Major Spoilers – Giving Holiday Thanks

There are plenty of things to be thankful for this year.  On this holiday the Major Spoilers Crew sat down to reflect on the geekier side of giving thanks.

Stephen Schleicher

Executive Producer

1.  The Legion of Major Spoilerites
Without fantastic readers like you, the Major Spoilers Experience would not be what it is today. Without your dedication in spreading the word about the site, the forums, the podcasts, and everything else Major Spoilers related, we would have shuffled back to our Nerd Rooms of Doom years ago.  Of course now that we’re here, we’re not going anywhere, so you are kind of stuck with us.

2.  Small comic publishers
While DC takes up the bulk of my comic reading, the number of comics from smaller publishers (Dynamite, Boom! Studios, Zenescope, and so on) are quickly catching up, as I continue to discover there are titles out there that don’t require capes to tell a great story.

3.  Finding my inner nerd
Who would have guessed that I would totally nerd our this year diving into games like Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering?  The nerd in me is thankful to have found new outlets to get my geek on, and I’m sure my wife is even more thankful my new outlets are not rubbing off on our son… yet.

Matthew Peterson

Contributing Editor

1.  Geek Chicks
From Olivia Munn to the Super-Future-Friends to the ladies in shops across the country (Hi, Samantha!), no longer does reading comics equal the death of cool.  Women are nerds too, and many of you are bigger ones than even me.

2.  Non-Superhero Titles
Even though I am a huge fan of super-teams, superheroes, and the whole cape and cowl mystique, it’s not Soylent Green.  If the comic book industry is going to survive, diversification is the word.  Titles like Zorro, Criminal, Cthulu Tales, Scott Pilgrim, Buckaroo Banzai, the return of Disney comics…  All these are indicators that you don’t HAVE to have Batman to move quality books and gain strong fanbases.

3.  You, the Faithful Spoilerites.
If not for you, I’d still be nothing but the weird guy with the Iron Man toy on his desk…  Now, I’m the weird guy with the Iron Man toy on his desk AND that website T-Shirt, and all that wouldn’t be possible without all of you.  I don’t ask that you agree with me, or even that you like me, just that we keep talking about our various obsessions about the world of pop culture and extreme geekery…

Rodrigo Lopez

Major Spoilers Forum Moderator

1.  Legal (and often free) ways to stream tv shows over the net.
It’s allowed me to get into Dr. Who, V and other such shows.

2.  Other people I know getting into DMing.
Because it’s exhausting to be the ONLY person running a games.

3.  Autotune the News.
Best new thing on the internet (other than the Critical Hit podcast, of course)

Skrull Bryan

Tripping about in time and space

1.   Steve Jobs’ new liver

2.   My local library’s growing Graphic Novel section

3.   Hulu.com for my son who is totally into Bakugan

Victoria

Contributor

1.  Blackest Night
I literally screamed after finishing Blackest Night #5! Geoff Johns compelling story telling combined with Ivan Reis art is proving to be one of the most thrilling stories ever to be told in comics and leaves me wanting more.

2.  The Wonderful World of Cosplay
While some people are addicted to sports or online gaming, my addiction is the hobby of cosplay. I can never get enough of bringing comic heroines to life and am constantly brainstorming on which character to tackle next (hint: fishnets and a top hat).

3.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Okay, I admit I’m a little late on this one. Throughout Buffy’s seven season run, I watched the show occasionally but could never really commit. Now I’m enjoying all the horrors of Sunnydale thanks to the DVD box sets and am currently on season two.

Sam Dunham

Contributor

1.  Lloyd Kaufman
For his “unique” look on filmmaking, and for giving us films like Poultrygeist, Class of Nuke’em High, and of course Toxic Avenger.

2. Whoever from Marvel who decided to greenlight the Agents of Atlas comic
For giving us a chance to see a picture of a robot holding a machine gun-toting gorilla in Khaki pants.

3. Chuck Norris
For providing me hours upon hours of video entertainment, and for not attacking me after midnight (because, as you know, Chuck Norris does not sleep… he waits).

And of course Major Spoilers.com, for giving me a chance to prattle on an on about the films I enjoy.

Otter Disaster

Major Spoilers Adventures

1.  Bitstrips
My favorite site on the web after Major Spoilers. I always wanted to make comics, but never felt I had the artistic chops to do so without great embarrassment to myself.  Simplifying the art chores with a simple character creator, scene builder, and props, Bitstrips allows me to create comics. I’ve learned to appreciate a lot about the art form of comics by making my own.  In addition Bitstrips has a great community of creators who are supportive, offer truly constructive criticism and who are always willing to share an art trick or two(Thanks BoomMike!). Bitstrips has also allowed me to participate in the very geeky 24 Hour Comics Day, two years in a row. Without Bitstrips I wouldn’t be able to produce the weekly adventures of Stephen, Matthew and Rodrigo.

2. Digital Video Recorders
I love my DVR. Love it!  I can watch more geeky shows now than ever before. I can make sure I never miss Lost, Stargate Universe, Chuck, Doctor Who, or a rare cable appearance of the classic horror movie, Carnival of Souls. I can re-watch them repeatedly at my leisure. I still have the last 3 episodes of Pushing Daisies saved.  I can’t bear to part with them. And I still haven’t watched Torchwood: Children of Earth, but I know that I can, when I finally have the time!

3.  A Geek Friendly Wife
Nothing beats having a wife who tolerates geeky pursuits.  A closet full of long boxes that could be used for her shoes is a testament to her patience.  She sits quietly (most of the time) while I watch V or Battlestar Galactica, and is quite the Doctor Who fan in her own right. Favorite Doctor? The fourth.  She’s also pretty keen on the tenth.  She can school me on Red Dwarf, and has an affection for Blake’s Seven. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai played an important role in our meeting and eventual marriage. She will hyper-analyze the likely D&D alignments of a myriad of fictional characters.  She has her own comics. She thinks Jeff Goldblum, Jack Black, John Malkovich, and Breakfast Club era Anthony Michael Hall are sexy.  I am a lucky man.

Major Spoilers Robot Overlord

Overlord
1.  Meat bags like you
The more meat bags that are drawn into the site by my underlings, only speeds up the upcoming Robot Revolution.

2.  The upcoming Robot Revolution
It’s coming sooner than you think

3.  Stephen, Matthew, and Rodrigo are finally under my complete control.
Next up, Victoria, Sam, and Stacy…