My Favorites of All Time!!

As I walk through this crazy world, I will continue place things on my list of favorites. I think we all will. From movie to music, from food to colors our favorite list will expand. Our all time favorite however, is exclusive to the things we favor over all. These are the things we argue over, show unconditional loyalty to and will support almost no matter what. So here are my all time favorites. I'm sure you won't agree, but their my favorites, so face!!!



Favorite Movie: Man of Steel

I really love this movie. Zack Snyder's take of the iconic hero is really good. One thing DC does different than Marvel is that they automatically accept most of the super powered heroes in their universe. I like how Man of Steel did the opposite of that. A little realism in a fantasy world.




Favorite Videogame: Mass Effect

I have and still play this game. Everything about it like, a lot. From the custom character to the moral choices you man, I love it. I can't wait for the fourth installment to come out so I can play that one on the constant.



Favorite Anime: Dragonball Z

Just saw the most recent DBZ movie and loved it. It reminds me about everything I liked about Dragonball Z. Goku is and will always be my favorite character. I can't wait for the next movie they do.



Favorite Marvel Character: Wolverine

James Howlett a.k.a. Logan is currently dead now. However, in his early days, he was pretty awesome. I loved the mystery of the character's past and everything. Now yes, they've elaborated more on that in recent issues, but he's still cool. Marvel will bring him back, and when they do, he's going to be.......wow.




Favorite DC Character: Robin

Now this is Timothy Drake humans and yes this is his Red Robin gear. However, I personally think he was the best Robin. Batman admitted he would become a better detective than him. He was a better leader of the Titans. I think he should have taken over the mantle of Batman in the Battle for the Cowl story.




Favorite Martial Artist: Bruce Lee

Now there are many good martial artists out there. However, I was raised on Bruce Lee. Chinese Connection is still my favorite movie. This man had revolutionized the martial art world and the film industry in one move. Pretty awesome guy.




Favorite Artist: Michael Turner

Will always be my favorite. I met him when he was fighting cancer.....again. He was a very nice man and loved his fans. His artwork always spoke to me. He's on a short list of people who continue to inspire to write. I appreciate his work and his friends who continue his legacy.




Favorite Book: Ender's Game

Now I never seen the movie, but I know this book. Orson Scott Card is a genius. This is more than just a science fiction novel. There were so man layers to this story, it's one of the greatest.

My Video Game Journey

I was talking to my buddy the other how games have changed. It went from one button and a joystick. Now to elaborate controllers, fightsticks, gaming mice and etc. Being an 80's kid, I have spent a good part of my life playing a variety of consoles. So here's my console journey humans. Now I haven't owned all these consoles, however, I have played almost all of them.


Atari 2600

My siblings and I saved all our money to get this system. Let me tell you how far we've come. We paid $50 for this console. I remember we would go to Goodwill or other thrift shops and buy the cartridges for like $1-5. We got all of these, except Frostbite, E.T. and Moon Patrol are missing from this picture.


Sega Master System:

My uncle gave us his old system when he upgraded to the Genesis. We played the mess out of this system. My brother and I became hardcore SEGA fanboys once we were exposed to this system. We played everything from Space Harrier, Alex Kidd, to Zillion and Transbot. Ah, good times.


Super Nintendo:

My grandparents got this console for us. We were super excited. She got us some weird Marble Madness type game. We did eventually get Super Mario World and Link to the Past, Mario Kart. We played this so much and unlocked.......everything!!! Out official exposure to fighting games were on this console. Where we first played Street Fighter and Killer Instinct.



Sega Saturn:

When I was 16 years old, I got my first job at Little Caesars. With my first check I bought my very own Sega Saturn. I was super pumped about it. I bought just about every game when it came out. I played Panzer Dragon 1 & 2 constantly. I always argued with people that it was better than Playstation and I still kind of believe it.



Playstation:

Upon the death of the Saturn, I did eventually pick up a Playstation. This is where I experienced Final Fantasy 7 and fell in loved with it along with FF8. Then I was officially bit with the RPG bug. I bought Legend of Dragoon, Legend of Legaia and Xenogears. Oh, I can't forget Soul Blade and X-Men vs Streetfighter, love this stuff.



Nintendo 64:

I was late getting this system. However, I still needed one for Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and Killer Instinct Gold and more Mario Kart. And my first exposure to Smash Bros was on the 64. Ah, wonderful times. And yes I did play Golden Eye, but I did it with my friends.



XBox:

Took me a while to get this guy, but I finally did. While many hated the size of the controller, I loved it. I have some big bear hands.



Gamecube:

Before you ask, I did get a black one, hence why I chose it. I love multiplayer games. So when the Gamecube came out I had to get it. It had Legend of Zelda Four Swords, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Smash Bros and Mario Kart. I also got it because Link was a playable character on Soul Calibur 2 for this console, so that was a must. Who remembers, Custom Robo? Had that too, loved that game.


Playstation 2:

Had to get this one for Final Fantasy X, X-2, and 12. Among other games, I had  a lot of them. I was the daily rental store for my buddies. Maybe I should have charged them, next time.



XBox 360:

I had to be committed to X-Box for giving me the Mass Effect franchise, I love that game. I know it's on PS3....now! It was a Microsoft exclusive and I own the exclusive collector's edition. Which is supposedly worth $300 on Ebay. I don't know if I want to part with it though. Hey I had to sell my PS2 and all my games and my beloved Gamecube, don't take Mass Effect away from me! It's all I have left......oh boy.



Playstation 3:

I fought pretty hard against getting a PS3. After rid of my PS2, I didn't want to go down that road again. However, it wasn't a bad decision, the Uncharted franchise is pretty cool and all of my Arkham games are on that system. PS All-Star is on there and that's pretty cool. Got Final Fantasy XIV on this too and it was pretty fun until all the elitist ruined the endgame stuff for me. Nevertheless, a really good console.

XBox One:

Now one of my buddies will tell me that the PS4 is better for some nerdy reasons. That's stuff I really don't care about. In truth I was on the fence because I wasn't sure. However, when Microsoft announced that they were exclusively making a new Killer Instinct. The decision was made for me and I have no regrets.

I mean how could I say no to the black man. Now yes, he showed in Season 2, however it was still a good decision and I'm sticking by it.

Now I'm sure some of you noticed I didn't mention like Dreamcast, Sega CD, Gameboy and many others. I didn't personally own them, I lived vicariously through my brother who owned the systems I didn't have. However, I played most of them if not all of them. Man, maybe we should talk about my MMO or RPG journey next time, might be a good idea. What do you humans think?

"Dude, let me be your sidekick!"

I don't care who you are. At some point in your life you imagined yourself the sidekick or partner of somebody cool. Whether it be Zorro, Sherlock Holmes or Hulk Hogan, you wanted to share in the butt kicking, smack talking, tights wearing life they live. Here are the heroes I would love to be their right hand man.


Captain America:

I would love to be his partner. I mean he would buy me a burger and fries. Say really cool but very old man kind of things. Train me in all kinds of skills. Plus, you never know, like Falcon, take over the mantle of Captain America someday. Hey, I can dream!


Batman:

Rolling with Bruce, I would get cool gear. I would learn how to be a solid detective. And even if I couldn't take over the mantle of Batman. I could get a really cool name connected to a bird. Like Hawk......wait, how about Falcon.......that's right. I'll figure it out, I have time.


Wolverine:

He may be a tough, scary claw swing angry canadian. However, he knows how to take care of those under his wing. I mean, he molded Shadowcat and Jubilee into some really solid people. Which means I could be a samurai like Logan. Still need a solid X-Men name. Gotta sit down and really think of some other names for myself.


Big Barda:

Now, yes, Barda would probably say no to me. But I'll still try. I mean, she can train me to be an awesome fighter. Even if I just carried her bags, it would be fine. Because if I was ever in danger of being attacked by muggers, crazy aliens or Miley Cyrus. All I would have to do is cartwheel into her arms, I'll be safe.



Nova:

I've always like the Nova Corp. From their armor to their powers, I mean it would be really cool. Plus I get to meet people like Adam Warlock, Gamora and Quasar. How cool would that be?! I want that helmet, how awesome would I look walking into Walmart sporting a Nova helmet! Well.....it would be cool if there weren't stranger people in there already.



She-Hulk:

Hanging with Jennifer would be awesome. She's a super smart, talented lawyer. Being her assistant, I would get paid well, get good benefits. In addition to that, hanging with her I could possibly meet, any of the Fantastic Four, Avengers or even Nick Fury. Like I said before, if I was in danger, or need a warm hug, cartwheel into arms. Yeah buddy!!

Marvel, take your stuff back!!

Marvel has proven that they can do their movies and do them well. However, everyone outside of them aren't so great. The Amazing Spider-Man is proving to be a success and the X-Men franchise has been saved thanks to Bryan Singer. However, there are some characters that need saving. Here are the characters that need saving, Marvel!



Dr. Doom:

Victor Von Doom is one of the most iconic villains in the Marvel Universe. However, in the current reboot, Victor is getting punched in the mouth and what we love about him is being stripped from him. He's not called Doom in the reboot, his name is Victor Domashev. He's not a genius like Reed, he's a hacker/programmer and Doom is his name on his blog. What?! So I'm assuming in this universe he doesn't rule the world twice, he just blogs about it, because that's easier. Now granted we haven't seen any footage yet, however, what we do know doesn't sound promising.




Aunt May Parker:

And no, we're not getting this May Parker, that would be great. Apparently, a May Parker movie is in the works. She will be younger, sexier and spunkier. She will be going on a espionage mission? I don't know. I wish they would just focus on the good things of May and not this weird thing they're doing. Here's the kicker about this film. Apparently in the cinematic universe, it will be implied that she's actually Peter's mother. What?! Marvel, stop them from doing this.







Namor:

I think like Universal has the rights to him. And we have seen.....nothing. Marvel give us Namor so we can see him in Infinity War. Between him, Black Panther, Iron Man and Black Bolt, we have a large part of the Illuminati right there! Let's make it happen people!







Ghost Rider:

I haven't seen the films. However, all have agreed they were horrible. Even though Cage is a huge fan of the character, I'm pretty sure he ruined the franchise. A number of the fans of the character agreed. I have a buddy who loves this character and made it clear they weren't great.  Marvel take this back and give us the New Fantastic Four, we can get Wolverine, I'm pretty sure. And speaking of James.






The Wolverine:

Now I love Hugh Jackman as I'm sure I have mentioned before. However, Fox has constantly messed with this character and I would like them to stop. We need a better Origins movie, I want to see the right James Howlett, not the hot garbage they have given us. Take this guy back Marvel and give us New Fantastic Four! I will continue to scream this until this happens.







Deadpool:

Now the test footage that was revealed online shows me that Fox understood how they messed up on Wade in Origins. However, being a Wilson myself, I want my fellow Wilson done correctly. I would rather see Marvel do it, since he's everywhere in the Marvel universe, worked with all kinds of  characters, He did actually destroyed the Marvel Universe at one point. Come on Marvel, have him destroy the universe!!





Silver Surfer:

Rise of the Silver Surfer made our very own Norrin Rad pretty crappy. I hated that. He looked great on film though. So it shows a decent solo film will work. If Marvel takes him back, we will get the Surfer we actually want. And Galactus will show himself and not be......whatever he was in the previous film. And he could join the Defenders, that would be great!!!

Civil War: Will it Work?

With the reveal of Captain America: Civil War being announced for 2016. A lot of people are thinking it won't work. I know why they are saying it. There are a lot of elements that led to Civil War. From the House of M phenomenon to the school explosion. There would be no Illuminati or X-Men, Fantastic Four, Namor and so on. However, I feel it can still happen without all of these moments. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has given us enough fuel to get this going.



Incredible Hulk:

The Incredible Hulk and Avengers film has shown the destructive power of the Hulk. He has the ability to decimate cities quite easily. If he can't be stopped, who knows how many lives he'll affect. And judging on how he's acting in the Age of Ultron previews, he will once again be a threat they'll be concerned about.



Avengers:

Despite saving the world. I feel people will still have an issue with this super powered team. People like that will always look for an excuse to blame them. Which I believe Age of Ultron could be one of those moments.



The Collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D.:

Captain America: Winter Soldier and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. revealed how HYDRA had infiltrated the agency and was controlling it within. This creates a level of mistrust with the US government and this disintegrating agency. Thus adds to people not trusting all connected with S.H.I.E.L.D., that includes any of the Avengers.



Ultron:

We don't know to what level. However, if any knows Ultron from the comics, he's going to bust the cinematic universe. It's going to make people not trust heroes and any agency of that level. Which will push Tony Stark to try to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. and reestablish that trust the people need to have. Which will of course go as far as the Heroes Registration Act. Of course, it's all speculative. Nevertheless, the cinematic world of Marvel will give the writers plenty to use to create Civil War in a way we all will appreciate. Still would love to see the Illuminati.

These guys look great!!

Violence in Entertainment: Does it have its place?

I was having a conversation with my buddy about Age of Extinction. He expressed his dislike and that was fine. However, I feel like we watched two completely different movies. So I strongly disagree with his view of the movie. We did agree that violence exists in this film and that he had a major issue with it. Which confused me for the fact that this is Transformers. Autobots defend the planet from the terrors of the universe. There will be violence. We eventually started talking about exploding tacos and the possibility of eating one. But it got me thinking, is violence necessary in entertainment?

Now before I tackle this subject, let me make this clear. I do not condone violence. Violence usually leads to more and even worse violence. I never find joy in seeing people get hurt. I always teach my girls to go the peaceful route and to step away from volatile situations.

Thought I should make that clear to all you humans. So.....let's focus on three things to consider when thinking of this topic.

Consider What You're Watching:
I'm an 80's kid. We grew up knowing names like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Lundgren, Willis, even Van Damme. We all were pretty sure that with these names attached to movies, you're going to get a action film. Even Kindergarten Cop and Stop or My Mom will Shoot had violence in them.

So if you watch a movie called Kill, Kill, Kill, it's most likely going to be violent. I'm not exaggerating, most movies make it clear what kind of content is going to be in it. All you need to see is one commercial for a movie and you'll know what's in it.

Comic book, science fiction and fantasy films are not any different. Characters like Spiderman, Captain America, Legolas and many others are created to take on a variety of bad guys. Stopping them from harming others and their world. In order to do so, violence must take place. I get that.

Senseless Violence:
Now I hate movies or shows that are violent for the sake of being violent. That kind of stuff bugs me. I mean look, Spiderman kicks a mugger in the mouth to prevent him from robbing a person, that's understandable. However, he's not body checking every person he runs into for the sake of action. I remember watching a movie about a police force taking on mutant criminals. I was all about that. However, within the first 10 minutes, the main protagonist was cutting up her forearm with a box cutter. The horrible thing is, I have no idea why. And the scene went on for several minutes. I literally dipped out when all that was happening. It was pointless and stupid.

The Conscience of Others:
I have a friend that didn't like Lord of the Rings because it was extremely violent. However, they were okay with Star Wars: Episodes 1 & 2. Their argument was because they were fighting droids and that isn't so bad. You should have seen the face I made. But I had to consider the conscience of my friend. That was about as much violence they could take and that's okay. I'm sure there are people who don't like Avengers because it was violent and that's okay too. We never want to violate the conscience of others by forcing our own conscience on them. At the same time that person that can't deal with Transformers shouldn't judge those that can.

In the end, violence and other content will continue to exist in entertainment. It is our responsibility to filter through the mess to find something that is a level of reasonable and good entertainment. Okay, say you aren't fazed by the violence and will watch whatever. Maybe you can't even deal with Wolverine popping his claws in the first X-Men movie. Or you're right in the middle, either way it is all up to you. And it is not our place to judge others who do or don't roll with it.

Is Change Good?

The answer to that question varies. It all depends on the situation. A change in the comic book universe can be a big deal. Especially if its influenced by the cinematic or television universe. Here are some of changes or additions that affect the comics.




Green Lantern Uniform:

There are mixed feelings about this. The point in the movie was that it's to show they are of alien origin. I would have to agree with that train of thought. It would make sense that these suits have to look like you couldn't get them from Ebay. So I appreciate the alien gear. The comics actually made a slight change with their emblem to represent the alien connection. It wasn't a large change, but it works.



Harley Quinn:

We all love this girl. Let's remember she didn't make her debut until Batman: The Animated Series. However, she was a fan favorite and was introduced into the DCU later.






Agent Phil Coulson:

I'm showing the animated version of him. However, for those who don't know. Coulson was introduced in the first Iron Man film and exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until his "demise" in Avengers. Once again another fan favorite that he was put in Ultimate Spiderman cartoon where he fits perfectly. And is currently alive and breathing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was also showed up in comic book form in 2010.

X-Men Uniforms:

A lot of people hated these uniforms. Now at the time, the classic blue and yellow didn't translate into the films and I was okay that. It made sense to me. And it directly influenced some of the comics. Ultimate X-Men and other series that were influenced by the movie from 2000. Now let's see First Class change some stuff in the new movie.

Batman's Uniform:

The New 52 Batman was influenced by Batman from The Dark Knight Trilogy. Actually Batman's gear post Batman Begins is armored now. You'l notice it a lot in the current Arkham games. I personally am okay with it. It just makes sense, when you're fighting people who want to put holes into you. You kind of need better gear that just nice duds. 

There are so many more. I might do more that will be cool to talk about. Let me know what you think. I know I'll get some feedback from one person I know......you know who you are.