Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Wonder Woman, Silver Surfer, And More Go Surfing In Their Halloween Costumes







Leave it to Californians to host a surfing contest called “Surf Spooky Waves.” Sponsored by ZJ Boarding House, participants have to come ready to take to the sea in Halloween costumes. It’s a neat idea, but I sure hope everyone chose cheap costumes to wear into the ocean.



This year’s contestants included Wonder Woman, Silver Surfer, an Angry Bird, Aladdin, and many more. I’m not sure who took home first place, but it looks like they all had fun!



Check out more photos of people catching a wave in costume after the break.




















(NY Daily News via Buzzfeed)


‘Star Wars Episode VII’ to be Original Story, Not Based on Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn Trilogy”





As I’m sure you’re well aware, the story likely to become the nerd news story of the year hit last night and the internet erupted. For a good two hours yesterday all my Twitter timeline was tweeting about was the shocking news Disney had purchased Lucasfilm and were planning a new Star Wars trilogy, beginning with Episode VII releasing in 2015. Honestly, I still find myself questioning whether it’s real or not even though the proof is everywhere. Of course, when we first heard they were making those prequel flicks I don’t think everyone truly believed them either, and here we are.



So, Star Wars Episode VII, it’s a thing, but what’ll it be about? Star Wars fans for years have theorized about what happened to Luke, Leia, and Han once the Emperor was defeated and the Empire was in ruins. Did the Republic return? Did Luke restore the Jedi Order? There’s been dozens upon dozens of comics, fan films, novels, and what have you all exploring this post-Return of the Jedi universe, often referred to as the Expanded Universe. The stories that take place in this universe have been treated with a varying degree of credibility and canon, but what’s been considered by many a fan to be the story of what happen after Jedi is Timothy Zahn‘s “Thrawn Trilogy.”



For those who haven’t read Zahn’s novels here a quick summary courtesy of E! Online,


Well, Luke Skywalker meets a real would-be assassin lady named Mara Jade, who was trained to avenge the Emperor by crushing Luke’s pretty blond head. Instead, Jade falls for Luke and, a subsequent graphic novel, the two marry. Skywalker also has to deal with the fact that he’s the only Jedi left, at least, for now, and he goes about trying to fix that.


Princess Leia and Han Solo also play heavily into the Thrawn Trilogy, popping out a pair of twins (of course) among other things. As for the name Thrawn, well, that refers to a grand admiral with imperial sympathies who takes over as the leader of the vanquished enemy faction.



You get the jist. Either read ‘em or Wiki ‘em if you seek more details. Not that it really matters now because those stories are out.



A Lucasfilm source has told E! Online, Episode VII will be an, “original story.” Basically, forget everything you thought you knew about what happened after Jedi. You were probably wrong anyway.



As of now we’re just left with questions. Lots and lots of questions. What will we be seen in this new trilogy? Will there be an attempt to seek out past Star Wars actors? What’s the future of the long-coming TV show, Star Wars Underworld? The Clones Wars? Seth Green and Matthew Senreich’s only recently announced Star Wars Detours?



What are your thoughts on this whole Disney/Lucasfilm acquisition? Air out your feels here people, we’ll be your support group.



Source: CBM


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Gorgeous Battle Ready Wonder Woman Cosplay From Meagan Marie







Wonder Woman is an Amazon who is completely capable of kicking butt, and this cosplay by Meagan Marie showcases the ferocity and beauty of the character. She and her friend Tess Fowler worked together on the design for this fresh-from-battle Wonder Woman, and it’s just stunning.



Photograph by On LIVO.



See more images of this fantastic costume after the break.
















It’s Official! ‘Community’ Returns Feb. 7th, Which is Sorta Like Oct. 19th





As in it’s not at all like October 19th because this newly announced premiere date of February 7th is over three months away! Sigh. Well, it’s better than NBC announcing they decided to can the show last minute, which is what I was beginning to fear.



The news broke from Community cast member, Yvette Nicole Brown, who tweeted out,



Guys, #Community officially has an airdate: Thursday, February 7th at 8pm!



- yvette nicole brown (@yvettenbrown) October 30, 2012



Something nice about the push back to February? Community will have its regular Thursday at 8pm time slot, not the dreaded Friday night slot.



It’s good news, not great news, but thank goodness we’ll eventually get back to Greendale.



Source: Splitsider


Kuroko no Basuke



Y'all know despite the name Cosplay in America, I really don't have any problems showcasing cosplays from all over the world. In this post, we have German cosplayers Ravenic as Kagami Taiga and NanjoKoji as Kuroko Tetsuya from the anime Kuroko no Basuke. 




Check out more photos after the jump













Follow them :

NanjoKoji
Facebook
DeviantArt

Ravenic
Facebook
DeviantArt



Perfect Pocahontas Cosplay




Pocahontas




Eat your heart out, John Smith. Thanks to Tiffany Duong for the tip!



Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Adorable Couple Cosplays As Captain Hammer And Dr. Horrible







Alyssa and her fianc dressed up as Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer, and I think they are insanely cute. She did a great job femme-ing up Captain Hammer – that does throw a wrench in the whole “My hammer is…” line though.



Check out some individual shots after the break.














Thanks for the tip, Alyssa!



Send your cosplay pics to tips@fashionablygeek.com.


Nerdy Bits: Gollum Fishing at NZ Airport, Loki’s Biggest Fan: Tom Hiddleston, Best Booster Gold Cosplay, and MOAR!





Every day the internet produces an astounding amount of goodies and gems. Most hilarious, some amusing, but all worth at least a few seconds of your time. We here at Nerd Bastards try to bring you the best bits of news and nerdery the webz has to offer, with a bit of snark thrown in. But sometimes not everything makes the cut. Monday through Friday we'll be bringing you our inbox leftovers, our forgotten bookmarks, the nerdy bits that simply slipped through the cracks. You can submit items to Nerdy Bits by emailing us at nerdybits@nerdbastards.com.



Above: Remember ladies, you go Solo this Halloween, take a Wookiee with you. Awesome cosplay courtesy of Loveandasandwich. (Fashionably Geek)








Challenge yourself this Halloween, these Walking Dead pumpkin stencils look impossibly hard, so much so I’m not convinced they aren’t photoshopped. (Reddit)






Dammit! Of course those are the movies people leave behind during a zombie apocalypse. Well done, seemikedraw. (Nerd Approved)






In a completely unsurprising move, the Wellington airport of New Zealand adds this ginormous and ridiculously awesome Gollum installation celebrating their nation’s greatest export. Learn more at First Showing. (TDW)






And the damn cutest and best overall kid costume of this year’s Halloween goes to this kid. That until there’s an even cuter nerd offspring featured tomorrow. See more on Flickr. (Fashionably Geek)






Tom Hiddleston is a bigger fan of Loki than you are. Fact. The proof is in the writing, as Hiddleston recently had his letter published in Kieron Gillen’s final issue of his run on Journey Into Mystery, a comic featuring the exploits of young Loki, the god’s most recent incarnated form.


Dear Kieron:


You and I see Loki the same way. He’s one dark, anarchic, bottomless black hole of rage, hatred, pity and pain. An exiled outcast, a lost and lonely agent of chaos who wouldn’t know what to do with familial forgiveness if it walked up to him in the street and slapped him in the face. I’ve had as much fun playing him as you’ve clearly had writing him. I know your run on Journey Into Mystery has been so hugely popular. What an enormous honour to share Loki’s legacy with you. Here’s to bringing Norse back!


- Tom Hiddleston



Kieron’s response, “Crikey.” (Comics Alliance)





src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qQPaHBLau18?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" width="600" height="350">



Aaron Wahl has the single best Booster Gold costume around. Why? Two reasons: Skeets and Billy West. Filmed at NYCC by Lumberjack Films and Bleeding Cool.



src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Mk_Lj8ty2tA" frameborder="0" width="600" height="350">



Arkham Rising, an upcoming fan film you should keep an eye out for. It’s been well reviewed by both io9 and ComicBook.com. Check out the trailer.





And now, T-Shirts You Gotta Buy…TODAY! (Before they’re gone.)











(Click images to buy shirts.)




Don't forget about our Nerd Bastards' tees, available at Split Reason!


(Use coupon code "CHEAPASS15 to save %15)


Sunday, October 28, 2012

Which Camera Should I Buy ?


 (Canon 5D, Canon T2i, Canon G9 and G10. )
This must be the question I hear the most and it is a complicated answer. Yes, you can sit there and breakdown the features, make a Powerpoint and logically come to a conclusion but like a lot of things in life, it may also come down to gut feeling. The way you like how one camera handle than other. This could be as simple as how you like where the manufacturer placed the buttons on the camera.
When I was in college, I used to work for a mall camera store. You can buy cameras, film and get your film develop in their one hour photo lab - it was more of a consumer store than professional store. We didn't carry high end cameras nor professional film - just prosumer films. It was my first experience in photography business - I did both sales and printing.
Here's what I would do when someone came in and asked about cameras. I asked what they would use it for, how often did they think they were gonna use it and other questions to get an idea of what they were looking for out of the camera.
More after the jump





To me, cameras are like soft drinks. Canon is Coke, Nikon is Pepsi, Sony is Mountain Dew, Olympus is Dr. Pepper, okay you get the idea. They all do the same job and the only difference is the flavor and taste.
Now, I love Coke and not really a fan of Pepsi. I can drink Pepsi if I have to but I really like the taste of Coke. I really love Canon ever since my dad gave me an old AE-1. Now I can use a Nikon and I've done so in the past, but I really like the taste of Canon ... uh I mean Coke !
So first thing first, figure out do you want a point & shoot or a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) ? With technology today you can get great photos with your cell phone so really, it comes down to the features. (And frankly, at this point I'm shooting with my phone more than my 5D at cons - my 5D doesn't do Facebook yet ^^)



My personal point & shoot cameras I have are the Canon G9 and Canon G10. I've bought both used from different people - Cragislist and all. My main reason for the G-series is they shoot in RAW format and I prefer RAW over JPEG. The plus side is they also do video which is for the most part, what I used to do my con videos. Every once in a while, I'll use a Rebel T2i which I bought last year. By the way, the Rebel T2i is a 18 megapixel camera which has far more megapixel than the camera I used to shoot the Cosplay in America book (more later). Funny enough, I used these cameras today for video than actually taking photos. For cons, I'm still using my EVO 4G phone.
Positives : Point & shoots are small enough to fit in your pocket - and if you are at a con, you may wanna carry as light as possible since you may be out all day or you may be buying tons of merchandise from dealer hall so you may not want to carry a heavy camera around. Point & shoots are definitely no brainers. Point and click. I would suggest avoid using flash unless you're in a dark area otherwise you get the "flash" look. You know the "I'm in the headlight" face.
Negatives : You have to really dig around the menu to really take advantage of some of the features which be easier to get to on a DSLR. Also harder to use in manual mode if you don't remember what buttons you have to push to adjust aperture and shuttle speed. Finally, not as much features as a full on DSLR.
For me, personally it is about how much less equipment I have to carry. I love these small point & shoots. I can stick it in my pocket (kinda) and they don't take up as much space as my DSLR.
Now if you got tired of fumbling through the different menus to do the manual on your point & shoot, I say you're ready to move into DSLR. My suggestion is get an entry level DSLR. It's a good starter camera and it won't kill your wallet as much as a higher end level camera.
Today I see a lot of higher end camera at cons. A lot ! I took a friend to a con recently. He has photography background but hadn't been to a con in like 6 years. Totally surprised at how many higher end cameras he saw. Another time, I remember seeing someone with a higher model than mine and I asked to see it. That person had no idea how to use the camera. All the settings were off and it made no sense so I fixed it. The ISO was pushed to 64,000 and the camera was set on automatic.
I'm not gonna stand here and say manual is the best (I still do automatic at times) but if you bought a camera and just to use for automatic mode, aren't you kinda wasting the potential of the equipment ? That person's camera and lens was worth about $4,000. I bet that person would be just fine with a $1,500 camera AND they would have $2,500 more to spend at a con, or go on vacation or whatever you wish !
Just because the camera is expensive doesn't make it better. At the end of the day, it is just a tool. Some tools have more features yes, but it is still the same as all the other tools out there. You buy that pencil with the special lead that comes from some Asia forest - and it'll do the same job as that tiny IKEA pencil stub they have. 
Which leads me to this rant : why do people always say you got a nice camera, it must take great pictures ? I don't go into a kitchen and tell the cook, hey, nice stove - I bet it cooks great dinners ! It annoys me because that camera is a tool. Your eye is what makes a difference. Now with all beginners, your eye is gonna be terrible at first. My first photos I took as a teenager were crap. The photos I took in college were crap. I got better with time. So don't expect the camera to make you a photographer overnight. It takes years of practice and this depends on how much you wanna put into it. If you just want to learn to take photos a bit better, then fine. You don't need to spend years on it. If you want to be an expert, then fine, spend as long as you need to feel you accomplished what you want to do. At the end of the day, a camera is just a tool. /rant.
I used to work in camera sales and I know it is generally accepted to push the latest, greatest (and more revenue making cameras). There used to be a kickback program if you sold a specific brand of camera, you get money. I wasn't sure if this was done via the manufacturer or the camera store in question, but I do remember one salesman boosting to me he bought a nice living room furniture set with the kickbacks he got. I'm not gonna say every sales person is like this but do take it with a grain of salt.
With the internet now days you can get as much information as possible. You can watch YouTube for unboxing or walk-throughs. It is essentially easier than ever to figure out what you want BUT at the end of the day, you wanna get your hands on a camera and try it out. It's like testing driving a car. You should test drive a camera if possible.
For some of y'all, this is a possibility. You can go to local camera shops and ask if they do rent equipment. The selection depends on the store but in most case they'll carry the entry level as well as advance models. You can also rent online from places such as BorrowLens too. Renting a camera gives you a chance to take it out and play with it for a day or so. Check to see if they do weekend rates. Usually, if you pick up Friday afternoon and return Monday morning, it is consider a one-day rental though you have it for two days. Some stores do this, some don't. By the way, they may also rent backdrops, lights, and other photo equipment too.
I suggest renting for a day just so you can get a feel of the camera and decided if you like to get that model or not.
One more thing - if you do not need the latest model, don't get it. Just like cars, you could save some change from buying used. The G-series point & shoot I own are usually $500-$600 brand new. I bought them used closer to $200. If you don't feel comfortable buying used on Ebay or Craigslist, check out your local camera store. Often they will sell used equipment and usually have their own warranty to boot !



The camera I currently own is the Canon 5D (the original) which I bought in 2005. For years I would keep buying the different models - the 10D, 20D, 30D, but the 5D is the model I've kept the longest. The stats are not as impressive as when it first came out. The original model had 12.8 megapixel and right now it is 7 years old.  The book Cosplay in America was shot on this camera and if you ever flip through the book, you can see the images look amazing. I really just need 8 megapixel to get the decent size for the book so yes, I could have used a Canon 20D and still get a decent photo out of it.

Oh, you don't have to stick to Canon and Nikon. People may say professionals use it all the time but I do know one photographer Matthew Jordan Smith who uses Sony cameras to photograph folks such as Halle Berry, Jamie Fox, Oprah and more. You probably seen his work, he does the Wells Fargo print campaign too. I knew of him professionally for years and had the pleasure of meeting him at my book release party years ago when he bought a copy of my book. I love the fact he uses a Sony for his work. 

So remember, just because it is the latest and greatest, doesn't make
it the best for you. It is up to each of you to figure out what you want out of the camera and get one that is best suited for you. Do you need to capture sporting events and fast action ? A DSLR is probably better suited for you. Are you more likely to just pull out a camera and grab a quick shot - a point & shoot might be better for you. Are you planning to shoot in really low light situations ? Check to make sure your camera can do that.

I hope that answers some questions but if you do have questions, leave in the comment and I'll do my best to answer it.








Erik's Amazing BATMAN BACK TATTOO ART Photo




We wanna thank our Friend Erik for showing us this fun photo he took recently at some local Festival. It looks like, where he went, they had a lot of crazy Cosplayers... excellent! Thanks Erik for sharing your pic, the BATMAN Back-Tattoos look great!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

NEW BATMAN TOYS - 2012 Hot Wheels Motorcycles BAT-POD CYCLE!



Here at the BAT-BLOG.COM we try to keep up to date & report on all the brand-new Batman Merchandise. Sometimes it's pretty easy because the Toy Companies don't release much stuff during certain periods of the year. Then, it seems like everyone is putting out some crazy new product and it's very very difficult, ha ha! But either way we love collecting Bat-Toys and here's a small sample of an item to keep an eye out for in the near future. ( Thanks for the pic Jo$Rulez )

Here is the 2nd "Batman Bat-Cycle" to be a part of the "Hot Wheels Motorcycles" 2012 Series by Mattel ( 1/64th Scale ). Actually, it's the BAT-POD from the recent movies. The previous Bat-Cycle ( #1 ) was a very cool Retro-Style "Comic Book" Version. You can see that, by clicking right HERE!

TOKYO TOY GUY - The BATMAN Vintage Toy Collector Movie!



Check out this cool Movie Poster & Teaser Trailer Video ( down below ) for TOKYO TOY GUY, The BATMAN Memorabilia Collector Movie! Yes, this is a film our Good friend Yuji Ueda has been working on for over 5 years. He traveled to 6 different Countries around the World to focus his video camera on some of the most major Batman Toy Collections in the world!!

Seriously, this documentary will completely torture every serious Vintage Toy Collector out there because it has some of the most amazing, and super-rare, museum-quality stuff that you will probably ONLY see in this film.

It's still in post-production right now but please be sure to look for it to appear around November 2012. Also, please stay tuned to the BAT-BLOG.COM because as soon as we have more info we will pass it along. Yes, we're seriously excited about seeing this movie!!!




The many faces of the Master Chief

evolution-masterchief0versions-halo



The many faces of the Master Chief
BS Angel posted this picture of the 4 different versions of the Master Chief as he has appeared in each of the four Halo games he's featured in.
She writes "As the video game industry advances, so does its tools and techniques, and that is readily apparent when looking at the Master Chief's evolution over the past ten years. Each iteration of our favorite Spartan super-soldier has been distinctive yet similar, but don't confuse design with canon - the Chief is the Chief, just with the details and idiosyncrasies based on what each time period and toolset has to offer"
While the Master Chief's armour may change from light green to dark or his armour gets an upgrade, one thing for sure is, you'll never see the Chief's face....

The many faces of Cortana

cortana pictures



Like we the many faces of the Master Chief last week, Waypoint has now just thrown up the evolution of Cortana. For those who've never played Halo before, she's the Master Chief's spiritual guide of sorts. She'll feature in Halo 4 and we'll bear witness to her state of rampancy.

I guess seeing Cortana made a cameo in Halo: Reach the line up should have included a shot of her from that game:

cortana-cameo-halo-reach


Cortana's cameo in Halo: Reach



Friday, October 26, 2012

The Cutest Marty McFly [Cosplay]







Marty McFly is pretty cute as an adult but not as precious as this little one! For her son’s first Halloween, Cory made a cardboard DeLorean equipped with EL lighting and dressed him in a fantastic costume. I predict little Marty McFly will pick up all the ladies with his sweet ride!



See a few more photos of the adorable kid and the DeLorean after the break.




















Thanks for the tip, Cory!



Send your tips to tips@fashionablygeek.com.