Friday 5 collects links and videos spanning all of nerd culture – collating bits of news, fun, and other noteworthy offerings that you might have missed in the hustle and bustle of the week.
Nerd Culture Highlights for the Week of March 13, 2016
1. The Civil War conflict in 4 minutes.
Jason shared a video from Bite Size Comics that brings you up to speed on the catalysts for the Marvel comics event Civil War in less than four minutes. The upcoming Captain America film will undoubtedly and obviously differ greatly from what unfolded in the comics, but watching this will give you all the information you’ll need to say “That’s not at all how it happened in the comics” while leaving the theater – cementing you as everyone’s favorite know-it-all (sarcasm).
2. Seven silly Batman vs Superman comics in anticipation of the movie.
Speaking of major upcoming nerd movies, the folks at Dorkly curated several of their comics depicting spats between Superman and Batman. No matter which side of the aisle you stand on, there’s something here for you. My favorite of the bunch is the second one. Its genius.
3. Guy beats insane Mario Maker level after 71 hours of repeat play.
Super Mario Maker makes me want a Wii U something fierce. You build a custom course and assuming you can prove with your own skill that it is truly beatable, you can then upload it for anyone else to play. I’ve watched a lot of Youtube videos of folks conquering mind bogglingly complex levels requiring insane reflexes and timing to navigate. However most of the videos you see are of the final successful run and don’t give you much of an idea about how many attempts were made and how much time was spent achieving that victory. Then I found the video below of FailStream playing the same level on repeat to his Twitch.tv. channel. You’ll see him fail a few times before nailing it, but the most important thing to note is the timer in the bottom right corner…He’s logged over 71 hours of attempts! So when he finally beats the level, he is understandably excited. I’m pretty sure his mutant ability is superhuman endurance. (There is some language.)
4. Wolverine is dead, long live Wolverine: The case for Laura Kinney.
Comics Alliance writer Ellie Collins wrote a great piece making the case for Marvel to keep Logan dead and Laura Kinney (X-23) behind the cowl as the one and only Wolverine. The post is well-balanced between love for Wolverine as we’ve known him for forty years and a thoughtful argument as to why he should stay dead so Kinney can develop in her own right. We’ve still got Old Man Logan and the likelihood that Logan stays dead is infinitesimally small if history is any indication, but I’m for Kinney being the Wolverine for years to come. One of the commenters had this solid bit of insight:
I absolutely prefer evolving legacy heroes to the unchanging icons, but I know that’s a proclivity of the invested long-time reader and doesn’t work so well with the general audience, so I grudgingly accept the backsliding we always get. Logan had a nice, complete arc, but it’s not like that’s ever stopped them from dragging the most popular characters back into the spotlight again and again. I wish there were a more persuasive reason to keep Logan dead, but for now it’s still just a matter of time.
5. What it was like to be a Stormtrooper in Episodes V & VI.
Ever gazed longingly at members of the 501st in full armor and formation and dreamed of the day you too could actually march to “The Imperial March?” Well if you ask Ralph Morse he’ll tell you that back in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, being a Stormtrooper came with some major discomfort. Watch the short video below for a glimpse into the life of one of the Empire’s finest.
We’ll see you next Friday for five more highlights from nerd culture. Until then, feel free to share a highlight in the comments if we missed something.
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