They're Up to their Necks in Zombies

This weeks Walking Dead is written by Robert Kirkman, the messiah himself. This episode takes a noticeably slower approach than this seasons predecessors and that's not a bad thing! So far this season has been planting little seeds which in this episode we start to see slowly sprouting which is cool, no need to rush. Although this episodes pace is calmer and almost meditative the doom that's been looming over the prisoners increases. People are getting infected not only by the zombie plague but by the new disease that's been galloping through the cement walls of the cell blocks causing its victims to ooze blood from they're orifices and die painfully.

To combat this problem the council decides to quarantine the infected survivors as best they can. I admit Kirkman did have me surprised when we discover who finds they're way into these quarantined cell blocks. Glenn has it, as does Tyreese's sister whose name escapes me at the moment, and Meeka's older sister. Now we don't know too much about this disease yet but from the look of it, it acts fast. I don't think show runner Scott Gimple will kill off Glenn just yet but I'm not opposed to it if the writers do decide to kill off one of those three characters. It would be a pretty ballsy move. Glenn's infected and I kinda think they should stick to they're guns and kill then reanimate the ex pizza boy or at least one of the others. I would be a little disappointed if they pull a magic trick and the three leads miraculously survive but hey this is the TV show and not the brutal, uncompromising graphic novel.

So these guys are dying and this causes said council to act fast! Led by everyone's favorite redneck a team of deadly prisoners embark on a quest to grab some meds at a local animal hospital which is not just around the block, its 50 miles down the way to be exact. I was a bit confused as to why Hershel would randomly know about an animal hospital but then I remembered he was a vet, nice callback Kirkman. So they head off in Zack's ride.

Darly and Michonne set off to find the hospital with Bob & Tyreese in tow. I did like the exchange between Daryl and Michonne, we learn that she is still very much after the Governor, but Daryl isn't as optimistic they will find him and bring the one eye'd bandit to justice, but they are interrupted by what I think is one of the most important plot points this season has introduced so far. A radio frequency of a group of survivors broadcasting to anyone who isn't an undead cannibal, who are these people? Well I think I have an idea but that's just cause I read the comics. But it cuts off and the group realizes they're in deep shit. Heading down the road they get stopped by, oh just a couple THOUSAND walkers! They're up to their necks in zombies, literally & they escape narrowly while Tyreese contemplates whether he wants to save himself or not, he chooses life. Which is refreshing, it would have been a shame if they decided to end his character in Zack's old ride. They head off into the woods and the hope of getting the meds back to the prison shrinks drastically!

Meanwhile back at home base Hershel delivers his tea to the infected prisoners (someone hashtag that shit seriously) but while giving his brew to Dr. S who I think was originally a girl in the novel but that not important, what is that Hershel gets blasted in the face with infected blood! With all of these lead characters getting down with the sickness, someone has to die, otherwise the threat gets reduced when we know that the virus only infects background actors & day players.

So as the episode comes to a close we finally find out who turned Dave and Karen into crispy skeletons. It was in fact Carol, dun dun dunn! But seriously though this took me by surprise which actually isn't so surprising when your familiar with Kirkman's comic, crazy shit happens, and then the issue ends leaving you looking like a bug eyed, slackjawed walker. I have to say that out of all the characters this show has introduced over the years, Carol is one of my favorites. I absolutely love where she began at the beginning of the series a helpless woman in a really toxic relationship & now shes a bad-ass she- warrior who will do whatever it takes to keep everyone alive no matter how cold or drastic it is. Is Carol the Heisenberg of the zombie apocalypse? I'll let you guys decide. All in all this was a pretty good one, I really like where this season is going, and I'm excited for the next episode. I'll give episode 3 "Isolation" an 8 out of 10. Great job as always Kirkman and Gimple, you are proving yourself to be a talented showrunner, and the right guy for the job with each episode!

Written by Isaiah Mueller

Apocalypse Now: Days of Future Past

Earlier today, my brother asked me if Fox was planning to use another big baddie for the next X-Men movie. I figured DOFP was about past, present, and future mutants battling it out, and Magneto being used AGAIN. While re-watching the trailer, I noticed something. Something a little odd, and possibly familiar. In the trailer, Wolverine, Bishop, Warpath, Xavier, and the rest of the team are together on a mountaintop. For all I know, Xavier's present day team and Bishop's team are in the same location, but different timelines. Surrounding them is a structure and we at the Illumi-Nerdi do not own high tech technology, so I am unable to actually look at any close ups. However, the architecture definitely looks familiar. It looks like a temple in the mountains, and I believe it's the HQ for X-Men's biggest baddie, Apocalypse. If you watch the video above, it is shown that Apocalypse rises from his grave in a temple.

A lot of fans have predicted that the reason Wolverine is being sent back into the past is to stop the creation of the Sentinels, which possibly leads to mutants being put into labor camps after Xavier's death, and etc. I have a different theory. My theory is pretty much pure guess, but certain stills from the trailer do add to its legitimacy.

Let's start with the scene leading into DOFP. In the after-credit scene of The Wolverine, Magneto confronts Wolverine and informs him that, "There are dark forces, Wolverine. Evil forces, building a weapon that could bring about the end of our kind. What I want...I want your help." It would be too easy if it was the Sentinels. No, it is Apocalypse. If you notice, the X-Men and Bishop's team (maybe X-Force) are in a temple like structure. In one scene, Magneto, Xavier, and Wolverine are standing in front of a coffin. Yep, we are all thinking the same thing. The coffin belongs to Apocalypse. Take a look at the pictures and check out the temple’s architecture. It should remind long-time X-Men fans of Apocalypse's temple from the 90's X-Men cartoon and 2000's X-Men: Evolution. Let us know what you think.

Bishop 

Temple coffin 

Entrance to Temple 

Temple 

Image's Chew at NYCC'13

Guillory (Left) and Layman  (Right)

At NYCC'12, fans had the opportunity to sit down and listen to Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples discuss the creation process behind Saga. This year, we were given another incredible opportunity to sit down and listen to John Layman and Rob Guillory tell us the history and their creation process behind Chew.

Right off the bat, Layman told the crowd that Chew was rejected by other companies (one being Vertigo) before it found its home at Image. At one point, he made enough money from a freelancing gig to fiance the book himself. Thanks to a person Layman described as a frenemy, he and Guillory met at SDCC. It was during their first meeting that Layman drunkenly spoiled the ending of Chew #60. Originally, he planned to make Chew a darker series than what we are reading now, but Guillory's art allows Layman to take the story in a different direction and make it a little goofier. If you buy Chew: The Smorgasbord Edition Vol. 1, you are lucky enough to get a glimpse of Guillory's first attempt at drawing Chew, and I believe they both described it as ugly and too dark.

When Layman was asked about the creation of Chew's characters, he described comics as "too white" and "Rob designs the characters as he sees fit, and makes things more diverse." One of the most important questions asked was whether or not fans will get to watch Chew on Showtime. Layman had bad news, "The Showtime thing all went away," but he did have promising news. According to Layman, "We kind of broke up with our Hollywood people. We now have a new Hollywood person who's much more interested in animation." What matters to the two of them is that Chew stays true to its concept: cannibalism with a tint of goofiness.

Chew #38

My favorite question asked was about Chew's wonderful easter eggs. Throughout the series, we have seen Lost, X-Files, Fringe, and Kirkman's face on a firefighter poster. Layman said it is all Guillory, but Guillory was a little confused when a fan asked about the X-Files' easter eggs. I swear I've seen a handful of X-Files easter eggs, but he's never watched it before.

For those that attended the panel, they got exclusive news for the upcoming Chew story lines. #38 is about about Savoy and a villain we will see again in #60. #39 continues the space plants story that fans read back in #14. Do not worry, Poyo returns in issue #45. Fans will be rewarded with a tri-fold poster that has Poyo fighting all the villains he's ever fought. Also, there is talk about a second Poyo one-shot. Layman has not decided whether or not it is a sci-fi or fantasy story. 

For those who don't know Chew ends at #60. One of the questions during the panel was why. Layman's answer was that some of comic's greats have ended at #60, Preacher, Y: The Last Man, and Transmetropolitan. 

Dark Horse Comics Rocks NYCC'13

Once again, the two largest comic book companies are NOT what we’ll be talking about regarding New York Comic Con. Image Comics’ consistency has always impressed us. They’re constantly doing fantastic signings, panels and booth work. However, Dark Horse Comics absolutely blew us away with the sheer number of fantastic announcements at this years’ Con. Dark Horse does the absolutely best horror in comics but is perhaps most famous for Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Conan Star Wars and The Goon.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D just not doing it for you? Well, the Whedonverse is getting back to its roots with a slew of huge announcements. First and foremost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is entering its tenth season, brought to you by the fantastic Christos Gage (Avengers: The Initiative, Avengers Academy) and Rebekah Issacs (Angel & Faith). It's set for 30 issues and is to debut March 19^th.

Victor Gischler (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth) is set to continue the Buffy-verse season 9 spin-off, Angel & Faith in 2014. The series will be illustrated by Red Sonja’s Will Conrad and will debut April 2^nd, also in a 30 issue arc. “In Buffy, Season 10 is going to be about bringing friendships back together, while in Angel & Faith, relationships are shattered. Magic is starting to come back into the world, but in some surprising ways, like that vampire we saw standing in the sunlight at the end of Season 9,” teases Editor in Chief Scott Allie. 

Our absolute favorite announcement from this year’s New York Comic Con is that an official Serenity comic sequel is being penned by Joss Whedon’s brother Zack (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Fringe). Zack has worked in the Firefly universe previously with The Shepherd’s Tale comic, and Joss is certainly involved in some way, so it’s safe to say the story is in skilled hands. “Malcolm Reynolds’s crew shook the ’verse to its core when they laid bare the crimes against humanity undertaken by their sinister government—the Alliance. Always outlaws, Mal, a very pregnant Zoe, new pilot River Tam, and the other surviving crew members are in greater danger than ever, and everyone’s asking the same question”. The fact that Firefly lasted just 14 episodes and is consistently regarded as one of the best television shows (and perhaps the best sci-fi show) of all time speaks volumes. People have been clamoring for follow-ups to the cult classic and we finally have our official continuation. Get excited, America.

Another huge announcement from Dark Horse at NYCC was the revelation that they’d be bringing the legendary Greg Rucka on for a new series called Veil with artist Toni Fejzula. The uber-interesting synopsis states: “The story opens when a beautiful girl wakes up in an abandoned subway station with no memory of how she got there. When men try to hurt her… they wind up dead. Where did she come from? And what is she capable of?” The series continues the recent trend of fantastic heroine-led series, including: Ghost, Buffy, Angel & Faith, and Serenity. Rucka says of the new series: “I’ve been tossing the idea behind Veil around for over a decade, seriously, but it wasn’t until Scott Allie pulled the string on it that it came to life. It’s a very different kind of tale for me, very different in what I’m trying to accomplish, and working with Dark Horse, working with Toni, is a rare opportunity to try to bring this thing to life. The opportunity Dark Horse is providing us is amazing.”

Dark Horse also announced a groundbreaking crossover event with Dynamite Comics at NYCC. They will be reuniting two fantastic sword-and-sorcery series, Red Sonja and Conan, after fifteen years separation. "It's the only crossover that readers have been begging to have for over a decade: the two greatest barbarian adventurers ever created in an epic tale of blood, lust, and vengeance.  This is the kind of stuff that made me a reader in the first place, and working with Brian Wood and his amazing version of Conan?  It's just a sword-and-sorcery dream come true.  It's sword vs. sword, Cimmerian vs. Hyrkanian, loincloth vs. bikini, and it'll probably be the most fun you'll have reading a comic all year", says writer Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey, probably the most prolific female comic writer working these days). Brian Wood (The Massive, Star Wars, DMZ) will of course be equally involved, bringing his brilliant Conan over. This is one of the biggest crossover events in recent memory and it could not be in safer hands with Brian Wood and Gail Simone at the helm.

 What do you think about all of this? It's a lot to take in and The Illumi-Nerdi couldn't be more excited for Dark Horse Comics in 2014. 

Comix Tribe at NYCC

One of the most exciting comic book companies on the internet is Comix Tribe.  If you are on twitter, you need  follow their up and coming creators: Tyler James, Joey Mulvey, and John Lees. Besides their entertaining creators, Comix Tribe does a tremendous job of of mixing the horror genre with the cape genre. If you're a fan of anything outside the box, Comix Tribe is definitely your new destination. Last weekend, Comix Tribe announced a spin off of James' Oxymoron series' Oxymoron: The Loveliest Nightmare. For those who don't know, Oxymoron reminds fanboys of DC's Joker but taken to a level that DC would never, ever do. Trust me, check out Oxymoron because it brings depravity to a whole new level. James has a unique style that reminds me a lot of Mark Millar. If you enjoy things that disturb as well as entertain, like Hannibal, Seven and Luther this is an automatic pick up for any comic book reader.

Speaking of Luther; this is a BBC series that does a great job exploring the desires and mentality of the shows' villains. Tyler tackles that concept and explores it in ways that mainstream creators like Scott Snyder and Jason Aaron have teased us with, but haven't been given the free range to explore properly.

. 

Wait, don't leave. The Comix Tribe news does not end there. In 2014, they have plans for a second Oxymoron anthology. Wait, there is even more. Comix Tribe is publishing a new book titled Epic. You have less than 24 hours to fund the project and get a fun reward for doing so. 

A quick synopsis:

"After a freak experiment gives teenager Eric Ardor incredible powers, he does what you would do...he puts on a costume and becomes EPIC! Super strength, speed, flight, optic blasts…it’s a fanboy's dream come true. Unfortunately, he's just discovered he has one weakness...pretty girls! While most boys his age lose their cool around the hotties, EPIC loses his powers! Living in Miami, home to the zaniest super-villains AND the most bikinis per capita in America, it’s gonna be a problem…"

As of right now, they have 194 backers, 13 hours left, and $6,089 pledged. Even if you've never tried a indie book before or you're not sure if it's worth your hard-earned money, take a chance on this because we expect tremendous things from Comix Tribe. And you trust us, right?

Fanboy Radio's Review-The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without an Accident

The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without an Accident
Season 4, Episode 1: Review

Fanboy Radio: First and foremost, I'd like to start my first assignment for T.I.N. with a hearty "hello!". So, hello! It's a pleasure to be writing and reviewing for all of you out there! Second, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get this review to you. I think we can all agree it's been a very long, tiring, but rewarding Comicon weekend, and we all needed a little time to recuperate. Now that we're back in the groove of things, how about we talk Walking Dead! (If you're looking to walk Talking Dead, I suggest taking that up with Chris Hardwick.)

Last we left off, the Governor had taken off down the road with his two henchmen and left Rick & co. to live another day. Carl had shot down a young man in cold blood, Glenn had proposed to Maggie (and she said "yes"), Daryl had just lost his brother Merle, and Rick had finally stopped seeing Lauri everywhere he looked. Andrea was bitten by zombie Milton, but was killed (as sympathetically as possible) by Michonne before turning. We've also had a few additions to the camp--err, prison: Tyreese, his sister Sasha, and a bus full of stragglers from Woodbury. Season 4 picks up (what seems like) three to four months after the events of season 3's finale.

The prison's defenses have been built up significantly. Spiked fences, doors with pulley systems, "you name
it, we've got it" (--Lex, Jurassic Park). Rick (with the help of Herschel) has had a lot of luck farming and gathering livestock. Herschel even jokes that all Rick needs is a pair of overalls, a wider ass, and he's good to go. Rick seems much more optimistic this time around, he's not the crazy person we left off with back in season 3. In fact, while farming, he accidentally digs up his handgun--perhaps he buried it because of Carl's actions at the end of season 3? It's never explained, but I'd assume he was worried he might be setting a bad example for his children. Michonne shows up on horseback to the prison (umm awesome) and it's made quite clear that she hasn't been around for a while, she's been out trying to find the Governor. Daryl and Carol are starting to openly flirt, thus starting to bring the apocalypse's weirdest sexual tension to a head. I think that's all I want to say about that. Other than our familiar cast, we find that the camp--err, prison--is now home to a bunch of children now as well. We're introduced to Zach, Beth's new boyfriend (sorry, Carl) and some nerdy kid (who's name I can't remember, and through a lot of research couldn't find ANYWHERE... so let's just call him Bernard).

The episode is split up into two main stories: the first being about Daryl and Michonne leading an expedition to find supplies, and the other being about Rick coming across a strange woman in the woods. The first story is where we'll find all our action for this week's episode. While going through a Walmart-like store to stock up on supplies, the roof starts to give-way due to the zombies moving around on the roof. Thus begins one of the highest budget shots I've seen on TWD since the CDC exploded in season 1. Zombies start falling through the ceiling randomly, making for an exciting and suspenseful fight to survive. Unfortunately, we lose Beth's boyfriend (Zach) in the process. When the survivors return to the camp, Daryl gives Beth the bad news and she hardly bats an eye. She says she's gotten used to people dying, and changes the numbers from "30" to "0" on the "...Days Without an Incindent" board--get it?? GET IT!?. What's this say about Beth? Personally, I can't blame her. She's becoming calloused--she's so young, but forced to handle so much. It's quite sad, really.

Rick's story on the other hand is quite strange. While checking his snares out in the woods, he comes across a woman who, even by apocalypse standards, looks awful. She begs rick to help her carry some of his food back to her camp, because her and her husband are starving. Rick agrees to give her some of his food, but then she asks if her and her husband can join their camp. Rick tells her he'd need to meet her husband first and ask the couple a few questions before making any sort of decision. So, Rick and this crazy woman head off to her camp. When they get there, she tries to attack Rick, but fails miserably. Rick overtakes her and she finally reveals that she was going to feed him to her zombified husband, Eddie. Eddie, is nothing more than a head, but she's been caring for him as if he were still her husband. She reveals that he's been slowly dying because he hasn't had anything "fresh" to eat in a while. Very interesting piece of information! Apparently, these zombies can starve to death. After all that, the woman decides to kill herself so she can become a zombie too--and begs Rick to not shoot her in the head when she does. So, Rick takes off back to camp. The episode ends at night while everyone is alseep. Our nerdy friend, Bernard, wakes up sick and goes to get himself some water. He splashes his face, stands under a running shower, but then collapses on the floor. Without being bitten, Bernard turns into a zombie. End of episode.

Overall, I think this has been the best premiere episode on TWD since season 1. Although a lot didn't happen, It's set the tone for a new and exciting season. It's refreshing to have Rick back to the way we want him to be! Everyone seems to be a little bit hopeful, like there's just a hint of a light at the end of the tunnel. I've referenced it a couple times already, but it definitely reminds me of season 1 in more than a few ways. There's a lot to fear this time around, and it's all new. The Governor is still out there, people are turning to zombies without bites, Daryl and Carol might actually hook up--it's all enough to keep you up at night! I think this season is heading into awesome territory, and I'm excited for next week's episode. My rating? 89%. Now THATS how you Walk Dead.

NYCC'13: Cosplay

Did you hear the big news? According to Cinema Blend, NYCC is so poplular and overcrowded, it might be bigger than SDCC. Over 4 days, over 130,000 nerds were crowded into one building. Maybe it was just me, but most of them were either cosplaying or under the age of 21. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of cosplay because they take up sooooo much space, I do respect their creativity, and passion for the characters they represent. Costumes ranged from Sharknado, X-Men's Bishop, Dre Vader, Inspector Gadget and many more. 

Inspector Gadget 

Dre Vader

I don't know even know....

Why so smiley?????

Iceman and Rogue look so sad.

Sharknado

Ben and Matt as Batman and Robin

Prince Robot IV

Yorick Brown 

Ernie Hudson as himself

Sheamus as himself

Sharknado #2