Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
I’ve been trying to not make a big deal about when I’m posting posts. You know, just acting casual like I’m a regular blogger with a regular posting schedule BUT OMG THIS IS MY FIRST FOOD POST IN A YEAR! Isn’t that nuts?! With this …Read More….
Last month marked one year since we said goodbye to a classic. On August 13, 2017, The Great Movie Ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios had its final curtain call. It was an OG ride, there on opening day – May 1, 1989 – and was …Read More….
No, that’s not a special backdrop. We just started decorating for Halloween 😉 Much like my Norse Mythology review,
I won’t touch on any spoilers in the book. But if i do, they will be easy to avoid and only visible if you click on the drop box.
If you can’t wait for the review of the game
and you want to read more about my current obsession with Marvel’s Spider-Man,
check out the recent Gaming Humpday Update!
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover, a novel by David Liss, is the official prequel to the PlayStation 4 game, Marvel’s Spider-Man. Isn’t that awesome?! I mean, yeah, you would totally expect this to be a comic but no, it’s a book that’s a prequel to a game! I was hoping for a comic, honestly. It would’ve been more in line with Spidey. Not to mention I would’ve surely been more inclined to pick up a comic that led into the game rather than a huge, intimidating book. But I went for it. A few of the peeps in the Future Monkeys discord recommended it and the story seemed intriguing enough. And at $7.99 MSRP you can’t really go wrong with trying. (Speaking of which, the link above is an affiliate link, so clicking on it and purchasing it would kick me back a small percentage. Thanks!)
First off, I just said I was hoping for a comic, right? Well I learned quick that’s the wrong mentality. A comic would’ve taken multiple issues to barely get across everything the book did. And while Spider-Man is through and through a comic book superhero, the fact that you’re reading a novel about him kinda throws you off but you get used to it. If you’ve never read a book about a topic or character that you associate with another medium, it can be hard to wrap your head around it. It took me a few chapters to not feel like I was reading a book intended for kids. Once I started getting through the story though, it became another page turner I couldn’t wait to finish.
This Spidey has been doing his web slinging thing for 8 years. Usually when we get fresh perspectives on superheroes in games or movies, they usually like to start from the beginning. Origin stories and whatnot, going through the paces, hammering in the facts that everyone can tell you in their sleep. But no, here, we get a veteran Spider-Man who has been cleaning up the streets for 8 long years. With that, we’re somewhat expected to know a few things. Like his relationship with his Aunt May, or MJ, or Harry Osborn. But the book does a great job in giving us a brief rundown on who someone is and what they are to Spidey/Parker.
The plot was gripping to say the least. At first, I was seeing it as a cartoon in my head. Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD, to be precise, since that’s the one the kids would usually watch and that I enjoy catching. But there’s a point in the story where things start getting pretty dark. The antagonist does antagonist things, and it quickly shifted to a more gritty, realistic Spider-Man story. I’ll get more into that point below in the spoiler section. But that’s when I started to really push through it and had the urge to see what happens in the end.
Something you get a good taste of in the story is not only Spider-Man’s exciting antics, but also the generally mundane and trivial life of Peter Parker. There’s always a struggle between his double edge sword that he sometimes reluctantly carries. That need and desire to have a normal life, and to not be plagued by the demanding role of keeping an entire city safe. But then he has Uncle Ben’s voice in his head, reminding him of the old and true saying: “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Man, that’s a worn out line, but yeesh, its truth is unparalleled. It’s a struggle you see Peter at odds with in this story and after 8 years of being Spider-Man, it’s definitely wearing on him.
I have to say though, with everything this book has going for it, the one thing that really pushes it forward and makes it so great is the fact that it finishes as the game begins.
A huge draw to this book is the fact that it’s the prequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man, which by the way, is reviewing rather impressively right now. And the fact that you can get into the book, finish it, then turn on the game and continue where you left off in the universe is a readers dream.
I started getting skeptical towards the end. Started to feel as if it was all going to come to a dramatic pause with the last page saying “Now continue the story in Marvel’s Spider-Man!” But no, rest assured, there is closure to Hostile Takeover.
So if you’re not interested in playing the game and you’re just looking for a cool new Spidey story to get into, you’ll be totally satisfied getting into it and seeing it to the end. But man, if you’re reading this in preparation for the game, you are in for a treat.
There is a slight overlap where part of the final confrontation in the book is playable as the opening sequence for the game, and it flows perfectly through. Not only is it beyond satisfying to play as the exact character you’ve just envisioned in your head throughout a 400+ page novel, being able to feel as if you’re a part of the outcome makes me giddy as a fan. Not to mention being able to see and interact with other characters in the game that you’ve read about and developed relationships with in the book. For me, it gives an entirely new level of immersion to the universe, one that you wouldn’t get to experience if you only played the game or only read the book. And the swinging! My goodness, the swinging.
As a little side note, in case you weren’t aware. I’m a huge gamer, and always have been. Even had a podcast once but that’s not the point! Point is, I always loved games for the immersion they allow you to experience. The worlds you’re able to see and be a part of have no equal. Books are also a love and can also transport you to other worlds, sometimes with greater imagination and scopes. I can’t say I’ve ever felt as complete as I do with reading Hostile Takeover and playing the first few hours of Marvel’s Spider-Man. You get an encompassing experience that every Spidey fan would love to get lost in.
And that’s where I am now. As you can probably tell, I’m a fan of Hostile Takeover. Even without it being a prequel to a game that I was already greatly excited for, it held up on its own and doesn’t need to be followed up by anything. If you’re reading this and you already played Marvel’s Spider-Man, or are currently playing it, don’t let that stop you. There’s nothing wrong with being able to read prior events of the grander story when you can’t get on your PS4, or learning more about what happened before everything went south in NYC after you already saved it in the game.
With THAT said, I would say you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re a gamer and you read this and you don’t play the game afterwards. The sense of continuing the universe you’re already invested in is satisfying to say the least. Characters mean more, events have greater impacts, all around it just makes the entire package that much more enriched. Do it. It’s 400+ pages but it goes quick.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have story missions to ignore while I swing around New York City collecting backpacks.
TWO HD UPDATES?! I know, this is madness! I’ve been wanting to get back into doing these. It seems my podcast replaced these updates in my mind, as I tended to talk a lot about what was going on on a weekly basis. …Read More….
Whoa it’s been a long time since I did one of these! Last one was waaaaaaaay back in 2014!! Can’t believe it’s been that long. You should check out that link. If you follow gaming, it should be a nice trip down memory lane. As …Read More….
Oh, summer. I hardly knew, thee.
Actually yeah, I knew you. You were unbearably hot, and you made my kids think because there’s no school that they can do anything they want like stay up till 11 every night and not do any chores. You were a jerk, summer, I’m not going to lie. Still, you are undoubtedly good at making memories, I’ll give you that. Ever since I was a kid you liked to butt in between spring and fall and cause all sorts of ruckus with your seemingly endless days of playing and family vacations. I guess you’re that jerk that everyone expects to be a jerk but you’re still there for everyone when they need you.
Even though I curse the summer thanks to my kids who don’t seem to quite grasp the concept of authority and behaving, that doesn’t stop us from trying to enjoy it and have a good time. We like to try our best to make things memorable. We know they’re not kids forever and even though they can be ungrateful little turds sometimes, we try to savor the moments when they’re young. My last post was talking about last year’s cruise. It was a warm up to get back in the swing of things here. So now, I want to talk about this summer. That’s right, we’re getting closer to present day, isn’t that exciting?!
The first big thing we did this summer was something out of the ordinary for us. I remember it well. It was spur of the moment, which is usual for these sorts of things with us. We had gone a few weekends being stuck in the house and whatnot, and the one day we had free It was supposed to rain. Trying to find something to do indoors, I suggested something I never thought the wife would go for – Orlando MegaCon!
This was the first convention for all of us, so we didn’t know what to expect. I have been wanting to go to one for years, of course. I mean, c’mon, this is the gathering of my people, how can I not?! It seemed like something the kids would really dig too so the wife gave in and the rest is history.
After explaining the custom of cosplaying to the kids, they quickly thought of who they wanted to go as. So, we rolled up as two boring parents with a Slytherin Hogwarts student, and Boba Fett. I know, I wanted to dress up too, but my Ghostbusters jumpsuit was at the cleaners.
It was overwhelming at first, but we just picked an aisle and started walking. Sooooooooooo many awesome things to see, I couldn’t stop turning my head left and right. I was like a kid in a candy store with all the various things to buy, all the amazing cosplayers, it was sensory overload.
Walking down the hall to get to the actual convention floor the kids ran into Bendy from Bendy and the Ink Machine. Yeah, I dunno, some horror kids game that they used to love watching on YouTube. Thanks, YouTube. I’m so happy you’re mostly banned from this house now. (But that’s a different post!) It was a little girl dressed up as Bendy and the oldest couldn’t believe a girl dressed up as a character he was so into at the time. Having that be the first encounter with a cosplayer was so great. It really set the mood for the rest of the day for all the amazing stuff we were going to see.
Like the CAT5 Ghostbusters! They were the first stop and it was like living my childhood dream. Seeing and hearing the proton pack turn on was so awesome. I’ve always had the fantasy of one day looking up the plans and building my own pack, but that’s a dream that’ll most likely never come true. These guys and gals though, they’re livin’ it. Even broke out a fresh sample of ectoplasm for the kids to play with.
The Ecto 1M wasn’t the only cool car there. The Batmobile was being shown off in all its glory. And it just so happened to be my favorite Batmobile – the one from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. Seriously, I’m ready to throw down if you disagree.
Also found was a Jurassic Park jeep and Explorer. With the kids into dinosaurs, they can’t seem to get enough Jurassic Park. And rightfully so, I’m right behind them geeking out just as bad.
Dalek Builders was another stand out thing we saw. We used to be big on Doctor Who in this house, and still love it. But it isn’t something that has been watched or brought up in a while. But that didn’t stop us from loving some custom-built Daleks and a TARDIS!
The 501st had a presence, as well as Southern R2 Builders, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t give the Hufflepuff Jedi his rightful time in the spotlight!
Seriously, he is tied with the Stormtrooper on vacation for best cosplay I saw! And no, it has nothing to do with being a Hufflepuff myself… Sorry, that was a lie. Geeze, lying like a Slytherin, what is wrong with me?!
You know what? I’m just going to throw all the other pics into a gallery, so you can scroll through and see everything I captured. Enjoy!
Oh, and my Instagram posts! I have a few videos on there of some pretty cool stuff. Like here where we were playing with the ectoplasm and admiring the inflatable Baymax.
And here, where we saw R2-D2 rolling about, an AWESOME Work Loader cosplay from Alien walking around, proof of my wife stalking Elijah Wood signing autographs (totes not me), and of course, the Hufflepuff Jedi.
It was an amazing experience that I was happy to share with the family. I know the kids had a lot of fun just walking around and seeing everyone dressed up. And that’s what it’s all about, just enjoying yourself and having a good time. I mean, while the wife was “cosplaying” the paparazzi with Elijah Wood, me and Lucas walked 20 feet, saw the walking Work Loader from Alien, then we turned around and were greeted by a giant inflatable Pikachu dancing in the middle of the floor, and then we heard R2 beeping around and we followed him for a bit, but we couldn’t go too far because there were Daleks just ahead. It’s total geek overload and there’s awesomeness in every direction. And we only got to see a fraction of it! Can’t wait for next year to hopefully see more.
Before I get into the Carnival cruise, let me tell you how we’ve been doing here. We’re a little more than half way through the summer and it’s been a busy one. And no, I don’t mean with the kids driving us to the point …Read More….
Ok, I’m a little out of my element here, reviewing a book, but I guess there’s a first time for everything, huh? This should be relatively short with minor spoilers hidden in a drop menu for your convenience. Maybe I’ll do this again, maybe I …Read More….
A long time ago on a blog never, ever updated… I had plans to write up a post dedicated to Star Wars. I could tell you exactly when it was – about this time, in 2015. How do I remember? Because it was the year The Force Awakens released. My post was going to be published on Star Wars Day, May the 4th – because you know, us bloggers just love us some made up holidays to dedicate posts to – and I was going to focus on how much faith I had in J.J. Abrams and what he was going to do with The Force Awakens. Not only because he’s (still) one of, if not, my favorite directors/screenwriters today, but because I knew it was going to be easy for him to do it.
Haha, OK, not easy in that sense. Breathing such new life into an iconic and beloved franchise is madness. But easy in that he’s accomplished, has the capability, and most of all, he’s a fan.
Not just a fan, a superfan, as described in this 2015 Wired Magazine interview with Scott Dadich. Like that? How I am pulling interviews from 2015 like I’m a time traveler. Well, I remember reading that when it was first published so ha! Anyway, J.J. being a huge fan of Star Wars was not only amazing for him to be able to direct Episode VII – and Episode IX in 2019!!! – but it was great for us because we had essentially one of our own as a director.
Not just someone who casually knows about the franchise and wants in on the name. No, it was someone who grew up loving Star Wars and who lived and breathed it.
Look at me, getting all soap boxey. I’m not here to talk about the post that almost happened. I’m here to give you the post now!
Star Wars is everywhere. It’s always been everywhere. Like the Force, it surrounds us and penetrates us. Sometimes it lays dormant, waiting for a time to awaken. Back before Disney was making it rain and bought Lucasfilm, we had that magical time where the latest movies we had from the beloved franchise were the prequels… Yeah. Well, honestly, I can’t dog them too much. I liked the prequels for what they were and even though they weren’t as memorable as the original trilogy. They served their purpose of reminding this generation that Star Wars exists. Not to mention they gave birth to what is one of my favorite shows/eras from the universe – The Clone Wars! Soooo I may be biased.
Seriously. If you’ve never seen The Clone Wars, you need to get on it ASAP. It’s such a joy to watch. Call me a sap but I have a soft spot for good animated shows. The characters, the stories. You get to see what it was like to live in a universe where the Jedi were abundant and the war between good and evil was clear. Also, you get a lot more in depth with Anakin, watching him evolve as a Jedi Master, and slowly slipping towards the dark side in some episodes with the subtle sound of The Imperial March playing at a slow tempo in the background . UGH, SO SO good.
Ok Ok Ok, I keep getting distracted!
What I was trying to get at was that I remember a time when Star Wars wasn’t on anyone’s mind. There weren’t any TV shows, no movies to look forward to, no merchandise filling up stores like there is today. None of that. But now? It’s hard to go outside and not see or hear something about it. There are a lot of people who say everything is over saturated now. Too much of a good thing is bad. Blah blah blah. Look. Here’s how I see it… You can complain and moan and groan about your precious franchise being overdone and too mainstream or whatever else you hippies like to complain about. But the fact of the matter is, you are not the only ones who take this in. You’re not the ones who dress up like their favorite characters and parade around the house playing with toy lightsabers.
…Ok, maybe you are…
But you know what I mean. This is a great and amazing time to be alive if you’re a fan. But fact of the matter is, nothing beats living in this time as a kid.
More specifically, my kids. Hahaha. Yeah, your kids may love Star Wars too, but see, that’s the point. The next generation of kids are gobbling up all of this “over saturation” as if it was a free ice cream party in the middle of summer. They don’t care that everywhere they turn they see and hear something about Star Wars. They LOVE it!
And you know what, so do I. Not only because I actually do love it, but because I know my kids love it. And I know there was a good chance we could’ve seen things play out very differently. Lucas could’ve sat on his legacy and let it die. Some other studio that lacked the means and will Disney have could’ve bought it up and we would’ve gotten lackluster attempts at rekindling an old fire instead of starting a new one. There are so many different roads we could’ve found ourselves on. So many ways this could’ve played out.
And I’ll tell you what, I am BEYOND happy where we are. Not only for me as a fan, but for my kids. My kids who get to grow up with so many memories of playing Stormtroopers or waiting to watch the new movie or listening to The Imperial March on repeat as they’re getting dropped off at school. It’ll put a smile on my face every time.
Heck, in all honesty, I didn’t have that growing up. I was a Ghostbuster/Ninja Turtle kid and have so many memories based around those two franchises. But Star Wars was never something I was into, or even knew about. I never even watched the original trilogy until I got it on DVD as a gift from my mother in-law back when my wife was just my girlfriend. I used to work in a huge movie theater here in Orlando and when Episode II came out it was such a big deal and I just didn’t get it. I had co-workers who were older than I was telling me they know so and so from the production team and they’re this close to finding the last piece they need to complete their Stormtrooper outfit.
And I’m just there trying to act like I knew what they were talking about. I think I watched Episode I and thought to myself that I get it, this is cool. But THEN I watched the trilogy and THAT’S when it all clicked. That’s when I was all trying to use the Force to get something from across the room. Don’t act like you haven’t tried. Tell me you didn’t and you’re a freaking liar. Shoot, I just did it yesterday, come at me.
So you see, Star Wars isn’t embedded in me like others. It’s not a huge part of my childhood like it was for so many nerds my age. But you know what? My kids are 8 and 4 and it’s ingrained in them already. As you can see from the insane amount of pictures and videos in this post, they have so many experiences and memories with Star Wars already, that I can’t begin to count. And that number will only grow because next year, Star Wars land – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – will be opening in Hollywood Studios and it will be absolute insanity. Can. Not. Wait.
Don’t get me started on all the awesomeness from the theme parks. Like what’s already in Hollywood Studios, seeing and interacting with Stormtroopers walking around, The March of the First Order, character meet and greets, Jedi Training Academy, the list goes on and on. And Star Wars Weekends! I miss Star Wars Weekends so much, it’s a shame they stopped doing them.
But when that new land opens up, I guess every day will be Star Wars Weekend, huh?
Speaking of Star Wars Weekends, remember that time we went?? I did a mega post on it, how could you forget? It was an awesome time and there are a ton of pictures from there. I think it was one of Seb’s most memorable vacations, when he got to train as a Jedi and fight Darth Vader. Ugh. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
So here’s to more Wookie-sized memories.
More lightsaber battles.
More Jedi training.
More of this fandom that makes so many people happy. Over saturate us with movies, TV shows, books, comics, everything. Enrich characters with more backstories, bring to life things we’ve only heard mentioned once in the original trilogy (like The Clone Wars!). Things like that are what make the universe so engrossing. It’s what makes this fandom such a joy to be a part of. And it’s what will keep our children making memories for themselves, so they can grow up and remember that time they imagined themselves a protector of the galaxy, or a fighter pilot of a starship, or a Captain who can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. Keep all of it coming and give our kids and most of us grown up nerds something to spark our imaginations.
And as always, may the Force be with you.