Nerds of the Round Table

For all things good and nerdy

Empire Magazine Covers The Avengers

1 Comment Posted by on January 23, 2012

Empire Magazine has gotten some big scoops on upcoming superhero movies like The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers.  They continue this trend by getting exclusive magazine covers for the upcoming Marvel movie The Avengers.  Probably one of the coolest is the ‘subscriber only’ cover featuring a chunk of the ensemble cast in costume.  It looks pretty cool to see a collection of The Avengers in one place.

It seems that in this cover art that Tony Stark is wearing an older version of the Iron Man armor as he once again has the round arc reactor in place.  At the end of Iron Man 2 Stark had created a new arc reactor that was triangular in shape.  I noted this irregularity in some of the earlier artwork for the Avengers and didn’t understand why Stark would be using old armor in the Avengers.  Turns out the folks at Empire Magazine can shed some light on that.

Now that sort of makes sense that Tony Stark would make use of multiple suits or armor in the movie and explains why a good deal of the promo artwork features the round arc reactor.  My theory is that something happens to critically damage the current Iron Man armor.  As such, Tony will be forced to use the older Iron Man armor and the arc reactor that will slowly kill him.

Empire also released covers featuring each individual character.  These are featured in the gallery below.  They seem to be the same character pictures just with different backgrounds.  Is it time for this movie to come out yet? I’m really ready for the Avengers on the big screen.

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The Day the LOLcats Died (due to SOPA/PIPA)

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 19, 2012

I realize that yesterday was the internet blackout in opposition to SOPA/PIPA but I’m not done sharing my opposition yet.  But this time its in a funny video form that is just too good to pass up sharing.  Please everyone, lets save those LOLcats.

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On Strike to Oppose SOPA and PIPA

1 Comment Posted by on January 17, 2012

I’m sure those of you in the United States have heard about the two pieces of legislation attempting to be passed.  This would be the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).  Both of these pieces of legislation threaten to fundamentally break the Internet.  But why should people be opposed to either SOPA or PIPA?

Here’s a simple takeaway of how SOPA will affect the internet courtesy of Wikipedia.

The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement.

The spirit of the law is to protect copyright holders which is a legitimate thing.  However, the method used to enforce these copyright protections is far too  punishing.  One provision, which seems to have been shelved for now, is the ability for the US government to blacklist DNS addresses.  Specifically if one of my writers posted an article that linked to a YouTube video or picture that someone makes a copyright claim on I am held liable.  This could even be held true if someone links a YouTube video or copyrighted image in a comment.  Not only am I held liable but the US can then choose to blacklist my domain name.  This means that if you’re in the US and you type in www.nerdsoftheroundtable.com or search for it on Google you will not be able to find the web-site.  The internet is fundamentally broken by this action!

There are many people who oppose both SOPA and PIPA.  This includes sites such as Google, Yahoo!, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, LinkedIn, eBay, Mozilla Corporation, Roblox, Reddit, the Wikimedia Foundation, and human rights organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the ACLU, and Human Rights Watch.

To show support for the defeat of SOPA and PIPA some web-sites are even shutting down for a day.  Earlier this month Reddit announced plans to shutdown their site for the entire day on January 18th.  Additionally, Wikipedia announced that in an unprecedented move they would shut down their site for the entire day on January 18.  WordPress has also announced methods to express you opposition to SOPA and PIPA.  I will be making use of their tools to this and if you use WordPress I encourage you to do so as well.

Personally, I think it would great if sites like Facebook or Google shutdown for the day.  Can you imagine the impact if people couldn’t update their Facebook status or search Google for things?  SOPA has the ability to damage both these sites and showing just how much they would be missed would have a great impact on people.

I have been opposed to SOPA since I first read of it and heard a good deal of background on This Week in Tech (TWiT).  To show my opposition to the act I even updated the site logo to reflect opposition to censorship.  Clicking on this link leads one to AmericanCensorship.org, a site dedicated to the opposition of both SOPA and PIPA.  This site also features multiple ways to oppose both SOPA and PIPA.  My hope would be that if you oppose these pieces of legislation check the site to see how you can help defeat the passing of these laws.

In an effort to express my support in defeating both SOPA and PIPA the Nerds of the Round Table will be going dark on January 18th.  No new posts, no tweets, no Facebook updates everything will be shutdown for the day.  I have no expectation that I have anywhere near the influence of Wikipedia or Reddit but I want to do my part to help defeat SOPA and PIPA.  Please join in and do that same.

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The Dark Knight Rises Sweded Trailer

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 17, 2012

If you saw the movie Be Kind Rewind you are familiar with this concept.  A movie or in this case a movie trailer is recreated using little to no special effects or costuming budget.  However, the actors play it straight like this is a legitimate movie trailer.  The sweded version of The Avengers was quite funny and so is this one.

The Dark Knight Rises, youtube

Avengers vs X-Men #1 Revealed

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 16, 2012

Well folks, after a brief recuperation from getting my wisdom teeth removed I’m back with more news from the upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men.  Tomorrow, I plan to continue the Fanboy Analysis detailing who would win in each superhero match-up.  There are a lot of promos I missed out on while I was out of commission.

Today, Marvel unveiled the cover for the first issue of Avengers vs. X-Men.  Getting Jim Cheung to draw the cover is just brilliant in my opinion.  I’ve loved his work on Young Avengers and seeing him drawing nearly all the heroes of the Marvel Universe is a treat.

I will fully admit there was one part of this cover that surprised me.  I thought that Marvel would sweep the event of Schism under the rug and have Wolverine side with the X-Men instead of the X-Men.  Looks like I was wrong as Wolverine is predominantly featured on the Avengers side.  It’s also interesting to note that Thor is featured on the cover as well.  Looks like he will be brought back to the Marvel Universe fairly quickly after falling in Fear Itself.

Looking at this cover I would certainly have the give the Avengers the edge in these battles.  They have a lot more heavy hitters than the X-Men.  It’s possible that the fanboy analysis of the match-ups reveals the X-Men win in the end but I would be very surprised.

Below is the cover for issue number 1 and the press release put out by Marvel Comics.

Marvel Press Release:

This April, prepare for the biggest super hero war in comics history as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the jaw-dropping cover to Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 by superstar artist Jim Cheung! From the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, John Romita Jr., Adam Kubert and Olivier Copiel comes a groundbreaking event pitting Earth’s Mightiest against the X-Men with the entire Marvel Universe at stake. Cyclops and his team believe the arrival of the Phoenix Force will save mutantkind, but Captain America is convinced it will destroy the world! But who is right? Don’t miss out on all the action in Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 in comic shops worldwide and on the Marvel Comics app this April!

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!
For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com
AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 (JAN120625)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION, JONATHAN HICKMAN, ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 4/3/12

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Fanboy Analysis: Avengers vs X-Men Round 2

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 12, 2012

Yesterday we brought you the first round of teasers from the upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men event from Marvel.  Along with all of those teaser images I presented my ‘expert’ fanboy analysis on who would win each match up.  Now I have three more matchups to give my analysis on.  But first a quick reminder, the current standings based on my analysis have the Avengers with a slim lead.

Avengers: 3

X-Men: 2

The first match-up for today is rematch from long ago.  This time we are pitting Ms. Marvel against the woman who stole her powers and memories, Rogue.  Rogue has worked to gain a better handle on her powers but since her first encounter with Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers has just become more powerful.  I think the increase in power and the anger over having her past stripped away give Ms. Marvel the edge in this match-up.  The only way Rogue pulls this off is if she makes skin contact with Ms. Marvel something that I’m sure Ms. Marvel will actively avoid.

Avengers: 4

X-Men: 2

The second match-up pits Luke Cage against Beast.  Beast is a longtime Avenger and in recent years Luke Cage has become a mainstay of Bendis’ Avengers.  Cage is near invincible and has enhanced strength.  Meanwhile Beast has a genius level intellect in addition to supreme agility and strength.  In a physical contest Luke Cage would probably come out on top.  However, I imagine Beast will use his mind to outwit Luke Cage in the end.  The win goes to Beast.

Avengers: 4

X-Men: 3

The final match-up sees Emma Frost, the White Queen, going toe-to-toe with the Incredible Hulk.  Hulk most definitely has the edge when it comes to pure strength.  However, how well would Emma’s telepathy work against Hulk?  Would she be able to sooth the savage beast?  Its possible, but the problem is in this picture Emma is in diamond form and as such cannot use her telepathy.  In a one-on-one fight where it is difficult to use telepathy I say Hulk smashes the White Queen.

Avengers: 5

X-Men: 3

So after day two of this individual match-ups the Avengers have extended their lead to be winning by two.  Will this trend continue?  Probably not, but it will be fun to see how these match-ups progress.  As more match-ups come up I will continue to provide my fanboy analysis.

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Pwn Stars

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 12, 2012

If you watch the History Channel, you’ve probably seen one of the many reruns of Pawn Stars that they show all the time.  Its a fun show, but they really do lowball people on some of their offers.  When you do a videogame spoof then it makes the deal making even funnier… especially with Link trying to trade in his Triforce.

One quick note for you all.  I’m going to be having my wisdom teeth removed and as such not online as much.  Updates are probably going to be sporadic for a few days.

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Fanboy Analysis: Avengers vs X-Men Battles

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 11, 2012

Marvel has been putting out tons of preview pages for the upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in books.  All of these one-on-one battles intrigue the fanboy within so I can’t help but be fascinated by the matchups.

There are four new matchups that have been revealed in addition to the Magneto vs. Iron Man battle that was revealed earlier this week.  The four match-ups are shown below with my opinions as to who would win the battle.  Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments though.  I’m always up for a spirited comic book debate.

The first match-up we’ll cover is Black Widow vs. Psylocke.  Both are highly trained martial artists and have notoriously been depicted as being able to stand toe to toe with anyone in physical combat.  From my perspective Black Widow probably has the slight edge in martial arts but Psylocke takes the fight with her mutant powers.

Avengers: 0

X-Men: 1

Second up we have the God of Thunder, Thor, against the Queen of Wakanda, Storm.  Now this is an interesting match-up just because of the parallels of both combatants being able to use thunder and lightning as weapons.  But how does a mutant beat a god?  I just don’t see Storm pulling out the win against Thor.  Thor can take just about anything Storm throws at him and his still has his hammer which can do tons of damage.  Thor gets the win here.

Avengers: 1

X-Men: 1

Next we have Spider-Man taking on his amazing friend Iceman.  I like this pairing if only for the play on the 80s cartoon.  Just add Firestorm and it will be a reunion.  Iceman is an Omega level mutant once of the most powerful of the X-Men.  Peter Parker is finally getting his due as one of the smartest minds of the Marvel Universe.  His close relationship with the Future Foundation/Fantastic Four allows him to exercise his mind and encourages him to think first and then act.  Both combatants have a history and familiarity with each other.  Spidey’s big brain saves him in the end as he comes up with a good plan or technology to defeat Iceman.

Avengers: 2

X-Men: 1

The final battle puts the leaders of both teams against each other.  Captain America takes on Cyclops in what I think will be a fun read.  Cap is the longtime leader of the Avengers and is a historical icon.  Cyclops is the longtime leader of the X-Men and now the leader of Utopia and a vast majority of the remnants of mutantkind.  Both men are well established leaders and strategists so I think this battle comes down to one thing… experience.  Cap has been fighting since World War II long before Cyclops was even born.  His experience gives him the edge here and he exploits Cyclops’ obvious weakness, his visor.  Cap’s shield can take anything Cyke throws at it… but one shot from Cap’s shield to the visor and Cyclops is down for the count.  Cap takes this fight.

Avengers: 3

X-Men: 1

I spoke about the match-up between Iron Man and Magneto last week but I didn’t give a prediction as to who the winner would be.  Its a toss-up between Reed Richards and Tony Stark in regards to who the smartest man in the Marvel Universe is.  Tony’s powers all stem from his creations and the Iron Man armor is a phenomenal piece of tech.  Magneto has reformed from his terrorist ways and has become a solid member of the X-Men.  But he’s still the master of magnetism and Tony Stark wears a metal suit.  That fact alone makes me lean towards Magneto as the winner.  Tony might come up with a way to make his suit non-magnetic but there are still lots of other things around that Magneto can control to combat Shellhead.   Also factor in the fact Tony is still recovering from falling of the wagon and I think in the end Magneto comes out victorious.

Avengers: 3

X-Men: 2

With a current score of 3-2 nobody is running away with the fight and the Avengers keeps a slim lead.  As more of these match-ups come out I will continue giving my fanboy analysis.  In the end I think the Avengers will just barely eke out the win… but I could be wrong.  If you disagree with my predictions let me know and lets start a debate on this.  One of the best parts about being a comic fan is arguing over who would  beat who in a fight.

Avengers, Captain America, Comics, Fanboy Analysis, Spider-Man, X-Men , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Avengers vs. X-Men Preview

1 Comment Posted by on January 9, 2012

Marvel’s next mega event is set to pit the X-Men against the Avengers.  In this battle of Marvel’s superteams your guess is as good as mine as to who will come out victorious.  Although I would guess the fact the X-Men have splintered into two groups led by Cyclops and Wolverine could prove to be problematic for the mutants.

The stories in Avengers vs. X-Men will tie-in to the main overarching story of the summer event, however Marvel editor Tom Brevoort has said that ‘Primarily, you’re talking about one-on-one bouts’ in the upcoming books.  As a fan I find this to be really interesting.  I’ve got in many arguments with my friends on topics like, ‘Who would win in a fight, Thor or Storm’ and other similar comparisons.  From that perspective I think the Avengers vs. X-Men books are going to be a of fun.

The first matchup in Avengers vs. X-Men will pit Iron Man against Magneto in a fight that I think will be a lot of fun to see.  Iron Man’s metallic suit against the Master of Magnetism… I’m sold.  Also in the first issue we will see a battle between Namor and the Thing.  Marvel Senior Editor Nick Lowe described the first issue as ‘two huge knockdown, dragout battles that play with the characters’ powers in amazing ways.’  One of my favorite artists, Adi Granov has drawn an incredible looking teaser for the first issue.  I love the way he draws Iron Man and seeing the pieces of his armor shredding off while he flies towards Magneto just looks incredible to me.  Credit goes to CBR for getting this fantastic looking promo art online.

Marvel has also released the following press release for the first issue of Avengers vs. X-Men…. and while it’s a bit light on details and any potential spoilers it’s still enough to get me interested in the upcoming series.

Official Press Release

AVENGERS VS X-MEN: ROUND 1!

The biggest superhero brawl in the history of the Marvel Universe begins this April in Avengers Vs. X-Men #1!

Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!

For more on Avengers VS X-Men, please visit http://avx.marvel.com

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 (JAN120625)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, JASON AARON, MATT FRACTION, JONATHAN HICKMAN, ED BRUBAKER
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 4/3/12

I’ll be the first to admit that I am generally vehemently against having a large number of tie-in books during a company wide event.  However, this series intrigues me since it seems to mostly be one-on-one fights between characters which should make things a lot of fun… and be used to settle lot of fanboy debates.  The first issues of Avengers vs. X-Men hits stands in April so keep your eyes open for it.

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An Update on the 24 Movie

Leave a Comment Posted by on January 9, 2012

Simply put, Kiefer Sutherland has said the 24 movie is still a go.  Sutherland was at the Television Critics Association winter tour presentation and asked about the oft-rumored movie and was able to give some new information to 24 fans.

First, Sutherland stated that the current plan was to begin filming “at the end of April, beginning of May.”  So starting soon there should be more 24 under production.  Sutherland gave further detail about the movie, specifically that the 24 movie will be “relatively a direct continuation. We’re talking maybe six months from the end of that episode.”  My advice would be to re-watch the last episode of 24 to refresh yourself as to how things ended.  From what I recall Jack had severed ties with CTU and was now a man on the run.

One of the biggest changes from the TV show is that the movie will not occur in real-time.  This isn’t really surprising since it would be impossible to cram a days worth of action into a roughly 2 hour timeframe.  But, the good news is that we will have one final send off for 24 and of course Jack Bauer.  I for one am looking forward to this movie.

24, Movies ,

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