Ben Kendrick

A little late posting this week but... we've run all the entries into the giveaway and FrankCastle1969 is our week 3 winner! In addition to the $40 gift card, we'll also be profiling each of our winners - so that we can all get to know eachother a bit better, share recommendations, etc! If you'd like to participate in this week's giveaway, you can review the rules here. Our next winner will be announced next Tuesday! Without further ado, here's all about FrankCastle1969! What was the first thing that got you into geek culture? I grew up in the 70s, so there was the Spider Man and Marvel cartoons, and the Super Friends cartoons. And then of course Star Wars and the live action Marvel TV Shows. If you had to pick ONE franchise to rep forever, what’s your pick? Why? Probably Marvel as I have collected comics for years and am a big fan. What game, show, comic, movie are you totally into right now? I finished Alien Earth recently and it blew me away. What’s something you love that doesn’t get enough hype? I thought the Daredevil movie with Ben Affleck was not given enough love. I thought it was really good and it did not hurt to have a cameo from Frank Miller (which are among my favorite comics of all time- His run on Daredevil) Which character would 100% be your friend in real life? Hawkeye What’s the most unforgettable geek moment you’ve ever had? Meeting Lou Ferrigno (unless meeting Axl and Slash from Guns N Roses counts, before they were famous)

Got back from a Predator: Badlands screening and it’s one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen all year. And I hope people make it out to the theater to see it. Projections look low so far because the box office is pretty weak lately. Marco dug it too: https://comicbook.com/movies/review/predator-badlands-review-dan-trachtenberg-proves-hes-the-right-person-to-lead-the-franchise/ What’d you think?

I liked the first couple movies but the later ones slid off the rails I think. I am also interested to see how they walk that line - because I do think there’s potential for it to backfire if they go too far in either direction.

Scarlet Witch had better have a re-re-redemption arc. Can’t believe how many times they’ve basically reverted that character for… “story.”

Hey everyone, We’re starting a new interview series highlighting local comic shops around the country (and internationally). The goal is to stress the importance of local retail shops, how they’ve evolved overt the years, and the important part they continue to play in geek culture. You can read the first installment here: https://comicbook.com/comics/feature/time-warp-comics-owners-talk-surviving-digital-retail-how-hollywood-can-help-your-local-comic-shop/ If you’d like to nominate your local shop, you can send an email to [email protected]. Make sure to tell us a bit about the shop and why you think we should highlight it! We’re aiming to interview one shop per week!

This is awesome!

A graphic novel of Weapons would be awesome. They’re doing a prequel movie but I’d love to see them flesh out some of the Weapons characters as an anthology book.

With all of Lego's licensing products, there are still so many that I'd love to see. Now that we're getting The Goonies, what's a dream set you wished they'd make: https://comicbook.com/gear/product-news/goonies-lego-ideas-sets-never-say-die-the-adventure-begins-on-november-1st/ Now that they're doing a steady stream of Transformers, I'd LOVE to see a 2,000+ piece ThunderCats Thundertank or similar scale recreation of MotU's Castle Grayskull playset.

This is a great idea - I'll go: McFarlane edition (and introducing new characters to audiences): Amazing Spider-Man #300 - first full appearance of Venom Spawn #1 - debut appearance of Spawn I'm going to say Amazing Spider-Man #300 - just because of the impact Venom had on superhero comics, pop culture, and movies. Spawn #1 sets up a whole world and mythology but Spider-Man #300 is the debut of one of the most well-known antiheroes in comic culture.

We've run all the entries into the giveaway and Nate1016 (AKA Nate) is this week's winner! In addition to the $40 gift card, we'll also be profiling each of our winners - so that we can all get to know eachother a bit better, share recommendations, etc! Nate is from Illinois. He's 39 years old, married, and has one daughter! If you'd like to participate in this week's giveaway, you can review the rules here. Our next winner will be announced next Tuesday! Without further ado, here's all about Nate! What was the first thing that got you into geek culture? My first geek culture thing would probably be the 90s cartoons of X-Men and Spider-Man! What franchise would you rep forever and why? If I had to pick one franchise to rep forever it'd have to be the Saw movies. What game, show, comic, or movie are you totally into right now? Absolute Superman, Legend of Vox Machina, Sinners - and video game wise, if mobile games count, I'm super into WWE Supercard. What’s something you love that doesn’t get enough hype? The Space Ghost comic needs a lot more attention! Which character would 100% be your friend in real life? Probably Barry Allen. What’s the most unforgettable geek moment you’ve ever had? I met pro wrestling legend The Million Dollar Man (Ted DiBiase) at a local indy wrestling show and got his autograph on his Funko pop!

I sat down with my kid this past week to watch it - and it took us three streaming services to find it. I remember when it used to be broadcast as well. Such a bummer.

Agreed. I actually appreciated the subtle creepy bits more than the outright crazy gore parts. I'm not really sure what to make of this thing so far but it did enough to make me glad I have a new Sunday night show to watch.

In fairness, the Star Wars live-action shows have been very hit or miss - even by the end. The Book of Boba Fett was not good from the first episode.

I’d love to experience Watchmen all over again (though, I’m sure you have that one). Maus was one of my favorites as a young reader. Saga was great but I’m pretty mixed on whether they should keep that going.

I wasn't always the hugest fan of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo - especially how the story was resolved in Rise of Skywalker (there's not a lot I DO like about that film). But this, somehow, actually disappointed me: https://comicbook.com/movies/news/star-wars-favorite-confirms-disney-cancelled-plans-for-a-surprise-movie-but-fans-still-want-this-characters-story-told/ Which got me thinking, what should the future of Star Wars movies be? Spin-offs like Starfighter? Continuation of the mainline with Rey? There have been so many ideas we've heard are in some stage of development but what do fans ACTUALLY want? In hindsight, as much as I like aspects of the sequel trilogy, I'm not sure I can honestly say "I want it all." I'm leaning toward spin-offs if I had to choose but that Ben Solo movie idea does intrigue me...

Meant to say: I need to check out One World Under Doom. I've heard great things. This is now another reason.

We've run all the entries into the giveaway and FantasicJerome (AKA Jerome Andries) is this week's winner! In addition to the $40 gift card, we'll also be profiling each of our winners - so that we can all get to know eachother a bit better, share recommendations, etc! Jerome is going to use his giftcard at his local comic shop, Stronghold Collectibles. We love to see it! If you'd like to participate in this week's giveaway, you can review the rules here. Our next winner will be announced next Monday! Without further ado, here's all about Jerome! What was the first thing that got you into geek culture? My grandfather and uncle owned a comic book shop when I was a kid, so I grew up surrounded by boxes of comics and that unmistakable comic shop smell. TMNT was my first real obsession, and I used to draw the Turtles nonstop. Years later, my wife randomly brought me into a comic shop called Stronghold Collectibles, and it reignited everything. I hadn’t been inside one in decades, but I ended up joining their community, hanging out there weekly, and getting active in their Discord. Walking into that shop was one of the best things I’ve ever done. What franchise would you rep forever and why? It has to be Marvel. From the time I was a kid to actually stepping into a Marvel movie in Fantastic Four (2015), it’s always been part of my life. There’s something about that mix of humanity and heroism that never gets old, no matter how wild the multiverse gets. What game, show, comic, or movie are you totally into right now? Right now, I’m reading One World Under Doom and the newer Fantastic Four run. Anything with Doctor Doom in it pulls me in instantly. I’ve also been diving into Geoff Johns’ Geiger Universe, Geiger, Junkyard Joe, and Rook: Exodus have all been excellent. What’s something you love that doesn’t get enough hype? Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Geiger and Rook: Exodus deserves way more attention. They’re building one of the most exciting new comic universes out there, and every issue feels cinematic. If it ever got adapted into a series, I’d be first in line to audition. It would be a dream to be part of that world. Which character would 100% be your friend in real life? Doctor Doom. He might not seem like friend material, but he’d be that brutally honest mentor who pushes you to keep improving no matter how many setbacks you face. The man never gives up, and I respect that level of drive and confidence. What’s the most unforgettable geek moment you’ve ever had? When I discovered that the character I played in Fantastic Four (2015), "Panno," was actually a named Marvel character, and posted it to Reddit. The moment took on a life of its own online, and fans really embraced it. Seeing the excitement from the fandom and even having ComicBook.com write about my experience as Panno was an unbelievable and unforgettable experience.

Not Marvel, but as cliche as it is, I’ve always thought one of the most important comics romances was Superman and Lois Lane. It’s boring and played out in a lot of ways but even as a kid I thought it was cool that relationship was such a great metaphor for Superman as a whole: a God-like being becomes the best of humanity because of how much he loves Earth’s people. And even early-ish depictions of Lois present her as his equal in a lot of ways - highlighting why there’s more to being strong than sheer might. Meanwhile, Superman and Wonder Woman is one of the worst - for the exact same reason. Superman being super-into another God-like being isn’t interesting or particularly revealing. How bad that pairing is only highlights why Lois is so important.

… what would it be? I think watching Jurassic Park would still be thrilling/fun - even in a world where I would have seen CGI dinos before. If not that, then probably something with a great twist: The Prestige, The Sixth Sense, or Fight Club.

I love the idea that of the loaded gun/bee stinger setup. That would be a very Gen V thing to do. The big question: do we get a Homelander cameo again?

I voted Thor - mostly because he’s the most “fun” out of these picks. And the idea of seeing him interact with Professor X or Cyclops makes me giggle.

Aside from cribbing off Nightmare on Elm Street’s dream logic, I enjoyed it a lot more than the first one - and I thought the first one was fine. The Grabber works better as a supernatural weirdo than just a person with a basement.

Was thinking about this today while watching The Bear. What’s an expert (doctor, finance guy, etc) on a movie or TV show that the plot and characters take seriously as an expert - but was actually wrong, introduced a plot hole, or was just plain dumb? Mine: Zero Cool from Hackers. Very fun and energetic portrayal of hacking - that isn’t really how hacking works. Hackers Hacking GIF by MGM Studios - Find & Share on GIPHYDiscover & share this Hackers Hacking GIF by MGM Studios with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.

Going to be hard to top the final scene in action and badass moments. But I’d love it if there were performances and character arcs that we’ll be talking about during awards consideration. Not because they’d win but it would mean Marvel was taking the actual story and character seriously again.