Ah, May 2nd. Free Comic Book Day. The single day when shops around the world give away comic books to anyone who walks into the store. And our pals over at Brave New Worlds (what’s up guys!) in Old City are happily participating.

What can you expect? Lots of Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion will be there, trooping around Old City. You can also meet Spider Man. Will they battle? My sources say yes.

If you want to RSVP you can visit their Facebook page event. You don’t have to, but hey, it’s nice to see just how many people are swinging by.

PS: Brian, please bring Supergirl to the Old City event.

PSS: No, you can’t hire Bianca. She couldn’t pull off Supergirl.

PSSS: Bianca, stop hitting me.

Brave New Worlds Comics
www.bravenewworldscomics.com

Chuck Palahniuk author of such contemporary literary classics as Fight Club (a great film) and Choke (we would like to forget they made this one into a film) will be stopping at the Free Library of Philadelphia on Friday, May 8th at 7:30pm for an interview by Duane Swierczynski (Former editor of the City Paper, novelist and comic book author) in support of his newest book Pygmy which is set to come out May 5th.

Pygmy is about “a 13-year-old foreign exchange student sent to live with a suburban, white, middle-class family. Oh, and they’re Christians. The visit is for six months, and he’s one of a dozen similar kids, all shipped to America to live with typical families. The secret truth is that Pygmy is a terrorist, trained since infancy in martial arts, chemistry and radical hatred of the United States. He has six months to build a prize-winning project for the National Science Fair. If he succeeds, he and his project will go to Washington, D.C. for the finals competition — where the project will explode, killing millions.” So in typical Palahniuk fashion this one is not for the easily offended.

So come early, even though the event is listed to begin at 7:30 the line is listed to begin forming at 5:00. The first 150 people in line will have the opportunity to have their copies of Pygmy, and two back list titles, personalized. Pre-signed books will be available for purchase as well. This event is free to the public and not suggested for a first blind date.

Unless you have been living under a rock in the anime community you are very well aware of the phenomenon that is Death Note. For the uninitiated, Death Note is the story of Light Yagami an honor student and boy genius who one day finds a mysterious notebook that allows him to kill anyone by simply writing down their name in its pages. This notebook is actually the property of a Shinigami or the Japanese equivalent to the grim reaper used to keep the balance of life and death. Once he discovers the power of the book Light then decides to do what any other spiteful teen with a god complex would do, go on a killing spree. Killing all people who he deems as “evil”(the definition gets very broad as the story continues). He does this by killing any criminal whom he feels the world would be a better place without. It is because of the mass deaths of said criminals he is soon pursued by L, an agent of the International Police organization who also turns out to be a plucky teen genius as well obsessed with anything with sugar in it and bringing the mysterious killer to justice.

The story started out as a manga, was adapted into an anime(which was shown on Adult Swim) and finally was adapted in to not one but 3 Japanese live action movies. The one thing to me that really stands out about the live action movies to me is for Japanese movies they have really high production values, as if they were made with the idea of exporting them to America. The first two movies Death Note and Death Note the Last Name, basically adapt the manga liberally changing the material to fit 13 volumes of manga story into 2 hour and a half movies.  The story I think benefits a bit from this by breaking it down to basics and makes it easier for the uninitiated to understand the basics enough that they might check out the manga or the anime series for themselves after watching the movie. The star of the first two films is Tatsuya Fujiwara whom you might recognize from the classic Battle Royale as Light.

The third movie Death Note: L Change the WorLd, which will be shown for 2 nights April 29 and 30th at select theaters. The first night being subtitled only version(April 29, which I will be attending) and the second night being dubbed(April 30). Death Note: L Change the WorLd is the final movie in the trilogy and stars Ken’ichi Matsuyama who went on to star in the film version of Detroit Metal City. The movie is based on the anime and manga but has an original storyline it chronicles the final 23 days of L’s life, as he solves one final case before the events of Death Note, involving a bio-terrorist group that aims to wipe out humanity with a virus 100 times the power of Ebola. It also shows the orgin of Near another character in Death Note. If your a fan of anime then your use to the same story being retold in manga form, 2 different animes (one being the one the original mangaka prefers) and a light novel, its always nice to have original content. So catch it while you can, I’m really looking forward to this.

Oh and Hollywood is planning a domesticated remake of Death Note Tenatively scheduled to begin production next year. I will stop here, because whenever I hear domesticated remake I am sure god kills kitten.

Want to win Free Tickets to the April 29th showing at the Riverview? We have 4 to give away courtesy of Viz Pictures. For a chance to win simply leave a comment and let us know what YOUR favorite anime film is,  and why.  We’ll pick 2 of you at random(each winner will get 2 tickets, I know your ladyfriend would enjoy the night out for some Death Note Goodness), and announce the winner on Sunday! Thanks again to Viz Pictures for making this contest possible!

Good luck!

Winners Announced Check it out here!

See the trailer Here!

If you have been to a movie theater in the last couple of years you are well aware that they aren’t just showing first run films anymore. From renting out their theaters for your corporate presentations to showing live events theaters are trying their hardest to get you in their seats, even if the movies aren’t doing the job. Fathom events is one of these groups bringing everything from Opera to Anime to cineplexes everywhere. Thanks to the upgrade of digital projection, which most theaters have begun to do. These events have become more common place, since there is no need for a film print and they can simply download the content to be shown.

On April 23 Fathom event will be broadcasting This American Life-Live! with special guest Joss Whedon. Whedon who is well known as the creator of such sci-fi cult classic television series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and my current favorite show Dollhouse. This will not be just an interview with Joss but an actual episode of the radio program recorded live. This American Life is hosted by Ira Glass and features interviews, essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage . The running time listed on the event is roughly 2 hours, so basically what ends up being aired after the fact will be a much more edited version of the program, which normal run time is 1 hour.

People who are fans of Whedon are looking forward to this event for an candid and unedited interview with the man who has been very prominent in the press lately due to the troubled nature of his current show Dollhouse. Since there has been numerous disputes over many aspects of the show with Fox, including Whedon telling interviewers the show has been canceled when the network claims it hasn’t even made the decision yet. There will also be discussion on all things Buffy and Firefly as well no doubt.

There are plenty of theaters in the Philadelphia area showing the event so get you tickets because there has been such a great demand they have already announced an encore of the event on May 7th. So grab your brown coat, and bring your inappropriate starches for a night with the man that gave us some of the greatest television in the last decade.

G2: Geeks who Game has been rescheduled! The hoppin’ game night planned by Geeks Who Give for Philadelphia Futures has been rescheduled from it’s original date for a great reason: there too many Philadelphia Tech events happening on the same night! Oddly refreshing news.

So, again, if you can’t think of anything better than watching your Enterprise re-runs (or even if you can…), come out to Tattooed Mom’s for G2: Geeks who Game! For those of us 21+, there will be everything from board games and card games to allegedly a few made up games, including “Werewolf”… and I’m not even quite sure what that means– but it sounds fun!

The party goes from 6-9pm at Tattooed Mom’s on 530 South Street. Remember, admission is a minimum of 1 jump drive or 1 package of school appropriate office supplies (pens, notebooks, highlighters, etc).

And of course, Tmom’s is keepin’ it real with awesome specials:

$1.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon
$3.00 Yards Philly Pale
$3.00, Philadelphia Brewing Company Kenzinger
$3.00 Hamburgers or Vegan Burgers.

If you can’t attend G2: Geeks who Game, but would like to be involved with Geeks Who Give, Philadelphia Futures or would like more information about either, please contact Kara at info@geekswhogive.org!

Want to stay in the know? Link your little heart out.

GWG Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/geekswhogive

GWG FB Group: http://tr.im/geekswhogive_fb

Game on! The Geekadelphians hope to see you all there.

So, what are you doing next Thursday night? If you can’t think of anything better than watching your Enterprise re-runs (or even if you can…), come out to Tattooed Mom’s on South Street for G2: Geeks who Game!

On March 26th, Geeks Who Give will be hosting Philadelphia Futures Game Night and Mentor Drive. Admission is a minimum of one jump drive or one package of school supplies (pens, notebooks, highlighters, etc).

The evening is in support of Philadelphia Futures, a local non-profit, that has been helping Philadelphia’s youth help attain higher education for two decades. They match students with mentors for the duration of their high school education, and provide academic support with tutoring, college visits, SAT prep and the like. They are “looking for a few good geeks”, mostly in the form of new mentors for their incoming Freshman class to support the city-wide program.

Games run from 6-9pm, and there will be board games to card games, and maybe even a few made up games (I’m hearing rumors about Werewolf) … And, of course, drink specials!

- $1.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon
- $3.00 Yards Philly Pale
- $3.00, Philadelphia Brewing Company Kenzinger
- $3.00 Hamburgers or Vegan Burgers.

If you can’t attend G2: Geeks who Game, but would like to be involved with Geeks Who Give, Philadelphia Futures or would like more information about either, please contact Kara at info@geekswhogive.org!

Game on! The Geekadelphians hope to see you all there.

As geeks prepare to stand in line out in the cold, we here at Geekadelphia will probably be celebrating the release with our friends at Brave New Worlds in Old City.

It will be tomorrow, Thursday, March 5th.  The event starts at 4pm and will last through 6pm.  Tons of give-aways, including free tickets to see Watchmen that night, are just some of the things to look forward to.

After the event, come out with us for some drinks before venturing out for the midnight showing!

Brave New Worlds Comics
45 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, Pa.
Directions

For more details, call 215.925.6525

Coin-op collectors and appreciators, grab a napkin or your sleeve as what you’re about to see is quite an epic collection of arcade cabinets, classic (and extremely rare) console displays and nerd memorabilia. Juilien’s Auctions, located in California, are holding auction sessions for the King of Pop’s treasure trove on April 22 to April 25 in Beverly Hills.  Fear not our fellow Geekadelphians for the auction sessions will stream live worldwide through auctionnetwork.com, which also allows for virtual bidding (technology is incredible isn’t it?).

The absence of his own game in either coin-op or console display form raises disappointment suspicions, but his collection is impressive nonetheless. So if you’re looking for somewhere to spend that tax refund check (what bills?) then why not on the original scissor hands from the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands?

(Image via Gamer Revolution)

New York Comic Con, veritably the nerd mecca, runs from February 6-8. Will any Geekadelphians be attending? Damn right! Not so much because we’re huge comic fans but because of the impressive gaming exhibit — the game industry presence at the NYCC is 50% larger this year! Furthermore, Garnett Lee and Tina Sanchez of 1Up.com, announced plans for a meetup!

Head over to the Stitch Bar & Lounge on Saturday, February 7th, from 7 ’til 10PM. You can read up on all the details over on Tina’s blog, here.

Also, let us know if any of you other Geekadelphians plan to show up so we can toss one back and high-five like only The Todd can.

Some killer icons in the are set to appear at NYCC, including Joss Whedon, the cast of Fringe, Adam and Andy Kubert, Bruce Timm, Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade, N’Gai Croal, Stephen Totilo… the list goes on. And on. And on. Check out the full guest list for yourself. Hope to see some of you there!

Though you may have already seen the video above over at the Philadelphia Weekly website, we couldn’t help but share it here as well. Last week we headed over to University Pinball in West Philadelphia to talk to a few fighting game tournament players in their element (and maybe to use it as an excuse to play Street Fighter IV before it’s impending console release). Brandon DeShields (aka: Demon Hyo) and Doug Morris (aka: Rick_Son) took time out of their evening to tell us about the tournament scene in Philly, the history of University Pinball, how they got started and how you can get involved. Oh, and yeah, we did get totally schooled in Street Fighter IV, just in case you were wondering.

Do we love Street Fighter? I think the answer is an obvious and resounding “YES!” Check out the rest of our various SF-related blatherings below:

-University Pinball immediately following the arrival of SFIV
-Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (enough already!) gets a release date…sorta
-Jeff Walewski reports live from the “Street Fighter IV Fight Club” in NYC thrown by Capcom
-We even covered the silly movie — twice. (We’re confused too.)

I found this in a Google image search, and I just had to use it. Apparently the Kool-Aid Man had his own line of comic books in the 80′s thanks to Marvel. He battled aliens (named the Thirsties) both in space and on the baseball field, and at some point, met Ben Franklin.

Well, the Kool-Aid man is definitely invited to Ben Franklin’s Birthday this Saturday, January 17th at National Mechanics. I just hope he doesn’t mind getting spiked.

The event currently has 75 guests confirmed on Facebook, and we’re expecting a lot more. Why not RSVP, so we know you’re coming? You don’t have to, but we do like the bragging rights.

Drink specials kick off at 9PM. Read all the details here. Hope to see you all there!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben Franklin’s B’Day @ National Mechanics
January 17th, 2009: Drink Specials @ 9PM

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA‎
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com

That’s right, fellow geeks. January 17th happens to be Ben Franklin’s birthday, and we’re helping throw one serious party down at National Mechanics. With over 50 people confirmed for the celebration so far, this is sure to be one stellar bash for history’s biggest geek. Ben Franklin invented a lot of stuff (the wheel, electricity, the internet) and established a lot of firsts here in Philadelphia. It’s only appropriate that we honor his birthday…With drinks!

Head on over to National Mechanics at 9PM and indulge in some Ben Franklin inspired drink specials.

Lots of fun things will be going on, including Ben Franklin inspired cupcakes from Dana and Katie @ Open Source Cupcakes, haiku teacups from Philadelphia’s tea queen, Alexis Siemons, and some fun giveaways and raffles from your pals here at Geekadelphia. DJ John Gills will be on the scene, spinning some beats through the night.

However, Ben isn’t alone in this birthday celebration. The 17th also happens to be the birthday of Far McKon, Philadelphia’s favorite hacker. Make sure you give him some hugs and high fives on his special day.

Come on out and celebrate! You can RSVP over on the Facebook, or just show up. RSVPing makes us happy though, because it lets us know how many of you are coming out, and allows us some serious bragging rights.

Interested in participating in the party? Want to sponsor a giveaway? Contact us and let us know!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Ben Franklin’s B’Day @ National Mechanics
January 17th, 2009: Drink Specials @ 9PM

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA‎
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com