AnimeNext Expo 2015 Review

Hi Everyone,

I had the chance to check out Anime Next Expo in Somerset, NJ. The expo was held at the Garden State Convention Center, as well as the adjacent hotel and the hotels in the area. The convention presented a large amount of variety in terms of panels. I had the chance to sit in on a few panels that offered great information from individuals working in the field. 

There was a fun 3DS event. We were able to do a Spot Pass meet up and receive free Nintendo items that ranged from posters, pins, demo cards, and other fun items. We all covet our spot passes and I was happy that they set up this event. I also enjoyed the chance to interview Kira Buckland. You can check out the round table discussion below.

Adults can have fun too. The later in the night the panels become more adult oriented. There was a Hentai, Cosplay Burlesque, and other 18+ oriented panels.

The dealer room and artist alley was as you expected. I wish there was more tshirt companies but I was able to buy a cute plushie and that is all that matters right! I only have a few gripes. There were just too many people and the panel space was too small. The convention has out grown that space and needs a larger space. This is a great thing to have to gripe about frankly. Overall I enjoyed the convention and would recommend it to all Anime enthusiasts.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Teen Wolf S5, Ep. 1 "Creatures of the Night" Recap and Review

Show starts with a stupid crow sitting on top of the Eichen House gate. Lydia is locked up in the crazy house and is catatonic. Lydia is creeped on and abused by the workers which reminds me of Terminator 2 with Sarah O'Connor. Lydia flips out and has all these awesome powers. She takes out the workers left and right with her fighting skills, screams, and some type of ability to move people with a force from her hands. As she runs outside she is confronted by Aiden which results in her being distracted and being tased by the guards. She says that she has to tell her friends that they are going to die.

 
The boys have Liam tied up because of the full moon. He claims that he is in complete control as they let him go Liam shows that he has something carved into his hands. Parish complains to Sheriff Stilinski about being benched and the sheriff gives Parish a noise complaint to go check out. Parish finds a wall in an abandoned house and it sounds like there is someone on the other side. He works to break the person out. He notices blood start to pour out of the wall and something comes out and grabs Parish by the neck. It has blue eyes and Parish's eyes turn yellow in response. The creature says that Parish is not a wolf but he is something. The creature has glowing claws and asks where is Scott McCall. Parish responds that he has never heard of him.

 

Scott, Stiles, and Liam are in the trusty jeep. Their phones aren't working and the car breaks down. A few close lightening strikes and the car starts working again. Everyone is working together to move a tree. Malia picks it up by herself and Mr. Tate is speechless. The boys stop by and pick up Malia. Mrs. McCall is calling upstairs and realizes that he is not even there but that creepy creature is. Scott gives Liam a pep talk, his hands are torn up do to his nails, and trying to have control. They stop by the hospital and plan to go to the school for everyone to meet up. Some punk kid comes into the precinct and gets upset that he is booked. He ends up screaming that Stilinski is dead. 

Scott stops home and realizes something is off. He notices that the magnets are demagnetized and everything in his house shakes. Parish wakes up with scratches on his chest and steam coming from them. He hallucinates that Lydia is there. In the end he is found by the sheriff. The Sheriff and Mrs. McCall have Parish in the morgue. Parish gets up suddenly and realizes that he is healed and says they need to find Scott.

Kira is stuck in traffic in her parent's car. Scott is on his bike and they meet in the rain and kiss (awe, a bit too cheesy for me). Parish is concerned that the creature can steal a true alpha's powers. The creature shows up at the school and confronts Scott and Kira. Kira whips out a sword from her belt. Fight time! Another person shows up to fight the creature and is thrown aside after a few moves. The creature stabs Scott and his red eyes disappear for a moment but Scott comes back. He breaks the creatures arm and breaks the claws. The creature runs. 

The extra person is Theo a childhood friend who is a werewolf. He plans to move back home and become a part of Scott's pack. The seniors all sign their names on a shelf in the library. Scott signs Allison's initials in remembrance. The creature with the broken arm begs for another chance. Some weird noises are heard from some creepy sci-fi Bio-Shock looking guys. They said the creature was supposed to move the obstacles and is not given a second chance and is killed. Crows rip out of his body. Lydia is back in the hospital and Aiden is asking her what happened. She realizes that he is not real. Lydia says she doesn't remember what happened to her friends but she keep flashes back to all these bad things happening to her friends.

My Thoughts: Great opening of the season. I know we all were waiting for this season to finally kick off as we know there was a tragic death in the lead Tyler Posey's real life. The season appears to be a flashback. We see that Lydia is in the hospital and she is being asked what happened to her friends. We see the flash of most if not all of the scooby gang being killed or leaving. We appear to learn about Parish, Desert Wolf, etc. We all get to know about these people which we were left wondering about at the end of the last season. 

I look forward to this season. They are now seniors and we get to see how this will all play out. They referenced Allison in this episode but come on, we are over her let her just be dead. We also know that Derek left which sucks considering he now has a new ability that I would like to learn more about. Also we have the Steam Punk guys this season. There is just so much going on. What did you think?

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Telltale Games and Mojang Reveal World Premiere Trailer for Minecraft: Story Mode

Leading and award-winning developer and publisher of digital entertainment Telltale Games, and world-renowned game developer Mojang, revealed on-stage today at 'Minecon' in London the world-premiere trailer and first cast details for Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series. Minecraft: Story Mode is an all-new narrative-driven, five-part episodic game series, developed by Telltale in collaboration with Mojang. Set in the world of Minecraft, the game series introduces new characters and familiar themes, but is an entirely original Minecraft experience inspired by the game that continues to inspire a generation.

Players will control protagonist Jesse throughout the season, as portrayed by actor Patton Oswalt. Jesse and his group of friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone; four adventurers who slayed an Ender Dragon. The Order are the very best at what they do: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect. While at EnderCon, Jesse and his friends discover that something is wrong... something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and they must set out on a journey to find The Order of the Stone if they are to save their world from oblivion. The season will feature Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Ashley Johnson, Scott Porter, Martha Plimpton, Dave Fennoy, Corey Feldman, Billy West,and Paul Reubens. Additional casting details for the season are yet to be announced.

"We've worked closely with the amazing team at Mojang to ensure this story is a natural fit for the Minecraft world fans already know and love," said Kevin Bruner, CEO and co-founder of Telltale Games. "As Jesse, players will steer their own path through a tale of adventure and survival; all brought to life by an all-star cast. Through Telltale's choice-based gameplay and a story spanning from the Nether to the Farlands, the End, and beyond, we can't wait for fans to experience this new take on the beloved world of Minecraft."

"The interactive storytellers at Telltale are giving players the chance to explore their own unique interpretation of the Minecraft universe," said Owen Hill, Chief Word Officer at Mojang. "They've crafted a story that follows the logic of Minecraft, but still manages to feel original. It's actually pretty funny too. And the pig is adorable. We're super excited about players digging deeper into the world of Minecraft: Story Mode later this year."

Minecraft: Story Mode will be a standalone product, separate from the core Minecraft game, and will be available to download later this year on PC/Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and compatible iOS and Android-based devices.

Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series is currently in development, and is not yet rated by the ESRB. The series will be published digitally in 2015 by Telltale Games in partnership with Mojang.

For more information on Telltale Games, visit the official website , Facebook, and follow @TelltaleGames on Twitter .

For more information on Mojang, visit the official website , follow @Mojang and@Minecraft on Twitter, and like Minecraft on Facebook.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Watch the MINECON livestream this weekend on Xbox with Twitch

It’s almost here! MINECON will arrive this weekend and from July 4-5, players of all ages and all corners of the globe will gather in London to celebrate Minecraft and its community. MINECON will host Minecraft-related discussion panels and gameplay sessions, as well as keynote speeches from members of the community, building contests, costume contests and exhibits, making this the biggest event yet. The team at Mojang invites you to tune-in to the show throughout the weekend through the official livestream, which will be hosted on Xbox One and Xbox 360 through the Twitch app and available on Twitch.tv.

In addition fans can see events as they happen on the Mojang YouTube Channel.

Three streams will be live at twitch.tv/minecon throughout the weekend:

· twitch.tv/mojang – The main MINECON stream, from the Studio in the Expo Hall (North Halls)

· twitch.tv/mineconstage – Dedicated Main Stage Stream (South Halls)

· twitch.tv/mineconpanel – Dedicated Panel Room 1 Stream (S1 & S2)

Schedule - Note: since the event takes place in London (eight hours ahead of the West Coast in America), the times below start in the morning: perfect for the early risers!

The full viewing schedule is as follows:

Saturday

• 2:00am PT Streams Live
• 2:30am PT - 3:30am PT – Opening Ceremony (Main Stream and Stage Stream)
• 3:30am PT - 11:00amPT – Day content from Studio, Main Stage and Panel rooms throughout the day (all streams)
• 11:30am PT - 8:30pm PT – Re-stream of content from the day for US audience (all streams)

Sunday

• 2:00am PT Streams Live
• 2:45am PT - 3:00am PT – Welcome! (Main Stream)
• 3:00am PT - 9:00am PT – Day content from Studio, Main Stage and Panel rooms throughout the day (all streams)
• 9:00am PT - 10:00am PT – Closing Ceremony
• 10:30am PT - 05:30pm PT – Re-stream of content from the day for US audience (all streams)

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Graphic Novel Review: The Story of my Tits

The Story of my Tits

A Graphic Novel by Jennifer Hayden

There are times as a comic reader that we just don’t get to read great stories as they come out. Theres so much talent and epic stories going on in any given time in this industry that we don’t get to hear about some really awesome comics being done for one reason or another. For me, the year of 2012 I found myself in a different country with internet which unfortunately made me miss this great book.

Now, that I work of Fangirl Review and have the opportunities to read more comics than I ever had before. I decided to look into what I have missed in the off years I got to travel the world. This particular opportunity came knocking when Brett from Top Shelf emailed me of things they were celebrating this year at his company. And one of those books was the amazing graphic novel called “The Story of My Tit’s” by Jennifer Hayden.

Jennifer Hayden is a great comic artist who has created the critically acclaimed online hit “Underwire” that is featured on www.ACT-I-VATE.com every month. She has also wrote a great children's book called “Liberty Cafe” (which my daughter has enjoyed a lot). Hayden’s is always fun for me to check into as a fan and an avid comic geek. So when I heard about the story she had done back in 2012 called “The Story of My Tits”; 1. I had to check it out after knowing its premise and 2. I felt like I needed to share it here on Fangirl Review because of its powerful message. Top Shelf will be releasing its full completion this coming October, 13 2015. So keep an eye out for it in comic shops and book stores.

With that being said. What is Hayden’s “The Story of my Tits” about? It is a slice of hard hitting life about women’s breast cancer. Hayden drew upon her own life struggles with this issue and did the most beautifully poetic thing an artist can do and made it into a great piece of artwork. This story is by no means the faint of heart as it’s a real life memoir from someone’s first person account on the subject manner. However, it is definitely a deeply important literary piece that holds its true weight in salt and should be (in my opinion) bought and read.

Hayden opens up to the reader and tells them that she grew up with this idea that breasts are what makes women feminine and how they are thought to be the main attraction for the opposite sex. However, by the time she is in college she learns her own mother has been diagnosed with having breast cancer. From this point Hayden shares her love and fear relationship she has with her breasts as she watches her mother going through a tough battle that leaves her mother losing her breast. This was hard for me to read since two great women in my life went through breast cancer and survived (though they were able to keep their breasts), this book is an eye opener to the real deadly dangers women face with this disease.

Fast forward a little bit as Hayden then discusses her breasts from the viewpoint of a mother, who gave birth to children and notices her breasts grew in size because of her being pregnant. It is after this that Hayden opens up about her own personal struggle with breast cancer that just floored me as a reader. The strength of this woman is incredible folks. This is by far the best damn comic I have read this year.

Yes it is dealing with a hard issue, but Hayden keeps a clear optimistic view on the whole thing and she even brings her sense of humor to the book that she is known for. She even allows her imagination to make her conscience a bird within this story as she opens up about the fears, regrets, and humiliation that women face in this situation. Mad respect for you Jennifer Hayden, thank you for allowing us into your life and giving us this wonderfully powerful story.

So in closing, on the comic epicness scale what do I rate The Story of My Tits?

• Craptastic
• Die Hard Fans Only
• Awesome Sauce
• Brilliantly Fantastic
• Epic...

Epic! This book is such an amazing piece of art and story that it should definitely belong on your home book shelves.

Thank you for joining us on Fangirl for this review on The Story of My Tits. Hope to entertain you soon,

Sincerely,

FLIP Knox

Google+

The Silence is Broken in UNCANNY INHUMANS #1!

They walk among you, and this Fall – they are blasting to the forefront of the Marvel Universe like never before! You thought you knew the Inhumans? Think again! Prepare for a new beginning this fall as Charles Soule and Steve McNiven, the team that brought you the blockbuster Death of Wolverine introduce you to theUNCANNY INHUMANS! Medusa! Black Bolt! Triton! Reader! Human Torch?! Beast?! Eight months have passed. From her throne on New Attilan, Queen Medusa and her new paramour Johnny Storm seek to bolster Human and Inhuman relations with the world’s eyes upon them. Yet in the shadows, the Midnight King has other plans. Black Bolt now runs covert operations in service of a larger, more mysterious goal. What is he up to? Meanwhile, what could have happened between Inhumans and Mutants to make Beast join up with the Inhumans? Did we mention Kang the Conqueror, the most dangerous villain throughout Marvel’s history seeks to exploit the Inhumans for his own gain?

"Many things have changed in the Marvel Universe for the Inhumans in the eight months since the end of Secret Wars,” says series writer Charles Soule. “Something happened- something gigantic. Something that will affect Inhumans and Mutants alike. The brilliant X-Man Beast, aka Hank McCoy, is now living in the Inhuman citadel of New Attilan, working directly with Queen Medusa and the other Inhumans."

What happened? Better pick up UNCANNNY INHUMANS and keep your eyes peeled for future announcements! A new day is dawning for the Inhumans. But will they survive to see tomorrow? Find out as they are thrust into the spotlight like never before this fall in UNCANNY INHUMANS #1!

UNCANNY INHUMANS #1

Written by CHARLES SOULE

Art & Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN

Coming Fall 2015!

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review