed out, you are in luck. Cards Against Humanity is available on Amazon again. It is a simple game.

If you have a twisted sense of humor I can’t recommend the game enough. But what if you’re like me and already own the first box? Right now you can drop 10 dollars and get the very first expansion set! The new set has 80 new white cards and 20 new black ones. You also get 8 blank white cards and 4 blank black cards so you can come up with your own questions and answers. The fun of the game is surprising people with how inappropriate your answers are, so more options are always welcome. With the holidays quickly approaching how can you not want to have this game handy?

Shark Pool

2011-11-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

There are three videos I keep watching on Youtube lately. One of them would really only be funny to people familar with Warhammer, one is 30 seconds of Star Wars silliness, and then there is Shark Pool. I can't properly express how much I love this video.

Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

2011-11-07T13:16:00.010-05:00

Those of you that have been following the Marvel Movie Universe will know the name Phil
Coulson.

For those that don't know, Phil Coulson is the glue that holds the Avengers lead-in movies together. He is quickly becoming a fan favorite character and is also the star of the Marvel One Shot shorts that are showing up on the DVD releases of the Marvel movies. If you have not seen "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor's Hammer" I would tell you to watch it as soon as possible.

Coulson is just a normal guy with no super powers, and yet he still holds his own when dealing with the egos of Tony Stark and Thor. He is played with a dry wit and supreme confidence by Clark Gregg. Now you may be asking why it is that I am bringing up a minor yet awesome character. Well it's because of this guy...

That's right, Joss Whedon. The director of the upcoming Avengers film is known for many things. Great writing that speaks to the audience, fleshed out characters, and killing your favorite member of the team. Look at the track record, he always offs that one character that you love. Tara, Wash, and even Penny in Dr. Horrible. Fans loved them. Fans love Coulson. All signs point to the fact that our favorite agent will not make it though the entirety of The Avengers.

Now I understand that the death of a character adds tension and a sense of peril for our heroes, you don't know that they will make it through this latest adventure. However Whedon, much like comics, seems to use death as more of a shock then as a real point of a story. When he kill Tara in "Buffy" people were shocked, Wash in "Serenity" people were shocked, Penny in "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" people were expecting it. Now don't get my wrong, I love Mr. Whedon as much as the next fanboy, and I believe "Firefly" is one of the greatest shows ever made. His reputation does proceed him and the fans are now expecting a death to happen every time Joss is attached to something. I really hope I am wrong, but I am already preping myself to say good-bye to Phil Coulson, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

So what do ya think dear reader? Is Coulson in a bodybag? Perhaps you have your own theory on who will be in the coffin at the end of The Avengers? Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Hangover Thursday + Flash Friday: Flash Barware

2011-11-05T09:59:00.002-04:00

Happy Flash Friday, how’s your head? Well that’s not quite right. It isn’t Flash Friday or Hangover Thursday and yet today is going to be like the two regular columns are combined on the wrong day. In my defense this was going to run yesterday, but I felt Friday’s news was important enough to put off everything else. So what topic could bring the two together? Flash bar glasses!

First up is something I’m really excited about. Shot glasses! I love shot glasses. Even after losing a couple brave souls to party mishaps, I have a lot of shot glasses. I do own an unlicensed Flash shot glass with his symbol etched into the glass. Now I can pick up the Justice League six pack and get a shot glass with a picture of the Flash. And it’s 100% official merchandise too! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow are also in the set. How often do you see Green Arrow stuff? That is pretty cool.

Shots are pretty fun. What’s better then shots? Drop shots! So we need some pint glasses. How about this set of four pint glasses? This is similar to the packaging I saw at Target recently, although those glasses had character artwork and didn’t include the Flash. This set is all symbols and logos. Even better, the Flash is included! Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern are the others in this set. I find it funny that the packaging includes a picture of Wonder Woman but she doesn’t have a glass in this set.

Since I’ve already talked about how I accidently became a collector of Flash glasses both of these set will have to be ordered. I wish the shot glasses were available individually though, I’d love to have one for display and one for use.

Cory Smoot, RIP

2011-11-04T10:03:00.001-04:00

There won’t be a Flash Friday today. I woke up this morning to news that Cory Smoot, aka Flattus Maximus is dead. He was found on Gwar’s tour bus Thursday after a concert in Minneapolis. Apparently there is supposed to some sort of announcement today that will give a little more information. I feel sick.

I discovered Gwar my freshman year of high school when they released the album Scumdogs of the Universe. I’ve been to more Gwar concerts than any other band that I’ve seen. The character of Flattus is the Cro-Magnon alien; known for his red face, dreadlocks, and dinosaur shoulder pads. Seriously, our condolences go out to his friends and family.

Now a lot of the faces behind the masks have changed, especially under the Flattus and Beefcake masks. Cory had been playing with Gwar since 2002. It’s worth noting that Cory was part of Gwar’s current sound, which definitely got heavier than their earlier work. His first recorded album that he played on was War Party. 2009’s Lust in Space is also worth mentioning, because Cory wrote the song "Release the Flies" and played all the instruments on the song.

RIP Cory. If every will excuse me, I've got some Gwar to go listen to.

F’ing Update

2011-11-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

I know what you’re thinking, where is Hangover Thursday? Never fear. We’ll have some Hangover and Flash talk tomorrow. Like chocolate and peanut butter, they’ll take even better when put together! Today I want to talk a little about the website. It has been a while since I’ve actually talked about what is coming up and what is going on behind the scenes etc…

The first thing I want to get out of the way is we now have over 400 posts. Somehow I was so busy writing about other nonsense that I totally missed the milestone. I will not make the same mistake when we hit 500. A big thank you goes out to the people who continue to read and to those who are following either on Google or on Facebook. We really do appreciate it.

If you were around last year you might remember we did all sorts of site updates and redesigns at the end of the year. I am not currently looking into doing that this year. I am happy with the layout and I am more than happy with our mascot Punch. You may see one or two minor tweaks, but it will pretty much stay the same.

I wouldn’t expect any large gaps in updates when the holidays roll around either. So if you need a ha-ha break during your trip to the in-laws house; we’ll be here. The last thing I wanted to mention, you’re going to be holiday shopping soon and we have the perfect gift right HERE.

Book Trouble

2011-11-02T09:58:00.000-04:00

In September I picked up a new book series and got very into it. It was an incomplete trilogy at the time, but luckily for me the third book released a month after I had finished the second book. The actual book series isn’t the topic here today, so that really isn’t important. This is more about the third book in the series and more specifically how messed up my printing of the book is.

The picture above is of pages 48 and 49; or where they should be. Page 47 is right before them and page 50 is right after it. Obviously I wasn’t expecting random blank pages when reading. It confused me but I was reading late at night. There was no chance to run the book back to the store and replace it. Besides, it was only two pages. I’m a fairly smart guy, I figured I could piece together what happened and just continue reading.

There are five pages that look like exactly like what is pictured above. I guess it is really ten pages, not five since that is two separate pages. The printing just runs onto both the full page and the jagged one. I actually haven’t reached those pages yet, I just found them while flipping through the book looking for more blank pages. If the two pages are held together you can at least read them, so it makes them better then the blank pages at least.

Finally we have the third printing mishap. As you can see it looks just like the pages I was talking about just a moment ago, but this time we don’t have the jagged half page that contains half of the text on the page. There are three pages like this. I could probably piece together what is going on, but after blank pages, jagged cut pages, and half blank pages this book just needs to go back to the store. I did flip through another copy of the book the other day and did not see any of the issues that happened to my copy.

So has anyone else gotten a book like this before?

Warhammer 40K: The First Game

2011-11-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

I’ve documented a little bit of my descent back into full blown Warhammer 40K addiction. Sunday I took the next big step forward. I boxed up all my little army men and went down to my local Games Workshop store and played my first game. Now I had played 15+ years ago, but the rules have changed three times since then so I’m going to just say I’m a beginner and leave out all that old history.

Today’s recap is going to be pretty easy to follow; I’ll keep game terms to a minimum for the non-Warhammer players out there. In the future we may run more detailed battle reports. The game basics were I was fielding 800 points of Salamanders. Not a lot of points, but except for one piece, it is everything I have assembled right now. My opponent was a local Tyranid player who took second place in the store’s tournament last week. I honestly was not expecting a win. Before we go into the report I have to mention my opponent was awesome at helping me through my first game.

We used a standard setup and we had three objectives to hold to win the game. I managed to steal the initiative. Both of our first turns were spent moving up our units. The second turn made things more interesting. My Dreadnought and my heavy bolter marine both scored a wound on his Tervigon (it has six to begin with). A Mycetic Spore drops behind one of my combat squads and two Zoanthropes attack the back of my Dreadnought. Their attacks blow up his multi-melta arm and immobilize him for the rest of the game. Shooting from his swarm of Gaunts manages to take down one of my Terminators. On my far right side his Warriors take out two of my marines.

I wasn’t feeling all that great at the start of turn three. Well I was having fun; I just didn’t think I was doing very well. The Mycetic Spore is destroyed after being hit with a flamer and heavy bolter. My Captain leads the Terminators in destroying the Zoanthropes with their thunder hammers. A combat squad and a swarm of Gaunts meet in hand to hand combat. 2 marines fall and 3 Gaunts are destroyed.

The game starts moving quickly now. The Tervigon takes another wound. My Terminators charge the Warriors, killing them, but lose two of their own in the process. My combat squad kills four more Gaunts. An area attack wipes out the remaining marines in that squad. In turn 5 the Tervigon is closing in on my heavy bolter squad. It looks like those 5 marines are going to die. Somehow the dice come up for me. My rapid fire bolters manage to wound. He manages not to make an armor save. The beast falls to the ground dead in front of them.

I was having a blast. Sadly I remembered way too late that I wasn’t supposed to just be shooting the bugs, there were objectives. The Tyranids had a mass of Gaunts holding one of those objectives; I didn’t have anyone remotely near one. We rolled and the game continued one more turn. I focused all of my fire on the Gaunts and killed enough to send them running. Neither of us had control af an objective, my first battle ended in a tie. Honestly I was thrilled to tie. I learned a lot during the game and will be better prepared for the next one. Hopefully I’ll have more painted then too.

This is Halloween

2011-10-31T09:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween all! Us here at That F'ing Monkey love us some dress up, so it is no surprise that we love Halloween. This year I have been a bit too busy to get my normal hard core costume together so I just threw on my old Ravenclaw Quidditch robes for the Saturday festivities and called it a night.

Ravenclaw: We think we are way smarter than you

If you are looking to get into the spirit of the day go and order your copy of Zombie Dickheads if you have not already. I got mine last week. I tell ya that Moreno guy may smell a bit funny but he sure does have quick postage. Also the book is an awesomely fun read and will leave a smile on your face. Perhaps in the next few weeks I will do a full review, so stay tuned.

So what did you do for this Samhain? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page, and if you have pictures of the masquerade parties let us see them as well.

And just encase you thought ridiculously elaborate light shows were just for Christmas here ya go..

Turner Classic Movie Lineup IV

2011-10-29T09:54:00.002-04:00

Halloween weekend is in full swing. For the past couple Saturdays I’ve been posting Turner Classic Movie’s horror schedule. The only difference in today’s post is that I’m listing three days worth of movies. That’s right. Starting tonight there are some fantastic movies about to show. I’m including Forbidden Planet on this list, not because it fits, but because it is too fun not to watch. Tonight is all about director Val Lewton. Not only are they showing a documentary about him, but they are showing 7 of his movies.

Saturday Oct 29th

8:00 pm Cat People

9:30 pm Martin Scorsese Presents, Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows

11:00 pm The Body Snatcher

12:30am Isle of the Dead

2:00 am Bedlam

3:30 am The Seventh Victim

5:00 am The Ghost Ship

Sunday Oct 30

6:15 am The Leopard Man

7:30 am White Zombie

8:45 The Devil Doll

10:15 am The Uninvited

4:00 pm Them!

6:00 pm Forbidden Planet

Monday Oct 31

7:15 am The Reptile

8:45 am The Gorgon

10:15 am Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)

12:00 pm Dracula Has Risen From the Grave

1:45 pm The Curse of Frankenstein

5:00 pm The Mummy (1959)

6:30 pm The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb

8:00 pm Village of the Damned

9:30 pm Night of the living Dead

11:15 pm Night at the Movies; The Horrors of Stephen King

12:15 am The Innocents

2:00 am The Haunting

4:00 am Repulsion

Flash Friday: Halloween Costumes

2011-10-28T10:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Flash Friday! Since Halloween is quickly going to be upon us, I figured we’d take some time out and look at Flash related costumes. Now I’m not talking about high quality suits that people spend all year getting ready so they can wow people at conventions. I’m talking about the “hey I’m going to grab something off the shelf and wear it” Halloween costumes. Also I’m not talking about masks, because I’ve already done that HERE.

The adult Flash costume is clearly based on the Wally West costume used in the Justice League cartoon. In fact most of the listings I’ve found for the costume list it as a Justice League Flash. This costume also comes with the sculpted chest muscles. Besides the fact that it looks more like pillow padding then muscle, the sculpted muscle costumes always creep me out. Something just feels wrong about them.

And now a dramatic recreation of the design process for 80% of every woman’s Halloween costume:

“Hey Bill. So today we have to come up with a female version of that male costume.”

“Hmm. I have an idea. Why don’t we make it slutty?”

“Slutty Halloween costume out a normally innocent property? Brilliant!!”

In all honesty the woman’s Flash costume isn’t really slutty. It is a little strange though since there is no basis for the design. I mean it obviously isn’t based on the Lady Flash costume or any of the million costumes Jesse Quick has worn. At least it isn’t a bad looking costume I suppose.

Enough with the adults, here we have two different versions of the kid’s costumes. Aren’t they cute? When dressing your kid as the Flash they have the choice of creepy muscled chest or normal looking chest. Again both of the Flash symbols are based on the Justice League cartoon’s design. I wonder when we’ll see that switch. And when it does change will it go to the classic or the new logo with the yellow circle around it?

Last but not least we have an actual Kid Flash costume. They wasted no time getting Young Justice merchandise out apparently. This is obviously based on the new cartoon. The suit looks damn good actually. I’m not sure how much coverage the mask has. It could end at the ears or it could be a whole head mask. None of the descriptions of the costume actually give that detail and every website uses the same stock photo as the one I used so that is no help.

That’s it for this Flash Friday and Happy Halloween everyone.

Hangover Thursday: Solo Cup Upgrade

2011-10-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I took a beating yesterday that only a Black and Tan could make better. It’s crazy how a beer can sometimes make things better. This last Sunday I did spend some time at World of Beer and tried a handful of new beers. Erie Railbender Ale was one of them. If you see this in your local bar or on the shelf, I highly recommend you grab yourself a couple.

Today we’re talking about the Solo cup. You probably recognize them. The cheap plastic cups that come in sleeves. They are required at ever kegger. When I started making Everbeer it was the only acceptable thing to drink it out of. A quick note on Everbeer, for those celebrating All Swine’s Day this January, it will be the official drink.

Think Geek is now selling a ceramic version of the red Solo cup they are calling the Party Cup for Grownups. 9 dollars will get you one cup capable of holding 18 ounces of your favorite party libation. It’s dishwasher safe too. Of courses you have to ask yourself if you want an expensive replica of a throw away item. Do you want a nice version for 9 dollars or 50 cheap ones for the same price?

Games Workshop Altamonte

2011-10-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I went to the grand opening of my local Games Workshop store. Now I’ve been hanging out there a lot since I learned of their “soft opening” in August, but I knew I had to come out and see the big event. The store opened at noon, I got there at fifteen after and was immediately surprised by the crowd. People were crowded from the back of the store all the way to the front.

The store was selling limited edition flags and dice bags. The 40K stuff went quick. I think the dice bags were gone 30 minutes after the doors opened. The store also had three competitions going on; one for Fantasy, one for 40K, and one for the best painted army. The Fantasy side was a little sad. It consisted of one veteran player teaching someone who had just purchased an army. Just seeing it on the table did generate interest though, so I doubt the store will be Fantasy-light for long.

The 40K actually ran almost all the way to the store closing. The big surprise was that the final two armies that faced off against each other were Tyranid and Ork. The Ork army was a massive horde of green and was pretty much unstoppable all day long. They pretty much rolled the bugs over and ground them under their nobby boots. All of the games seemed really casual that day, so everything seemed relaxed and fun instead of hyper competitive.

So how did I do in the tournament? Yeah… I’m still working on that. Honestly I don’t even own enough figures yet to field the 1,500 points that were needed for the tournament. I’m working on it, but I’m about 600 points shy. And I would have needed to have them painted too. So far on the painting front I have 10 marines finished and I’m hoping to have 11 more done by Sunday. I got some fantastic painting advice from Game Workshop painter John Shaffer (who looked down just as I leaned in for a picture), so expect to see some pictures of my stuff soon.

Fuck You Glade

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

Today is October 25th. We are just days away from Halloween. I’m thrilled by the amount of monsters and scariness that are on store shelves and on the television. All of the bats and black cats make me happy. And then glade went and did it. I’m happily watching television two nights ago and a commercial comes on for Glade’s new Christmas scents. Fuck you Glade. Fuck you right in the ear.

Look, I realize that a lot of stores have that anemic looking pre-Christmas isle set up already. I don’t like it but I get it. I know once we’re in November the Christmas songs are going start. I have nothing against Christmas, but please let me enjoy Halloween before you start. I still want to be thinking about witches and goblins, not reindeers and elves.

Turner Classic Movie Lineup III

2011-10-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

We are continuing our public service this week by making sure you know what is going to be on Turner Classic as we get closer and closer to Halloween. Today I’m giving you the line up for Monday and Friday nights. Carnival of Souls is a must watch if you’ve never seen it. I’ll be setting my DVR for Motel Hell too, it isn’t a great movie but it’s one of those horror movies that stuck with me when I saw it at a young age.

Monday Oct 24

8:00 pm Carnival of Souls

9:30 pm Night at the Movies; The Horrors of Stephen King

10:30 pm Dementia 13

12:00 am Strait-Jacket

1:45 am Pit and the Pendulum

3:15 am The Masque of the Red Death

5 am Devil’s Bride

Friday Oct 28

8:00 pm Dead Ringer

10:00 pm The Black Room

11:15 pm The Other

1:00 am Dead Men Walk

2:15 am Motel Hell

Flash Friday: The Video Game

2011-10-21T11:37:00.000-04:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! This week both Brandon and I have been glued to the Xbox thanks to the amazing Arkham City. It makes me want a Flash game. The Flash has been in video games before. You can see him in the horrible Justice League Task Force fighting game, Justice League Heroes, his own Gameboy Advanced game, in Mortal Kombat vs DC, and in the DC MMO. You can also find footage and Roger Robinson’s concept art from the canceled Flash game.

The Arkham games get the concept of Batman and do it right. They respect the brawler, the detective, the gadgets, and the hunter. Because of years of Bat-God treatment, Batman is one of my least favorite DC characters. Playing these games make me giddy about the character, that’s how good they are. So how could we take this concept and modify it to the Flash character? I’ve got a few ideas.

Both Arkham games isolate Batman and cut him off from the rest of Gotham City. In the first he is locked in the asylum in the newer one he is confined to the prison area. These barriers make it easier to contain the story. Considering how quickly the Flash can be in another country, this would be very important in a Flash game. There is precedence for this happening in the past too, remember that Kobra once surrounded Keystone with a giant force field.

When news about Arkham City started coming out and we got information about how many villains were in it, I was worried. It seemed like there were going to be way too many. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Cut off from the outside world every villain is in it for himself. This could work so well in a Flash game. Maybe Grodd and his minions are in one area of town. Kobra might be holding another section. Cicada has cultist in yet another section. Maybe there is a full blown Rogue war. The possibilities are endless.

The most important thing the Arkham games do is make you feel like Batman. Anything you imagine he should be able to do, he does. Obviously in a Flash game you’d need to be able to move fast, but that isn’t all. Let us run up walls and across water. To make it easier in game terms put in certain types of walls that we can vibrate through. Let us create whirlwinds. Use the police radio built into the suit’s ear pieces to receive new information. Since Barry is Warner Brother’s go to Flash now days drop some crime scene investigation in there too.

As much as I love the family of speedsters, if the game did include a second playable character I’d really prefer it if it was someone that had a completely different set of powers. In Arkham City the difference between Batman and Catwoman is huge. I actually prefer running around as Catwoman due to the way she scales walls, it’s ridiculously fun. So if the Flash game does have a second character give us someone like Piper to play.

These are just the game ideas that have been in my head. What would you like to see in a Flash game?

Hangover Thursday: Your Bar Misses You

2011-10-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I’ve mentioned this before, but most of my drinking lately has been at home. Last night I enjoyed some of Fat Tire’s Hoptober, a perfect beer for some crisp fall weather. While it is cheaper to drink at home, I do miss hanging out at my favorite bars though. I’ll be fixing that this Sunday.

I briefly mentioned last week that one of the bars actually sent me an email saying they haven’t seen me in awhile. Above is a picture of that email, with all my personal info and the coupon itself removed. It was sent by the Lake Mary World of Beer. I talked about how much I like the World of Beer chain awhile back and a simple thing like that makes me like them even more.

Just because I’m talking about a franchise today doesn’t mean I won’t end up at my locally owned spot next week. It has been way too long since I’ve been in there. My glass has probably gotten all dusty.

7 Days Left for Max!

2011-10-19T09:52:00.001-04:00

I know, I know. I keep putting up links to awesome things to spend money on. I get it. I have to mention this though because of how strongly I feel about it. There are 7 more days to donate to the Max Overacts Volume One project at IndieGoGo. I wish I could donate more. I can’t, so I’m making sure you all know about it.

We’ve talked about Caanan Grall’s web comic three times before this, so yeah I’m a fan. Don’t take my word for it though. Go to occasionalcomics.com and read it for yourself. Humor, deep characters, touching stories, amazing art, it has everything. I’ve mentioned numerous times Caanan is also the artist who designed our very own monkey mascot Punch. So we have to help him out.

Now I know if you go to the auction you’ll see it is very possible he won’t make his goal. While sad, this isn’t the same as a Kickstarter auction. You’re donation will still go through regardless of meeting the goal or not. What is going to happen is a smaller number of books will be printed then initially hoped for. If you donate enough for a book, you’ll still receive a copy.

Again, click HERE and pre-order yourself a book or help out how ever you can.

Curse of the Phantom Shadow

2011-10-18T11:25:00.002-04:00

It should be no surprise to anyone that reads the site that Brandon and I are big Pulp fans. I love Tommy guns, zeppelins, and two fisted justice. Because of that I’m very excited about the upcoming short film, Curse of the Phantom Shadow.

The movie is set in a stylized 1948 where the villainous Phantom Shadow is launching missile attacks on the United States. The government calls in Agent 236 to stop the Shadow. Heavily influenced by B movies and old serials this film is the work of Mark Ross.

Mark needs our help though. Up until this point the Curse of the Phantom Shadow has been financed completely by Mark’s own bank account. They have 75% of the film done but they are in desperate need of more funding to complete the movie. You can help by checking out their kickstarter. Mark can explain much better than I can, so when you're finished here make sure you hit the kickstarter link and watch the video there.

The way they are trying to recapture the old feel of the serials reminds me a lot of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. I mean that in a really good way, that movie was amazing. So I want to see this film finished. If you go to the kickstarter page come back and let us know what you think of it. I know I'll be making a contribution soon.

Sometimes You Wanna Go...

2011-10-17T15:26:00.014-04:00

Last week I mentioned that I had been watching "Cheers" on Netflix. It is a show that I remember watching as a kid and it has brought back some memories of when alcoholism was hilarious. Ah the late 80's and early 90's were a magical time. The show is still really funny and does hold up. Plus the old dude Al that quips up at random times is pure gold. He does not talk often and I am pretty sure he died around season 6, but when he does talk it always made me chuckle.

Having seen that opening about one hundred and eighty seven times in the past few months, you start to notice some odd things. Not mentioning the weird paintings (that drunk dude is straight looking up that chicks dress under the table during the title) there are quite a few of the old time pictures that have people coming dangerously close to the "douche face". You know the one, with the pursed lips. When did that become the cool way to get your picture taken?

I just want to punch this fucktard in the fucking face.

Which leads me to my thesis - watching in modern times I have found that the character of Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson, might possibly be the point of divergence between normal guys and massive douchbags.

The reason for the suffering?

Sam Malone is the template for the modern douche. All he cares about is looking good and getting laid, at the expense of all other things in life up to and including education and the betterment of ones self. It is like the douche saw this in syndication and began to model their life around the Malone Philosophy™. Of course because the douche is borderline retarded, they failed to take into account that this character was like he was for the express purpose to be laughed at. To top it off the second female lead Rebeca Howe, played by Kirstie the Hutt (although to be fair, back in the Cheers and Star Trek III days she was pretty hot), is nothing but a gold digging whore that will put withup with anything as long as the cash is flowing. Again not something to aspire to.

I will leave you this week with some Al. I am telling you the old man is comedy gold.

As always Let Your F'ing Voice Be Heard in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Turner Classic Movie Lineup II

2011-10-15T09:45:00.001-04:00

Usually I find out Turner Classic is showing a movie I’d like to watch when it is just ending or already over. So I pulled up their entire Halloween line up early this month and I’m sharing it with you. Every Monday night until Halloween they’ve got a great line up of horror classics. This Monday starts off with House of Dracula which has never been one of my favorites. After that first movie we get a mini Vincent Price marathon (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, House of Wax). Remember that House of Wax was filmed in 3D that will help explain some of the shots (especially the paddle ball).

Monday Oct 17

8:00 pm House of Dracula

9:30 pm House on Haunted Hill

11:00 pm The Tingler

12:30 am House of Wax

2:15 am Curse of the Demon

4 am Night at the Movies; The Horrors of Stephen King

5 am Bucket of Blood

Flash Friday: Squatz

2011-10-14T10:32:00.001-04:00

Happy Flash Friday everyone! The DC marketing machine has been busy lately. I’m seeing DC themed merchandise popping up all the time now and it has caused me to be a little more cautious with my spending. Just because I’m not buying some of the new Flash toys doesn’t mean we can’t talk about them, so let’s talk Squats.

Squats were one of the original races in Warhammer 40k that have been dis… Wait, today we’re talking about Squatz with a Z. The Z makes all the difference here. Squatz are small plastic toys that come in a thick shell that dissolves in warm water. Their main play value is dissolving the fizzy shell, which can only be done once. They don’t really have articulation but for some reason you can pull of their heads and swap them with other figures.

I found the Flash Battle Pack at my local Toys R Us. In the Battle Pack you are guaranteed to get a Flash. The other figure in the pack is a blind random assortment. It doesn’t say if the random figures are pulled only from the 7 characters that don’t have their own named Battle Packs or if the whole line is up for grabs. The only other Flash related character in the line is Gorilla Grodd.

So why didn’t I buy it? I mean I’ve bought some pretty strange looking Flash figures in the past. I wasn’t digging the design. I think I need actual arms on my figures. The fact that the second Squatz was blind packed didn’t help either. If I knew I was getting Flash and Grodd I would have been more tempted. I didn’t really need a random Robin or Penguin. With all those concerns I couldn’t justify the 7.99. So what about you? Have you jumped onto the Squatz train?