Looking Forward to Wednesday (4/2/2014)

So now that my busy season is behind me at the day job, I should have more time to post here.  We just recorded Episode 3 of the podcast which I'm currently editing, but until that is done, here is a look at what I'll be reading this week and it was a very light week for my pull list, so I'm trying some new things!

Trailer Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

Once upon a time, there were two comic book companies who turned their comic properties into movies.  Both had stables of well-known and much-loved characters, and both had giant reserves of creative talent at the ready to do their bidding.

One company was called D.*. Comics (name partially obscured to protect their identity), and they decided to take a character that was known by most of the planet and attempt to make a fast-paced space adventure to launch a series of movies.  The other, called Marvel (name not hidden because they don’t need to hide in shame), decided to make a space adventure movie as well, but based it on a series of characters not well known outside of your typical comic shop patron.

Now the trailer for GOTG is out there and I couldn't be more excited.

Pop Culture Conversations Podcast - Ep002 - Video Game Movies

I know it took a while, but it's finally here!  We recorded this in early December, but due to other things popping up it took a while to edit and upload.  But that's the past, and it's here now :-)

In this episode, we take a look at video game to movie adaptations....the good the bad and the guilty pleasures.  From Super Mario Brothers to Mortal Kombat and Tomb Raider, we tackle them all and even speculate on what should get a movie series in the future.

Thanks for your patience as we get ourselves together to do this on a regular monthly schedule.

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 1:19:45

Intro and Outro Music

Final Boss
MC Frontalot
Final Boss

Direct Download:

Right Click and Save As to Download MP3 File

Listen Now:

Looking Forward to Wednesday - 12/2/2013

Looking Forward to Wednesday

It’s a double-wide stack this time since I didn't make it to the comic shop last week!

Pop Culture Conversations Podcast - Ep001 - Secret Origin

It's official!  Our first podcast episode is up and running.

This premier episode is a look into the backstory of your hosts Shawn & Jason.  On our first outing, we talk about some of the things that turned us into the high-functioning geeks that we are today.  Comic books, TV, movies and more.

So, atomic batteries to power.....turbines to speed...and hop in while we jet down memory lane to reminisce about the good old days before massive reboots, retcons and ridiculously large comic events.

Show Notes

Total Running Time: 0:46:38

Intro and Outro Music:

B.S.F.X.

Adam WarRock

Middle of Nowhere

I’m not doing timed show notes for this first one since the topics completely ramble around.  Normally we will provide notes so you can avoid spoilers or jump to certain sections.

Direct Download:
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New Comic Reviews – Releases for 11/6 & 11/13

This was a light week for me (actually a light 2 weeks) but what I did read was, for the most part, pretty solid.  So what happened?  Well…..Lex Luthor shows off his mad origami skills, Batman joins the hot rod set, Einstein wields a chainsaw, Captain Cold returns to normal, and Earth-2 Superman shows his disdain for magic.

Want more?  Click below for reviews (spoiler warning)

Don't Call It a Comeback!! OK...it is a comeback.

After a long time laying dormant, we are bringing the Clever Name Comics & Pop Culture Blog back online!

I apologize for the long delay in posting but after the birth of my wonderful daughter Victoria, life changed FAR more than I had ever thought it could. I've still kept up on my comics, movies and TV but due to being a parent and switching day jobs I just haven't had much extra time. But now that things are more stable, myself and fellow geek Shawn Robinson will be hosting the site once again. Although this time we are adding a new feature: the Pop Culture Conversations podcast. We have the first episode "Secret Origin" recorded and it will be up shortly as soon as I get the file hosting straightened out.

The concept behind PCC podcast is to make it as much like the conversations that we have at our local comic book shop on Wednesdays. Typically, a topic is set up early on in the evening, it rambles on to many tangents, debates and flat out arguments....and we typically end up somewhere totally different which will carry on to the next week.

We'll also be doing written reviews and features on the blog so keep checking back and Like us on Facebook to get notified when we have new content.  Thanks for checking us out again as we rebuild the site and force our opinions on you :-)

- Jason

Hunting for Plastic People - Green Lantern Classics: Wave 1

After a long hiatus from posting due to the craziness of adapting to the new addition to our family that is Princess Victoria (AKA Lady Chubbington, the Duchess of Droolsbury and the Baroness von Chubbsly), I’m back with a full review of Mattel’s Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 action figures. Click below for more:

Advance Movie Review - Superman / Shazam: The Return of Black Adam

Next week DC Comics will release it’s latest entry in their fast-growing animation library. DC Showcase is basically a collection of the previous animated shorts that have appeared with the longer length animated films as extras. So far we have seen The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow featured in these shorts and now we add Superman and Captain Marvel to that list. I got a chance to check it out a bit early and really enjoyed this newest entry. Click below for a full review (with spoilers):

Hunting for Plastic People #1 - DC Universe Classics Wave 15

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post anything here due to my family growing by one very small (but very demanding) little girl. This feature, Hunting for Plastic People, is a new thing I’m trying documenting my hobby of action figure collecting. I’m not sure how regular this is going to be but I’m going to give it a shot. Click below for more.

Quick Reviews - 8/25/2010

How hard is it to read and enjoy comics while having a randomly screaming 2 week old baby around? Quite. Our daughter, Victoria Charlotte, has arrived finally and our lives have been changed. Mostly for the better, but some things take some getting used to. Although, it does take me much longer to actually read my comics now so I feel like I'm getting much more entertainment for my dollar.  Here she is with her picks for the best books of last week which I never got around to writing reviews for :

But here are some quick thoughts on books for this week. Click below for more.

International Read Comics in Public Day

Hey Everyone,

In case you hadn't heard, today is National Read Comics in Public Day!  So grab an issue or two of your favorite book and head out into the world to spread the news that comic books are awesome.  Here are some pics of me and my daughter enjoying the day while my wife shopped at a local farmer's market.

If you would like to participate, the rules are simple :

1.  Grab an issue or more of your favorite comic book

2.  Go out to a public place, sit down and begin reading

That's about it :-) If you would like more information, check out the following sites :

International Read Comics in Public Official Website

Read Comics in Public Flickr Group

Women Reading Comics in Public Blog

My recent experience with Mattycollector.com

As an action figure hunter and collector I appreciate it when companies like Mattel offer exclusives that you can usually only get at big conventions, especially cons like San Diego Comic Con that I can’t get to.

This year, one of Mattel’s many SDCC exclusives was a Plastic Man figure from the DC Universe Classics line that I collect. The figure comes with a bunch of cool accessories, but if you bought it at SDCC you get an extra suitcase accessory that I can honestly live without. So Mattel announces that they’ll be selling the figure (sans suitcase) on their website Mattycollector.com on August 2 at Noon Eastern (11 for me) and as usual, the website causes frustration and problems for collectors. Click below for my experience:

Lack of Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates lately.  We are less than two weeks from my wife's due date and there is much more to do around the house than read comics and give my two cents :-)  Regular reviews and features will return shortly as soon as things get a little more on track, and don't be surprised to see a lot of late night posts while I'm up with the new she-geek that we are creating.

Thanks for reading!

- Jason

Advance Movie Review - Batman : Under the Red Hood

When DC had announced a while back that the next Direct to DVD animated release would be based on Judd Winnick’s controversial Under the Hood story in Batman, many fans let out a collective “What?” I’m honestly a fan of this story and Winnick’s work in general so I’m a little biased but I recently had an opportunity to check out the animated version and I have to say….it is pretty awesome. You can purchase it on Blu-Ray and DVD this Tuesday, July 27th.  There may be spoilers below if you haven’t read the story or seen the movie so beware. Click below for more:

Quick Comic Reviews - 7/14/2010

This was a decent week, but a little light which allowed me to pick up a few books that I normally wouldn’t have if the big companies had more releases. What happened? Well…..

Superman takes a stroll through my hometown and has a Philly Cheese Steak, Bruce Wayne fills in some blanks for us, Comic Book Guy meets his nemesis, Jane Wiedlin gets abducted by Colt 45 drinking aliens, Oracle gets kidnapped, Rocket Red joins the JLI, Batgirl gets a new partner and Iron Man meets Detroit Steel face to face….or rather helmet to helmet. Also, this week I was referred to as a “Cooke Whore” while picking up the prelude to Darwyn Cooke’s The Outfit. I’ve definitely been called worse, and I will pretty much buy anything that he publishes :-)

Want more? Click below:

Looking Forward to Wednesday - 7/14/2010

Not much to say but......New Comic Book Day!  Click below for this week's books :

First Impressions Quick Reviews – 7/8/2010

Quite a stack of comics this past week as the 4th of July holiday pushed New Comic Book Day to Thursday. I’m playing with some new formats for reviews so here is my, now combined, First Impressions and Quick Reviews for this week, with a record 3 Marvel books! It would have been four but my shop was out of the Fantastic Four Annual. Check back later for a full review of Batman & Robin #13, but here is the breakdown of the rest.

What happened? Well….

Dick Grayson and Tim Drake make some Brady Bunch jokes, the GI Joe team finds a huge (literally) lead in their hunt for the elusive COBRA organization, Daredevil gets a new bad-ass costume along with some bad-ass ninja and a bad-ass attitude, Aquaman finds out a secret about Mera, Steve Rogers re-enacts a scene from True Lies, the X-Men get ready to face off against the undead, Neal Adams disappoints in a huge way, Robin turns the crowbar on the Joker and the Plutonian finally catches up with his old pals in Irredeemable.

Superman / Batman : Apocalypse Trailer

During my usual nerd-news rounds this morning I came across this on YouTube :

Looking Forward to Wednes…damn, Thursday - 7/8/2010

With the 4th of July holiday falling at the beginning of the week, comics in the US will arrive on Thursday instead of the usual Wednesday. I won’t be able to get to the shop until Friday, so regular posting will be delayed. Here’s what I plan on checking out this week :