While the company had several panels at WonderCon this past weekend, none were filled with as much GodHatesGeeks-approved coolness as IDW’s GPITKU. Padre, flanked by two judges, with a third behind him (Dredd, is that you?), keeping the lawbreakers away, sat down to be wowed by the IDW crew. Like much of #WC2014, a lot of this news was not very new at all. No real surprises here, folks, other than the Gabriel Rodriguez exclusive announcement. What made this panel cool though, was the fact that they did go into detail about many of the books. The format was loose, fun, engaging, with a spirited Q&A, and — GASP! — interactive. They also offered actual insights into what the books might be about. I know, crazy!

While they did touch on several of their licensed properties, the big focus of this panel was on what they are doing with creator driven titles.

Seems like the “Happy Place” Rick and Glen were talking about…

The panel, moderated by Dirk Wood, featured writers Brian Lynch (Angel), Mike Johnson (Star Trek), Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze), and Tom Waltz (TMNT); artist Gabriel Rodriguez (Locke & Key); Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall; editors Scott Dunbier and Sarah Gaydos; and IDW President Greg Goldstein.

Things kicked off with the rollout of their “Summer Blockbusters”!

Walt Simonson’s Ragnarok – the most anticipated book of the year for your Padre — was shown via an amazing spread. The greatest creator to ever work on and define Thor, busting out work on a creator owned version of the Norse Gods equals one hell of an amazing July in my book. It was described as “the end times”, “not your typical Thor book,” and “grim and beautifully told.” The series will be colored by Laura Martin and drooled over monthly by yours truly.

(Flip the page for more IDW!)

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That sucks.

The great news then, my faithful Jedi ensemble, is that your trusty Monsignor has been following the incredible creative team of SWR with a keen eye. In fact, before you scroll down to witness this rebirth of Empire Awesomeness, I suggest first checking out my blog from last fall’s New York Comic-Con. Oh, still haven’t finished the sixth and final season of TCW on Netflix either? No worries. We got you covered here too.

Now that I’m done plugging for the day — ayo! — why don’t you sit back, relax and peep the clip from WonderCon just below…

Just what us Warsies have been waiting for! And, indeed the audience who came to see showrunner Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars, duh), art director Kilian Plunket (Star Wars: Empire), and voice of our new primary pilot, Hera, Vanessa Marshall (Wonder Woman from JL: The Flashpoint Paradox), was just as delighted in their response to the footage. But fans weren’t the only ones amazed by the power of Rebels.

“I could feel the force on the page,” Marshall preached in reference to when she first laid eyes on the coded, top secret script of SWR. Having worked on both Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic, the voice actress merely tries “not to nerd out” to the animated series that reflects a more unified appearance that TCW ever had.

Hera — with help from the mind of LucasFilm Amy Christensen — is basically a cross between your typical X-Wing pilot and Han Solo, a girl hero that’s every bit into the action as the men. For his show that will depict a tighter, more particular group of people throughout (so don’t go expecting the more-than-massive world of Corucant anytime soon), Filoni was more interested in making really good female characters as opposed to really strong.

#SkypeWars

(Flip the page for more Star Wars, yo!)

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SALEM

Salem is the first scripted show from WGN America because what we all need is more TV! We’re in an age of DVRs, streaming, and downloading so the more the merrier. And who is WGN you ask…..?

It DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR NETWORK IS!! (Hello, Ringside Apostles).

Created by Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise and Voyager) and Adam Simon (The Haunting of Connecticut), Salem sets in 17th Century Massachusetts and based on the actual witch trials that happened during this time period. Tired of the town’s hypocrisy over people being punished by authority figure, George Sibley (Michael Mulheren, Law & Order), John Alden (Shane West, fresh off Nikita) chooses to go off in fight in the French and Indian War. He promises to return in a year to his love, Mary (Janet Montgomery, Human Target), but while he’s gone — of course — she discovers she’s pregnant with his child. Thus, fearing what Sibley might do to the poor kid, Mary asks galpal Tituba (Ashley Madekwe, Revenge) to use her best spell to erase the child from existence.

Now, why does all that matter (besides setting off yet another horrific abortion debate)? Well, when the setting jumps ahead seven years later — with Alden returning to the town in complete Walking Dead style — he finds the Mary he once knew and loved is now…Mary Sibley: The most powerful woman/witch in town. Yup, damn. Most men would easily turn around, head to the next town and drink themself stupid. But of course, John stays and also learns that another person from his past, Cotton Mather (Seth Gabel, Fringe), returned to Salem to lead a good ol’ fashion Witch Hunt.

Hell.

While it’s impossible for your TV guru to not think of The Crucible as I watch Salem, there’s definitely enough here to separate itself from the rest of the broomsticks (despite the fact they literally steal one part from the film, which could be more a history commonality than anything). Salem has: Crazy demons, a possessed girl as a bloodhound, people ingesting frogs, and black oil-covered orgies (I swear!). The show suffers a little from pilot syndrome (i.e. loads of set-up), but otherwise does the trick of displaying all its supernatural insanity…

(Flip the page for our Bible score and bullet-points from the panel!)

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At WonderCon 2014, in the bowels of room 300ab, DC Entertainment held their annual All Access panel. Moderating duties were handled by John Cunningham, DC’s VP of Marketing. More importantly, the panel guests included, seated from left to right, Jim Lee (who needs no introduction), Jim Chadwick (Editor, DC Digital), Shelly Bond (Editor, Vertigo) and Mike Cotton (Editor, DC New 52).

You can’t have a DC panel without touching on Batman, naturally, so we’re first shown an image of the Batman 75th Anniversary logo before speaking on the imminent end of Superman Unchained. Lee spoke about Lois Lane’s prominence in the series and what Scott Snyder had wanted to include in their “Ultimate Superman Story”. We were then shown the cover of Superman #32 which marks the debut of a new creative team, Geoff Johns and… wait for it… artist John Romita Jr., making his first DC Comics debut. The simple fact that Romita Jr. is drawing the book justifies a purchase alone, let alone Johns scribing the book!

Babe-Seeking Vision, indeed

Focus was then turned to Superman: Doomed, a big crossover event that is said to be unifying titles in the New 52. Though, wasn’t that the entire point of the New 52 to set up something big in the future? Teen Titans #1 goes on sale July 16th, focusing more on the teams “Celebrity status and social media” aspect, which probably means it’ll be marketed towards the younger teen/MTV audience. Lets hope not.

After touching upon the success of Batman 66 and informing the audience that the Adam West TV series would be releasing Fall 2014 on DVD and BLU-RAY (being a classic TV afficiando, this the one bit of news I’m most personally excited for), we were shown the cover to Batman ’66 Meets the Green Hornet written by Kevin Smith. The cover art by Alex Ross (rumored to be the man who inspired Ben Affleck’s new Batcostume, but we’ll see) looks awesome, as always. On sale June 4th.

A prequel series to the Injustice comic was also teased along with a few panels from the book. On the Vertigo side of things, Shelley Bond took the mic to push the Sandman Overture (Moody’s favorite comic from last year, if I’m remembering correctly). Also announced was a new book titled Bodies that deals with a time traveling serial killer, which easily makes this Deacon the most excited he’s been for a new book in a while. Four Chapters, each in a different time period. And, as you can see, the cover art for issue 1 by Fiona Stevenson is simply gorgeous.

Lastly, Grant Morrison’s ever illusive Multiversity is to launch August 2014.

(Flip the page for our coverage on the Green Lantern Universe!)

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This coming week we’ve got an onslaught of #WC2014 coverage from our one and only esteemed clergy. For now, GHG would love to wish our most beloved congregation a very Happy Easter. As soon as your peanut butter chocolate egg-hunt is over, why not spend 20+minutes with us on this Holy Sunday, as we give our overall thoughts, feelings and what’s right and wrong about “Convention Season”.

We promise you won’t find a more entertaining, frantically ass-kicking cast to listen on this event!

(From left to right): Bishop Zom’s wingspan.

So join us, Guy “Padre” Copes, “Bishop” Richard Zom, “Minister” Gabe Carrasco, Derek “Divine” Vigeant, and your batshit looney host, “Monsignor” Travis Moody for an unedited, live and raw uncut Podcast PLAGUE.

If the above SoundCloud isn’t working on your mobile device, download or listen to the WonderCon 2014 Podcast through mediafire.

God bless you all.

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With an early screening of the next episode (April 1), you can bet Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel was especially awesome. Oh yeah — much like D23, some of us were blessed to watch the full ep ahead of time. More importantly, it’s pretty damn great! I’m sorry I can’t share any of the finer details with our lovely congregation, but just know that if by any chance you’ve been undecided — or previously disappointed — with S.H.I.E.L.D., this is the episode that will win you over.

Hyd… SPOILERS!

More good news: Starting April 1st, ABC will air seven episodes in a row — including the season finale. No breaks or reruns! Producer Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween) also mentions that following the comeback episode is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which hits theaters just a few days later, and “an episode (of AOS that) WE wouldn’t want you to miss” right after on April 8.

Our moderator this evening, Felicia Day (Geek & Sundry), pounced on the tease. “So is there a tie-in with the movie that directly affects the show?” After the series referenced instances of the S.H.I.E.L.D. program in The Avengers and Thor sequel, Loeb slyly says that “it would certainly not surprise anyone if things that happen in (The Winter Soldier) affect the show you’re talking about.” You clever Marvel people. Always prepared!

Marvel also addressed earlier in the panel that although the show’s future is uncertain (at press time, ABC has yet to pick up next season), they are ready. Producer Jeffrey Bell (Alias) claims the producers knew “where they wanted to go with this season and they know where Season 2 and Season 3 are going to end. And we know which character will still be alive. This is, in fact, a Joss Whedon joint.”

The man who leads the team, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), has been going through rough times lately, especially in his discovery of how he came back from the dead. How will this affect him going forward? “The real dilemma has been Coulson starting to feel physically the way a lot of trauma survivors do…he doesn’t feel the same.” Well that and the fact that they basically wiped your memory and made you think you were on a beach in Tahiti! ”How can you work for an organization that traffics in secrets and not have secrets kept from you?” Looks like Coulson has figured it out and is far from happy with the big bosses.

Ming-Na Wen’s character…

(Cont. on next page!)

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Wh– would I play Human Torch?

First and perhaps foremost, will fans witness a return of Andy Brooks (John Cho) next season? “One of the great things about Sleepy Hollow is you can be dead but that doesn’t mean you’re gone,” Goffman danced. Alrighty. A typical answer, but at least Goffman continued with some good character news. “We have some supernatural characters and some real ones coming. With Captain Irving (Orlando Jones) incarcerated we have to figure out who’s going to be in charge of the law and order of Sleepy Hollow.”

“There are a lot of amazing foot soldiers coming,” adds Orci. Also confirmed is that John Noble will return as Henry Parish/Second Horseman War! Thank Moloch, because I can’t imagine the season without him. Wiseman caps off this news with a far bigger, more riveting question of conflict. “As evil as he is, it’s still their son. At the end of it, can you kill your own son?”

Now that Katrina (Katia Winter) seems to be back in the present world, how is this going to affect the relationship between Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) and Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison)? “We love that (Abbie and Ichabod) is this relationship built on distrust at first and then eventually trust. It’s really a friendship,” says Kadin. “I think people see what they want to see and what they want to become from the two of them, adds Beharie. “I had never heard of ‘shipping.’”

And we’re just as shocked “Ichabod” knew of search engines. “I had to Google [the term]. It’s a good thing, apparently!” Oh, Tom. Now how can you blame the crowd for seeing and wanting something with charm like that? And, more importantly, will Ichabod ever get himself some modern attire? “Absolutely not. It’s part of his character. His character is the type that will not change or conform,” door-slammed Goffman about our politely arrogant hero.

An audience question then brings up whether we’ll ever receive any more detailed back stories about any other characters. “Every person on here has a rich back story that we’re going to get to see. That’s absolutely in store for Season 2,” Goff replies. Now while that’s great and all — just to be clear — I can do without anymore scenes of Abbie and Corbin (Clancy Brown) eating pie. “There is so much hope in this show to get past the apocalypse and that’s what they’re fighting for. They’ll battle it all season long.”

…And this was HOURS after playing Forza, you see…

Look, kids. The Divine one has to admit that when the idea of this show came out, I was hesitant to embrace it; but now I’m definitely glad that Sleepy Hollow is neither very “sleepy” or “hollow” and it indeed has some fun storytelling with an extensive and rich mythology. But were the creators completely confident when they started too?

“There wasn’t anything like it on television. So we thought ‘Why isn’t there nothing like this?’ Yes, we knew it in the beginning, but once we got in the rhythm we didn’t think about it anymore,” Kurtzman says. And obviously they have nothing to worry about anymore, either.

Get ready for more heads to roll this Fall wth Sleepy Hollow’s Season 2 on FOX.

(Pictures courtesy of our pal BookToBigScreen.)

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So, whether you took the seemingly #winning side of Sony, remained true to constant back-peddler Microsoft, felt proud of your Wii-U (finally!) delivering superior games, or steered clear of such “next-gen” systems.. that didn’t always work on “Day One”, 2013 was a hell of a lot of fun. So, put the controller down, put the headset away, kick back, and feel free to “agree to disagree” with our resident gaming “Reverend” Joe Rivera, and yours truly, the “Monsignor” Travis Moody, as we explore one of the nuttiest years in video game history.

You can hate us now.

“Monsignor” Travis Moody: 10. Metro: Last Light (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3) – With the arrival of Next-Gen, sometimes we forget just how beautiful many of the games the previous generation systems had. Deep Silver’s Metro: Last Light, was no exception. This “European Sci-Fi Battlefield” was a terrific challenge, looked stunning, was often flat-out scary. Even all of the game’s many glitches and freezing — in the freezing temperatures, nonetheless — couldn’t keep this game off my list. What did halt this post-apocalyptic triumph from reaching a higher point, however, was the lack of a solid story DLC. In fact, the DLC was a complete disappointment. Ah, well; time for 4A to start working on the next-gen./(See more)

“Reverend” Joe Rivera: 10. Deadpool (360/PS3) – Ok, as much as I wanted this game to be great……it wasn’t. But, that didn’t mean that Wade Wilson’s long-awaited solo gaming debut was all that bad. The Merc with a Mouth was always one of my favorite Marvel anti-heroes. And just like what most reviews have said, unless you’re a die-hard Deadpool fan, you’re going to loathe this game. I mean, yes, the hack ‘n slash/shoot ‘em up gameplay is overall repetitive, and it is fucking short as hell. After vanquishing Sinister, then performing a Conan the Barbarianesque pose, I was like.. “THAT’S IT?!?!” So, the question is, why does Deadpool make it on my Top 10 list? I guess, even if the gameplay is repetitious, it still packs plenty of the over-the-top hilarity of the great Joe Kelly comic (although the game was written by Daniel Way, whose own run on ‘Pool was arguably just decent). And let’s not forget the humor. The jokes are hysterical. I mean, I nearly pissed my pants from all of Wade’s quips after slaughtering enemies. The game stays true to the comedic mercenary; and who better than voice him than the great Nolan North (don’t worry; there is more for Troy, coming up). It’s like that awesomely bad cult B-movie that you check out at midnight, where you shout random phrases, and throw stuff (hopefully not grenades and knives). So, if you expected an Arkham game with Deadpool……go eff yourself!/3.5 (out of 5) Bibles

DeadPOOL Rising.

Moody: 9. Dead Rising 3 (Xbox One) – If not exactly graphically (720 fps, bleh), Dead Rising 3 was indeed, otherwise, the game to show the true power of the Xbox One. I can bet you’ve never witnessed so many things on a video game screen before with, by hell, this much personality. Yes, the hundreds and thousands of zombies stalking the near empty streets of “Los Perdidos” are simply a thrill to kill. No worries, man; DR3‘s version of the undead don’t run, as they aren’t even aware they have a fire-blazing hatchet or police-issued gat in hand. Sorta. Kinda. Yup, scary. Good news is, you’ll have a bigger field day than Daryl Dixon chopping, sniping and steam-rolling over these things to size (over 300 weapons and combinations!). If going the serious “Walking Dead” route doesn’t sound like fun, Rising packs all the tongue-in-cheek zaniness of previous games (Afros, knight helmets, disturbed samurai elders). I even kissed a zombie to death with a fire-scorching Dragonhead…and I liked it! Had this Xbox One exclusive allowed me to play “jump in/jump out” local co-op (a.k.a. a real friend..), such as, say, Marvel Ultimate Alliance (or any of the LEGO games), DR3 could have dropped in the Top 5. Yes, not giving my roommate the option to play alongside the Monsignor in my story royally pissed me off. That, and some terrible speech animations aside, the extensive upgrade system, pulse-stopping battles, and quirky story make this zombie-slayer one of the most impressive next-gen titles at launch./4 Bibles

Joe: 9. Batman: Arkham Origins (360/PS3) – Though not exactly the strongest of the series (how’s about going back to Rocksteady, guys?), Origins‘ did feel like Arkham City all over again. Not entirely a bad thing! Hell, you know you play Arkham for the story (can’t go wrong with Christmas in Gotham), the bosses (to which many had the martial arts skills of Bruce, or higher), and of course, the voice acting (see this!). Origin stories are not easy to pull off either, but this prequel gets right to the point with a much darker tone, a taste of the more realistic Nolan-verse. The boss battles are an even greater challenge this time around, with each assassin offering their own unique fighting style. And as difficult as Deathstroke was to beat, the Rev never got frustrated; the challenge just motivated me to pwn that son-of-a-bitch! Finally, there’s the vocals. Roger Craig Smith steps in for Kevin Conroy, as the younger Batman. Though not nearly as memorable, you have to give Smith props for trying — even if you do hear a little bit of Christian Bale. Yet, despite some hefty big shoes to fill, (all right, here we go!) Troy Baker’s Joker is just phenomenal. I didn’t doubt him once, not even when fans were like “We want Mark Hamill!” Mr. Hamill will always be the Joker, but Troy nails it. Even if Baker’s Joker pays a lot of homage Hamill’s, he still puts his own little spin on the voice. Gave me chills. If he were brought back, I’m all for it./(See more)

I hope those aren’t Brooklyn Nets.

Moody: 8. *TIE* FIFA ’14 (X1/PlayStation 4) / NBA 2K14 (X1/PS4) – These are two of the most impressive sports games ever. But, before I continue, there’s a reason why such wonderful games are lower than they could be: missing options. There’s no question the majority of third-party games that ported over to next-gen were rushed, and, the consequence was several missing options. FIFA ’14, easily the most remarkable — and ultimately addictive — of the franchise, is missing a tournament option. Well, duh! That’s because EA is bringing back FIFA World Cup, just in time for the global event which takes place this summer in Rio. That means fans will have to shell out $100-120 for 2 games. Haven’t you guys heard of DLC, EA? Still, the new FIFA‘s player and crowd animations, game physics, stadium selection, and array of league play options (such as this year’s excellent Ultimate Team) is superb. 2K Sports’ new NBA game, on the other hand, is the best-looking game on next-gen. Period. Almost as impressive as the frightening facial recognition is the gameplay itself: it’s awesome. Of course, like FIFA, it’s also missing quite a few things: custom arena music, the option to control multiple teams in MyGM (which erases the previous Association mode), etc. But, you know I love this game — despite some horrendous server problems — so read more on my raves in the following link, if you insist. (4.25 Bibles/See more)

Joe: 8. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – As a fan of the LEGO games I found this one to be the best. Playing this was like going back to my childhood and playing with my old action figures all over again, especially with the huge variety of heroes and villains to choose from — all with very different and useful abilities. What was hilarious about LEGO Marvel more than anything, perhaps, is that the open world gameplay made this feel more like Grand Theft LEGO. This is also the best Marvel co-op gamer since Ultimate Alliance. Oh, and we have North back as Deadpool and, of course, Bake as Hawkeye./(See More)

Moody: 7. INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us (360/PS3) – Let’s make this easy: if you love Mortal Kombat and you love DC Comics’ Superheroes (and you don’t exactly want to see them immersed, uh, other than the lone Scorpion DLC character, of course), then this fighter is a must buy. Injustice also contains the most captivating story mode for a fighter…ever. Fighting games aren’t supposed to have good story modes. Gee.. thanks, Injustice. Now fighting games aren’t even going to bother having a story mode, seeing how *cough* Killer Instinct *cough* they couldn’t possibly keep up… /See more)

From Metropolis With…Love?

Joe: 7. INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us (360/PS3) – No doubt, Monsignor, this was THE fighting game that we both had been waiting for (especially after the atrocity known as Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe). Each DC character has a bigger-than-life fighting style of well.. a god, whether it’s Harley Quinn’s Mallet Bomb or Batman back-flipping over the Batmobile as it smoothly runs you over. And I have to agree, this fighting game has, by far, the best story mode. I loved how this game had similarities to Superman: Red Son, where the Dark Knight leads an insurgency against the Man of Steel’s regime. Oh yeah, Baker just so happens to voice my favorite DC hero, Nightwing. Shocking!/4.25 Bibles

Moody: 6. Forza Motorsport 5 (X1) – It’s been one hell of a controversial year for video games. And has there been a more controversial game lately than Forza 5? First, the Xbox One exclusive lit up the Metacritic ratings with 9′s galore, as Turn 10 Studio’s beloved sim-racer was an instant showcase of what being next-gen was all about. Paint reflections left racers in awe, courses (albeit limited in comparison to past installments) appeared no less than magnificent, and the new X1 controller’s thumb triggers felt as real as it gets. The game zooms like the land’s finest Monte Carlo. The A.I. also builds off Forza 4‘s Drivatar system with sharper improvements in adapting your own racing personality; there’s no way onlookers could ever possibly know whether you were grinding gears against online competition or the computer. To top it all off, the “Top Gear” presentation is.. well.. top-notch. Then, what’s the issue?

Nintendo had to make our list, somehow.

Microtransactions. I’ve found that, with Forza 5, the less finicky/more patient players will be rewarded in the long-run. Actually, it’s not too long of a run that all. Complete a few sections of the lengthy career mode, and that Lambo, classic Mustang, or F1 Mclaren will be yours in no time. And having the option to design or select from a great number of car designs (i.e. Boba Fett, Miami Vice, Batmobiles) certainly adds to the game’s overall replayability. While, I do agree with regards to online racers that going against souped-up vehicles is a chore, and that the selections (especially the tracks) are bare-bones in comparison to its predecessor, Forza Motorsport 5 is still the technically most impressive game on the new consoles. Just breath./4.25 Bibles

Joe: 6. Rayman Legends (360/PS3/Wii U) – As someone who enjoyed the Rayman: Rabbids games, I knew what I was getting myself into: zany, ultimately bizarre, cartoon fun! With its entertaining co-op gameplay, it’s as if Ubisoft took the game Gauntlet and gave it an early ‘90s Nicktoons twist (“Ren & Stimpy”, “Rocko’s Modern Life”, you know, the good Nickelodeon years). The beautifully colorful graphics are mesmerizing (so far as making the current-gen version look “next”), and the game’s renditions of classic rock songs will make milk shoot out of your nose. Yes, that actually happened!/(See more)

Bet Mr. Wayne never confronted a threat like this!

Moody: 5. *TIE* Rayman Legends (360/PS3/Wii U) / Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (Xbox Live/PSN) - Rayman Legends is the first time I ever played a Rayman game, and I’ll probably hate myself forever for that. Or, maybe not, since it appears I began the franchise with the most beautiful platformer to date (and one of the best-looking current-gen games period). In addition to an outstanding soundtrack, you can bet there was no better way to spend time with a local “co-op” pal this year, either. Speaking of firsts, I’ve never had an Xbox Live game on my “best lists” before (okay, this side of an honorable mention for last year’s “Walking Dead” from Telltales), but Blood Dragon is the game Snake Plissken diehards have been waiting for their entire life. This neon pink “future prequel” to last year’s #3 GOTY, Far Cry 3, is a blast. And much like Reverend favorite SR4, Blood Dragon takes you back to ironic John Carpenter sci-fi/horror, in addition to being the most industry-conscious (revel in the Nintendo “cheese” of it all!) and funniest game of the year, too. (See link above/4.25 Bibles)

Joe: 5. The Last of Us (PS3) – What’s this? We actually have a PlayStation exclusive title on this list? Yes, believe it or not. Not only did your favorite Reverend play through the critically acclaimed survival horror game known as The Last of Us, I also got to playtest the game at Naughty Dog Studios months before its launch. This is absolutely the best storyline I’ve experienced from the survival horror genre. You play as Joel (voiced, obviously, by Troy Baker), a survivor in the worldwide infectious outbreak, as you team up with a young girl named Ellie, who is believed to have the immune system that may be the cure. For a shooter, there is a ton of strategy required in Last of Us too, as you must go stealth to take down the Infected (or hostile survivors), not to mention that any new situation you approach, your enemies will react differently. I also spent a great deal of time on the multiplayer portion, as well, where my teammates and I would work together on raiding supplies from the other team while trying to survive. No respawns here./4.5 Bibles

Hike, anyone?

Moody: 4. Tomb Raider (360/PS3) – Here’s one game Troy wasn’t in! And that’s because our newest Lara, Camilla Luddington, added precious levity as the female answer to Mr. Baker. Had the finale boss battle been a tad longer — and required more than the click of a joystick — the new TR could have easily jumped another spot on my list. Still, Lara Craft Redux is easily the franchise’s most exciting iteration yet, with open world possibilities, tricky but never frustrating puzzles, and more intensity than an internship with Michael Bay. Though not everything about this new TR was perfect (i.e. it was fairly easy to take down the countless number of enemies, too many QTE moments, etc.), it’s still belongs in the must play category. And if you haven’t, no worries: the “Definitive Edition” is coming soon to next-gen./See more)

Joe: 4. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (360/Ps3) – I, for sure, thought that AC3 was going to be it for the series. Desmond dies (spoilers, fuck it), which was a nice little ending. Oh wait….there’s another one?!? And its taking us into the Golden Age of Piracy? Pirates are rogues themselves, so who better to become the assassins, anyway? By Hook or crook, the latest AC worked in spades. It was nice to see an assassin who didn’t have a specific allegiance, but more of the good/neutral, and side missions that were just as superior to the actual campaign. The story was also thankfully light-hearted this time around, with supporting characters like Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts who had much greater — and super fun — developed personalities. Just about everything in Black Flag was more likeable than previous installments, actually./4.6 Bibles

No worries, mate; surely no one’ll notice the only pirate in a white hood!

Moody: 3. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (X1/PS4) – You harpoon-scarred the shit out of that choice, Rev. Do you think this “surprise” hit of the year was to blame for Ubisoft’s postponing of Watch_Dogs? I’d like to think so. Black Flag simply went from “yet another Assassin’s Creed game” to open world discovery of the high seas — full of satisfying naval battles, improved combat, whale hunting, and deep-sea treasure hunting. This gem, my friends, had it all, including a kick-ass companion app for your tablet/smartphones. And, look, I’m not going to lie: AC4 does get bogged down within its own non-Animus ambition (exploring as Edward Kenway was far more exciting than lurking around and hacking into corporate office computers), but the high-water/island scenery was tremendous, especially for a port! If you didn’t care too much for last year’s game, don’t sleep on the beach with this one. (See more).

Joe: 3. Bioshock Infinite (360/PS3) – I was skeptical, at first, when I found out that Bioshock Infinite was not going to be a survival horror like its predecessors. Hell, it’s even questioned if Infinite even takes place in the same universe as Bioshock 1 and 2. The game sets in a utopia in the sky called, Columbia, and touches on many controversial issues such as American exceptionalism, the Boxer Rebellion, and racial segregation; certain stuff you don’t find in many games. And, with its new direction of steampunk elements and new-found Vigor powers, B.I. blew me away with the most mind-fucking story this gaming Rev have ever experienced. “So, Booker kills Comstock…..Oh wait, Booker IS Comstock?!……I’m so confused!” Another one for Troy — ping!/4.75 Bibles

Moody: 2. Bioshock Infinite (360/PS3) – Oh, yes, Joe. Bioshock Three indeed took “my breath awayyy…” Although Irrational Games made the more rational decision to go FPS on that ass (as opposed to the more survival/thriller-tinged vibes of the original class like you mentioned), that move made B.I. a shooting experience like none other. It certainly helped to have those insanely addictive Vigors, more outstanding voice work (ha — it’s Baker DeWitt!), and that damn astonishing ‘floating world’ to explore. Infinite also felt both old and new at the same time, never giving us more than a minute or two to breath in the clouds. Oh, Elizabeth.. isn’t she lovely? (And she helps, too!)/4.75 Bibles

And the Award for “ONLY Voice Actor of 2013″ goes to…

Joe: 2. Saints Row IV (360/PS3) – Many people would call me crazy for putting this one at #2, but, screw those people; they clearly don’t know about the Rev’s passion for Saints Row. Go read my full review, too, if you haven’t. What more can be said, though, about an urban warfare-turned-alien invasion, where your protagonist goes from low-level street punk to the Motherfucking President of the United States? Murder, mayhem, superpowers, dubstep guns, Roddy Piper, and sing-a-longs to Paula Abdul and Biz Markie…that’s what. Oh yeah, and just added recently to SR4 was a DLC where Christmas required saving from an evil Santa Claus, all the while trying to get on the “Nice” list. This is how you make a Baker’s (Half) Dozen, bitches./4.8 Bibles

Moody: 1. Grand Theft Auto V (360/PS3) – With apologies — maybe severe apologies — to The Last of Us (I don’t own a PS3, sorry folks), this was the best video game of 2013. In fact, it might just be the best video game I’ve ever played. After all, I did honor GTA V a holier than hell 10 Bibles. Why? Oh, you weren’t one of the countless number of people responsible for making this game the fastest-selling of all time? A billion-plus later, the open world of Los Santos (yet another Southern Cal sandbox title) offered almost too much to do. You don’t need to follow the narrative — which is one of the most entertaining and cinematic ever, by the way — to enjoy this game. With Grand Theft Auto 5, you can do anything. Even with a few online issues and all (questionable servers, abundant assholes), awesome side missions, far more improved and even nastier shoot-outs, and glorious vehicle selection and customizations (GTA V could also be considered one of the best racing games of the year, too), this is absolutely the game dreams are made of./10 Bibles

Ahhh… So, this is what they mean by “Skyrim”.

Honorable Mention:

-DmC: Devil May Cry (360/PS3) – I’m willing to bet a lot of gaming “experts” forgot this early year gem, but I didn’t. The reimagined DmC offered some of the finest, most fluid combat, blue-electric level environments, and some of the toughest boss battles ever. In any other year, DmC slides high up the Top 10. (See more)

-WWE 2K14 (360/PS4) – It sort of pains me to include this on the list because of 2K’s bullshit programming that allowed the corruption of my entire game save (all of my creations, Universe progression, DLC, etc. was lost with the click of a button). But, there’s no doubt 2K’s publishing also boosted the franchise in glorious ways. This wrassler also had the deepest roster of all time (including 100 Create-A-Wrestlers), had an amazing story mode (“30 Years of Wrestlemania”), and was no doubt an addictive royal rumble with your pals. WWE on next-gen can’t come soon enough (See more)

-Batman: Arkham Origins (360/PS3) – While the game didn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations, it was still visually impressive and packed tougher battles than any Arkham game previous. Even in the absence of legendary Bat-voice-actors Conroy & Hamill, I’ve got to agree with Joe: the younger voice team gets the job done. (See more)

-Splinter Cell: Blacklist (360/PS3) – Missed this one? Then click the link, kids. (See more)

-Call of Duty: Ghosts (X1/PS4) – You know what you’re getting with any COD, and this game was an obvious port. Still, if you’re in the minority of players like me who are in it for the campaign, then you’re going to have a hell of a lot of fun: choppers, tanks, deep-sea diving, snow wars, and even playing as a dog! In addition to the “greatest hits” story, the new Extinction mode is the franchise’s first foray into sci-fi — and it’s an exciting challenge all the way./3.5 Bibles

Taking the day off from work was NOT a bright idea.

Joe: 1. Grand Theft Auto V (360/PS3) – No surprise here, Moody. If our gaming church gatherers haven’t already, our GTA V podcast — live from the rooftop of Los Santos, btw — is damn-near required. GTA V was yet another game where I feel, “What more can be said?” Hell, this is the Pulp Fiction of video games. It’s also a social satire of how superficial our society has become. The plot has intertwining stories, with characters (including supporting) that are arguably the most well-developed of any game in recent memory; so much so, that even if you found these fuckers to be crazy, pretentious, or even seriously dead wrong, you’d still find something to like about ‘em. What separates GTA V from other sandbox games is that it also plays like a heist film where you are the director taking the story into, often several, different directions. The game does a bang-up job at capturing every known scenic spot of Los Angeles this side of Saddle Ranch, and turns them into its own world to create Los Santos. Although I mentioned this in the podcast, that if you live or have lived in LA, you’re definitely going to look at this game a lot differently than those who never experienced this grand city./5 Bibles

Honorable Mention:

-Killer Instinct (X1) – The reason that Killer Instinct didn’t make it on the list was for two reasons: 1. I felt cheated when they offered only ONE character, and you had to purchase the rest.  2. The game seemed incomplete and rushed, with only six characters and waiting two months for a story mode, and pretty much making us pay for a demo, without calling it a demo.  The gameplay was pretty damn good, but I felt that I didn’t get the entire game, above all./(See more)

-Nothing else. While 2013 was perfectly strong at the top (primarily with thanks to TB), I honestly didn’t care for too much else out there… Uh, time for a new system? You’re not kidding!

From GodHatesGeeks, we’d like to thank you for checking our Top 10 lists and wishing you all a very Happy and great New Year of (hopefully next-gen) gaming, friends!

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Sure, there were plenty of movies this past year that tanked (The Lone Ranger, After Earth), that struck more polarity than anything Frozen (#1 and half of #4 on the Moody list were loathed and loved just the same), and simply didn’t live up to lofty expectations (Elysium, Kick Ass 2). Either way, we were entertained — and the numbers show that we went to the theaters. A LOT.

What makes GHG’s Top 10 Movies of 2013 list different from any other is that we compare the best of popular Geek culture with the best.. period. Because — hey! — plenty of us are just film geeks, after all. So, let our resident movie guru, “The Screening Sister” Sherice roll the dice with her favorites for the Oscar, and yours truly, “The Movie Monsignor” Travis Moody keep the superhero faith alive. Or just let us know just how crazy we are for these choices.

It’s sure to spark up more controversy than a broken neck death in Metropolis.

“Monsignor” Travis Moody: 10. World War Z – Better late than never… There’s a theme that runs throughout my Top 10 choices — and that’s controversy. Before this Max Brooks zombie novel-turned-Marc Forster “disaster” flick was released, you can bet there was plenty of that. Reports of reshoots and Brad Pitt’s dissatisfaction with the production process plagued headlines far more than anything else. Turns out, WWZ is a pretty damn good movie. At its very worst, there’s perhaps no other zombie movie of its kind. It may not thrill “the Godfather of Zombie Culture” George A. Romero with a pandemic that causes the undead to gallop faster than a Usain Bolt 40-yard dash. There are questionable plot “twists” when it comes to these zombies only wanting “healthy” victims, too, avoiding any diseased and the virus itself not eating up the sick (but it makes for an entertaining premise, admit it). And then there’s that fairly rushed ending (even in the “Unrated” cut I watched this past week). Either way, the movie proved tremendously ambitious, having had to have set the Guinness record for “Longest Port O’Potty Lines Ever”, and offered a numerous amount of deliciously vicious action sequences. It’s pretty frightening for a PG-13 film, which is initially what scared me off in the first place./3.5 (out of 5) Bibles

“Sister” Sherice: 10. The Conjuring – Since the success of The Ring there’s been a hit horror flick every year! Last year, it was Scott Derrickson’s Sinister, which starred Ethan Hawke as a true crime writer who moves his family into the home where a mass murder took place. My version of scary good time was The Conjuring, directed by James Wan of Insidious and Saw fame. Given that successful track record, it’s not surprising this haunted house tale struck a chord with the movie going public. *clap, clap*/3 Bibles

Somehow, I don’t think the big fella — with the even bigger blade — could ever be “stuck.”

Moody: 9. Pacific Rim - While most moviegoers enjoyed Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Pacific Rim in all its robot vs. monster fighting glory, I simply can’t forgive the majority of the film’s mundane performances. Still, it’s the far more important performances by the Jaegers and the Kaiju that thankfully went on to steal the show. PR is one of the smartest CGI-driven films of the decade, worthy of any Blu-Ray collection. And “[Pacific Rim] is Transformers with a little more humor, a lot more heart, and a far superior level of detail.” Moody, you go, boy! Ahem.. sorry. (See more)

Sherice: 9. 42 – I’m not into sports, but I do love me a good sports flick, and 42 was just that. Newcomer Chadwick Boseman certainly struck a home run with his perfect portrayal of baseball legend Jackie Robinson and his onscreen wife Nicole Beharie, dazzled in the supporting role. Incidentally, since the film’s success, Boseman signed onto the James Brown biopic, Get on Up, and Beharie has joined supernatural T.V. stardom with her hit FOX series, “Sleepy Hollow”./3 Bibles

Touchdown!

Moody: 8. Rush – What do you get when you throw Thor in a Formula One race-car? Lots of mead-driven headaches and wild wenches slayed is what! And as solid as Chris Hemsworth is at playing English playboy James Hunt, it’s German actor (by way of Spain) Daniel Bruhl who steals nearly every lap. Relatively unknown to the U.S. (though you may recognize him from Inglourious Basterds, or The Bourne Ultimatum), Mr. Bruhl definitely deserves his first Academy Award nomination with this heartbreaking performance. If you’ve never cared a shit for professional racing before, especially that of the internationale, you’ll appreciate Ron Howard’s explosive efforts here. Oh, and you’re right: this selection could have gone on either list. But since the highest-rated next-gen video game of 2013 was Forza Motorsport 5 — and it features plenty of F-1 selections to grind gears with — why not let fans of this darkhorse “geek out” for a moment?/3.75 Bibles

Sherice: 8. Much Ado About Nothing – As we all know, Joss Whedon is a busy man. Yet even with his packed schedule he managed to shoot Much Ado just after The Avengers and in two short weeks. Filmed in black-and-white, and in Whedon’s own backyard, the Shakespearean favorite was just as charming if not more so than Kenneth Branagh’s version./3.5 Bibles

Much ado about nothing…on cable.

Moody: 7. Iron Man Three - That damn plot twist! Even Marvel movies this year didn’t steer clear of any controversy. Half of Iron Man 3‘s audiences reveled at director Shane Black’s daring villain adjustments, while diehard fans of the classic Iron Man comic (all three of you) ran to the picket line when The Mandarin was discovered as no more than a hoax. In hindsight — despite being arguably Marvel’s funniest film – IM3 lacks too much on its outside to place the film with Marvel’s upper echelon. There wasn’t enough Rhodey; there wasn’t enough Mandarin (at least at the end; what a lame “Rescue”!); and there wasn’t enough…Iron Man. Still, you’d do worse to ignore RDJ’s heartfelt (or is that heartless?) performance. (See more)

Sherice: 7. Fast & Furious 6 – Now this choice may cause the congregation to scratch their head in confusion, but it really shouldn’t. I mean, I’m not preaching to the choir when I say the Fast and Furious films are far from Much Ado About Nothing. But you know what? They were never meant to be. These racing turned espionage films were made to entertain and by that, they’ve achieved their goal. Frankly, sometimes a film is just about having a damn good time!/3.5 Bibles

In memory of our friend Paul. Cheers in heaven, buddy.

Moody: 6. The World’s End - My favorite comedy of the year (because the last half-hour of Anchorman 2 dives into an awful cameo overdrive). Wait, The World’s End wasn’t a comedy, you say? Was it a drama? A sci-fi spoof? Who knows. Whatever genre Edgar Wright was aiming for, even if it was all of them, I’m still tipping my hat. And I got to see next to Bill Paxton and in front of Nathan Fillion for the premiere. Cheers to that! (See more…butts)

Sherice: 6. Prisoners – This is one film I underestimated. Granted, I was going to watch Prisoners anyway for Hugh Jackman, since I love him as Wolverine. Still, the trailer didn’t hook me. Thankfully, I caught the thriller while in theaters and was thrown by how gripping it was. Thank goodness, it wasn’t your typical revenge film. Screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski made sure of that by delving deep into the psyche of a man whose moral fiber deteriorates while searching for his daughter’s kidnapper. Top notch work from both Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal./3.5 Bibles

I di.. did.. didn’t mean to call you Logan, man.

Moody: 5. The Wolverine: Unleashed Extended Edition - Not sure if Blu-Ray’s can count on our Top 10 list, but I don’t care. What other movie alone garnered two full-length articles and a podcast from this very website? Hell, even Logan himself stopped by our offices to review the theatrical cut… SNIKT! (See more)

Sherice: 5. Gravity – Who would have thunk, a film about a character floating around in space for ninety minutes would be so spectacular? I certainly didn’t. But Alfonso Cuaron and his son Jonas knew it had potential to be legend. Thanks to the folks at Warmer Bros, the studio saw the film to fruition and with fantastic results. Not only has the film surpassed 600 million at the box office — making it one of the top earning films of 2013 — Gravity has proved actresses over 40 can command an audience. (See more)

More like “Wrath of Kahn’s Hot Dogs!” …Shit.

Moody: 4. *TIE* Star Trek: Into Darkness / Gravity - Oh, the dreaded “tie.” But at least this one makes sense. Kind of. These were two of the finest sci-fi films of the year, both attempting to accomplish entirely different things. While you might not agree that Gravity is a “geek” movie per se (perhaps, more of a “nerd”?), it did blow up at this past July’s San Diego Comic-Con and got the whole culture riled up with Alfonso Cauron’s spacious beaut. The movie is simply something to behold. Into Darkness, on the other hand, offered even more explosive entertainment than its excellent first outing — especially with Benedict Cumberbatch’s frightening portrayal as Khan. Although STID‘s madness equated to a more inept story this time out, JJ’s second entry into the S.S. Enterprise also equated to one of the year’s most exciting films. In comparison, Gravity is the year’s most fraught. What a performance by Sandra Bullock! While there’s no doubt Gravity is deserving of some Oscars (and Into Darkness, minor technical categories aside, isn’t), I’m more likely to see Star Trek II again and Gravity not — even if Ed Harris is his incredibly awesome self as “Mission Control.” (See more)/4 Bibles

Sherice: 4. Dallas Buyers Club – Both Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey are receiving awards buzz for their work in this autobiographical film about a man who helps AIDS patients receive the meds they need to fight the virus. In order to convey how much of a toll the virus takes on the body, Leto and McConaughey lost a considerable amount of weight, making their performances all the more compelling./4 Bibles

Moody: 3. Thor: The Dark World - Sorry, Stark. The Dark World is easily the best Marvel sequel yet. By Odin’s eye, it’s also the funniest. I’d also argue that Thor 2 is the best Marvel film this side of The Avengers and the original Iron Man, even with its disappointing, yet sorta cool-sounding villain, Darth Malekith the Accursed Vader. The whole Aether thing is also a plot device mcguffin cop-out; so, for those particular criticisms, I can’t argue. The rest? Godly. “Game of Thrones” director Alan Taylor pushes the pace, particularly during the film’s final battle. Like my review states, he envelops the sequel with one of the coolest fight scenes in superhero movie history. Complete with a total “geek out” post-credits scene, true believers really couldn’t ask for anything more. (See more)

Oh — ae you referring to ASGARDIAN Hustle?

Sherice: 3. American Hustle – Are any of us surprised David O. Russell would deliver yet another instant classic? From the moment photos leaked of Christian Bale in a comb-over to Bradley Cooper sporting a perm, I knew this film would be gold, and it was. Everyone was on point here. But as far as standouts performances go, I’ve gotta give it to Amy Adams who was absolutely on fire in this. So much so, I wouldn’t be surprised if she earns a Best Actress nomination. In fact, I’d count on this film receiving quite a bit of love this award season./4 Bibles

Moody: 2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - An absolute thrillride from head to toe. If you thought the initial Hobbit film was Unexpectedly too long, too boring, too talkative, and too real-looking to the point that it looked fake, then hath no fear; The Hobbit 2 will definitely Smaug all of your greatest fears. Peter Jackson’s second Hobby offers a much more pleasurable pace, and its entirely arguable that his many changes (and extensions from other Tolkien lore) have made this a better story. And to think the addition of Evangeline Lilly as elf warrior Tauriel and the return of Orlando Bloom as Legolas didn’t stir up as much of an outcry as predicted. Balls. I’d go on, but I think our “Arch-Angel” Andy Crete has already touched the film with more deserving words./4.5 Bibles

You know, “The Elves of Wall Street” doesn’t have a bad ring to it.

Sherice: 2. The Wolf of Wall Street – In truth, the film should be titled “Give Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar Already”. As the mock title implies, Leo was damn good in The Wolf of Wall Street. As usual, Martin Scorsese has this uncanny knack of getting the best performance out of DiCaprio, who plays former Wall Street trading tycoon, Jordan Belfort. The story is outrageous. Filled with sex and drugs, I don’t recommend watching this with granny, but it’s definitely one to watch at a theater. With so much going on, I had to watch the film twice. Trust me when I say this, The Wolf is even better a second time. It’s definitely another awards contender, but the Academy may not be comfortable with the level of debauchery./4.5 Bibles

Moody: 1. Man of Steel - Now, be honest. Were you one of those 500 people who “liked” my 5-Bible review of the film before the sudden massive outcry? Then perhaps you are partially responsible for the strong customer reviews over at Amazon, or the not so bad overall score on IMDB (that was originally much higher around the time of release). Why this film went from godsend (ha!) to completely neck-snapped, defeats me… Wanton destruction? If two gods of limitless superhero strength decided to square off — after a 20,000 foot “World Engine” was just prevented from terraforming the Earth’s core! — you don’t think the majority of your city would get destroyed? Not even a Justice League was preventing that, nevermind a rookie Superman who literally had his hands tied. If you watch again, Kal TRIES to keep the fight above the Metrop, but after seeing the remains of his home planet relegated to a hand full of ash, this Super Zod (an ultra menacing Michael Shannon) wasn’t having it. As if Supes had a second to “pause” this confrontation to save anyone. No matter your rebuttal, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is the Superman film I’ve always wanted. He made this next-gen Supes origin tale dark, funny, heartfelt, and incredibly sci-fi. Superman is a science fiction superhero, through and through and this film depicts that quite imaginatively. No matter how many people tell me otherwise, I will still never lose Hope, or my love for this film. “People are afraid of what they don’t understand.” Thanks, Pa Kent. (See more)/5 Bibles

STAY PUT. I have people to save!

Honorable “Not Geek” Mention:
-The Wolf of Wall Street (If I was doing a “normal” movie list, this would be on top; Leo & Scorsese do it again! This master class in physical acting deserves its place among of the great director’s best — and stretches Leo to the top of the game. Oscar, finally?/5 Bibles)
-American Hustle (It’s been a nice year for Bruce.. I mean.. Christian Bale. His overweight con is nearly heartbreaking in one of the more subtle roles of his career, all the while you can’t go wrong with David O’s tenacious trio of Lois Lane, Mystique and Rocket Racoon. Uh?/4.25 Bibles)
-Saving Mr. Banks (Unless you’re talking Marvel or Star Wars, I’m not quite the Disney fanatic many of my close compatriots are; but this one was a real tear-jerker. A lovely story. Hanks was fit to play Walt, and Emma T is more than supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!/4 Bibles)
-Captain Philips (More Tom Hanks! And although the movie lands into hokie 90s “Bruce Willis” territory, it’s a touching story with plenty of terrific performances — none more surprising than that of newcomer Barkhad Abdi./3.5 Bibles)
-Fruitvale Station (In a sea of depressing 2013 movies, this one is top’s on my list./3.5 Bibles)
-Pain & Gain (One of Michael Bay’s Top 5 movies — even if that isn’t saying much — but Dwayne Johnson’s “Male Bimbo” and Marky Mark’s douchebag meathead made this true story all the more fun./3.5 Bibles)

Honorable “Geek” Mention:
-Oblivion (Better than the more lauded Elysium; but it’s Tom Cruise, so gets nowhere near the credit. Amazing film locales./See more)
-Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Like I tweeted last week, this would have been the funniest movie ever, if not for all the crammed in cameos in the film’s final act. Still, it’s funnier than the first, even if the story isn’t as complete./3.5 Bibles)
-Fast 6 (Another movie The Rock was really good in; it’s nice to see the former WWE champ show some acting chops in addition to all of that brawn. And who isn’t now haunted by the whispers of Paul Walker’s “Ride or Die”? Also, WB was obviously casting Wonder Woman from this movie…Jordana, Gina, or Gal? They all seem viable…/3.5 Bibles)
-The Is The End (Predictably hilarious; made light of the end of the world like my most favorite comedy, and that’s OK./3.25 Bibles)
-Monster’s University (Cute stuff, and better than most Disney sequels not named Toy Story./3.25 Bibles)

Movies I Haven’t Watched.. Yet:
-Ender’s Game (who has?)
-The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
-12 Years A Slave
-All is Lost
-42

A true man of steel.

Sherice: 1. 12 Years A Slave – I can’t stress enough how important this film is. Yes, the subject matter is difficult to handle and many of you may pass on it because of it. But I think that’s one of the reasons you should see it –- to face the tough topic head on. Another motive to watch 12 Years is the talent involved. Certain to be lauded with award nominations, every performance is of note and Steve McQueen’s direction is brutally honest. To help the films awards chances, this masterpiece will be re-released in select theaters on January 17th./5 Bibles

Honorable “Geek” Mention:
-The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (Action packed and filled with dwarves, elves and one mean ass dragon, the follow-up to The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey was a joyous trip./3.5 Bibles)
-Pacific Rim (Just an all around fun film that harkens back to the giant robot films of old with a touch of Voltron./3.5)
-Thor: The Dark World (Worth seeing for Loki’s imitation of Captain America alone./3.5 Bibles)
-Oblivion (Surprisingly, this was a solid sci-fi flick. I’m glad I caught it in IMAX. The cinematography was incredible./3 Bibles)
-Warm Bodies (I honestly thought this film was going to be the Twilight of zombie movies. Thank goodness I was wrong. I’d definitely watch a sequel./3 Bibles)

Movies I Haven’t Watched.. Yet:
-Nebraska
-Mud
-The Way, Way Back
-Kings of Summer
-Enough Said

 

We hope you enjoyed our Top Movie choices for 2013! You have a lot of catching up to do, now, don’t you? From GodHatesGeeks, have a very Happy and safe New Year.

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HERE.. WE.. GO!

“Padre” Guy Copes: 10. La Mano Del Destino #3 - Grab your hipster glasses and tweak those trendy mustaches folks. Your favorite pontificating Padre of the pulpit is diving from the top rope to kick off this Indie Comics 2013 year-end top ten lucha style. Really, the first three issues could go here, but since the previous two dropped sporadically over the course of 2011 and 2012, well, it only makes sense to list the issue that actually dropped in 2013. This is DIY comics here, though, and any Indie creator taking on the art, writing, coloring, and publishing all by themselves needs to be commended — regardless of how long it takes. La Mano Del Destino is the creation of J. Gonzo under his Castle & Key imprint. It tells the tale of the former Ernesto el General who — after making a deal with a mysterious promoter — becomes La Mano del Destino to avenge the wrongs done to him and the honor of Lucha Libre. Most stories about or featuring wrestlers are, to put it bluntly, pure Crap…with a capital C. This book, however, is a fun, exciting story that pays homage to the history and mythology of Mexican lucha libre while telling a deep, mysterious tale of redemption. The physical craft involved in making this comic series rock is also top notch. The paper quality and color choices take on an almost muted animated tone. This is good comics, my brothers and sisters. Top that, CW.

Just what happens when Rey Mysterio finds Bane’s Venom syrum.

CW Cooke “The Cleric”: 10. Invincible – Here’s my “piledriver” to that mere comic: Invincible. Yes, I frigging love this book. I especially love it when it comes out, whether in collected editions or in single issues. I buy all the singles and the hardcover collections because I’m a glutton for Robert Kirkman’s “other” title. Hell, it’s better than “The Walking Dead.” I wish there were more of these crazy, bombastic, incredibly brave ideas out there just wagging their fingers at everyone who is stagnant and without change. This book is all about change, baby, and change is good. If you don’t know the story, Mark Grayson is the main character Invincible. He’s a superhero. Now that you know that, go buy it. One of the most increasingly good and varied comics out there. (Editor’s note: This has been my favorite comic series since its inception. – Monsignor Moody)

Guy: 9. Rat Queens – I’m not the Invincible fanatic you are CW, but I have to say, what I’ve read of the book I’ve loved. Solid pick there. The next one up on my list definitely fits into that crazy and bombastic mold you’re speaking of. Betty, Hannah, Dee, and Violet are the titular Rat Queens. Betty is my favorite, if for no other reason than Roc Upchurch draws her cute as button while Kurtis J. Wiebe gives her a mouth fouler than my own. This book is practically a D&D fan’s wet dream — and if you‘ve ever met any D&D fans, you know they have plenty of wet dreams (sorry, Father McPhail). With a heaping helping of conspiracy, mercenary quests to avoid being locked in a dungeon, drunken brawls, and dark assassins, this book will appeal both to high fantasy fans and 12-sided dice roll veterans alike. Rat Queens definitely pushes some limits though; so if you are — unlike many of us here in the first church of geek — easily turned off by raunchy lingo and drug use, you might want to pass.

There’s got to be an In-N-Out around here somewhere, right?

CW: 9. Quantum and Woody – This was a book I was determined not to like. I loved the original run by Priest and Bright. I loved it so much I wanted my own pet goat. But dammit if I didn’t just love this book when it popped out and took me by surprise. Again, this is a superhero book to a degree, and it’s a boatload of fun. Comedy, action, suspense, drama, and an idiot main character with another stiff as a board main who thinks he’s the lead, and you’ve got a blended coffee drink that keeps caffeinating your brain. Quantum and Woody is a comic for people who like comics, buddy cop movies, action movies from the 80s, and just fun, sometimes moronic stuff that you can enjoy.

Guy: 8. Super! – This series curb stomps its way onto the list and lands on the church steps courtesy of Unlikely Heroes Studios, specifically Zachary Dolan (Artist/Writer) and Justin Piatt (Writer/ Letterer). To paraphrase the creators, they are aiming to bring back a sense of wonder and joy to the cape and cowl genre. With three issues in the bag and more on the way, I’d say so far mission accomplished. It has a bit of the old Giffen/DeMatteis BWAHAHA JLI, but these guys are definitely doing their own thing. It isn’t all jokes and one-liners. There is some subtle and not so subtle commentary on popular superhero comics contained between the pages of Super!

HBO is set to pick up their latest pilot, “Romper Room.”

CW: 8. Burn The Orphanage – How many superhero books can we talk about? Apparently, a bunch of them. Anyways, here’s something a wee bit different. Side-scrolling 8-bit action video games were my jam (and to a degree, still are my jam). I play through Streets of Rage on a PS3 disc as often as I can (the entire trilogy of games). This comic is basically like playing Streets and being a kid again. Burn the Orphanage by Sina Grace and Daniel Freedman is such a blast of a comic that I can’t wait for the issues to come out so I can burn through them and then re-read them and then re-read them. It’s only a three issue mini (if I remember correctly), but I frigging love it. It makes me feel like a kid again, putting in Game Genie cheats and trying my damnedest not to die on Mr. X. I’m going to go pop that disc in and kick some henchman ass.

Guy: 7. Witch Doctor: Mal Practice – While you go get your game on, I’ll continue to move away from superhero — and good ol’ wrasslin’ — comics. For all you smart guys out there, no, I didn’t spell the subtitle wrong. Mal Practice is the latest six-issue mini-series featuring the continuing misadventures of Brandon Seifert (The Writer Dude) and Lukas Ketner’s (Artist Dude) Dr. Vincent Morrow. It is a psychedelic mash-up of House, part mystical CSI, and the more Lovecraftian acid trip adventures of classic Dr. Strange. Joined once again by his assistants Penny Dreadful and Eric Gast, Morrow continues to mix both magic and medicine to cure the world of the monstrous grotesqueries infecting it.

I smell a David Hasselhoff comeback.

It’s a cool book, fun book, weird book that tackles the, uh, strange (pun cheeesily intended) world around us. And, Strigoi Disease will have you checking your tongue to make sure it is still your own. What? Yeah, that creepy. CW, I just bought the trades, so if you want my floppies let me know. (Man that came out wrong.)

CW: 7. Hit – Cheers! Did you love LA Confidential? Did you watch the new TNT mini-series “Mob City” and wish that it was on for more than 3 weeks? Do you have an affinity for mobsters and cops doing dirty deeds to get the job done? Did you possibly enjoy Gangster Squad? Hit is the book for you. Bryce Carlson and Vanesa R. Del Rey create an entirely amazing world that is true to life and just a big amazing playground that I want to play in. I want to dig in, grab a sawed-off shotgun, shave my head and start punching stoolies to get to the truth of the matter. It takes a bunch of different angles and swerves and throws you for a loop and it involves dames and damsels and dirty-ish cops, and man do I love it. Again, I wish this was more than just a four issue mini (just like I wish Burn the Orphanage was more than just a mini as well). It’s not fair. I swear. It’s just not fair.

Guy: 6. Trillium – Not fair.. is the four week wait between issues of Trillium. Trillium is important because it is part of the “Vertigo is back” group of books that launched and have so far succeeded in 2013. It sees Jeff (Animal Man, Green Arrow) Lemire both writing and drawing a heart-warming sci-fi story that spans time and space. Plus, friggin Mayan temples on an alien world. I could keep babbling on and on about the book or you can just run out and grab every copy you can and start reading. And…go!

You’re not in.. yes, wait.. you ARE in Kansas, Doe!

CW: 6. The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West – If you told me this idea on the street, I’d punch you in the face and steal it and then sell it for a million dollars right this second. This like so many others of our top ten lists are those million dollar ideas that come once in a lifetime. Mixing these two genres together is such a big, bombastic badass idea that I wish it had been mine. I wish I had thought of it. It’s a crazy book that like  has so many different angles that you never see what’s coming next. Big Dog Ink is putting out some incredible books like this and Critter (just to name two out of their whole sweeping line) and you’d do well to learn about them. I think Legend of Oz should be your first entry into their line. And you won’t for a second be upset by this.

Guy: 5. FBP (Federal Bureau of Physics a.k.a. Was Collider) – What more can I say about one of my favorite new series? The Padre is digging the story progression and world building of a reality where the laws of physics are turned upside down, inside out, and sideways, sometimes all at once. Issue four saw a game changing event occur that has seen some fun new characters introduced and some clearer glimpses into some of the mysteries surrounding this world where the laws of physics are not as set in stone as we thought they were.

Oh, the sports fathers get their boys involved with!

CW: 5. Battling Boy – Back to more superheroics from me, this time by gentleman Paul Pope. The dude is a comic genius. A comic saint. The forefather of badassery and kickassedness if there ever was one. I flew through this book (and still need to get The Death of Haggard West one-shot that lead into this book) and re-read it immediately. Like so many of my other favorites this year, it’s bombastic, it’s fun, it’s an epic comic that should be enjoyed for a moment, for a weekend, for a year, it doesn’t matter. This is wide-screen comic awesomeness that feels like a frigging Hollywood blockbuster waiting to happen. Battling Boy features a young dude with no real powers beyond the clothes on his back fighting to help save a city from monsters and other bad men. Paul Pope is a comics entity in and of himself and you need to read this book, dammit. Do it now. Get. Go.

Guy: 4. The Wake – Paul Fuckin’ Pope. Aww hell yeah dude! You nailed it with that one. Definitely one of my favorites of the year as well. My next best, though, is an intriguing scientific adventure story that I couldn’t put down once I started reading. I missed the individual issues. Thankfully Vertigo dropped The Wake: Part 1 on Wednesday collecting issues 1-5. I sat down to read it, loved it and immediately shot it into the top five on my list. It’s rare for a comic to give me chills. Most attempts at injecting horror elements into comics either fall into the category of predictably bad homage to Eerie Magazine strips of the 70’s or cheap thrills gore-fests that forget to bring a story along for the spooky ride. No worries here as Scott (Batman) Snyder along with Sean (Punk Rock Jesus) Murphy deliver a moody (not Monsignor Travis) scientific, and, on occasion, frightening thriller. The ending to this first part of the tale will leave you stunned and breathless. If you love smart comics, The Wake returns in February 2014 with issue #6. For now, catch up on the first part of the story if you haven’t already.

A movie that’s NOT about the End of the World? We’re all so there.

CW: 4. Dark Horse Superhero Line (Dream Thief, The Answer!, Black Beetle, Catalyst Comix, etc.) – I realize this is something of a cheat, but I couldn’t decide which was my favorite.. so I threw them all together. Dream Thief by Jai Nitz and Greg Smallwood has hometown awesomeness for me, but also incredible ideas and a story that again feels like a movie mixed with some of the best artwork ever put to paper by any artist ever (by the seemingly new but a lot of us have known about him for a long time Greg Smallwood). There’s The Answer by Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton that was just a rollicking good time that made me want more. There’s Black Beetle by the incredible Francesco Francavilla who again is a comics god that deserves to be in the upper echelon of awesomeness; the whole world should know his name and speak it happily. Catalyst Comix by Joe Casey and the incredible gang of artists he had just makes me salivate. Catalyst relaunched an entire line of comics (Comics’ Greatest World) from a bygone era called the 90s that I thought had been forgotten about by everyone but me. I just LOVED the book with its amazing ideas and fantastic art and fun. Fun, I say fun. One of the best things to come out of Dark Horse Comics for a long time was the superhero line that brought a huge amount of great art and bold ideas. Another thing I wish I could have been involved in or had a say in, but enjoyable. Lovely stuff all around.

Guy: 3. Velvet – Hey look, another one that I reviewed. My self-promotion meter is set to shameless. I’m a sucker for sexy brunettes. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, CW (“And the sky is blue and water is wet Padre, what else is new?”). I’m also a sucker for a well-told spy story (hello, Ed Brubaker) that comes out of the gates shaken, but not stirred. Add in a sexy lead who proves more mysterious and ass-kickingly fantastic than the male protagonists, well then Velvet is my huckleberry. Bru’s book is only up to issue two, so it isn’t too late to snatch them up and join the fun.

Oh, in case you forgot! RASL.

CW: 3. Tuki Saves the Humans/Rasl (Color Collected Hardcover) – Jeff Smith is one of my favorite creators. He and Mike Allred (Marvel’s FF) could work on a comic book version of the phone book and I’d buy it. I love everything they touch. Jeff Smith’s Rasl is one of my favorite stories ever and the collected color edition totally counts because it has some new pages, some changes in the book, and it’s in FULL-COLOR and it’s a hardcover. Lovely, again. And then there’s Tuki Saves the Humans. Go to the Boneville website and read through it. Only a few pages have been published so far but it’s beautiful stuff. It’s amazing stuff. It’s wonderful and all the other words that can be used to describe it could just be fluff. There’s hardly any words in the story, yet I can’t stop myself from wanting to look over it and love every minute of it — poking my head around the world as often as possible. You should give it a shot. It’s free online and you might just get swept away as easily as I did.

Guy: 2. Black Science – Oops, I did it again. (Pat on the back, self hi-fives.) I just reviewed the first issue of this series a couple of weeks ago. While it was mentioned it in my latest indie comics review, it’s worth repeating that Black Science is the perfect blend of classic Metal Hurlant sci-fi fantasy and the type of hard sci-fi you find in the novels of Alastair Reynolds. The art team of Matteo Scalera and Dean White is on a whole other level. With the release of the second issue this week, the story just keeps getting better and more complex. This book is shaping up to be a big cosmic, multi-dimensional cocktail of Fuck-Yeah poured into a happy glass of classic pulp adventure. With issue two comes a bit more of a spotlight on the other members of the Anarchist League of Assassins as new danger, shocking revelations and humor abound. Plus, we get WWI German troops fighting Native American conquerors in spaceships. Yes parishioners, this comic is that crazy. Now, if you want to really see me kiss this series’ ass, check out that review I mentioned earlier. So, CW, while I pucker up to shower more love on Black Science, hit em with your numero dos.

Black and White Science.

CW: 2. Bad Karma – Again, more hometown pride here, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest. I love this book with the same kind of love that Guy shows to Rick Remender and Michael Fiffe. It was a huge success on Kickstarter and it is completely deserved. Fantastic art, wonderful stories, and you name it when it comes to a genre and it is in there. Noir. Time travel. Phil Hester. All of it. It will knock you down, punch your teeth in, and drag you kicking and screaming into a brand new world of comics beauty. With a lineup of creators including Seth Peck, Jeremy Haun, B. Clay Moore, some guy named Alex Grecian, and a number of artists that you will no doubt know all about later on in comics, this book is just a treat. Prose. Short stories. All the wonder and beauty of comics that you could ever ask for. I’m trying not to just heap praise on this thing, but for the love of all that is holy, this is a Kickstarter book that goes above and beyond what you would normally expect from a Kickstarter. Bad Karma is a book you should seek out. You should meet these gents at a comic book show of your choosing or buy it on their website and buy a t-shirt at the same time. IT IS A BLAST. I want to tell you more about the stories but if you look at the other comics I’ve listed as my favorites of the year, you might get a taste of some of the things you can find in here. Buy it. Read it. Then talk to me about it later.

Only at the Copra… the Copracabana!!!

Guy: 1. COPRA – The best superhero comic of 2012 is the best superhero comic of 2013. Shocker! Winding down its initial run with the recently released Issue 12, Michel Fiffe’s ode to classic Suicide Squad and dysfunctional 80’s team books is the oh-wow-fun you’ve been craving in comics for a long time. The design choices, often mixing an abstract graphic design sense with 60’s comic bombast, particularly when it comes to the books special effects, are mind-blowing and inspiring. The best way to describe it is “Ditko meets Picasso in a threeway with Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol“. From the colored pencil color technique to the experiments in page layout, COPRA is just a beautiful book. The story is both big (when it wants to be) and small (really nailing character development and progression) when it has to be. Fife has promised that this is not the end of COPRA. 2014 will see the return of the strangest, most creatively designed collection of anti-heroes and villains you will find anywhere in comicdom today. For comic fans that’s a very good thing.

Honorable Mentions:
-Codename: Action (Dynamite)
-Battling Boy (Paul Pope)
-The Private Eye (Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin)
-Lose #5 (Michael DeForge/Koyama Press).

GodLovesYou, yeah – yeah – yeah!

CW: 1. The Fifth Beatle – All of my praise and admiration were pretty much saved for this book. Everything else I’ve read this year has been wonderful and fun and groovy and badass and amazing and just all kinds of awesome. I’ve never been a big fan of the Beatles in any capacity, so a comic/graphic novel that can sweep me up in this story so effectively and then break my heart a number of times before it’s done is just about the best thing I can think about. A book that beat Rasl for my favorite comic of the year had to be incredible, and The Fifth Beatle, the story of Brian Epstein, is heartbreaking and lovely and beautiful to look at. Written by Vivek J. Tiwary with art by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker and edited by Philip Simon, The Fifth Beatle is like watching the story of the Beatles unfold behind the scenes, watching Brian Epstein start as a manager in a record store and ending up the heart and soul of the biggest band in the world. Seeing some of the story from this aspect is wonderful: we get the human aspect of it without having to have the voice of one of the Fab Four as our narrator and possibly be swayed by their opinion or their facts. We get to the meat of the creation of this universal hit band, and it’s an amazing story. The foreword and afterword break my heart. The story breaks my heart. It’s a story that should be told as a film. It needs to be told as a film. It better be told as a film because I will be there opening day with my friends and family and I will watch their reactions to the beauty of this. If you haven’t read it, get it. Read it. Put it down and cry a bit. Then try and allow yourself to listen to some of the Beatles song and remember: All you need is love.

Honorable Mentions:
-Hawkeye (Marvel) (and yeah, it’s pretty damn close to an indie book)
-Superior Foes of Spider-man (again, shut up)
-Imagine Agents (Boom!)
-Saga (Image)
-The Five Ghosts of Fabian Gray (Image)
-Harbinger (Valiant)
-A Voice in the Dark (Top Cow)

From GodHatesGeeks, we’d like to send out our best Holiday wishes…and, nearly as importantly, Happy Reading!

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