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Assassin’s Creed. I absolutely adore this video game series, and when Ubisoft released the outstanding Lineage mini-series, I was psyched. Live action Assassin’s Creed? Hells yeah. You can watch the full thing for free on YouTube, or if you’d like to scope it out on the big screen in HD… you could pick it up on DVD or Blu-ray.

Assassin’s Creed: Lineage serves as the prequel to Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations. In the story we’re introduced Giovanni Auditore… Ezio’s father. Hunted in the midst of a conspiracy (a popular trope in the Assassin’s Creed series), he’s forced to fight for his life as he tries to expose a dark secret held by some of the most powerful families in Italy.

This is a pretty easy Blu-ray to talk about, considering the entire short film runs a little over half an hour. What you’re really paying for here is the amazing digital transfer (it looks gorgeous) and a number of short featurettes, including some making-of clips and developer diaries. All in all, with the series and the features, you’re looking at about an hour of content here.

On DVD, Assassin’s Creed: Lineage goes for a cheap $10, on Blu-ray, about $12 . The cheap price point, the solid story, and decent mini features, make this a great purchase for that mad Assassin’s Creed fan in your life, or even for yourself. It’s definitely worth the buy if you’re a diehard fan.

Now, for those crazy fans still reading, I’ve got THREE copies of Assassin’s Creed: Lineage on Blu-ray to giveaway. Just leave a comment about your favorite Assassin’s Creed character for a chance to win. I’ll email winners sometime next week.

Requiescat in pace…

Local game developer Cipher Prime, award winning creators of the games Auditorium and Pulse, have recently released an updated version of their addictive music/puzzle game called Fractal. Featuring colorful graphics, cool music, various play modes, and deceptively simple gameplay, Fractal will keep you hooked for hours.

Fractal’s main campaign starts you of creating “blooms”, which is when you connect a group of similarly colored pieces called fractals to create a giant hexagon cluster on the board. For every bloom you create, you also are rewarded with music. The more blooms you take off the board, the more music you hear within the level.

The catch is that you only have  a certain amount of fractals to put on the board while also trying to achieve a certain amount of points per level. As you move through the campaign, the difficulty certainly ramps up. Multiple colored fractals pop up on the board, suddenly making the player have to be aware that the upcoming fractal might destroy an attempted bloom combo.

While playing Fractal I was reminded of the game Lumines, but while that game had a style of gameplay very reminiscent of the classic puzzler Tetris, Fractal feels like it’s own thing. It has its own style  and pace. The campaign doesn’t have you trying to complete a level within a certain timeframe, nor does it suddenly ramp up the speed of gameplay. It all comes down to the player. How the player decides to interact with the level determines the tension and complexity of each level. Needless to say you can discover multiple ways of creating blooms within a level which certainly ups the replay value of the game. (more…)

Over the course of the past couple of years, so-called “Vault” books have showcased the histories of everything from Star Wars to Marvel Comics. What makes these massive coffee table tomes unique is that they include removable material that is the closest thing the publishing world can get to DVD and Blu-ray special features. (Usually these items include reproductions of vintage collectibles, movie posters, crew paraphernalia and other drool-worthy goodies). This holiday season sees the release of two new of these types of releases, and if you are a fan of either the Alien franchise or your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man they are utterly invaluable.

First up, Ian Nathan’s Alien Vault accurately bills itself as “the definitive story of the making of the film,” and for anyone who has ever experienced the terror of Ridely Scott’s masterpiece (that’s right, I’m saying it’s better than Blade Runner), it is a perfect organism full of new insights. As someone who has poured over plenty of books about the flick over the years, I was thrilled to find that opening this vault introduced me to tons of unfamiliar stories about Alien’s production.

Spanning from the movie’s initial conceptualization to its release, it chronicles the inside story behind the sci-fi epic through interviews with the film’s key players. (The sequels and spin-off novels are giving a passing mention mainly to contextualize the saga as a whole…so hopefully we will get an Aliens Vault book someday). Arguably the most fascinating thing about the book is its Chip Kidd-esque design that highlighted by rare and previously unseen photographs — including unused poster prototypes and a terrific picture of the man inside the creature costume, Bolaji Badejo. As for the enclosed items, they feature everything from a replica H.R.

Giger painting of the Space Jockey to a sticker of the Nostromo crew patch design and a mini Japanese Alien movie poster that is just begging for you to frame it. To badly paraphrase the film’s tagline, in your home everyone can hear you scream with delight at how great the Alien Vault is. Okay, that was a really inexcusable joke to make. Seriously though, check it out.

When writing The Spider-Man Vault (published by Philly’s Running Press imprint) authors Peter A. David and Robert Greenberger had their work cut out for them. You see, much of Spidey’s history has already been covered in exhaustive detail in works like Stan Lee’s Amazing Marvel Universe, Lee Daniels’ Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics and the similar The Marvel Vault. Naturally there was bound to be some overlap between this and in those books, but thanks to David and Greenberger’s breezy writing at no point does the material here feel repetitive.

Because the wallcrawler’s complex history is condensed into 190 pages, this book is more of a fun pop culture overview than anything else. The only real sticking point I had with this is that it didn’t spend enough time on Spidey’s TV and film excursions — especially the trippy 1960s cartoon and the insane Japanese live-action TV show from the late 1970s. This small nitpick aside, The Spider-Man Vault more than lives up to its promise of being a “museum in a book” thanks to removable ephemera like reproduction art and trading cards.

On a personal note, I feel obligated to mention that this book actually elicited a squeal of delight from me by including a picture of the ultra-rare “Spider-Man: Old and New” poster that I haven’t seen since I took it off the wall of my childhood bedroom in 1988. That nostalgic trip back in time single-handedly won me over. The fact that the rest of the book is equally great was just a bonus really. Thwip!

Alien Vault by Ian Nathan
$35. Voyageur Press

The Spider-Man Vault by Peter A. David and Robert Greenberger
$49.99. Running Press

No no, not that kind of flashdance (what a feeling!). I’m talking about the impromptu kind, from the era when flashmobs didn’t mean you were going to get beaten up on South Street.

Some dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet popped into the Comcast Center and surprised folks watching their Holiday Spectacular with a short performance in their lobby. Love it.

Thanks to J.T. for the tip!

Photo by Michael S. Zolomij

Illustrator Scott Derby has charmed the heart of TeeFury.com fans with his old school tattoo inspired T-shirt designs, so much so that his most recent design was featured on G4 TV’s segment about cult t-shirts! But he charmed me years ago as a patron of my old comic book shop, Comics and More at King of Prussia mall.

His superhero portraits (Chris Giarusso-esque “mini” portraits) have also been a mainstay of the comic scene here in Philadelphia. Geekadelphia sat down with this hometown hero to get the full story on his love of illustration, comics, and Olde City.

When did you start illustrating? Is it your full time job?

Scott Derby: I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon or pencil, and pursued a fine arts degree in college, which led to adding media communications and technology as a second degree. I started off doing graphic design right out of college, but I always had more of a focus on the illustration aspect of design. Illustration and graphic design is my full-time gig, as well as my hobby and passion (that also happens to throw a little bit of coin into my pockets)…

What are your geek obsessions?

Scott Derby: I geek out mostly to comics and toys, followed by movies and TV, with games being a distant 3rd. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy video games, I just have such limited time to enjoy my already unlimited hobbies…

I hear ya man. So much awesome, so little time. What’s currently in your comics buy pile?

Scott Derby: I’m in a little bit of a transition period lately, comics-wise. Having been primarily
a DC fanatic for most of my 30+ years of reading comics, the recent DCnU revamp has left me feeling a bit unsure and discouraged, choosing to wait until certain specific titles are compiled into trade paperbacks. In fact, most of my comic reading has transitioned to trade paperbacks, due to both lack of funds and being unable to get to the comic shop on a regular basis.

Do I lose geek cred for that, reading trades instead of monthlies? With that being said, Walking Dead and Invincible are still at the top of my reading list. I am looking forward to trades of a few of the DCnU titles, such as Justice League, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash, Action Comics, Swamp Thing and Animal Man. I may even take a few chances with titles like Batwing and Stormwatch. I also find myself intrigued enough to get back into the Marvel Universe with some of the newly revamped X-men titles such as Wolverine and the X-Men and Uncanny X-Men.

Name some of your fave places in Philly.

Scott Derby: Brave New Worlds comics for all of your pop culture needs (Brian is the man…),
Sugar Mom’s (Bowman and Chad; old friends and great bartenders) in Olde City, For dining; Vietnam in Chinatown, Pod in University city, and Buddakan on Chestnut are a few of many great places to visit in the city of Brotherly Love… Alma de Cuba is another great place to eat…

Love Brave New Worlds and Sugar Mom’s as well! What projects do you have coming up?

Scott Derby: As far as upcoming projects; things are starting to wind down right now with the holidays coming up. Just exhibited in a Bill Murray tribute show with Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, as well as had my 6th t-shirt design offered on Teefury.com. I’ve got a few side projects to finish up, such as a tattoo design and a few commissions then back to the drawing board for more group shows with G1988 in 2012, and hopefully some more shirt designs with Teefury.

I need constant stimulation. Any down time in stimulus leaves me antsy and fidgety. I’m the guy who checks email on his phone while stopped red lights, the guy who needs the TV on for background noise. Imagine my restlessness when I use the microwave. Time passes so much slower when I’m hungry and I can see a countdown of the time until I can house some Hungry Man frozen dinner. Good thing some University of Pennsylvania students created the μWave (pronounced micro-wave, mu-wave, or u-wave), a device that helps ease my hunger pangs by distracting me with Youtube videos.

The μWave is a combination of an Internet enabled tablet and microwave. When a user inputs a cook time, the μWave finds and plays a Youtube video the same length as the cook time. Brainchild of UPenn students, the device won first place in the PennApps hackathon securing the students $2,500 and the chance to present their hack to Google NYC.

The μWave is the classic “why didn’t I think of that” hack that solves a problem I never knew I had. By just knowing the μWave exists, I find myself more impatient than usual when I warm up day old pizza. Suddenly, I wish there was a Youtube video playing at work while I nuked instant oatmeal. It would make the office microwave line less awkward and I wouldn’t have to fish for topics to talk about. Waiting for the microwave timer to tick down is more painfully boring than ever.

Using established familiar technology means it is easier for the hack to gain consumer adoption. There’s no new cutting edge hardware with the μWave. There’s no new complex software to learn since nearly mostly everyone can figure out how to use a microwave. The incredible insight comes from the alleviating the minor distress of waiting for something to heat up. That small downtime is replaced by having Youtube entertainment beamed into my eyes while my popcorn is beamed with 2.5 gigahertz waves. The future is now! (more…)

Gone are the days when the mark of a writer could be weighed in the stacks of thoughtful letters typed and shipped off (and then saved by the recipients for decades). But for those who still think an e-card just doesn’t cut it, there comes a movement with a more vintage aesthetic. In bars and coffeehouses across the country and closer to home dedicated typists are ditching their laptops in favor of Underwoods, Coronas and Remingtons.

This Saturday, local businessman Michael McGettigan will host the second annual Son of a Type-In, a jam session for manual typewriters and those who love them. From 1-4:30 p.m. Dec. 10, typers will gather at Bridgewater’s Pub inside 30th Street Station to share in a mutual love of manual writing, clack out some personal letters (in snail-mail form, obviously) and have a beer while swooning over the collection of analog machines.

Using an acoustic guitar affects what music is being played; same with a manual typewriter, writes McGettigan, owner of Trophy Bike Garage in Northern Liberties. Hand typing produces output that appears permanent and polished, yet fallible. It creates an actual artifact that can be immediately examined, mailed, filed, given away or crumpled in a ball and arced into a trash basket.

This weekend, unplug for a while and show the world that typewriters are following vinyl records out of the grave. A
speed typing competition comes with a sweet prize: your own manual typewriter. If you’d rather take it slow, McGettigan will supply stationary, stamps and envelopes to write your own holiday greetings (or love letters).

The event is all-ages (children should be accompanied by an adult) and free if you bring your own manual typewriter and/or a stamped envelope. There will be a limited selection of typewriters to use, if you don’t have your own; just RSVP to phillytyper@gmail.com to save your space. For more info, visit PhillyTyper.com.

Although he still hasn’t quite recaptured his 1970s popularity, Bigfoot has experienced a bit of a comeback in recent years thanks to everything from beef jerky ads to low-budget Lance Henriksen films. Perhaps no other medium has welcomed him back with open, not nearly as hairy arms more than comics. The past decade has seen the nutritiously elusive beast grace works written by the likes of Steve Niles, Pascal Girard and Graham Roumieu. Sadly, this Sasquatch renaissance has yet to impact the City of Brotherly Love in any tangible way. But that’s all about to change thanks to Chris McDonnell.

A co-founder of the Meathaus comics collective, member of the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society and instructor at the University of the Arts, McDonnell has just released Sasquatch’s Big Hairy Drawing Book. Billing itself as “120 pages of dynamic drawing diversions,” the book offers up plenty of terrific doodling opportunities. McDonnell’s imagery is best decribed as a mutated combination of Al Jaffee and Basil Wolverton whimsy with plenty of Yo Gabba Gabba!-style joy thrown in. (Which isn’t surprising given that he has contributed animation to the trippy show). Through drawing monsters and completing half-formed comics and jokes, the book allows readers to free their inner cartoonist — resulting in a joyous experience for kids of all ages.

I recently had the opportunity to ask McDonnell about the release. (more…)

Le Fits: Which one is Ben? *shrug*

Take a break from your busy workweek with Nerd Nite Philadelphia on December 7th. Nerd Nite is a chance for Nerds to come together and listen to presentations, cavort among the Nerds, and drink some quality beers. Nerd Nite will take place at Frankford Hall (the corner of Frankford and Girard). Doors open at $7:30 pm.

Nerd Nite will be presenting three different lectures from Brett Cohen, Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian, and Scott Beibin. These presentations will discuss free will, bone histology and dinosaur biology, and Quantum Transdimensional survival. How’s that for interesting topics? There will also be music by Ben Reisman of Le Fits, with food and drink specials: $6 for a beer and a pretzel, and $8 for a beer and a sausage.

Cover is $5, and there is plenty of seating at Frankford Hall! Make sure you get there and put on your learning caps!

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Geekadelphia likes to get down. It ain’t  all space marines, 10 sided dice, and zombies over here. Sometimes we like to hit up Tatooed Moms in our best moustaches and throw a few back. Other times it’s watching Invincible shut it down over at Kung Fu Necktie. Good times had by all. But we’re always on the lookout for something new to check out when we have to come up from Skyrim for air. Well, I think we’ve found it… Rock and Awe.

From the Kickstarter page:

This season, Jess Conda is a resident artist at Brat Productions, a Barrymore Award winning non profit theater company that has been making cutting edge, boundary re-defining theater since 1996. As part of her residency, Jess will develop and perform as lead artist in a cabaret series that explores the intersection of rock and roll and theater.

These cabarets will involve collaborations with rock musicians and theatrical actors and directors from the Philadelphia area. Each show will have fully realized production values and will be presented as part of Brat’s 2011-2012 season. From Jess:

This series marks a major personal step forward as a lead artist on a project that I am conceiving and developing. These shows aim to find the bridge between the rock and the theater world, as well as do what Brat and I do best–create theatrical events. This residency also marks my first attempt at personal fundraising, another critical part of being an independent artist making original work. Every little bit helps make the series better, pay artists for their time, and helps me grow and define myself as an artist.

You read that right. Rock and Roll cabaret. Jess and Brat have already set up the themes for all three shows, and things are looking pretty good. Check out the list below and then head over to the Kickstarter page and show them some love. You’ve got some time to plan, so if you’re headed to any of the shows next year be sure to let us know. We’ll be there… as long as there aren’t any more Riddler trophies to find.

Rock and Awe Performance Details

Jan 19-21 ETERNAL GLAMNATION
A spectacle of glitter and pop with Brat alums appearing as their Glam Rock alter egos.  Featuring music by David Bowie, TRex, Roxy Music and more

Mar 29-31 LET’S START A WAR
A government-sponsored cocktail party where lounge music collides with punk rock and punk rock wins.  Inspired by the music of the Dead Kennedys.

June 14-16 GET BEHIND ME SATAN
A romantic fantasia set to the White Stripes’ album Get Behind Me Satan.

All shows will be at RUBA Club Studios, 414 Green St., Philadelphia, PA  Doors at 10:00, show at 10:30pm

The Project: Rock an Awe: Three Rock and Roll Cabaret Events

Creator: Jess Conda

The Sweet Spot: $25 will get you a Rock and Awe messenger bag pin and a signed show flyer designed by one of the artists working on the series. Take a look at the video above to get an idea of how sweet that is. For double that you’ll grab all of that goodness and get two tickets to the show of your choice.

Funding Deadline: December 18th, 2011

More Info: Hit the official Kickstarter page, Jess’ Facebook, or the Brat Productions website.

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by locals. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact geekadelphia@gmail.com

Christmas. A time for family, friends, Hobos with Shotguns and the Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence.

Wait… what?!

Yeah, you heard me. The Philadelphia Film Society, full of yule tide cheer, is sponsoring a 3 week long film extravaganza at The Troc entitled Bloody Christmas. The series will consist of 4 films over a 3 week period, and kicks off this Tuesday, December 6th with an event they are calling the Human SANTAPEDE. Do you see what they did there?

They will be screening The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence in all its UNCUT glory and if you wear a Santa Hat, you get a free drink token!  How is that for some holiday cheer? You get to see twelve people attached (CENSORED) to mouth and get a free drink. Who says the holidays aren’t about giving?

If that isn’t enough, December 13th they will be running a double feature with one of my favorite films to hit the screens this year Hobo With a Shotgun with Tucker & Dale VS. Evil. The final film will be the great Finnish film Rare Exports – A Christmas Tale, and that one will be coupled with a Bad Christmas Sweater Party.

This sounds like a lot of fun and a Christmas celebration I can totally get behind. The Troc screenings are 21+ and begin at 8PM with doors opening at 6:30. $3 at the door gets you in and goes towards a drink. Arrive before 7PM & get a free BEER & a bag of popcorn.

Whenever I hear Andy Williams crooning “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” I can’t help but agree with the song’s sentiment. Just not for the reasons you would expect. You see to me the best thing about December isn’t all the Yuletide whathaveyou but rather the holiday edition of R5 Productions’ Punk Rock Flea Market.

In case you have missed out on this twice yearly shopper’s paradise (it is also held in the Spring) in the past, here’s the lowdown: it’s the greatest event in the history of ever.

Okay, maybe I’m overstating things a bit. But hyperbole aside there simply will not be a better place to buy inexpensive gifts for yourself or loved ones this holiday season.

There will be everything on hand from used CDs a plenty to a jaw-dropping amount of vegan foodstuffs. Really though, it’s the massive amounts of nerdy stuff that you just can’t live without that is the main draw here. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the event last year I had scored a Donkey Kong bank, an import Twin Peaks DVD box set from Spain (only $5!) and an old Hallmark Spider-Man Christmas ornament. A pretty fine haul if you ask me.

The beauty of the event is that the majority of the vendors are from the Philly area, so you will be buying local and helping your friends, neighbors and co-workers selling stuff there earn enough scratch to make their holiday dreams come true.

As a bonus attraction this year, the Punk Rock Flea Market will run in conjunction with a Record Fair that will be held across the street at the Starlight Ballroom. I recommend getting to both events early in order to avoid the massive midday crowds — and give yourself a fair shot to get all the good stuff while it is still available. It will cost you $3 to get in both places, but that’s nothing compared to the hip and hidden treasures you’ll leave with.

I tend to spend the holidays walking a tightrope of crushing disappointment and unrealistic expectations. Yet I can always count on the Punk Rock Flea Market to knock the Scrooge out of me. For a little while at least. Maybe you’ll feel the same. Check it out and find out for yourself.

The Punk Rock Flea Market Dome
461 N. 9th Street
Sunday, December 11. 10am-3pm. $3
www.r5productions.com/event/70315/