T-Shirt Time - Friday Twofer

In an attempt to make up for my lack of postage yesterday, I present to you all not one, but two epic T-shirts worn by some pretty rad New Yorkers. 

Our first shirt comes from Jake, a 20-something dude with a love for Scott Pilgrim. If you're unfamiliar with the comic series or the movie (starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and featuring some epic cameos by Chris Evans and Anna Kendrick), the lead character spends the entire story fighting the Seven Evil Ex Boyfriends of is soon to be lady love, Ramona. While his wardrobe choices aren't an essential part of the plot, comic scribe Bryan Lee O'Malley made sure to give Scott a unique collection of super-awesome T-shirts. The shirt pictured above was worn by Scott in his fight against Evil Ex-Boyfriend #3, played by Brandon Routh of Superman Return fame. Our friend Jake is bought the shirt online, and you can check out the entire gallery of tees here.

Our second shirt was sported by the lovely Ellessia (God I hope I spelled that correctly) on her way in to work earlier this morning. I'm sure the logo is recognizable enough to even the most uneducated of nerds, and this Wonder Woman says that she has an entire collection of shirts inspired by Diana of Themyscria in her wardrobe (one of which even has an attachable cape to go along with it). She found this shirt at a novelty T-shirt shop around Time Square, but I'm sure variations of this top can be found at any mall store such as Spencers or Hot Topic. 


Happy hunting for these two awesome tees! And check back later today for our regularly scheduled programming.

Throwback Attack - Joss Whedon, Comic Book Writer?

Joss Whedon: the name alone inspires awe and wonder in the hearts of film and television geeks. Whether you've already seen The Avengers seven times in theaters or you've practically burned a hole in your DVD Box Set of Firefly, chances are if you own a television, you know the name. But did you also know Mr. Whedon has spent the last decade of his career writing comics as well? Wa-BAM. Fun factoid. 

Meet Melaka Fray, Joss' first ever comic book super heroine. Springing from the pages of the original not-so-canon Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books in the late 90s, the comic Fray is set in a distant dystopian future where vampires are the equivalent of pigeons along the streets of New York City (now renamed Haddyn) and the slayer line has been almost completely obliterated. Even if you're not a fan of the original TV fun of Buffy (though you really should be), this story reads like an old school pulp magazine with a mythological kick. By the end, readers are completely satisfied with the story they've just read, and many may even be thinking "Buffy? Who's that again?"


After the underground success of Fray, Whedon took to the comic pages once again to continue the adventures of his favorite space pirates. Serenity: Those Left Behind and Serenity: Better Days follow the space crew in the between time of when Firefly ended and the box office flop Serenity took place, giving readers another chance to relive the glory days with the crew.


Realizing that he could continue his shows in comic book form, Whedon teamed up with Dark Horse comics in 2007 to create one of the most unheard of comic book adventures in modern history: an eighth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even after four years off air, the demand for new stories from the Buffyverse was at an all time high, with fans continuously speculating the possibility of a Spike/Willow movie or the BBC mini-series version of The Ripper (which we hear is still in production limbo). Instead, Joss decided to continue his hand at comic book stardom and signed on with Dark Horse to produce a 40 issue limited series that would fall under the title of Buffy Season Eight.

The stories in Season Eight are some of the most fantastic (and often times outrageous) the series had ever seen, and fans ate it up like there was no tomorrow. After a four year run and millions of issues later (and an Angel series at rival publishers IDW), Whedon wrapped up the story with a tidy bow and brought our girl back to her vamp slaying roots, giving fans everything they could have wanted and more. Now, Buffy Season Nine and sister comic Angel & Faith continue to be one of the highest selling series at Dark Horse comics, giving fans more stories from their favorite crime fighters and blood suckers.


As Whedon's success in the comic book world blew up, Marvel decided to bring him on board for on of the most earth shattering series to date. Astonishing X-Men has often times been a title that fans consider "non canon" due to the constant rotation of team members and often times ridiculous stories, and usually the series would be cancelled after limited run only to be resurrected again years later to fail again. In the hands of Whedon, however, this Astonishing team saw some major developments that are still causing ripples in the Marvel Universe. If you're looking for a good jumping-off point to get into any X-titles, this is definitely a good place to start.


Joss Whedon: Proving that you can actually do it all and still be pretty decent at it.

A Moment Of Silence For Aurora

The tragedy in Aurora is one of the most devastating acts of random violence in recent years. How one person could cause so much pain to all those affected by his actions is beyond me. It's even worse when people try to blame the media for influencing such acts of aggression. If anything, this tragedy proves that for every one villain out there in the world, there are hundreds of thousands of good souls who will always fight the good fight. Grant Morrison said it best: "We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be."


Keep all those affected in your thoughts and prayers. This is a tragedy that affects the entire nation, and we must all be strong for one another.

T-Shirt Time - The Avengers

Have you ever noticed somebody wearing a Superman t-shirt, and then for the next 24 hours you notice every other person wearing the same logo out in public? Well, that's what my life is like on a daily basis. Since my mind is constantly racing about comic books and superheroes, I always tend to notice the nerdier side of things that would often times pass people by. 

On my walk home from work last week along 8th Ave, I passed by an older gentleman wearing a pretty fantastic Avengers shirt. When I stopped him to take a picture he seemed more than happy to oblige. Although I didn't catch the man's name (he seemed a little sketched out when I told him I had a blog, as if he thought I just go around taking pictures of random strangers for fun) but he did tell me this shirt was given to him as a gift. From where? No idea, but if anybody out there knows, please let me know. I wouldn't mind adding this to my collection of geektastic clothing options.


If you have your own nerdy shirts you want to send my way and have featured on The Weekly G33k, be sure to send them my way. Also be sure to include any other information you feel willing to share (name, hometown, where you bought the shirt, if you're single or not.... too far?)

Shut Up And Watch This - Marvel Knights Season 2 Trailer

Marvel Knights Season 2 Trailer

Welcome to the wonderful world of motion comics. Although this form of storytelling has been around for quite some time, it's only now getting the press it so knowingly deserves. With Marvel's motion comics department (Marvel Knights) announcing a new season of motion comics with some of the most engaging comic book stories printed to date, don't you think it's time you take the plunge and give motion comics another chance?

In case you're new to the game, motion comics are a way for our favorite issues to truly come to life. These aren't the same Saturday morning cartoons we grew up with, though. Often times, the storylines got basterdized and dumbed down for a younger audience, taking away from the grit and general badass-ness that comic books have become so widely known for. No, these stories are literally ripped from the pages and transported onto the screen, with shot-by-shot recreations of individual panels and dialogue straight from the printed speech bubbles.

This week, I've also included one of my personal favorite motion comics for your viewing pleasure (and, quite frankly, one of my all time favorite comics in general). Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men brought about numerous significant changes to today's X-Teams, most notably by bringing back from the dead (spoiler alert) long time X-Man Peter Rasputin, aka Colossus. Check out episode one of Astonishing X-Men: Gifted below. After you're done creaming yourself over the Marvel Knights Season 2 trailer, that is.

Astonishing X-Men, Episode 1

Throwback Attack - Guardians of the What Now?

Even if you didn't spend your entire weekend furiously refreshing twitter in the hopes of reading any epic news from Comic Con, I'm sure you've heard the gist of what went down. And if you're a rabid Marvel fan like myself, you're probably still salivating over the announced Phase Two titles coming to the big screen over the next few years. From Thor: The Dark World to the much talked about Ant-Man flick with Edgar Wright at the helm, Phase Two is guaranteed to sexually arouse nerds across the globe in ways never before imagined.

I'm sure a good 98% of the world's population is currently thinking, "Who the f$%# are the Guardians of the Galaxy, and why is that raccoon holding a gun?" Slated to hit theaters on August 1st, 2014, this Phase Two title is set to follow one of Marvel's lesser-known crime fighting teams as they fight to save... well, the galaxy. If all goes according to plan and Joss Whedon opts to stick around for Avengers 2 (I mean, he has to at least write it! Avengers without Joss is like Buffy without... well, Joss!), then my money's on Thanos playing some sort of role in this epic tale of renegade space cowboys and -girls trying to save outer space from the clutches of evil. Wait... This sounds kind of familiar...


First introduced to the Marvel Universe in 1969, the original team reigned from an alternate future in the 31st Century (Earth-691, to be exact). After several intergalactic adventures with heroes such as Captain America, Thor, and The Thing, an "error" in the present day timeline caused the Earth-691 future to be completely and utterly obliterated, ending the original Guardians in 1995.


The upcoming movie, however, will focus on the second incarnation of the Guardians. In the aftermath of the Phalanx's attempted takeover of the universe in the 2007-2008 crossover event, Star-Lord sought to form a team of heroes whose sole mission would be to protect all corners of the universe. He recruits Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Phyla-Vell, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot, but in a shocking turn of events it is revealed that he convinced fellow team-member Mantis to telepathically influence the team to join forces. Disheartened by this revelation, the team disbands, but is almost immediately reformed by Rocket Raccoon.


In what could be labeled the Guardians' most epic battle (The Thanos Imperative), the team comes together to stop the mighty Thanos from bringing the Canverese (an alternate universe where Death is extinct) to our world. It is a widely known fact that Thanos has spent his time within the Marvel Universe trying to impress Lady Death and win her affection, so what better way than to eliminate the notion of death altogether? By eradicating her one true purpose and bringing chaos to our universe, Thanos hopes to finally woo his lady-friend so they can live tragically ever after. Needless to say the Guardians end up kicking Thanos' ass, but the end of the battle also marked the end of the Guardians of the Galaxy title in late 2010.


I'll admit, Guardians has always been at the bottom of my reading list, but I have a distinct feeling this movie will play a major part in Avengers 2. Clues have been leaking out ever since Thor started shooting and it was said that the Infinity Gauntlet could be found in Odin's Trophy Room, arousing suspicion that The Mad Titan himself might play a part in the Marvel Universe sooner rather than later. The Gauntlet, when combined with the 5 infinity gems, is said to make whoever wears it the ultimate master of the universe and life itself. My guess is that the big man will be introduced properly in the Guardians of the Galaxy film, only to fail miserably and have to resort to Plan B.


If today's history lesson wasn't enough, be check out the suggested readings below to better familiarize yourself with the modern Guardians.

Suggested Reading:
Annihilation, Volumes 1 - 3
Annihilation: Conquest, Volumes 1 and 2
Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 1: Legacy
Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 2: War of Kings, Book 1
Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 3: War of Kings, Book 2
War of Kings
Guardians of the Galaxy - Volume 4: Realm of Kings
Realm of Kings
The Thanos Imperative
Annihilators
Annihilators: Earthfall