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Nerd Lunch Episode 22: Creating our own team of Expendables

Posted in movies, podcast, pop culture with tags movies, Nerd Lunch Podcast, podcast, podcasts, pop culture on February 1, 2012 by Paxton

This week, the Nerd Lunch crew welcomes Aaron Nix to the fourth chair. In this episode we are all tasked with creating a team of Expendables.

Western Expendables

However, unlike the movie, we aren’t creating a super team of action heroes, we are creating a super team of Western stars and a super team of Romantic Comedy stars. I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it’s podcasting gold. Yes, we’ve done it AGAIN.

To your ears: You’re welcome.

Download this episode from iTunes or listen to it on Feedburner. And yes, still rocking the Zune Marketplace.

Nerd Lunch Episode 20: Movie Sequels

Posted in movies, podcast, sequels with tags movies, Nerd Lunch Podcast, podcast, pop culture, sequels on January 19, 2012 by Paxton

Episode 20 is now available to the legions of Nerd Lunchketeers. This week we are joined again by a fellow Jacksonvillian Robert Zerbe of To The Escape Hatch. This week we discuss the always relevant topic of movie sequels.

I’ve discussed the subject of movie sequels before, but this is a more in depth investigation. A drill down, if you will.

We talk about sequels we feel work, sequels we feel don’t work, sequels we wish had never existed and we even discuss movies that never got sequels but we wish had. It’s a lively discussion that I think you’ll enjoy. So join us, won’t you?

Download this episode from iTunes or listen to it on Feedburner. And yes, we are still on the Zune Marketplace.

European Darth Vader burger is set to Force Choke you to death with AWESOME

Posted in fast food, France, Paris, Star Wars with tags fast food, movies, Paris, pop culture, Star Wars on January 13, 2012 by Paxton

When I visited Paris, France with my wife back in 2007, one of the more awesome fast food places I found was called Quick Hamburger Restaurant (or just Quick). It was all over the city, including this nice two floor version next to the famous Moulin Rouge.

At the time, they were offering these awesome Double Effect sandwiches. It was two different sandwiches fused into one. Like this fish sandwich melded to a chicken sandwich.

It looked like these two sandwiches were making out. GET A ROOM, GUYS! Anyway, they also had sandwiches that melded burgers and fish and burgers and chicken. It was a spectacular idea that I’m sad to say never caught on here in the States.

Well, Quick is trying to do it again. They currently have a promotion for the Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D release in a few weeks. They have released three new burgers with a Star Wars theme. Here are some ads via MovieLine.

In this ad on the left you see the Dark Burger accompanied by the awesome Darth Maul. It looks like 2 burger patties, a special sauce, lettuce and maybe some spicy pepper cheese. On the right you see the Jedi burger alongside the ever wise Yoda. This burger also has two patties, maybe some regular cheese and what I believe are cheese curds (also used on awesome as f**k poutine).

In this second ad you see the Jedi Burger again. No different than the last ad. On the left, though, is the money shot. The Dark Vador. It looks similar to the regular Dark Burger, maybe just some red peppers have been added on top of the lettuce, but the buns ARE BLACK! BLACK BUNS! It makes the burger look burned. Burned like Anakin Skywalker’s scarred visage at the end of Revenge of the Sith! I love everything about this. I’m willing to overlook the fact that this promotion would probably be more appropriate for the release of Revenge of the Sith 3D in 2014 as Darth Vader is only a child in The Phantom Menace. But that’s neither here nor there because I want this burger in me RIGHT NOW.

I love when fast food joints think outside the box for fun and creative promotions like this. It just sucks when I can’t try them. ROAD TRIP!

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5 Reasons why the 1987 John Byrne Superman kicked ass

Posted in 80s, comic books, nostalgia, pop culture, Superman with tags Cavalcade Comics, comic books, DC Comics, nostalgia, pop culture, Superman on January 11, 2012 by Paxton

Last year I talked about the 25th anniversary of the John Byrne mini-series Man of Steel. That 1986 mini-series was a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot of Superman which updated his origin and character and served to make him a little less powerful and thus, more interesting.

The reboot led to a revamp of Action Comics, a renaming of the old Superman book to The Adventures of Superman as well as the launch of a brand new Superman book. The new Superman book as well as Action Comics would be written and drawn by John Byrne. The Adventures of Superman would be written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Jerry Ordway. And this month, the post Crisis Superman reboot celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Here is a DC in-house ad advertising the launch of the new Superman titles.

The three issues that started the reboot and featured in this ad are Superman #1, The Adventures of Superman #424 (previously titled Superman) and Action Comics #584. This reboot was a pretty big event and DC advertised it to the hilt.

For the most part, I wasn’t a fan of the Marv Wolfman Adventure issues, but I was a HUGE fan of the Byrne Superman and Action Comics titles. His art and action packed writing style made Superman fun to read. I still have many of the original issues.

Anyway, in celebration of the 25th anniversary, here are 5 reasons why the John Byrne Superman titles kicked so much ass.

Superman vs Legion

Superman got into fights with EVERYONE – Under John Byrne, Action Comics essentially became a free-for-all. It turned into a team up book starring Superman and another character (a la Brave & the Bold for Batman). Within the majority of those issues, Superman wound up getting into a fight with his co-stars, usually over some misunderstanding. But Byrne drew the fights with awesome jaw cracking detail. The regular Superman title was the same way with Supes fighting the Legion, Metallo, Supergirl and a giant mutant ape.

Superman fights 1 Superman fights 2 Superman fights 8

Superman fights 6 Superman fights 7 Superman fights 5

Superman fights 9

Superman didn’t always win his fights (Bizarro, Metallo, Superboy, Rampage, Supergirl) – So, as I said, Superman fought a lot. And surprisingly, he actually got his ass kicked…a lot. At least every other issue featured a panel of Superman getting either smacked in the face or being hit so hard he flies through the air. Check out the myriad of comic panels above showing the Man of Steel on the receiving end of a Bronx haymaker.

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