The Clown Prince Returns
He’s been MIA since the DCnU relaunched last August. All we’ve seen of him since the relaunch is his skinned face hanging in the Gotham City Police Department. But now he’s coming.
Artist: Greg Capullo
This October, the Joker returns in a story titled “Death of the Family” starting with Batman #13. That’s right. That Batman book written by superstar creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo who are just coming off the success of their “Court of Owls” storyline.
Cheap Date: June 13th
After a two break since I was on vacation and then a day late since I was having some jet lag issues, we finally get back to Cheap Date. And what a week to come back! We have a full boat today, I really had to pick and choose to cut it down to $30 but hopefully you will enjoy everything I recommend.
Movies – $10
Indie Game: The Movie was just released to the wild for everyone who may have missed the tour of screenings. Once a Kickstarter project, Indie Game: The Movie covers all those jewels of games being developed by people who may not have the backing of a major publisher, especially the phenomenal games Super Meat Boy and Fez. This is a great film for anyone who enjoys video games, but it is also a fantastic documentary on its own. You can get the movie on their website or if you are so inclined you can grab it on iTunes or even Steam.
Books – $9
Darth Vader and Son has actually been out since April, but it has been sold out in most places until this week. Darth Vader and Son is the hilarious look at how Vader would handle actually being the father of Luke. I’m not always a fan of single page punchline comics, but this one is done well and has the benefit of having Darth Vader in it. Let it be known, that I am actually cheating a bit here as the book retails for $15 but you can grab it from Amazon for $9.
Comics – $10
This week was tough when it came to comics. There were quite a few books that I wanted to pick up this week but had to opt into choosing only three because of everything else out this week.
Vertigo puts out this week a book with one of the best writers and one of my favorite artists in American Vampire Lord of Nightmares #1. This miniseries continues Scott Snyder’s wonderful work with his American Vampire books but now accompanied with the art of Dustin Nguyen. We have not seen Nguyen’s dark side since he was working on Detective Comics.
The next two books come from DC Comics and are also two Batman books. In Batman #10, we get a revelation as Batman fights the Court of Owls in the issue right before the conclusion of the story line. Then in Batman and Robin #10, Tomasi and Gleason continue their wonderful run on this new dynamic duo. In this issue we get a reunion of sorts as a mysterious person has called a meeting of all the Robins, past and present.
That will be all for this week, folks. I hope to see you next week on our nerdy Cheap Date.
CYaN Podcast Episode 5: New DC 52 Special
This week we talk about the DCnU. We talk about our must-reads and our favorites of those. We also talk about a few of the 2nd Wave books.
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Cheap Date: May 9th
Cheap Date brings you the best purchasing options. Every Wednesday, we will give you a list of the best items coming out this week to spend your money on. To top it off, all for under $30.
Let’s get to it.
Comics – $13
Two of Marvel’s best comics are out this week in Uncanny X-Force #25 and Wolverine and the X-Men #10. Uncanny X-Force starts a new arc as Rick Remender cements his station as one of the best comic writers in the business. And in Wolverine and the X-Men, it features a Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in but this series is still one of the freshest takes on the merry band of mutants.
The Walking Dead #97 from Image Comics comes to shelves as it closes in on issue #100. Now Rick and company have to have a band of ruthless oppressors in order take control of the newly found supply lines.Walking Deadbecomes the best when it is human versus human with zombies as the backdrop.
Scott Snyder shows why he is one of the best in Batman #9 as the “Night of the Owls” storyline continues. Batman must defend Wayne Manor from an army of assassins after he nearly died defeated just one. Plus he is looking bad-ass in his new armored suit.
Games – Free-$7
Alright, this is a weird one. Valve has just released the “Perpetual Testing Initiative” DLC for Portal 2. With this DLC, you can create your own Portal puzzles to share with friends and challenge the community. I can not wait to see what comes out of this from the community. The DLC is free for the PC. But if you do not own Portal 2 yet (FOR SHAME!), the game is on sale on Steam for only $7 until tomorrow afternoon. Either way; get the game, play the game and create some new puzzles to share.
And that is is for this week. It is a light week, since no real game or movie releases that I care for. If you did not need to buy Portal 2, then you are under $20 which is awesome. See you next week for another installment of Cheap Date.
Cheap Date: April 25th
Being a nerd gets to be expensive. Comics are $3-4 usually, going to the movies are moving past the ten-dollar mark and of course video games are costing you a whooping sixty dollars plus tax. In this weekly article, I will show you what to buy on this nerdy Cheap Date.
Wednesdays are great days to make these purchasing decisions. Comic books are released today. Most physical media (video games, DVDs or CDs) have come out the day before. And in a couple of days the new movies are opening in theaters.
Now let us see what we can get this week, which I am aiming for under $30.
Comics – $9
I know it is always hard to cut down on your stack, but this is the biggest money-eater. God forbid if they actually had good weekly comics, all the time. Anyway, there are only three books you need to buy this week.
Daredevil #11 from Marvel is the conclusion to the “Omega Effect” crossover. The interaction between Daredevil, Punisher, Spider-Man and “Punishette” is beyond priceless. Spider-Man’s mouth moves all on its own.
American Vampire #26 and the New Deadwardians #2 from Vertigo. Snyder is an excellent writer and I have decided to pick up all his books up on principle, this includes American Vampire. I have yet to go wrong with Snyder (why do I feel like I just jinxed something?). Yes New Deadwardians is a another vampire book, but also another zombie book. The dichotomy of the comic set in a Victorian period had been an interesting read. It is an eight-issue run, so should be worth the time.
Movies – $10
To be honest, there are two movies you could catch this weekend. I will start with the one I pick, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. I have always been a fan of Aardman Animations and Wallace and Gromit. This movie should be a fun show for kids, big and small. Plus I am a sucker for traditional animation.
Then there is Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt. It is hyped as part of the Bridesmaids styling. I must admit that I caught Bridesmaids much later, out of theater and really did not like it. But I like the cast and they have not let me down yet. Can not hurt that they have my latest “Hollywood girlfriend,” Alison Brie, in the movie.
Games – at least $2
The Indie Gala just went on sale and the latest Humble Bundle is still active. To those new, these indie bundles are pay-what-you-want for a couple of indie games available on the PC and sometimes Mac. You can decided where the money goes to developers, organizers or it can all go to charity! But here is the kicker, if you pay above the average then you get some extra games. Either way, you get a few games for a lot less than they retail. I really recommend playing Machinarium. It is a fun, puzzle/adventure game with a great art style.
For under thirty bucks you get three great comics, to watch a new movie in theaters and a whole bunch of games for the PC. Check it out and let me know if this was worth the money for you.
Call Yourself A Nerd 