Doomsday Approacheth

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Matthew Bowman

I’ve always heard of doomsday referring to the end of the world. I’ve even heard it referring to comic book characters (notably Dr. Doom’s own holiday, Doom’s Day). I hadn’t known it was something that happened more than fifty times a year. Continue reading →

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Dragon Awards Are Live

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Declan Finn
Last year, we released footage of the first annual Dragon Awards, the official award of DragonCon, one of the world’s largest SFF conventions.
And now, the Dragons are once again upon us.
The nominations process has begun.

However, I don’t recommend voting just yet.

Why? This is what is eligible for the Dragons

Works released between 7/1/2016 and 6/30/2017 are eligible for this year’s awards.

Anything from July last year, to June this year, is eligible.

Just for the record, you can’t nominate whole series. Sorry. There will be no nominating the complete works of Jim Butcher.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming, Horror, News, Romance, Science Fiction, Tabletop RPGs, Thriller, Video Games, Writing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A Reflection on ‘Silence’

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Olivia Bushey

I finally watched Martin Scoreses’ movie Silence. I have not read the book that it is based on written by Shausaku Endo, so this is simply a reflection on the movie itself. I could not find a way to talk about this movie without giving away the ending, so – Spoiler Alert!

silence-2017

It was beautifully shot, and the soundtrack so well done that it feels like there was not any music forcing the viewer completely on the actions of the characters. That said, it was an uncomfortable movie to watch, which in of itself is not a bad thing. Well done uncomfortable movies make us think and reflect. I personally watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ every Good Friday and that is very uncomfortable to watch. Continue reading →

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Legendary Villains: Fear Itself Expansion

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Ross Windsor

Two years after the release of Legendary: A Marvel Deck-Building Game, Upper Deck introduced another core set, Legendary Villains. In this spin-off version of the game the roles are reversed, with players acting as the villains and brawling against various legendary-fear-itselfsuperheroes. Although completely compatible with the original Legendary, the Villains line was eventually discontinued as a separate thing, and fully merged with the main game, which is why we saw villainous “heroes” and heroic “villains” in the two Secret Wars expansions. However, the Villains line did get a small box expansion before the merger, a set revolving around a comics event entitled Fear Itself.

 

 

What’s in this set – 6 allies, 1 Commander, 1 Adversary Group, and 3 Plots.

Continue reading →

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Battle of the Dragons

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Declan Finn

The Catholic Geek: Battle of the Dragons. 01/29 by We Built That Network | Books Podcasts:

https://percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=9765109

At 7PM, EST, host Declan Finn has a new book out, and will discuss it with co-host Dawn Witzke.

In the second hour, things get interesting with Brian Niemeier, where they will discuss his new novel, The Secret Kings.


Brian Niemeier was the nominee for the 2016 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and winner of the First Annual Dragon Awards for Best Horror. He chose to pursue a writing career despite formal training in history and theology. His journey toward publication began at the behest of his long-suffering gaming group, who tactfully pointed out that he seemed to enjoy telling stories more than planning and adjudicating games. Continue reading →

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Starting a movement

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Declan Finn
Superversive Science Fiction is not a new term, but a term we really need. It’s the opposite of subversive, obviously, and Superversive is something that builds up a person rather then depresses the reader until they’re halfway to killing themselves.
Once a while back, even I did an article discussing Superversive fiction, and why we need the term, and the movement.

And now, it’s becoming far more of a thing than you’d think.

Continue reading →

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Midseason Review: Legends of Tomorrow and Invasion!

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Declan Finn
On the one hand, this show has improved since last season. Last season, the writing was so uneven, some episodes were great, and some felt like they were a failed writing class.
…. Yes, I am ignoring the episode in the American South during the Civil War. For anyone who thinking that American Slavery was “the worst of humanity,” then we should have a conversation about the Holocaust, Joseph Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and Middle Eastern Jihad.

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While watchable, this season needed more focus. They’ve wandered all over the place, and they needed to better point out that they knew where they were going .

There is a problem with the lack of Captain Hunter this year. I understand actor Arthur Darville is busy elsewhere. But really, we needed a steadier hand at the helm much sooner. Sarah Lance as Captain is awesome, but the crew needs work.

I was also disappointed that Stargirl happened, then the Shade happened on the Flash. Both were elements of James Robinson’s Starman run, and I think they just shut the door on that ever happening.

Continue reading →

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Berlantiverse Review: Flash and Supergirl

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Declan Finn

This will be a two-for-one review for reasons that shall become apparent as we go along.

Item the First: It’s a puff piece, it’s agit-prop, no, it’s Supergirl!

Dear, God, SOMEBODY SAVE THIS SHOW.

….Sigh. Too late.

Let’s break this down into its component suckage.

The Good: The move for the CW has, in all honesty, improved the series. In the first few episodes, you can see the budget show up on the screen.

I guess that means that the filming on location in LA really did eat up most of the budget while they were on CBS.

Continue reading →

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TV Midseason Review: Arrow

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Declan Finn

Arrow is, by and large, the best of DC CW TV.

iZombie doesn’t count, that’s from Vertigo.

When our season opens, Oliver Queen must put together a team of heroes, since he lost his last one to retirement. They include Mad Dog (a more recent character, from the 80s comics), and Mister Terrific (a REALLY classic DC character), Artemis (a recent favorite from Young Justice et al), and eventually Ragman (also classic).

….For inexplicable reasons, Mad Dog has become Hispanic and Mr. Terrific is gay and black — and neither impact the plot or the writing, which is both a blessing and frustration. It’s a blessing in that they aren’t harping on identity politics; it’s frustrating in that they changed the characters just to check box that they have characters who are gay, black, and Hispanic.

It’s just head scratching, but I guess it’s generally inoffensive. It’s just odd.

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Reviews, Superhero | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

TV Midseason Review: Quick Hits

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Declan Finn
I will, of course, make certain to do full reviews about some shows, rather than others. But right now, there are some shows I don’t have a lot to say about. Not to mention that there are some shows where little has changed from my original review.
And … some of these shows don’t really deserve a full review. Especially if they’re a franchise that’s been on forever and a day … (ahem *NCIS*).
Let’s look at #1 for example…..

Lethal Weapon: Continues to be the best new show, if not the best show, all season. There is depth. There is a mystery. There is heartbreak. This is better than the original movies had ever hoped for and more. I love this show. Period. 10/10

 Blue Bloods: Just watch the show already. It actually keeps getting better, and does “ripped from the headlines” in a way that Law & Order only dreamed of. While there are a whole two episodes that have pissed me off, it’s been two episodes out of the entire series — and, more importantly, two shows that have been ignored from canon, even in the very next episode, which makes me think “studio influence” is all but tattooed on those episodes. 10/10

Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Catholic Geek: Live with Jeffro Johnson

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Declan Finn

The Catholic Geek: Live with Jeffro Johnson 01/22 by We Built That Network | Culture Podcasts:

 

At 7:30PM, EST host Declan Finn will welcome the illustrious Hugo Award Nominee Jeffro Johnson, where we will cover as many topics as we can squeeze in, from Dungeons and Dragons to RPGs as the end of the history of Science fiction and fantasy.

//percolate.blogtalkradio.com/offsiteplayer?hostId=533877&episodeId=9763181

Continue reading →

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The Catholic Geek: Mythic Orbits and Christian SciFi

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Declan Finn
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Hope For the Rebellion: Reviewing Rogue One

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Hannah Rose

Is it really possible that Disney produced a good Star Wars movie? And not just good, but on par with, if not better, than the original Star Wars film? After the bad fanfiction that was The Force Awakens I didn’t think it was possible. A trip to the movies with Catholic Geek founder Matthew Bowman and my roommate Cat proved otherwise. Hopefully this spoiler free review will make it clear why. Continue reading →

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Fisking: “What Are White Writers For?”

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Declan Finn
For the record, this is not a joke. This is not a satire.
This title HAPPENED. This article HAPPENED. It happened in The New Republic, so no one is surprised at all. Ever. And, like most idiotic things from this particular rag, you can tell this will violently murder brain cells just from the stupidity of the title.
The idiocy of the founding premises just from asking the QUESTION requires most people to jab an ice pick into their brains just to be dumb enough to think this is a reasonable interrogatory.

For those people who think that this is a reasonable headline to the original article, “interrogatory” means “a question.”

Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Culture, Fiction, Fisks, Writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Continuing a Catholic Romance Novel

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Declan Finn

I had a great many reactions to my novel Honor At Stake. If you read the original Lori review on this site, you may have noticed in is that it’s a romance. It’s also one that doesn’t follow the standard formula.

And by “may have noticed,” I mean “I’ve gotten several angry emails telling me to put out the next book this very minute, or else.”

Most romances I’ve seen take place over the course of, at most, a month, and conclude with “him and her” having hooked up at least several times during the novel, and decide that they’re going to wander off into the sunset. Which, at best, is unrealistic. At worst, from our point of view, here at the Catholic Geeks, immoral as all heck. One could make the barest excuse that such actions are “preceremonial sex,” since they’re due to be committed and / or wed by the end of the novel.

Continue reading →

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Top 10 Catholic Books to Give this Christmas

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Declan Finn

In my family, the easiest thing in the world is to give the gift of books. And, seriously, who doesn’t read?

If your first thought is “I don’t read,” then I will ask you how exactly this post is getting into your brain.

If your first thought is “Of course, books are easy,” then I’ve got a few to suggest to you for this season of gift giving.

And I don’t mean popcorn for the brain. True, every last book you’re about to see on this list is awesome in their own rights, but most have been vetted and approved by people on this blog — mostly either by our resident reviewer, Lori, or by myself. While’re not not exactly the magisterium, we’re not exactly chopped liver, either. So you can be relatively certain that they’re both entertaining, as well as having some depth. We’re not going to be suggesting James Patterson, we have some standards (Actually false — I do read James Patterson, as I have no taste. but I would not recommend most of his work, especially not on this blog.)

Continue reading →

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Review: Ordinance 93

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Declan Finn

As I tell everyone I know, I can read practically any political message, as long as they tell me a good story. I’ll even take save the whales, as long as it’s as well done as Star Trek IV.

Ordinance 93 is much like that, only the message is different. I would normally say that it’s a pro-life message, but not really. Miss Fabry even said in her introduction that she wanted a message that the “pro-choice” and the pro-life crowd could get together on: What happens when you take away the choice?

At the end of the day, I think this is less about American politics and more about the People Republic of China, where the policies in this book already take place. There are some elements that look like they came out of Obamacare news stories, but those are minimal, and could have been written into the story as an afterthought for all I know.
Continue reading →

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Review: Doctor Strange

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Declan Finn
For those of you who do not know the strange tale of the good Doctor, Dr. Stephen Strange starts out as a neurosurgeon, but is really Tony Stark with a medical degree. In this case, he’s Benedict Cumberbatch, with an ego greater than Tony Stark could have ever imagined. In short, he’s very much like a real surgeon. When his hands are destroyed, he literally goes to the ends of the earth to fix his hands. He’ll even consider magic.
And then he goes down the rabbit hole.
Continue reading →
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Review: Stealing Jenny

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Declan Finn

I

Ellen Gable wrote a book called Stealing Jenny, and mentioned that it would be free on Kindle early last week, and we could grab a copy and review it.

I shrugged, figured “If she likes my book, how bad could hers be,” and decided to go for it. Lord knows enough people “Oooo”ed and “ahhh”ed over it while I was at the CWG conference. Might as well see what all the fuss was about.

So, where does one begin with Stealing Jenny?

Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Reviews, Thriller, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

BlizzCon: the Opening Ceremonies

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Andy

The atmosphere is tense. The countdown begins. And one of the biggest shows in the gaming industry is about to begin! It’s BlizzCon 2016, and I’m here live…well…sorta…watching over the Internet, anyway.

Opening things off is an awesome shot of dice on gaming paper. “The journey began underground…” Since this is a big anniversary for Blizzard, looks like we’re opening with an obligatory origin story, but it’s honestly a really cool tribute to geekery. “Unleashing their imaginations…harnessing their nightmares.” It really speaks to the image that Blizzard projects, a harbor for geeky awesomeness, all gathered under one roof. So, with that setting the stage, let’s see what lies in store for all of the many franchises now gathered under the Blizzard banner. Who’s putting money down for the announcement of Lost Vikings 3? Continue reading →

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