Tag: SDCC 2017

SDCC 2017: Basking In The Soft, Fluffy Company Of Beefy And Co.

by Natalie Kipper

Surrounded by plushes of his own design, Menh Voong of Beefy and Co. was living the dream (well, mine at least) at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The tables at the fore-front of his booth were lined with stuffed critters while apparel bearing his art hung against the back.

The exclusive item for SDCC was Shiny Charipoo, a reimagining of Pokémon‘s Shiny Charizard, limited to 100 pieces. The plush is part of Menh’s Pokepoos line, which includes Charipoo, a traditional Charizard, and Pikapoo, a Pikachu.

One of the more unique features in Beefy and Co. plushes is that they all have extra features, like posable or light-up parts. Take Dragonpoo, for example. Not only are his little purple whiskers bendable but you can pose his serpentine body any way you wish, thanks to a inner skeleton (he is still super-huggable, though).

And a great example of light-up accents can be found in the eyes of the newly-released Catbuspoo (based on My Neighbor Totoro‘s Catbus). Not only do its eyes light up but its head swivels. Catbuspoo is part of the Pop Plush line, joined by Totopoo and Bmaxpoo (think Baymax of Big Hero 6).

Beyond items for purchase, prototypes of future plushes were also on display. One I am particularly excited about is NoNopoo, based on Nohface from Spirited Away. His tongue can be stuffed in his stomach, if you desire, and his expression can be altered by switching around his mouth.

Phoebepoo here is based on a phoenix. It is also a prototype. The photo doesn’t do its bold colors justice.

There were are also two plushes based on Sesame Street‘s Elmo and Cookie Monster (this one can be seen in the header image).

The final prototype was Bulbapoo, based on – you guessed it – Bulbasaur. Not only does the bulb on its back open, which by itself is impressive, but it also has posable vines hidden inside! I can’t get over how ingenious this plush is.

You can find more Beefy and Co. goodness at the official website. And many amazing plushes (some of which from past cons!) can be purchased at the online store.

Link Summoning Arrives With Our Yu-Gi-Oh Link Strike Unboxing!

by Josh Jackson

Every few years, the Yu-Gi-Oh card game gains some sort of new mechanic that’s meant to shake the game up. With Link Summoning however, fundamental rules have been changed to make way for the new type of monster, making positioning on the field much more important.

Check out our video below where we detail all of the new cards in the first Link Summon focused structure deck and go over some of the format changes making their way into the game. What do you think about this new era of dueling? Let us know in the comments!

SDCC 2017: Martin Hsu’s Booth Overflows With Cuteness

by Natalie Kipper

Martin Hsu‘s booth at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con was a veritable wonderland of one of a kind paintings, drawings, and custom figures. His works exude a sort of warmth that just make you feel all light and happy inside.

A corner of the booth was dedicated to Martin’s Kindreds figures, the ones on the above picture’s left were customized by other artists: Jeremiah Ketner, Mark Nagata, Emma SanCartier, nimasprout, and Kozyndan. Kozyndan’s entry, the figure encased in the golden globe, had glow-in-the-dark accents! The smaller Kindreds were part of a 10-piece series called “Poppies,” with each figure in the set was hand-painted by Martin. As you can see by the pink “sold” tags, all of these figures were big hits.

Perhaps the biggest news coming from Martin’s booth was the debut of his upcoming figure, Dragon Boy Super. Attendees couldn’t purchase him at the show but you can pre-order the little guy here. He will be part of a 2-piece set with his beloved Dragon Dog, Blacky, whose figure was sadly not available for viewing at this time. I loved how distinct Dragon Boy’s features were. Dragon Boy is one of Martin’s original characters, often portrayed in paintings and sketches, and I am happy to see him in a three-dimensional medium (this will be the second figure of the character made).

I have always loved Martin’s art and his style shines through in these watercolor paintings celebrating powerful women. There were some in the “Little San” set, depicting the heroine of Princess Mononoke in a more child-like, whimsical reimagining. To match San’s were those of a younger Wonder Woman in “Little Diana.”

Mermaids are a theme that Martin had touched upon before but I was glad he chose to revisit it for his “Fairy Tails” set, which mermaid-ifies beloved Disney princesses, like Rapunzel, Merida, and even Elena of Avalor.

I bet you didn’t know that Martin had a pop-up art show in Hawai’i earlier this year. These pins match the some of the art that was created for that event.

My personal favorite art piece from the booth was the one seen above, in which Dragon Boy’s faithful companion, Blacky the Dragon Dog, takes on the role of Snoopy. The playful concept just brought a big smile to my face. I am also a huge Blacky fan (I purchased the pin also seen in the photo) and a proud owner of his plush.

You can find updates from Martin on his blog. More of his goods along with the pre-order for Dragon Boy Super can be found here.

SDCC 2017: Playing Games With Catnip Bravo At Symbiote Studios

by Natalie Kipper

Being a plush lover, visiting Symbiote Studios‘ booth was high on my list of priorities for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The company had four con-exclusive plushes (amongst other goodies) and I wanted to make sure to snag some of them.

Symbiote Studios’ mascot, Catnip Bravo, got a makeover this year and dang, does he look adorable! As part of their “Catnip Cuties” line, they introduced two exclusive plushes: a Smile version and a Frown version. These 12-inch tall plushes are super-duper soft, with embroidered paw prints and removeable masks (that reveal his teeny-little eyes). Each plush version was limited to 400 pieces.

There were other Catnip Bravo goodies to be had at the booth, like the mousepad that has the feline mascot drawn in the style of the characters from Move or Die. Another notable addition were Catnip Bravo keychains that actually weren’t for sale but could be won from a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors against a Catnip Bravo costumed character, which appeared at a certain time each day.

Catnip Bravo fans could also find apparel that featured the kitty, one in white and another in black. The shirts were limited to 100 pieces of each size in each variation.

One thing you might not know about Symbiote Studios is that the partner up with other companies to make merchandise for their characters. They had previously made two open edition, 15-inch plushes from Rivals of Aether: Orcane (seen on the right in the picture above) and Etalus. For SDCC, they created a special Golden Etalus (seen on the left in the picture above), limited to 100 pieces. Like the other Rivals of Aether plushes, Golden Etalus came with a themed DLC for the game (you still need to purchase the game, which is available for Steam and Xbox One).

The last of the plushes was 12-inch Peely from the Steam game, Move or Die. Unlike the Rivals of Aether ones whose included code were for skin DLC, Peely’s granted you the full Move or Die game. This plush was limited to 400 pieces.

Also on display at their booth was limited edition Rhino Collector’s Statue from Warhammer. This item is actually for sale through Warframe’s online store. It comes with three in-game items, which you can read about here.

You can snag some of the remaining con-exclusives (while supplies last, of course) over at Symbiote Studios’ online store.

SDCC 2017: Quantum Mechanix’s Figures Are Cinematic Perfection

by Natalie Kipper

Quantum Mechanix is known for their intricate figures and detailed prop replicas. Their booth at San Diego Comic-Con was a glorious gallery of new and upcoming products. They also had a store in the back, where attendees could get their hands on merchandise (some of which, for the very first time).

This year’s con marked the debut of their Wonder Woman Q-Fig Max. The figure is super-detailed with a bunch of different pieces (don’t worry –  it comes pre-assembled). I loved that both Wonder Woman and her mount share the same determination in their eyes.

Q-Fig’s tendency to have a whimsical side. The Batman and Superman Friendship Q-Fig is a perfect example of that. The contrast in expressions between the two heroes is hilarious and I could not help but smile when I saw it.

There were also prototype Q-Fig’s from the world of Harry Potter on display. The Harry and Hagrid: Race for Hogwarts Q-Fig Max will be the most complex in the series to date.

The Harry Potter on the Broom Q-Fig was also impressive. Harry’s entire body as well as his broom balance on that translucent blue swirl of “wind.”

Here was a figure I never thought I would see: a Good Feathers Q-Fig. This was also a prototype.

Quantum Mechanix is also known from their plush Q-Pals line. The majority of the ones on display were prototypes, with the exception of Supernatural‘s Sam Winchester, Castiel, and Dean Winchester.

And I absolutely adore this plush Niffler from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Funny story about this little guy: Quantum Mechanix hadn’t planned on selling it at SDCC but they received a small shipment early. Initially, they were just going to have a prototype on display. Needless to say, this adorable beast sold out before Day Three (which is when I got there). The good news is fans like myself can sign up on their site to be notified when the plush comes in-stock.

There was plenty of Firefly merchandise to be found. I could not get over how much thought and detail was in every figure. Everyone’s clothes are made of real fabric. That trait is standard for the 1:6 articulated figures but it was especially impressive in this set because of the intricacy of their outfits.

While the majority of the 1:6 scale articulated figures were based to Firefly or Star Trek but there were a few outliers. One that excited me in particular was Westley from The Princess Bride. He comes with both his masked face when he is the Dread Pirates Roberts as well as his traditional Westley face (“As you wish!”).

Star Trek saw plenty of representation at Quantum Mechanix’s booth, from prop weapons and badges to Tribble plushes to the already-mentioned 1:6 articulated figures. What I was most impressed from this series was the Captain’s Chair. It was to scale with the articulated figures and – here is the coolest part –  the buttons work! They make sounds and light-up when pressed.

The booth was also home to a 1:72 scale miniature of Star Lord’s ship, the Milano, from Guardians of the Galaxy. Once again, detail was king. For example, you could look inside the cockpit and see the seats and the control panel.

I had a blast looking at all the goods that we can expect in the future from Quantum Mechanix. You can check out more of the products on their site.

SDCC 2017: Partying The Night Away At The VRCON Celebration!

by Natalie Kipper

During this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I was invited to a special invite-only shindig at The Omni Hotel. The party showcased what is new and shiny in the world of gaming technology, particularly in the field of virtual reality.

Being a SEGA nerd, I made a beeline to the Sonic-dedicated area. The activity available was “Sonic’s Ring Jump,” in which you jump and perform a series of actions against a green screen, ending in an attempted jump on the trampoline beneath the stage to catch the gold ring dangling from the ceiling. Catching the ring nets you a prize of one thousand dollars.

After your likely failure to catch the prize, your butt-first landing (or whatever graceful pose you achieved) was captured along with the rest of your pantomiming and added to a short video, making it appear as if you were running through a level in either Sonic Mania or Sonic Forces. You could send yourself the little film afterwards.

This section was open to the public during the day but I definitely dug that the line to participate was pretty much non-existent at the party.

This sign was also left up from the daytime activities. The artwork gave me a chuckle.

One booth that was noticeably popular was that belonging to MX4D. The setup made me think of a stripped-down Star Tours. In the back of the exhibit were these mechanical two-seater chair things. The seats can swing back and forth, turn at different angles, and rumble. With the VR goggles on, it was a very convincing roller coaster experience!

What were people looking at through those goggles? Well, for those waiting in line (check out the “30 minute wait from this point” signage), there was a large TV screen playing what the “riders” were seeing. The ride was’t just about the sensations of the tracks. There was a freaking dragon chasing you! How awesome is that? It is no wonder there was always a line.

Chilling by the Sonic displays was a standee of Neil deGrasse Tyson, decked out in a fancy space get-up. What was that doing there?

I soon found out that the famous astrophysicist had teamed up with a group of game developers to create Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Space Odyssey. The title’s Kickstarter campaign just ended (they were successfully funded) but you can still get a seat on this rocket before it takes off. Their Indiegogo page remains open and I highly recommend you check it out!

The concept is, put in simpler terms, a space-exploration game but with worlds created by the likes of Bill Nye, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Peter Beagle, and Tyson himself. The title promises Metroidvania-style gameplay, with exploration dictated by the tools, skills, or resources necessary to access certain areas, as well as VR missions.

I was very impressed by the technology showcased that night. Gamers and tech buffs have a lot to look forward too.

SDCC 2017: Updates Abound At the World Of Capcom Panel

by Natalie Kipper

At San Diego Comic-Con’s World of Capcom panel, con attendees were regaled with news from the gaming realms of Monster Hunter, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Resident Evil. The panel was basically a “here’s what’s next” showcase and there was a lot of applause when each new title was brought up.

The first on the docket was Monster Hunter: World, launching globally in early 2018. This portion started off with a trailer for the game after which one of the panelists, Tristan Corbett, briefly explained what makes this title stand out. Of course, there will be brand-new monsters to hunt along with old favorites. The game’s ecosystem, with its vegetation and where monsters graze or hunt, is now crucial to survival and hunting strategy. The different environments will affect how the player chooses to hunt. This new title will also feature global online servers as well as drop-in online multiplayer. For more information on Monster Hunter: World, attendees were encouraged to stick around for its dedicated panel coming up after the World of Capcom one (you can read all about it here).

Next up was Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. They opened this section by revealing several new additions to the game’s roster. Joining the already diverse group of fighters are Spiderman, Haggar (Final Fight), Frank West (Dead Rising), Nemesis (Resident Evil), Gamora, and Thanos. They noted that pre-ordering the game will net you exclusive costumes.

The story revolves around the Infinity Stones from the Marvel universe.  The developers felt that it was a good time to return to that plot line because, thanks to current films like Guardians of the Galaxy, more people were aware of their existence. The two villains of the series, Marvel’s Ultron and Capcom’s Sigma, have merged to create the title’s big bad guy, Ultron- Sigma.

Ultron and Sigma aren’t the only things that have combined. Fighting stages are now mash-ups from Marvel and Capcom worlds. One example given was the Xgard stage (seen above), a mix of Thor‘s Asgard and Mega Man‘s Abel City.

Companion comics will also be released, with variant covers. The pairs featured in the comics share personality or background traits. For example, Ryu and Hulk both have anger management issues.

After that, the panel moved on to reveal some updates coming to the already-released Street Fighter V. They unveiled a surprise fighter joining the game, Abigail from Final Fight (yes, that burly dude in the screenshot above is named “Abigail”). This hulking colossus is the largest character in the game to date.

New stages were also announced. The first one shown, the Metro City Bay Area, pairs with Abigail and like the character, originated from Final Fight. The other stage was an oldie-but-goodie, Suzaku Castle.

The panel also announced the release of Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, which will contain games 7 through 10. The collection will include extras, like challenges and online leaderboards. It will launch on August 8 for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

For those who don’t remember much about these titles, the panel gave a brief refresher. Mega Man 7 is 16-bit. Mega Man 8 was the first 32-bit game in the series as well as the first to have voice acting (extremely awkward voice-acting but I digress). Mega Man 10 returns to its 8-bit roots and introduces the character, Bass. Protoman will be playable in both 9 and 10. Mega Man 10 will also feature stages themed to the Killers (Enker, Punk, and Ballad).

The final game discussed was Resident Evil: Revelations. I say “discussed” rather than “shown” because there wasn’t footage of the game. Instead, attendees were treated to a message from the game’s director, Kōshi Nakanishi (seen above).

We were also given a brief synopsis of the game along with a description of some gameplay features. The game takes place between Resident Evil 4 and 5 with players assuming the role of Jill Valentine, who is searching for Chris Redfield. He was taken captive inside an abandoned cruise ship, the Queen Zenobia, by a bioterrorist organization. There will be a traditional story mode as well as a Raid Mode, which features co-op gameplay.

The panel wrapped up with a trivia contest. And there was much rejoicing.

SDCC 2017: We Tried The ‘Final Fantasy’ Trading Card Game! Did Square-Enix Summon A Hit?

by Josh Jackson

With as many properties that have developed card games over the years, it was only a matter of time before Final Fantasy got in on the action. With decades worth of characters, creatures and lore to pull from, it seems natural that players would want to gather their favorite heroes and do battle with fancy, glossy decks. At the Square-Enix booth at San Diego Comic Con, the company offered demos to new players who wanted to see how well the game translated to the TCG format. Not being one to shy away from a new card game, I took the time to see what kind of spells I could conjure the heroes from Final Fantasy IX.

Each player starts with a deck of exactly 50 cards made up primarily of Forward and Backup characters. Forward characters are your main line of defense, taking the front of the field as they use their abilities and strength to fight off the opposing deck. Except for the first turn, players can summon as many characters as they want as long as they have the CP for it. This number, which is at the top-left of every card, shows you how much you need to pay, as well as which element it needs to belong to. The exception to this rule are Light and Dark cards, which can use any element.  CP is gained by either dulling, (the FF equivalent to tapping), or discarding cards from your hand to gain 1 or 2 CP respectively. From there, your line of defense is set.

Fortunately, unless the character has the Haste ability, each new summon suffers from summoning sickness, which is TCG speak for not being able to act on the turn they’re summoned. When they can act, you have the option to either defend, which subtracts from their HP for that turn only, or take the damage, which results in you taking one damage point. The first player to deal seven points of damage wins, but each time a player takes damage, they get to draw one of seven damage cards that they set aside at the beginning of the match. If that card has an EX Burst ability however, they can trigger that move immediately without cost, potentially turning the tide of a game. Even when you see an opening, you might want to be careful about attacking with your whole party. Each Forward that attacks becomes dulled, meaning they can’t act until their next turn. So if you attack with everyone you have, that means you won’t have any way to defend yourself if the opponent mounts a comeback.

Aside from the main characters, Summons are one time use characters that disappear after being brought on the field to use their powerful abilities. Most Backup characters feature the DS remake versions of the Onion Knights from Final Fantasy III filling the roles of generic jobs like Monks, Thieves and Mages, with their own abilities to trigger if not being tapped for CP. This helped make every card feel special, even the ones that might serve as fodder for your Forwards. Speaking of special, although the cards that I’ve seen break away from conventional TCG thinking by having no holographic versions, each one uses thick, glossy paper with some of the most iconic art from the series taken from the games.

In my brief time with the game, the only major concern I have is the flexibility allowed to customize your decks. In the game that I played, many of the Final Fantasy IX characters relied on each other to get stronger. For example, Stiener’s strength increased depending on how many IX characters fought alongside him, while Zidane had a similar skill. In other words, they would be far less effective if paired with a mixed deck. I hope that the booster packs allow for more flexibility than I’m seeing here, but either way, the game was a blast to play.

I’m looking forward to seeing the game’s growth in North America and seeing what the cards can do once we have all of the expansions. For now, I’ll just wait patiently for a Final Fantasy VI deck and dream of the day I can clean house with Celes. Do you have room in your binder for the Square Enix’s card game? Share your thoughts with us below!

SDCC 2017: ‘I Am Setsuna’ Is Alive And Well With ‘Lost Sphere’

by Josh Jackson

I Am Setsuna promised to scratch the itch of the classic JRPG fan who longed for the days of turn based battles, Active Time Battle meters, (known more commonly as ATB), and a more methodical game play style. After delivering on a multitude of platforms, Tokyo RPG Factory is back at it with Lost Sphere, a spiritual successor that continues the style introduced by Setsuna. With a new world and new cast, much of the early moments of the game manage to hold onto some familiarity with the first game while showing off a few new tricks in the Comic Con demo on display at Square Enix’s booth.

Using an identical graphic style to Setsuna, Lost Sphere recreates the classic feel of a 32-bit era RPG while using chibi style 3D models for the characters to match the dimensions of the world around them. Much like Chrono Trigger, enemies are spotted on the field, and any enemies around them will join the battle once its time to draw swords. From there, you’ll manage your party by deciding to attack, use special abilities, rely on items to get you out of a pinch, or defend to help reduce unavoidable damage. Positioning plays an important role, since most attacks have a certain radius that can lead to dealing damage to more than just your target, but this is where the biggest change in Lost Sphere surfaced.

With some of the abilities offered, they allowed the characters to line up their attacks to get the most out of them. For example, a shot from one of our allies could potentially pierce through their enemy, draining the HP of any foe unfortunate enough to be lined up directly behind them. While Setsuna did have attacks like these, Lost Sphere made it more noticeable, which in turn made it easier to plan out how we wanted to do the damage. As an extra layer of strategy, it helps the game feel like you’re doing more than just picking options in a menu. That kind of engagement is what separated the great RPGs from the rest back in the day, and it’s no different now.

After exploring this sample of the game, I’m looking forward to seeing what other ways Lost Sphere separates itself from I Am Setsuna. With this classic style of engagement taking a backseat in recent years for more flashy, real time combat, it’ll be interesting to see how far we can ride the nostalgia wave. If the developer’s previous efforts are any indication, then I can’t wait to play more of the game when its released in 2018. With PS4, PC and Switch support, we’ll be able to keep on adventuring whether we’re at home or on the go!

SDCC 2017: LAIKA Works Its Movie Magic In San Diego

by Natalie Kipper

LAIKA, the cinema wizards behind film favorites Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings, set up a gallery in San Diego’s Gaslamp District for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. I had the pleasure of touring the facility this morning and the experience was downright enchanting.

Even before I entered the door, I was welcomed by Norman and Kubo! These characters could be found roaming the Gaslamp near the gallery and were available for pictures. I was soon ushered into the gallery and was given a guided tour through the exhibit’s structures.

The first area was dedicated to the haunting film, Coraline. One of the most impressive pieces in this portion was the set seen above. I was able to get up close and view it from the angle seen in the film as well. Check it out:

It turns out parts of sets can be made from everyday household objects like popcorn or even dog chew toys, whatever works best to get the needed texture and effect. LAIKA was the first studio to utilize 3D printing.

Here we can see some of the skeletal structure of the puppets used in LAIKA’s stop-motion animation films. While the facial expressions may be 3D printed, the innards are made of metal, allowing for easier manipulation from frame to frame.

The next section of the gallery was all about ParaNorman, a movie very near and dear to my heart. The exhibit set-up had many of the models used in the film. There were several figures of Norman in the displays, which makes sense because each one of Norman’s outfit has its own doll. It is less time-consuming than painstaking changing the clothes on a single doll after different scenes.

Like the Coraline section, sets from ParaNorman were also available for viewing. This time, we got a peek at Norman’s family home as well as a hallway in his school. The hallway scene was particularly fun, with so much detail to pick out. It felt like you were sneaking into the movie’s world.

The second to last area was all about The Boxtrolls. The film was a huge production, involving 79 sets, over 20,000 handmade props, and the largest stop-motion puppet built up until that time.

And here that puppet is: the Mecha-Drill. Weighing in at 75 pounds and measuring an impressive five feet tall, this masterpiece of imagination consists of 600 metal, plastic, and steel pieces.

The final displays in the exhibit were dedicated to the LAIKA’s latest film, Kubo and the Two Strings. There were several big set-ups in this area but what caught my eye the most was the diorama that housed Kubo and his friends in a Japanese backdrop.

Kubo and the Two Strings‘ Moon Beast puppet is special for several reasons. One being that it is the first of LAIKA’s puppets to consist entirely of 3D-printed parts (881 of them, to be exact). Another is that unlike the majority of their puppets, which utilize a metal armature skeleton (like the one we saw in the puppet from the Coraline section earlier), the Moon Beast’s innards are made up to the a long posable tube, like the kind found on microphone stands and desk lamps.

Okay, so you know how I mentioned earlier how The Boxtroll‘s Mecha-Drill puppet was, at one point, the largest puppet built? Well, the Hall of Bones Skeleton stole that title once Kubo and the Two Strings was released. The puppet showcased at the gallery was actually a 1/6th-scale version of a much, much larger one. How large? Try 16 feet tall! It’s size was necessary for scenes with both the Skeleton and Kubo (or other puppets or that smaller scale). If Kubo were any smaller, his puppet would not be able to be manipulated at the same level of detail.

If you want to see the giant version of the Skeleton, it will be for viewing, along with other LAIKA displays, at the Portland Art Museum. From October 5, 2017 through May 18, 2018, the museum will host a special LAIKA exhibition. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area!

SDCC 2017: A Very “Honest” Interview With Screen Junkies Andy Signore & Joe Starr!

by The_acz

A week ago I had the opportunity to interview some of the incredibly talented people behind Screen Junkies and their Honest Trailers. I got to sit down with creator Andy Signore and Writer/Geekscape alumni Joe Starr. We talk about the process of honest trailers, our favorite movies of the year so far, and more! If you want more Screen Junkies after the interview, give them a visit on their youtube channel or their website screenjunkies.com.

Geekscape 445: The SDCC 2017 Spectacular!

by Jonathan

Here it is! The almost 2 hour Geekscape SDCC Special! San Diego Comic Con 2017 is behind us and what a weekend! We could tell you all about it hear but I think you should listen in for yourself! Joining me at the booth this year to bring you the SDCC experience first hand is our very own Derek Kraneveldt and Courtney Dossett! Jen from ‘7 of Wine’ tips you in on Geekscape’s newest podcast! Lucha Underground and GLOW’s John Morrison drops in to say hello! Nerdcore rapper MegaRan says what’s up! Andre and Ryan from The Monster Squad tell you catch you up with the gang’s latest! The creators of ‘Quince’ tell you about your new favorite comic series! Yehudi Mercado invites you to ‘Hero Hotel’! Heidi Cox reads you the future of ‘Stalking LeVar! Frederick Schroeder, the director of the documentary ‘Stripped’ brings you back to your childhood’s lazy Sunday! And SO MUCH MORE! Enjoy!

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SDCC 2017: We Discuss “Knights of the Frozen Throne” Hearthstone Expansion At Blizzard’s Ice Cream Citadel with Jason Chayse

by Courtney Dossett

Josh and I were fortunate enough to get a chance to sit down with Hearthstone’s Production Director Jason Chayse at Blizzard’s Ice Cream Citadel during San Diego Comic Con last week. Josh is a newcomer to the popular digital card game, while Courtney is an avid Hearthstone fan and former World of Warcraft addict.

Death Knights distributing delicious cool treats in their air conditioned paradise. We may have loitered to take advantage of the A/C.

 

Courtney: I was confused about the new update when I first saw it, because it seemed like you could only get the expansion if you paid for it. But you can actually get the packs by playing like in the past?

Jason: Yeah so we’re actually changing the single player content. We’ve taken the best aspects of adventures and expansions and fused them into this sort of uber Hearthstone release.

So you’ll have a pack you can open, and on top of that there are going to be eight free missions, and there will be an introductory prologue, and once you defeat the introductory prologue everyone will be given a free Death Knight hero card, which will be a new card type we’ll be releasing.

There will be two more wings of missions after that, which will be free, and you’ll earn card packs by defeating those. At the very end you’ll fight the Lich King. This is also something new , he’ll play slightly differently depending on what class you play against him with. “Ok, so this is Rexxar, the hunter, so we’ll play this way against you, or Jaina the mage, so we’ll play this against you, and that’s the first time we’ve tried that too.

Courtney: That’s been the way I’ve defeated previous heroes in the past, realising that the would be weaker against a certain class.

Jason: Yeah! It should give you a run for your money.

Courtney: With Hearthstone, it’s obviously based on World of Warcraft, are you going to be introducing any of the other Blizzard franchises like Blizzard like Overwatch or Diablo?

Jason: You know, we feel like we have a lot of room still within the Warcraft universe to keep expanding with Hearthstone. There are no shortage of amazing characters or locations or stories we have left to tell. Every once in awhile you’ll see one of the other franchises bleed in, like there’s the Overwatch cardback, there are some Starcraft flavored card backs, but we want to do in it a way that will still feel like they can be part of the Warcraft universe.


Courtney: And there are going to be new boards? My favourite part is to click on the different little things while I’m waiting.

Jason: Our art team does an amazing job with those each time. They come up with amazing things you can trigger and discover. There will be a brand new Ice Rend flavored board that would be appropriate for the next release.

Josh: I literally just downloaded the game, so I don’t have as much time to play yet. Learning a new card game is overwhelming at the start, but everything seems so accessible, so easy to get into so, it’s easy to see why it’s resonated with so many people. You can either spend a lot of time with it and build huge card libraries or just play with friends for fun. And having that tie to Warcraft is great as well, because if you’re not ready to jump into a totally new card game but you have that familiarity with Warcraft, it helps ease the transition.

Jason: If there are particular characters you remember from your Warcraft days, you can go “Oh here’s Ragnaros doing his stuff, or here is a classic character, the heroes you know, like Thrall  Uther. But what you said about making it accessible to new players to get in, that was a big priority for us when we were first designing Hearthstone. We were always huge believers in collectable card games, and we play a ton of them going way  back when, and we felt the fun was  buried too deep for people who had never played them before, so that was our main goal. How do we take the fun parts that people love about collectable card games and make them a little easier to access so people could get in and start having fun in the first five minutes.

Josh: Now that you mention other card games, what other sources did you draw inspiration from?

Jason: From all of them. We had people who played Magic the Gathering and the other classic games but we  had people who played some digital ones that have been around , so we drew a lot of inspiration from all of them. So we thought about what we loved from the genre as a whole, and how we could hold onto that, and what we could improve on.

Josh: With the new inclusion of the Lich King, if you could chose any character from Warcraft that isn’t in the game yet, which would be the big addition you would want to make to Hearthstone?

Jason: That’s a good question. I think we’re always looking for ways to stay current with the new expansions that the World of Warcraft team is coming out with, and how that could be introduced in a meaningful way. We’ve added a lot of them, a good example is with the Whispers of the Old Gods expansion, there were some classic old gods, these beings from outer space, and we were really inspired by that, and had to figure out who these gods were and did a lot of design with the original World of Warcraft team to realise what these gods look like because they hadn’t been fully sketched out before. So who’s to say in the months to come who might show up.

Courtney: You just released the new Quest cards, are you looking to add new cards like that to help revamp old decks and make the game feel fun and new to those of us who have been playing for a while?

Jason: That’s always our goal. With each new set we want to introduce new cards, new mechanics that mix up the meta, and leads to new types of decks that you may not have seen before. One example with the new Knights of the Frozen Throne set, is a card called Prince Keleseth, it’s a 2 mana card for 2/2. But it has an interesting battlecry: if you have no cards in your deck that cost 2 mana, then all your minion cards are buffed by +1/+1. SO it’s an example of a build around card type.

Courtney:  THAT SOUNDS GREAT! I WANT THAT CARD!

The card that Courtney needs to get before her brother.

Jason: Yeah we’ve excited for it. So you look at it like, “Huh can I make a deck that doesn’t require any 2 mana cost cards? What if I try this? Or I try this combinations of cards?” The benefit can be pretty powerful to get +1 for everybody. The design team is always thinking of different build around ideas like that that push the meta and deck creation in new ways that haven’t been done before.

Courtney: You guys also came up with the potion creation cards, and I love those.

Jason: There’s another example that we’re going  to be introducing into the new set, the first time we’re introducing a new type of card called the Hero Card. You’ve been playing for a while so you know about Ragnaros, and Jaraxxus, which can replace your hero –

Courtney : A great death saving card!

Jason: Exactly. So this time, we;re going to introduce them for all classes. SO you can play Deathstalker Rexxar, and as soon as you play him from your hand he’ll fly up onto the board and corrupt and replace the  base Rexxar, and he’s an unholy , death knight version of rexxar. He’ll give you 5 additional armor, he’ll do 2 damage to all your opponents minions when he comes into play,  but his real power to play with him, which is like the potion thing you were talking about, his hero power replaces the bow which does 2 damage to the enemy hero, and instead becomes something called “build a beast”. So what it will do, is you choose it, and it will present it with 3 different beasts from the game, you select one, and it brings up the next set of cards (another 3 beasts) and it will stitch those two beasts into an uber beast, sort of Frankenstein style, sort of like with the potions only now you’re making a beast that can go on the board and fight on your behalf.

Courtney: Which is so cool because that’s something I remember seeing when  I played the Lich King expansion in World of Warcraft when it came out, all the corrupted constructs wandering around.

Jason: So you’ll get that with playing the heroes in the new set. There will be a ton of references, so in addition to the cards we have the missions we talked about. So the bosses will be Professor Putricide that people fought in IceCrown Citadel in the raid, Blood Queen Lana’thel which is a well known boss, they’ll all make their appearances in Hearthstone with similar types of mechanics and ideas translated into Hearthstone as well.

Courtney: I’m way excited for this now as well.

Jason: We’re really excited for it as well.

Courtney: One last thing I wanted to confirm. You said all the side adventures are free, so we don’t even have to pay in game gold this time?

Jason: Not even gold. You will have all the missions unlocked. But sort of like in the past on launch day you’ll have access to the prologue and then you have access to the first wing with a pack prize. Then the next week you’ll have access to another wing, then the final wing with the Lich King waiting at the end.

Courtney: I’m really excited for this new set now. I think I’m going to really start getting into the game again, since I took a break from it.

Jason: I think you’re going to love it. We’re also making some changes with Fireside Gatherings that we’re really excited about. We have this idea that the best way to experience Hearthstone is to play in person with other people who also love Hearthstone and play around a kitchen table or cafe bar, and play collectively as a group. We launched the program about 3 years about when Hearthstone itself came out, and it’s been growing dramatically since then have had about 10 thousand Fireside Gatherings across the world. But we’re about to do something within the game itself where it can detect if you’re playing within a Fireside Gathering,you’ll basically register that you’re playing in a real location, and it will recognise that you’re playing with your friends and you can customise your own tavern and name it, and it unlocks a new game mode called a fireside brawl that you can only access if you’re at a Fireside Gathering.

 

What do you guys think about the changes coming in the newest expansion? What are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

SDCC 2017: A Blast From The Past! ‘Sonic Mania’ Panel Recap!

by The_acz

Even though 2016 marked Sonic’s 25th anniversary, it’s 2017 that’s really the year of Sonic.

We’re not only getting one, but TWO Sonic games this year. One of them is the next 3D entry titled Sonic Forces, but the other has much more people talking. It’s a brand new 2D pixel art tribute to the blue blur’s early days. I’m of course talking about Sonic Mania. I got the chance to play Mania at E3 this year and really enjoyed. Now just 3 weeks out from release, Sonic Mania is speeding toward the finish line with one final stop to make in the form of San Diego Comic-Con. I was lucky enough to get invited to the panel, and it didn’t disappoint. 

Moderated by everyone’s favorite video game Social Media, Aaron Webber took to the stage to introduce the panel for the evening which included Takashi Iizuka (Head of Sonic Team), Christian Whitehead (Lead Dev & Programmer), Tee Lopes (Composer), Tom Fry (Art Director), and Simon Thomley (Programmer). After everyone was introduced, they went on to talk about the origins of the game. Sonic Mania began development in early 2016 and was code-named Sonic Discovery.

They were very nervous about initially presenting the game to Iizuka, but after they showed him Studiopolis Zone, Iizuka absolutely  loved it. He had always wanted to make another 2D Sonic game, and after seeing what was presented to him, he had great faith that the team would do it justice. He even went as far as to pull out a whiteboard and write it’s name right besides the original 3, and Knuckles. And so, Sonic Mania was born!

Next, the team moved onto programming. They talked about how they loved chronicling their favorite glitches as they made the game. They started making a top 10 list, but that quickly expanded to 20, and then 30, etc. They even showcased some of them. One was of Tails stuck in the ground, and another one called to mind the infinite Knuckles jump from Sonic Boom. Then Webber presented his favorite of all the glitches, and that was this.

 Next, Tom and Tee talked for a bit about their contributions and history with Sonic. Tom talked about how Mania was his first time spiriting for a game. He stated that even though the game is meant to be a send-up to the Genesis era of Sonic, the game is a bit beefier than that and would need something more along the lines of the Sega Saturn to run it. Tom had always wanted a Sonic game for the Saturn, and said that the designs for the characters are what he’d think they’d look like on that console.

Tee also commented about how he wanted the Saturn, but had to keep his good grades in school according to his dad. He ended up maintaining the grades, but found out that his dad accidentally bought him a Sega Master System instead. No need for disappointment, this sparked his love for the hedgehog! 

Finally, they decided to end the panel with 3 big bangs! The first was our first look at the special stages! No longer will fans have to suffer through the dreaded half pipe, but instead a revised version of the UFO from Sonic CD. There’s now only one UFO, and to catch him, you must collect blue orbs to increase your speed. Once you reach Mach 3, you’ll be able to catch him. Rings are also very important as they extend the time that you can be in the area. 

The next 2 things were also big surprises for fans. Remember that awesome Pre-order trailer  a couple of months back? Turns out that the same guy who made that trailer also made an intro for the game in the same Sonic CD style! Finally, the 3rd and final reveal was that the dev crew created a special introduction manual for the game, and everyone at the panel got a copy of it! What a great way to celebrate 26 years of everyone’s favorite blue Hedgehog. The best part is that this is only a pit stop. We’re still 3 weeks out from the main course. Sonic Mania will release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 15th.

SDCC 2017: Smashing Through ‘Rivals Of Aether’!

by The_acz

Out of all the games shown at Comic-Con this year, it wasn’t Super Mario Odyssey, Sonic Mania, or Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite that captured my attention, but Rivals of Aether that did.

Located at The Behemoth booth and Made by a group of 9 people, Rivals of Aether is Smash Bros if the entire roster was filled with killer animals, and it’s just as amazing as it sounds. There are currently 8 playable characters with 2 guest characters scheduled for release. One of them has already been announced as Ori and Sein from the Xbox One hit Ori and the Blind Forest, and the other to be announced at Super Smash Con, which runs from August 10th-13th. 

 

Going back to gameplay, it plays exactly how you’d expect a Smash Bros. like game to play. All characters have their own A and B moves that differ depending on where you tilt the left stick when you attack. You can charge up attacks by using the C stick and even dodge roll. The game doesn’t seem to have any sort of Ultimate or Smash Ball move, but that’s not a problem as all the characters are incredibly fun to play. Each character has a different feel and weight to them so no one feels like just a re-skin of another character. My favorite character had to be Ori, and while he isn’t officially out, this was his first public playable appearance. 

One area that I think Rivals of Aether excels at better than Smash Bros, is in the diverse and fun stages. Of course the stages in Smash are fun and diverse, but all too often a lot of them are created with annoying hazards that end up ruining the entire stage *COUGH Magicant COUGH*. Aether finds a great middle ground where all the stages can be enjoyed from both a competitive and casual perspective. It’s nice being able to play through a wide variety of stages knowing that a lot of these are still viable if you decide to pick up the game competitively.

Overall, Rivals of Aether is a highly addicting fighting game that both casual and competitive fans of the genre enjoy. The game is fully available on Steam for $15, and can also be purchase on Xbox One game preview for the same price. If you’re a fan of the Smash series and are looking for something new, this is defintley a game to RIVAL that.

 

 

SDCC 2017: Tentacle Kitty Goes Hunting!

by Natalie Kipper

I had the good fortune of spotting artist John Merritt as he was traversing San Diego Comic-Con’s Exhibit Hall. He wasn’t hard to spot; the man was balancing one of his Tentacle Kitty plushes on his head (and doing an expert job, I might add). It turned out he was returning to his booth for a signing and I could not resist tagging along.

For those who don’t know, Tentacle Kitty is a friendly cat from another dimension that just happens to have tentacles. She and many of her friends have been transformed into plushes as well as featured in her own webcomic. While there was already a traditional Tentacle Kitty plush, a Huntress version was released just in time for SDCC. With purple paint for camouflage and her face full of concentration, she definitely looks like she is on the prowl (most likely for cotton candy mice, her favorite food).

Tentacle Kitty the Huntress wasn’t the only new addition at the booth. The next wave of Little Ones, smaller relatives of Tentacle Kitty, were also available. These particular Little Ones were labeled “Earth Color” because each one resembles a different variety of cat found here on Earth, like Siamese or Calico. Both Tentacle Kitty the Huntress and the Earth Color Little Ones are now available to purchase at their online store.

In celebration of those plushes’ release, John has cooked up a very special giveaway. Five lucky fans will walk away with a Legendary Golden Tentacle Kitty. Traditionally, this cutie is only given to winners of cosplay contests at conventions. The contest is live on Facebook right now! Go! Go! Go!

SDCC 2017: Welcome To The Jungle! ‘Hey Arnold!’ Round-Table & Panel Recap!

by The_acz

Earlier last week at Comic-Con, not only did we see the return of Rocko’s Modern Life, but also Hey Arnold!  

After about 15 years, creator Craig Bartlett is finally being given the chance to make the ending to the show that he’s always wanted. Of course, before the big panel that was held on the 21st, I got the opportunity to sit down with some of the cast and crew of the film for a special Round-Table. I had the honor of talking to Craig Bartlett (Creator),Francesca Smith (Helga), and Anndi McAfee (Phoebe). All 3 were a joy to talk with and even had some fun things to say.

One of the first things I asked Craig was about a supposed leaked scene from the original Jungle Movie (which you can find right here). According to Craig, this “leaked scene” was actually one of the first animation tests they ever did for the film all the way back in the early 2000’s. “The scene never existed in any version of the film. It was just made as an animation test to present to Nick.” Bartlett said during the Round-Table. He went on to say that the current version of the film is not what the original version was 16 years ago. Bartlett told us that after having about 15 to think about it, he thinks he’s really cracked the story and feels very satisfied about the end product.

After that, I asked Francesca and Anndi about some of their favorite moments of the series.  They both agreed that some of their favorite moments were when both Helga and Phoebe’s friendships are tested to their breaking points. As for their favorite episodes, Anndi’s favorite is Preteen Screen, while Francesca & Craig really love Helga on the Couch.

After that, it was finally time for the main event! A giant crowd of eager fans walked into room 6A and were not disappointed during the following panel. Everyone from the old to new cast was there, including the original Arnold and Gerald (Toran Caudell & Jamil Walker Smith). The panel began with series composer Jim Lang taking to the stage and preforming a live rendition of the shows opening theme while everyone in the audience hummed and sang along to it. After that, they showed off some of the re-designed backgrounds including the boarding house at night and even Big Bob’s Beepers! (Yup!, still in the 90’s). They also talked to the new cast a bit as they didn’t know much about the series, but did understand how much it meant to a lot of people. After that, we finally got our first look at the film.

After everyone finished crying their eyes out, then came the Q&A and other fun facts. They talked about how the first table read for the film got everyone in one room and that it was a very emotional reunion as Francesca and Anndi finally got to read their lines together for the first time in almost 13 years. Craig was asked where he got the idea for Gerald’s 33 shirt. He responded: “I don’t know. It just seemed like a cool number.

Finally, the panel closed out with Craig finally hinting at the reveal of Arnold’s last name, and the mystery of the green eyed people. The biggest bombshell dropped was when he said that even though The Jungle Movie is set to wrap up the series, it also sets it up to continue to a new season of the show! The crowd went absolutely wild at the mention of this, and the cast told the audience that if we really want to see a new season, we’ll have to ask Nick and make sure the film get’s great ratings. Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie will release later this year on Nickelodeon.

SDCC 2017: Some Of The Best Cosplay We Saw At This Year’s Convention!

by GeekscapeStaff

We had a blast at this year’s SDCC. Aside from the shoulder to shoulder crowds, it was an incredible opportunity to reconnect with each other, to meet with ‘Scapists new and old, to spend way, way too much money, and to see some incredible cosplay!

Many of us were on the prowl for some great cosplay across the convention weekend. Here are some of the coolest getups that we were able to lay our eyes on!

Were you at the convention? Did you see any amazing cosplayers not pictured below? What were your favourites?

Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 118 – ‘While At SDCC 2017 We Forgot To Come Up With A Title’

by GeekscapeStaff

Join Derek, Courtney and MATT KELLY(?!) as they discuss the last week at San Diego Comic Con 2017!

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Our Tremendous Trio recant their adventures at San Diego Comic Con 2017. They DO talk about video games at some point, and we never do find out the bathroom story. 

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SDCC 2017: Return To Earth! ‘Rocko’s Modern Life’ Round-Table & Panel Recap!

by The_acz

Late last year when Nick announced they were bringing back Rocko’s Modern Life with the original cast and crew including, fans were excited, but nervous about it. What would it look like in the age of digital and flash animation? Would the humor from the show remain in tact? While we wouldn’t know for sure, this week answered both of those questions with a resounding YES! 

Before the big panel that took place on Thursday July 20th, I was lucky enough to attend a round-table interview with some of the talent before-hand. This included Tom Kenny (Heffer), Mr. Lawrence (Filburt), and Cosmo Segurson the director. Lawrence and Kenny talked about how the past couple of years they didn’t really realize just how popular the internet made Rocko until they started doing small live reunion shows. Lawrence told us that they would constantly sell out the venue they were performing in, and realized that there was a big demand for Rocko to come back. They also commented on how the tone and humor will defintley be in tact. Kenny, Lawrence, and Segurson all said “It just wouldn’t be Rocko without any of those things.” (Let us never forget the Chokey Chicken.)

After that, it was finally time for the panel. All of the main cast and crew were there. Everyone from Joe Murray, the shows creator, to Charlie Adler, Ed and Bev Bighead themselves. This had to be the most adult panel Nick has ever hosted. Not surprising since this is Rocko, but still a bit odd after seeing how squeaky clean & friendly the network has been for about the past decade.  They began the panel by showing off updated character models and backgrounds. Everything was lively, sharp, and animated. They even joked about the fact the Joe wasn’t used to looking at the show in HD. 

They then went on to talk about how hesitant they were to bring the show back. They didn’t just want to bring it back because that’s what’s currently happening in pop culture. They wanted to make sure of 2 things: That 1, they could get the original cast and crew on board, and 2, they’d be able to have creative control over the project since they wanted the characters to e able to say something about modern day culture and technology. They then confirmed that the special will be 100% hand drawn! Not only that, but the same for the backgrounds also as all of them were hand painted. After the crowd erupted into applause, it was time to finally show off a clip of the special in action!

Afterwards they got a bit serious. One of the most important topics brought up was that Really Really Big Man’s nipples will still remain in tact for the special! Phew, that was a close one. The cast also improved Rocko as a phone sex operator again. If you hadn’t put the kids to bed by now, this would be a good time to. Finally, to wrap things up, one of the last questions asked was what surprised Joe the most about working on the special. All he replied was: “The fact that I ended up really enjoying it.” The panel ended on surprisingly emotional level, and was an absolute blast! Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling will release in 2018.

 

 

 

SDCC 2017: The WWE And Mattel Fan Panel Offered Some Inspiring Q&A!

by Derek Kraneveldt

After several hours of waiting in room 5AB (and seeing Josh get up close with some of the featured superstars outside of the room) the panel that I’d been waiting for (and the one panel that I’d decided that I had to attend was finally here).

The Sherlock Manga panel cleared out pretty quickly and swarms of people in WWE shirts (probably more Nikki Bella and Alexa Bliss than anything else) began swarming to the front of the panel room. I managed to move up numerous rows over the course of the previous two panels and obtained a pretty nice seat. A graphic for the panel appeared on the projector screen, and the excitement in the room began to grow.


The panel was moderated by the fantastic Renee Young (#SaveTalkingSmack), and Charlotte, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch were all in attendance. All of the talent seemed excited and energized to be at the panel, which also featured Mattel SVP Lori Pantel.

The crowd freaked out as each superstar was introduced, and it was surprisingly pretty tough to not feel starstruck seeing so many of my favourite superstars in the same place at the same time.

The announcements came fast, and there were a lot of them (Lori noted that she wanted to get through them quickly to give fans more time with the superstars, who naturally they were really here to see). Mattel revealed everything from a line of fashion dolls featuring a myriad of the female superstars, new action figure lines, and some incredible San Diego Comic-Con exclusive figures from Wrestlemania 32 that were extremely (extremely) hard not to purchase, even though I told myself that I’d never buy another toy after the Amiibo debacle from a couple of years back. 

The Eva Marie WWE Superstars doll on the floor later on.

Renee opened up a Q&A session, asking what it felt like to be able to be a part of this new line of fashion dolls. Nikki noted that it was an honour, while Bayley added that this is all because of the fans, stating that the myriad of attendees in Fearless hats, Sasha Banks glasses, Hugger shirts, and the like were the reason that all of this was happening in the first place.

Next up, Renee asked if the ladies ever have an opportunity to reflect on everything that they’ve accomplished thus far in their careers. Becky told us that just before the WM32 Triple Threat, she was sitting in a Whole Foods and started simply crying, stating that “When I started wrestling at 15, this just didn’t seem possible. To have our heads on the side of AT&T stadium just didn’t seem possible,” continuing “We just keep going, and keep progressing, and us making history is now just the norm.”

Yeah. She’s the coolest.

With all of the history that had been made so far, Renee asked what the ladies would still like to accomplish as their careers continue. “Main event Wrestlemania,” Charlotte said without hesitation, while Brie Bella called for an all-women’s Royal Rumble, adding that “Being a mom and now sitting and watching these girls do amazing things every week, watching as a fan. Seeing these dolls come out, and seeing these ladies be role models.” She sees these dolls and thinks that birdie can be independent – she doesn’t need a Ken doll in this day and age. Brie notes that she’s looking forward to one day explaining why she has an action figure, and tellling Birdie about everything that her and her friends did to make all of this happen. “It’s insane that I’ll one day get to see my daughter grow up and be proud of all of these women in WWE.”

Renee brought up one of the few elephants in the room, asking Nikki if her and John had set a date yet, and what she’d been up to since the mixed-tag match and proposal back at Wrestlemania. “We finally set a date,” Nikki said. “But I’m not going to say when. But it was insane getting engaged if front of all of you guys. My favourite part is watching it back and seeing John’s voice getting all shaky.” She says that she’s been busy “doing the reality thing” with season 7 of Total Divas, while waiting for her neck to continue to heal. She added that “We found out that it’s not fully fused. I have a herniation, but I think that with time it will heal.”

Renee adds, “So it’s fair to say we’ll see you in the ring at some point? To which Nikki answers “I think so.” Brie jumps in, yelling “Brie’s coming back, you’ll see!”

Brie then got some time to talk about being pregnant and giving birth, noting that Birdie’s head had a 14-inch circumference and that it was a very long labour, adding that “I feel like I was pregnant for years, it was insane. I ended up in an emergency c-section which was unfortunate.” She reveals that she’s also preparing to come back to the ring, stating that Daniel is finally letting them get their own ring, that he’ll be acting as her coach, and that she hopes to make it back sometime in 2018.

That’s a lot of talent in one room.

Renee asks Charlotte about her experience in switching brands, to which she says the difference has been huge, “I remember being on RAW, and thinking that I want to be better than Smackdown. No offense, but now I want Smackdown to be better than RAW. I think that just new competition, and a new group of women and men, and wanting to be the better brand – it automatically creates competition and I think that’s healthy.” She continues, talking about her goals to win the Smackdown women’s champion and becoming the first female triple crown winner.

Some really interesting questions then begin to flow as Renee asks about the very best moments in their careers. Charlotte starts, saying “I remember being in guerrilla and looking at Becky and Sasha and knowing that they’ve wanted this for their entire lives. Thinking that I was here, continuing my dad’s legacy. He spent 40 years creating this legacy and now I was continuing it.” She continues, stating that she remembers watching him retire in 2007 and never thinking she’d be a women’s wrestler, and then all these years later he’s walking her down the aisle and into the ring.

Renee asks if anyone would like to see Becky beat up Ellsworth, and the crowd responds with huge Yes! chants. “He’s in the women’s division pretty much, so I don’t see why not. Summerslam is right around the corner,” Becky adds. Brie responds “But you couldn’t do any chin locks, are you going to be okay with that?” 


Bayley is the most recent NXT call up in the room, and Renee asks how much different the roster and fan base feel from when she was in NXT. Bayley says that “The roster is kind of similar; like you said I was the last one down there. So when I got to WWE everyone was there already so it was kind of just another bigger version of NXT. I kind of knew the girls and knew everybody by the time I got there.” She continues, “The fanbase is different. It’s kind of good and kind of bad. NXT fans are kind of like a family, and they watched us grow and watched us make it to WWE so they kind of know us. They’re smaller crowds, and it’s only like once a month. Now we’re live every Monday at RAW.” She adds that “AT FYE, I’ve got Bayley gummy bears. They’re incredible! Go to FYE and buy some Gummy Bears and Booty-O’s and T-Shirts and give them to your friends!’

I listened. #LevelSeven

The fan questions begin, and a little girl starts by asking what the craziest thing that they’ve witnessed backstage is. Nikki says “where do we start,” and Brie adds “This one time – yeah.” They begin to talk about a time when a Daniel Bryan match was cut short due to a potential concussion. Nikki notes that “He was screaming at everyone and cussing and Brie was trying to stop him and I was like where’s the popcorn, this is great!” Brie says “Note to self. Don’t cut Daniel Bryan matches.”

Charlotte talks about a time at TLC when her dad was acting as her manager. “He thought I really got hurt, but was a really important piece in what was supposed to happen in the end of the match. Instead of taking off the turnbuckle he was beside me like “Honey are you okay?” She began yelling at him that she was fine and that “You’re supposed to be taking off the turnbuckle!”

She continues in what may be the funniest quote of the panel. “Sometimes he would just Woo! randomly during the matches when it wasn’t about him at the time. Like, why are you wooing? This is supposed to be about me right now. The amount of stress and grey hair he caused me that first year, you have no idea. The struggle is so real.”

Charlotte points to Becky – “She had to kiss him, so I’m sure that’s up there for her.”

The next question goes to an adult male instead of a little girl. He asks about the best veteran advice they received, who gave it to them, and if any of them are related to Kurt Angle.

Brie starts, noting that when she was starting out she told Rey Mysterio that she was so nervous and that she wanted to vomit, and he said “Honestly the day you don’t feel that way is the day that you shouldn’t be in the business. Every day when you’re performing you should feel like this.” She continues, talking about just how right he was. 

Nikki talks about being nervous at her first match at a WWE Live event. She says that Scotty Armstrong gave her some simple advice that she still thinks about to this day: “Just breath baby girl.”

Sasha keeps it simple with some advice from Dusty. “Just be you baby, just be you.” She says “I’ll always take that with me.” 

Bayley says that Jason Styles gave her some advice from May Young, that “The day you’re not nervous is the day that you should leave.” She says that “Before going out I’m all like “Why do I do this to myself? why am I doing this?” and when she comes back from a match she just thinks, “Oh yeah. That’s why.” 

Becky says that William Regal told her the the business is like riding a wave. “It’s like surfing. You have to be on the wave and just go with it. Sometimes you’re down and sometimes you’re up, but another wave is coming and you just need to go with it.” 

Nikki talks about Cena asking “Why are you fighting?” She adds, “That’s always been the best question.” Noting that it even popped up in the just-released Netflix series GLOW. “Why are we fighting? It’s so true. It makes everything better, that question. Why are we fighting?”


A fan asks what match they had to prepare and train for the most. For Bayley, it was the Iron Woman match, as “It was a long 30 minutes.” For Brie, it was her feud with Stephanie McMahon, “It was like, just don’t hurt the boss.” Nikki’s match with Charlotte at Hell In A Cell was hard, because she knew that there was something wrong with her neck.

Charlotte states that “I think NXT match where I won the title vs Natalya is where I probably had to prepare the most. One, I wasn’t sure that I was ready. Two, I hadn’t really been wrestling that long. I wanted to show the world that I wasn’t just my last name.

Becky had an interesting thought that hadn’t crossed my mind before. “Maybe, I’m just thinking in terms of – the ladder match for example. It’s a matter of handling these ladders. We have smaller hands than the guys and they weigh a lot. It’s a matter of manuevering them. Same with tables. These kind of matches I need to go in and figure out the apparatuses.”

A fan notes that he’s surprised at lack of products for the rightful next Women’s Champion Carmella, and the history making champion Alexa Bliss, along with the coming winner this Sunday, the lovely Lana. “Where are they!?” he yells as the crowd boos. Josh (who was also in attendance) later tells me that this guy is at every wrestling show in the area. Lori from Mattel jokes that “The secret to really smart marketing is to keep people waiting.”

The best moment of the panel comes up next. The most adorable little girl ever is at the microphone. She can’t be more than five years old, and she has a voice that’s so high pitched that I’d bet it was inaudible to the older folks in the audience. She says “Sasha Banks……… I love you.” She begins to make her way back to her seat as Renee invites the little girl up to the stage. Sasha comes down, gives her a massive hug, and speaks to her off microphone for a moment. The crowd goes absolutely wild as the little girl heads back to her seat with tears of joy in her eyes, and Sasha gets back to her microphone and simply says “That is why we do it.”

Brian from Vancouver, who is about to begin training under Lance Storm asks for any advice they may have for people who want to be wrestlers. Becky says to “Just believe in yourself. It’s about hard work, dedication, and passion. Those are the three ingredients that will take you to the moon and back, and if you have those than nothing can stop you. Heck, I failed PE and I’m sitting up here.” Brie says that “There will be so many times you’ll want to give up. It’s about wading through those moments and thinking that there’s a reason you’re here. Believing that you can do it can go a long way. Just never give up. Nikki yells out “What’s that Brie? NEVER GIVE UP!?” As the crowd laughs.


A little boy in a John Cena getup asks what the best moment in their careers has been. 

Nikki says “When the guy who’s shirt your wearing got down on one knee and proposed.” Brie states that she learned so much over her feud with Stephanie, while Bayley and Sasha both bring up NXT Brooklyn. Becky notes “Being able to be in the ring with Charlotte and Sasha at Wrestlemania 32, and seeing the new women’s title. And also becoming the first Smackdown Women’s Champion.”

For the last question, another little kid asks “What does it feel like fighting your friends?”

Charlotte jokes that “You hit your friends harder,” while Sasha adds that “I think it makes it more fun.”

Things wrapped up pretty quickly following this. Everyone thanked the crowd again for being such passionate fans, for being in attendance, and for all of the great questions. People began to clear the room, and I attempted to approach the stage as a means to get a few closer photos for this write-up. The crowd made getting anywhere near the superstars pretty tough, but Renee Young, who I may (possibly) favour over much of the in-ring talent (male or female), was kind enough to stop for a photo. I was so excited for this. I don’t often become star struck these days after years of doing this kind of stuff, but in this moment, I did. It’s sure to be a convention highlight for me for years to come. Also, #SaveTalkingSmack.

Overall, I think that I had more fun at this panel that at any other I’ve been to in years prior. Just listening to these people answer fan questions, most of which I’m sure they’ve been asked a thousand times, with excitement and sincerity was extremely refreshing, and it definitely made me more of a fan of each and every one of them.

SDCC 2017: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Interview With Arvind Ethan David!

by The_acz

During this week at Comic-Con, I had the opportunity to talk to Arvind Ethan David, executive producer on BBC’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. We touch on points such as the show’s growing popularity, just what the show means to him, and more! Give it a listen!

If you’re interested in watching it, you can catch the first season of Dirk Getly on Hulu right now! Season 2 will premiere later this year. Check out a preview of Season 2 below!

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day 5 – It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later (Awe)

by Derek Kraneveldt

Read day 0 here.
Read day one-ish here.
Read day two here.
Read day three here.
Read day four here.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. It feels as though I’ve only just arrived, and I’m already beginning my journey home.

I begin writing today’s piece during the first leg of my trip back – a short 26 minute flight from San Diego to Los Angeles (where I have another three hour wait before my final journey to Vancouver).

Somehow, I slept in today. Matt, Josh, and Megan were nowhere to be seen when I finally woke up, so I made my way to the shower (no line!) and afterwards began packing my things. I had no idea how much stuff I’d accumulated during my time in San Diego. I left Vancouver with a standard sized carry-on (meaning I didn’t pay for a checked bag or have to wait at the baggage claim, yay) that still felt as though it had plenty of room left in it during my initial packing. This wouldn’t be the case on my way home – I’d accumulated a myriad of, well, crap that I don’t need over my five days in San Diego, from a series of WWE t-shirts and other items that Jonathan didn’t want out of various LootCrate products (which I actually will use and am stoked for), to water bottles, candies, books, lanyards, an entire bag of The Tick promotional material (read all about it right here), several books, a Sami Zayn autographed picture (read all about that one right here), and numerous other items that I can’t remember at this moment (but sadly, no Stranger Things hat, sorry Mikaela).

It was to the point where when packing this morning, I had to decide which non-important items were the most non-important, and other members of the group seemed to claim them pretty quickly. Still, there were numerous items that I wanted to bring home and never look at again, so it took nearly twenty minutes of intense struggling to actually get the bag zipped up, and I swear that I still have imprints on my fingerprints from pulling on the tiny zippers.

I lived in fear that it would burst open for the rest of the trip.
Zack and I left the room together and stopped at 7-Eleven for a quick Chiller Club (and a donut for breakfast, as at this point I have less than $20 left to my name). He told me all about the insanely cool Atomic Blonde screening he’d been at the night earlier, how much of a potty mouth Charleze Theron has, and how much he’s looking forward to seeing the film again. This also explained why he’d been wearing a blonde wig ever since I woke up this morning. It was a good look on him for sure.


We continued our trek to the convention centre (in what would be my last walk there of 2017, as I had my carry-on with me at this point) and we decided that Zack would be starting a new podcast for the Geekscape Network, entitled “Speaking Spuds With Zack Haddad.” The dude is a vegetable broker or something (I forgot the correct term) and knows a lot about potatoes. Who wouldn’t want to listen to that? I said that he could theme it like that little kid who eats peppers and reviews them on YouTube, except he could just cook different types of potatoes and review those. It for sure wouldn’t be as cute, but… actually maybe it’s just an all around bad idea.

Once inside of the convention centre, I did one last tour of the nearby booths (and once again failed to get any Stranger Things swag that I could now not fit in my bag even if I didn’t fail at obtaining it), and simply spent the next 90 minutes sitting at the Geekscape booth. We removed the mouse traps and broke down the Box of Mystery and Danger as at this point it was empty aside from some posters that nobody would even take for free. People kept swinging by for badge flares, to sign up for the giveaways still in progress, and to talk about Horror Movie Night once Matt lured them in with his “Podcasts you won’t listen to on a website you won’t visit” spiel. The booth felt less busy this morning, and it marked a great time to again connect with the people inside of it. This was a chill, relaxing way to end the convention, and I’d definitely do this again over a morning of being hung over or another day of appointments.

Never forget.
Then the goodbyes began. Courtney came by as she’d be in an appointment by the time I left. She actually lives just a couple of hours south of me, so I invited her to Canada, she invited me back to America, and meeting up again in real life (outside of the insanity of SDCC, which also marked Courtney’s first convention ever) is something that I’d really, really like to do in the near future.

The rest of the farewells came in quick succession as noon passed (I needed to be at the airport for one), hugs came from all around (including a very tight Matt/Jonathan group hug that lasted so long that I almost thought I’d be late for my flight. Matt let me know once again that he’s always around if I need to talk, or simply need anything at all. He’s reached out to me numerous times over the past ten months, just to check in or to see how I was doing. In most cases, he’d never receive a response, but I truly hope that he knows just how much I appreciate him doing that at all (and continuing to do it after being ignored).

It felt like a long, long walk from the convention centre to the ride share pick up point, because at this point and time, I simply wasn’t ready to say goodbye. This week ended up being so refreshing, so relieving, and exactly what I think I needed – I just didn’t think that I’d had enough of it yet, and I’d have loved the opportunity to be around these same people in a different, less busy context.

Guido the Lyft driver picked me up (when I travel I tend to ride share as much as possible as it still doesn’t exist in British Columbia, and after all of weird Uber shit that’s been going on lately, Lyft seems substantially less sleazy). It’s a pretty short trip from the Convention Centre to the airport, but we chatted about how cold it is in Vancouver (not very), the San Diego airport, and how Guido would be headed to Ecuador in September as his 88 year-old father is sick. He helped me pull my bag out of the trunk, I wished him and his father the best, and we parted ways.

Being the day that San Diego Comic-Con ended, I expected a packed airport. Delta noted that as I was taking an international flight I should arrive at the airport no later than 3 hours before my flight, and as I arrived with just less than that, I thought that I’d be cutting it close, and that I’d be in for a stressful time (as was my trip down to San Diego just a few days before). Five minutes later, I was through security and at my gate, in what may be the fastest airport experience that I’ve ever been through. I grabbed some quick Jack in the Box as it was the cheapest thing in the airport (and we down have them in Canada, and the curly fries are delicious).


After eating, I decided to spend the several hours I had remaining in the San Diego International Airport to simply relax. I made my way back to the gate, popped in some headphones, and watched some more SDCC reveals and trailers (during this time, thinking about how everyone shits all over every DCU film every time one releases, and then again goes ga-ga over each and every new trailer for the next one), scrolled Facebook, and essentially waited in boredom until the plane was finally read to board.

My first stop was Los Angeles, and the Journey there was just about the shortest flight that I’ve ever been on at about 25 minutes (if I remember correctly), the only shorter one being the ~12 seat, 20 minute seaplane flight from downtown Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver. This was a fairly uneventful journey, aside from two things: the lady who was very angry that the cast of Riverdale was seated before her and her child (like, several minutes before… the nerve), and my tooth, which again gave me several painful pops at random times during the flight.

Now that I was in Los Angeles, I had the amazing opportunity to wait another few hours for my final flight to Vancouver. At this point I was feeling pretty hungry yet again, and I grabbed some grub from the crappy Chinese food place inside of the LAX terminal. At the same time, I purchased a Gatorade, which I promptly forgot to bring with me and felt too awkward to go back for. Not my finest moment, but I hope that whoever picked it up got to enjoy it.

During the wait for this flight, I worked on this piece, and potentially had a bit of a nap, before the gate attendants finally began pre-boarding for the last leg of my journey. At this point I could tell that I was getting exhausted, as it annoyed the hell out of me when what seemed like every single passenger got up and attempted to get on the plane during the pre-boarding stage, again at zone one, and again at zone two, despite numerous messages from the crew that you would not be seated until it was your turn. Annoying AF (again, non-ironic usage). As I sit, relax, and finish this paragraph why warnings continue as the airport staff notes that “There seems to be some confusion at the gate, as we are not ready to seat the majority of you yet.”

I hop on the plane, and before I actually watch one of the Netflix items that I’d downloaded (before the plane would land, I’d get through most of The Wave), I took some time to reflect (more on that towards the end of the piece).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6TvhT-okSU

As the plane hit the tarmac, I began to realize just how exhausted I was. I slumped my way off of the plane, through customs (again, just say you’re going to / coming from a comic book convention and security won’t give a shit about you), grabbed my bag (which was checked for free as the plane was so full), and finally made my way outside of the airport. Mikaela waited for me in the lobby, and for the duration of the drive home I perked up and told SDCC stories that I’d forgotten about or that didn’t make it into these journal pieces. Before crashing, I opted to unpack, telling Mikaela that I needed to find my toothbrush, while secretly wanting to give her the WWE Championship fanny pack that was secretly in my bag. This came from the Box of Mystery and Danger, and I knew that she’d find it hilarious due to her love for fanny packs (which I really don’t understand). Also in unpacking, I’d realized that somehow I’d left my Canadian SIM Card in California, meaning that I had at least one important task on my plate the following day.

This Comic-Con felt pretty different, and to this point I’m not really sure why (but it felt mostly positive). Obviously, Shane wasn’t in attendance, and I missed him a lot (this was probably the only negative change vs. previous years), though the toilet did look a lot better after five days than after a few hours with our resident Brony around (say the word, Shane, and I’ll remove that last sentence).

I miss you already.
One thing that was pretty different for me personally was the fact that I was carrying around substantially less gear than I typically do. In past years I’ve used GoPros and mirrorless cameras to shoot Shane running the Assassin’s Creed obstacle courses, or numerous other events. I’ve taken hundreds of photos that wouldn’t see the light of day until months later.  I’ve brought notebook computers and carried them around all day for the off chance that I’d find some working wifi and could get some work done before returning to the hotel. This year I stripped down. I got rid of my computer, picked up an iPad Pro, took photos on my phone, and ended up writing substantially more words, producing more content, and feeling substantially less weighed down than in years gone by. I can’t say that these pieces would have been as in depth or as accurate without these devices and the WordPress app, which meant that while standing in line, grabbing a bite to eat, or waiting to meet up with others, I could continue where I left off, on any device, with just a few taps.

It also felt easier to describe Geekscape this year. Over the past few conventions, with the death of things like our long lost forums (which haven’t felt viable in some years), and the rise (and rise and rise) of what feels like 30,000 other geek culture blogs, we sort of lost our identity somewhere along the way. For the past few years, we’ve been scraping and clawing and trying to hold onto some semblance of what we were, instead of looking towards the future and thinking about what we could be. We’re a little (tiny) player in a world of Inverse’s and Nerdist’s, and it’s simply not viable anymore to focus on things like news when a myriad of other publications have offices with people sitting in desks waiting for the next piece of news to break. Many of us have (multiple) jobs, are going to school, or live in the middle of nowhere. As much as many of us would like to turn this sort of work into a career (and plenty of former Geekscapists have), there are plenty of us that simply love this brand, and want to try to see it grow into the best that it can be.

This year, we started describing ourselves as a podcast network. We’ve grown from one long running show into a handful, all with their own topics, hosts, personalities, and listener bases. There are more, secret shows in the pipeline, and the feedback for all of the podcasts (aside from Geekscape Games’ consistency) has been overwhelmingly positive.

We’re still in the work in progress phases of this transition, but we think it’s definitely the right move for us going forward (and I hope it’s alright that I’m spilling the beans right now). Deciding not to compete in areas where we simply can’t will give our people more time to focus on the things that they’re actually passionate about, podcasts or otherwise. The plan for the written content is not to stop it, but for it to evolve. The growing number of podcasts become the daily content that keeps us looking lively (and that has our listeners becoming connected with the people associated with the brand), which means that people will become more interested in the personal pieces that our writers bring to the table. Natalie sounds super passionate about toys, I’d love to see more personal articles like this from her in the future. Adam’s incredibly passionate about Puyo! Puyo! and I’d love to know why. Is Shane still a card carrying member of the Brony club? Why does Zack want to talk about potatoes so badly? These are all things that I’d love to learn more about because I feel connected with these people, and I think that with time our regular readers will be too. Becoming more personal with what we’re writing is the goal, which is something that I don’t think we see enough of in this industry today. Within these journals, I tried to give some insight into the way that SDCC ebbs and flows for those of you who may not have had an opportunity to experience it, and I also wanted to give everyone a little insight into myself and the way I operate. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about this journal as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you.

This was a great Comic-Con. Jonathan brought some new energy to the brand that I haven’t seen from him in years, and it makes me excited about our potential future in a way that I haven’t been for some time. It was incredible to see fans of Matt’s podcast come up to him just to shake his hand and to let him know how much he enjoyed the show. It was cool to meet and get to know Courtney, and to make a plan to hang out in real life since we live so close together. I had a blast chatting wrestling and being introduced to New Japan by Josh and Magan. It was awesome to reconnect with Zack after not seeing him since Shane nearly killed his cat. Eating dinners as a group at Lolita’s (mmm, burritos) or Horton Plaza and simply trying to catch up (as I feel like I barely saw Adam or Natalie all weekend). These were the best moments, and as fun as being at Comic-Con, checking out the show floor, hitting up parties, panels, and offsites are, these are the things that I’ll remember way down the line. Jonathan said that he started Geekscape in order to make new friends, and I truly appreciate the lifelong friendships that I’ve made, and the people that I’ve gotten to know because of this brand.



#GeekscapeForever

SDCC 2017: Let’s Learn About Monster Hunter: World!

by Natalie Kipper

On the third day of San Diego Comic-Con, July 22, Room 25ABC was abuzz with Monster Hunter news. The room was filled to capacity for the Monster Hunter panel held there. As you might guess from the panel’s timing, the focus was on Capcom’s newly announced game, Monster Hunter: World. Two of the people responsible for the game were present, Producer Ryozo Tsuijimoto as well as the Executive Director and Art Director Kaname Fujioka. Director Yuya Tokuda was still in Japan, hard at work.

Monster Hunter: World has several new features that the panel detailed. But first, we were given a brief overview. The game will have 14 weapon classes, a life-like ecosystem, and expansive, ever-changing terrain. There will be both a single player campaign as well as four-player co-op play. But wait! There are some first for the series related this. The co-op will be cross-regional, meaning you can play with people from around the world. Online drop-in multiplayer is also coming to Monster Hunter: World. So if you are in over your head in a mission, you can get a friend’s help without having to start over.

Let’s talk about the game’s world for a bit. The concept for realistic, living ecosystem was actually conceived 10 years ago. One of the game’s fields, called the Ancient Forest, was used as an example to show how these ecosystems work.

Humidity dictates what plants grow in each section, which in turn draw different herbivores and then their predators. As the hunter goes deeper into the Ancient Forest, more powerful monsters can be found, such as the Great Jagras or the Anjanath (more on these bad boys in a moment). Since Japan doesn’t have much diversity in terms of humidity, the team traveled to Australia and learned more about high humidity plants.

Each monster has its own method of marking its territory, from scratching the barks of trees to spraying some sort of mucus on nearby fauna. One important strategy for hunters to utilize will be to pit monsters against each other, even if it means luring them away from their territory.

Okay, now we get to show off some of the new monsters that hunters will be taking on. First is the Great Jagras. It’s initial design was a bit different from the final product. The first thought was to simply enlarge a normal Jagras, another monster found in the game. This idea was later thrown out.

Next up was the Anjanath. The concept of this monster focused around its powerful (and humongous) jaws. One design added hair, based on the recent study that suggested dinosaurs might have had fur or feathers.

Familiar faces are also getting upgrades. For the Rathalos, quality improvements were incorporated into the appearance of the scales and skin. Its wingspan and skeletal structure were also adjusted to make its movements appear more lifelike.

To study reptilian movement, the development team had a special field trip to a Japanese alligator garden. The research helped them understand more about the creatures’ body weight as well. They took photos from the excursion and scanned them into the games 3D engine. This was part, while beneficial for work, was also for fun.

Monster Hunter: World will feature many graphic upgrades. Players will notice improvements in the fur shading found in Felynes as well as monsters, like the Anjanath, as well as muscle shading seen during movement. Another biggie is translucency, like in the Rathalos’ wings, to help add to the realism.

Returning weapons will have more functionality. Videos for each of the 14 weapon classes will be available in the coming days.

In co-op mode, hunters can send up a signal flare to call for help. Hunters will also be able to utilize their environment like never before. See that rock? Go ahead and climb it, just like you have always dreamed! It is a brave, new world, my friends.

Monster Hunter: World is scheduled to release globally early 2018 for Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day 4 – Breakfast Burgers, Con Flu, And Recording Our Thoughts

by Derek Kraneveldt

Read day 0 here.
Read day one-ish here.
Read day two here.
Read day three here.

I have no idea what time I passed out at last night (or this morning, more likely), but I got up today feeling substantially more awake and energized than I did yesterday. It must have been the litres (gallons? US gallons? Why can’t America be the same as anyone else) of water that I’d consumed as an attempt to feel better.

I did wake up today with a bit of a sunburn on my neck, and at this moment I realized that I haven’t even thought about putting on sunscreen once so far this week. My fiancé packed it for me and everything, it just slipped my mind until it was too late. Now, typically I avoid sunscreen anyways because it feels gross and I don’t like doing things that feel gross, but I swear this isn’t one of those times. I told my fiancé that I had forgotten all about it, and she called bullshit no matter how I tried to save it.

I began to wander around the Gaslamp district in order to find some breakfast. I planned to hit up the Hall of Justice Subway that Jonathan and I ate at a couple of days back, but he texted me to let me know that they were closed on weekends. As I walked by dark restaurant after dark restaurant, I realized that apparently so was everywhere else (or they didn’t open for several more hours). I even went back to the Horton Plaza outdoor mall, as I assumed (incorrectly) that something in the food court would be open at this time. Heading here did, however, help me make up my mind about the Nikki Bella signing, which had a substantially longer line than the Sami Zayn event from days prior, even though you had to buy a specific package to take part in this one.


Somehow, a burger place called All American Burger was the first open locale that I came across, and thankfully the restaurant was nearly empty, meaning that I could walk in without waiting in any lines. Amazing. Do people not want burgers for breakfast? Or is everyone just in the Hall H line so they can see the Marvel reveals later today?

The burger was pretty tasty,  though also pretty expensive (especially factoring in Canada’s worthless dollar), and the coffee was much appreciated.

Tasty, but not $30 tasty.

The show floor was open following breakfast, and I waded through what felt like the most crowded show floor ever (or at least of this week) to make my way back to the booth. Jon was here, and we took the time to record a segment for the post-SDCC episode of the flagship Geekscape podcast. We chatted about Puyo Puyo, our experiences thus far, Sonic Mania, and more, and as we mentioned video games this once again makes Geekscape the number one video game podcast on the network.

We finished this up, and I watched Matt Kelly tell a ~10 year old girl in a princess dress about how the Horror Movie Night shirt he’d been slinging features a ghost with a boner. He also performed some sort of rap shortly afterwards.

Not the ghost boner moment, but not far from it.

I took this as an opportunity to leave the booth and to walk a bit more of the show floor. I headed towards Artist’s Alley in search of a print for my dad. In previous years he’s sent with with some cash, and I’ve added some cash of my own (as a birthday present) to get him a commission from a neat artist. This year I’m so broke that this just can’t happen, so I need to find something cool as a consolation prize.

I’m also in search of a cool looking Deadpool cosplay to take a photo of. One of my friend’s kids is a huge Deadpool fan (doesn’t he know that Deadpool isn’t for kids?) and asked me to snap a photo of one for him. Naturally, prior to this request I saw a myriad of them, but following the request I’ve yet to see a single one (even while legimately searching for one). Lame.

After some walking around, I decide to head across the road to the Petco Interactive Zone. Here, there are installations for things like IT, some sort of game called Recoil, photo ops for Game of Thrones, Luke Cage and more, some sort of World of Warcraft ice cream, and more. The lines for everything here were pretty long, and I was beginning to feel a bit off (could the con flu be coming on?) so I decided to head out without experiencing any of the content.

I took a walk around the outside of Petco Park to witness just how far the line for the upcoming Impractical Jokers Block Party stretched around the park, and it was nearly all the way. I’m talking thousands of people waiting to get in to experience the White Castle food truck, Sumo Wrestling, and other odd activities.

It’s hard to tell from this photo, but it was one of the longest lines I’d seen this year.

I wandered back up to the convention centre, went upstairs to see if Ballroom 20 had a lineup at this time as there was a The Simpsons panel here that sounded pretty interesting (it did, a very, very long one), and just sat down in the hall to get some writing done. At this point in the day I’m feeling pretty ill (I should have consumed more Emergen-C in the past few days), and instead of wanting to do anything else at the convention centre at this time, I kind of just want to have a nap.

I decided to sit down for a little while, and found an area outside of a panel room that wasn’t too packed. I continued to feel more and more nauseous, and as I knew nearly nothing that had been announced at Comic-Con thus far, I decided to scroll some news feeds. I watched a bad-ass first trailer for Ready Player One (I need to read the book again before the film comes out), the fantastic first full trailer for Stranger Things 2, and learned that Todd McFarlane was directing a new Spawn movie for Blumhouse.

At this point I was fading fast, and decided that I needed to grab some food and head back to the hotel to chill for awhile. I made my way back up to the Horton Plaza which at this point seemed like the only affordable food in the area, and ended up getting another round of Panda Express in before my long trip back to Canada the next day. I figured that I should buy something to augment the free things that I’d obtained thus far, so I made my daily round through the WWE FYE Pop-Up Shop (read all about it right here) and settled on some Bayley Gummy Bears and a The New Day Water Bottle. It was a cool $16 total, which seemed fine until I realized that I’d just spent more than $10 Canadian on Gummy Bears.

I arrived back at the Westin, gave my fiancé a quick call, and then napped for an hour or so. This was probably the best decision I’d made all day, as I woke up feeling pretty damned refreshed, and substantially less nauseous than I did previously. When I awoke, there was a notification from Expedia on my phone letting me know that I could now check in for my flight back to Vancouver. This reminded me that this year’s journey would soon be coming to an end.

At this point it was about 5:45PM, and I was under the impression that we’d be recording Geekscape Games in the morning, so I didn’t think that I’d have an opportunity to hit the show floor again after today. I opted to take a quick Lyft back to the convention centre so that I could have as much time as possible (the driver, Marcia, was very interested in what I’d experienced at the convention thus far). Here, I walked through Artist’s Alley once more, adoring all of the art that I couldn’t afford, walked by the weird hentai grab brags and missed Shane once again, and once again tried for a Stranger Things hat for Mikaela (no go, sorry sweetie). The convention floor closed, and we all booked it to Rockin’ Baha for one last dinner together (making 2017 the first year that I was able to experience the mango/pineapple salsa twice).

Matt, Courtney, and I made our way back to the hotel and decided to hit up the whirlpool as a means to relieve our aching feet. On our way back, Matt spotted a Deadpool without a mask. I noted that “Without a mask he’s useless to me,” to which Matt yelled “Yo Deadpool put your mask on for a second.” It worked, and I got the shot for my friend. I never would have asked him myself, so I guess thanks are in order.

At this point we had decided that we’d actually record a Geekscape Games podcast tonight, as some events ended up being booked for Sunday morning. Josh was unable to join due to an impromptu Michelle Branch (and not Sarah McLaughlin) concert, Adam was at a Sonic Mania, and Shane didn’t come to Comic-Con, so we invited Matt to be our third (especially as we’d mostly be talking about Comic-Con rather than video game news).

In the whirlpool, we met a guy who was in charge of designing Hot Wheels for Mattel. He noted that he’d worked in the auto industry for over a decade before getting a random call from Mattel, and that he took the job as it sounded like a fun departure. He told us a story about designing cars for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, noting that he’d designed a car based on a really cool character who ended up barely present in the final cut, and how weird it ended up being for a toy like this to come out when nobody would care (or even be familiar with) the character. Matt took the lead on the conversation (it kind of sounded like he was trying to take this guy home too), and he certainly had some incredibly interesting stories to tell.

Upon returning to the hotel room, we found Gui asleep meaning that this nice, quiet location was no longer an option. We ended up going downstairs and using the outdoor patio, which was quiet for the most part (aside from the occasional ambulance, musical pedicab, or train). Matt, Courtney, and I chatted about our favourite moments of the convention (this was Courtney’s first convention ever), things we were looking forward to tomorrow, the future of Geekscape, and much more. This was a really neat episode for me to be a part of, as it felt a little more in depth and personal than what we typically record. I’ll update this piece with the link to the episode as soon as Shane posts it (and works his audio magic as we did not use a monitor this time around).

Echoing what I said yesterday, I feel like I only just arrived, and it’s crazy to me that tomorrow afternoon all of this is coming to an end. I’ve shared a lot of great stories and laughs, and have had some deeper serious moments at this convention, not to mention all of the neat actually convention related things that I’ve been able to do. I’m not done with my family here just yet, and at this point I don’t want to go.

As I finish this piece, I’m the last one awake in the room. This is the last night that I’ll hear Jonathan’s insomnia-inducing snores until next year’s Comic-Con, and soon the wonderful face to face conversations that I’ve been having with everyone will again be relegated to text (or podcast, if I’m lucky). This is pretty sad, as I’m just not ready to say goodbye to these people. I wish I had a few more non Comic-Con days to spend with these folks once the insanity settles down, and on previous years, I would have.

In any case, I’m truly grateful that I got to spend some time with these people at all. I once again feel a closeness to them that was substantially weaker when I arrived, and it reminded me of how important these relationships are to me, and also of just how much these people care about me. I hope that I can take these thoughts and feelings home with me, and continue what we once again started here from afar (also Courtney lives pretty close to me, so I could totally see her for real).

It’s still hard to believe that there can be this many people in one place.

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day Two – Meditation, Renee Young, And Still No Mango Salsa

by Derek Kraneveldt

Read day 0 here.
Read day one-ish here.

I slept so freaking well last night.

It was a pretty relaxed evening as you may have read in yesterday’s piece. I turned in at about 12:30 AM after putting on the finishing touches to that article, and between the T3, melatonin, earplugs, and exhaustion, I passed out nearly right away.

Because of those glorious, orange ear phalluses, I barely recall hearing any snoring whatsoever. It was Bobby Roode level glorious, and I woke up far more energized this morning than I did yesterday. I did’t set an alarm, as I figured I’d simply wake up when the sun rose (it was pretty gloomy in the morning so it wasn’t actually that bright). I started stirring around 8AM when Matt was preparing to leave the hotel, and (I think) when someone started singing some sort of improvised Puyo Puyo theme song, which is bound to become this Con’s DANGANRONPA or SPRING BREAK chant.

Matt and Zack left the room while Jonathan and I got ready for our day. I showered, cleaned up, and took my sweet, sweet antibiotics. We were about to leave to grab breakfast when Jonathan realized that he hadn’t completed his daily meditation session (which is something that’s become pretty important to him since I saw him last Comic-Con. He invited me to partake – meditation is not something that I’ve ever tried or really thought about before, and today’s session was far along in a chapter with a specific goal, but I joined in. It was an interesting, relaxing experience that I enjoyed more than I though I would, and as Jonathan explained the purpose around the process, along with what it means and what it’s doing for him, it became something that I would love to explore and experience more of when I return home (which I’m sure is something that my fiancé will love).

Jonathan and I went to 7-Eleven to have a quick Chiller Club reunion (my first Chiller in more than a year, and I definitely had forgotten how tasty, sugary, and addicting they are). We then hit up a secret Subway that was super dead and right across the street from our hotel (the steak, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich is to die for). I took a quick look at Facebook, and naturally my Facebook memory for the day was a picture of mango salsa from a couple of years back. Why must you torture me like this?


The floor was about to open just as we finished eating, so we began the walk back to the convention centre, and into the BELLY OF THE BEAST (the San Diego crowds, not the Steven Seagal classic). Here, we learned that a year after everyone was expecting Pokemon Go‘s first legendary creature to drop, Niantic revealed that at the ongoing Pokemon Go celebration in Chicago, attendees will have the very first opportunity to claim a legendary bird. Pretty freaking cool. We chatted about the game and how it’s changed, and the conversation alone made me want to jump back into the game after a substantial period of not even opening the app.

We did a quick tour of the crowded show floor before making our way back to the booth, where the BOX OF MYSTERY AND DANGER (where attendees could earn their way to free stuff, or potential death) had found itself refilled with even more Loot Crate swag care of Natalie. I grabbed a couple of pairs of themed socks (Optimus Prime for myself, Superman for my dad, who’s a big fan and even has a Batman/Superman logo tattooed on his arm).

I split up from Matt and Jonathan and headed upstairs. It was approaching 11AM and I wanted to be sure that I could attend the WWE and Mattel panel at 1PM. I thought that I should grab a coffee to keep my energy up, so I ordered a Cold Brew from one of the local Starbucks kiosks. I walked away before taking a sip and then realizing it was a Raspberry Iced Tea instead. I planned to go back so that I could get my sweet, sweet caffeine fix, but I couldn’t find the damned kiosk again.

I jumped in the back of the line for Room 5AB, where the WWE Panel would be taking place in just a couple of hours.

Naturally, there were still a couple of panels to go before then, starting with a panel called ‘Wonderstruck: From Page to Screen with Brian Selznick’. Going in, I knew nothing of Wonderstruck or Selznick. Pretty quickly, however, I realized that Selznick wrote the book that the Martin Scorseze film Hugo was based on (a film that I freaking loved, and haven’t seen in way too many years). Selznick moderated the panel, which took us through his stories writing the book, the experience of it being made into a film, and giving us a behind the scenes look at the Amazon Studios adaptation of another one of his bestsellers, Wonderstruck, which was directed by Academy Award Nominee Todd Haynes, and looks like a very, very beautiful film. Selznick noted that Amazon was even able to finish up the film’s first trailer preceding the panel, and he debuted it for those in attendance. The trailer solidified my interest in the film, and I can’t wait to watch it when it debuts later this year.

The final panel before the WWE / Mattel presentation was called ‘Sherlock Comics With Stephen Moffat’, during which showrunner and writer Stephen Moffat chatted with the audience about the Sherlock manga and mostly just reminded me that I need to freaking watch Sherlock. I spent some of this panel working on some other pieces (like my expanded thoughts on The Tick Takeover event here), but the amount of passionate Sherlock manga fans was pretty incredible. Also a lot of that artwork is pretty bad-ass, and it’s amazing just how much some of it looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. The Q&A question that received the most fanfare was definitely when a fan asked if we’d ever see any crossover manga with Doctor Who, to which Moffat replied that he’s only in charge of one property, and he begged and pleaded to the Doctor Who show runner, who simply said no.

The panel ended, the room cleared, I got a seat as close as I could, and then it was finally time for the WWE panel that I’d been waiting all morning for. This was more interesting to me than the Hall H panels that I’d visited last year, and almost any of the offsite events that I’ve had an opportunity to visit over the past five years. This is something that I’ve become super passionate about over the past 18 or so months, and to see these athletes that I spend so many hours watching each month in a setting such as this was worth the trip alone.

I’ll have a whole write-up on the panel in the coming day or so, but it was truly incredible to see just how passionate all of the fans were. For some of the superstars, it was their first visit to SDCC, and they all looked honoured to be a part of this presentation.

The hour flew right by (probably aided by me typing as fast as I could as a means to be able to write as much about the event as possible) and at its closure, before the superstars exited, they thanked the fans for helping them get to where they are today. The superstars spoke of their favourite career moments so far and what they still hope to accomplish, about the most meaningful advice given to them as they rose through the ranks, Brie talked about being a new mom and wanting to return to the ring, while Nikki revealed that her neck issues aren’t completely gone, and why we haven’t seen her in the ring since Wrestlemania.


People began to clear the room, and I attempted to approach the stage as a means to get a few closer photos for my write-up. The crowd made getting anywhere near the superstars pretty tough, but Renee Young, who is incredibly charismatic, and who I may (possibly) favour over much of the in-ring talent (male or female), was kind enough to stop for a photo. I was so excited for this. I don’t often become star struck these days after years of doing this kind of stuff, but in this moment, I did. It’s sure to be a convention highlight for me for years to come. Also, #SaveTalkingSmack.


Once the panel finished up and I could make my way out of the room (on the way I ran into Noelle Foley who was not a part of the panel, but was apparently there watching). Turns out that there was a signing with much (if not all) of the talent from the panel at the Mattel booth immediately following, but by the time I got in line there were substantially more people around than the alloted time would have allowed.

I left the lineup and quickly checked in with the Geekscape booth before headed to the Wired Cafe for a couple of beverages and some snacks. While in the tiny lineup to check-in, a DirecTV (who is sponsoring the cafe this year) employee took the opportunity to ask if I was familiar with the service. “I’m from Canada,” I answered. “Sorry,” he responded.

So no, I am not overly familiar with DirecTV.

Many of the booths at this year’s cafe were themed after upcoming AT&T (they make TV now?) series Mr. Mercedes. The bar had some themed cocktails, there was a neat wall made up of smartphones and tablets that were all playing in-sync footage, there was a stand offering themed, frozen treats, and there was a booth that was printing Mr. Mercedes themed t-shirts (which I definitely snagged one of). Also, while last year’s one-day Wired Cafe had a lineup around what seemed to be the entire hotel, this time around it’s again expanded to three days, and I was able to walk in with less than two minutes of waiting. Thanks again to Wired for hosting us, as it’s a great opportunity to get in some conversation, some food, and some beverages off of the show floor and away from the incredibly long lineups.

Shane would have loved this guy.
I stayed at the Wired Cafe briefly before heading to the Hotel Palomar for a special reveal of J!NX and Hot Topic’s upcoming Fall Collection, and to have a couple of drinks and some fucking delicious tacos. I’m not sure what was on it, but it was salty as hell and the meat tasted amazing (and went really, really well with a Dos Equis. I took a look at the Fall lineup, which had some neat, subtle t-shirt and long sleeve designs, a cool bomber jacket, and a lot of really, really soft cotton. It was a neat, small event, and it certainly made me excited to check out the lineup when it hits Hot Topic this Fall.

There wasn’t a lot going on at this point. Courtney and I decided to meet up at the Wired Cafe for a drink. On the way here, I saw an amazing Syfy sponsored drum line that was playing theme songs from a myriad of old cartoons (and even some Star Wars tracks). Courtney became associated with the brand when I was in a bit of a hiatus, and at this point we hadn’t really talked one on one. I was curious to know what she was into, how she became a part of Geekscape, and more about who she is as a person. It was great to have a one on one conversation with her, and to get to know a little more about her life outside of Geekscape Games. She lives just a couple of hours South of me too, and I think it’d be cool to meet up again in person outside of the hustle and bustle of SDCC.

We hung out at the Wired Cafe until it shut down, and then made our way back to the booth to reconnect with Jonathan and Zack. The Box of Mystery and Danger was almost empty at this point, and we met up with some cool con-goers that came by the booth (like Skip, the 60+ year old Scuba Instructing Dr. Evil cosplayer). It was great to finally have a seat, to charge my phone, and to make plans to have some dinner with the Geekscape family. Would I finally get my Rockin’ Baha? Read on to find out!

No. No I would not get my Rockin’ Baha.

There were apparently plans to grab some grab some quick food, and then to potentially go swimming at the hotel pool as most of us are planning for a bit of an earlier night, as were all fairly exhausted from walking around, talking, shilling podcasts at the booth, and the San Diego heat to do much more this evening.

Naturally, Matt Kelly tried to hit on more girls and invite them to the hotel pool. He struck out again, unfortunately (though he did get a hug out of the deal). But man do I admire his effort.

As we left the convention centre and began walking in the general direction of the hotel, we passed a Hooter’s restaurant. Someone made a joke about going there to eat, and I noted that I’d never been before so I didn’t know anything about the experience. Matt noted that the experience was “feeling like a creep and eating half-assed food,” to which I replied “So a day in the life of Shane O’Hare?”

I miss you, Shane.

We ended up back at Horton Plaza, and I intended to go for another round of Panda Express. It turns out that they were pretty close to closing for the night, they had a bunch of old looking food in the warmers, and they were completely out of Orange Chicken. I quickly exited and went to Steak Escape instead, where I grabbed some sort of Philly Cheese Steak sandwich that also had bacon on it, and Matt was pretty quick to tell me that the sandwich was totally inauthentic. He also said something about how where he’s from, people just order ‘Wit’ and the restaurant knows exactly what they’re talking about. Weird shit.

The hotel pool closed at 10PM, and we made it back to the hotel just before 9:30. The rest of the group opted to head up to the pool for 30 minutes, while I instead opted to finish up a couple of articles (like my thoughts on The Tick Takeover and the WWE Pop-Up Shop, along with the one you’re reading now), and give my fiancé a call now that she’d be finished work for the evening.

Josh and Megan put on some New Japan wrestling (which I’ve never watched before and was actually really cool) and Zack passed the hell out pretty much immediately. It’s 11:30 now, possibly the earliest that I’ve ever turned in on a San Diego Comic-Con evening, and I’m beyond ready to turn in for the evening to do it all again tomorrow.

Yeah, the floor was substantially busier today.

SDCC 2017: Amazon’s ‘The Tick Takeover’ Offsite Event Was A Fantastic Way To Open The Week!

by Derek Kraneveldt

I’ve already touched on the experience during yesterday’s long form journal piece, but the event was a serious convention highlight and deserves some recognition of its own.

The offsite event will draw you in with the gigantic, moving Tick antennae, gorgeous artwork, the whirring of fans, and the temporary market, but there’s so much more to see and do here that I could definitely see attendees spending a ton of time at the offsite.

The first part of the installation was an awesome Amazon Prime Member Lounge. Here, you could grab yourself some wireless headphones and experience The Tick pilot almost a month before the show hits the streaming service. There were comfy couches to chill out on, cold water was available for those in attendance, and the tables featured all of the most popular phone charges so that you could juice up your phone while you relaxed. The outside of the lounge featured giant (like 20 foot tall) Tick antennae, where those inside the lounge could control the expression that the antennae were making. There were also giant blue fans all around the area, as an attempt to keep you cool in the hot, dry San Diego heat. It was much appreciated, and certainly had me far more comfortable and willing to watch the pilot than I would have been with the sun bearing down on me. Throughout the lounge there were stations where you could scan your RFID bracelet and do The Tick trivia, and when you exited the lounge you were treated to a cool swag bag that included a Tick hat, iPhone case, bottle of water, antennae, and more.

During the experience in the Member Lounge, Matt and I made a poor attempt to livestream everything that was going on. Check it out below (I really sold it to you, didn’t I?).

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604323786908/

Next (after waiting for everyone else to catch up and potentially watching Matt hit on yet another girl) our group went through a The Tick / AEGIS themed competitive experience. Here Arthur said the he needed our help finding clues through several environments that are important to the show, including Goat’s Deli, Arthur’s Apartment, The Warehouse, and The City Police Station. We had four minutes in the first few rooms room, and in each there we a series of RFID scanners that you were supposed to activate as slyly as possible, as the experience has you competing with the rest of the attendees in the room. Once you’re done competing, you scan your bracelet once more to find out what kind of hero you are, and in the final room you have the opportunity to choose from several customizable Tick themed items (I went for a baseball tee), and even create a short gif of yourself in a heroic pose. Here’s another Facebook Live of Matt and I going through this part of the experience.

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604366781908/

Amazon also notes that “During their adventures at SDCC, Citizens will be able to call upon the #TeamTick street team for help when they are in a bind. Need help with that selfie? Have a painful blister? Have no fear… Team Tick is here! In true Tick form, Team Tick will be taking to the streets of San Diego helping the helpless and defending the defenseless. Citizens seeking assistance from the street team need only flag down a member of Team Tick, adorned with blue antenna, to get help for their distress.”

The experience itself was just as well done as the Thunderbirds / The Man In The High Castle event from last year’s convention, but it felt a lot more interactive, and that made it more fun as well.

I anticipate that due to the quality of the experience, lines will be pretty long (though it’s San Diego Comic-Con… there are long lines for the bathroom). Amazon is betting big on The Tick, and from what I saw of the pilot yesterday, for good reason.

If you can make it happen, I’d implore you to make some time for The Tick Takeover. The event is open to the public Thursday, July 20th through Saturday, July 22nd from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday, July 23rd from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm at the MLK Promenade (corner of 1st and J street).

Take a look at a few more photos from the event below, and let us know if you plan to attend!

SDCC 2017: Confessions Of A Con Virgin

by Courtney Dossett

People always seem really surprised when I tell them I’ve never been to a convention. “Really?! But you’re such a nerd, I thought you’d be a pro!”.

My nerdness does include a lot of nerdy things, but they tend towards science geek and bookworm. I’ve been more inclined to save money to go explore places with history, aquariums and zoos rather than being a sardine in a building. Oh and that’s another thing, I hate crowds.

So why am I at San Diego Comic-Con? Because it makes me uncomfortable.  Because it’s forcing me to do something new. Because, scientifically, if i decide the result before trying the experiment, that’s not really science.

So what new scary things has Courtney faced since landing on Tuesday?

1. New people

I’ve never been to San Diego, and before planning this trip, I didn’t know anyone there. I’ve also never actually met any of the Geekscape crew (other than Shane) other than communicating online. Which totally ramped up my anxiety.

2. Crowds

I grew up in Alaska. We have like 10 square miles per person. If there are more than 3 people in an aisle at Fred Meyer’s, I get panicky and disoriented and end up leaving the store.

Comic con crowds are so much worse. Preview night was just a taste. I bumped into so many people and apologized so often I could give Derek a run for his money. Personal space doesn’t exist.

3. I have no idea what I’m doing

I like having lots of advanced planning and a rough idea of what I’m doing for a trip, and this one just seems like a black hole of unknowns.

4. My handicap

I have a chronic illness that causes a lot of pain and fatigue, which means I usually limit my physical activity. So walking around for 10 hours a day seems super daunting.

Despite all this, I came to Comic-Con. I’m working on overcoming all these crazy things that now seem kinda unimportant. Let’s see where the week takes me.

SDCC 2017: FYE’s WWE Pop-Up Shop Is A Fan’s Wet Dream!

by Derek Kraneveldt

As I mentioned in yesterday’s SDCC 2017 journal, for the past year and a half or so I’ve been in love with professional wrestling. At this point I’ve spent way, way too much on merchandise (and I only don’t have a replica title or Money in the Bank briefcase because my fiancé won’t let me… and also I can’t afford it, but mostly the first one), been to every live show that’s been near me at this point (and have made plans to head to a reasonably distanced PPV whenever the next one comes around), and have forced my fiancé to re-watch way too many matches or match finishes after she’s fallen asleep through them.

It’s just really compelling television, with larger than life characters, and some incredible athleticism. It’s like sports with story, and that’s why I’m into it.

WWE merchandise is expensive as hell in Canada. Even with items on sale, the official WWE Shop usually has a pretty high cost to ship to the great white north, and you’ll also be charged some pretty hefty duty on top of it. To this point, I haven’t acually ordered anything from the online store, as once you add all of your wanted items to the basked, you’ll be pretty shocked at that total cost.

Naturally, all of this means that I was excited as hell to learn that FYE would be opening up a WWE Pop-Up Shop in Horton Plaza throughout the week of SDCC.

FYE has another, general merchandise store in the same plaza just across the way, but this store is adorned in WWE superstars on the outside, and only sells WWE merchandise on the inside.

After two attempts yesterday (they weren’t open yet on the first go ’round, and I ran out of time before another event on the second attempt), I finally made it in when the store hosted a Sami Zayn signing and photo opportunity.

As I said in the title of the post, this place is a freaking wet dream for WWE fans. It features a ton of neat shirts, replica titles, and a myriad of other merch that I wasn’t even aware existed.

It’s amazing. If you’re in San Diego, the store will be hosting a Nikki Bella signing on Saturday (purchase required for this one), and is open from 9AM-10PM each day of the convention so that you have lots of time to go and spend your sweet, sweet cash.

Here are some photos of the inside of the store (and mostly the merch it sells). Let us know if you plan to check it out!

4

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day One-Ish, Ticks, Triple Potatoes

by Derek Kraneveldt

We finally turned in last night (this morning) at about 1AM. I was exhausted from a long day and ready to crash, and it wasn’t more than a few moments before I… realized that sleeping wasn’t going to happen because Jonathan snores so. fucking. loudly.

Like I’ve been around some loud sleepers before (Nathan Miller, I’m looking at you), but whatever is erupting from Jonathan’s mouth, throat, lungs, or wherever the hell snoring comes from sounded freaking angry, and it wanted the rest of the world to know it.

This isn’t a new realization by any means, but it’s been a year, and sleep noises aren’t something that I generally think of on a daily basis (though at this point I wish that they were). The hours crawl by, the melatonin isn’t working, and my mouth is beginning to throb (tooth pain, if you remember yesterday’s piece), and it’s only at this moment that I remember that my lovely fiancé (who pretty much packed everything for me and by pretty much I mean absolutely) also put earplugs in my carry-on.

They look like carrots or DOTS, but they are so much more useful.

I am so thankful for those earplugs. I can’t express that enough.

6AM rolls around, and I sadly decline attending the San Diego November Project workout because my mouth is feeling pretty rough this morning… and because I’m embarrassed at how out of shape I let myself become since my last visit to San Diego (mostly this). Instead, I opt to get up, shower, and take some more painkillers. Woo.

Speaking of Woo. Wrestling. It’s been about a year and a half since I (who hadn’t watched professional wrestling since I was a small boy) thought “Let’s check out this WWE Network thing,” and I’ve been more than hooked ever since. In the past ten months, I’ve been to two NXT Live and two WWE Live shows, and I’m just itching for the next TV taping to hit somewhere near me. Hell, we had a John Cena blanket pinned up on our wall for way too long after Wrestlemania (it was purchased as a Wrestlemania decoration), and I got more creative with Wrestlemania themed snacks than I’ve been for basically anything else in my entire life… which is pretty sad.

Today marks one year since the WWE Draft, in which the Raw and Smackdown rosters were split up, and it’s crazy to think of just how many things have changed over that year (and how much things continue to evolve). Smackdown went live (and became the better show), Kurt Angle has an illegitimate son, the Hardy Boyz came back (and are still teasing becoming obsolete and broken), Bayley made the main roster and has been all but buried, Goldberg came back (and had a really good feud with Brock and some amazing promos), the Wrestlemania stage got fucking HUGE, Breezango became a thing, Talking Smack became a thing (and is sadly no longer a thing – sign the petition), the next WWE video game is coming to Nintendo consoles, Enzo and Cass broke up, DIY broke up, The Usos are cool now, people consistently boo Roman but love his feuds and matches, and a ton of other shit that I can’t remember right now. But it’s been great, and is consistently (most of the time) really, really enjoyable television. You should give it a shot (free trial)!

Matt Kelly just finished a level of some ‘Toy Blast’ shit that he’s been stuck on for four days. He seems pretty stoked. Way to go, Matt.

Matt and I eventually grabbed breakfast at a small cafe near our hotel after we failed to find the Horton Plaza which we were actually looking for (the bacon was a little too crispy for my liking, but the cold brew was tasty). He asked the server about Comic-Con, and at this point I wasn’t sure if he was really bad at hitting on girls, or really good at pushing our booth.

As soon as we left the cafe, we realized that we were both terrible at navigating, and the Horton Plaza was directly across the street from where we just ate. Our ulterior motive for heading here was to check out the WWE / FYE Pop-Up shop that’s been set up for the weekend. Matt went into the store yesterday and said that it was incredible (and incredibly dangerous as I’m already on a very limited budget and am a level seven susceptible when it comes to merchandise). Sadly, the store hadn’t quite opened for the day, so I could only look at the cool graphics on the outside. There’s a Sami Zayn signing there later today however, so I’ll definitely be back.


Before headed to the convention centre to set up the booth, we all watched a lower than low budget horror called Serial. It’s up there among the worst movies that I’ve ever seen, but it was hilarious watching it with the gang in the hotel room, who all spent more time making fun of the movie than actually watching it. I especially loved the ‘This film would have been rated R” warning at the beginning.

We all made our way to the convention centre to set up the booth (#3919, as usual), and so that I could collect my badge. In previous years, badge pick up was on the main floor, and that seemed to go pretty smoothly most of the time (at least for the brief periods each year when I was waiting). This year things moved up to the Sails Pavillion (which is upstairs and (possibly) only accessible through the convention centre. It seemed as though there was a lot of confusion here, as an employee pointed me towards Entrance D, where the employee told me to go to Entrance C, where the employee told me to go to Entrance A, where the employee told me to go to Entrance C, where they finally let me in and upstairs. In any case, I got my badge, my bag (Arrow this year, though one of the shoulder straps ripped almost immediately), yearly The Walking Dead lanyard, and this year certain passes even get a neat commemorative box to keep this and previous badges in.
Next, I walked a little bit of the show floor as a lot of the major booths were still being set up. Once I got to the booth we finished setting things up, I perused the freebie box (thanks Lootcrate) and took all of the coolest stuff (well, coolest to me), and then Matt and I catalogued the t-shirt inventory, where I got my first glimpse of the newest Geekscape t-shirt design (which may be the coolest one yet). I can’t wait to wear it.

Matt and I grabbed some Panda Express (which I’d never had before and was freaking delicious) with the intention of actually entering the WWE pop up show afterwards. We took our time eating, talking podcasts and other things that I’ve already forgotten before realizing that we needed to rush to our first appointment of the weekend – a press preview of Amazon’s activation for the upcoming The Tick series.

The first part of the installation was a neat Amazon Prime lounge. Here, you could grab yourself some wireless headphones and experience The Tick pilot almost a month before the show hits the streaming service. There were comfy couches to chill out on, water was available, and the tables featured all of the popular phone charges so that you could juice up your phone while you relaxed. The outside of the lounge featured giant Tick antennae, where those inside the lounge could control the expression that the antennae were making. There were also giant blue fans all around the area, as an attempt to keep you semi cool in the hot, dry San Diego heat. It was much appreciated. Throughout the lounge there were stations where you could scan your RFID bracelet and do The Tick trivia, and when you exited the lounge you were treated to a cool swag bag that included a Tick hat, iPhone case, bottle of water, antennae, and more.

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604323786908/

Next (after waiting for everyone else to catch up and potentially watching Matt hit on another girl) our group went through a The Tick / AEGIS themed experience. Here Arthur said the he needed our help finding clues through two environments. We had four minutes in each room, the first being a sort of office, and the second resembling a warehouse. There we a series of RFID scanners that you were supposed to activate as slyly as possible, as you’re competing with the rest of the attendees in the room. Once you’re done this, you scan your bracelet once more to find out what kind of hero you are. In the final room you can also choose a customizable Tick themed item (I went for a baseball tee), and even create a short gif of yourself in a heroic pose. We Facebook Live’d a lot of this experience, which you can take a look at below!

https://www.facebook.com/GeekscapeDotNet/videos/10155604366781908/

The activation was a great way to kick off Comic-Con. It was as well done, and probably more fun than Amazon’s Thunderbirds / The Man in the High Castle installation from last year, and the amount of stuff that we received at the end of the experience was pretty insane. I anticipate these goodies to go fast, and the lines for this activation to be incredibly long. What we saw of the pilot is looking pretty cool, and it’s pretty clear that Amazon is betting hard on The Tick. I really can’t wait to see more.

Once the installation finished, Matt and I split up. He went to help finish up with the booth and open it up, and I went to stand in line at the WWE pop-up shop for a Sami Zayn signing. The line was pretty huge at this point (the lineup had already started when Matt and I were eating here a couple of hours earlier), and there was a cool little kid beside me who was super into Sami Zayn and was freaking out for the whole 90+ minutes that I waited in line.

Of course, before we could even get into this signing, the staff at FYE were tempting us for the next one. Nikki Bella is signing here on Saturday morning, and the store is selling a cool VIP package guaranteeing entry, which also included a Nikki Bella POP!, shirt, and hat. It’s going to be tough not to go for that.

The line actually moved pretty quickly, and the staff (especially Jim) were super friendly and helpful. Sami was super nice, signed and personalized a photo, and one of the FYE staff members took a photo of you with Sami at the table. It was a cool experience, and I’ll probably (definitely) be back on Saturday for the Nikki Bella signing, which I’m sure will have an even bigger crowd (Sami’s line got pretty freaking long).

As cool as it was getting the photo, I do wish that the folks in charge of photo ops at any event would be slightly aware that composition is pretty important when taking a photo. I also wish that I was a bit more photogenic, but of course there isn’t a lot that the photographer could have done about that.


Once I finished up at the WWE Pop Up Shop (more on that later), I made my way back to the convention centre just after the floor opened, meaning that I didn’t have to stand in the heat, and I was able to walk right in. The floor was open from 6-9PM for preview night, and I spent much of that time at the booth (#3919 all weekend if you’re around), chatting with attendees, reuniting with Zack Haddad, and having a blast overall. I jumped out of the booth a couple of times in order to check out a certain booth or see what sort of exclusives were up for grabs, but, with this being my fifth year in a row at SDCC, I almost feel done with the shoulder to shoulder crowds.

This isn’t even that busy.

Throughout the opening hours, we saw some pretty cool cosplay, sold some shirts (I got my hands on one of the new designs as well), made some new fans, and gave away a ton of shit (with way, way more to come). I got a ‘Too Sweet’ from a dude that liked my Wrestlemania t-shirt (which I nearly didn’t buy last year for like $1 at Hot Topic), and we almost closed down the booth, packed it all up, and went home following  the best cosplay in the world. This adorable little girl was dressed as Eleven from Stranger Things, and when we asked if we could take her photo, she threw her hand in the air long before we could ask her to do a pose. It was freaking amazing.

We can all go home. She wins.

Soon, the floor closed and it was time to go and eat. I was itching for some Rockin’ Baha as I haven’t had a chance to experience their incredible mango salsa yet this year (it’s tradition), but instead we ended up pushing a couple of tables together at Lolita’s Mexican restaurant, and ate some great food, had some great conversation, and were probably way too damned loud.

Courtney couldn’t handle a Geekscape dinner.

We finished up, and began to make our way back to our hotel (as it’s nearly midnight at this point). Zack talked about all of the neatest spots and best food around the Gaslamp Quarter (including an Alice In Wonderland themed bar), and somehow Matt Kelly ended up telling me all about how much he loves potatoes, and how at a certain restaurant that he would often go to as a child, he’d usually order mashed potatoes, a baked potato, and cream of potato soup. That’s a lot of freaking potato.

My feet hurt like hell, my mouth is starting to throb again, and I’m freaking exhausted (at least I’ll remember earplugs right away tonight), but today was a fantastic time. At this point, more than anything on the floor, anything that I’ve seen, or anything that I’ve had the chance to do thus far, it’s just been amazing hanging out with these people and beginning to feel like myself again. It’s been some time since I’ve had this much fun, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.