Wizard World's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide by Wizard World

WHERE POP-FI COMES TO LIFE!

2011

GIFT GUIDE

ISSUE #

DEC 7, 2011

Featuring:

THE BEST TOYS, VIDEO GAMES, GADGETS AND MORE

WIZARD WORLD'S 2011

GEEK GIFT GUIDE CONTENTS BLU-RAYS 1 VIDEO GAMES 5 GADGETS 8 BOARD GAMES 11 MUSIC 14 TOYS 17 THE BEST GEEK GIRL GUIDE 20 GEEK TO NON-GEEK 22 HOW TO SHOP FOR A GEEK WHEN YOU'RE NOT A GEEK 24 CLOTHING 26 KIDS GEEK GIFT GUIDE 28 GRAPHIC NOVELS 30 APPS 33 WEIRD & WACKY 36

BLURAYS

THE BEST OF 2011 2011 has been a good year for Blu-ray players. There has been an amazing stream of great stuff to feed to them, and it just keeps getting better all the time. After a summer full of superheroes, and a bevy of box sets, there is plenty to choose from when it comes to enterainment at home, on the go, or even in your pocket as many of these sets include digital versions that you can put on your iPhone, iPad, Android, laptop, and more. While the term “geek” in the fan realm normally refers to the comic book/superhero/action/science fiction/ fantasy genre, we can definitely appreciate the fact that there’s a film geek in everyone as well. We’ve sifted through the many Blu-rays that have come out this year and offered up the ones that will appeal to geeks of all kinds. From the film aficionado to the superhero lover to the nail-biting thriller addict, there’s something here for everyone. Check out our favorite Geek Blu-rays of 2011!

Blu-Rays

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Thor

The Superman Motion Picture Anthology

Kenneth Branagh’s Thor was a perfect mixture of talking heads, action, and a film that stayed true to the source material. Marvel’s Thor isn’t just comic book material as it draws from the rich and dense Norse mythology, and Branagh does a respectable job of introducing plenty of that without going overboard. Performances are top-notch across the board, including Anthony Hopkins’ roaring Odin, but Chris Hemsworth manages to straddle the line between arrogance and charm nicely. Thor came out of the gate early as one of the summer movies, but it delivered. The Blu-ray includes about 30 minutes of deleted scenes, a featurette on Mjolnir that will tickle your fan-bone, and a very impressive commentary from Kenneth Branagh.

There have been some impressive boxed sets released this year, including the brand-new Harry Potter: 8-Film Collection now out from Warner Bros. But the trouble with that set is that it is bare-bones. You know they’ll be putting out some sort of Ultimate Set down the line, which makes that a purchase for fans only. But the Superman Anthology that came out this summer pushed the boundaries of what a nearly comprehensive set should be. It technically includes six films: Superman: The Movie (normal and expanded editions), Superman II (normal and the Richard Donner cut), Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and Superman Returns. The only thing that could have really rounded this out would have been to include Supergirl, which shared the same producers as the original films. There are over 20 hours of extras here, including the impressive documentary Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman now in HD. There’s a truly impressive original opening to Superman Returns included as an extra, and commentaries for everything. One of the best box sets I’ve seen put together.

Captain America Captain America’s marketing campaign was a blitzkrieg of bombast that had a lot to deliver. Digitally shrinking the main actor for a good chunk of the film, keeping the story in the WWII era, and not having Cap meet up with any other costumed super-types might not have dazzled the stockholders, it was exactly what this film needed. The first chunk of the movie deals with Steve Rogers finding his way as an underweight, unqualified kid who can’t get into the Army, and his dejected backstage appearance after a dismal USO show overseas tells us everything. He was meant for more than this. The Blu-ray delivers on that promise, packing the film with a bunch of shorter featurettes, including the comical “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Thor’s Hammer,” a look into Cap’s backstory and costume, and more. While Green Lantern might have tanked this summer, Captain America hit the opposite end of the spectrum and delivered on the promise of America’s Hero.

X-Men: First Class The long list of impressive actors in this film were almost completely overshadowed by Michael Fassbender’s amazing turn as Magneto, and Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/ Mystique. I say almost, because powerful performances from everyone held this together under McAvoy’s tutelage. One of the best additions to the set is a documentary entitled “Children of the Atom” that runs an hour and ten minutes long. It’s broken up into seven different segments that cover the entire scope of the film. It’s nicely done, and more movies should include docs like this. It’s much better viewing than a one-time watch blooper reel.

Blu-Rays

Star Wars: The Complete Saga Plenty of you out there are probably saying “What?! Why is this on the list? George plays with our emotions and will never give us the original trilogy on Blu-ray! I’ll never buy this set!” Then you’d be missing out, because the sheer amount of bonus materials on this set is more than worth the cost. The producers of the set have done some pretty impressive layering of archival materials, which includes combining audio interviews from multiple sources into a seamless commentary track. Meaning you’ll hear Alex Guiness reminiscing about playing Obi Wan Kenobi, right next to Irvin Kershner telling you what he thinks about Lucas’ rereleases. It’s great stuff, combined with pristine versions of the films. Yes, there are some changes there, but you won’t mind as much as you think.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

that look straight out of a big-budget film. The picture and sound are sharp, especially when the aliens bare their glowing blue teeth accompanied by the high-pitched whining sound. Extras include an impressive feature-length documentary Behind the Block, and a surprisingly fun and informative commentary track with Cornish and the kids.

Super 8 J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 was one of the best movies of the summer, and made me remember watching The Goonies all over again. With terrific performances from all of the kids, including a spectacular turn from Elle Fanning that pushes her out from under Dakota’s shadow, and a heart-wrenching turn by Joel Courtney as the star of the movie. But toss in Riley Griffiths as a lovable scene-stealer, along with the rest of the kids in the cast, and you’ve got a great mix. And did I mention that all of this is happening against the backdrop of a science fiction monster movie? That’s just the icing on the cake. The Blu-ray offers a ton of extras, including a fascinating commentary from Abrams, along with bite-sized featurettes, the best of which is Courtney explaining what one of his average days on the set is like. You know, as a kid plucked from relative obscurity and plunked down into a J.J. Abrams-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced movie. Great stuff. (BONUS! Right now at Amazon you can enter the code WOODWARD for $5 off of this Blu-ray!)

Source Code Duncan Jones, who impressed on every level with Moon in 2009, comes back with a bigger budget in Source Code. Yet, despite the increased cash, Jones keeps his film accessible and focused, which is what made Moon such a hit. This time, instead of being set in the future with a mining operation on the moon, we're only a couple of steps into the possible with Jake Gyllenhaal as a time-traveler who has to stop a deadly terrorist attack before it occurs. But everything isn't exactly what it seems, and Source Code proves to be both a thinking man's film, and an action-lover's movie. The extras on the Blu-ray include commentary from Jones, writer Ben Ripley, and Gyllenhaal, and there's an Access: Source Code picture in picture feature that provides more insight into the filmmaking. But the film is the real feature here, and it shines bright through repeated viewings. Can't wait for the next film Jones helms.

Hanna While Hanna sports Joe Wright as director and Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett as stars, Saoirse Ronan steals the entire film as the young, innocent, and deadly Hanna. Raised apart from society and given special training by her father, Hanna is let loose upon the world to seek revenge for the death of her mother, but along the way she gets sidetracked and confused when she encounters a girl near her age with her family on a cross-continental caravan trip across the globe. While the film is gorgeous and populated with great performances, the Blu-ray has a bunch of featurettes, as well as a chock full commentary from Joe Wright. If you’ve ever wondered what a commentary should be, this is it. It’s better, and cheaper, than going to film school.

Attack the Block This film opened was a Midnight Release sneak hit at SXSW earlier this year, and it’s become one of the best sleeper hits of the year. What happens when a group of street toughs cross paths with bloodthirsty aliens intent on an interstellar invasion? That’s the premise of Attack the Block, which combines UK hoodlums, street slang and science fiction. Writer/director Joe Cornish manages to impress in the extreme with this first-ever feature film, which features terrific performances from the kids in the film, as well as special effects

Blu-Rays

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series I used to think that Doctor Who would never impress me like it did back in the day when Tom Baker was playing the fourth Doctor. In those days, the show was full of whimsy, yet still heavy with sci-fi. But for me, things went downhill from there. Sure, there will brief moments of genius with Peter Davison, but the light of Who seemed to flicker throughout the next few years. The TV movie in 1996 was about the end of the line for me, and I figured my days with the Doctor were over. But then the reboot happened. Christopher Eccleston impressed, David Tennant amazed, and Matt Smith delivered. I never would have seen it coming. This season, Smith’s second, sets the bar extremely high for what TV on Blu-ray should be. Over 200 minutes of Doctor Who Confidential, commentaries, featurettes, and more make this a package well worth having for newcomers or old fans alike.

The Coen Brothers Collection: Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing, Raising Arizona, Fargo The Coen Brothers have produced, written, and directed some of the most impressive movies in recent cinema history, and they continue to deliver time after time. Although this set includes four of their most impressive films, you have to wonder

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

if there will be future “Collections” down the line, as this set doesn’t include The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, or a slew of others. Hopefully that means future releases will be forthcoming, but what is included in this set delivers. From Blood Simple, their first film, to Fargo, their most well-known at the time, these films have never looked so good. There is a smattering of extras included in the set (the Coen’s don’t do commentaries), but the best part of it is the gorgeous picture and incredible sound of Miller’s Crossing. Arguably their finest film to date, Miller’s Crossing is a perfect period piece set against an Italian/Irish gang war, and one man’s morality. Four films for one low price looking this good? That’s a steal.

Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy t’s a wonder that so many popular films have taken so long to come to Blu-ray, and that includes the Jurassic Park trilogy of movies: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Jurassic Park III. These were the films that ushered in the age of CGI, and with Steven Spielberg behind them, you’d think they would have been some of the first films to make the jump. Thankfully, they finally have. This recently-released set impresses with its picture and sound, but the real gem of the set is the “Return to Jurassic Park” documentary that features brand new interviews with the cast and crew, from Spielberg on down. Included in that group are special effects names like Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett and John Rosengrant, who we were lucky enough to interview. Even though it took so long, it’s been well worth it. This is a gorgeous set, and it makes Jurassic Park III even more bearable.

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Editions) The Lord of the Rings films highlight some of the annoying double-dipping that happens in the world of home video releases. First, we had the standard DVDs, then later the extended editions, and trilogy sets in both varieties. Luckily, New Line let people who had purchased all of the films individually send away for slipcases that held all of the films if you had purchased them separately. When Blu-ray began dominating, you knew that it would eventually come to LotR as well, but it took the long route, first giving us a box sex of the original films, and now finally the masterpiece that is the entire trilogy in extended form. Unfortunately, the extras for the films were originally produced in standard definition, which means that they look the same here. But, the sound and the picture on the films is pristine and gorgeous, producing a reference-quality experience for your home theater setup. It’s worth purchasing again if you only have the DVD or standard Blu-ray versions, and takes up much less space on your shelf to boot!

Blu-Rays

Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition It’s Charlie Kane. (Chorus: It’s Mister Kane!) He doesn’t like that Mister He likes good old Charlie Kane Citizen Kane is arguable the finest piece of cinema ever produced, which is a real testament given that it premiered back in 1941. Orson Welles, who was only 25 years old when he directed and starred in this film, truly understood the power of cinema and mastered it as a weapon so early and so viciously that it nearly destroyed him. The film was considered a failure when it came out, and the “Battle Over Citizen Kane” would end up haunting Welles and eventually torpedo his career. What a loss, considering what he was able to deliver while still so young. But Welles’ decision to go up against William Randolph Hearst with a thinly-veiled reference to him in Charles Foster Kane was gutsy, and it has given us this motion picture now 70 years later looking completely amazing. As is this box set, which not only includes the film, but also the extremely impressive Battle Over Citizen Kane documentary, and the RKO 281 HBO movie about the making of the film. You can pick this set up cheaply now, or you can get the exclusive edition at Amazon which includes another Welles masterpiece, The Magnificent Ambersons.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: ThreeDisc 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition This Gene Wilder classic has already hit the shelves in several different flavors, but this 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition scratches that fanboy/fangirl itch by including several “feelies” with the movie. You get a replica of the Golden Ticket, a chocolate bar-shaped pencil tin full of scratch and sniff pencils and a chocolate-scented eraser, reproductions of correspondence between the crew and the cast, and an extremely gorgeous 144-page book entitled Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. This book woud be worth the price of the set alone if it were hardback and coffee table-sized, but as an included extra, it takes the cake. The film is spread across three discs and includes a standard DVD version, and the commentary with the Wonka kids (who are now all adults, of course) is a gem. The Candy Man can, and does, in this terrific box set.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

VIDEO

GAMES

THE BEST OF 2011

2011 is a good year to be a gamer. Or if you haven’t started video gaming yet, it’s a perfect place to pick up that controller and give it a go. There have been so many fantastic video game releases throughout the year, and with the holidays here even more of them have been flooding our systems and making their way onto our “must have!” lists. With Black Friday approaching quickly with tons of deals on different systems, you’ll need games to play. But which ones to pick? That’s where we step in. We’ve been on the front lines, the platforms, the test chambers, and even on the backs of dragons to check out the latest and greatest in order to separate the good from the bad, and in some cases, the ugly. Check out the Best Video Games of 2011 for everything from the PC to the Xbox 360 to the PlayStation 3 to the Wii. And even the Nintendo 3DS! Somewhere in this list is a title that’s perfect for you, so get reading and game on!

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Xbox 360 owners, return to the days of glory when Halo: Combat Evolved was first released 10 years ago. Now the graphics have been reworked for HD, sound has been remastered, and they’ve hidden goodies throughout the game. It looks like Halo, but at the same time it feels like a new game entirely. Flipping back and forth between the new and “vintage” graphics at the touch of a button is a nice addition, and the Halo 4 information embedded in terminals throughout are a nice easter egg to search out. With the addition of Halo: Reach multiplayer, this title is a bargain at $39.99.

Uncharted 3 PlayStation 3 addicts, Nathan Drake is back, and this time the mystery and intrigue revolves around his past. He’s still a jet-setting adventurer in search of fortune and glory, but now the spotlight is turned his way as he travels through the Arabian desert, France, and other parts of the globe. With the beefed-up multiplayer, this game has a rich, cinematic single-player campaign as well as an online experience that will keep you playing the game for months. Also available in a Collector’s Edition that comes with a statue of Drake, a replica of his ring, and his lucky horseshoe belt buckle. Video Games

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Wii fans, now you can return to Hyrule and take Link through a brand-new series of adventures that will have you swinging the Master Sword with your Wiimote, and raising your shield with your Nunchuck. You’ll also be accessing Link’s bow, magic, and new abilities like an remotely-operated flying beetle that lets you peek ahead at levels. It’s been a long wait, but Link is finally back in the mix! Defeat traps, explore dungeons, and soar through the air on the back of a bird as you pilot Link through his latest. Also available in a Gold Remote Bundle that includes a snazzy gold Wiimote for your gaming.

It’s only been a year since Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood came out, but now we’re back in the thick of it with Ezio Auditore, who is this time joined by the ghost of Altair, and of course Desmond Miles is back in the mix as the human host of the DNA memories. New weapons include the hookblade and over 300 different types of bombs you can craft, and this is definitely the most beautiful game in the series so far. Sadly, this will be the last game set in the Renaissance, but with a new game already announced, it is definitely not the end of the series. The game is also available in an Ultimate Bundle, which comes with a lot of extra goodies, and if you can find the Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia: White Edition, grab it. It’s one of the best compilations of information about a game franchise that I’ve ever seen.

Super Mario 3D Land If you own a Nintendo 3Ds, you’re in luck! There is finally a flagship title for this system. Super Mario 3D Land brings back Nintendo’s famous plumber and plops him down in the middle of a handheld 3D experience that shows off everything this system can do. Plus, with 3D platforming it’s a lot easier to judge the gap between leaps. Luckily, you’ll have the Tanooki Suit at your disposal once more, allowing Mario to perform some tail-rific tricks and to hover briefly in the air (no flying this time around). New enemies include a Piranha Plant that spits ink at your screen, making it hard to see. Nasty! And cool. Welcome back, Mario!

Saints Row: The Third

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Earlier this year, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds came out, thrilling fans of Marvel, Capcom, and fighting games around the world. In fact, fighting fans loved this game so much that it didn’t take long for Capcom to announce an Ultimate edition of the game, at a lower price, that would add 12 new fighters, eight new stages, tweak the balance, and add a highly desired spectator mode for online matches. Available for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a fantastic entry in one of the best fighting game series from recent years.

Video Games

Saints Row has long been making a go of successfully following the Grand Theft Auto formula of gameplay and tossing in a dash of wacky. This time, the cap fell off the shaker, and the game is entirely bonkers. It’s also extremely fun. With a wide range of a weapons from the bizarre to the extremely lethal, a wide range of missions including Tank Rampage where your goal is to create as much property damage as possible, the game offers up more mayhem and madness than you could ever imagine. And yes, streaking is back. The Saints have landed in Steelport, and now they have to establish dominance as they battle the Syndicate, and you’ll have a hell of a lot of fun doing it. Also available in a Platinum Edition that comes with sweet headphones and a soundtrack.

Batman: Arkham City The Caped Crusader dazzled everyone with Batman: Arkham Asylum, and now the action has spilled over into Gotham City as part of the famous burg has been walled off to form a prison of sorts for the inhabitants of DC’s most famous and highly-breached insane asylum. That means a much larger playground for Batman to patrol and keep safe, while trying to unravel riddles from the Riddler, battle the Joker and his forces, tap-dance with Harvey Dent, and deal with Hugo Strange who has learned his secret identity. But a new game also means an expanded utility belt, and Batman has new gadgets and tools

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

at his disposal. Rocksteady has built this two-game franchise into the pinnacle of what a comic book video game should be, and any Batman fan worth their salt needs to pick this game up asap. Also available in a Collector’s Edition which includes a nifty Batman statue, and tons of extras.

Battlefield 3

Portal 2 Portal set the bar extremely high in 2007 by impressing everyone with the physics, gameplay, spatial awareness and puzzle solving that came along with test subject Chell trying to escape the clutches of the devious and deadly artificial intelligence GLaDOS. This time around, the game is much larger in scope, and provides a peek behind the scenes at Aperture Science far into the future. There is also a co-op mode this time around, allowing you and a buddy to pilot two test robots armed with Portal guns through puzzles and rooms. While it seemed like a long wait between titles, Portal 2 gave us a game that built on the original title by expanding the experience without straying from the addictive gameplay.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 picks up right where Modern Warfare 2 left off, pulling you back into the search for Makarov amidst World War 3 breaking out across the globe. The campaign will take you through war-torn Manhattan and to different corners of the globe while you try to stop the war and track down the madman behind it all. But there’s also the multiplayer, providing an experience that will span months and possibly years, with the addition of Spec Ops survival mode, new missions, and the Call of Duty Elite package that offers up new ways to expand the game and keep you involved online. It’s making waves in the video game world for a good reason: this is a tightly packed, extremely fun gaming experience.

Video Games

Battlefield 3 introduces us to the brand-new Frostbite 2 engine from developer DICE, which provides an incredibly intense experience throughout the battlefields of… well, Battlefield 3. This series has never looked so good, and while the campaign provides a rich experience that will take you across the world and through different soldiers (at one point you even get to fly in an F-18 as a systems officer), the multiplayer takes things to the next level with enormous team battles. That’s up to 64 (!) players on the PC, and 24 on the Xbox and PS3. The multiplayer is deep as well, offering up unlocks and specializations every time you rank up. There was a lot of hype behind Battlefield 3, and it managed to top all of that.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim While 2011 has nearly come to an end, and while we’re still waiting on Star Wars: The Old Republic to come out in December, it seems clear that there is already a Best Game of 2011 title to be awarded. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim provides a stellar role-playing experience that no other title has managed to match this year. With over 300 hundred hours (according to Bethesda) of gameplay on one disc, Skyrim is one of the best values for your money. But beyond the, it picks you up and deposits you squarely into a living, breathing world and lets you decide how you want to play the game. Skyrim is definitely one of the most important titles in the history of video games, and it can be yours in plain and Collector’s Edition flavors! Handy if you want your own dragon statue to show off. While it might not replace the 20-sided die, Skyrim returns RPGs to prestige and is a fantastic achievement in video game development.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

GADGETS

JAMES BOND HAS NOTHING ON THIS Mankind’s obsession with gadgets is the stuff of legend. Companies have risen and fallen based on the gadgets they invent, and there are books, websites, and television shows devoted to them. We’re obsessed with tech, gadgets, gizmos, thingamabobs, whirligigs, gewgaws, and widgets, and we can never seem to have enough of them. Owning a bicycle is one thing, but why not get one that folds up into a tiny package? A magic wand that change television channels for you? Watches that tell you who’s calling? Robot arms and multitools? Yes, please. James Bond had Q on his side, offering up gadgetry that was customtailored to each of his missions, but us geeks have a lot more ground to cover. That’s why we’ve spent time seeking out the latest and greatest gear for your geek arsenal. Below we've assembled the things we just can’t live without. Well, we could live without them, but what sort of existence would that be? Check out our list of the twelve best gadgets for the inner geek in all of us.

Bluetooth Watch with Caller ID Display u Laziness is a virtue and something we aspire to whenever possible. Repetitive and demanding tasks that require a lot of work should be avoided at all costs. Instead, laziness should be inserted in the form of a program, or device, that performs the repetitive task for you. Sure, you could look at your cell phone to see who is calling or push a button to mute the ringer and let them go to voicemail. But, instead, we think you should be as lazy as possible and use our Bluetooth Watch with Caller ID Display for these tasks. This watch keeps you connected in style by combining a vintage analog/ digital watch design with Bluetooth Wireless technology. It notifies you when your phone rings with a discreet vibrating sensation and showing the caller’s name and/or number on the bright OLED display. When an SMS/text message is received the watch will vibrate and the text alert icon will appear. You can mute your phone’s ringer or reject a call by simply pushing a button on the watch.

Automatically de-activates in the plane and re-activates on the luggage belt. Using the built in electric photo sensor, it senses when it is in the cargo of the plane by measuring factors such as light, altitude & noise.

Wireless Luggage Finder

Echobot Voice Messenger

After a long flight every suitcase starts to look the same, which makes navigating the anxious crowds at the carousel even more nerve-wracking. Imagine a world of travel where your suitcase actually alerted you as it was headed your way on the conveyor belt. This Wireless Luggage Locator does just that!

Mel is a three-legged cyclops that is ready to tell others whatever you want. Simply press the record button and speak your message into Mel’s microphone, then use his suction cup feet to place him where you want the message to be heard. When the motion sensor in his eye detects movement Mel will tell your message to whoever is near.

A patented electronic luggage tag features a built-in wireless transmitter and wireless key chain recognition device. While you wait at baggage claim, your key chain will sound, flash, and vibrate once your suitcase is within 20 meters (approximately 65 feet)! Individual code prevents mistaken identification. Also suitable for tracking keys, cell phones, and more.

Gadgets

Wrap him around a doorknob, use his three suction-cup feet to stand him on a desk or kitchen counter — just leave this orange fellow where you expect the person the message is for. Motion activates the message and it replays as long as the motion continues or until the bot is switched off.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Eye-fi Card What if your photos and videos could automatically fly from your camera to your computer, tablet or even smartphone? Just think: no more hunting around for the camera cable or having to take the memory card out of your camera and insert it into your computer. And it gets better; your photos and videos will automatically land in easy to find, date-based folders in your computer. How? With the Eye-Fi Connect X2 Wireless SDHC Memory Card. It does all the work for you. Wirelessly transfer your photos to the device of your choice and your favorite online sharing sites Eye-Fi built a wireless transmitter right into a Class 6 SDHC memory card, giving you the power to wirelessly transfer photos and videos with 802.11n speeds to the device of your choice and to your favorite online sharing sites like Facebook, Picasa, YouTube and many more. The Eye-Fi card is easy to install and works with most SDHC compatible cameras from your favorite brands, including Canon, Casio, HP, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sony and more.

Blade Runner Style LED Umbrella u Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced robot evolution into the Nexus phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a Replicant. They’re all around you, even now. That guy next to you? He’s a Replicant. How do we know? He’s walking the streets in the rain with no umbrella. That, and he failed the Voight-Kampff.

USB G-Gloves ‘G’ for Girls’. Here is another new cool stuff for girls. Girls’ USB Heating Gloves which is more colorful, fashionable and more suitable for girls’ hands size. It has a warming pad inside. Once you plug it in the USB port, it will be warming your hands. Do a great job de-frosting your hands and great for those who live in cold places. Also available in men’s styles, if there are too cute to keep your digits warm.

Targus Lap Chill Mat The Targus Lap Chill Mat provides a comfortable and ergonomic work surface to keep you and your laptop cool. The Chill Mat rests on your lap and disperses heat, using dual fans to provide ventilation which can be obstructed if the laptop is used on a pillow or comforter. Simply plug the USB connector into the laptop to activate cooling. The ergonomic tilt makes typing easy while the soft neoprene material provides cushioned comfort on your lap. The open design allows fans to run quietly and stimulates constant airflow. Four rubber stops on the face of the Chill Mat prevents the laptop from slipping. The Targus Lap Chill Mat makes using your laptop an enjoyable experience.

3-In-1 Paranormal Research Instrument With Red Flashlight

In the pre-apocalyptic future, the air will be so thick, it will be dark in the middle of the day. Coupled with the almost constant rain, you’ll need to find a way to stay dry and light your way to the noodle shop down the street.

Measure EMF, measure ambient temperature, and provide a source of light all with one advanced instrument. Designed exclusively for paranormal investigators, this incredible tool has everything you need to track and detect the presence of ghosts. It features a green-lit screen, custom dual display for EMF and ambient temperature, and night view backlit display. The EMF burst mode detects EMF movement rapidly, and the record feature allows you to capture minimum and maximum values from your adventures and investigations.

Even if you don’t live in a quasi-futuristic Los Angeles and you aren’t a Blade Runner, you can still have the coolest umbrella on the street. With a push of a button, the shaft lights up, illuminating you and your path. Now, even in the darkest of nights, you’re a lot more visible to the cars on the street, making your long walk home through the rain a lot safer.

The Magic Wand Remote Control

Range: 20, 200, 2000 uTesla; 200, 2000, 20,000 mGauss. Accuracy: ±4% at 50-60 Hz. Includes 9V alkaline battery as power supply. Unit is available with or without a built-in red nightvision flashlight.

This is the remote control wand that can change channels, volume, or manage other controls on your electronic devices. Forged with a motion-sensing accelerometer, it detects the hand’s nuanced movements to translate 13 distinct gestures. Simply point the wand and your device’s remote at each other and push the function on the remote the wand is to “learn”–pressing “up volume” on a remote could be linked to the wand’s up/down gesture while changing channels could be linked to the wand’s clock/counterclockwise gesture.

Gadgets

Other motions of legerdemain, such as quick taps to pause/play a DVD, forward/backward thrusts, and dramatic sweeps can be matched to nearly any existing remote’s functions. Compatible with most home electronics that use remote controls, including televisions, DVD players, DVRs, and more. Includes two AAA batteries. Comes in a silk-lined box.

Robotic Arm Edge: Wired Control Robotic Arm Kit Command the robotic arm gripper to open and close, radial wrist motion of 120°, an extensive elbow range of motion of 300°, base rotation of 270°, base motion of 180°, vertical reach of 15 inches, horizontal reach of 12.6 inches and lifting capacity of 100g. Some

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of the added features include a search light design on the gripper and an audible safety gear indicator is included on all 5 gear boxes to prevent potential injury or gear breakage during operation. Total command and visual manipulation using the “5's”, five-switch wired controller, 5 motors, 5 gear boxes, and 5 joints. For ages 10 and up. Add USB Interface cable and Software, OWI-535USB, (not included) to integrate programming and expand the capabilities of the Robotic Arm Edge.

q Kelvin.23 All in One Tool

Construct your Robotic Arm into a bionic marvel, then command the gripper to open and close, twist at the wrist, rotate on its base or extend at the elbow to retrieve objects. Special features include a five switch wired controller, five motors, five joints and audible gear safety indicators to prevent potential gear damage during operation.

q Mobiky Genius Folding Bike The Mobiky Genius folding bike proves that more bike isn’t necessarily mo’ better. Perfect for commuter travel in congested city streets, the Genius is ready to roll from folded position to riding-ready in just about three seconds. Once folded, though, it’s easily storable or transportable on city busy or subway and it includes a carry handle. It measures 50 by 18 by 41 inches, and it folds to just 25 by 12 by 32 inches. The bike weighs just under 30 pounds.

When we moved out of our parents’ houses and into our own places back in the day, very few of us were given the tools necessary to do things around our new abodes. We slowly acquired various tools: hand-me-downs from friends, stuff found in dumpsters, or “borrowed” from neighbors. We even bought a tool or two when we went out to buy milk and underpants. And when IKEA came along, we began to amass our collection of allen wrenches. Don’t do this to the newbie first-place-r in your life. Get ‘em a Kelvin.23 All In One Tool. The Kelvin is a unique, super functional hand tool designed for the everyday jobs you encounter living on your own. With the Kelvin, you can hang pictures, you can tighten up a loose ceiling fan, you can measure small spaces before buying furniture too large for them. No more running around the house, trying to remember where you last used the Phillips head. Everything you need is in the Kelvin, just waiting to help out with your next project.

While small in stature, the Genius has an adjustable seat post that can adapt to riders measuring from 52 inches to 72 inches in height and weighing up to 240 pounds. While the tires measure just 12 inches in diameter, the Genius offers an ingenious dual-chain system that results in covering two tire rotations with one pedal turn–enabling you to cover the same ground as a bike with 24-inch tires. It features a three-speed Sturmey Archer S-RB3 internal gear hub that’s fitted on the rear wheel and is fully encased within the aluminum hub shell to reduce maintenance. This ensures a very safety gearing and prevents the chain from jumping the teeth. The chains are specially developed to resist in normal outside conditions, and they do not require any particular maintenance or greasing. The Genius has 120mm front disc brakes with an APSE caliper and rear roller brakes. The frame and tube sections that make up the direction cases are alloy aluminum 6061, and Aluminum AS6G7 where more pressure is experienced. The Genius comes with a standard zippered carry cover. It’s backed by a two-year warranty on the frame and a oneyear warranty on other components.

Gadgets

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

BOARD GAMES

THIS IS HOW WE ROLL Long before their were video games, board games were one of the main forms of entertainment. Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit have both dominated the gaming realm at one point or another. There was a time when nearly every family had a board game closet like the one in The Royal Tennenbaums. My cousin had one that used to make me drool upon entering while I gazed up at all of the titles stacked on top of each other. It makes sense when you consider this: board games require no power, are multiplayer, portable, and tons of fun! In this day and age, board games have gotten more complex and cover a wide range of subjects, but they still retain the core gameplay that makes gathering around a table and rolling the dice extremely enjoyable. Check out our list of the best board games that are out there, and pick one up for a friend or someone in your family. You’ll have fun playing together, unless it’s Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game and your loved one turns out to be a Cylon. All’s fair in love and games!

Settlers of Catan This is the gateway board game that started the renewed interest in games across the world, particularly Germanstyle board games, which is where Catan hails from. Players are recent immigrants to the newly populated island of Catan. Expand your colony through the building of settlements, roads, and villages by harvesting commodities from the land around you. Trade sheep, lumber, bricks and grain for a settlement, bricks and wood for a road, or try to complete other combinations for more advanced buildings, services and specials.

Pandemic Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out.

Trade with other players, or at local seaports to get resources you might lack. The first player to achieve 10 points from a combination of roads, settlements, and special cards wins.

Players must work together, playing to their characters’ strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example, the Operation Specialist can build research stations, which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only four cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal five.

Telestrations Telestrations is the visual equivalent of the classic school-yard game “telephone.” It’s a fun-filled sketching game in which everyone’s attempts at “art” can turn hilarious. The game starts with a secret word that is passed from player to player. As the word is sketched, interpreted, and then sketched again, it undergoes a visual transformation that will surprise and delight everyone. Designed for players ages 13 and up, Telestrations is sure to be a hit at parties. Each sketch book contains eight erasable pages, and each page is labeled with either an “S” (for sketch) or a “G” (for guess). The spiral binding allows you to flip pages before passing the sketch book to the next player, and the label lets that player know whether to sketch or guess. Aside from the occasional unrepressed snicker, gameplay is silent until the final results are revealed.

But the diseases are outbreaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. Pandemic is a truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose. For even more challenges, pick up the Pandemic: On The Brink expansion!

Telestrations is designed for 4 to 8 players. As with the classic game “Telephone,” the bigger the group, the more confusing — and funny — things can get. Gameplay requires little more than the included erasable markers and sketch books. The erasable markers have a fine point to allow true artists to flourish. Clean-up cloths are provided, as is a timer and a deck of 144 cards, each of which contains six “secret” words.

Board Games

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Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game

their own. Do you have what it takes to conquer an alien frontier?

In Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, you can recreate the tension and mystery of the critically acclaimed show by serving as Admiral of the Colonial Fleet, President of the Colonies or just another hot-shot viper jockey. The human race will need each of you to survive…?? Unless you’re a Cylon, of course.

Arkham Horror

Characters: ?Players assume the role of one of their favorite characters from the epic series. Each character has their own skills, strengths and weaknesses based on the nature and personality of their television counterpart. As a more specific example: Lee “Apollo” Adama has the Alert Viper Pilot ability, which allows the character to jump into a Viper that has been placed in a space area and immediately activate that ship. Lee also benefits from the CAG ability, allowing him to activate up to six unmanned Vipers once per game. However, this character has the negative aspect, Headstrong. When the Lee Adama player is forced to discard skill cards, he or she must discard them randomly.

Players can select from 16 unique playable investigator characters, each with unique abilities, and will square off against the diabolical servants of 8 Ancient Ones, including Ithaqua, Hastur, and the terrible Cthulhu! No fan of the Cthulhu Mythos will want to miss the opportunity to acquire this classic Call of Cthulhu board game! Arkham Horror is a cooperative game for 1-8 players ages 12 and up, and can be played in 2-3 hours.

The Walking Dead Board Game In The Walking Dead Board Game, only the strong survive. The weak turn into walkers, and then turn against their former friends! Fight your way through zombie-infested Atlanta with your fellow survivors. Grab some weapons to clear a path. Visit destinations like the department store, old folk’s home, and the CDC. Find the tools you’ll need to live another day. Take on the role of Rick, Andrea, or one of the other hapless survivors and scrounge for sweet weapons like a Shotgun or Crossbow. Keep your eyes open for new allies, but watch your back! When supplies start running low, it’s every man for himself. If you can make it back to camp with enough gear to defend yourself and those you still care for, you win!

Cylon Agents: ?At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt a face-down card from the Loyalty Deck. These cards separate the Cylons and Cylon sympathizers from human characters. Human players will try to rally all of their resources into solving the many crises in the game, while players who side with the Cylons will secretly undermine those efforts. More cards from the Loyalty Deck are dealt out midway through the game (in the Sleeper Agent Phase). At this point, someone who had been whole-heartedly supporting the humans may find out they were a Cylon all along!

Alien Frontiers Alien Frontiers is a game of resource management and planetary development for two to four players. During the game you will utilize orbital facilities and alien technology to build colony domes in strategic locations to control the newly discovered world. The game board shows the planet, its moon, the stations in orbit around the planet, and the solar system’s star. The dice you are given at the start of the game represent the space ships in your fleet. You will assign these ships to the orbital facilities in order to earn resources, expand your fleet, and colonize the planet.

Should you fall to the hungry horde of walkers, the game doesn’t end. When a player dies and becomes a walker, they leave the world of the living behind and seek out the remaining survivors. Spring surprise attacks on the living, cause the walkers to frenzy, or contaminate the survivor’s supplies. Put the bite on your former friends and they’ll join you in your pursuit of the living. The fate of the human race is in your hands, either as a survivor or a walker.

t Penny Arcade the Game: Gamers vs. Evil

As the game progresses, you will place your colony tokens on the planet to represent the amount of control you have over each territory. Those territories exert influence over specific orbital facilities and, if you control a territory, you are able to utilize that sway to your advantage. The planet was once the home of an alien race and they left behind a wondrous artifact in orbit. Using your fleet to explore the artifact, you will discover amazing alien technologies that you can use to advance your cause.

Welcome to the world of Penny Arcade! As the top webcomic for all things gaming, whether it’s video games or tabletop, it’s only fitting that Penny Arcade get its own deckbuilding game. Players will select cards featuring classic Penny Arcade characters from a communal pool. You’ve followed the way of the warrior through the story of the Cardboard Tube Samurai. You’ve sent your dollar-a-day to support Baby Ninja with smoke bombs and magic scrolls . Now rally them together to build your perfect deck.

Winning the game will require careful consideration as you assign your fleet, integrate the alien technology and territory influences into your expansion plans, and block your opponents from building colonies of Board Games

Arkham Horror was originally published by Chaosium, Inc., in 1987. This new, updated edition features stunning new artwork and graphical design (including a new gameboard, counters, cards, and playing pieces) as well as revised and expanded rules from the game’s original creator, Richard Launius.

Players select a hero card. Pick from Gabe, Tycho, and others straight from the Penny Arcade comic.

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Purchase Gamer cards with your gold. Yes, put that Merch in your deck! CONSUME! If you’d prefer to battle, wield the Cardboard Tube and attack one of the Evil cards. Dodge PAX Pox, make friends with a Werewolf With a Top Hat, ally with Cardboard Tube Samurai, PvP with your opponents, and skewer Dark Tycho for his epic loot. Build your perfect deck and win the battle of Gamers vs. Evil.

Defenders of the Realm

adjacent lands in order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires – often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory!

Dominion You are a monarch, like your parents before you, a ruler of a small pleasant kingdom of rivers and evergreens. Unlike your parents, however, you have hopes and dreams! You want a bigger and more pleasant kingdom, with more rivers and a wider variety of trees. You want a Dominion! In all directions lie fiefs, freeholds, and feodums. All are small bits of land, controlled by petty lords and verging on anarchy. You will bring civilization to these people, uniting them under your banner. But wait! It must be something in the air; several other monarchs have had the exact same idea. You must race to get as much of the unclaimed land as possible, fending them off along the way. To do this you will hire minions, construct buildings, spruce up your castle, and fill the coffers of your treasury. Your parents wouldn’t be proud, but your grandparents, would be delighted.

Shadows Over Camelot “Our Liege is in desperate hour! From what grievous cause have these accursed races arisen? Orcs, Dragons, Demons and the Dead make haste towards Monarch City. The King and Countryside of Monarch City is in need of valiant Heroes!” Will you answer the King’s call?

Shadows over Camelot is a unique collaborative game featuring a malevolent twist! As the incarnation of the Knights of the Round Table, you join forces against the game itself in an attempt to protect Camelot. Your victory hinges on the successful completion of legendary Quests, such as the search for Excalibur, the Holy Grail, or Lancelot’s Armor; the tournament against the Black Knight; and numerous wars against the Saxons and Picts.

In the ancient Citadel of Monarch City, the King calls to arms the finest Heroes to defend against a Darkness that engulfs the land. You and your allies must embark on a journey to defend the countryside, repair the tainted lands, and defeat the four creature factions before any of them enter the City. And they approach from all sides! Fast populating Orcs! Fierce Dragons! Undead that bring Fear! And Demons! All tainting the land in their wake. There are several paths to defeat, but only one path to victory, and only the most valiant Hero will be named King’s Champion.

But beware… all is not as it seems among these noble Knights. One of your number might yet turn out to be a traitor-in-waiting, biding his time while sowing havoc and destruction from the Shadows!

Defenders of the Realm is a cooperative fantasy board game in which 1-4 players take a role as one of the King’s Champions (Choose from Cleric, Dwarf, Eagle Rider, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer and Wizard). You, as one of the King’s Heroes make use of strategy, special abilities, cooperation, card play and a little luck in Defenders of the Realm for a unique experience every adventure. But be forewarned! There is never time to rest. As each Enemy General is struck down in battle, the remaining dark forces only grow more difficult to vanquish and their march to Monarch City gets faster with each Hero victory!

Small World In Small World, players vie for conquest and control of a world that is simply too small to accommodate them all. Designed by Philippe Keyaerts as a fantasy follow-up to his award-winning Vinci, Small World is inhabited by a zany cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs, and even humans, who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer

Board Games

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Patrick Dillett), and the first to be written for a full band. In addition to the drummer and bassist who frequently appear in Coulton’s live shows, Artificial Heart features over a dozen guest musicians and several tracks with guest lead vocals.

Something Fierce by Marian Call ‘Something Fierce’ is Marian Call’s much-anticipated third album, funded entirely by fans and informed by experiences on her 50 State Tour of the U.S. (Canada too!). Marian is a music theory junkie and a poetry nerd, and both passions are indulged completely on this record. Lovingly recorded in homes and studios all around the country, nearly all of Marian’s large music community and family can be heard on this record, as well as contributing fans. Song topics include Jane Austen, Windows Vista, the last few NASA space shuttle missions, heartbreak, divorce, winter driving in Alaska, a newbie’s view of SxSW, avocados, sea urchins, beer, and breast lumps. It’s alternately a gut-wrenching spiritual therapy session, a happy Muppet dance, and a mellow picnic in the park in sunlight that’s slightly too cold (with good company and a delicious unassuming red wine that makes the breeze bearable).

MUSIC

Pieces of 8 by Dain Saint

O hai guise. I finished my album: Pieces of 8!

UNLEASH YOUR MUSICAL NERD! Friedrich Nietzsche said “Without music, life would be a mistake.” We’d like to think he meant geek music when he said that, but we’ll allow a bit of leeway. It’s nearly impossible to imagine life without music. Just try and think about video games, movies, and television shows without soundtracks. Those soundtracks turn around and end up becoming the tunes to our lives, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a geek without the Superman theme song, or the Imperial March from Star Wars on one of their many musical devices.

I’m really happy with how it came out. It’s not perfect, but I’m okay with letting it into the wild — which is great for me, since I have a really hard time finishing things. Each track represents a different genre of game: 1. Fog of War: RPG 2. Chandrasekhar Limit: Shmup

We’ve put together a list of the geekiest, nerdiest, and awesomest music for you to listen to, or to give away as gifts to those people in your lives who could use a little musical pick me up.

3. Half-Full: Run-n-gun ( à la Mega Man)

Artificial Heart by Jonathan Coulton

6. A New Challenger: Fighting

4. Preptime: Stealth 5. Atlantic: Racer

In 2010, Jonathan Coulton announced that his long hiatus from recording new material was ending. After Coulton opened for They Might Be Giants earlier that year, John Flansburgh suggested working together on Coulton’s new material. The collaboration helped push Coulton outside his comfort zone, and he frequently commented on being excited and terrified by the process. As a result, Artificial Heart represents a significant departure from Coulton’s earlier albums. Not only is it the first Coulton album to be produced by someone besides Coulton himself, it’s the first to be recorded in an “actual studio” (owned by They Might Be Giants’ long time producer,

Music

7. Go!: Beat-em-up 8. Breakdown: Platformer It’s all been re-mastered and tweaked from the previews I posted. Go check it out!

Dawn Metropolis by Anamanaguchi Anamanaguchi is a chiptune indie rock band from New York City that makes loud, fast music with a hackedNES from 1985. The band has four members: lead songwriter Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. Akin to other chiptune artists, Anamanaguchi

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

creates music using synthesizers, albeit unconventional ones: namely a hacked NES and Game Boy. However, unlike most chiptune bands, Anamanaguchi employs live electric guitar, bass and drums on top of said synthesized music to create a fusion of digital and traditional sounds. Though they use video game hardware from the mid to late 1980s, Berkman states that their music has nothing to do with video game music, as their songwriting is mostly inspired by simple pop stuff, like Weezer and the Beach Boys. Check out Dawn Metropolis, their debut full-length album.

Do You Like Star Wars by Paul and Storm Easily Paul and Storm’s most raw and autobiographical project to-date, DYLSW represents the duo’s musical output over the last year or so–20 full-length tracks in all, including live versions of concert favorites “Nun Fight” and “The Captain’s Wife’s Lament” (the pirate song.) Yep, it was a busy and exciting time, filled with werewolves (“Cruel, Cruel Moon”), video games (“Frogger! The Frogger Musical”), cavemen (“Me Make Fire”), and irreverent holiday songs (a bunch of them.) And how was your year? Disclaimer: contains 0% Star Wars by volume. Track List: Paul and Storm Theme Song; Cruel, Cruel Moon; Nun Fight; Frogger! The Frogger Musical; Live; Me Make Fire; I Will Sing a Lullabye; Here Come the Dinosaurs; Big Bottom; Lose the Gonads; Hippie with a Djeme; Boolean Love Song; The Ballad of Rufus Amos Adams; Lame Monster Party; Christmas Eve Eve; Grandma’s Christmas Dinner; The Way-Too-Early Christmas Song; Better Off Dead (Randy Newman’s “Theme from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’”; Nun Fight (Live at the Guthrie Theater); The Captain’s Wife’s Lament (Live at the Guthrie Theater)

Varia Sweet and Expansion Pack by Metroid Metal Varia Suite contains a collection of Metroid Metal tunes rerecorded and “redone a bit” by the members of Metroid Metal Live. The 14 tracks feature fresh production and clock in at over 50 minutes in length. Varia Suite marks the first official album by Metroid Metal and is released under Silent Uproar Records.

Join Us by They Might Be Giants TMBG’s latest full length album was recorded over nine months in New York City with producer Patrick Dillett. Join Us is a truly remarkable album: spanning inspired electronic excursions to blazing rockers spotlighting their legendary barn-storming band. From the opening chime of “Can’t Keep Johnny Down” to the climactic blast of “You Don’t Like Me,” this is TMBG at their finest. The vinyl edition of the album is a colorful gatefold sleeve. Both CD and vinyl editions include complete lyrics.

Expansion Pack is an add-on to the Varia Suite album. It’s a 27 minute collection of 6 songs we’ve played live over the years that are not on Varia Suite.

Beautiful Lifestyle by George and Jonathan

Act II: The Father of Death by The ProtoMen

George & Jonathan give ?you Beautiful Lifestyle. George & Jonathan taught you how to walk. George & Jonathan taught you how to dance. George & Jonathan taught you how to look nice. This Fall, let George & Jonathan teach you how to live. If you enjoy Beautiful Lifestyle … then you’ll love The Best Music ?… or their novelty holiday album, the The Best Christmas.

Music

“As usual, we recommend the physical copy of this album, because it is the only way to get the complete experience without me coming to your house and interpretive dancing my way around your family and pets for 57 minutes. Believe me, you don’t want that. It’s super creepy. I should know… I’m the one that has to do it. For instance, I’m an incredibly huge Kate Bush fan, but I don’t know if I could handle

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a personal ‘in house’ interpretation of Wurthering Heights. Save yourself the awkwardness… get the physical copy. To persuade you even further, Act II comes with a 24 page booklet filled with story and excitement. Act I only had 16… that’s almost 8 more pages!”

Solved by MC Frontalot From BoingBoing, courtesy of Frontalot himself: “Nerdcore rap legend MC Frontalot sez, “SOLVED, my new album came out today! It’s a concept record about how all solutions are hacks. It has got guest appearances from some other nerdcore rappers (MC Lars, ZeaLouS1, Dr Awkward), some rockstars (Wheatus), and some comedy masterminds (Kristen Schaal, Wyatt Cenac, Eugene Mirman). If anyone wants to take a peek, the first single, “Critical Hit,” is free and the CD page offers instant download with purchase. The package on my site includes 24bit FLAC, but if you aren’t such an audiophile, it’s also posted on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc. I hope folks like it. It was quite a labor of love and I am happy about how it came out.” I’ve been giving this a spin this morning and it’s definitely vintage Frontalot — I love “Captains of Industry,” a great track about how every nerdcore rapper is really in the t-shirt business.”

Music

The Bossfights self-titled album From Wired Magazine: “Within the sub-genre of nerdcore there are a lot of similar acts. There are some that immediately stand out, such as MC Frontalot with his distinctive delivery. Artists that like that already carved out their own unique niche. Then others, such as mostly Californiabased The Bossfights, have grown from a culmination of several different styles and influences, becoming larger than the genre that spawned them. Comprised of Scrubclub rappers Doctor Awkward (Josh Watson) and Zealous1 (Beau Fa’asamala), both heavyweights in their own right, and super ex-heavy metal guitarist Jay Bishop, bassist Kevonious (Kevin LeBlanc) an drummer Juggernaut (Mike Pharris), The Bossfights is a true hybrid of rap and rock that will transcend the genre that bore their talents. Their first self-titled release is pure auditory excitement.”

IV by Nerf Herder 2008 release, the fourth album from Nerd Rock favorites Nerf Herder. IV is produced by Angus Cooke (formerly of The Ataris), owner of legendary Santa Barbara based Orange Whip Studios. The album includes odes to cassettes, orange backpacks, golf shirts, orb clutching dragons, manatees, the awesomeness of Led Zeppelin, Santa Barbara, high school dances and later high school reunions all mixed with perhaps the album’s greatest secret ingredient, unrequited love.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

TOYS

MAKE YOURSELF THE TOYMASTER Batman had to develop his own toys and gizmos in the time before the internet, but now that the technological wonder of the web has descended on all of us, there are plenty of places to pick up toys of your own! We’ve assembled a list of the best toys for your inner and outer geek. From things that look awesome on your shelf, to toys you can actually play with, we’ve represented a bit of everything here in the hopes that visions of these will be dancing in your heads these holidays. There’s a wide price range here as well, so the budget-minded geek can stand toe-to-toe next to the geek with excess cash. Toys keep getting better and better and you can keep up with them right here so that the Joneses will be trying to keep up with you, rather than the other way around.

q Star Wars Boba Fett Electronic Helmet Gear up for “intergalactic” action with this cool Boba Fett Electronic Helmet! Don the helmet to get in character and feel just like the dangerous bounty hunter, then press the sound effects button to hear blaster sounds, rocket pack sounds and more. As you “hunt down” your target, press the phrases button to hear intimidating sayings like, “Surrender… or face disintegration.” Activate the light-up antenna as you close in on your prey and move the antenna up or down to change which phrases and sounds play! There’s battle raging for the fate of the “universe” and now you’re ready to play your part and join in! Detailed electronic helmet lets you feel just like the Star Wars character. Straps allow you to adjust helmet’s fit; fits most sizes ages 5 through adult.

Classic Predator 12-inch Figure Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are proud to present the 1:6th scale Classic Predator Collectible Figure from the Predators movie. The movie-accurate Classic Predator collectible is specially crafted based on his appearance in the movie, featuring a newly developed head and body sculpt, highly detailed body armor, weapons and accessories, as well as detachable light-up mask.

Transformers Dark of the Moon Mechtech Ultimate Optimus Prime u Over the years, Optimus Prime has proved himself to be not only a great leader, but also one of the most powerful warriors in the universe. He is trained in the use of almost any weapon, incorporating them into his combat tactics without effort. He is a walking arsenal with unstoppable combat capabilities. The ultimate warrior has arrived! Your electronic Ultimate Optimus Prime figure is already a force to be reckoned with, but his blasting battle sounds, Toys

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glowing weapon lights and launching missile sounds let his enemies know they’re in trouble before he even touches them! Convert your figure’s trailer to Omega Combat Armor for his big showdowns and extend the wings, flip the Ultimate Super Cannon into place and extend the energy collection panels. Your fighter’s enemies will be shaking in their boots! When the battle is over, convert your warrior into truck vehicle mode so he can roll right into the next adventure. Features blasting battle sounds, glowing weapon lights and launching missile sounds!

Tengu Everyone knows that Japan comes up with the coolest (video games!), yet most bizarre things in the world — anything from hightech gadgets to super-cute anime characters. This time, they’ve created a perfect combination of the two—Tengu! Inspired by the famous “trickster” character in Japanese folklore, Tengu plays along with you instead of pulling silly pranks. He is a sensitive, sound reactive USB companion that is about 3 inches tall, 1.7 inches wide, and 0.6 inches thick. His face is made up of neon red LED lights, and he is attached to a 3.3-foot USB cable. Tengu will respond to any noise in your environment, and his mouth will clearly move along with your music! You can blow on his microphone, conveniently located between his legs, and his bright, cute face will change instantly! He gets tired, like you, so when he falls asleep on you, just blow on him to wake him up.

action of the popular video game to life with these full-size replica weapons that perform just like the ones in the game: vibration, sounds, lights and recoil, all packaged into heavy metal and plastic bodies. These realistic weapons even offer the most intricate features; when the Plasma Rifle “overheats,” the heat exchange flanges pop open! An infrared beam and target register hits on an LCD counter, allowing you to recreate the game with friends; capture the flag, team battle, free-for-all the possibilities are endless! Find out who has what it takes to be Master Chief.

LOTR Ringwraith Polystone Statue Joining Sideshow’s line of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ collectibles, the Ringwraith Statue captures the essence of this servant of the Dark Lord Sauron in stunning detail. Offering a 1:6 scale maquette style study of the Nazgul, each piece measures approximately 19 inches up to the tip of the sword, and is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. The Ringwraith Statue is an outstanding addition to any collection, an integral character in Sideshow’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ statue series.

Tengu works with any type of computer (as long as there is a USB port), and does not require any special software — he simply plays on his own! Tengu was created to entertain and amuse you. He will go anywhere with you, and most importantly, he will always approve of your music! A high-tech, adorable friend — what will they think of next? Perhaps a Tengu that really does play evil pranks? Well, that’s kind of scary.

q Cubebot Puzzle Keeping a Transformer on your desk? Not cool. Keeping a Cubebot on your desk? Completely acceptable and awesome.

NECA Gears of War 36 Inch Foam Prop Replica Butcher Cleaver u

A far cry from the normal plastic and battery-powered robot army in the market today, this unsuspecting hardwood cube unfolds via elastic-bands into a mighty, menacing, and, oddly enough, slightly wholesome robot, like one who might live in a Lincoln Log cabin while not attacking cities. Sturdy limbs made from sustainably harvested cherry wood and strong elastic bands make him easy to pose and impervious to breakage. Play all day and quickly fold into a perfect cube when you hear the boss coming.

An insanely detailed foam replica of the Cleaver as seen in the new Gears of War 3 game! Sure to be a popular melee weapon, the Cleaver is three feet in length and features a detailed diamond plate textured handle. Pretend you’re a Butcher Boomer or the heroic Marcus Fenix as you hold this mighty replica in your hands! Made of highly durable polyurethane foam and hand painted with battle worn deco!

p Halo 3 Jasman Infared Laser Tag Covenant Plasma Rifle & Target Set

Portal Weighted Companion Cube Plush

For every Halo fan that has fantasized about being part of the action, Jasman Toys introduces its line of Halo 3 Covenant Weapons with Laser Pursuit technology! Bring all the

Toys

Straight from the Vital Apparatus Vent comes the Weighted Companion Cube Plush. It will accompany you through the test chamber and generally be adorable and squishy. We expect you will take 18

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

care of it while it is in your possession. The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube Plush cannot speak, threaten you, or stab you. (That paranoia you feel is totally normal.) In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, we urge you to disregard its advice, especially if said advice pertains to the veracity of cake.

q Rogue Classic Polystone Statue

The best thing about the Weighted Companion Cube Plush is that you never have to euthanize it. That’s right, friends. Unless you happen to have an Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator in your house, there’s no reason to incinerate your cute lil’ cube friend. (Studies have proven that those 8 out of 10 Aperture Science engineers were wrong and the Weighted Companion Cube does in fact feel pain upon incineration.) You may have incinerated one or two Weighted Companion Cubes in your time, but now is time for penance. Squeeze it, feed it cake, and love it long time.

Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present the outstanding Marvel statues and busts created by Bowen Designs. These highquality polystone, detailed collectibles feature your favorite Marvel characters as they appear in a wide range of comics. Standing over 14.5 inches high, the Rogue Classic Statue is cast in high-quality polystone, a great addition to any Marvel collection!

q Air Swimmers Flying R/C Sea Life We’ll admit it. We saw that viral video of the kitty getting spooked by the RC flying shark and we went scrambling to get the digits of the folks who made them. Lo and behold, we found they made a Clownfish too! RC flying sea creatures are perfect for doling out justice to fish-stalking kitties or just scaring the pants off the guy in the next cube over. (If you wear headphones and have your backs to us, you’re just asking to get pranked.)

The AirSwimmers RC flying sea creatures stalk through the air with incredibly smooth and life-like motion. Fill your AirSwimmer with helium at the nearest party store, florist shop, or grocery store that carries balloons. (Or use the helium tank in your friendly mad scientist’s lab.) The AirSwimmer’s body is made from a high-quality, durable nylon material that will stay inflated for weeks and can be refilled over and over again. Grab the infra-red remote and you can guide the shark or clownfish up, down, and 360 degrees around.

Duck Hunter X-Treme Either take to the skies and torment your hunter or take aim at your prey and shoot him out of the sky. This two player interactive remote controlled hunting simulation is perfect for indoor and outdoor play. Player one takes flight control of the RC duck; while player two takes aim at the duck with their Laser Blaster complete with realistic sound effects using IR. After three direct hits , your prey will fall from the sky. But, the best part is you just reset the duck and try again. It’ll fly up to 7 minutes on a single charge. Recommended ages 8 and up. Requires nine AA batteries, not included.

Toys

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

THE BEST GEEK GIRL GUIDE

Geek Silver Necklace All the geeks in the house, put your hands up. You’re gonna love this necklace to the nth power. Total length of necklace, including sterling silver chain, is about 17 inches (43 cm). Dimensions of the word “Geek” are approximately 1.5 inches long (4 cm) x about .75 inches (2 cm) tall. Clasp is a lobster claw style. All components of this necklace are made of solid sterling silver.

Gothic Crow Images

• Title: On A Crooked Cross • Size: 10 inches by 8 inches/No Borders • Type: Kodak Endura/Archival 100 Plus Years

THE POWER OF HER! Being a girl geek comes with a lot of privileges. First of all, you’re revered because both geeks and non-geeks alive love girl geeks, and second, you have some of the coolest gear to choose from. While boy geeks are usually confined to hoodies and t-shirts, girl geeks have a lot more to choose from, and they can poach anything off of the geeky gift guides that have been predominately maledominated. To help being a girl geek rock even more, we’ve put together this list of items that will make the girl geek in your life happy, even if that geek is you. Check out the list, and pick out something that will please that geek!

Geek Girl Guide

Two graveyard crows chilling on the old tombstones, the elements puts a lot of ware on these old stones. Printed on Beautiful Professional Kodak Endura Archival Lifetime Paper with exceptional quality and longevity which has a archival value of 100 plus years. Packed with heavy cardboard and moisture resistant packaging.

Geek Bookends This set of bookends is handmade and designed by Knob Creek Metal Arts. Made from solid steel, these bookends are heavy enough to hold up your reading collection. Sold in a set of two pieces, finished in hammered black.

DIY Twig Terrariums Twig Terrariums is a verdant, Brooklyn, New York based venture, sprung from the minds of two old friends, Michelle Inciarrano and

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Katy Maslow. We create moss terrariums and other small worlds in antique, vintage, and new glass containers, apothecary jars, science glass, kitchenware, and any odd glass objects we find on our travels. Each Twig Terrarium contains a very special scene using miniature figurines to complete your little green landscape – from idyllic pastoral scenes with cows and horses to angry punk rockers and Central Park muggings.

Acrylic Skyline Wall Decals Skyscrapers, skyscrapers and more skyscrapers. shanghai’s skyline has emerged as one of the most prominent and tallest in the recent past which makes it rather unique and interesting to look at. let people know your love for the city by displaying this gorgeous piece in your home or office.

Gourmet Beer Brewing Kit q

orange carbonated drink inspired by Bill’s favorite synthetic blood nourishment beverage. Tart and slightly sweet Tru Blood pours like a regular soda but appears stormy and mysterious when poured into a glass. The Tru Blood beverage features: Stunning bottle design is replica of bottles featured on show, rich red color with raised English lettering and matching Japanese Kanji.

Sons of Anarchy Girls’ T-shirt This authentic and official t-shirt proclaims your love loudly for the best motorcycle gang in town, and one of the best current television shows. If you’re not watching Sons of Anarchy, then you need to jump on the cycle quickly before it zooms away. Luckily, there are four seasons out there waiting for you to watch, with Season Four just having wrapped up. Motorcycles and tattoos might not be your thing, but this show will quickly absorb you.

Doctor Who Disappearing Tardis Coffee Mug

Travel through time with this Tardis mug. Pour a hot beverage in this unique heat sensitive mug. Then watch the Doctor Who Tardis travel machine as it suddenly disappears from the streets of London and travels to the distant galaxy on the other side of the mug. Holds 12 oz.; hand wash ceramic.

UGG Biker Boots Who says UGGs have to be boring? These feature edgy leather design with biker-inspired buckles, softened by genuine shearling lining. No longer will you look like a fashion victim from ten years ago if you adorn your feet in these, plus you’re ready to fight crime, hop on a motorcycle, or build your own spaceship while wearing these.

Leather Tolkien Cuff q Jewelry is very specific to an individual. Certain people are drawn to certain things. We really like the simplicity of these cuffs, though. Metal and leather. That’s it. They’re hand-crafted in the US. They have a sort of steampunk aesthetic. And when we saw our quotation options, we knew we had to have them.

A take back to the traditional India Pale Ale style that is highly hopped giving the beer a fresh, bitter bite. The beer shows hints of oak giving it that barrel aged taste, much like the original English Pale Ales that were sent to India in hand crafted toasted oak barrels during the 18th century. • Brewing Equipment starter kit: Everything you need to start brewing • Guide to Craft Brewing • Oak Aged IPA Ingredients kit- Malt extract, brewers grains, hops, American oak chips, yeast (Safale s-04), sanitizer, brewing bag and special instructions.

Mod Alphabet Flashcards A pocketful of genius. Coolness in a box. A Mid-Century education in 26 remarkably easy lessons. Or a way to keep your kids busy on the train to the City or the 101. Forget A is for Apple. B is for Bauhaus is where it’s at.

True Blood Beverage Pack Sink your fangs into a bottle of Tru Blood, a delicious blood

Geek Girl Guide

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World This geeky movie stars Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and is directed by Edgar Wright. It’s a perfect gateway drug to the world of nerddom, and is filled with references to video games and comic books. While your non-geek will enjoy the story and the visuals, your job is to point out the references without overwhelming them. This set includes a ton of extras, including a DVD and digital copy, allowing your non-nerd to take the movie on the go.

Monsters Ate My Condo Adult Swim has created plenty of non-geek converts, but their shows aren’t for everyone. That’s why Monsters Ate My Condo is perfect. Check out Melissa Ward’s explanation of why it’s a great mobile game, especially since it features monsters like Reginald Starfire who looks like the love child of Rainbow Brite and My Little Pony, and is the ex-frontman of a 1980s boyband. Get this into your non-geek’s pocket, and it’s sure to turn them into an addict.

Caffeine Molecule Necklace Have a female non-geek in your life that you want to expose to the world of awesome? Science is a good way to lure them in, especially if they don’t know it. This necklace was designed by a wayward Ph.D. post-grad in molecular biophysics, and the sterling silver caffeine molecule pendant is about 1.5 inches wide. It hangs from a sterling silver snake chain that can be adjusted for length between 16 and 18 inches.

q Artificial Heart by Jonathan Coulton

GEEK TO NONGEEK 2

BRING SOMEONE TO THE GEEK SIDE! Kevin Kelly December 5, 2011

The world of geekery is a fun place to live, but it’s best enjoyed with others. The trouble is, how do you convert a non-geek to the geek side? Chances are that they are overwhelmed by inside jokes, references to obscure Battlestar Galactica characters, and other too-nerdy things. It’s easy to be intimidated by the tidal wave of geek items out there, so that’s where our Geek to Non-Geek Gift Guide comes in. We’ve put together the easiest ways to slowly hook your non-geeks into the flock. Read on, and pick out some gateway items. Your non-geek will thank you!

Geek to Non-geek

Jonathan Coulton is a musician and writer who pens and performs extremely catchy tunes about all things geeky. He’s achieved widespread acceptance in the world of the nerd, but the reason for that is because his songs are so catchy and mainstream. His newest album is now available, produced by They Might Be Giant’s John Flansburgh, with lots of new songs, each one more awesome than the last.

Moon Clock Catch a glimpse of the night sky from the comfort of your own room with this glow-in-the-dark Moon Clock. The clock face features a photographic image of the moon, and its mechanism is protected by a rounded glass cover. The image is coated with phosphorescent paint, so after soaking up light during the day, it puts out a relaxing, ambient lunar glow once the lights are out. So you can or someone else can gaze up at the full moon no matter what the night sky looks like outside.

Heroine: Ada Lovelace Babydoll T-Shirt Ada Lovelace wrote what is now recognized as the first computer program, back in the days when computers were mechanical contraptions that ran on cogs, pulleys, and punch cards. She adorns this heroine babydoll t-shirt, perfect for the wannabe girl geek in your life who could use a reminder that men aren’t the brains behind everything in the world. It’s been calculated.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

The Zombie Survival Guide q

Dominion u

Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life. Giving this as a gift lets your loved one know that you care about them, no matter how non-geeky they are.

Non-geeks are usually stuck in the board game days of Pictionary and Cranium. Not that they aren’t fun games, but they aren’t that deep or geeky. Dominion fills that gap nicely by combining the mechanics of collectible card games, with easy to understand gameplay. It’s a perfect gateway game to get your non-geek into deeper territory! You must race to get as much of the unclaimed land as possible, fending them off along the way. To do this you will hire minions, construct buildings, spruce up your castle, and fill the coffers of your treasury. Your parents wouldn’t be proud, but your grandparents, would be delighted.

Inflatable Beard

Blade Runner Style LED Umbrella Everyone needs protection from the rain and snow at times, so why not give someone a gift that protects them from the elements, while also ushering them into the world of geek? This Blade Runner umbrella hearkens back to Ridley Scott’s iconic film, providing illumination and an overhead shelter when times turn nasty. They might not know what it comes from, but all of the geeks that see it will be in on it.

Male geeks can sometimes be identified by their prevalence of beards, but what if you want to sneak a non-geek into a geek function and they don’t have a beard? Male or female, an inflatable beard will quickly fix that problem. Just inflate, wear, and bam. Instant beard. Of course, it’s black and shiny, but that won’t matter. It’s enough to get you, or someone else, into the club.

I Love My Geek Womens Tee The best way to get a non-geek to embrace the world of geekery is to pull them into the fold. But sometimes, subtlety doesn’t work. So, clad them in something that makes them proud to know a geek, and that will serve as a way to bring them over to your side. Stylish, and self-serving, all at the same time!

Literary Art iPhone 4 Cases u Bound for greatness, these everyday classics are sure to keep the conversation interesting with four literary greats translated into protective iPhone 4 cases. Go ahead– judge a phone by its cover! Choose from The Great Gatsby, The Catcher In The Rye, To Kill A Mockingbird, A Clockwork Orange or Moby Dick. Canvas cover art on molded, two-piece hard shell case.

Geek to Non-geek

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

HOW TO SHOP FOR A GEEK WHEN YOU’RE NOT A GEEK! 2

Getting a gift for the geek in your life can be tough. Especially when you’re a non-geek yourself. Where to begin? How do you get them something that doesn’t suck? You don’t want to pull a holiday faux pas by picking up something you think they’ll love, when they’ll secretly hate it and send it to the thrift shop the first chance they get. That’s where Wizard World comes in. We’ve put together a list of stuff that we want, thereby insuring that your geek will want it too. From video games to gadgets to board games to comic book, we guarantee that there is something on here that your geek will keep forever. Check out the list, print it out, and take it shopping with you. Geek on!

mathematical prowess. Well, my geeky friend, that day has come. Pictured before you is a clock, where all the numerals have been replaced by the equivalent notation! How will we ever know what time it is unless you solve them all?

t Cartoon Door Stops Anything but mild-mannered, these heroic vinyl doorstops put doors in their place – and keep them there. Available in POW or STOP–get both to create a dynamic duo!

Nintendo Controller Track Jacket This old-school Nintendo NES controller on a pale grey, 60% cotton, 40% polyester track jacket. The controller itself is a mix of embroidery and screenprint. It has two black stripes down the sleeves. Ribbing at both waist and sleeves. Two pockets. Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. Note: Please reference the table below to choose your size.

MindSnacks Give the gift of knowledge! MindSnacks will help someone learn a new language, thereby expanding their world and hopefully encouraging them to take you on a trip to some exotic location.

RPG Skeleton T-Shirt Ah, the skeleton. Everyone’s favorite experience fodder over the last 30 years. Tally up the number of skeletons you’ve bludgeoned, turned, and lit up with fire. I think you’ll agree; We all owe the humble skeleton a great deal for all the leveling they’ve given us.

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game In Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, you can recreate the tension and mystery of the critically acclaimed show by serving as Admiral of the Colonial Fleet, President of the Colonies or just another hot-shot viper jockey. The human race will need each of you to survive. Unless you’re a Cylon, of course.

Dawn Metropolis by Anamanaguchi Anamanaguchi takes an old Nintendo Entertainment system from 1985, hacks it, and turns it into awesome music. Those bleeps and bloops of yesteryear become the tunes and songs of today, allowing you to jam out retro-style.

p Geek Clock While everyone else was watching the clock, you were paying attention during math class, storing away square roots and factorials for a day where you could prove your

When you're not a geek ...

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

t Critical Hit LED D20 Die You know that amazing feeling you get when you roll a crit? The sight of the “20″ on your die blasts straight up into the pleasure center of your brain and you feel like a million astral diamonds. Imagine all of that, but your d20 flashes red to let everyone at the table know just how awesome you are. Show off your amazing luck every time your d20 glows.

USB Mushroom Lamp Should Mario be a cube dweller, he’d want to illuminate his workspace with these super cute Mushroom Lamps. The red lamp makes Mario sit a little taller and the green lamp gives him the energy needed to power through until the weekend. If you put them on your desk, they may do the same for you! Each lamp is powered through USB or AA batteries (your choice!) and the inner light is provided by magic… or two super bright white LEDs, believe what you will.

Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Season Doctor Who manages to impress on every level, and this Blu-ray set shows you why. It’s definitely come a long way sine it first premiered on the BBC 48 years ago. This season, Smith’s second, sets the bar extremely high for what TV on Blu-ray should be. Over 200 minutes of Doctor Who Confidential, commentaries, featurettes, and more make this a package well worth having for newcomers or old fans alike.

The Walking Dead: Compendium One u Introducing the first eight volumes of the fan-favorite, New York Times Best Seller series collected into one massive paperback collection! Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. This is the perfect collection for any fan of the Emmy Award-winning television series on AMC: over one thousand pages chronicling the beginning of Robert Kirkman”s Eisner Award-winning continuing story of survival horror- from Rick Grimes” waking up alone in a hospital, to him and his family seeking solace on Hershel”s farm, and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot: The Governor. In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living.

When you're not a geek ...

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

CLOTHING

SWADDLE YOURSELF IN NERDERY!

In the past, acknowledging your inner geek to the outer world via apparel was relegated to a few t-shirts, usually related to the latest summer blockbuster. Even in those days, a Jaws t-shirt could be hard to come by. You couldn’t just hop on the net and Google your way out of nudity and into fan-apparel. Thankfully, times have changed extensively, and geek apparel has become a badge of honor. Geek wear has grown by leaps and bounds, and even inspired companies like Jinx, Threadless, Neighborhoodies, and many others. There’s a wide range of clothing out there now, ranging from leatherwear to hoodies to thongs to shoes. We’ve put together a list of the best items to put on your body that tell the world, “I’m a geek, and proud of it!”

DC Comics Enhanced Super Girl Cami Panty Set u These camisole and panty sets for women feature an enhanced version of DC Comics SuperGirl outfit with a bold red foil ‘S’ Shield. The blue cami top has red adjustable straps and the red panties have a yellow power belt accent.

Custom Steampunk Utility Corset A combination of rich brown imitation leather and patterned bronze and gold brocade give this corset a rugged yet elegant aesthetic. A total of three pockets and pouches guarantee that you’ll never lack a place to hold your gear. The hip satchel, equal in cargo capacity to a small purse, secures with a magnetic clasp, while the hip pouches provide a convenient place to store your small mp3 player, jewelry or similarly sized items. If you would like a custom addition (i.e. shoulder straps or your own materials) please feel free to ask. I can also provide a detachable modesty panel for $15.00 more. This corset would go well with a variety of steampunk and fantasy outfits. The pouches make it an ideal choice for convention goers, LARPers and anyone who wants a character appropriate place to store their items.

WoW Murloc Zip-Up Hoodie Tired of having your waterside strolls interrupted by the unjustifiably large social aggro radius of the local Murloc tribe? Rejoice, friends, for here at J!NX we have come up a way to end the violence (or, at least a way for you to get the jump on them for a change)! Don the Murloc Hoodie, featuring a full zip hood with mesh eyes and mouth, felt spikes along the hood, and zip pockets with headphone grommet. With a relaxed fit, super soft Cotton/Poly Fleece, and thumbhole cuffs; you can go incognito in comfort.

Portal 2 Long Fall Socks While the Long Fall Boot is currently unavailable outside of Aperture Laboratories’ testing facilities, you can still sport the latest look in test subject fashion with these Long Fall Socks. As part of a previously mentioned test protocol, we are required to tell you that these socks won’t actually help you survive any long falls, however they will make your feet look attractive whether you’re safely on the ground or plummeting towards an imminent demise.

Clothing

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Knitted Jayne Cobb Hat

Jump From Paper Bags 2D purses

If you are looking at this hat then you know exactly what it is. This is a replica of the cunning hat that Ma Cobb made for Jayne in Firefly. Knit in the round with a 100% acrylic this hat is warm, comfy, stylish, and machine washable. As a bonus, when you walk down the street in this hat, people know you’re not afraid of anything. This adult sized hat would make a perfect gift for the Firefly fan in your life.

This 2 dimensional looking bag plays a fun “trick on the eye” and it’s a cool way to tote your stuff. Cartoon-like outlines and bright and cheerful colors add a brisk and funky flavor. Despite the slim appearance, each JumpFromPaper™ bag has a roomy interior to accommodate personal belongings and even a laptop.

Star Wars Boba Fett Hoodie

The Destructoid.com Minimalistic Metroid beanie! Design by Baltazar “Fluffy Pancakes” Rosiles.

Boba Fett is arguably the best galactic bounty hunter out there. Jango Fett was a close second but we all know what happened to him when Master Mace Windu came to town. Yeah…rough stuff. From The Star Wars Collection, this cool zip-front hoodie features Boba Fett, the Bounty Hunter. Hooded with two pockets, Mandalorian crest on one sleeve and Jaster Mereel’s clan sigil on chest. 100% cotton.

• 100% acrylic • Heavyweight, double-lined; high-quality knit cap to keep the head and ears nice and toasty. • High quality embroidered logo. • Tight knit, stretches nicely. Approximately 8.5 inches long. • One-size-fits-all.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Socks

Mario Watchmen Swimsuit

These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle socks feature the faces of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Rafael. Wear a pair or mix and match! Turtle Power, on your ankles!

From designer James Lillis: “Just a crazy little idea I had. If you don’t understand what the little blood splatter means… you need to read more comics.”

Nintendo Controller Track Jacket

Rats! Space Shuttle Program Shirt

Can you imagine how differently game controllers would have evolved if the improvements in the NES controller hadn’t happened? Famicom had those hardwired controllers. The NES brought in the D-pad. And, most importantly for apparel products based on the design, the initial Famicom controllers had that horrible color scheme. Light grey is far superior to that beet red. Old-school Nintendo NES controller on a pale grey, 60% cotton, 40% polyester track jacket. The controller itself is a mix of embroidery and screenprint. It has two black stripes down the sleeves. Ribbing at both waist and sleeves. Two pockets. Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. Note: Please reference the table below to choose your size.

Heroine: Ada Lovelace Babydoll T-Shirt Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace wrote the above in 1843. She had undertaken, at Charles Babbage’s behest, a translation from the French of Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea’s description of Babbage’s lecture in Turin on what he called an “Analytical Engine.” In her notes, which are longer than the text being translated, she presents for her English-speaking audience a clear distinction between the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine, as well as how the Jacquard loom punch cards could be fed into the Analytical Engine so that the program could be held separate (and repeatable) from the device itself. “We may say most aptly, that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.” She clearly inherited some of her father’s poetic manner. Later in the notes, she sets forth a series of calculations for this as-yet hypothetical machine, which, although she didn’t get to run it, are recognized as the very first computer program.

Clothing

Minimalistic Metroid beanie

For one generation, the question was “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” All our customers remember the moment they found out about 9/11. But for a 10-15 year window of Americans in their 30s and 40s, the defining tragedy of our generation was the Challenger disaster. We know exactly what we were doing when we heard about it. We weren’t around (or aware enough) to have been shaped by the moon landing or Apollo 13, and Hubble’s combination of unmanned-ness plus its rocky start got it mentally written off. For this group of people, the Space Shuttle is synonymous with the U.S. space program. So the retirement of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program is bittersweet for us. Okay. Honestly? There’s nothing sweet about it. It’s just bitter. If you’re in the room with us when we watch the final launch, that’s totally allergies. Or dust. Or um… eye spouts. It’s a meteorological phenomenon. A dejected astronaut tugs a small Space Shuttle behind him on a white, 100% cotton t-shirt.

All-Star Comics: The Riddler Chuck Taylors q Riddle me this. Find the giver of complex clues on the unquestionably classic All Star sneaker in the Converse and DC Comics collaboration. Canvas upper with screenprint graphic. Free DC Comics poster with purchase while supplies last. Green/Black, Low, Canvas.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

KIDS GEEK GIFT GUIDE

toys and other odditties forArchie McPhee. One day the subject of Narwhals came up. “Do Narwhals Have Blowholes?” someone asked. Weird, we know. But, a seed was planted.

GEEKING STARTS YOUNG! Figuring out what to get for children these days can be hard. Today’s kids have graduated well beyond crayons and pick-up-sticks, and you’ll often find yourself puzzling about what sort of gifts to get them. Until you remember that you were a kid once, and you’re basically shopping for a smaller version of yourself! Kids can be geeks too, and in fact that’s normally when you learn to be a geek about something. From Star Wars to codes to science, we’ve got the Best Kids Geek Gift Guide around, so check out the list and figure out what to pick up!

Star Wars Science – Force Trainer May the Force be with you. The Force Trainer by Uncle Milton actually allows you to control a Jedi Training Remote with your mind, by tapping into cutting-edge brainwave technology. Utilizing dry EEG sensor technology, the headset reads and interprets your brainwaves. The deeper your concentration and mental focus, the greater your ability to move the Training Remote up or down the Training Tower. Progress from Padawan to Jedi Master as you master the use of “The Force” through 15 levels of training. Increasingly challenging sequences are aided by training cues and instruction from the master of all Jedi Masters himself, Yoda. Additional STAR WARS sound effects confirm accomplishment and provide encouragement throughout your training. Advancement and current level of your training is displayed on the Training Tower control panel.

The story and the illustrations culminated in a secret art opening of sorts where the guests had no idea what we were up to. With art hung on the wall, folks whispered and wondered. Finally all was revealed with a dramatic reading and slide show. If you missed the opening in Seattle, not to worry. A friend captured the reading on his camera and posted it on youtube.com.

The Roll Up Drum Kit Capable of being rolled up and stored in your desk drawer, this is the drum kit that lets you channel your inner Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich. The kit plugs into a USB port on your PC and the included software allows you to choose from six different drum kits, 48 rhythm patterns, eight special drum effects, and eight bass drum loops. Each of the six sensor pads may be programmed with different effects, enabling you to customize your set up for a cymbals-heavy rock or djembe-dominant African feel. The software’s intuitive interface provides control over tempos from 40-280 beats per minute; you can also record and play back your own riffs. Includes two plastic drumsticks.

t Tauntaun Sleeping Bag In the sub-zero wasteland of the planet Hoth, only the strong survive… and of course those lucky Jedi protected by the thick skin of a Tauntaun. Now after exhaustive movie viewing research and analysis ThinkGeek Labs has isolated the exact synthetic compounds needed to re-create Tauntaun fur. What have we done with this supreme knowledge? Created a Tauntaun sleeping bag of course. This high-quality sleeping bag looks just like a Tauntaun, complete with saddle, printed internal intestines, and a plush lightsaber zipper pull. Now when your kids tell you their favorite Star Wars movie is “Attack of the Clones” you can nestle the wee-ones snug in simulated Tauntaun fur while regaling them with the amazing tale of “Empire Strikes Back”.

May the Force be with you! The Force Trainer by Uncle Milton actually allows you to control a Jedi Training Remote with your mind, by tapping into cutting-edge brainwave technology. Utilizing dry neural sensor technology, the headset reads and interprets your brainwaves.The deeper your concentration and mental focus, the greater your ability to move the Training Sphere up or down the Training Tower.

Use the plush lightsaber zipper pull on the Tauntaun sleeping bag to illustrate how Han Solo saved Luke Skywalker from certain death in the freezing climate of Hoth by slitting open the belly of a dead Tauntaun and placing Luke inside the stinking (but warm) carcass. If your kids don’t change their tune on which Star Wars film is the greatest ever, you can do your best Jar Jar impression until they repent.

Code Breaker Game A fun game of code making, code breaking, and deception!

Do Narwhals Have Blowholes? Illustrated Children’s Book

Does “Uncle John’s hat” mean anything to you? What about a picture of a bunny with a carrot? It’s phrases and symbols like these that you’ll decipher in this wildly creative game of code making, code breaking, and deception.

Gibson and Matt have worked together for over a decade creating

Eighteen sets of matching cards are spread out face down. In an

Kids Geek Gift Guide

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

attempt to find and gather matches, you flip cards over two at a time – one card you reveal to all the players and one you keep to yourself and then write or draw clues on the back of the cards to help you locate them later.

Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)” finally gets a fully realized studio reading, and even it’s own answer song. Danny Weinkauf contributes “I Am A Paleontologist” which would be used in the soundtrack to a national television campaign.

Your opponents then try to break your codes and swipe your matched pairs.

Techno Gears Marble Mania Mega Set Marbles will be running for their lives! With the Techno Gears Marble Mania Mega Set from The Learning Journey, kids build scifi labyrinths and watch marbles navigate them with ease. The high tech Techno Gears Marble Mania Mega Set includes marbles and over 430 pieces to build a bigger and better marble run than you have ever seen! Featuring an electronic elevator, dual marble tracks, an electronic sound chamber, a spiral track channel and much more, the Techno Gears Marble Mania Mega Set will give kids an exciting building challenge!

An engaging game for 2-4 players. Code Breaker also helps develop strategy and abstract association skills for mathematics.

Rainbow in My Room Double rainbow, oh my …. Wait! It looks like a single rainbow! Rainbow light projector sits on just about any flat surface and projects a rainbow effect across your room! Choose for gradual or instant illumination; auto shut off; battery or AC adapter powered.

Wolverine Plush u

t A Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks Xylocopa knows that the key to a successful education is to begin learning at a young age. Like many of you, they are concerned about the state of science education in the public school system, especially in the lower grades. Specifically, they have noticed that there is absolutely no training in the K-6 grades that prepares students to become mad scientists. In this competitive 21stcentury world, the need for mad scientists will only increase, but the lack of basic education in primary school leaves us concerned that there will be no future students capable of leading in this illustrious field. Fortunately, they have a solution – a first step, if you will, along the path to mad science proficiency. They are pleased to announce the release of their Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks. These lovely blocks contain many carefully engraved illustrations of the equipment, training, and activities that a budding mad scientist will require, combined with a clever alphabetic introduction to the concept depicted. Each block measures 1 3/8 inches square and depicts six mad science concepts and the appropriate letters. The set includes all 26 letters of the alphabet on five blocks (six illustrations per block). Each side started out as one of our original pen-and-ink drawings that we have carefully laser engraved onto a solid block of American maple wood. They don’t use any dyes or harmful finishes on the blocks and all of their edges are rounded and smooth.

Magic the Gathering Card Game Deck Builder’s Toolkit [2011 Edition] Jump-start your collection with 285 battle-tested cards, perfect for building several different decks! This box also includes a guide containing dueling tips and expert advice on how to custom-build the deadliest and most effective decks possible! And since no two Toolkits are the same, you and an opponent can each pick one up and then duel for the right to say, “Here I Rule!” Each box contains: • 125 semi-randomized cards suitable for building several different Magic decks • Four 15-card booster packs (x2 M11, x1 Scars of Mirrodin & x1 Mirrodin Besieged) • 100 basic land cards to help you cast your spells • Deck builder’s guide with tips about building the best Magic decks • Magic “learn to play” guide • Full-art reusable card storage box

Yo Gabba Gabba – DJ Lance Magic Dance Hat Plush hat just like DJ Lance wears on Yo Gabba Gabba! Includes DJ Lance plastic eyeglasses. Requires 2 AA batteries (included) Interactive music and sound maker, with 3 ways to play:

t Here Comes Science CD+DVD from They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science is a DVD/ CD set of songs about science. The video for “Meet the Elements” was featured on boingboing.net, while the legendary rock version of “Why Does the Sun Shine? (The

Kids Geek Gift Guide

With his signature claws and mask, Wolverine is ready to fight his enemies, plush style! As a Marvel Plushie, this X-Men can heal any bad mood. Collect all six Marvel Plushies for an assortment that is positively superhuman.

• Mode 1: Motion Activated Dance: The more you dance, the more the music plays. Stop moving and the music stops. • Mode 2: DJ Lance Dance: DJ Lance teaches you how to do his dances. Follow his directions to dance his groovy moves! • Mode 3: Freeze Game: DJ Lance tells you to run, hop or walk. But don’t move when he tells you to freeze or else you lose.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

GRAPHIC NOVELS 2

PAGES AND PAGES OF GREAT STUFF!

Wednesday has long been an important day in geek history as New Comic Book Day, but thankfully the invention of graphic novels have freed us from weekly trips to feed our addiction. More importantly, they collect everything in a compact, sleek package, often with extra content and bonus materials. In fact, you can even pick up digital editions of graphic novels for your Kindles, Nooks, iPads and so on, saving even more space. We’ve collected the best recent graphic novels for you to geek out on, making them the perfect gift for yourself or for someone else. Read away!

Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness

The Walking Dead: Compendium One Introducing the first eight volumes of the fan-favorite, New York Times Best Seller series collected into one massive paperback collection! Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. This is the perfect collection for any fan of the Emmy Awardwinning television series on AMC: over one thousand pages chronicling the beginning of Robert Kirkman”s Eisner Award-winning continuing story of survival horror- from Rick Grimes” waking up alone in a hospital, to him and his family seeking solace on Hershel”s farm, and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot: The Governor. In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Boxset This boxset includes a slipcase, a poster, and all six volumes of Scott Pilgrim! Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Scott Pilgrim’s life is totally sweet. He’s 23 years old, he’s in a rock band, he’s “between jobs,” and he’s dating a cute high school girl. Nothing could possibly go wrong, unless a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. Will Scott’s awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle? The short answer is yes. The long answer is Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life.

Ramona’s third evil ex-boyfriend, Todd Ingram, is currently dating the former love of Scott Pilgrim’s life Envy Adams broke Scott’s heart a year and a half ago. Now she and her evil art-rock band are back, and they’re getting Scott’s band to open a show two days from now That’s just enough time for Scott to fight Todd, keep Ramona happy, fend off demented ex-girlfriends, and practice that new setlist. Right Don’t miss the latest chapter in the graphic novel saga The Globe and Mail calls “Canada’s answer to Tank Girl ” Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together That’s right, folks Put down the video game controller Skip that rehearsal for your band Make whatever sacrifices you must to those comic gods you hold so dear Just make sure you’re ready because Bryan Lee O’Malley and Scott Pilgrim are back Well, a couple months have passed since the last time we caught up with our intrepid hero, but what can change in a few short months? Well, not much has… Scott’s still living with his roommate Wallace Wells. He’s still playing in a mediocre rock band named Sex Bob-omb. And most importantly, he’s still dating the lovely Ramona Flowers while working his way through the gaggle of superpowered, superstylish, superevil ex-boyfriends determined to take him down. But something is different. Don’t look now, but Scott Pilgrim may actually be getting it together. And it’s a good thing, too, because Scott is about to confront Ramona’s most intimidating ex yet Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe Scott Pilgrim just turned 24, and things couldn’t possibly be better This means things are about to get infinitely worse Suddenly, TWO of Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends are in town, and they’re playing dirty. His band is in turmoil, and his own exes aren’t making things any easier. And what’s up with Ramona, anyway? She’s been acting kinda weird ever since they moved in together Scott’s precious little life is coming back around to bite him in the butt, and it may not be pretty

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Does Scott and Ramona’s burgeoning relationship have a future? Isn’t Scott still supposedly dating Knives Chau? Who is Ramona’s second evil ex-boyfriend, and why is he in Toronto? Who are The Graphic Novels

Clash At Demonhead, and what kind of bizarre art-punky music do they play? Who’s their hot girl keyboardist, and what is Scott’s relation to her? Why are they Knives Chau’s new favourite band? Fights Drama Secrets revealed The answers to all these questions and more

Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour It’s finally here! Six years and almost onethousand pages have all led to this epic finale! With six of Ramona’s 30

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

seven evil exes dispatched, it should be time for Scott Pilgrim to face Gideon Graves, the biggest and baddest of her former beaus. But didn’t Ramona take off at the end of Book 5? Shouldn’t that let Scott off the hook? Maybe it should, maybe it shouldn’t, but one thing is for certain – all of this has been building to Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour!

Y: The Last Man: Book 1 Deluxe Edition Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan, Jr.; Cover by Massimo Carnevale The first ten issues of the award-winning series written by Brian K. Vaughan (EX MACHINA, Lost) are collected in an oversized hardcover with a new cover! Don’t miss the amazing SF epic that Stephen King called “The best graphic novel I’ve ever read.”

Year-by-year timelines that fold out to nearly four feet and biographies of the legends who built DC make this an invaluable reference for any comic book fan.

Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale One of Serenity‘s greatest mysteries is finally revealed in Shepherd’s Tale, filling in the life of one of the show’s most beloved characters– Shepherd Book! Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew, how did he become one of their most trusted allies, and how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book’s past are uncovered in this original graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil). A pivotal chapter in the ongoingSerenity saga, Shepherd’s Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right!

Watchmen Absolute Edition Written by Alan Moore; Art and cover by Dave Gibbons Celebrate the 20th anniversary of WATCHMEN — the classic 12-issue miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons — with WATCHMEN: THE ABSOLUTE EDITION, the first hardcover of this classic work in more than a decade! This oversized hardcover collection, packaged inside a beautifully designed slipcase, will be the cornerstone of any serious comic book collection. Each page of art has been restored and recolored by WildStorm FX and original series colorist John Higgins and approved by Gibbons to appear as originally intended.

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft – Special Edition

Additionally, this grand tome will include 48 pages of supplemental material produced exclusively for the Graphitti Designs WATCHMEN hardcover edition and not seen since their original publication. Included therein is a cornucopia of rare and historically valuable treasures, including samples of Moore’s WATCHMEN scripts, the original WATCHMEN proposal, Gibbons’s conceptual art, cover roughs, and much, much more!

75 Years Of DC Comics: The Art Of Modern Mythmaking In 1935, DC Comics founder Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

Graphic Novels

published New FunNo. 1, the first comic book with all-new, original material—at a time when comic books were mere repositories for the castoffs of the newspaper strips. What was initially considered to be disposable media for children was well on its way to becoming the mythology of our time—the 20th century’s answer to Atlas or Zorro. More than 40,000 comic books later, in honor of the publisher’s 75th anniversary, TASCHEN has produced the single most comprehensive book on DC Comics, in an XL edition even Superman might have trouble lifting. More than 2,000 images— covers and interiors, original illustrations, photographs, film stills, and collectibles—are reproduced using the latest technology to bring the story lines, the characters, and their creators to vibrant life as they’ve never been seen before. Telling the tales behind the tomes is 38-year DC veteran Paul Levitz, whose in-depth essays trace the company’s history, from its pulp origins through to the future of digital publishing.

This special presentation of the debut issue of the Eisner-nominated Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft includes not only the actual script from Hill, but also a second bonus: an all-new 11page story, “Freddie Wertham Goes to Hell,” written by Hill, drawn by the late Seth Fisher and presented in color here for the very first time. Acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box) creates an all-new story of dark fantasy and wonder: Locke & Key. Written by Hill and featuring astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them… and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all… Locke & Key creator Hill has received the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection, the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection and Best Short Story, the THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Sydney J. Bounds Best Newcomer Award 2007 and the 2011 Eisner for Best Writer among his growing collection of critical accolades. This collection of Locke & Key features an introduction by Robert Crais, author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels.

early momentum, they ratcheted up the danger and drama with a shocking second year, creating a must-read book that can truly be called “astonishing!” Collects Astonishing X-Men #1-24, and GiantSize Astonishing X-Men #1.

The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1

Marvels: Eye of the Camera Premiere Edition The long-awaited sequel to Marvels, the award-winning publishing sensation that made Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross into stars! News photographer Phil Sheldon’s back, with the man-on-the-street’s perspective on the big events of the Marvel Universe, from the Avengers, the all-new X-Men and the Secret Wars to Dracula and the Werewolf By Night. But this time, Phil’s world is going to be rocked not just by superheroes and super-villains — but by something far more personal, as well. Featuring the Marvel debut of artist Jay Anacleto, whose gorgeous, photorealistic pencil renderings give a new look at the Marvel Universe, and what it would be like to actually be there.

Written by Neil Gaiman; Art by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli, Steve Parkhouse, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess and Colleen Doran; Cover by Dave McKean THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Collects issues 1 – 6.

The Ultimates Omnibus

Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an allnew Absolute Edition format. The first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-20 of THE SANDMAN and features completely new coloring, approved by the author on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material including the complete original Sandman proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script for the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” together with reproductions of the issue’s original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz and an afterword by Gaiman.

The Astonishing X-Men Omnibus Now in one titanic tome: the entire chart-topping run of super-team Joss Whedon and John Cassaday! Winner of multiple prestigious Eisner Awards, Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men was a smash hit with critics and fans alike from the very first issue – winning praise from dozens of top media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly, TV Guide, and New York Magazine, as well as racking up nearly every major comicbook industry award. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Whedon and Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary) assembled a tight cast – Cyclops, the Beast, Wolverine, and Emma Frost, joined by returning fan-favorite Kitty Pryde – and set forth a groundbreaking pace, from the opening pages of a Sentinel attack to the unexpected return of a beloved X-Man. Then, building on

Graphic Novels

Is even an Omnibus big enough to contain Millar and Hitch’s widescreen super-hero epic?! They are the greatest heroes the world has ever known: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Wasp, Giant Man, Hawkeye, the Black Widow, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch! Brought together by Nick Fury, head of the elite espionage agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., the Ultimates are Earth’s last line of defense against a rising storm of strange new threats to humanity – menaces such as the rampaging monster known as the Hulk, and an army of shape-shifting aliens bent on destroying the world and killing all humankind. But just as they begin to get comfortable in their roles as international celebrities and America’s champions, things get hard! Can the Ultimates survive the Hulk’s execution, Thor’s imprisonment – and the advent of the Ultimate Defenders?! The world’s greatest heroes are in for the battle of the century – and not all of them will be walking away! Collects Ultimates #1-13, Ultimates 2 #1-13, Ultimates Annual #1, and Ultimates 2 #1 Variant Sketch Edition.

Captain America Omnibus, Volume 1 Collecting Eisner Award-nominated Best Writer Ed Brubaker’s first 25 landmark issues of Captain America in one titanic tome, plus the Captain America 65th Anniversary Special and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills one-shots! This deluxe hardcover, fat-packed with extras, features the story that stunned readers worldwide and sent shockwaves through the entire Marvel Universe: the death of Captain America! Also including the return of Cap’s wartime partner, Bucky Barnes, as the Winter Soldier; the death and life of his greatest enemy, the Red Skull; and the emergences of a new threat, General Aleksander Lukin, the head of one of the most powerful corporations in the world! Collecting Captain America #1-25, Captain America 65th Anniversary Special and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

THE BEST APPS

Monsters Ate My Condo Adult Swim Games and PikPok present all-new monster puzzle action!! Terrible catastrophe! Four ferocious monsters of destruction are on a rampage and only residential high-rises will satisfy their boundless hunger. In this larger-than-life puzzle game, you will use intuitive swipe controls to match the colored floors. Feed the creatures and prevent the destruction of all humankind!

THE GEEK GIFT GUIDE FOR YOUR POCKETS AND LAPS

From Adult Swim Games, purveyors of the equally-terrifying “Robot Unicorn Attack” and “Amateur Surgeon” games, and PikPok, developers of highly addictive games like “BirdStrike” and the “Flick Kick” series.

Years ago in the Dick Tracy comic strips, creator Chester Gould figured that we would all be using two-way wrist communicators to keep in touch. He was pretty close to the mark once cell phones became affordable and portable. But now, cell phones are replacing more than just the household phone and walkie-talkies. These days your phones function as your watch, calculator, bank, correspondence, photo album, entertainment and much more. That’s all thanks to the numerous apps that are available on the iTunes and Android app stores.

ESPN Radio (also available on Android)

Apple has a big headstart on Android, and therefore has a lot more software available, so our list of the Best Apps is fairly iTunes heavy. But Android is building up steam and catching on quickly, and then there’s the impressive Windows Mobile Phone that is starting to turn heads. But until they topple Apple and the apps, iPhones and iPads are dominating our pockets and laps. Check out the Best Apps Geek Gift Guide, and put your fingers to work!

EpicWin EpicWin is an iPhone app that puts the adventure back into your life. It’s a streamlined to-do list, to quickly note down all your everyday tasks, but with a roleplaying spin. So rather than just ticking off your chores and reminders, completing each one earns you XP to improve and develop your character in an ongoing quest to improve stats, gain riches, and level-up. By getting points for your chores it’s easier to actually get things done. We all have good intentions but we need a bit of encouragement here and there. Doing the laundry is an epic feat of stamina so why not get stamina points for it?!

Listen to LIVE internet broadcasts of the many ESPN Radio stations on your iPhone or iPod Touch: COLLEGE FOOTBALL – listen to every college football game that ESPN Radio broadcasts, LIVE on your iPhone or iPod. LISTEN to over 35 ESPN Radio podcasts right from your iPhone or iPod Touch, including The BS Report with Bill Simmons, Pardon The Interruption, Around The Horn, Fantasy Focus and Tony Kornheiser Show. FEATURING your favorite ESPN shows like Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Scott Van Pelt Show, The Michael Kay Show and many more! LISTEN OnDemand to SportsCenter – updated every 20 minutes! LIVE scores and news feeds of your favorite NFL, MLB, NHL, College and professional sports teams. STREAM or play live radio in the background while you check email, text message friends or use other applications! TEXT CONNECT – send a message directly to the studio of your favorite ESPN Radio shows.

The to-do list is fully-featured and supports repeating tasks, displays reminders for overdue events and allows time-critical events to be assigned to specific days, while more aspirational quests can be set to “someday” so you don’t lose sight of your goals. And each task completed is destroyed by your avatar, so get your Undead Warrior tobeat-up your laundry, or your Treeman to headbutt your overspilling inbox. The app is supplied with 3 animated avatars (with a further 2 to buy as In-App-Purchases) which grow in characteristics that represent your own life. Will you be a Maiden of Juggled Priorities, or a King of Win? The lifestyle you lead will decide.

Apps

• Feed four ravenous beasts: Boat Head, Reginald Starfire, Mr. Shigoto and Lord Ferocious • Features both Endless and Time Attack modes • Open Feint and GameCenter support for leaderboards and achievements • Universal app works on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad! • Fully-animated monsters to delight players, destroy civilization

Zombieville USA 2 (The original Zombieville USA is also available on Android) The definitive zombie shooter returns, reborn with stunning new graphics, gameplay and more! Brought to you by the creators of Battleheart, OMG Pirates!, and the original Zombieville USA – this sequel is jam packed with content and features. Take command of your favorite character, customize them with a spectrum of weapons and skills, and do battle with the living dead – either alone, or with your friends! THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

- Features • • Simple, pick-up-and-play arcade action. Fight hordes of enemies, make the most of your ammo, and go for your high score! • • Tons of unlockable content, including dozens of weapons, skills, playable characters and upgrades. • • Incredibly fluid, stylish animation optimized for retina displays. • • Full Game Center integration, including achievements and leader boards. • • Wireless Co-op multiplayer via bluetooth or wifi! (requires iPhone 3GS+, iPod Touch 3rd Gen+, or any iPad) • • iCloud support, allowing your zombie slaying progress to sync automatically to all of your devices!

participate in numerous roundtable discussions only available in this App. Roundtable participants include Anthony Colaprete/NASA Ames, Louis Friedman/The Planetary Society, Dr. Steven Maran/ AAS, Padi Boyd/Kepler, Carolyn Porco/Cassini, Tod Lauer/National Optical Astronomy, John Logsdon/GW University, Nilton Renno/U of Michigan, Dava Newman/MIT – BioSuit Developer, James Cameron/ Writer-Director, Elon Musk/Space X, veteran Space Shuttle/Hubble astronaut John Grunsfeld, Peter Koh/Moon Society, Alan Dressler/ Carnegie Institution of Washington, Steven Landeene/Spaceport America and many many others.”

Velocispider Part Spider, Part Velociraptor, it’s Velocispider!!! Take control of a heavily armed araknasaur in this retro arcade shoot-em-up.

MindSnacks MindSnacks is a one-of-a-kind language learning game.

Your delicious endangered eggs have attracted the taste buds of the evil CEO of the Robot Seafood Corporation. He will stop at nothing to feast on your eggs, defend them from his relentless army of aquatic robot beasts.

It’s the most enjoyable and exciting way to learn French, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, and more! MindSnacks features six exciting games designed to build essential vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and conversation skills.

In your arsenal:

Make your way through 50 levels of language content, playing games and completing fun challenges as you go. Every level features up to 25 words and phrases, each including pictures and matching audio clips from a native speaker. The app also includes a unique learning algorithm that uses proven methods of memorization training to make sure you don’t forget the material you learn as you progress through the app.

• • • • • • •

Great for people just starting out with a new language as well as beginner and intermediate learners!

Camera+ Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or someone who’s barely touched a camera, Camera+ will make you love taking photos.

Buzz Aldrin Portal to Science and Space Exploration “Hi. I’m Buzz Aldrin. I have created this Portal to Science & Space Exploration to unite people and technology for the purpose of educating and entertaining the world on this interesting and critically important subject.

Everybody has a creative side… Camera+ will help bring that creativity out in you, all with a fun, innovative, and beautiful design.

My iPhone App brings together a huge wealth of new, important and historical information about science and space exploration. I have gathered a network of scientists, physicists, astronomers, astronauts and many others of the world’s great minds to help me out and keep this app timely and relevant with lots of original content. Our Team has designed the App to appeal to both young minds who are just now eager to learn about science and space exploration, but at the same time, we have aimed to appeal to seasoned industry experts.

With Camera+ you’re able to use your iPhone to shoot the best photos you possibly can. Packed with several useful features that your standard camera app doesn’t include, your pics will improve the instant you start using Camera+. With multiple shooting modes, scene control, effects, touch exposure and focus, Camera+ is the best camera app for the iPhone.

VidRhythm

To make this App fresh and dynamic, I will be regularly commenting on every major section in the App, especially when new and interesting discoveries happen in space exploration. I have brought together dozens of the world’s great minds who will

Apps

Awesome power ups Game Center leaderboards Sweet pixel art Thumping tunes Smooth tilt controls Game Center achievements Retina & Universal app support

Remix your world! Introducing VidRhythm, the fun and easy way to make video music from Harmonix, the makers of Rock Band and Dance Central. Video-sample yourself, your friends, your pets, or anything else, and use VidRhythm to instantly mash it up into a crazy video remix! THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

Works with iPad 2, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and fourth generation iPod touch.

who improve as fast as you do. As you go, the object is to collect as many resources as you can, like gold and experience. Get enough points and you can buy or upgrade equipment and level up. All the while, remember to avoid those nasty enemy skull tiles and fight them off for as long as you possibly can. And don’t get too greedy, or you risk being overwhelmed!

Choose from 20 unique songs from a variety of genres! Tweak your videos out with a ton of radical video styles! Your sounds and videos make the music… Get creative! Instantly share your videos on YouTube and Facebook!

The higher you go in a Dungeon Raid game, the more strategy you’re going to need to match a greater number of tiles, grab bonuses and stay ahead of those evil adversaries. Never forget that they improve as the game continues.

Starmap A complete planetarium in your hand, Starmap Standard is a high-quality interactive and ergonomic map with 350, 000 stars, and fitted with many deep sky images.

Keep your wits about you as you play Dungeon Raid. As you level up, there are many trade offs to consider and complimentary combinations of skills to be chosen. If you’re not used to the tense pace of the higher levels, go ahead and start on easy difficulty. That gives you the chance to play the game in a more relaxed way, and watch how powerful your avatar can become.

With the iPhone compass you can point your device in any direction and Starmap will pinpoint the exact portion of the sky like a virtual telescope.

Regardless of your skill level, you’ll never get bored with Dungeon Raid because there’s so much going on! There are hundreds of items to collect, a growing list of character skills and many different strategies for you to use. You’ll be itching to play just one more turn, just one more game for hours and days on end.

Starmap is the original planetarium app, and has been designed by a professional of the field of scientific instrumentation. It has been selected in the top 3 at the launch of the AppStore. Starmap has been awarded “Best Product of the Year” by Sky & Telescope – the essential magazine of astronomy. Starmap is a professional astronomy tool that has had more downloads than any other planetarium app.

Tiny Wings You have always dreamed of flying – but your wings are tiny. Luckily the world is full of beatiful hills. Use the hills as jumps – slide down, flap your wings and fly! At least for a moment – until this annoying gravity brings you back down to earth. But the next hill is waiting for you already. Watch out for the night and fly as fast as you can. Otherwise flying will only be a dream once again.

Use the touchscreen to zoom in or out, tap stars, planets and other objects in the sky for detailed specifications. This incredible app also lets you build location lists so you can see the night sky from any part of the world using geolocation. Starmap comes with a host of customizable features to let you personalize how you view the universe, for an enhanced comfort while observing the night sky. A complete video of Starmap’s features is available on the support website. Do not hesitate to contact the author before purchasing Starmap. Starmap Standard is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Look at Starmap in action in a 15 minute movie on star-map.fr before buying!

Highlights: • simple but skillfull “one button” (ok… maybe “one touch”) arcade game about the dream of flying

Dungeon Raid Dungeon Raid is going to challenge your strategy skills to the max! Trace a path and match the tiles to collect treasure, buy and upgrade weapons and defeat monsters in this exciting and addictive puzzle roleplaying game. Things happen fast in Dungeon Raid, so gather your courage and dive in!

• the world is changing every day – so it does in this game! Procedural generated graphics will make “tiny wings” look different every day you play • upgrade your nest by fulfilling tasks • every big jump over the ocean will bring you to new adventures on a new island • Game Center and OpenFeint enabled with 30 tricky achievements • cloudtouches for everyone

Dungeon Raid is a puzzle RPG, a blend of puzzle game with roleplaying mechanics. Your mission is to trace a path through a set of matching tiles, but watch out – you may be attacked by enemies

Apps

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE

WEIRD & WACKY 2

STRANGE THINGS CAN BE YOURS!

There are boring gifts like ties, socks, 5-pack underwear, and that ugly sweater from Aunt Edna. But then there are the bizarre, the wacky, the weird, and the things that make you scratch your head and wonder who in there right minds would have bought such a thing. Such an awesome, wonderful thing. And where’d they get it? We’re going to make you the of the holidays when you pack presents and stuff stockings with these incredibly strange gifts. Check out the list, and then pick out some wacky items for your friends and family!

My First Bacon – Talking Plush u My First Bacon(tm) is a ThinkGeek exclusive plush toy that will delight your little ones. Even if they’re not on solid foods yet, your progeny shouldn’t be deprived of the joys of bacon. Soft and snuggly with big giant eyes, My First Bacon(tm) is both friendly and reliable, just like actual bacon. Squeeze him and he says, “I’m Bacon!”. No matter what the situation, he says, “I’m Bacon!” This reminds children that no matter what happens in life, they should be true to themselves and always be proud of who they are. Which of course, means bacon lovers. What child on this planet wouldn’t want to befriend a piece of mostly meat held together with fat and love? And don’t just think about the kids, adults enjoy My First Bacon just as much as the kids do. Sometimes a little too much.

Doctor Who Dalek Projection Clock There you are, cozy in your PJs dreaming about a new season of The Doctor, when it hits you – you are not alone. Looming out of the dark and nebulous reaches of reality you can hear them as they float towards you, giant manipulator appendages at the ready, gunsticks aimed for you. It’s them. They’re here. You run, but you can’t escape. Just as fear and panic put an icy grip on you, you sit bolt upright in bed, eyes glued to the ceiling, awake. You can still hear them. You can hear their hovering bodies approach, the sound of their gunsticks firing, that dreaded cry of “Exterminate!” Etched in glowing blue above your head is the time. Your alarm clock has done its job.

Exhibiting a humor that transcends age and maturity levels, this Pull My Finger Fart Pen delivers one of four different fart sounds when someone pulls on the end. Go ahead. Try it. I dare you not to laugh. Some jokes never get old! Plus, it is a real working pen too. Uses three button batteries, included.

Desktop Carnivorous Plant Set At ThinkGeek, they truly understand you have needs. Especially at work where minutes often last hours and hours become days. You need to be entertained, you don’t want your neurons to prematurely atrophy. You crave stimulation. You crave a Carnivorous desktop plant set. Perfect for the casual office worker who delights in watching insects slowly meet their makers as they are painfully digested by an engaging variety of meat-sucking flora. Nothing quite like it.

Maybe the Red Shiny Robots of Vortis are a myth too. But for some of us, the constant threat of death by alien robots is what keeps us going from day to day. Start your day the Dalek way – because nothing wakes you like the threat of extermination! The Dalek Alarm Clock projects the time onto your ceiling and cycles through three sound effects – hover, exterminate, and gunstick – to try to wake you from your slumber. It’s the alarm clock Davros would use if he required an alarm clock.

Weird and Wacky

Farting Pen

So what’s our recommendation? Grab a set and grow your own collection of feared and famous carnivorous plants. This deluxe

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set has seeds from over ten varieties of carnivorous plants! Watch these fascinating plants grow into bug-eating monsters and delight in creating your own authentic bog with the included peat planting mix, blue Swamp Rocks, three Bog Buddies and full color decals. This rare and unusual collection of carnivorous plants will flourish for years in this specially designed terrarium with proper care…

Orbit Wheel Skates Taking the best features from a skateboard and in-line skates, the Orbit Wheel skates take the fun even further with a circular design that delivers more freedom and simplicity than ever before! Minimalist in design the open wheels let you slip in and out of the skates without any straps or buckles. Just step in to the lightweight wheels and start rolling. With the wheels whirling around your feet, you are capable of countless tricks and maneuvers as complex and creative as you can come up with. And, because of the sleek convenient design, you can carry them with you anywhere too.

Medium* Neko Bus House w/ Small Mascot (Totoro & Sho Totoro) Collectors of Totoro goods and plush animals no doubt recognize immediately the Cheshire-cat like grin of the Neko Bus (Cat Bus), a character that almost is as popular as Totoro itself. Quality plush makers of Studio Ghibli goods, Sun Arrow has produced this marvellous recreation of the Nekobus in plush form, with an open door that Totoro and Sho-Totoro can enter! This plush has an open door with space inside for Totoro and Sho-Totoro plushes (included), an excellent plush toy for children who can imagine the adventures the three Ghibli characters can have together. All the details are stitched in (no glue), right down to the Mei destination sign and the mouse lights. A wonderful plush for fans of Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) and cute culture. This is M sized, 13″ (33 cm) from tail to nose! (instock)

Booze Belly Secret Flask How many people are tired of paying stadium prices for skunky beer? Put those horrifying days behind you with the Booze Belly. A clandestine transporter of your favorite beverage that fits snugly against your belly so unless there is a strip search, you shouldn’t have problems with security. Take a quick drink from the straw and lift your spirits when your favorite team fumbles or messes up a touchdown. Don’t forget to take some cups and share with friends or keep the whole stash for yourself with the Booze Belly Floppy Flask. Just make sure you have a designated driver.

q Cupcake Toothpaste Brushing your teeth with real frosting kind of defeats the purpose, but with our Cupcake Toothpaste you get all the fabulous flavor of frosting without another root canal! Just put a dollop on your brush and after a few minutes of vigorous brushing your whole mouth will feel frosted! Makes your breath cupcake fresh! Each tube contains 2.5 oz of heavenly frosting flavored paste.

p Star Wars Wampa Rug ThinkGeek prides themselves on offering nifty products covering all aspects of the Empire Strikes Back story… since it is the 30th anniversary and all. Last year we launched the coveted Tauntaun sleeping bag, allowing children of all ages to nestle safe in the guts of a tauntaun. Now as a sort of product-based prequel we give you this amazing “bear rug” style Wampa. As you may recall from Empire, before Luke was preserved inside a dead tauntaun he had a fight with a hideous Wampa snow beast in the mountain caves of Hoth. Now you can catch your own Wampa and take him home to decorate your swank bachelor pad. The Star Wars fangirls will love the highquality synthetic fur, plush pillow head and fearsome claws. Unfortunately you only get the Wampa rug. Slave Leia is NOT included and we double-dare you to make any comments about how she isn’t featured until the next movie.

Weird and Wacky

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Inflatable Beard

p Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray “The Empire will compensate you if he melts” That doesn’t really have the same sort of dramatic impact, does it? Still, that’s basically what Darth Vader meant when he was talking to Boba Fett in the bowels of Cloud City. Thankfully, you won’t need to go to such extremes if your Han Solo Ice Cubes melt. You just stick them back in the freezer and through the magic of the exothermic process you’ll have ice in no time at all. But wait, how do you get Han Solo Ice Cubes in the first place? Well, simple enough, you just use one of our Han Solo Ice Cube Trays. The Han Solo Ice Cube Tray comes with room for six (6) small, 1.75″ Han Solos and one (1) large, 3.5″ Solo. We’re pretty sure that Boba Fett would be happy with just one smuggler on ice but seven would be a serious payday! The silicone on the mold is good down to -40F so don’t try using these on Hoth. They should be fine in your average household freezer though.

Weird and Wacky

Why go through the awkward, itchy hassle of growing a real beard when you can just keep one of these Inflatable Beards in your pocket and be bearded in a matter of seconds? Makes you look rugged enough to hang out at the biker bar and distinguished enough to hobnob at the gentleman’s club. Each lightweight vinyl beard fits comfortably on your face with elastic loops that hang from your ears.

Annoying Orange Take-Alongs 2 1/4 Inch Talking Plush Clip-On Whoa Orange The Annoying Orange Clip-On – Whoa Orange is soft, easy to clip on and take on the go. With a soft squeeze, you will hear the most annoying sounds wherever you go. Collect the whole crew: four orange styles, pear, midget apple, and marshmallow. Ages 4 and up. Includes 3 AG13 (LR44) non-replaceable batteries.

THE 2011 WIZARD WORLD GEEK GIFT GUIDE