Christmas Gift Guide 2014: Fandom

Happy New Comic Book Day! Part Three of my gift guide series continues with today’s post on all the geeky gifts your nerdy heart would want:

1. No matter what fandom you’re a part of, there is definitely a Funko Pop! figure for you. I like to get mine from Paradise Comics.

2. I would be a terrible girlfriend if I didn’t recommend the 4th volume of Kill Shakespeare collecting “The Mask of Night” run, with the back-up story written by the boyfriend. You can get your copy starting Wednesday next week from Paradise as well. End of shameless plug.

3. My love of baking and Star Wars come together for the perfect gift.

4. This game is perfect for the board game lover in your circle, beginner or veteran. Very simple concept with gorgeous art, board and pieces. In my opinion, better than the original.

5. Who wouldn’t want ice shaped like Daleks and TARDISes?

6. I wish I had gotten the box set rather than getting them individually, but now I can give them to a friend.

Happy Hump Day everyone.

First Impressions of The Twelfth Doctor

Happy Wednesday! As promised, I’m doing a post on the new Doctor, the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi. Two episodes of Series 8 have aired already, the premiere “Deep Breath” and “Into The Dalek”. I enjoyed the former while the latter had its ups and downs.

As an introductory episode to the new Doctor, I thought “Deep Breath” did a great job of having a mystery and a slightly unhinged Time Lord recovering from his regeneration. And of course any episode with the Paternoster Gang is a winner in my books. I liked that Moffat brought back the creepy clock robots from the episode he wrote “The Girl in The Fireplace”. What I thought was unnecessary was the Matt Smith appearance. I love Matt as much as the next person but needing Eleven to convince the companion, in essence the audience, to accept a new Doctor was a little insulting because it felt like the show didn’t trust its fan base enough to make up its own mind without a nudge from the old favorite. Nine didn’t do it for Ten and Ten didn’t do it for Eleven. We have a new Doctor, just deal with it.

Then came “Into The Dalek”. I’m intrigued by Danny Pink, although I thought his introduction could’ve been done better. We get it guys, everyone says he’s a player but he’s probably not since he’s a sensitive soldier. Remains to be seen whether he’ll be annoying or actually an interesting addition. Clara is definitely growing on me. She was my least favorite companion, but seeing more of her personal life makes her character more interesting. As for the episode itself, I thought it was too reminiscent of the Ninth Doctor’s “Dalek” episode but I did appreciate the whole Fantastic Voyage plot.

Now for the Doctor…Before I share my thoughts on Twelve, let me give you some background on my personal history as a Whovian. I started watching with the Ninth Doctor and Rose. I love Tennant and Smith but Eccleston was my first Doctor so he holds a special place in my heart. It’s probably why I really like Peter Capaldi so far. A concern people have been having is that he’s not as nice or quirky as Tennant or Smith but that’s why I like him. He’s a little rougher around the edges like Eccleston. He’s blunt, no-nonsense and more aggressive. While I’m liking all that, it’s slightly off-character for him to be dismissive of people and the value of their lives in “Into The Dalek” when it’s already been established that the Doctor protects humanity. Hopefully that was just a weird one-off moment. Aside from that thought I’m happy he established he’s not Clara’s boyfriend, although if he says it one more time I might scream. I also love the Scottish accent even though I have to rewind certain scenes because I sometimes miss what he’s saying. I had a feeling I would fall in love with Twelve pretty quickly and I’m happy to report that I’m fully on board the Capaldi Express. The next episode looks amazing because who doesn’t love Robin Hood? Hopefully we’ll get more scenes establishing what the Twelfth Doctor is all about and his relationship to Clara.

It Happened This Week…

As we’re nearing the start of Fall shows, we’ll probably get more teasers, posters and trailers about the upcoming shows. Here’s a round-up of this week’s latest nerdy news:

…at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters

A first look at Lucy Lawless guest-starring in this season’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! SQUEE. Damn, I definitely should catch up on this show.

…in District 13

Wired released some Hunger Games: Mockingjay posters and my of course my favorite one is Natalie Dormer’s.

…in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Mary Sue has put together a great post regarding Hawkeye’s involvement in Cap 3 and what that could mean for Black Widow, details on The Defenders series on Netflix as well as more Doctor Strange casting rumors.

…in an alternate universe

USA Today reported that Donald Glover is the voice of Miles Morales in the new season of Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors! Ah dream come true.

…in the TARDIS

Yes, I watched Capaldi’s first episode as the Doctor. I will eventually review the 12th Doctor but I’m waiting until I’ve seen a couple more episodes before I do. Looking forward on his encounter with a Dalek!

…in Central City

Fast-forward to October 7, fast-forward to October 7!

Happy Thursday and happy first day of Fan Expo if you’re going.