Thursday, April 26, 2012

Thursday Thoughts

Hello all. Yes, that includes you. It's a beautiful day and I have not been productive as I planned, but I've been reading comics all day. That counts for something, doesn't it? Glad you all agree. I've been catching up after falling a bit behind because of school. I'm right there with AvX and I do like the beginning of this.

1. This first one deals with fans disrespecting creators based solely on their style. This is mostly geared towards the artists in the industry. This isn't saying I like everything out there, because I really don't. But I'm the type that if I don't like a creator's work, I'll usually say "I don't like her or his work." Just in case people get confused, this occurs in conversations with other fans or online. I would never say something like that to a creator at a convention. I don't see the point. If I don't like an artist's style, there's no need for me to take time to point it out to a creator. I've heard the reports of people doing that Rob Liefeld. Now I will say that I'm not a fan of his, but I don't feel the need to go up to him and just disrespect him for it. That's just foolishness.


2. Superman isn't that cool. I know people think he's supposed to be the greatest superhero and all that. Even though I think it's Spider-Man, but you know, whatever. He just bores me sometimes. I have read several Superman stories, not all of them bad. I just don't think he's as great as everbody makes him out to be. And I know I'm not alone.


3. I like when cosplayers put a personal touch on their costumes. I don't feel that a costume should be judged on 100% accuracy. Who cares? Have fun with it. I know if I don't like a certain element of a character's costume, I'm likely to not use it. But I guess I'd only pick a character whose costume I really loved anyway. But then you might have a person who just wants to change something about a costume. I say go for it.


4. I stopped supporting Ethan Van Sciver after he posted some very racist imagery on facebook. Now while I was never a huge fan of him, his work was decent enough and I've talked to him on several occasions. He even bought dinner for myself and a friend at a Wizard World Chicago show a couple years back. There were several people at the table and we had a nice discussion about various topics in the industry. But sometime later he posted a picture with a caption, one I'd like to show, unfortunately it was lost along with several other images on my phone. Images which I have been unable to recover. From that point, I haven't touched a book with his name on it. I wanted to read the new Firestorm book, but since his name was on it, I just couldn't do it. I don't think he's on it anymore, so I could possibly change my mind. But I'd be lost in what's happened, so I might not even bother. Sometimes you can separate a person's work from their other stuff, but I couldn't do it here.


5. I didn't have much of an opinion of Captain America until his "death." That's not to say I didn't care for him, but I just hadn't read too many stories involving him. Once he died, I still remember that day, because it got spoiled for me by accident. But more on that in my upcoming Thursday Thoughts the Spoiled Edition.


I don't remember exactly, but I may have just been getting into more Avengers stuff. There was some overlap in there somewhere because I was feeling it a bit because of Civil War and perhaps briefly before. Video games helped too. I definitely remember letting him get plenty of action in Marvel Ultimate Alliance. So anyways, after he died and upon his miraculous comic book ressurection, I just felt this sudden appreciation of the character. I could feel what he meant to the Marvel landscape and loved his shield-slinging style.


I hope you enjoyed my thoughts for the week. Perhaps you can relate to some or all of them. Comments are appreciated. Thanks for looking my comic loving friends.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Cover of the Week

Happy New Comic Day! I didn't make it to my shop today to pick up however many books I have waiting for me. But that's ok, I still got in some though. Of the many books coming out this week, one I'm looking forward to happens to be the book that takes home the cake today. And just so you know, yes, the cake is a lie. But the fellas on this cover won't care that much. I'm not sure how many Marvel books have taken the weekly crown, but here is Uncanny X-Men #11.


And yes, I know what happens when Greg Land's name is mentioned. But I'll be honest, I don't totally hate his work. The use of the pornstar faces, over and over, does get old. Here we have Colossus, with his new head-piece and all energized, facing off against Rulk in what is sure to be a nice super slugfest. I actually kinda like Rulk too and I'm not really a fan of the Hulk-family thing they have going.

Thanks for looking and keep it nerdy my friends.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Nowhere Man #2 Review

Dynamite Entertainment’s Nowhere Man from Marc Guggenheim and Jeevan J. Kang definitely upped its’ stock with this second issue. While it’s only slated for four issues, this is gearing up to be a nice science fiction mini-series about the future and "big brother" style monitoring.

After the introduction into this futuristic world in the first issue, we meet a few more characters. Orion Lieutenant Alexis Shavra is on the case as the agent who first responded to the murder committed by Mason in issue number one. Her superior is ready to label it a suicide, but she believes otherwise.

Mason meets a man named Desmond who claims to be able to hear others thoughts. As Mason was bred to have his thoughts kept hidden, his identity is questioned. Desmond is a Roven. What exactly a Roven is hasn’t been defined. But in the context used, they don’t always fall on the side of the law.

Agent Shavra has some fun moments as she’s attempting to question the only witness to the crime, Tobin Babst. He’s locked away and isn’t to be approached by anyone. While trying to convince the guards otherwise, she is not pleased at their refusal. Next you see Agent Shavra’s angered face and the Omnimind’s caption readiing “hostile intent registered – threat of bodily harm – two subjects.” Following that, the guards receive a call for a “code 616” which is the assault on a law officer.

As she beings the interrogation, she discovers there was another person involved and that he wanted explosives. Meanwhile, Mason encounters Roven who believe him to be an Orion agent sent in to spy on them. Some fighting occurs and the men bring Mason back to Desmond. After some conversation, our protagonist opens up about his mission to destroy the Omnimind. The situation heats up as Orion now knows of his existence even though he doesn’t register.

Kang’s work here involves some shadow play giving the book a darker tone. It’s also fitting as most of the book takes place at night. The action is limited to only a few panels. But the artist does show a range of emotion on our characters. One visual note that is quite odd is how the background disappears in some panels; most of which feature Mason. One panel will have buildings or walls; the next has a character or characters out in the open in purple and white space.

Another questionable aspect of this book is the use of the phrase “I’ve gone a little of the reservation.” I’ve always found the phrase to be quite offensive to Native Americans. But as stated, the quality of this title has increased with this outing. With the first issue, the creative team had to introduce readers to the world, yet entice them to come back. Sometimes the balance can be difficult to achieve. When it works, as it did here, you get this product. It’s a good read. If you’re not reading, you may be able to order it or perhaps wait for the collected edition that is likely to follow. Thanks for looking friends.

Thief of Thieves #3 Review

If you have not been reading this book, which I recommend, you should be aware of something important. That being the books tagline is “there is nothing he can’t steal, nothing he can’t have…except for the life he left behind” and it’s creeping in as the story progresses. The previous issue featured Conrad chatting with his ex-wife, Audrey, and ended with him holding a picture of his son. This third book picks up right where that left off with him reminiscing about time spent with his son who has yet to be named.

The highlight of book three is the conversation, spread over several pages during breakfast, between Conrad and Special Agent Elizabeth Cohen. This scene, done quite well, reminded me of Al Pacino and Robert Deniro’s conversation in the film Heat. If you haven’t seen that, you should. You have two characters on opposite sides of the law having a sit-down. It's not a big heated situation, but still interesting in how they go back and forth. Cohen is telling him that she’s onto him and Paulson is denying it all. Would you expect more from a Special Agent and a career thief?

After that we see Agent Cohen and her partner Nate as they meet with their superior about their rather questionable methods which led to Redmond being arrested, but allowed to go free. Oh yeah, he’s suing them for four million dollars because of that situation. We’re left with Agent Cohen and Conrad’s son who is in custody. He’s still unnamed and we don’t know what he’s done.

It’s a solid book all around. Visually, I don’t have much to say about Shawn Martinbrough and Felix Serrano’s work. It's not ugly. It just seems to work here. I will say that emotion is conveyed well here.

I’m looking forward to the next issue to find out more about the son and to see what Kirkman and Spencer have in store for Redmond. This book has a couple things going for it. I still recommend it if you can find the previous issues. Thanks for looking my friends.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Thursday Thoughts Post-C2E2 Edition

Here we are, several days removed from C2E2 and what a weekend it was. It was pure madness. The good madness of course though. I'm only slightly feeling that post-con depression. Only slightly because I have school assignments lined up. People are adjusting to "normal" life and others are doing that as well as fend off con crud. So as with the previous week's Convention Edition, here is my post-C2E2 Edition of Thursday Thoughts. So join me as I muse about this great weekend.

1. After cosplaying as Carnage this weekend, I've realized that you must be secure with yourself to wear a full-body spandex suit. I don't think I would have worn it otherwise. Now I can't say for sure, but I think if I was self-conscious about my appearance or just in general, there would have been no way in hell I would've worn that suit. It was kind of funny catching people glance at my crotch. If you're walking towards me, I'm looking at you. If you're eyes are down, I can pretty easily judge where your focus is. If it's on my crotch, I know it. I caught quite a few people. I never said anything, but it was funny.

2. I've known this for most of the time since I've been going to conventions, but it was quite apparent at C2E2. Con prices for toys are absurd. This goes for most toys in general, but right now I'm talking specifically the new Marvel Legends. I passed several dealers and noticed the figures I was missing. I stress "passed" because I didn't linger long. I saw figures for $30-$35-$45. I would never pay those prices for figures I just picked up at Wally World for $15. I don't know how eBay prices are, but if you don't have access to retailers carrying the line, you're in quite the dilemma. But they're not getting me. I am not the one.

3. I may have mentioned the lack of panels catching my interest. But there were still some that I planned to attend. How'd that work out? I didn't. Not at all. I never went to a single panel. I never even made a motion as if I was going to a panel room. I spent most of the weekend running in costume. I planned on hitting the Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers vs. X-Men panels for sure. Didn't happen. Oh hey, Valiant Comics has a panel too. Yeah, never saw that room either. I had them in my battleplan, but it just didn't work out. At least I had fun while I was missing them and not standing in line to get books signed.

4. Where the hell was the free swag? I didn't really see any free comics or posters. The Big-2 are usually good for this. They had a few things, but they definitely reduced what they gave away compared to years past. I hope this isn't the start of a trend. Free swag is a convention must. I guess that's how it goes sometimes. Oh well.

5. While cosplaying, I ran into a ton of families who wanted pictures. This is great because whole families were out for the weekend or for even just a day to take part in the fun. On Sunday, someone with his family wanted to take a picture with me in my Carnage costume. After that, we had a little chat about how he found out about the convention from a comic fan friend of his. Even though he wasn't a big comic guy, he said he and his family were still having fun. This was nice because as previously stated, it gets the family out to have fun together and also because it can possibly make comic fans out of young kids. Some fans for a different generation is never a bad thing.

So there are my brief reflections about the previous weekend. If you made the trek to the city, I hope you enjoyed. I and everyone else I was with sure did. And no, this is not the end of C2E2 content. There is definitely more to come. Keep it nerdy my friends.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Cover of the Week

Happy New Comic Day! We're a few days removed from C2E2 and I'm sure everyone who hit the show is still adjusting to "normal" life. I have class, papers, and tests coming up so my re-adjustment period was real quick. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun, right? Right.

I was tempted to choose one of the Amazing Spider-Man covers because of the slick depictions of Sandman doing his grainy thing. But I opted for the Kryptonian flygirl. So this week my pick is Supergirl #8. Take a look at one of my favorite DC Comics characters.


George Perez is filling in as artist for this issue. I'll be honest and say I've never liked his art. It just doesn't appeal to me. But I'm not here to trash his work, that's not my style. I chose this piece because I like how Supergirl is trapped inside of the Silver Banshee's body. It's just a cool look. This series is one of the better DCnU books in my opinion. I can't wait to get my hands on this book to see what the new Silver Banshee is like.

Head on out to your shop and pick up Supergirl #8 along with whatever amazing books you're reading. That's what I'll be doing in a short while. Keep celebrating comics my friends.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

C2E2 2012: Panels on Pages and the PoP!ulation

The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, or C2E2 2012, hit like an Asgardian-Hulk hybrid this past weekend. As with its' previous two years, this show did not disappoint. Amazing comic creators including Dan Slott, Amanda Conner, Gail Simone, amongst others were in attendance. Some great comic news was nnounced throughout the weekend. All of which occurred in panels that I did not attend. Later on I'll touch on why I missed the panels I planned to attend. Beyond that, there was so much going on to keep you interested. Add in all the awesome costumes and it was madness. Anyone at the con on Saturday can attest to that. Just a great weekend all around.

But this isn't just about C2E2, because even with all of that, the best part of the weekend was the crew from Panels on Pages and the fan collective that is the PoP!ulation. These are easily the greatest group of fans around and they make any convention better. This includes gearing up for the show as well as anything happening on the show floor. The PoP! booth with great merch and free pop rocks are always a hit with show attendees. And I can't forget 'fancy nite.' We had a ball in the Hyatt lobby and CBR bar.

I love comic conventions in general and while my con trips began as solo adventures, I can honestly say that I would not have had as much fun if I hadn't joined the ladies and gentlemen of the PoP! nation. Thank you PoP! for doing what you do.

From their beginnings with Wizard, the PoP! crew is quickly becoming a major brand in all things related to fandom. They cover conventions with complete professionalism. The team was so involved, you'd think they were C2E2's internal press group. Great job all around.

And with that, allow me to introduce you to my nerd-family. You can't have a convention without a group shot. That'd be crazy.


That's me up front as the coolest symbiote, Carnage. I almost missed the picture because I was taking pictures with other con attendees. Who would have guessed that a psychotic murderer would be so photogenic?

So head on over to panelsonpages.com to join in on the fun. With so many different subjects on deck, they likely cover any interest you have. Then come on back as I'll be presenting more C2E2 content, including many photos, throughout the week. Keep it nerdy my friends.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Thursday Thoughts Convention Edition!

Well hello comic book fans. Welcome back to another edition of Thursday Thoughts. But this time, I have a treat for you all. This weekend is one of the best weekends of the year. The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo 2012, or C2E2, is finally upon us. Although it's still young, it's quickly becoming one of the better cons in the country. And to celebrate what will be an amazing weekend, this week's Thursday Thoughts is a special convention edition.

I've been going to conventions since 2005 when I stumbled upon Wizard World Chicago. Of course that was when it was still, you know, fun. Since then, I've been to several of those, the first two C2E2 shows, and SDCC (finally!). So let's get to it.

1. I love toy displays. But I'm sure everyone does. In 2011, I finally made my trek to Comic-Con. Yes, THE Comic-Con. SDCC. So you know all the big companies are there. This includes toy-extraordinaire, Hasbro. The king of action figures set up large displays for their Marvel Universe and G.I. Joe action figure lines at SDCC 2011. And being the action figure fan I am, I spent more than my share of time enjoying the sights. It doesn't hurt that those two are my favorite toylines right now.



Those first two were from the best toy display I've ever seen. Most of them, as expected, are Marvel Universe figures. There were a few Spider-Man figures in there as well, including Carnage. It was like a huge Marvel battle lifted right off the pages. It was beautiful.



These last two shots were of the G.I. Joe display aboard the, as you can tell, the USS Flagg. There was a mix of Pursuit of Cobra, or PoC, and 30th Anniversary lines. Some great stuff there. And because they know Joe collector's love the Flagg, and because Hasbro likes to mess with fans...



2. As previously stated, 2011 was the year I finally hit SDCC. And while I did enjoy the weekend overall, I was definitely bored at several points throughout the weekend. This was partially due to a severe lack of panels that interested me. I remember checking out panels for X-Men, Spider-Man, minimates, Hasbro Marvel toys, and a few others. I spent most of the busiest day at any convention, Saturday, just walking the floor taking pictures of costumes, toys, and the displays set up around the convention hall. I do find that fun, but that's the type of fun I can get at any con. I was expecting so much more from SDCC. That's not to say I wouldn't go back, because I would. And when I do, I'll make more fun.


3. Cosplay is pretty fun. I'm still relatively new to it, but I've always enjoyed seeing the costumes. I have to say group cosplays are cool as hell. Some of the ones I really like are the ones themed after the X-Men, Avengers, and Spider-Man villains. Even if the people didn't go together, but just have similarly themed costumes and just happen to run into each other, it makes for cool pictures. Below are two pictures I took at SDCC 2011.



On top are the Dark Avengers and on bottom are some Batman Villains. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Catwoman's design. I love those goggles. I expect to see a ton at C2E2. I'll actually be a part of two groups this weekend. I'll be Luke Cage again, and there's supposed to be an Avengers vs. X-Men group running around. As for my second costume, well that's a secret, only those who are in the same group and a few others who happen to have come across the information know about it. I can't wait to unveil it.


4. On another cosplay note, I like when people cosplay as characters of another ethnicity and/or gender. Obviously the race one doesn't have a word, but according to wikipedia and probably everywhere else on the internet, the gender one is "crossplay." This hobby is supposed to be fun. You shouldn't be limited to cosplays of a certain race or gender. Although my first costume was that of a Black character, I would never just cosplay as Black characters. I've had plans for cosplaying as several white characters and the second costume I mentioned for this weekend is a white character. And while I have no plans to ever cosplay as a female character, I do like Katana's look in the current Birds of Prey series. That one is different though because her costume is fairly neutral-looking. Below are two examples of what I'm talking about.


First is Asgardian Storm and Bayonetta. For those unaware, Bayonetta is the lead in a video game of the same name. It's got some great combat, but that's besides the point. The character is actually white, but did that stop this young lady from cosplaying as her at San Diego? Hell no. Nice costume.


And here is another shot I took at SDCC. We have Aquawoman and a Green Lantern. I don't know if the Lantern is a specific character or just a general member of the Corps.


5. Promo materials should be a standard at any convention for every publisher. Not just because people like free stuff, but because not every attendee has knowledge of comics and other related areas. I have no doubt that many people at conventions are just there to learn more and get interested. If they don't know where to start, that's where promo stuff comes into play. Want to read comics? Free comics from some publishers can get people started. Want to nerd up your living space? Those posters from a company's booth will do the trick. I have several on my walls right now.

That concludes this special edition of Thursday Thoughts. Feel free to comment. I know some of these apply to any number of people out there.

Who's headed to Chicago for one of the best weekends of the year? I'll be around the whole weekend. I'll be live tweeting just about anything and everything I come across. I'll also be blogging throughout the weekend. So stay tuned. You can also expect a ton of pictures posted over the course of the weekend or immediately after. You can also catch me drifting through the twitterverse '@xthalastdragonx'. There's still time to grab a ticket and join in on the fun. See you all this weekend.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Cover of the Week

Happy New Comic Day! Good comics. Good weather. Sounds good to me. Previous weeks have seen a lack in the amount of nice looking covers to choose from. Well my comic book family, I'm glad to say that we're presented with several cool pieces this week. I actually had to mull over some choices. I haven't had to do that in weeks.

Contenders for the weekly crown include Mike Deodato Jr., Amy Reeder, Marco Checchetto, Steve McNiven, Adi Granov, and Clayton Crain. I let them slug it out for a few rounds. But like Highlander, there can be only one. Ladies and gentlemen of comicdom, I present your champ for the week, Amy Reeder's Batwoman #8. There's no victory speech or post-fight interview, just discussion.


I really shouldn't say much about this cover. It speaks for itself. But silence doesn't always work well in a post. It's just a beautiful. I first came across this on tumblr, a place where I spend an absurd amount of time. I love how Kate is posted up on the building. Well this is the Bat-family, so I should say she's brooding. The rain looks amazing. I like the red standing out amongst the background's black, white, and gray. Lovely lovely.

Thanks for joining me and dealing with my unexpected boxing references. I'm not even a fan of boxing, but it's okay. Thoughts or comments? You know where to put them. Keep it nerdy my friends.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Thursday Thoughts - 4-5-12

Welcome back to another edition of Thursday Thoughts. Not that you've been wondering since everyone does it, but the 5-item listing is mostly because it's my favorite number. I use that number when grouping items just about all the time. Two of these topics are about various visuals while the others are more related to series. So let's get to it.

1. I liked Wally West more than Barry Allen primarily because his lightning bolt belt design looked cooler. I'm dead serious. It was all about the belt for me. Plus, my only knowledge of any Flash came from the Justice League animated stuff which starred, you guessed it, Wally West. Before the two previous Flash titles, I did read a few random books, but those purchases were made solely based on cool covers.


Just look at that. Barry's belt looks so weak. Almost pathetic. I'm done here.

2. The Slave Leia cosplays have to go. Don't take that as me discouraging or dissing any cosplayers. It should be fun and I encourage anyone to do it as any character they choose. But it's just one costume I wish I didn't see as much. That could be partially due to my dislike of the Star Wars franchise. Oh wait, no it isn't. Maybe it is because it plays to the fantasy of the stereotypical nerdy male. Yeah, pretty sure that's it.


3. There should be a series based on the Mission Impossible films. Seriously. It would be an instant hit. It covers several genres I enjoy. I'm a fan of Tom Cruise (save your boos). And the movies were highly entertaining. I need to watch Ghost Protocol again to be sure, but I think it might be my favorite of the four. I think it'd make for a great ongoing. Someone should get on this. Hell, I wouldn't mind writing it. Let's make it happen.


4. I still don’t get the appeal of The Watchmen. I've read the series and watched the movie. Nothing special. Maybe it was just the timing of its' release. I kept hearing about how good it was and all that. Then the movie was coming out, so I figured I'd pick up the trade. I read it once and never touched it again except to compare a couple scenes to the movie. I want to read it again, but the motivation never really hits.


5. I hate how much hate superhero books receive at times. I was actually saving this one for a post all by itself, but I figured I'd throw it in now anyway. It's not as if everyone is outright saying superhero comics suck, but when people, creators and fans, complain about the industry, they're certainly implying that superheroes are to blame for many of its' problems. When I hear the comments, they sound pretty foolish. People blaming a genre for some of the problems of the industry as a whole. How about the people who make the comics? The creators who draw and write them as well as the publishers who actually publish them. Changing the thinking certainly reveals some solutions, doesn't it? Yeah, I know, damn me and my logic.



Thanks for joining me again on my weekly rants. Be sure to come back next week (and every other week for that matter), but especially next week because I'll have a special treat to celebrate my first (and maybe only) convention of the year, C2E2. Keep it nerdy my friends.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Cover of the Week for 4-4-12

Happy New Comic Day! There are quite a few good books hitting shelves today. I think I'll be picking up around 10-11 of those. But you know how it goes when you walk into your shop. You get the books from your box and check the new releases for anything you may have missed. Your browsing and grab a book here and there. Before you know it, you've grabbed another 3-4 issues. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I do that quite a bit actually.

But onto the business at hand. This could possibly be the worst selection of covers I've come across since I began this feature. Let's hope it picks up. Don't take that as a indictment of the quality of the releases for the week, because as stated there are some really good books coming out today.

It should come as no surprise that my pick for this week is one of the biggest titles being released today. That's not even the reason why though, it just happens to be the best looking cover out today. I actually tried to put it to the side and pick another, but that wouldn't be fair. So without further delay, here is the amazing cover to Avengers vs. X-Men #1.


We can thank Jim Cheung for this marvelous piece. You'll notice the energy flying off the book. There are a ton of characters on both sides. Also, Wolverine and Beast are on the Avengers' side while Storm, a recent Avengers addition, is maintaining her X-Men ties.

On a sidenote: I have an X-Men tattoo but I cosplay as an Avenger. Now I'm so confused haha. No, not really. I'm an X-Man forever. Can't wait to read this.

Who's jumping on board for this series? What do y'all think of Cheung's cover? Let me know. Keep it nerdy my friends.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Spring Break Toy Haul

Recently I was on spring break and let me tell you, it was pretty good. Around the beginning of that time and during the following week I found some great stuff at retailers. Target, Wally World, TRU, and F.Y.E. were all good to me and at the same time for some reason. Not complaining. I've also spent some time on ebay.

I certainly was not expecting any of these items to be on the pegs. Each store visit where I found something surprised the hell out of me. Particularly stores which haven't carried many good toylines in recent years. I've got Gears of War 3, several lines within G.I. Joe, Marvel Legends, and Marvel Universe. Take a look.


Here are the more militaristic toys of the haul. Gears of War 3 and the Joes. One Sci-Fi figure will be kept moc. The 25th figs I've wanted for sometime but never made the effort. The vintage-styled Joes were some random purchases on ebay. The time spent looking at them let to other evilbay pick-ups.


And here is the Marvelous aspect of the haul. Some Legends and some MU. I'm still missing a couple Legends figs though. Since I already have an Iceman, Magneto, and Wolverine, they'll be kept moc as well as one of the Psylocke and Storm figures.

I know what you're thinking. What a glorious haul, right? This I know. Now I get the fun of opening most of them. This is gonna be fun. Keep it nerdy my friends.