product review
Product reviews and how-to's of rising geek merchandise, from Funkos to magazines, comics, books, and novelty collectibles.
5 Tarot Decks for Nerds
These tarot decks were carefully selected for my fellow nerds who are loyal members of their fandoms. These decks are for those who know what their favorite characters mean to them and happily surrender to their particular aesthetics. When you find the one you KNOW you need to have, just get it. You can get these decks on Amazon, but MagickPlanet will give you a discount on new decks and the opportunity to pay for the deck in smaller payments with afterpay.
By Aliciel Alone3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Omens Bite'
Something wicked this way comes... Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds--ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist. Grief has taken a terrible toll on the twins. Rather than bringing them together, their sadness has torn them apart, driving Mercy to attempt to save the crumbling Gates without her twin and Hunter into the arms of a dangerous goddess. While Mercy looks for aid from Khenti, Guardian of the Egyptian Underworld, Hunter begins to realize the goddess she’s allied with is more monster than deity. She needs her sister’s help, but Mercy is beyond her reach on an adventure that could cost them everything, including their world.
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: The Invasion of E-Space Review
Season 18 of Doctor Who was one of the most groundbreaking and experimental in the show's history. To this day, it remains one of the most thematically consistent seasons of the classic series, and, while it isn't one that has been revisited that often in the years since, it is one that is still held in huge regard by Doctor Who fans. So, when, in 2010, Big Finish released "The Invasion of E-Space", there was a lot of anticipation for this story. Added to that was the fact that this would be the first story written by Andrew Smith since his debut, "Full Circle" (the first part of the E-Space trilogy from Season 18), back in 1980. As such, there was a lot of anticipation for this story, and it is a shame that it isn't quite as strong as a lot of Doctor Who fans were hoping for. Don't get me wrong - "The Invasion of E-Space" is a perfectly serviceable, decent Doctor Who story. However, this doesn't really have a lot of the heart the Companion Chronicles traditionally employ, and there's nothing here that makes this standout from most other Doctor Who stories: something that, at its best, Season 18 did in spades.
By Joseph A. Morrison3 years ago in Geeks
Feminism & Groomers: 'The House of The Dragon' Was Always About How Men Use Women
HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff, The House of the Dragon (sometimes referred to online as House of Dragons), knew what it wanted to talk about in the very first episode. After it's revealed that between two contenders to the throne — the cowardly Viserys I Targaryen and the wiser Rhaenys Targaryen — Viserys is given the Iron Throne because he is a man, we know that patriarchy is going to be a throughline in this story.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
Pop Culture's Reckoning with "Wage Slavery"
A lot of people hate work. "Work is not my highest priority and never will be," rants a user on r/Jobs. "I don't hate my job; I actually enjoy it. However, I'm just sick of this western(?) idea that your work is your identifier and needs to be your 'highest priority.'" This is a common perspective (see also my article You Are Not Crazy for Hating the Idea of Work).
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Long Live the Pumpkin Queen'
Jack and Sally are "truly meant to be" ... or are they? Sally Skellington is the official, newly-minted Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love, Jack, who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams—if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town. Cast into the spotlight and tasked with all sorts of queenly duties, Sally can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr. Finkelstein for a different cage. But when Sally and Zero accidentally uncover a long-hidden doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town in the forest Hinterlands, she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen, and the future of Halloween Town itself, into jeopardy. Can Sally discover what it means to be true to herself and save the town she's learned to call home, or will her future turn into her worst... well, nightmare?
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'The Haunted'
From Danielle Vega, YA's answer to Stephen King, comes a new paranormal novel about dark family secrets, deep-seated vengeance, and the horrifying truth that evil often lurks in the unlikeliest of places. Clean slate. That's what Hendricks Becker-O'Malley's parents said when they moved their family to the tiny town of Drearfield, New York. Hendricks wants to lay low and forget her dark, traumatic past. Forget him. But things don't go as planned. Hendricks learns from new friends at school that Steele House--the fixer upper her parents are so excited about--is notorious in town. Local legend says it's haunted. But Hendricks isn't sure if it's the demons of her past haunting her ...or of the present. Voices whisper in her ear as she lays in bed. Doors lock on their own. And, then, one night, things take a violent turn. With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don't take her first.
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Dead Voices'
Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire. Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE. With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help—or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted.
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'All of Our Demise'
For the first time in this ancient, bloodstained story, the tournament is breaking. The boundaries between the city of Ilvernath and the arena have fallen. Reporters swarm the historic battlegrounds. A dead boy now lives again. And a new champion has entered the fray, one who seeks to break the curse for good... no matter how many lives are sacrificed in the process. As the curse teeters closer and closer to collapse, the surviving champions each face a choice: dismantle the tournament piece by piece, or fight to the death as this story was always intended. Long-held alliances will be severed. Hearts will break. Lives will end. Because a tale as wicked as this one was never destined for happily ever after.
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
Optimus Prime A Time Machine to My Childhood: New Toy Robot Sparks Nostalgia
Toys have changed quite a bit since I was a kid back in the 1980s. Growing up, I thought I had the most amazing toys in the world. I had every Smurf, EVERY SMURF. I had every Smurf related toy, plushes, games, trading cards, if the Smurfs were on it, my 5 year old self had to have it. Luckily, when I was a small child and the economy was very different, my parents had a lot of money and thus I had most, if not all, of the toys.
By Sean Patrick3 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Cackle'
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation. Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?
By Cyn's Workshop3 years ago in Geeks
