Spoiler Alert : Avengers

The newest installment of Avengers has Parker Robbins up to his third Infinity Gem. This story arc is great for so many reasons. The Hood was left powerless after Siege and I was wondering where Marvel would go with him. I am please that he has been given such a great role, and back near the top of the list of Marvel villains. The first issue that laid out this quest for the Infinity Gems started out slow, and even had you wondering who exactly was going after them. After some solid issues, you are in the middle of a great race between the Avengers and the Hood to see who can claim the Gems first from their Illuminati hiding spots. The underlying story of the Avengers discovering the existence of the Illuminati and how betrayed they feel is also great. It adds another layer to the Steve Rogers/Tony Stark battle that rages on, leading to Iron Man being dismissed from the Avengers. I am captivated by where they will go with this story. Will The Hood claim all six gems? Will the Avengers stop him short of his goal? Will the Illuminati be torn apart after their reveal?

This my friends, is good comic storytelling.

The Original Nerd Crack

I am going to assume that unless you lived the last 15 years under a rock, that you know what the World of Warcraft is. The most successful Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) of all time, and still the most subscribed game with millions of players worldwide, WoW has survived over six years of success.

Why is this important you ask?

The game that owned online junkies souls before WoW, was EverQuest. EverCrack, as it was known by its loyal following, set the standard and was the first true MMO phenom to grab so many peoples attentions. People were so addicted to this game that the American Social Services program actually started a branch dedicated to online addicts who had lost jobs, and even worse. This game had an amazing run as pretty much the only thing of its kind, releasing expansions on a regular basis. This was the first game that I knew of that charged $15/month to play, plus you add this to regular releases of paid expansions and you have a money making machine.

In 2004, EverQuest II, World of Warcraft and City of Heroes all hit the market. The second generation of the MMO was in full swing and mom's basement became a permanent residence. The original EQ slowly started to dry up and fade away. It has maintained enough of a loyal following that the company still releases expansions and increases the maximum level cap.

In the new year, over ten years after the initial launch of EQ, the game has offered a server that is the original bare bones version of the game. Amazingly many people, including myself, have returned to wander around and relive the game that stole their lives so many years ago. I'm actually amazed, and yet horrified, that I still know my way around this fictional world. The server itself is full 24/7, which I think shows just how many middle aged nerds crave a walk down memory lane.

The 12 Days of Epicness

Anyone who knows me is well aware of my new found love of all things Scott Pilgrim. The movie is awesome and I am now into volume two of the book series of the same name. I never thought that I would like anything non super hero related as far as comics go, but Scott Pilgrim is loaded with really good humor and characters.

With Christmas approaching I thought that I would start into what whould make a great 12 Days of Epicness for my holiday season.

Number 12 : Todd Ingram shirt. Need I say more?

Ok DC, Here is Your Chance

So after a pretty lengthy layoff from all things DC, I took the plunge yesterday and picked up some Bat-titles. Bruce Wayne is back from his "death" and time travelling exploits, and this is suppose to be a "good jump on point" as my comic friend put it. The new direction is called Batman Inc. and I will read it with an open mind, putting aside my rage for Dan Didio and Grant Morrison. The worst thing that can happen is that DC gets $5 out of me, potentially what could be the last $5 they ever see.

More Hooked on Phonics Fun.

I know that this will be a pretty obscure reference for anyone who missed the original George Bush Sr. years in the White House. His vice president was a man named Dan Quayle. Dan was constantly called an idiot by the press and they liked to hit the "incompetent loser" button as often as possible when talking about him. One day the press hung him out to dry over something as simple as adding an E to potato. I was probably the only person who found this sign funny, or who remembered Dan Quayle in the first place.

Halloweeeenie is Coming!

So I usually don't take part in Halloween each year, and I'm not quite sure what puts me off about it. You'd think that an epic nerd of my rank would want a dress up day each month.

After going shopping with my son, who is three, for a halloween costume I found myself a little more into the costume thing. He is in love with his Eeyore costume and wears it all the time, it may not make it to the 31st. I put some thought into what I would like to do, that doesn't require a seamstress or a Tony Stark sized bank account. What I came up with was Madrox, no suprise here. Luck would have it that some dude on Ebay was selling the T-Shirt for $7 each. He apparently had to do a bulk order when he tried to get some printed up and is selling the extras. For the first time in recent memory I am feeling the Halloween spirit, and actually have the day off for once too. Family trick or treat will be done for the first time and I am very excited to see how my son will react to free candy, at every house. Save for some face paint, people will probably think that I'm just being myself, oh well.

So here is a cheer to my son, who allows me to see the world through the eyes of a child. Older eyes sometimes miss the silver lining in things.

The Three R's, or the Closest Thing

Here is a quick little dandy I found at work a while back, enjoy!

Yes, I have been a bad, bad blogger. The last update was in, um, spring? I will try to put more thoughts and stories up on a regular basis to get me use to writing. Part of my new HR schooling involves writing on a consistant basis, and this will help me get the rust off.

See you soon, or in Spring.