pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
Best Monopoly Special Editions
Within a year of the Monopoly game’s release in the US, 35,000 copies of the game were being made evert week. Their momentum hasn't slowed, as the game continues to sell at a rapid fire pace and make millions each year. The popular board game is so well known that it has been transformed into unique editions, and with games based on A Christmas Story, Star Wars, and World of Warcraft, there is one for fans of every genre. The current iteration of the traditional version of the game was first published by Parker Brothers in 1935. Subtitled "The Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game," the game is named after the economic concept of monopoly—the domination of a market by a single entity.
By Geeks Staff8 years ago in Geeks
The Walking Dead’s Best Comic Book Characters
Adaptation from print to live action often results in changes. Sometimes those changes happen because elements in the source don’t translate well to the new, faster-paced medium. Other times, it’s a creative choice from the new creatives such as the screenwriters, directors, or the producers.
By Tara Edwards8 years ago in Geeks
History of Deadpool
Captain America is as American as apple pie and hand guns. Captain America is the favorite superhero of every goody two-shoes out there. Yet for those that are a little more badass, Captain America is nothing compared to antihero Deadpool. Born as Wade Winston Wilson, he is a normal person with a highly dysfunctional family who was once a volunteer test subject of the Weapon X program. You might ask yourself, did he really volunteer? But, when you have cancer, and the government promised to give you a regenerative healing factor, then it must sound like a good idea. I mean, not to any sane person, but when you are wild and mentally unstable like Wade, sure. Deadpool's powers and personality traits combine to make him an unpredictable mercenary, the merc with a mouf. M-O-U-F. Two fists, two swords, four guns, and a number of other weapons that seem to appear from his "magic satchel." In other words, a total badass.
By Stephen Hamilton8 years ago in Geeks
Best Post Apocalyptic TV Shows
Portrayals of what life may be like after a world catastrophe have always been present in art. However, after the creation of nuclear weapons, the possibilities for the end of the world likely became much more interesting to writers and creators. After all, it’s much easier to think about the apocalypse when one wrong conversation between world leaders could lead to a nuclear end for the rest of us. Such appears to have been the case in entertainment for the past 20 years, where various post apocalyptic TV shows, movies, comic books, and novels appear every few months. Below is a list of some of our favorite post apocalyptic TV shows.
By Stephen Hamilton8 years ago in Geeks
History of She-Hulk
I think it’s fair to say that everyone has heard of The Hulk. In fact, I’m pretty certain that even people who have never touched a comic book in their lives or have never seen one of the very many superhero movies coming out every year now still know who The Hulk is. Why is that?
By Geeks Staff8 years ago in Geeks
Insane Superhero Crossovers
There’s a sacred trend in the media: the holy crossover. It doesn’t happen often but when a crossover does happen you can be sure that everyone and their mothers will be made aware of it. You need only look at Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice or The Avengers to demonstrate my point. People go crazy over the crossover. There’s just something inherently fun in seeing two things come together and share the same screen space, whether it’s on the pages of a comic book or on the big screen. Perhaps it’s because we don’t usually imagine different characters interacting with each other, so seeing two of our favorite people come together is a special treat, like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup bringing together peanut butter and chocolate. With the Marvel cinematic universe turning superhero crossovers and a shared universe into the norm, we figured now would be the best time to go back and look at some of the best and weirdest superhero crossovers. Let's have a look at some of the best comic and TV superhero crossovers ever created.
By Stephen Hamilton8 years ago in Geeks
Best 'Star Wars' Shirts
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, wearing geeky Star Wars t-shirts was a surefire way to get yourself a wedgie. Star Wars super fans were ostracized and mocked. But now J.J. Abrams and Disney have transformed Star Wars into one of the most relevant cultural properties on the planet. With The Force Awakens earning over $2 billion at the box office and becoming the third highest grossing film of all time, all of the people who used to beat up Star Wars are fighting over each other tooth and nail to get their hands on the coolest Star Wars merch. But you know in your heart of hearts that they’re all just a bunch of posers who couldn’t tell the difference between a BB-8 and a C-3PO. But maybe you’ve spent so much time being a self-hating Star Wars fan you don’t know where to begin your hunt for the best Star Wars shirts. Well don’t worry about making the kessel run in 12 parsecs or less, because we’ve got you covered.
By Isaac Shapiro8 years ago in Geeks
The Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon
Adapted from the hit comic series, The Walking Dead hit AMC like a hurricane with a tidal wave of zombies and gore. But, surprisingly enough, one of the most iconic things to come out of the series was the breakout success of one of the original characters created exclusively for the TV series. That was Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus. Daryl Dixon was created by writers Frank Darabont, Jack LoGiudice, and Charles H. Eglee especially for Norman Reedus, who they discovered during his reading for the role of Merle Dixon. While he wasn’t right to play Merle, they loved his audition so much they created Daryl.
By Stephen Hamilton8 years ago in Geeks
Best Funko Pop! Collectibles
Funko LLC sells over $30 million worth of Pop! action figures a year. Some action figures and collectibles trade for over 10 times their original cost in the secondary market. Funko was founded as a Bobblehead company in 1998 by Mike Becker. In 2005, Becker sold Funko to its current owner, Brian Mariotti, who set his sights toward rapid growth in the licensed gift and novelty world. Funko currently holds more than 150 licenses including, but not limited to: Marvel, Hasbro, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, DC Comics, and Disney. Designed for fans of all ages, Funko Pop! has something for every geek.
By Geeks Staff9 years ago in Geeks
Is Black Sails Historically Accurate?
With all the sex and drinking on Black Sails, it's a wonder pirates got anything accomplished. Historical dramas seem to be the thing, with shows like Marco Polo and Vikings achieving great popularity, but just how historically accurate are they? It's been a long stretch waiting for Black Sails to return, and all this idle time has led to a few intense sessions of over analyzing on this.
By Stephen Hamilton9 years ago in Geeks
Best 'Star Wars' Funko Pop! Figures
"Whether it's the X-Men or Breaking Bad, we're going to find some pop culture phenomenon to get you into the hobby." Funko CEO Brian Mariotti's statement about collecting Funko Pop! figures is certainly true, and the company's Star Wars collection is no exception. Geeks everywhere are rejoicing at the prospect of a new Star Wars movie every year for the foreseeable future. To prepare for these exciting events, toy lovers and Star Wars fans everywhere are stocking up on the best Star Wars toys and collectibles. One of the more popular brands out there is Funko Pop!-and why wouldn’t it be? Funko Pop! figures turn your favorite characters into miniature, desk-sized, adorable playmates. They are perfect for kids and adult alike, and are available in a huge variety of characters. In fact, even the Star Wars collection was large enough that we struggled to narrow down our selection of the best. After much debating and deliberation, Geeks brings you our picks for the best Star Wars Funko Pop! figures to add to your collection. Star Wars has a vast line of products that are as trendy as their movies. There is no doubt that the Star Wars craze will continue to grow its audience as they continue to offer a handful of exclusive items to their fans. The Star Wars Funko Pop! figures are a limited line of vinyl figures that started off small in size standing a little over 3” tall and some have now doubled in size. These collectible items will only increase in value over time since production is limited, so if you’re a Star Wars collector make sure you know how many creatures should be on your checklist.
By Geeks Staff9 years ago in Geeks
Hilarious Superhero Spoofs
We don’t quite know how it happened, but over the past 15 years or so we have become infatuated by superhero films. X-Men is often credited as being the first great superhero movie, but it really kicked into pop culture in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Ever since (with the notable exception of the DC universe) the movies have moved away from dark and depressing tones and messages to be more irreverent and full of quips, especially in the wake of films like Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. So naturally, if superhero movies are going to get funny, the parodies of them are going to come thick and fast too.
By Stephen Hamilton9 years ago in Geeks