Spooky Outhouse Productions

I am a fan of Vampires and werewolves.  If there is a movie that involves either of these monsters, I will give it a shot.  This predilection causes me to see some awful movies.  It was the reason that I went out with friends last weekend and saw Dark Shadows.  It was not a bad movie but it wasn’t a good movie either. Dark Shadows stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, and Eva Green.  The movie follows the plot of the original soap opera from 1966.  Barnabas Collins, played by Johnny Depp, is a powerful playboy in Maine during the 1700′s.  He breaks the heart of a young witch during one of his many flirtations.  In retribution, she curses his family, kills his only true love, and ultimately turns him into a vampire.  Her final retribution is to imprison him in a coffin and bury him.  He is freed from his prison in 1972 and begins the process of finding his family and recovering the wealth and power that the witch has stripped from him over the intervening centuries.     The bulk of the movie is taken up by Barnabas Collins trying to reintegrate into his own dysfunctional family and a society that has long since left him behind while dealing with the witch that has brought all this upon him. The trailers for the movie give you the feeling that this is a comedy. This is not a lie but a bit of an exaggeration.  The movie tries to....

A bonus cut of us shooting the breeze with Josh and James!

Thanks to Tad for his voice mail this week.

Congrats to Lena and Menolly for their 25s this week.

Another action-packed episode of 16bit News is right here!! Kickstarter Korner: Carmageddon A classic, reborn! Two Guys from Andromeda: SPACEVENTURE From the guys behind the Space Quest games. Grim Dawn Made by some members of the old Titan Quest team.

I was looking back at my post about Marvel comics in general and  Avengers versus X-Men in particular and realized that I’ve been somewhat harsh on poor Marvel.  To that end, I want to tell you about a Marvel comic that I am enjoying and you might like as well.

Scarlet Spider has just recently started over and released issue five last week.  It is written by Chris Yost with art by Ryan Stegman.  The story follows the exploits of Kaine Parker, one of the Spider-man clones created by the Jackal and discarded as a flawed creation.   I had not picked this title up as it was both a marvel book and part of the Spiderman mythology.  I had picked up several other marvel titles that had been recommended as good jumping on points  and was still left with the feeling that I was missing most of the story.  This feeling was doubled when I thought about anything related to Spiderman as his story is long and somewhat convoluted.

It was my friend Edgar who finally convinced me to give Scarlet Spider a chance.  I am glad he did as the first issue did an excellent job of communicating an involved back story in a manner that was both exciting and informative.  You are quickly shown that Kaine is not the Scarlet Spider that has existed before.  He is a clone  but due to errors in the process his body was degenerating  and was struggling  to find some peace in the little time that he had left.  It was through the heroic actions of Peter Parker that Kaine was given a second chance at life.   With a second chance at life, Kaine is on the run from all the things he has done in the past.  He decides to stop running when he is confronted with human traffickers in Houston that have allowed people to die in an box as they argued over money.

The tag line for this title is ” All of the power.  None of the responsibility.” Scarlet Spider does an excellent job of fulfilling the promise of a hero that does not fit the Spider-man mold.  Instead of an upbeat hero tossing off one-liners in combat, Kaine is brutal and direct.  The main conflict for Kaine is becoming his own person instead of becoming a distorted copy of Peter Parker.  This theme is ever present and provides for bits of levity.   An example of this is when a recurring character says “For Pete’s sake!” in exasperation while dealing with Kaine and his response is please don’t mention him.  The artwork also highlights this distinction as well.  It is  bright and colorful which is what one expects from a Spider-man title but stands in stark contrast to the shadows in which Kaine lives.

A title well worth giving a look.  The art is great and the writing is excellent.  Since it is on issue five, it is very easy to pick up the current story line and be ready for the new issue next month.  What more could you ask for in a comic?  If you were looking for a Marvel comic to pick up, you can not go wrong with Scarlet Spider.

We check out the Avengers

In the seat:

We are giving away a one year subscription to Marvel Super Heroes Magazine to one lucky winner thanks to the kind people of Disney Publishing.  This contest is for U.S. residents only.

There are two ways to enter this contest.  One way is to email us at zerofortitude@gmail.com and tell us your favorite Marvel Super Hero.  This gets you one chance for name to be drawn.  The other way is to leave us a review on iTunes.  This will give you two chances for your name to be drawn.  This contest ends May 28, 2012.  Good luck to everybody!

 Disney Publishing recently unveiled the brand new 36-page publication for its youngest comic readers. Available on newsstands and by subscription, kids can now join forces with their favorite Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and The Incredible Hulk. Inside every issue there are action-packed comics and a never-ending cast of villains ready for battle. Inviting families to bring home the “Mighty Marvel Universe,” the magazine features brain teasing puzzles, cool activities, cut-outs, plus an exclusive poster of the Invincible Iron Man.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE MAGAZINE?

Amazing Comics: All-new adventures of familiar Marvel Super Heroes.

Pull-Out Posters: Hang up full-color posters of the Avengers of the Marvel Universe.

Mighty Marvel Fun: Games, puzzles, cutouts, quizzes, Super Hero IQs, collectible bios plus loads of other fun pages.

ABOUT DISNEY MAGAZINES

 From the magic of Disney Princess and Disney Fairies to the exciting world of Disney·Pixar Cars, Disney Publishing Worldwide’s Global Magazine division publishes a kaleidoscopic range of children’s content with approximately 250 titles in 72 countries around the world. For kids, Disney’s Standard Character titles are by far the most popular, including Topolino, Le Journal de Mickey and Donald Duck, with content targeting boys, girls, and tweens through familiar franchises, including Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh, and Cars.

In this episode, Todd and Timo have a nice little chat with Meg Baker of Night Sky Games about all sorts of stuff including her gaming history, her games Psi*Run and 1001 Nights, how her understanding of education and having kids affects her understanding of games, and designing with certain experiences in mind. Meg has [...]

Want to cause your liver some damage?  Drink every time we talk about John Carter’s marketing, Humberto Ramos/John Romita Jr art, or Paul says “gotta be honest!” The Avengers! Fear the Con 5 Free Comic Book Day The Valiant Relaunch (X-O Manowar #1) DC’s New 52 – 2nd Wave Night of the Owls The Secret of the Indigo Tribe Avengers vs. X-Men Ends of the Earth Daredevil #10 The Spider #1 Give us a call at 972-763-5903 and leave us your thoughts. If we use your voicemail, you’ll win an Ideology of Madness SurPrize.

First order of business- Want to represent The Tower? Here’s how you can make a difference:

Each year RPGPodcasts.com (which we’re a member of) conducts a listener survey. The past few years we haven’t mentioned it, but this year we want our voice to be heard. Take a minute and fill this out, and please share the link with anyone you know who listens.

RPG Podcast Listener Survey

Now on to the show!

Another NQT3M

Ian’s Irish-vampire blood is a double curse in the daylight.

We get a more personal look at Spyke.

Everything Chris Hardwick. And things get a little Harry, Knowles that is.

The force known as Felicia Day. And her Geek and Sundry.

Wil Wheaton is still cool.

We talk a bit about violence and competion in video games, and how that may effect kids.

And be involved parents. Know what your kids are into and take time to look at it.

And as always, share your geek love with others.

Hosts:
Ian
SpykedNightmare(Kyle)
Lance

This podcast is part of the Spooky Outhouse network of shows. Find more great podcasts and read the full show notes at Spooky Outhouse or The Sideways Tower And don’t forget to check us out and give us a Like on our new Facebook page The Sideways Tower Podcast

Our intro/outro music is by local band Suckerpunch. You can check them out of Facebook here: Suckerpunch

* James and Josh are in the studio!

* Denim

* RPG Podcast Listener Survey

* James from Black Guard Press and Non-Essential Personnel

* That’s Wizards’ Chess, Harsh Digs Bra, That’s Racist

* Game of Thrones thing

* Dollar Shave Club

* Fact: Cobie Smulders is hotter than Scarlett Johannsen. Also, women were awkward in Avengers.

* Community jazz music: http://t.co/GpTBxGCZ

Part 4 of our 5 part Rock ‘n Roll series

Release date:  9/7/2001

Warner Bros.

Directed by

• Stephen Herek

Produced by

• Robert Lawrence
• Toby Jaffe
• George Clooney (executive)
• Mike Ockrent (executive)
• Steven Reuther (executive)

Written by

• John Stockwell

Cast

Mark Wahlberg

• Chris “Izzy” Cole

Jennifer Aniston

• Emily Poule

Dominic West

• Kirk Cuddy

Initial comments by the hosts:

Darrell points out that this movie was inspired by what happened with Judas Priest when they replaced lead singer Rob Halford with Tim “Ripper” Owens (who had been in a Judas Priest and Pink Floyd tribute band.)

The consensus from all three hosts was that the movie was… okay… filtered, lackluster, problematic in how the story was told.  The basis of the story was less about realizing your dream than it was in living someone else’s fantasy.

David wasn’t thrilled with Jennifer Aniston’s performance, but Darrell and Tony both thought she wasn’t all that bad.  Their complaint was in how the character was written.  Emily (Aniston) seemed completely oblivious to the “rock star” life and her reactions to hers and Izzy’s life were very unrealistic.  The movie seemed to be pandering to much less of a rock ‘n roll audience than a mainstream audience.

Tony listened to the commentary track after watching the movie and stated that some of the most interesting parts of the movie seemed to have been cut out, including one scene in which Emily’s character had taken drugs with some of the other rock wives and girlfriends.  The movie appeared to be designed to make Izzy’s character sympathetic so that the audience would approve of Izzy and Emily getting back together at the end.

Their biggest complaint was not in the acting or the actors, but in the editing, writing, deleted scenes.  Tony would have liked to have seen Izzy’s character be a bit darker, which would have fit more into the story.  They all thought Aniston was miscast in this role.  She was still doing Friends at the time and they thought that having Aniston portray any type of unpleasant character might not have gone over well with fans of Friends.

One of the other issues the hosts brought up was that in Izzy’s life, there was no conflict; he liked his day job, he loved his music and his family and friends were supportive of what he did.  Even when Emily broke up with him, there was no conflict!  The only time Izzy faced any kind of opposition was when he brought some of his own music to Steel Dragon and they dismissed him.  This is what ultimately caused Izzy to leave Steel Dragon (in the same way he joined Steel Dragon).

Many of the musicians in the movie are actual musicians:

Mark Wahlberg – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

Jason Bonham (Steel Dragon drummer) –Bonham, and he is the son of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)

Jeff Pilson (Steel Dragon bassist) – Dokken

Zakk Wylde (Steel Dragon guitarist) – Black Label Society, and he played with Ozzy Osborne

Blas Elias (Blood Pollution drummer) – Slaughter

Brian Vander Ark (Blood Pollution bassist) – The Verve Pipe

Nick Catanese (Blood Pollution guitarist) – Black Label Society

Stephan Jenkins (Black Babylon singer) – Third Eye Blind

Your Producers for this episode were:

• Tony
• Darrell
• David

This episode was recorded: 4/25/2012

Cast: Rob, Mike, Art, Zeiler, and Gourley
Topics: Alternative First Systems and Crowdfunding
BS! Memberships: Spooky Outhouse Productions
Music : All music used with permission of Ghoultown

Rob’s Shoutout: Insagram Toilets!

Outro Song: So Long, Serotonin by Tyler Jakes