DayOldStubble the Magazine
NEWS & REVIEWS FOR THE REFINED GEEK
ISSUE 9 | www.dayoldstubble.com
James Kahn INTERVIEW
We Learn Which He Likes Better; Star Trek TNG, Star Trek Voyager, or Xena.
Tablet Showdown: Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini We Find Out Which 7 Incher Is Best
Nerdy For Derby: Demolition Dolls MaybelleMean Gets Down And Nerdy With Her Roller Derby Gals
Holiday Gift Guide We Pick The Top Gifts Sure To Please Any Geek This Christmas
Youmacon 2012
Sara Gets Up Close And Personal With Steam Powered Giraffe
HIGHLIGHTS:
D12 Academy, Bugger Off, Dave's Toy Chest, The Booby Hatch, Holiday Movie Guide, Movie Reviews and more...
What Was Your Best Christmas Gift? The best Christmas present I remember was when my Father got me my very own Colecovision which came with Donkey Kong. It was my very first video game and instilled a life long love of gadgets and technology that I am passing onto my kids today.
Jason Carrick The gift that sticks out in memory would be the Star Wars Talking Battleship I got when I was in middle school. I still have it and play it to this day.
James Detzler My favorite Christmas gift came when I was 12 years old. My father, rest in peace, damn near bought me the entire Super Powers Collection. I lived in Texas and he lived in Missouri. Not knowing Dave Norton what to get me he took my 3 best friends from up there and took them to Wal-Mart to get what they thought I would want. I'll never forget it. The best Christmas present I ever got as a kid was the Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology from my dad, because the booklet included that explained all of the Sara Goodwin decisions made and individual themes used and why sparked a lifelong, slightly obsessive interest in movie scores and soundtracks.
Desert Commander, one of the earliest NES strategy games. It was so obscure, but I knew the first time I played it that this was my genre of gaming. It was one of the first times I was able to convince my Aaron Dekuiper parents to buy me a video game, and the beginning of them realizing that games could be intellectual and educational, and more than just a way to burn time. The best Christmas present I ever received as a kid was my first “boom box”, a Hitachi. I never carried it down the street on my shoulder (so 80’s) but I did record tons of songs off the radio with it, and it survived Pamela Langston falling out of a tree while camping and my stepfather backing over it with the car. I lost track of it over the years so it may still be alive somewhere!
Shea Kimbrough In 1988 “Santa” brought me a Nintendo Entertainment System. This event would single handedly shape the rest of my life into something awesome.
DayOldStubble
from the Editor...
I would like to wish everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday. As we start to wind down for the festive season and end of 2012 things here at DayOldStubble just keep picking up steam. If there is one thing I can be thankful for it is just that, our readers. We strive to put out a quality product each month and continue to grow and improve with each release.
DayOldStubble 1122 21st Street, Manistee, MI, 49660 T: (978) 432-9653 www.DayOldStubble.com MAGAZINE TEAM Editor / Jason Carrick Deputy Editor / James Detzler Game Editor / Aaron DeKuiper Comic Editor / Dave Norton Indie Editor / Shea Kimbrough Managing & Web Editor / Jason Carrick Copy Editor / Studio6: Diana Six & Wayne Bialik Copy Editor / Laura Moore Staff Photographer / James Detzler Production Assistants / Gretchen Carrick & Linda Detzler
This month is no exception with an interview from James Kahn the author who novelized "The Empire Strikes Back" and the addition of a new writer. Pamela comes to us with a featured article about her roller derby team the Demolition Dolls and explains just how nerdy they can be besides being tough.
CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Dekuiper/ Dave Norton / Shea Kimbrough
We also scoured the internet to bring you our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide that is sure to have at least one thing in it that your favorite Geek would love to receive this year. We made sure to cover all edges of the price spectrum from pricey to cheap to ensure something in there will be just the right fit.
THE ANALYTICAL COUCH POTATO Guest Writer / Marten Dollinger All rights reserved www.theanalyticalcouchpotato.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director / James Detzler T: (978) 432-9653 E: ads@dayoldstubble.com
Be on the look out for next months Year End Round Up and our huge Holiday Prize Pack featuring a signed copy of Zach Thomas' latest comic, a few collectible figures and much more.
PRESS & MARKETING Marketing Director / James Detzler T: (978) 432-9653 E: press@dayoldstubble.com
Till then remember to be safe and be merry and in the immortal words of cousin Eddie.. "Merry Christmas...shitter was full!"
LETTERS & QUESTIONS PR Director / Jason Carrick T: (978) 432-9653 E: info@dayoldstubble.com
Jason Carrick
INTERNATIONAL DayOldStubble is available for licensing. Contact the international department to discuss partnership opportunities. Head of International Licensing / Jason Carrick T: (978) 432-9653 E: info@dayoldstubble.com SUBSCRIPTIONS For subscription enquiries email: info@dayoldstubble.com Head of Subscriptions / Jason Carrick T (978) 432-9653 12 Issue Subscription US / $72.00 12 Issue Digital Subscription / $10.gi00 CIRCULATION Head of Circulation / Jason Carrick T: (978) 432-9653 PRODUCTION Production Director / James Detzler T: (978) 432-9653 PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION Printed by / HP MagCloud, W: MagCloud.com Distributed by / DayOldStubble, W: www.dayoldstubble.com DISCLAIMER The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of DayOldStubble. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of critic and review. Although the magazine has endeavoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Copyright Š 2012 DayOldStubble ISSN 1234-5678
Editor in Chief
meet the FOUNDERS...
James Detzler
Aaron DeKuiper Dave Norton
Shea Kimbrough
Co-Editor/Founder James, aka The Great Detzby, is a man shrouded in mystery.The one thing people do know is..... in the event of a zombie apocalypse, find him.
Game Reviews Aaron knows what cell block Princess Leia's is in, why Chapel is the single most powerful Dominion card, and where to find the hatch from Lost in World of Warcraft. Ah, geekiness...
Indie Insider "As the selfproclaimed "sexiest geek alive," Shea studied Archaeology and Film at The University of North Alabama. Now a proud father, Lion King is currently his favorite film."
Comic Fanatic "Who am I supposed to vote for? Am I supposed to vote for the Democrat who's going to blast me in the ass, or the Republican who's blasting my ass?"
>>Have your say about anything geek @ www.dayoldstubble.com and you could be featured in the magazine << Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 3
Contents >> 6
INBOX
IT’S TIME FOR OUR READERS TO HAVE THEIR SAY...
27 ENTERTAINMENT
27
10 TECHNOLOGY 10
Tablet Showdown
13
Wii U Games
DayOldStubble | Issue 9 | October 2012
14 FEATURES
Holiday Movie Guide The Top 5 Movies To See
Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini
14 DAVE'S TOY CHEST
Which 5 Should You Get?
22 Roller Derby
36
Nerdy For Derby
37
22
Who Said Girls Can't Fight
24 Conventions
38
Wreck It Ralph
Dave covers the classic Hasbro WWF Figure Line
A New Look At Classic Video Games
Skyfall
James Bond Turns 50 But Can Still Hack It
Scared Central
Dave Goes Deep Into The Horror Film "Descent"
18 BUGGER OFF
Dave gets tough with Auquaman and Geoff Johns
24 Youmacon 2012
40
Ruby Sparks
34 Video Games
41
Wrestling Geek
34
40
Sara Gets To Hang With Steam Powered Giraffe
Skyrim Dawnguard
Bathesda's Latest Add-On Rules
41
Who Said What You Write Never Comes True Dave Takes A Guess At Who The Aces and Eights Are
Mac N Cheese Break
Detz Shares His Thanks
The Booby Hatch
Exclusive Comic
32 D12 ACADEMY
The D12 Academy is back with the game Citadels. Learn how to play and dominate your friends.
7
GOTTA HAVE
Congratulations Cody Derryberry
You are the winner of a $25 iTunes Gift Card 4 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
THE GUIDE TO ALL THE GEEK STUFF YOU’LL EVER NEED
20
INTERVIEW JAMES KAHN
28 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: 2012 EDITION
10 TABLET SHOWDOWN NEXUS 7 vs iPad Mini Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 5
>>HAVE YOUR SAY@ Www.dayoldstubble.com AND GET YOURSELF ONTO THESE PAGES <<
INBOX>>
IT’S TIME FOR OUR READERS TO HAVE THEIR SAY... Just one question about Aquaman.
Any word on the new Xbox?
Randy Ferguson
With the new Wii U already out and no other updated consoles in sight, have you heard anything on a release date for the next Xbox console?
Aquaman…..gay or straight?
Get In Touch We really want to hear from you. Email your questions, comments, tips, or complaints to us at:
info@ dayoldstubble.com Also contact us on
@DayOldStubble
www.facebook.com/ TheDayOldStubble
NOT A REAL FRIGGIN’ PERSON! WHO CARES! Next question. But check out our Bugger Off section this month which features your favorite metrosexual undersea super hero.
Facebook for the Dumb and Blind.
Bill Dykema
Bill unfortunately both Sony and Microsoft were very hush on the release dates for their next-gen consoles at E3. Even though it appeared most games shown off were designed for devices more powerful than the current generation we all love playing on. While we can expect more info to come out after the Holidays, neither want to cannibalize sales right now, one can expect to see the new Xbox 720 or what ever it will be called at next years E3. We can probably look for the console go on sale next November just in time for the Holiday rush.
Scott Murray
So this Christmas sit back and relax with Halo 4 and Black Ops 2 while visions of Xbox 720's dance in your head.
I don’t understand the significance of Facebook. My girlfriend is on it all of the time. Could you try and explain to me why I shouldn’t just pick up a phone to talk to someone as opposed to “Facebooking”?
Your comic selections are great!
Great question Scott. While we find it hard to belive your girlfriend is on facebook all the time and you know nothing about it, we suggest you quickly learn. Besides being a great way to keep in touch with old and new friends, it does have a tendancy to lead to some romantic interludes. Not that were being suspicious of your girlfriend, but we're just saying. Facebook is a social media website where users keep in touch with people they know when not physically in touch. Since almost every device has access to Facebook this has now almost replaced the old stand by of calling, as once you contact someone online they almost always get back with you ASAP no matter where they are.
6 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
Grant Scogin Oh my f’n God! After reading the Bugger Off article last month about Star Wars: Legacy I decided to go to my local comic shop and pick up the first trade paperback. Man! You guys couldn’t have been more right! What a great read. Keep up the good work! Thanks Grant. We really appreciate your words of encouragement. We decided to go to Bugger Off writer Dave Norton and pass on your praise. His response: The world can really kick your ass! I only have a VAGUE recollection of when it wasn’t kickin’ mine!…..but thanks.
The Winner: John Sheridan In a recent poll on our Facebook Page we posed the question "If you had to vote for your favorite sci-fi leader to become President who would it be?"
The results:
(in percentage of votes)
50% - John Sheridan 25% - William Adama 25% - Zaphod Beeblebrox
GOTTAHAVE>> THE GUIDE TO ALL THE GEEK STUFF YOU’LL EVER NEED
GIBBS Quad-Ski Amphibious ATV Nintendo’s latest foray into the home game console market, the Wii U is, as we have come to expect from Nintendo, a games console with a difference. Instead of using control pads with buttons and analogue sticks, the Nintendo Wii U uses the ‘GamePad’ – a 6.2-inch, 16:9 ratio, LCD touchscreen tablet, with built in microphone, speakers, camera , motion sensors and, of course, the prerequisite control pad-style buttons and analogue sticks. This is the first multi-screen gaming platform ever and promises a totally unique gaming experience. The Wii U comes in two flavors: Basic (white) and Deluxe (black). The $299.99 Basic Set includes the Wii U system, the Wii U touch-screen GamePad, 8GB of storage, an HDMI cable, a sensor bar for Wii remotes, and an AC adapter. The $349.99 Deluxe Set includes all of those things, but ups the storage capacity to 32GB, tosses in a Wii U GamePad charging cradle, a Wii U stand, and a copy of Nintendo Land. www.nintendo.com PRICE: $349.99
RATING:
iStation Retro iPad Dock
Cap America Sculpture
All in one iDevice office for people who want to bring the retro style back.
A Gentle Giant Sculpt! Straight out of the pages of The Ultimates comes the World War II-era Ultimate Captain America on his motorcycle! Armed with his signature heater-shaped starspangled shield and Tommy gun, Steve Rogers is ready to report to the front! No detail has been overlooked in the creation of this statue, from the individually crafted parts of the eraauthentic army-issue motorcycle to the paint on his removable combat helmet. www.gentlegiantltd.com
The iStation Retro iPad Dock comprises of a contraption that is made of wood. There is a Bluetooth wireless keyboard that is detachable so that it can be fixed to the lower pedestal of the wooden box, built-in powered stereo speakers and a sub-woofer that is small but enhances bass effects. store.micgadget.com PRICE: $85.90 RATING:
PRICE: $459
RATING: Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 7
NEWS
Microsoft is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Xbox Live gaming network, which has involved in recent years beyond its consolecentric origins to become the software giant's "premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet." Launched on Nov. 15, 2002, Xbox Live was touted as "the first comprehensive, online game arena fully dedicated to fastaction broadband gaming experiences." Initially available only in the United States and Canada, Xbox Live is now enjoyed in 41 countries and territories around the world. The service kicked off as an online network connecting users of the firstgeneration Xbox but really hit its stride
>> INDUSTRY GOSSIP >> OPINIONS & RUMORS
Microsoft's Xbox Live Turns 10 >> Xbox live has evolved well over the years from meager beginnings
with the growth of Microsoft's current, wildly successful Xbox 360 platform. During its stewardship of Xbox Live over the past decade, Microsoft has also managed to avoid a major security
breach like the one suffered by rival Sony, whose PlayStation Network was crippled in the first half of 2011 by a hacking operation believed to have been carried out by the Anonymous collective.
The New High-Fiber Pepsi >> Pepsi tries a new "Diet" cola aimed at gamers
Pepsi is no stranger to releasing unusual versions of its drink in Japan. In the past they have sold cucumber and yoghurt-flavoured colas. This Christmas they will be selling Pepsi White, which will have a tangerine tang.
8 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an avid drinker but looking to watch your figure then Pepsi Special, a new version of Pepsi-Cola with added fiber, could be for you. Pepsi Special is made with dextrin - an indigestible form of dietary fibre. Studies on rats suggest this can reduce the absorption of fat in the body and lower cholesterol levels.
There is no information about how much sugar and corn-syrup it contains, compared to standard Pepsi, but a spokesman said it would have a 'crisp refreshing and unique' aftertaste.
>>for Geek news as it happens visit www.dayoldstubble.com // 24 hours a day
BLACK OPS 2 RELEASE
ONE LESS STUDY BUDDY
Black Ops 2 Rakes in $500 Million in 24 Hours
Chevy Chase is leaving Community
The latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 2, raked in a whopping $500 million in retail sales around the world in its first 24 hours of release. "With first day sales of over half a billion dollars worldwide, we believe Call of Duty is the biggest entertainment launch of the year for the fourth year in a row," Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, said in a statement. Activision said that millions of fans attended more than 16,000 midnight openings at retail stores worldwide to be among the first to get their hands on the game. In its first 24 hours, Black Ops 2 was a trending topic on Twitter in 23 cities worldwide. The game's launch trailer has tallied up more than 30 million YouTube views since its release on Oct. 29.
Chevy Chase is leaving "Community", the actor has struck a deal to leave the NBC sitcom ... effective immediately. According to reports, Chase didn't quit ... nor was he fired ... but it was a "mutual decision" between the actor and producers. While this may come to a surprise it is an internal issue that has been going on for a while. Chase has been very critical of the show from the beginning about his character and had a very public feud with former showrunner Dan Harmon that included Harmon airing an angry rant by Chase. Chase made little effort to hide his mixed feelings about the show saying, "I probably won't be around that much longer, frankly," in March. He will appear in most of the 13 episodes of the show's upcoming fourth season, but not the final one or two episodes. It is unclear is his departure will be explained or summed up in the first episode that Pierce Hawthorne is not in the study group.
A Microsoft gaminging tablet? Microsoft is reportedly building its own 7-inch gaming tablet. News reports have been swirling that initial hardware planning for an Xbox Surface is underway. Specifications for an Xbox Surface 7-inch tablet computing device leaked back in June ahead of Microsoft's Surface RT and Surface Pro announcement. The Xbox Surface will likely include a custom ARM processor and high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks. The tablet likely won't run a full version of Windows, rather this a custom Windows kernel. Messaging and other tablet functions may be supported, but the focus is reportedly solely on gaming.
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 9
>> TABLET SHOWDOWN
iPad Mini vs Nexus 7: Tablet Showdown The compact-sized tablet — once a product marred with flawed attempts — suddenly looks like the jewel of that market. Even the late Steve Jobs once branded 7-inch tablets as “tweeners” and stated that the size was useless unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size.” Despite what the late Apple CEO has said, Google’s Nexus 7 tablet had been selling so well that Apple finally decided to break tradition and put out their own 7 inch called the iPad mini. It’s pretty obvious that Apple has drawn a line in the sand with the iPad mini, and it too, is quite the compelling offering. So how do the two compare? Let's take a look at each and see which tablet would make the better gift. 10 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
Design & Hardware
Don’t let any tech journalists who bemoan the “plastics” of the Nexus 7 fool you: It’s a well-built device that feels sturdy and solid, not like a cheap toy. It’s quite nice and I rather like the textured backing. The screen has a nice high pixel density (216ppi), there’s a full gig of RAM, and the processor is a quad-core Tegra 3. There’s no rear camera, but if you’re taking pictures with a tablet I may need to have a word with you. What I really don’t like about the the Nexus hardware is the weight and the screen size. It’s just a bit too heavy for extended one-hand use (0.75 lbs), and the 7″ screen at 16:9 just feels cramped. Compared to the decent quality of the Nexus 7 the iPad mini may feel like it is over-engineered. It is beautiful to see and touch metal and glass. Weighs less than the Nexus (0.68, which is noticeable), is skinnier than the Nexus (0.28 vs 0.41). The screen isn’t quite as high-resolution (only 163ppi), which is definitely not Nexus-level — but it’s honestly not a significant dropoff. Other than having a lower-resolution screen, though, I’d say the iPad Mini beats the Nexus 7 in appearance for sure. The iPad mini does have an older processor and it has half the RAM of the Nexus but it still feels as fast and boots up in under 30 seconds while the Nexus takes almost exactly a minute. This could be the OS’s fault and not the hardware’s, but I’ll take real-world performance over arbitrary processor benchmarks any day. And with nearly40%-more screen real estate, despite the lower pixel count, is a major win for the iPad.
OS
The Nexus 7 ships with Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean,” Google’s latest and greatest. And it’s really nice — less laggy and more user friendly than previous versions of Android I’ve used. It’s really a nice OS, and it’s refreshing to not have any vendor
skin on top of Android here, like Sense UI or TouchWiz. Where Android excels is its configurability. Don’t like the software keyboard that ships with the OS? Get Swype or SwiftKey. Dislike the home screen and app drawer? Get Nova Launcher and configure as you please. (Seriously, get it. It’s great.) Apple’s lockeddown iOS just can’t compete with how well you can tailor an Android device. iOS also lacks home screen widgets like Android offers. What iOS lacks in configurability it makes up with pleasurability. If you like to tinker then Nexus is great but if you just want to have a tablet that will function right away once you open the box then the iPad mini is your choice. Apple’s iOS is slick, easy to use, and doesn’t feel like an OS. While Jelly Bean
is attractive, it just feels like it is trying too hard sometimes. Android has had many revisions to get to the latest release while iOS has been elegant from the beginning.
Consumption
While 7” tablets are able to be used for creation the majority of their use if for consuming digital information: reading email, surfing the web, watching movies, reading e-books, and so on. While both devices are great for this each does have its own special ability.
The Nexus does some things fabulously well. The Nexus is better for reading email than the Mini, without a doubt — largely because it supports all of Gmail’s totallyawesome features. The Nexus also wins for watching videos, largely due to the hardware: the 16:9 screen Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 11
The Bottom Line:
If you want to run Android, need have to have a slightly higher screen density, or are running low on funds then get the Nexus 7. Otherwise, get the iPad mini. Cost isn't the always the same thing as value. iPads are almost synomous with tablets for most and for a good reason. If you want a tablet with Android then get a Nexus 7. If your looking for a tablet then be sure to get the iPad Mini. This is pretty much where the line in the sand is. Your either looking for a tablet or your curious about Android.
and higher resolution are much better for movies than the iPad’s 4:3 letterbox hell. I’ve also been impressed with Google Play Music — it does a transparent and seamless job of keeping what’s in iTunes on my PC in Google’s cloud for playback on Android devices, including playlists. But in just about every other way, I find consuming media on the iPad to be better, particularly surfing the web. The 4:3 screen, while a detriment for videos, makes web pages appear much larger due to the extra width. With the 16:9 screen on the Nexus, you barely get a portion of all the information in widescreen. There’s just no contest here. The larger screen more than compensates for the dearth of pixels. Reading ebooks and magazine is also better on the iPad. Mostly due to the broader screen, but I think part is due to iOS and it’s ability to bring new ways to experience your books and magazines with multimedia and an elegant display. While the Nexus does have Google Play Books and Magazines the widescreen still leaves some blank areas at the top and bottom of magazines giving you the appearance of last space.
Third Party Apps
The Google Play store has made a lot of strides, and it’s got a pretty expansive selection of apps. Pretty much anything super-popular for Android has been ported to iOS, and vice versa. If you’re using Android, you’re not getting the short end of the app stick.
But there’s a qualifier there: if you’re using an Android phone. Tablets are another matter entirely. While I think Android’s approach to tablet-ifiying apps designed for 12 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
phone screens is better than Apple’s clunky “show it small in the middle” approach, Android’s expand-to-fit technique obscures the fact that there just aren’t that many apps that really take advantage of the extra screen real estate. There are definitely some, and lots of the major ones do, but not all. Flipboard, for example, is pretty much the same — just bigger — on the Nexus as it is on my Samsung Galaxy S II. Compared to Flipboard on the iPad you get a completely different presentation. It’s so much better on iOS, where it’s been redesigned specifically for tablets, compared to simply being enlarged for the Nexus. There are also phone-specific apps in Android that you just can’t get on your Nexus. Many apps that haven’t been updated to run in 7” or even 10” screens refuse to appear in the Play Store when you’re on the device — presumably so you don’t know what you’re missing. At least with iOS you can use all the phonespecific apps, even if the experience would not be up to Apple’s strict standards. While there’s plenty of good software for the Nexus, and a good portion of it has been tablified, there are gaps. For iOS? There’s more good software, and draconian App Store review process be damned, there’s more good tablet software.
Value
Right now, a 16gb Nexus 7 with wifi will set you back $199. A 16gb iPad Mini with wifi runs $329. In case you suck at math, that’s a difference of $130 or about 60%. Sure, the iPad may be made made from unicorn tears and is the greatest thing
ever, rather than plastic, but that’s just ridiculous. This price is a no-brainer.
Conclusion
Unfortunately both tablets come with their pluses and minuses making this decision more of a toss up and handing the choice to you the consumer. I have found the iPad Mini to be generally more enjoyable and useful for the lightweight sort of consumption-oriented tasks I’ve thrown at it. I think the nearly-40%larger screen (despite the lower pixel count) contributes heavily to this, but there’s also something I can’t quite describe about iOS that just makes it feel more welcoming to me. If these two devices were priced close to the same, I would recommend the iPad Mini over the Nexus 7 without hesitation. In fact, depending on your configuration, you can almost get two Nexus tablets for the price of a single iPad Mini. Which, honestly, is ridiculous. The Nexus 7 is a great device and most of the comparisons the iPad doesn’t win by a big enough of a margin to justify the added expense. So if you’re looking to get your first tablet and already own an Android phone then the Nexus is for you. But if you’re in the 1% and have an Apple iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV then stick with what you know and get the iPad mini. By: Jason Carrick
5 Wii U Games You Should Get Now The Wii U, Nintendo's long-awaited Wii successor, hit store shelves on November 18. If you were one of the first ones to pick one up, or might be considering one for the Holidays you might be wondering what launch games are worth getting your grubby little hands on. Have no fear we have a few ideas just for you. The Wii U comes in two flavors: Basic (white) and Deluxe (black). The $299.99 Basic Set includes the Wii U system, the Wii U touch-screen GamePad, 8GB of storage, an HDMI cable, a sensor bar for Wii remotes, and an AC adapter. The $349.99 Deluxe Set includes all of those things, but ups the storage capacity to 32GB, tosses in a Wii U GamePad charging cradle, a Wii U stand, and a copy of Nintendo Land. Enough about the specs, what about the games? Thankfully, the console's launch-day titles are a thrilling mix of family-friendly and hardcore titles—a mix that the original Wii sorely lacked. Here are out picks for some of the first must have games for the Wii U. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge - $59.99
New Super Mario Bros. U - $59.99
While the initial launch of Ninja Gaiden on the Wii left people wanting more. Razor's Edge improves upon the first attempt at a third Ninja Gaiden by adding dismemberment, revamping the "Steel on Bone" finisher, and adding upgradeable weapons.
It wouldn’t be an official Nintendo release without a new Super Mario game and the Wii U didn’t want to break the trend. Bringing with it the four-player flagchasing action first seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, this family-friendly title features numerous power ups and assists, such a Flying Squirrel suit and Baby Yoshi.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II -$59.96 Of course this is one of the must have games on any console and with the Wii U’s move away from family friendly gaming, nows your chance to get the game everyone else will be playing. With console specific features leveraging the GamePad, this game delivers a unique experience only available on the Wii U. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition - $59.99 Tekken Tag Tournament 2's award winning fighting action now spills over to Wii U with added features including Nintendothemed costumes (Mario, Samus, Link), music, and a new "Mushroom Battle" mode that tosses power ups (like a Mushroom, which dramatically increases your size) into the mix.
ZombiU - $59.99 Looking to capitalize on the zombie craze sweeping the world, Ubisoft's survival horror title details the survivors' scramble to, well, survive. One compelling feature of the game is that if a players-character dies, the in-game avatar is dead. That is until the corpse rises as a zombie itself, forcing the player to then control another survivor—and possibly need to kill the old character to get much needed items and weaponry. Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 13
>> COLLECTIBLES
DAVE'S TOY CHEST Fresh Off the Mat, Dave brings the smackdown on the classic wwf Hasbro figures COLLECTABLE INFO Company: Hasbro Original Release: 1990-1994 Collection Size: 11 series of releases
Seeing as I’m the older, creepy guy that works here at Day Old Stubble I doubt that anyone remembers these little guys but I sure do. They made their debut in 1990 by the toy manufacturer Hasbro, are VERY COLLECTIBLE, and were known as WWF Hasbro Action Figures. I know what you guys are thinking. Wrestling figures these days are real scan figures with 8,472 points of articulation. What’s so great about these figures? Well for starters, they’re VINTAGE! Pay homage to them. Secondly, the market had never seen anything like them before…making them an instant hit with wrestling fans. Thirdly, they each had their own specialty move that you could use in the heat of battle. Let’s review, shall we?
figure came with a crown and scepter), Hacksaw Jim Duggan with Hack Attack (this figure came with a 2 X 4), and The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase (green tux) with Million Dollar Stomp (this figure came with the Million Dollar Belt). In the 1991 series Hasbro also released tag team sets. They were: The Bushwhackers Luke and Butch with the Down and Out Blaster and the Down Under Punch, The Rockers Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty with the Rocker Shocker and the Rocker Dropper, and Demolition Smash and Crush with the Demolition Smasher and the Crush Cruncher (these figures came with their black helmets).
Series 1 was released in 1990 all had neon blue cards. The figures were: Hulk Hogan with Gorilla Press Slam, The Ultimate Warrior (green tights) with Ultimate Smash, Andre the Giant with Giant Jolt, Demolition Ax with the Axe Attack, Demolition Smash with Demolition Smasher, Ravishing Rick Rude with Rude Awakening Headlock, “Macho Man” Randy Savage with Elbow Smash, Akeem the African Dream with Body Slam, The Big Bossman (wearing sunglasses) with Hard Time Slam (this figure came with a night stick), The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase (black tux) with Million Dollar Punch, Jake “The Snake” Roberts with Python Punch (this figure came with his pet snake Damien), and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake (magenta tights) with Sleeper Hold (this figure came with orange sheers).
In 1992 Series 3 was released and it contained the following figures: Hulk Hogan with Hulkaplex, The Ultimate Warrior (purple tights) with Warrior Wham, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake (zebra tights) with Beefcake Flattop (this figure came with black shears), Greg “The Hammer” Valentine with Hammer Slammer, Earthquake with Aftershock, Typhoon with Tidal Wave, Sgt. Slaughter with Sergeant Salute, The “Macho Man” Randy Savage with Macho Masher, Mr. Perfect (yellow singlet) with Perfect Plex, Koko B. Ware with Birdman Bounce (this figure came with his pet Frankie the Parrot), The “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich with Texas Twister, and The Big Bossman (no shades) with Jailhouse Jam (this figure came with a night stick).
Series 2 was released in 1991 and contained the following figures: Hulk Hogan with Hulkster Hug, The Ultimate Warrior (white tights) with Ultimate Slam, The Honky Tonk Man with Rattle and Roll (this figure came with a guitar), The American Dream Dusty Rhodes with Dust Buster, Rowdy Roddy Piper with Piper Punch, The Super-Fly Jimmy Snuka with Superfly Slam, The “Macho King” Randy Savage with Macho Masher (this
Series 4 was also released in 1992 and had a few names that you’d remember plus 2 tag team sets. They were: The Undertaker
14 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
The Warlord with Warlord Wham, and Irwin R. Shyster with Write Off Slam. Series 6 (the final series released on neon blue cards) were: The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair with Flair Snare, Papa Shango with Spell Binder (with a bone necklace), El Matador with Bullseye Bash, The Repo Man with Robber Clobber, Tatanka with Tomahawk Tackle, and The Berzerker with Berzerker Blast (with removable cloth vest and belt). This series also saw some mail away exclusives thru it’s magazine: Hulk Hogan (with Red Hulkamania Shirt), The Undertaker (with Black Cloak, Light Brown Hair and Eye Shadow), Bret “The Hitman” Hart (with Purple Heart), Hulk Hogan (with Gorilla Press Slam), and The “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Series 7, also released in 1993, saw several new characters hit the line and were all on yellow cards. They were: Kamala with Kamala Krush (with Star on the Belly and one of the most sought after figures in the line), Owen Hart with Rocket Blast, Crush with Kona Crusher, Nailz with Jailhouse Jab, Razor Ramon with Razor Rage (this figure came with Gold Chains), and Shawn Michaels (Heart Break Kid on his trunks) with Conceited Crunch.
Above: The Official WWF Collectors Checklist showing all the figures released during the entire rnu of Hasbro's WWF figure line.
(ginger hair and beard and eye shadow) with Tombstone Tackle, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat with Steamboat Springer, Bret “The Hitman” Hart (purple heart on tank top) with Hart Attack, Bret “The Hitman” Hart (neon pink sunglasses and wristbands) with Hart Attack, The British Bulldog with Bulldog Bash, The Legion Of Doom Hawk and Animal with Hawk Attack and DoomsDayer, and The Nasty Boys Knobs and Sags with Nasticizer and Punk Pounder.
1993 saw several figures released by Hasbro. Series 5 included: Hulk Hogan (no shirt) with Hulkster Slam, The “Macho Man” Randy Savage (green stetson and tassels) with Savage Slam, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart with Anvil Flattener, Sid Justice with Power Bomb, Skinner with Gator Breaker, The Mountie with Mountie Mash (this figure came with a shock stick), “The Model” Rick Martel with Arrogance Splash, Virgil with Bodyguard Bash,
1994 was also a big year for Hasbro and their releases. Series 8 were all on red cards. The figures released were: Bam Bam Bigelow with Bam Bam Slam, Yokosuka (red and black tights) with Sumo Smash, The “Narcissist” Lex Luger with Narcissistic Knockout, Mr. Perfect (blue singlet) with Perfect Plex, Bret “The Hitman” Hart (silver shades, pink vest and black pants) with Hart Attack, and The Undertaker (with Black Cloak and dark brown hair and beard with no eye shadow) with Tombstone Tackle. The following figures still had red cards but were only released in India. They were: Razor Ramon with Razor Rage (this figure came with Copper Gold Chains), Demolition Smash with Demolition Smasher, Rowdy Roddy Piper with Piper Punch, The “Narcissist” Lex Luger with Narcissistic Knockout, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase (black tux with copper Million Dollar Belt) with Million Dollar Punch, and The Ultimate Warrior with Ultimate Slam. Series 9, also released in 1994, all had purple cards and saw more first time figures in the set. They were: Rick Steiner with Steiner Slam, Scott Steiner with Steiner Suplex, Doink The Clown with Big Top Clobber, Tatanka with Tomahawk Tackle, The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase (no shirt and in tights) with Million Dollar Mash,
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 15
>> COLLECTIBLES and Hacksaw Jim Duggan with Hacksaw Slam (this figure comes with a USA Flag). Another line, Series 10, was released in 1994 but all of their cards were a dark blue color. Many new figures graced this series as well. They were: Giant Gonzalez with Giant Jab, Marty Jannetty with Jannetty Jam, Samu (from the Headshrinkers) with Samu Shocker, Fatu (also from the Headshrinkers) with Fatu Flattener, Bushwhacker Luke (with removable cap) with Down and Out Blaster, Bushwhacker Butch (with removable cap) with Down Under Pounder, Shawn Michaels (white tights) with Conceited Crunch, Shawn Michaels (black tights) with Conceited Crunch, Razor Ramon (red vest and gold chains) with Razor Rage, and Razor Ramon (purple vest and gold chains) with Razor Rage. Series 11, also released in 1994, all had green cards and again had several new figures in the line. This line represented the last line released in the series due to decline in sales. They were: Ludvig Borga with Finland Finisher, Yokosuka (black and white tights) with Sumo Smash, Crush (face paint and goatee, evil) with Kona Crusher, 1-2-3 Kid with 1-2-3 Punch, Adam Bomb with Nuclear Knockout, Billy Gunn with Cowboy Clobber, and Bart Gunn with Rodeo Roundhouse. Below: The American Dream Dusty Rhodes from Series 2 of Hasbro's WWF Figure line that came out in 1991.
Above: One of the many rings released with Hasbro's WWF Figure line. This is the SumerSlam ring which featured a Paul Bearer figure.
Several wrestling rings were released to coincide with the figures. They were: blue ring with blue turnbuckles (top being circle), blue ring with blue turnbuckles (top being square), blue ring with black turnbuckles (top being circle), blue ring with black turnbuckles (top being square), blue ring UK exclusive with sound module, J. C. Penny exclusive blue ring with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage figures, and yellow ring with King Of The Ring logos. Rumors have circulated that some prototypes of certain wrestlers but proof of them don’t exist. A Greg “The Hammer” Valentine figure in his Rhythm and Blues Attire and a Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake in his Mega Maniacs red and yellow attire have yet to be found but would be highly collectable. Other modifications of prototypes are in series 1 Hulk Hogan’s shirt features a different font than the one that appeared on the final product and series 2 showed a different facial expression on Dusty Rhodes. In series 3 The Ultimate Warrior was supposed to have yellow and white face paint as opposed to his yellow, purple, and white he was released in. Also, the Texas Tornado was supposed to have a color scheme of red and white as opposed to just his red color he had in his release. Series 4’s only change was Bret Hart’s sunglasses were supposed to be silver and pink instead of just pink. Series 5 had the Mountie having
16 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
a red cattle prod instead of a black one and Virgil was supposed to have his name on his trunks and series 6’s Berzerker wasn’t supposed to come with a cloak and Tatanka was supposed to have blue on his legs. In series 7 if you are lucky enough to be able to find a Kamala figure with a moon on his big ole’ belly you will be rolling in dough. So there you have it fans. One of the most collectible lines in regards to wrestling figures. They are even making a comeback due to talented people being able to make variants and different wrestlers with those figures. See vintage does pay off. Most of these figures can be easily purchased on eBay for a cheap price. However, if you want to buy them on card that’s when you’re going to have to shell out some serious dough. Like I stated earlier there are some figures that can fetch in the neighborhood of $200.00 to $250.00 each. Thanks again for taking the time to look in the toy chest. (Isn’t there a lot of vintage crap in here? LET THAT BE A LESSON TO ALL OF YOU COLLECTORS OUT THERE!) Join us next month when we uncover more vintage toys. Gentlemen (and ladies if you are reading) we are going to tackle a toy line that I can tell you that I never had a single piece of. We are going to go over the Original Ghostbusters toy line. Thanks for reading. See you in 30! By: dave norton
>> COMICS
BUGGER OFF! I'M READIN' COMICS
AQUAMAN FINALLY SHEDS THE FLACK AND COMES OUT AS A TOUGH AS NAILS HERO By: Dave Norton
COMIC INFO Publisher: DC Comics Publication: November 2011-April 2012 Writer: Geoff Johns Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Eber Ferreira
18 | DayOldStubble | April 2012
To my knowledge no other hero in comic book history has taken more flack than that of Aquaman. Created in 1941 by Mort Weisinger, Aquaman was described as the “sovereign of the sea” with the waters of the entire globe his “domain”. Arthur Curry was the son of a lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry and an Atlantian queen named Atlanna. It seemed like a good idea but nothing ever truly stuck with the King of the Seas. In 1986 writer Neal Pozner wrote a 4 issue series retelling Aquaman’s origin adding that he had a half-brother that grew to hate him. That man became the villain known as the Ocean Master. Unfortunately DC Comics failed to capitalize on this and Aquaman remained dormant until 1993 when writer Peter David revamped Arthur. Peter David made the character a brooding, scowling, not to be messed with type character. He also changed his appearance by giving him long hair and a beard along with a harpoon for a hand. These changes seemed to be quite popular with the mainstream. However, with time more changes were to come. After David left the book writer Rick Vertch decided to take a crack at the character, basically undoing everything that Peter David had done. Aquaman’s harpooned hand had been replaced with a magical healing water hand, his long hair gone, and his stories were more of a pirate tale than
anything. (I actually liked it.) Later, San Diego was decimated by an earthquake and was dropped into the ocean and it’s inhabitants all becoming very similar to Aquaman. I believe the writer was giving him another Atlantis. Out of this story Aquaman gained another sidekick and a good supporting cast of characters. Yet again DC failed to capture the attention of the reader and the Aquaman title was later dropped and Aquaman was later killed. How could this happen to such a great character? Enter saving grace Geoff Johns. Geoff Johns is a miracle worker. His previous works on JSA, Flash, and Green Lantern are legendary in the DC community. What better way to bring back Aquaman from death than have Johns handle the writing. (He had already brought back both Hal Jordan and Barry Allen from the dead…..why not Arthur Curry?) During the ULTRA POPULAR tale Blackest Night Aquaman comes back to life as a Black Lantern to overthrow the Earth. At it’s conclusion (SPOILER ALERT) Arthur is resurrected. In the tale Brightest Day Johns brought Aquaman front and
COMICS <<
center and showed the DC Universe what a badass he could be. In September 2011 writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis started a monthly book titled Aquaman. Let me tell you guys you will not be disappointed. This series starts off with a bang and it doesn’t let up for a second. Apparently a new breed of creature makes its’ way to the surface in search of food. The only one capable of stopping them is Aquaman. In the area of Boston, Aquaman has taken residence with his longtime wife Mera. Serving as a hero from the shadows Arthur is laughed at and frowned upon by most of the people in the area…..until they need him. That’s one of the great things that Johns is capable of doing. He takes little digs at what has been said about a character over
time and uses it to entertain us. The scene with Aquaman in a restaurant just trying to get something to eat is freakin’ hilarious. Johns makes it a point to let the reader know that Aquaman DOESN’T talk to fish and what is the deal with the orange shirt that he wears. Ever wonder how Arthur has money to purchase things? Johns shows us how. He even makes Mera a badass. (Thank God. The last thing we need is another damsel in distress.) Even though everyone refers to her as Aquawoman, something that she detests, Mera still comes off as a great character. Aquaman isn’t too shabby either. Johns shows the reader that he can handle himself. The real questions are how does Aquaman deal with this new threat: the Trench creatures? Who is Stephen Shin and what
is his connection to Arthur? Who’s looking for Aquaman’s trident? Who sank Atlantis? Why is Mera supposed to kill Aquaman? Who are The Others and what is their connection to Arthur? What does the relic do and why are the Atlantians after it? And what is Aquaman’s connection to the villainous Black Manta? All of these questions are answered within the first 12 issues of the magnificent story. Trust me you will not put this comic series down once you start reading it. IT IS AMAZING! You will not be disappointed. Thanks again for joining us here at Bugger Off. It is greatly appreciated. Join us here next month where we are going to have a review of "The Bible 2" from Trepidation Comics and an interview with Marc Allen Fishman of Unshaven Comics. See you in 30.
Dark Horse's The Massive Wow. This book came highly acclaimed to me but, being the simple (stupid) man that I am, I just don't understand ANYTHING that is going on in it. I gave it 2 issues but no more. The Massive........................................you have officially been MUNSONED!
April 2012 | DayOldStubble | 19
>> FEATURED INTERVIEW
AUTHOR INVTERVIEW: JAMES KAHN bout ore a m n r ad ea ave h t to l terne that you h the best n i e e th uld b d out rches e sea is they fin . What wo es Kahn? n o n n am cts Whe s Kah proje times of J Jame in many d o n h r, in a w life nds ytelle vels, e a r h o h t t s r o a you m up lf as ies, n s, and to su myse hor t stor m f l o way fi k s t hin en hor e to t I've writt ws, s ature o k e i f l h s I t n ) . n and Kahn ny guises , televisio ndepende i wife a s y n m m e a g s m o t g i p s n all ns, uci unnin olve izatio ll as prod e sum inv ead r an l r e h v t o n e h s er t of t , as w e oth y years a stitutes songs large par d then th n a on c m l l A . An , my re that a n e e n film. i may, r c d i e chil Mor med r. Not su e s e i r l h l t a ge, docto gh it ia pa gate. throu ncy room an aggre y wikiped om s ge m n.c emer so much a aned on eskah le tjam g a m h u e s or us b .t a ww red f med not, w e f , y f e a o t i r u ebs or m d, yo d info e my w h oduce ere on an t r t f n or on o i were nel you w s: Return velized t s r r we fi a pa ve no oonies, r Wa When check out on of Sta ks you ha G i r t e ist to o za m ur w terge rk on l o o to co our noveli y P t a y s from to wo of oking us of en lo e film re chosen g on one t h i r W o . v e n a i f w k ? r i Jedi r ed you of ou to wo the J how many s lead eturn of t hare s n e u v o e R s can y nd what tory, in Lo a rite s room n y c them eekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favo n lee ge g Kath emer ure every g an ul named lp her fig n i k r e o o ent h s w w d e s l I wa of us y nic if we cou r ) l e a n v r h e Ka o sev the tech hen a d asked n les w ien. S Ange y called a ate an al we wrote unded on ed d po , so suscit T, where Kenn its an Spielberg d to re u E s f w t o o a se out h o the set I met hazm relea , nned , of course recently ur ss o e wn t o d u o g d d e y m it, I e an here py of m o t u c d g l e e ist. o l l i e k e i a l w ee di . Wh He a co lterg e w t . o s s e e i e P m a i h v m e e h i c iz e Pl ter ET's and T novel I gav e to es ed in r ourse ld Enough nment to ended m tion m c u a t f J o a g r m i h o fe s l s t m e W a n o v iza c , mon now novel ve me the , so he re he Jedi no asfilms k e h t t s t t a u e a f o oL c me ho and g e liked th e is b f Star gave mended t el Rey, w er H o h . h n n w e D th , h m h o s o o a n T a c K Luc Lyn o re . The uthor f the a as als her, Judy velization nd the eorge G w e I h a o o blis ugh as t ones edi n d. - tho editor/pu turn nes and e the J Indiana J me crow R g : y n s i a h r m o s s . d i a s J l y n e b b b a h W e jo o pu gh t nies diana Doom, n as als ions, Goo me throu t giving m I w , i p a izat Jed ey ke om, c novel ple of us m of Do stuff so th e e l T p l most Tem ked my the ies, p ls and f our i n l o o y here e o e Th som ere t g w ard n i d and G ther nove ll as r und h sform itten wo o n f a e o u r t o r y When lms to w nts that s? many tions, as w ducer fi word ve e e n t i i a r r o o e z o i c r v s l n a e p e f a n c v e r no ignifi in sc write cer ta ey their s ager a y o g v V n n i o be to c rek: .
tar T musician for S avid n a d an
FEATURED INTERVIEW << Kahn)No, just the opposite, in general. Novels give the opportunity to expand characterization, inner dialogue, motivation - in other words, significance. And the action stuff is just fun to write. Are there any scenes that you felt were able to explained better in writing then what was shown on screen? Kahn) I always loved Vader's death scene, and tried hard to give it as much depth as possible. And in Poltergeist, I was able to incorporate some of the research in telepathy I'd actually done in medical school Besides being known for your novelizations you also have a following as a self published author. Can you share some of your works and which ones you like best? Kahn) Haven't really selfpublished, except for my music.
My first sci-fi novel, World Enough and Time, released by Del Rey back in 1980, has just been reissued by Fastpencil Press, and is available as an ebook or hardcopy from Amazon, and also as a paperback in Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor, and other stores. It's a dystopic future of genetically engineered mythological creatures trying to exterminate the human race. Fun stuff. As a writer-producer for Star Trek: Voyager what stories/Episodes from the series did you like the best? Kahn) As a general rule, I loved the Borg episodes. The ones I wrote were Critical Care, Natural Law, The Void, and Lineage. Having worked on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Xena: Warrior Princess which would you say was your favorite of the three? Kahn) Probably declasse of me to say, but I really loved Xena. Your background in medicine essentially jump started your career and led to being involved in one of the most memorable in E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial. After being called in to help write the dialogue for the resuscitation scene what led to you playing a small role in bringing the scene to life on the film? Did you enjoy your few minutes of film fame? Kahn) As above. And yes, it was great fun. And Spielberg is a great director. After visiting your website and listening to a few of your songs I must admit they are pretty good. Besides dabbling in music lately what other projects are you working on?
Kahn) Sounds like faint praise about the music, but when all is said and done, the songs are closer to my heart than anything else I've written. Aside from that I just finished producing a small indie film titled The Bet, a sort of coming-of-age teen romantic comedy. We're in post-production now, and hope to release it in April. It was produced under the auspices of the Community Film Studio of Santa Barbara, a new nonprofit organization modeled on the template of Community Theater, except instead of putting on local stage productions with community volunteers, we make movies. I'm also currently working on an action comedy feature film script, rewriting a reincarnation thriller novel, and working on my 3rd CD, this one children's songs. What first got you into writing and do you prefer writing science fiction or fantasy? Kahn) I've written since I was 8 years old - two or three page stories inspired by things I was reading in comic books like Amazing Tales. I prefer science fiction laden with fantasy elements. OK, we have to ask since you have worked with both. Which one is better Star Trek or Star Wars? Kahn) No way I'm going to jump into that briar patch. The following is a series of quick rapid fire questions we end each interview section with. Favorite comic book character? A) Batman Favorite film? A) To Kill A Mockingbird/The Magnificent Seven/Spartacus/ Alien/Godfather/Lord of the Rings/My Cousin Vinny Favorite book and author? A) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre Favorite video game? A) Missile Command Favorite piece of technology? A) Royal Portable Typewriter Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 21
Guest Writer
Pamela Langston
Nerdy for derby MaybelleMean gets down and nerdy with the girls from The Demolition Dolls of Cookeville, TN
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. – Mohandas K. Gandhi By: Pamela Langston
Roller derby is one of the fastest growing amateur sports in the world today, and thousands of women are flocking to it. Today’s derby is a far cry from the staged derby bouts of the 1940’s and 1950’s. It was revived as a rollersport in the early 2000s; in 2004 the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association got its start and has now grown to 159 member leagues and over a hundred apprentice leagues. The movie “Whip It” brought modern derby to the silver screen, but derby is going on every day in cities across the nation and all over the world: gritty, gutsy and one hundred percent real. Derby emphasizes strength, agility and a DIY ethic rarely seen in athletics. Every “derby girl” is a flamboyant, sexy star in her own right, with names like Sodomizing Suzie, Muhammad Holly and Strawberry Hurtcake. The skaters own their equipment, choose their coaches, plan their practice drills and run their teams and leagues. “Skater owned and operated” is the derby ideal, and none of us are ever paid for playing the sport we love. The Demolition Dolls of Cookeville, TN are my derby team, and my compatriots on my journey to flat track glory. We got our start in December 2011 and are working towards our inaugural bout season in February 2013. Many of us started out not knowing even the basics of skating; through hard work at our twice-weekly practices, we have learned to execute complex stops, turns and pack skating maneuvers, and how to skate as a team. We have worked hard recruiting, having fundraisers, and doing charity work to help our community. Practice space has been a challenge, but the Demolition Dolls have persevered and have now secured practice space at a local rink and at our National Guard Armory. While we have not had our first official game yet, we have scrimmaged with other teams in the region and some of our skaters have substituted in a bout between the Dunlap Darksiders and Marietta (GA) Derby Darlins. Being a part of a derby team is thrilling, grueling, challenging, heartbreaking, and amazing. It’s like being a part of the most kick-ass family on the planet. We sweat together, laugh together, break bread together and break bones together (I just recovered from a fractured rib). We have worked hard for everything and that just makes it even better when we finally surmount our next hurdle. Some people still think
22 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
Clockwise from upper left: Grace McClellan, Belladonna Datura, Mommie Dearest, Miss Sadisdick, Tallulah Bangheads, Killer Tofu, LoneShark, MaybelleMean, Russian Devil, Sodomizing Suzie, Angry Artemisia, Strawberry HurtCake.
that we aren’t serious or that derby is staged a la professional wrestling. We are, and it isn’t. But overwhelmingly we have had a positive response from our community and have had a lot of help from other teams in our region, like the Darksiders of Dunlap, TN and the Clarksvillains of Clarksville, TN. Y, Derby folks know that everything is more fun when more people participate, so we all go the extra mile to help other teams with their bouts and training. Not surprisingly, all of our ladies are sexy and smart, and many of us are supremely nerdy! (Many of us like to call ourselves “nerdy for derby”; hence the title!) Here are some of our skaters’ quotes about what we like to geek out over: Dina Sore: I love anything with time travel, zombies, dinosaurs, or ancient mythologies. I am overly well versed in very terrible B-movies. I have seen all seasons of Stargate, BSG, Doctor Who, Sliders, Quantum Leap and several more. I am completely in love with Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I also have a World of Warcraft account. All this and still managing to graduate with honors studying Biology and Geology. :)
Rainbow Bite: I love bad zombie movies….the Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, Robot Chicken… I haven’t dressed up for a movie premiere or gone to DragonCon yet, but don’t be surprised when I do! Sodomizing Suzie: I went to the mega screen at Houston Museum of Natural Science at $30 a ticket! Belladonna Datura: I’m a plant geek! LOVE knowing obscure scientific things about horticulture! Tallulah BangHeads: I have a secret love for Stargate SG-1…. Well I guess it isn’t so secret any more. MaybelleMean: Hands down, my favorite geeky thing is Star Wars. As a kid, I was so excited to get a Princess Leia action figure that I sewed her a bed, pillow and blanket, all by hand! (As I wrote this, my son just burst into my bedroom wearing a ninja costume and a shirt saying “Silent but Deadly”.) Find out more about derby at www. wftda.org. “Like” the Demolition Dolls of Cookeville Roller Derby on Facebook to keep up with the latest team happenings. Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 23
>> Youmacon 2012
Youmacon 2012 I never did find David Bowie, but I did find Steam Powered Giraffe! Youmacon 2012 was held in Detroit, Michigan from November 1-4. The Renaissance Center housed most of the events, but the Dealers/Artists room and many other panels were in Cobo Hall, a brisk 10 minute walk or Detroit People Mover ride away. The Renaissance Center has a more than adequate food court with options that include pizza, sandwiches, and gyros. This was definitely a bonus, as we didn't have to leave the convention to find food. Upon arrival, we discovered that our procrastination in not pre-registering online had actually worked in our favor. The line for the pre-registered was long, while the on-site registration lines were short and efficiently managed. After receiving our badges, we decided to find a schedule and see what was going on. This proved to be difficult, as the convention staff informed us that there were no 24 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
convention schedules to be had. Their estimate that they would be ready by five o'clock PM did not help us much, as we were trying to find a panel in progress that had started at three. According to the staffer I spoke with, the printing company they used had dropped the ball on programs. Fortunately, the schedule was available online as well and we were able to access it on our phones. It quickly became apparent that having a schedule still didn't mean that you could actually find the room you wanted to find. Five levels of shiny, futuristic convention center, and no elevator access for the masses. In order to ride the elevators, a wrist band proving hotel patronage was necessary. There were escalators, but they were crowded, and the names on the map and the names of the actual panel rooms often did not coincide. For example, "Panel
Room 1" is only useful if there is a big sign indicating as such. After three days at the convention, I had only found one public restroom, and it was on the ground level near the food court. Enormous, stone slabs with cutouts decorated the halls on some levels, and gave the building an even more Escher-like Labyrinth quality. This joke reached its apex when we ran across someone cosplaying Jareth the Goblin King from the movie Labyrinth. I never did figure out the complex number/letter/ color system for Cobo Hall, and at one point ended up in a basement with nothing in it but a security guard at a kiosk who laughed at me and told me I was not in the right place. Thanks, man. :-) Navigational difficulties aside, Youmacon was open, friendly, and had a heart of gold at the center of its labyrinth. Attendees, guests, staff, and vendors seemed to co-exist harmoniously throughout
Youmacon2012 <<
the convention. At a panel called Whose Line Is It Anyway, hosted by the staff of Anime Punch (www.animepunch.org/), a Columbus, Ohio-based convention, convention guests Doug Walker and Linkara of That Guy With the Glasses (http:// thatguywiththeglasses.com/) Internet fame participated alongside the panelists and audience volunteers. Our main reason for attending Youmacon was to see Steam Powered Giraffe (http://www. steampoweredgiraffe.com/) perform at the Friday night concert. I was so excited to see them live after months of Internet fandom that I didn't look into who else was performing as well. I was very pleasantly surprised! First up was Random Gibberish (http://www.facebook. com/RandomGibberish), musical comedians from San Diego. They even wrote Youmacon its own song! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbY2pk2vznk) Next, Harry and the Potters (http://harryandthepotters. tumblr.com/) rocked the cauldron, and Lemon Demon (http://www.lemondemon.com/), best known for their song Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=reEbYSXXRuk) followed.
After a brief break, the headlining band Steam Powered Giraffe took the stage. And when I say that they, "took the stage," I mean that they transformed it into a different place, starting with the Walter Robotics logo and startup sequence and ending with the last song and fans screaming for more. One might say that it was a stampeding giraffe of a galloping success. Before the concert began, an announcement was made that the audience needed to remain seated during the performance. A few complaints could be heard, but an hour into the show, the audience sat like well-behaved children in a movie theater, eyes riveted to the stage as Peter Walter's singing automatons and their humans played, bantered, and sang. A little backstory (http://www. steampoweredgiraffe.com/backstory.
html) on Steam Powered Giraffe might help. The three singing automatons were, according to their "lore," built in 1896 by an inventor named Peter Walter. The Spine, played by David Michael Bennett, is silver and describes himself as having a titanium alloy spine. The Spine may be the straight robot of the group, but he is far from a stick in the mud. His resounding baritone in Automatonic Electronic Harmonic may just knock your socks right off, and it is clear from Me & My Baby that he enjoys a night on the town every bit as much as the next robot. Rabbit, played by Bunny Bennett, is a malfunctioning oxidized copper fellow, much less streamlined than The Spine, and often prone to glitches onstage. Rabbit's mad laughter at the end of Brass Goggles will stay with you, as will the haunting vocals of the song, Honeybee. Much of the theatricality of the stage presence of the band
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 25
is supplied by Rabbit's visually stunning robotic miming. He also looks way cooler than anyone has a right to while playing the melodica. Hatchworth, played by Sam Luke, is the cast iron and bronze newest robot of Steam Powered Giraffe. His concert debut was at Youmacon 2012, and it was a definite success. Prior to his performance at Youmacon, Sam Luke was the drummer for Steam Powered Giraffe, and sometimes played bass as well, so his musicianship was no mystery. That said, It was an incredible surprise when he burst into song during the debut of their new song Hatch Fever, proving that he has the vocal chops to compete with the other robots any day of the week. In addition to the robot members of the band, there are three human members as well. Steve Negrete (rhymes with spaghetti) is the sound engineer, and is responsible for the effects and cues that make the show its own unique act. Mike Buxbaum played the drums at Youmacon and will fill in for other events in the future. Michael Reed, affectionately known as the One Man Band, plays guitar, banjo, keyboards, and also arranges, composes, and sings. The song(s) Prelude to a Dream/ Make Believe are sung by Mr. Reed and showcase the diversity of his talents. Approximately four months ago, a friend sent me a link to a Steam Powered Giraffe song and video called Honeybee 26 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
on YouTube (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=ojYK6CW8gdw). From that moment on, I was mesmerized by their musicianship, performance, and incredible creativity. Steam Powered Giraffe is more than a band. They are actors who wrote their own characters, complete with backstory. They are musicians and composers and lyricists. They publish a self-illustrated webcomic about the lives of the robots when they are not performing and the other inhabitants of the Walter mansion (http:// steampoweredgiraffe.smackjeeves.com/). On top of all of this, Steam Powered Giraffe makes a sincere effort to reach out to their fans by replying to Tumblr messages, signing autographs, running panels, and posing for photographs. At Youmacon, I got to meet the band during one of their many autograph sessions and have my CD signed. As we waited in the line, I began to feel a little bit nervous that I wouldn't be able to produce intelligent dialogue. I am known for being talkative. I have never been shy, and truly enjoy meeting people, in particular those who produce music and/or art that I love. Over the years, I've met musicians and actors at various conventions and concerts and have always managed to maintain my dignity (mostly). This time, I wasn't sure what was going to come flying out of my mouth. I think that the difference is that the other
artists I have met were confined to one area of interest for me. The lead singer of a band. The director of a webseries I love. A voice actor for an anime series. An artist whose work I admire. So ... for me, it was like meeting my favorite singer, musician, actor, author, and artist all at the same time. As it turns out, "awesome" and "amazing" were the words of the day, followed by a hasty recounting of our six hour drive from Bloomington, Indiana to Detroit, Michigan. The members of Steam Powered Giraffe were as charming and entertaining off stage as they are on and quickly put me at ease. To find out more about Steam Powered Giraffe, visit their official webpage at: http://www.steampoweredgiraffe.com/. To watch their videos on YouTube, visit The Spineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s page at: http://www.youtube. com/user/SpineRaptor?feature=watch. By: Sara Goodwin
Holiday Movie Guide
HOLIDAY MOVIES <<
The five-week frenzy between Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Day is either movie-lover heaven or total cinema nightmare. It depends on your capacity to get to, pay for and sit through a multitude of films amid the holiday haze. The big screen might not be big enough this holiday movie season. There are big stars, big plots and big things on the line, like an Oscar nomination or two. The holiday season begins in earnest with movies for the whole family to enjoy, as well as prestige pictures for the discriminating viewer. But this is just the beginning, the stocking is full of intriguing motion pictures through the start of the new year. “Hollywood is going big this season,” says director Guillermo Del Toro who not only worked on just one blockbuster, he produced “Rise of the Guardians” and co-wrote “The Hobbit." To help make things easier on your calendar and wallet we picked the top seven movies that we feel are worth checking out this holiday season.
Opening Nov. 22
"Life of Pi" Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall. Buzz: A magical film from director Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Brokeback Mountain") based on the novel by Yann Martel. It tells the amazing story of a shipwrecked young man from India who ends up in a lifeboat in the Pacific that he shares for months with a hungry and ferocious Bengal tiger.
"Red Dawn" Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson. Buzz: This redo of the 1984 Patrick Swayze scenery-chewing classic finally arrives in theaters. Shot in 2009, its original 2010 release was abandoned after financial problems at MGM. The United States is being invaded, and it's up to a ragtag bunch of teens to take down the enemy.
"Rise of the Guardians" Cast: Voices of Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Jude Law. Buzz: Going for full-holiday appeal, this animated adventure offers an all-star troupe, including Santa, Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Based on the William Joyce series (and unrelated to "Legend of the Guardians" from 2010).
Opening Nov. 30
Opening Dec. 14
Opening Dec. 21
"Killing Them Softly" Cast: Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins, Ray Liotta. Buzz: This crime thriller from the George V. Higgins novel stars Pitt as Jackie Cogan, an enforcer who hunts down the thieves who ripped off a mob poker game. Pitt previously collaborated with director Andrew Dominik on "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood. Buzz: It's the first of Peter Jackson's prequel-sequels, and since it's coming from him, expectations are running extremely high. Most of the major players return as we learn about Bilbo Baggins, the quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Erebor, and a strangely powerful ring.
"This Is 40" Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel. Buzz: Writer-director Judd Apatow is calling this a "sort-of sequel" to "Knocked Up," his 2007 comedy starring Seth Rogen and Kathryn Heigl. This time the focus is on the lives of Pete and Debbie (the seemingly ageless Rudd, who's 43, and Mann, who actually is 40).
Opening Dec. 25
"Django Unchained" Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson. Buzz: Writer-director-mad-genius Quentin Tarantino has given us so many amazing cinema moments ("Inglourious Basterds," "Kill Bill," "Pulp Fiction") that the release of his latest film -- about a former slave turned revenge-seeking bounty hunter -- should be considered an event. You're just going to have to weave this one into your Christmas Day plans. Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 27
Holiday Gift Guide
Our Top Picks Sure to Please Every Geek
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE <<
k Pinel & Pinel Arcade Trun $90,000
es on your You could play video gam me immersive ho atcouch, or opt for an ade Pinel & -m tom cus the experience in Equipped with a Pinel Arcade PS Trunk. 55-inch TV, Formula PlayStation 3, Sony 3D essory needed to acc ry One seats, and eve thrown at you, the rock every video game d edition of 15. trunk is part of a limite
Care Package Call of Duty: Black Ops II Apple iPad Mini From $329
tina The iPad Mini lacks a Re e a big lov o wh se tho Display, and ized t-s pin its n shu y ma screen g din rea proportions – but for ebs erw int the in bed, browsing t of on the sofa and for a spo the on rs Wa r Sta ds Bir Angry lime. sub s it' morning commute, a ed ne ll sti Of course, if you stronger bigger display and have uced rod arms, Apple has just int h wit 4 the refreshed iPad d Retina Lightning connector an $499. m fro le ilab ava Display,
$179.00
uster series, and this is Call of Duty is a blockb es he-top box set – it com an appropriately over-t l icia off the , ook elB ided Ste complete with a two-s l cia spe a d an ps pro ns, coi soundtrack, challenge else, d there was something Nuketown map. Oh, an . ne dro r oto adr working qu what was it… ah yes, a
Google Nexus 7 $199
no money from the Google claims it makes can well believe we Nexus 7 device, which s. A quad son rea ht rig – but for all the rtability and po y, pla dis HD , sor core proces for under s ord aff everything Google Play . When ple peo it, e iev $200? You better bel xus 7 is Ne the s, let tab id dro it comes to An ipped. equ ll we very unbelievably cheap but larger a d an re mo Alternatively, drop a few . ing tak the for rs you Google Nexus 10 is
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 29
>> HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
iWallet Slim $500.00
sci-fi After a lifetime watching time we ut abo s and spy movies, it' some r) ha r (ha on s got our hand s, eve Thi gy. olo hn tec biometric gerprint fin s r' ne beware — only the ow . llet Wa tric me can open the Bio
Zombie Survival Kit
ium Star Wars Millenn er en Op Falcon Bottle
$79.99
zombie Survive the impending thrown kit s thi apocalypse with nkgeek. Thi at ks fol the together by everything is com. Included in this kit ahawk is tom the , pictured above. Yes k.com gee nk Thi at .99 included! $79
$19.99
tches Star If they drink beer and wa nium Falcon llen Mi s thi , Wars like we do please them, and bottle opener is sure to Thinkgeek.com your wallet. $19.99 at
The Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-ray Boxset $29.96
i20 Projector & Battery
an fan Anyone whom is a Batm own to nt wa l wil ) (who isn’t?? which , set an tm Ba y -ra this Blu The s, gin includes Batman Be Knight rk Da The d Dark Knight, an s, thi y bu n’t do Rises. If you a gadget you’d better buy them n.com azo belt! $29.96 at Am
Pack
$150.00
y place movie night Make any time and an & Battery Pack. tor jec with the i20 Pro device can generate Despite its tiny size, the s and even lend your a projection of 50 inche it's plugged in. ile phone some juice wh
Halo 4 (Xbox 360) $59.99
t Master Chief returns jus Halo as. tm ris Ch for e tim in 4, the most anticipated me game of 2012, is aweso on be y tel ina def l wil and s year. everyones wish list thi
iCade 8-Bitty Retro Wireless Game Controlle r
$29.99
This retro wireles s gaming device th at is fully compatible with all iCade games. It co nnects via Bluetooth, and wi ll make your mob ile gaming experience more enjoyable! $29.9 9 at Thinkgeek.com
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE <<
Syma S107/ S107G Remote Control Helicopter $49.99
llection Harry Potter Wizard's Co $344.99
film g, but the Harry Potter Correct us if we're wron , Warner ow eh movies. Yet som series consisted of eight x set – bo s thi o int cs m 31 dis Bros has managed to cra t two firs , extended cuts of the including Blu-rays, DVDs s) film s of the Deathly Hallow films, and (in the case ed three bonus discs cramm get o als 3D Blu-rays. You es gu alo cat , nts pri cept art with documentaries, con a map of Hogwarts. d an rs, ste po d an ps of pro
Sphero Robotic Ball $149.99
This is a unique toy that works with any iOS device (like an iPhone) or Android device (like a Samsung smartphone). At the most trolled a remote-control car, con basic level, this ball is like do can it , ver we e or tablet. Ho dable through your smartphon loa wn do of st ho a d there are ll much more than this, an we as that make use of this toy games for your phone ly on t No lf. gramming it yourse as the possibility of pro be played nge color and can also cha that, but the ball can t that’ll gif y irk qu d an e lly uniqu with in the dark. It’s a rea t! sen y geek. A great little pre entertain and engage an
This could be the ultimate geek a fully ote control helicopter is toy! The Syma S107 rem Even n. ow its toy that flies all on controllable helicopter y, it tor his t en rec in hottest toys h though this is one of the wit y pp ha un be uld wo Nobody doesn’t cost much at all! k. gee a are t, whether or not they this as a Christmas gif
Kymera Magic Wand Remote Control
$68.00
Which roleplaying geek has not had a vain dream of being able to vie ld magical powers almighty? Now th and become ey can take contro l of the television system at home or stereo with this magic wa nd remote. It is co with most home mpatible electronics and ca n learn up to 13 in This is a great ch frared codes. ristmas present fo r any nerd. Let them experie nce the magic.
Hero GoPro Camera HD HERO2 $299.99
We've all seen the stupid and awesome videos we got with the original Hero Cam and now we get to look forward to even better quality ones.
MATH CLASS Wall Clock $22.99
the rest of us who are
no
able While most may not be the all to actually work out ck, any calculations on this clo able be l wil st sia math enthu ons ati cul cal the te ple to com reciate app o easily. They will als them kes ma t tha having a clock m the ws allo d an er art look sm of fun to poke a bit of friendly th genom. ipp t equ ed with the ma
wns Jedi Dressing GoRo Star Wars Bath bes $69.99
er always Has your significant oth is it perhaps or dreamt of being a jedi n? Now ow r you a geeky dream of by e tru e com can the fantasy rdy Jedi ne me eso aw s thi ing equipp e. rob g hin clothing lookalike bat the d an s ber tsa ligh Get one of the the or you d an g mu e Vader Coffe l feel that the geek of your choice wil morning. the in force is with them Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 31
D12 Academy
citadels
Board Games
D12 Academy
An in-depth study on a different board game each month…increase your strategic knowledge and/or decide if it’s worth a purchase. What It Is
Game Info: Name: Citadels Designer: Bruno Faidutti Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Published: 2000 Players: 2-7 Playing Time: 90 minutes Ages: 10 and up Category: Card Game
The Goal A bluffing game where players race to hire workers to help them acquire the most gold and erect eight buildings before the end of each round.
Citadels is a card drafting/bluffing game, with a medieval theme akin to Dominion. Up to 8 players compete for various character personas with unique abilities, and work to build the largest, most diverse citadel possible. Turns are fast and games overall run on the quick side, especially with experienced players. Ample opportunity to stick it to your friends and gang up on the leader ensure that no path to victory will go as smoothly as it might seem at first…
How It Plays
Each turn, players take turns secretly drafting a persona, and then in a set order these personas are revealed and you can take actions to acquire gold, build structures, etc. Strategy in drafting and bluffing/ deduction skills are key, as a large part of success in the game is having a better feel for which persona your opponents picked than they have on what you picked. You generally spend your turns building up either gold or cards, and then build one structure in your citadel. First player to 8 buildings triggers the Endgame, and points are tallied for total value of each building as well as potential points for having a full citadel and/or diverse buildings. A game of Citadels can frequently be completed in well under an hour, and you’ll experience relatively little downtime between actions.
32 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
By: Aaron Dekuiper
It May Be For You If…
If you’re keen on games with a bluffing component, you’ll have a leg up in Citadels over players who choreograph their intentions. In a world increasingly filled with high-quality long-play board games, Citadels can help fill the niche of quicker-action games for when time is shorter…think 7 Wonders, Roll through the Ages, or Race for the Galaxy. Lastly, Citadels is not a bad gateway game if you have players that are new to strategy board games. While new players will take time to get good at the bluffing/draft strategy aspects, the simplicity of each turn and reality that you can usually choose between only a few options at any given time without needing to plan too much ahead will let them enjoy the strategy of the moment, without feeling too overwhelmed. This is also a game with a very low cost, making it easy to add to a collection even if you’re not 100% sure it will get played a lot.
How To Dominate Your Friends
The key to every game of Citadels is careful drafting of the right personas at the right time. A quick review of each:
1 The Assassin: First to act each turn, choosing the assassin means you’ll get your key actions in before anyone else can affect you. The ability to murder another
Choosing the right Persona will increase you chances of winning
Above: Upon opening the gamebox you will find 66 District Cards, 8 Character Cards, 8 Reference Cards, 30 Gold Counters, 1 Wooden Crown Counter, Rulebook, 10 Character Cards, and 14 District Cards.
persona is powerful, and can be used as often defensively as offensively- eliminate a persona that could cause you harm, and by choosing the assassin yourself you ensure that no one can murder you! This persona is best chosen near the end of games, when going early in the turn can let you complete that critical last building to reach victory 2 The Thief: Similar to the assassin in many respects, but usually weaker. Going early is still helpful, but you can be murdered as the thief. Stealing money from another persona is hit-or-miss. Not only do you have to guess right on a persona that is active that turn, but you also need it to be chosen by a player who has worthwhile gold to steal. Most players keep their gold supply low to avoid being targets of robbery. This persona is best chosen when many opponents have more than a little gold, increasing the chances of a nice haul for you. 3 The Magician: Though this persona is often viewed as one of the weakest, it has powerful potential. First off, you’re very unlikely to be targeted by any other bad effects as the Magician. Additionally, the power to swap hands with another player can easily create a swing of 3+ cards, in your favor. Going relatively early in the round is helpful here, as above. This persona is best chosen anytime you need to fly under the radar to stay out of harm’s way, or if you can get your hand down to zero cards and trade with someone who has a mittful. 4 The King: Ah, the King. Everyone likes to be the King! And to be sure, selecting your persona first (and being the only person who knows for sure which ones are active that turn) is powerful.
But because of that, the King is one of the most likely personas to be targeted by bad effects, especially early on. Still, even if you are murdered and lose your turn you remain King and select first for the following turn. You rarely have enough yellow buildings to make much money from this persona. This persona is best chosen in the mid to late game, when people start to worry more about opponents who are racing out to a lead and less about who the first player is. 5 The Bishop: Another under the radar persona, similar to the Magician. Getting bonus gold from blue buildings won’t make you rich, but it can be a nice supplement. Protection from the Warlord is more important, especially when you are clearly in the lead or have a lot of easy to destroy, cheap buildings. This persona is best chosen when you know you’ll be targeted by the Warlord, or anytime you need to hide away from the more powerful personas and just quietly go about your own business. 6 The Merchant: Likely the most powerful persona, there’s a reason the Merchant gets targeted by the assassin and thief more often than anyone else. It’s not uncommon for you to generate 3-4 gold on the second turn with this persona, and one successful turn as the Merchant can set you up financially for quite a while. This
Into the Dark Most editions of Citadels come pre-bundled with the expansion, The Dark City. This additional set of cards gives you extra building cards- but more importantly, it also provides you with a full set of alternate, different personas that you can mix in with those from the base game (and also a 9th persona, letting you play with the full 8 players if desired). These additional personas are a great boon, significantly expanding the long-term quality of Citadels as a whole by mixing up what strategies do and don’t work from game to game. Similar to how the kingdom cards fluctuate in Dominion, this game changes considerably when all of a sudden there is no assassin out there…or no merchant, etc. persona is best chosen when you see an opportunity early to make a big splash if successful- the risk of being murdered/robbed is worth taking early on if you can generate a lot of gold if you slip through. 7 The Architect: Similar to the merchant, the architect is a powerful persona who attracts a lot of bad attention. Stocking up your hand of cards is big, as is dropping down up to three cards at one time. This persona is best chosen near the end of the game- play three buildings, then choose the assassin the next round and finish your citadel before anyone can start hurting you! 8 The Warlord: My personal favorite persona. The fact that you go last means you can see what everyone else has done and act accordingly. There are almost always some low-cost buildings out there you can destroy for cheap, and like the assassin above, choosing this persona is a wise defensive play as well- while you’re destroying opponent’s buildings, you’re also preventing them from destroying yours. Bonus money from reds is helpful, but not huge. This persona is best chosen late in the game, to protect your own structures while you put the finishing touches on your citadel…and strike out at your closest rival, all at the same time. Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 33
REVIEW
DAWNGUARD
ps3, Xbox 360, PC
SKYRIM DAWNGUARD EVEN THOUGH BETHESDA DECIDED TO CALL IT QUITS THIER ADD-ONS KEEP BRINGING NEW LIFE TO SKYRIM
Game Info: Format: PS3 / Xbox 360 / PC Developer: Bethesda Softworks Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Price: $20 Release Date: Out Now PS3 TBA No. Players: Single Player
Alright gamers. Unless you have been living under a rock you all know that Bethesda’s Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V is by far one of the greatest games in the world --- hell, ever made. Considering that Bethesda announced that they will no longer be making anymore games in the Skyrim Franchise gamers like myself would be left wondering what if? If you’ve played the game as much as I have you know that there are certain parts of the world that you can’t travel to. You will see a direct path leading somewhere and start heading towards it when the game tells you that you can’t go that way. THEN WHY THE HELL IS IT THERE? Well, instead of making a new game Bethesda has designed add-ons to the game to expand on the world of Skyrim! Now we are talking! The first of these downloads, entitled Dawnguard, was released on August 2, 2012. Unfortunately problems occurred with the PS3 versions making XBOX the only game system being able to
34 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
accommodate the downloads. Anyway, Dawnguard’s story revolves around the return of Lord Harkon, the ruler of an ancient Vampire clan named the Volkihar. Lord Harkon wished to use the powers of the Elder Scrolls to blot out the sun allowing Vampires to overwhelm Tamriel. Players are given the choice to either join forces with the Vampires, or fight them alongside an order of Vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard. Depending on your choice, the player would be granted
New locations are also featured in Dawnguard
New armor, perks, and weapons, including a crossbow are introduced in the download
access to one of two bases, either Castle Volkihar or Fort Dawnguard. New armor, perks, and weapons, including a crossbow are introduced in the download. When choosing the Vampire side, a transformation into a “Vampire Lord” is available --- just like when you transform into a Werewolf. There is also a new skill tree for Vampires to coincide with the download. New locations are also featured in Dawnguard, including your character being able to journey through a rift into a realm of Oblivion called Soul Cairn. There is also a character located in The Ragged Flagon that can change the way that you look. There are also legendary dragons that appear randomly throughout the game that can
be slain and their souls can be obtained. New dragon shouts are also available. The second download, Hearthfire, was released on September 4, 2012. This particular add-on allows you to be able to purchase land in 3 different locations to be able to build your own home from raw materials, lumber and clay, with the option of adding greenhouses, bee hives, and alchemy and enchanting facilities. In Hearthfire, you can also start your own family by adopting children. (Now your family can be complete.) However, several bugs have been detected in this particular download with no fix in sight. The third download, Dragonborn, is set to be released December 4, 2012. The story behind this particular download is the return of the first Dragonborn to the island of Solstheim to quite possibly wage war with our character. Rumors have circulated that in Dragonborn our character will be able to finally ride on the backs of dragons! Other rumors have stated that a new section of Solstheim will be playable. You know what that means? More armor, weapons, perks, and enemies. HOT DAMN!
Bethesda doesn’t have to make a new game as long as they continue to make these downloads. If you’ve played the game as long as I have there really isn’t much left to do except travel the lands and try and find something new. When the new downloads are available it opens up a little bit more of the game each time one is released. To me that’s the only way to make the game better. My only question is what else can you give us? I can hardly wait. Unfortunately, if there is a downside to these downloads, is that they don’t last very long --- meaning that you can usually defeat the new sections in about a day or two. However, I’ll take whatever I can get. In closing all I can say is that this is the greatest game ever made. Now I know some of you will say Halo, or Black Ops, or one of those types of games, but this one has a special place in my heart. A friend of mine, Cody Wilson, who if you read my comic The Booby Hatch is named Kane, introduced this game to me because I complained about XBOX not putting anything good out. Man, was I wrong. Thank you Mr. Wilson! By: Dave Norton
RATING
95%
I wanted to give it a 100% rating. The only problem being the bugs in it.
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 35
REVIEW
Wreck It Ralph
Movie
Wreck It Ralph
A MODERN DAY TALE OF OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES MERGES OLD SCHOOL AND MODERN GAMING movie Info: Production year: 2012 Rated: PG Runtime: 89 mins Director: Rich Moore Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch Genre: Animation, Comedy
Above: Ralph showing he is not such a bad guy to some of the classic game characters from Qbert.
I guess I just need to go into movies with low expectations. Then I will walk out pleased with how much better the movie was than I was expecting it to be. At least that seems to be par for the course this year. I go in all excited for a movie and walk out disappointed. I go in to see a movie that I am interested in but not expecting much from and bam I walk out much happier than I thought I would be. Granted I loved the idea of Wreck-It Ralph. A video game themed movie certainly seemed up my alley. I watched the trailer and just wasn’t impressed. I tried making myself pumped up for it but to no avail. I was surprised since Scott Pilgrim is one of my favorite movies of all time. I just was not digging the aesthetic the trailer was giving off. So when the weekend that Ralph was released came around, I even debated going to see the film that weekend. I put my misgivings aside and went to see it anyways. On top of not being overly stoked to see this movie, I am not a huge fan of the
actors who were chosen to do the voice work. I don’t dislike them but there is very little that I have seen them in that I am impressed with. I was especially hesitant about how Sarah Silverman would work out because I find her voice grating but she ended up not sounding like she normally does and the voice she did worked very well for the movie. Part of the reason I may have enjoyed their voice acting was because this film was one of very few films to do the recording as a group instead of individualy. This allowed for more improvisation, making for a more natural flow to the conversations. Voice acting wasn’t the only thing that made me enjoy this film. The animation was exceptional and the different game worlds were very well thought out. I liked the way they showed respect to all the different game styles by mocking them in a loving manner. I thought they were going to explore more worlds than they did but it would not have worked for the story and it all worked out for the best. The music fit very well and the usage of classic video game noises at appropriate times was a great idea. I will admit to not even remotely imagining the big surprise that happens late in the movie. I normally pride myself in being pretty good in at least having a sense of something being off but this one completely came out of left field for
Above: Wreck it Ralph (John C. Reilly) hanging out with Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) in the game Sugar Rush.
me. This movie even had me shedding a few tears. The couple of heartfelt moments were just so well done and you really felt for the characters. This can be credited to some talented writing. If you want a good family friendly film that even the grown-ups will love, I highly recommend going and seeing Wreck-It Ralph. Keep your eyes peeled for little subtle references to classic video games, especially the hard to see wink at Final Fantasy 7. I know the little boy in me started jumping up and down when I caught that one. Enough of my babbling, go and see it. Detz All Folks!
RATING
Both casual and hardcore gamers will enjoy this trip behind the games with characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.
REVIEW
Skyfall
Movie
Skyfall
AFTER 50 YEARS EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW BUT DOES BOND STILL HAVE WHAT IT TAKES You would think that by this time of the year I would have learned what happens when I get my hopes up for a movie. Much like I did with Prometheus this past summer, I set a really high bar for what to expect from Skyfall. Being the movie news junkie that I am, I was reading how amazing the 23rd Bond film was and even some Oscar buzz swirling around. While I didn’t expect the movie to be worthy of a Best Picture nomination, I was expecting it to be one of the best films that I would see this year. Although sadly it didn’t quite obtain my lofty expectations it was an incredibly solid film and quite possibly the best Bond film I have seen to date (note: I have not seen as many as I wish). The pre-title scene was action-packed and really got me intrigued to see where they were going to take it. The little surprise it packed was lost on me as I have seen many trailers for the movie previously and could deduce what the ultimate conclusion to this chase would be but it was still entertaining to see how they arrived there. I did like how they tried to make sure this film was a bit more grounded in reality. While the big action set pieces were still a bit over the top, the spy aspect seemed more realistic. Case in point: no extravagant gadgets, just a simple gun and a radio is what Bond received from Q this time around. This film also focused more on the relationships between characters. I felt very satisfied watching it and not feeling like they completely pandered to the Bond stereotypes. While this made the film seem a little less “fun” than any other Bond film that I have seen, it was very dynamic and good change of pace. I felt two people really stood out in terms of acting-wise. Javier Bardem, no stranger to being an award-winning actor, really brought a lot of charisma to my now favorite Bond villain. His opening scene with James really was amazing and I hope he gets a supporting actor nomination. One of this film’s Bond girls, Severine, also caught my eye. I especially loved the little subtle things she
movie Info: Production year: 2012 Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 143 mins Director: Sam Mendes Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, and Ralph Fiennes Genre: Action, Adventure
did to express her mood. I would say besides these two, I liked the scenes in which James Bond and M interacted but aside from when they are together they both came across a bit wooden. They simply did not seem to be fully immersed in their roles. Overall this 23rd foray into the Bond universe was thoroughly enjoyable. Personally I found plenty of little things here and there to nag me just enough that I did not love this movie. I liked and would recommend this movie over most films out currently, at least until The Hobbit releases. So go, watch some pretty eye candy with a compelling story and then come back and let me know what you thought. Detz All Folks!! By: James Detzler
RATING
Just like a finger-recognition trigger this movie will work with some people perfectly but not everyone.
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 37
REVIEW
THE DESCENT
Movie
SCARED CENTRAL Dave's monthly look at the films that are sure to scare your pants off when you watch them.
(Cue screeching door opening)………..Greetings. Welcome back to Scared Central. I’m glad that we didn’t scare you off last month……… (cue evil laugh). This month we are going to talk about a movie that I don’t think received the credit it was due. This movie even spawned a sequel. I’m talking about the 2005 Lionsgate release of THE DESCENT. This movie scares the crap out of me. It has all of the ingredients needed to make a fantastic horror movie. (You could do much worse than this movie I can tell you that!) Let’s begin, shall we? movie Info: Production year: 2006 Rated: R Runtime: 99 mins Director: Neil Marshall Cast: Shauna Macdonald Natalie Mendoza Alex Reid Genre: Horror
The movie begins with 3 friends Juno, Sarah, and Beth enjoying themselves whitewater rafting while Sarah’s husband and daughter wave and cheer from the sidelines. The viewer gets the impression that Sarah’s husband and Juno kind off have something going on. On their way back to their hotel Sarah and her family are involved in a car accident that causes the death of Sarah’s husband and daughter. (To me that’s scary enough losing your family in a terrible accident.) A year later in the Appalachian Mountains Sarah and Beth meet up with Juno and her protégé Holly, Sam, and Rebecca in a secluded cabin.
After reminiscing about some of their adventures they come across a picture of them from the previous years whitewater trip. On the back of the picture is written “love each day” which is a saying that Sarah’s late husband used to always say. The group begins talking about their next great adventure --- cave exploration. During the night we see that Sarah is still emotionally scared by the death of her daughter and husband by way of a bad dream. The next day, the 6 girls load up in their vehicles and make their way to a level 2 cave to explore….. much to the chagrin of Holly. After deliberately leaving her cave book in the car, Juno leads the group to the cave. On the way the girls encounter beautiful countryside, a breath-taking stream, and a mauled carcass of a dead Elk. (In scary movies it serves as a warning for the explorers but they don’t pay much attention to it.) Once inside the cave Sarah finds some markings on a cave wall that look like bloody scratches but doesn’t mention them to the girls. After going deeper into the cave Sarah thinks that she hears something and decides to investigate only to be scared by Juno. During their
38 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
lunch the group finds a passage way and decide to go through it. After a daring escape through the collapsible passageway, Juno reveals to the group that she picked a different cave than the one that they previously decided to explore. While the group is arguing Sarah acts like she hears something and shines her flashlight throughout the cave. She sees something but doesn’t know what it is. It disappears just as quickly as it appeared. Knowing that no rescue is coming their way the group then decides to follow Juno farther into the cave to find an exit. While crossing a chasm Juno finds evidence that shows that other explorers have been down there before. Rebecca sustains injuries to her hands while preventing Juno from falling to her death. Cave paintings are discovered a bit farther showing that there are 2 entrances to this mysterious cave. Holly then takes point and pays the price by falling down a hole and breaks her leg, falling into a deeper part of the cave. Once the others get down there Sam splints up her leg, (which in itself is a gruesome display that will make the strongest man wince), and decide to carry her out of the cave. While this is going on Sarah explores
What a great f*****g movie! This movie truly scares the shit out of me. the new section of the cave only to discover an old miner/explorer’s helmet and the most shocking thing --- some sort of pale creature drinking from a brook. After revealing what she saw to the rest of the group it is discarded as just hallucinations. (STUPID!) With Juno on point they discover a room full of old bones from different animals. Panic has now set in and the group start screaming for help. Sarah gets Holly’s camcorder to help see via it’s infrared settings. While looking around with the camera she sees one of the creatures behind Beth. The group is then surrounded by these strange “crawlers” and then they disappear as quickly as they appeared. Suddenly the crawlers reappear and one of them fatally bites Holly on the neck killing her instantly. The group then separates and runs off into different directions with Sam and Rebecca going one way, Beth running after Sarah but she gets lost, and Sarah running off into another tripping over a rock and knocking herself out. Juno tries to fight off the creature that bit Holly but she is attacked by another crawler. After a brutal fight with the creature Juno kills it with her pick axe. Hearing something coming towards her back Juno swings around with her pick axe and hits her friend Beth right in the neck! Beth grabs towards Juno and grabs her pendant that she wears around her
Above: Sarah searching the caverns after escaping the Crawlers. Left: Sarah hiding in a pool of blood trying to escape the Crawlers after the group discovered the feeding place of the creatures.
neck before falling to the ground. Terrified and shocked Juno leaves her friend on the ground to die. Sam and Rebecca are being attacked by a crawler when Juno shows up and rescues them by killing it. She then tells them that she has found a way out but won’t leave without Sarah. They both agree to help Juno find her. Waking up from her fall, Sarah encounters Beth and who tells her that Juno wounded her and left her for dead. Not believing her, Beth shows Sarah the pendant that Juno wore around her neck which has the inscription “love each day” on the back of it --- verifying that Juno and Sarah’s husband were indeed having an affair. Begging Sarah to end her suffering Beth dies at the hands of her reluctant friend. Elsewhere in the cave Sam and Rebecca are killed by crawlers as Juno escapes into a chasm. Juno climbs out of the chasm with the help of Sarah. Sarah, who seems like a true ass-kicker at this point, asks Juno if she saw Beth die. When Juno nods yes Sarah knows that she is lying. After trying to find the exit the 2 women encounter a large group of crawlers that they are able to defeat. Sarah then confronts Juno and shows her that she has her pendant…..proving that Juno lied about Beth. Sarah takes Juno’s pickaxe and hits her in the leg with it, wounding her as a swarm of crawlers are closing in on them. Making her escape, Sarah can hear Juno’s screams as she is overthrown by the horde. Suddenly, Sarah falls down a hole and knocks herself unconscious.
After waking up, Sarah makes her way up a massive pile of bones towards daylight. Squeezing through a narrow opening onto the surface she runs towards the vehicles and speeds off. She suddenly pulls over and gets sick. Once she returns to her vehicle she sees a bloodied Juno sitting in the passenger seat. After letting out a blood curdling scream Sarah wakes up back in the cave. (Her escape was nothing but a dream.) She sees her daughter close by and a birthday cake between them. The camera pulls back to show us that Sarah is only seeing things and she is staring at a torch. You can hear the crawlers getting closer to her but unfortunately she is oblivious to all of it. Wow! What a great f*****g movie! This movie truly scares the shit out of me. I mean this movie does have the blood and guts but it also scares you with the darkness of not knowing what is there. The director’s use of certain camera angles makes you almost feel like you are in the cave with these poor women. The crawlers are equally scary because these are creatures can’t be reasoned with. They are just creatures that are looking for their next meal. Their time in the cave has made them adaptable to the darkness almost making them a silent assassin. What Friday the 13th did to summer camps The Descent should do to people wanting to go explore a cave. Sleep well kiddies. By: Dave Norton
RATING
This classic horror film set the standard for all going after.
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 39
REVIEW
Ruby Sparks
INDIE
Ruby Sparks
WHEN A WRITERS DREAM COMES TRUE, LOVE IS JUS THE BEGINNING movie Info: Production year: 2012 Rated: R Runtime: 104 mins Directer: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton Cast: Paul Dano Zoe Kazan Antonio Banderas Annette Bening Genre: Comedy, Romance
“You may see this and think it’s magic, but falling in love is an act of magic.” The previous quote from the film, Ruby Sparks, tells all. The film itself contains so much magic and is undoubtedly magical in itself. Ruby Sparks was a “couples” project. It was written by Zoe Kazan (The Exploding Girl, Revolutionary Road) and stars her and her real-life boyfriend, Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood). Behind the camera, the directing-duo of Johnathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (both; Little Miss Sunshine), also a couple.
Above: Calvin (Paul Dano) and Ruby (Zoe Kazan) enjoy the afternoon sitting in a park talking about love.
Paul Dano plays Calvin, a young author who was successful at an early age that is struggling to write his followup novel. Calvin’s therapist gives him an assignment: to write him an essay about someone who could love him as he is. That night, Calvin has a dream about a mysterious girl. Upon waking, he rushes to his typewriter and is fully motivated and inspired, giving life to the girl in his dream, Ruby Sparks, whom he falls in love with. Calvin writes for days, pages upon pages, until one day, there is a mysterious young woman in his apartment who seems to think she and he are in a relationship. He quickly realizes that this is her, this is Ruby, in the flesh (played by writer Zoe Kazan). After realizing that it’s her, he is faced with one imposing question: is she real? After a hilariously discovering that she is, in fact, real, Calvin surrenders himself to Ruby until he is faced with moral challenges such as if it’s right or wrong for him to control her emotions, no matter the consequences.
Above: Calvin (Paul Dano) shares an intimate moment that he wrote about after Ruby (Zoe Kazan) comes into his life.
40 | DayOldStubble | April 2012
Paul Dano does an absolutely phenomenal job, and Zoe performs quite well herself. Rounding out the cast is Chris
Above: Calvin (Paul Dano) hides under his desk while calling his brother after realizing the girl of his dreams and story is inside his house.
Messina, Steve Coogan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, and Elliot Gould. Though Ruby Sparks is in every sense magical, it lacks a certain heart that Little Miss Sunshine had throughout. Does that make it a less superior film? No, but from the inception it’s been frequently compared. I, personally, believe that this film is something that can reach out to any viewer that watches it. By: Shea Kimbrough
RATING
It has all the right aspects in all the right moments and is definitely a must own.
WRESTLING GEEK:
Wrestling <<
BREAKING KAYFABE DAvE CONTEMPLATES WHO THE ACES AND EIGHTS ARE Okay. By the time that you read this TNA’s pay-per-view extravaganza Bound For Glory will have passed us by. One of their storylines that they have been playing up to is “Who are the Aces and Eights?” Now, I’m not the biggest TNA fan in the world but I do have a passing interest in it. The story of a rogue group of people that come in and try to take over….hmmmm…..let me see…… have I heard this before? Well sure I have. Wasn’t it around 15 years ago when a group of “Outsiders” tried to take over WCW? Well any respected wrestling fan knows what happened then. The n.W.o. was born and it took over WCW in a MAJOR way. This was the hottest thing in wrestling. Hell, it even gave the great and powerful Vince McMahon a run for his money during the height of the Monday Night Wars. It was the best running storyline for the better part of 3 or 4 years. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. After watering down the story by making stupid, massive changes, the n.W.o finally died a gruesome death. Alright, back to the main point….who/what are the Aces and Eights? Let’s review. If we are following what happened with the n.W.o. then we have to assume that the members of the Aces and Eights are former members of TNA/WCW/WWE. But who are these guys? Again, please bear in mind that I am just a passing fan of TNA so all of my guesses won’t be dead on. The first thing that I would do is find out which superstars from WWE have currently left the company. These names come to mind: Adam Copeland, Chris Masters, Tyler Reks, Abraham
Washington, Camacho, and Evan Bourne. Where are some of the TNA Stars that haven’t been on television in some time? Where is Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff? Another thing to pay close attention to would be the wrestlers that have had their contracts expire with TNA: Devon, Matt Morgan, and Ric Flair. By looking at our lists there is no one from the WWE that measures up to who Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were at that point in their career , except Adam Copeland. Considering that Mr. Copeland has been on WWE television several times recently and has been told that because of his neck he shouldn’t wrestle anymore I don’t think that he could be one of them so how do you revamp the whole takeover story? Can you say Goldberg? Now that would be very entertaining to say the least. My guess is that Aces and Eights are led by none other than Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff. They would be trying to get back at Hulk Hogan and company for overthrowing them. Now, who are the other members of Aces and Eights? Again, my guess would be a few members from the old WWE roster: Chris Masters and Evan Bourne perhaps, along with surprise wresters Matt Morgan and Devon. Hell, they might have even brought back Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for all I know. I’m sure that a few wrestlers that are currently pro-TNA are in that group. So now that we’ve named who we think are in the group --- what are they up to?
more viewers and better buy rates for your pay-per-views you have got to shock us and that won’t be accomplished without a big name star (or two). So good luck to you and hopefully we will all be entertained. There you go fans. Email us back and let us know what your opinions are on the subject. I’d like to thank you for coming back for another month of my wonderful journalism. (Just kidding!) I greatly appreciate the fact that you guys and gals take time out of your day to read our magazine. All of us here at Day Old Stubble couldn’t do this without you so thank you. Join us next month when we discuss one of the most talked about men in the business right now. Are you ready for CM Punk? See you in 30. By: dave norton
Like I stated earlier I think that Jarrett and Bischoff are behind this and want to get revenge on Hulk Hogan for turning on them. It sounds like an okay idea but I believe it lacks the star power that is needed --- unless someone like Goldberg or Adam Copeland are in the group. It will be entertaining to see what’s going to happen or who is going to be in the group or what they are going to do. Does it have the same zest that the n.W.o. had? I hope that I’m wrong but I don’t think that it will. It’s been done before and any wrestling fan that pays attention to storylines won’t be surprised by it. TNA if you want to get Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 41
>> MAC N CHEESE
MAC N CHEESE BREAK DETZ SHARES WHAT HE IS THANKFUL FOR THIS SEASON
It’s that time of year again. Yup the time of year that I fall into cliches and begin talking what I am thankful for and how it’s a wonderful time of year to celebrate with family. Well, maybe. While I am thankful for a wonderful family that does so much to help me better myself while not asking for much in return, it’s something that really shouldn’t have to be expressed only one time a year. I am quite annoyed with all the pressure and obligations we attach to holidays, making it seem like this is the only time of year things are like this. Like we shouldn’t love and respect people equally the other 10 months of the year. I do recognize that we tend to forget to express our gratitude to those who mean something special to us so I can respect the holiday in that sense. But the overthe-top expressions and on the opposite end of the spectrum, half-hearted thanks, are completely unnecessary. Personally I am not close enough with all of my friends to call each of them and discuss at length our lives. Luckily we live in a digital age where my generation is ok with text messaging as a form of communication. So for all of my general friends who I normally converse with via text, I sent out a lengthy(in text message terms) personal message to each explaining why I am thankful for them and how they impact my life. Some may consider this cold and disconnected but for me I think it is the perfect way of letting someone know how you feel without expecting them to return the sentiment, taking out the obligation normally attached to the holiday. As far as all of the hullabaloo attached to the Black Friday sales being moved up and encroaching upon families and the sanctity of the holiday, don’t go. Don’t participate. If it bothers you that much and find it that shameful don’t support it. We as a nation have only helped propagate the scale to which this monstrosity has grown. While personally it doesn’t bother me, see above paragraph about my disenchantment with the holiday, I can understand the people it affects the most are the workers. For that....I have no solution. Sadly in America, retail is king, and will win out in most of these battles until enough are fed up. Until that time I will continue to get deals that I think are what these products are actually worth and not the jacked prices that make fat cats richer. Think about it. They wouldn’t be selling the products at the lower prices if they weren’t at least making some money. Basically Black Friday deals are just reducing the amount, exorbitant as it is, of profit the big companies take home. That’s why I also urge you to not only shop on Black Friday, or even rather save that money, and shop on Small Business Saturday. Help the little man and feel good about what you’re doing. I don't think it makes a lot of sense since some of smaller businesses are only open weekdays but at least there is some attempt being made to help the underdog. Maybe save a little of that green and also support the small businesses trying to make a startup online on Cyber Monday. Heck if you were ultra nice you might even go check out our site, www.dayoldstubble.com, and support us by purchasing one of our print magazines. They are well put together by the do-it-all himself, Jason Carrick, and stuffed full with awesome articles from true lovers of their craft. Dave the comic/toy/wrestling fanatic, Shea our independent film critic and aspiring screenwriter, and Aaron the game master, have all been with Jason and I for a while. All of us here at DayOldStubble would love to bring you more content on a more consistent basis but we can’t do that without support, YOUR support. We aren’t even asking for you to buy our products. Just pimp us out. Like us on Facebook and share our posts. Stalk us on Twitter and share with the world what we are doing. Or just sign up to get our digital subscriptions sent to your inbox. We accept all forms of love and will repay it twice over. My puppy-dog eye look is now over. Go buy, buy, buy, or not. Whichever you choose, just make sure it is what you want to do. Life is too short to live for someone else. How’s that for a stolen platitude?
Detz All Folks!!
-James Detzler
Deputy Editor
42 | DayOldStubble | Issue 9
The comic <<
The
BOOby Hatch True Tales of Life in the Retail World
Created by Dave Norton and Steve Dudley
Issue 9 | DayOldStubble | 43
DayOldStubble WATCH OUR REVIEWS
FIND US ONLINE
Awww it’s over???
Yes, this months DayOldStubble magazine has ended. The fun doesn’t have to stop here though. We have a website
also. Come visit us at www.dayoldstubble.com. We update daily with fun and interesting posts. Also you can contact us on there to ask us questions and get featured in the next issue of our magazine. Tell us what you think of the articles by our writers. If you are more into Facebook, come “Like” us at www.facebook.com/TheDayOldStubble. Let us know what sections of the magazine you liked and which ones you could do without If you like to tweet but aren’t a twit you can follow us on Twitter @dayoldstubble. Maybe you just want to let us know of something you want us to cover. Finally, if you are more of a visual person then you can come watch our videos on YouTube, www.youtube.com/DayOldStubble. We have movie and tech reviews and lots of great footage from comic cons this past year.
FOLLOW US ON READ US ONLINE AND OFF