max – The Sci-Fi Christian

Name: Max

Bio: Max is a comic book enthusiast from New York State. He currently resides in Connecticut and works as a Freelance Writer, Editor and Social Media Specialist.

Posts by Max:

SFC 2014 Trick-or-Treat: The True Horror of The Walking Dead

October 27th, 2014

(Why I’m recommending The Walking Dead…but not for the reason you think)

With Halloween quickly approaching and the uncanny popularity of The Walking Dead (both the television show and its comic book predecessor), it’s safe to say that you’ll be seeing plenty of zombies dragging themselves about in search of flesh…er…I mean candy; but, I daresay I think it would be a much more terrifying sight to see someone dressed up as one of the human villains from the franchise.

When lead protagonist, Rick Grimes, wakes up from a coma, he finds himself in an unknown world; a world in which the vast majority of the population have been turned into the grotesque undead; a world in which those who remain are quickly losing hope. As time goes on, Rick and his band of survivors are overwhelmed with the discovery that the zombies really aren’t all that scary. From the betrayal of friends, to the Governor – the sadistic leader of a “safe” and protected town – to a group of cannibals who use scare tactics in picking their prey, it becomes apparent that those who’ve survived are the ones to be feared.

In issue 84 of The Walking Dead comic, Rick speaks to his son, Carl, about this very notion. He explains:

I can’t believe it took me this long to realize this. After so long, being driven from one place to the next…I noticed, it was always people – that was the problem. I can’t believe I’m saying this…but the dead…they’re a manageable threat.

As both iterations of The Walking Dead progress, the concept of the evil within the human heart becomes more prevalent. Not only are there men and women who pose a threat to Rick’s group due to their sickening survival methods, but the very characters we love, the ones we always desire to root for, also struggle to find a balance between right and wrong — making it very difficult at times to read or watch. When life becomes “kill or be killed,” is it really life at all?

Ultimately, The Walking Dead is about much more than physical survival. With the horrors that the characters have to face daily, especially from the living, we learn that the humans are, in fact, The Walking Dead. So, what we as the audience hope for is the survival of the soul. It’s for this reason I offer you this treat for Halloween: The Walking Dead can be extremely bitter, but it can also be very sweet. Take it from it Rick:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRVlKjXrOs]

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GGB #64

January 21st, 2014

What is Geek Grab Bag? It’s a collection of odds and ends found throughout the week from the Internet. Send in your submissions to be featured in future issues of the column to max@thescifichristian.com

Zombie Doorstop: prevent it from eating your brains and hold the door open at the same time! (Found at Neatoshop.com)

NES Turtle Power! (Found at Technabob.com)

Awesome Star Wars Photography! (Found at Technabob.com and artist Vesa Lehtimaki)

Even Predators can find love. (Found at Technabob.com)

I would be pretty excited if I walked into this Doctor’s Office. (Found at ThinkGeek.com)

Baby Smash! (Found at Neatoshop.com)

Edgar Allan Pooh. Creepy. (Found at BizarroBlog)

*Wink Wink* (Found at ThinkGeek.com)

These guys…

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Michael Douglas Is Ant-Man…Also!

January 14th, 2014

Yesterday, Marvel made an announcement that no one saw coming: Michael Douglas will portray Hank Pym in Edgar Wright’s upcoming Ant-Man film. This comes as a surprise for multiple reasons. First, it was already announced a couple of weeks ago that actor Paul Rudd would be starring in the film as Ant-Man. Though this was the case, it was not clear as to which incarnation of the character Rudd would be suiting up as. Speculation arose that the film might feature both Hank Pym and Scott Lang — the two men who have donned the costume — as Wright had been hinting at the possibility through various media outlets. Well, that looks to be the case!

The other reason why this is such an odd, though intriguing choice, is due to the fact that Douglas is 69 years old. The character of Hank Pym is nowhere near the age of Douglas. Here is Marvel’s official statement:

“With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life.”

The legendary actor, who earned an Academy Award in the category of Best Actor in a Leading Role for his iconic portrayal of Gordon Gecko in “Wall Street,” has also starred in numerous modern classics including “Basic Instinct,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Game,” “Wonder Boys,” “Traffic” and many more. In addition to acting, Douglas has also served as Producer and Executive Producer on a number of films including “Romancing the Stone,” John Carpenter’s “Starman” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” for which he also won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Most recently, Douglas earned a Golden Globe and his first Primetime Emmy Award for his role as legendary entertainer Liberace in the HBO original film “Behind the Candelabra.”

Douglas will star as Hank Pym, who first appeared in TALES TO ASTONISH #27 (Jan. 1962), with Rudd starring as Scott Lang in the film.

Douglas has already spoken out about the role. Here’s what he had to say:

“I’ve been dying to do a Marvel picture for so long…The script is really fun, the director is really good. Dylan (his 13-year-old son) will love it. He’ll have a picture he can see…Sometimes – like [when] they didn’t see you for Liberace – you’ve got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun.”

What are your thoughts on this interesting turn of events?

[Source: Geeks of Doom]
[Source: Comic Book Movie]

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Game of Thrones Season 4 Trailer

January 14th, 2014

Game of Thrones fans rejoice! HBO has released their first official trailer for the upcoming season of their fantasy series. With many returning faces and a slew of new characters introduced, season four looks to be as epic yet bleak as ever!

Game of Thrones returns to HBO on Sunday, April 6th.

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GGB #63

January 3rd, 2014

Wooooo!!!! Where have I been? Probably trapped in some alternate dimension with my memories erased upon return to this world. Well, I’m back now with a new installment of the Geek Grab Bag, featuring many geeky goodies for your delight. Sit back, grab some coffee on this cold, winter day (at least on the East Coast anyway) and enjoy what the internet has to offer.

Bad AT-AT (Via Thinkgeek)

Winter Is Here. Grab a cup of coffee.

Quite the adventurous dining room set (via Technabob)

I’d definitely check this comic out if it were real (via artist PJ McQuade)

Mighty Morphin’ Baby Rangers (via Technabob)

Weddings and Wormholes. (via Etsy)

Awwww cute! (via Thinkgeek)

The Order of X: Cyclops by Nate Hallinan. I would love to see these made into a graphic novel. (For more of Nate’s illustrations, including the other Medieval X-Men, check out his site here)

An explosion of flavor 😉 (via Thinkgeek)

http://youtu.be/f4RbF2tjTt0
World’s first teleported inspired by Star Trek.

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X-Men: Days Of Future Past Trailer

October 29th, 2013

I had my doubts: how could they top X-Men First Class? How could they possibly make sense of the jumbled mess of the first three X-Men films? Well, if the first trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past is any indication, I should doubt no longer. This looks beautiful:

http://youtu.be/gfuQmvZVieU

Thoughts?

X-Men: Days of Future Past is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Evan Peters, Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy, Anna Paquin, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, Shawn Ashmore, Lucas Till and Daniel Cudmore.

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The SFC 2013 Trick-or-Treat with Max: 3 Canceled But Awesome Supernatural (Character) Drama

October 26th, 2013

It’s almost Halloween and you may find yourself in need of a frighteningly splendid television series to watch. You will want something that will fit with the season—where otherworldy creatures loom, where black and white mixes to gray and where you love the characters so much, it’s scary. In your countdown to Halloween, today is your lucky day, because I have some treats for you!

1. Angel (1999-2004)

A Joss Whedon show that doesn’t get nearly as much credit as it deserves, Angel (starring David Boreanaz) is a spinoff of the cult-classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer—but in all honesty, is a better fashioned drama than its predecessor. In many aspects, Angel is the story of redemption. A centuries-old ruthless vampire cursed with a soul now chooses to fight for humanity because, really, he just wants to be human himself; a woman who has only ever thought of herself struggles to act more selfless; a man who thought he could never amount to much seeks a chance at heroism. This series portrays a crew of flawed and tragic characters all trying to find their place in the world, and all doing their best to right their wrongs. Witty dialogue and fantastical yet heartfelt storylines are what make Angel an outstanding show worthy of watching.

(Angel: The Complete Series can be viewed on Streaming Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video)

2. Dead Like Me (2003-2004)

Created by Bryan Fuller (Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies), Dead Like Me is a quirky drama revolving around Georgia “George” Lass (Ellen Muth). As George walks outside for a break during work hours, she is suddenly struck and killed by a toilet seat that had fallen from a space station. In the afterlife, George is thrust into a surreal existence as a grim reaper. Her handler Rube (Mandy Patinkin), and a small misfit group of other reapers meet every morning at a local diner and divvy out their reaping assignments. To humanity, George and her new friends look like people—though not how they appeared before their untimely deaths. Though this dark comedy focuses on a classic icon you might see trick-or-treating on Halloween, it is refreshingly human, molded together with sincere questions on life, death and everything that might come in between.

(Dead Like Me can be viewed on Amazon Prime Instant Video)

3. Being Human U.K. (2008-2013)

A vampire, a ghost and a werewolf all wish to be human. So, what do they do? They rent a flat together and do their best to blend into the neighborhood. No, this is not the beginning of a bad joke. This is the premise of Toby Whithouse’s Being Human—and I promise, it works! Starring Aidan Turner (Mitchell the vampire), Lenora Crichlow (Annie the ghost) and Russell Tovey (George the werewolf), this is a dark, well-scripted British drama that can be humorous, violent, disheartening, brutally honest and beautiful. Being Human is the type of show where as a viewer, you become so invested in and connected to the characters that even in their most desperate hours, it’s hard not to root for them. The characters grow and they make mistakes, but you’ll love them all the same.

(Being Human U.K.’s first four (out of five) seasons can be viewed on Streaming Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video)

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier Trailer

October 24th, 2013

Marvel has a lot going on these days: the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series, Thor: The Dark World hitting theaters November 8th, and a slew of other movies in the works. Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn’t come out until April of 2014, but the first trailer has surfaced online and it looks to be a much darker tone than the first film. Check out the trailer below:

http://youtu.be/S6qD-Io2l1Y

Personally, I think this looks excellent. You can never tell with trailers these days, but it sure seems promising. Am I the only one that can’t wait to see Steve Rogers beat the crap out of, like, ten dudes in an elevator? What do you all think?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier directed by Anthony and Joe Russo stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Emily VanCamp, Sebastian Stan and Frank Grillo.

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