Fanboys Anonymous

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.


MOVIES

First Look at Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

My take: I'm not shy to admit that I started reading comics a very, very long time ago. Ultron is one of my all-time favorite super villains, as he plagued The West Coast Avengers of my youth. I'm thankful they never, or rarely, altered his design in the comics (except when he was in the form of Janet Van Dyne, that was messed up). His design here is very close to the books, just as they did with the Iron Man suit. A good move. Hopefully, he's as menacing in live-action as I've always considered him in the books.

Bob Orci NOT Confirmed for Star Trek 3?

My take: So many projects are becoming so up-in-the-air it really makes you worry about the huge movie seasons coming up in 2015 and 2016. Now, Orci, who we thought was signed on for Star Trek 3, is only directing after script approval? Not only that…..

Bob Orci Leaves The Amazing Spider-Man 3?

My take: He has not only left the project to work on other films (see above) but he literally left, what he suggests, might be a sinking ship of ideas. Even he doesn't know where the series is heading and that's a horrible sign for Spidey's on-screen future.

Fantastic Four Will Introduce New Origin?

My take: Apparently the cast of the upcoming reboot is forbidden (okay, it's at least frowned upon) from reading any of the comic books. Apparently the movie will not draw on the book's history in any way, not necessarily keep the same character personality traits. It sounds like not only will they not be Marvel's First Family, but they possibly won't even be adventurers or scientists?

TELEVISION

Gotham Will Constantly Tease The Joker's Origin.

My take: Producers are packing this show full of established villains including The Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, and more. The series will also tease The Joker with multiple red herrings, introducing a variety of characters who the viewer could consider for the Clown Prince of Crime. Personally, I'm curious how the show will be handled. Any murder done with an umbrella, I'll have solved right away, so the detective angle needs to be clever.

Full Doctor Who Series 8 Trailer.

My take: I'm still behind on this show, I'm only just now on Season 4, but I finally get it. The series is campy and cheap-looking but it's a serial that is often one of the most entertaining shows I watch in a given week. I'll be doing my best to rush through Seasons 4-7 to catch up.

Emmy Nomination "Snubs."

My take: The most telling of all of the so-called Emmy "snubs" (there's so much TV out there, people, and only so many categories) is the loss of The Simpsons from "Outstanding Animated Series." This is the first time since 1995 the show has not been nominated and it may signal the right time for the beloved series to consider bowing out. Imagine how well Futurama would do with the Sunday, 8 p.m. time slot?

Star Wars Rebels Details.

My take: The more I see of this series, still in production, the more excited I get. Although I'm sure it will be geared towards kids, the design and style seems to be much more genuine to the original trilogy than any of the Star Wars we've seen since 1999.

COMIC BOOKS

Thor to Become a Lady Thor, I Mean, Just Thor.

My take: Marvel has so many changes going on in its books that I can barely keep track. Is Tony Stark still Iron Man? Steve Rogers is no longer Captain America, and now Thor will no longer be Thor? This isn't the first time the official Son of Odin has been replaced, so I don't see this lasting past the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, same with Rogers returning to uniform.

Batgirl New Direction and Creative Team.

My take: When the changes to Batgirl were announced, at first I was like, "wha-?" but then I was like "…yeah, I get it." If the entire DCU was rebooted and their histories tied down to a five-year timeline, it makes sense that Barbara Gordon would be younger and in grad school. I always loved Tim Drake but hated how he acted like a brooding 30-something while attending high school (back in the glory days when he had his own book and DC continually made sense). The new, younger design for Babs' costume is also cool, in my books. Initially I couldn't imagine her being so lazy as to wear those boots but it helps youth her up a little. Nobody does dark better than Batman, so I'm fine with his related crime-fighters having a lighter book.

Batman "End Game" Teased to April, 2015.

My take: The next big story for the bat-books, "End Game" (or, "EndGame," we'll see what DC finally decides on) will take the series through to the mysterious month of April, 2015. Almost all DC crossovers, including the time-jumping Future's End will culminate that month. This suggests DC has something huge cooking for 2015, possibly another "crisis."

Grayson #1.

My take: Speaking of another crisis for DC, if anything gets unwritten or rebooted (again…), I hope it's this version of Dick's life. His identity was revealed and, as far as most of the DCU knows, he's dead. Although I'm all for shake-ups every now and again, who wants to read Batman comics without a masked Dick Grayson? That being said, I did enjoy #1. I appreciate a book that doesn't waste my money on a slow build-up where this book drops us in the middle of a mission. The story leaves questions unanswered and many more raised.