Back in the day, we used to just like stuff every week. We still like stuff, but now we mix in links, videos and other random claptrap. It’s like the Cold Stone Creamery of nerd-dom; we call it The Bin, and we’ve gotta have it.

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I sometimes deliver these pronouncements that make me sound like I’m permanently stuck in 1999. “Wow, the internet!” I’ll say. “So goddamn amazing, no?!” (I imagine myself sporting a too-big dot-com swag tee, Discman headphones jammed over my ears and piping in “69 Love Songs” as I’m saying this, by the way.)

But, look, I’ve been thinking a whole lot about the internet — and its amazingness — recently, thanks to a bunch of virtual kerfuffles and debates, mostly having to do with ladies and comics. I was depressed by the raftload of negativity that greeted the Girl Comics announcement*, then perplexed that there wasn’t more negativity towards that sausage fest Heroic Age image**. I track all of this on Twitter, of course, then follow up with longer outraged/not-outraged/outraged-by-the-outrage emails between internet friends. But whatever your feelings on any of these topics, here’s something I never quite thought about whilst debating them: it seems like we’ve finally moved beyond the “yeah, girls do read comics!” portion of the discussion.

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“Whatever happened to Nerdly Advice?” someone asked me a few days ago. And it’s not the first time over the past few months that the question’s been asked.

Nerdly Advice is still here every Tuesday, shining its light off the dock and waiting, waiting, waiting for Daisy. Except, much like Gatsby’s one true love, the questions have dried up.  Without them, I’m forced to do more Batman answers Ann Landers posts, and nobody wants that, especially that one guy who got really offended because I bit his decades-old username (and it was completely on purpose).

What I’m saying is, lay those questions on us. We know you’ve got them.  Hit us up in the comments, or email us at nerdlyadvice@gmail.com.

We used to just like stuff every week. Now we throw that in a blender with links, videos, and random claptrap and we call it…THE BIN. It stinks like garbage but it doesn’t taste half bad.
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“.just got more fierce.”-Slim Charles, The Wire

“Game-changer” is a pretty fucking strong term.

Like, just think of a game. Let’s use Monopoly. Let’s say they revised the rules so that instead of having the most money at the end of the game, you had to own the most properties to win.

THAT is a game changer.

Now let’s say they put Monopoly on your phone. Does that change the game? Now you can play it alone on the shitter. But it’s still Monopoly. (Technically speaking you could always play it alone on the shitter, but it is nigh-impossible to balance the board on your lap. Trust me, I’ve tried.)

The iPad looks like a potentially neat device. I kinda want one. But it doesn’t change any games, at least not yet.

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1. A Ronin ongoing series. Will it star Maya Lopez? Will it star Clint Barton? Will it star a new Ronin, possibly Kate Bishop?

Yes.

Like the Uni-Power or the 100 Bullets briefcase, a different superhero ends up with the Ronin costume in each issue or arc. El Aguila. Killraven. Red Hulk. Deadpool. All of them could be Ronin. And then they ninja fight for 20 pages. And of course, no matter the gender or dimensions of the person in the suit, they always look like a really buff guy.

Why? Is it because the Ronin costume is…magic?

2. Beast and Thing move into an apartment together. I don’t think I need to elaborate on this beyond playing the “Odd Couple” theme and smiling maniacally.

3. Really, aren’t all those Spider-Man villains just furries when you get right down to it? And also Frog-Man. This would, of course, be a MAX series.

4. What if Weapon X made a clone using DNA from Wolverine and Deadpool?

5. Did you know that Jean Grey has been alive this whole time? She’s just been chilling in Rhode Island, running her own indie bookstore and having a flirty, will-they-or-won’t-they thing with the rugged-yet-vulnerable guy who owns the hardware store next door.

6. When he deigns to notice that his accursed foes The Avengers have a team of Young Avengers, Doom creates DOOM YOUTH in Latveria. But what does this have to do with the return of…KRISTOFF?!

7. Ken Hale, High School Math Teacher.

8. Marvel Bromance – Steve Rogers and Tony Stark take a cross country road trip in Captain America’s old van. Back-up feature – Spider-Man and Wolverine try to pick up girls and fail miserably.

9. Planet Red Hulk. World War Red Hulk. Red Skaar, Son of Red Hulk. See also: Blue Hulk, Yellow Hulk, Orange Hulk, Indigo Hulk, Violet Hulk, Hulk Corps, Hulkest Night.

10. Secret Wars III – Someone Exposes The Beyonder To Internet Culture. “Spider-Man, I must have Taco Tuesday – TODAY! For I AM FROM BEYOND!”

We used to just like stuff every week. Now we throw that in a blender with links, videos, and random claptrap and we call it…THE BIN. It stinks like garbage but it doesn’t taste half bad.
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Alert Nerds Sarah and Jeff enjoy BS-ing about random stuff. Sometimes their friend Caroline from Fantastic Fangirls enjoys joining them for such things. Last week, a bunch of big-ass comics news came down the pike and the internet got its bitch on and the emails between this mighty trio flew fast and furious. Here’s what transpired.

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The Alert Nerd brain trust is pleased to announce another very special Mega-Blog Crossover Event…and YOU can be part of it.

In the grand tradition of last year’s amazing “What’s Your Scott and Jean?” Day, we present…

True Geek Confessions

The Date: February 17

The Background: Unpopular opinions: we all have them. Sometimes you stand alone in loving a super niche-y run of a popular comic book series (like Sarah and her Tefe Holland thing). Sometimes you’re the only person on the entire planet to ’ship a certain ’ship. Sometimes you simply Do Not Get a movie the rest of your geeky brethren is falling all over themselves about. And because a lot of fandom is about sharing loves and hates and communing with your fellow geeks, this can feel awfully lonely. But perhaps if we confess our most unpopular opinions for all the internet to see…well, we’ll feel just a little bit better.

Here’s what you do: On February 17, write up a blog post with your own True Geek Confession. Send your link to sarah AT alertnerd DOT com. We will add you to our master list blog post and you can link back to said post. It will be exciting and wonderful and will hopefully not provoke too many “die in a fire” type arguments.

Confirmed Participants: Fantastic Fangirls, Faust’s Fantastically Fantasmagoric Forum, The Book Smugglers, The Savage Critics’ Jeff Lester…maybe YOU?

We used to just like stuff every week. Now we throw that in a blender with links, videos, and random claptrap and we call it…THE BIN. It stinks like garbage but it doesn’t taste half bad.

Read the rest of this entry »