The Evil Within?

So the original idea we had for this public headspace was to talk about some of our favorite nerdy topics. But the name of the blog (Long boxes) was really a focus on our passion for comic books and as of now, for some reason, I haven’t covered this topic at all! I figured I could talk not just about the stories that we are currently reading but giving my opinions and views on different characters there current direction and if and how I personally view them.

To kick off this new series our subject is a complex character that tends to do more evil then good. Venom is an alien being that requires a host to survive otherwise it cannot hold its own structure. It has had several hosts but since its conception it has been inherently evil. Over the past couple of years the character has been through some changes for the better but deep down it will always be a monster out of control.

Origin:

The initial concept of the alien suit was just that. In December of 1984 Marvel was running a series called Secret Wars that had some of the Marvel Universes greatest heroes and villains’ teleported to an alien planet to fight to the death! During this story Spider-Man’s uniform gets destroyed and while fighting finds a mysterious black liquid that covers his body and protects him. This is the first we see of the alien symbiotic suit known as Venom. It was given a personality in Amazing Spider-Man issue # 299 when it tried to permanently bond to spider-man only to be separated from him and encounter its first real long-term host, a man named Eddy Brock.

Venom was angry and felt abandoned upon being separated. This combined with Eddy Brock’s hatred for spider-man fueled the duo into a constant state of trying to kill spider-man or Venom trying to reattach itself to its original host.  Eddy and the suite worked together often but overall Eddy made sure he had primary control while Venom gave Eddy the powers of Spider-Man and then some. In time the alien would have to move on and its next string of hosts was more of a tool for the alien suite instead of the suit being a tool for the host. The next notable host was a man named Mac Gargan.

Between Eddy and Mac was a long span of time and stories including the spawning of a “son” and a “grandson”. But Mac was the worst/best host for the character. A villain in his own rite Mac was not as strong willed as Eddy was and it did not take long for Venom to totally take control. This iteration of the character was not cunning like before but was brutish and more monster then anything else. It was always drawn as a vile creature capable of anything including dismemberment and the consumption of people.

Venom's current host is a man named Flash Thompson. He was a high school bully who picked on Peter Parker when they were young. He joined the army and lost his legs in battle. Years later after a long time of feeling defeated Flash volunteered to take part in the government program that tried to control Venom and use it as a weapon. Flash and venom soon bonded and through the use of sedatives became codependent. Now they no longer work for the government but fight crime as a hero with aggressive means. But while Flash has dominant control with the help of the drugs there is always the voice of Venom trying to take control.

The analysis:

Now that a simplified background of Venom's story has been introduced lets get into the concepts that I take from this character. Venom itself is considered to be the suit/alien life form and not the host it is attached too. The relationship between each host really defines the character. Venom is really the rage monster that can be generated within people's emotions. As the character and host get more aggressive the suit gets bigger to intimidate whom ever it is against. This is similar to a person’s perception of anger and rage where as aggression increases so does the idea of intimidation before violence might occur. The concept of the character is that it feeds off of the host’s adrenaline so it would make sense that anger is the best source of food.

Each host that the alien bonded with dealt with the anger in a different way. Probably the most productive host that Venom had was Eddy Brock. While his motives were evil and generally the duo was out for destruction he was able to channel the rage into a desired direction. Similar to being angry and instead of just getting mad taking that anger and putting it towards a project or a cause that would fix the source of the anger. All the traps and tricks were the result of a motivated individual who was angry and tried to do something about it, granted it was to kill Spider-man but we will just ignore that fact. The same is true in our universe when people protest low wages or the demolition of nature or even the desire to be treated fairly.

Mac is a prime example of taking rage and anger and letting it consume you. There was little to no control between Mac and Venom until drugs were introduced. Mac accomplished very little (in my opinion) when he was bonded with the alien. The two really spent most of there time as a weapon owned by Norman Osborn. Never having his own direction the alien drove the two killing and consuming anything they were aimed at. Anger in the real world has a similar effect when it is allowed to consume and win. Really all that anger leads to is violence while accomplishing nothing at all but destruction and hurt.

While Flash uses Venom to be a hero, he does not really work with Venom because the drugs keep it sedated. But this still applies to how people deal with anger. The drugs suppress the anger so that Flash can do what he needs to do but its really like taking the anger and hiding it or “pushing it down”. Like hiding this emotion eventually Venom will take control and cause chaos like with previous hosts. Anger when not addressed will build and eventually show itself when there is no more room left. There have been several times Flash has lost control even with the drugs and other heroes have had to step in and help him regain control.

Overall Venom is more complicated then just an evil alien out to kill Spider-Man. To me he is a symbol of different ways to control anger and the hosts have all contributed in different ways. I am going to say I am not a psychologist or therapist and have had no training in the field what so ever.  Venom is one of my all time favorite comic book characters and nothing more. This is only my opinion that I wanted to share with the world. I also do not own the rights to the character and the images; Marvel Comics created and owns all the characters in this post. What did everybody think? Do you agree with how I’m interpreting the character? Do you have any other opinions?

-JR

Legos...EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

Despite the fact that I'm 30 this year I am still a huge fan of Legos. I wish I had some of the cooler sets from my childhood but I did not appreciate what I had at the time. Regardless I now have a pretty large collection of Legos with a couple of different themes. I find I don't "play" with them like I used to and now really just enjoy the thrill of the build! Given that this blog is meant to reflect everything my wife and I enjoy it seemed natural to make a post about my favorite constructive pastime. I have so many sets that this could be a huge post so I will simplify it to the top eight. Random number I know but lists are fun right! So without further ado here are my top eight favorite Lego kits.

8. The first Lego set on the list is the large vehicle of war used by the Empire on the planet Hoth. The All Terrain Armored Transport (ATAT) was Ideal to deal with those rebel scum after the destruction of the first Death Star. This is one of the larger sets that I own. It is the second highest piece counts in my collection and took a good two hours to build. The structure is very detailed making it a sturdy. It is also big in size as well able to hold a pilot and commander in the front and three snow troopers can be held in the back. It also has two spring loaded “lasers” that will shoot out the cab when it’s attacking the hidden rebel base!

7. While the ATAT is an impressive build and has the potential to crush the rebellion the rebels have a means to take these mechanical monsters down. The Snow Speeder is, as its name implies, build for speed attacks to counterattack the slow moving Empire assault. The kit came with Luke Skywalker and another pilot along with a snow trooper and a small cannon. The ship itself is not a complicated build and comes with two spring-loaded “lasers” for counter attacking. The main weapon against the ATAT is the rope hook built into the back of the aircraft. The rope is meant to latch on to its legs and the speeder circles the walker till it trips and falls over! Take that you evil villains!

6.  Recently Lego went beyond the bricks and TV shows with the creation of The Lego Movie! The movie itself was funny, heart warming, and just overall awesome! Well the Lego sets that were released with the movie are just as awesome. The Castle Calvert set is a flying ship made out of castle parts. It's an awesome concept because it takes a standard set idea and turns those components into a very cool looking ship. The great part is that you have the option to build either the ship or the castle set. Everything about this kit is awesome!

5. Even the people of the Lego worlds need heroes. The next set on this list is the Lego version of one of my favorite heroes Iron Man! This particular build is a portion of Tony's condo featuring his workshop area under attack by the Mandarin's helicopter. The workshop comes with a couple of different armors, a small kitchen area and the ability for destruction. Parts of the walls are designed to explode when the Mandarin attacks! The set also includes a small helicopter piloted by The Mandarin and an extremis solder. Can Tony and Pepper survive this vicious attack?

4. Still within the Marvel Lego Superheroes realm is the ever present peace keeping organization the Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division or as most people would know it as S.H.I.E.L.D. One of the coolest kits I own is the S.H.I.E.L.D Quinnjet. This awesome aircraft has a drop down drone for scouting ahead, wings that adjust for fast areal maneuvers and a cockpit that adjusts for optimal sight and landing assistance. The set includes Black Widow, Iron Man and Thor figures along with Loki and a chariot driven by the alien invaders! It's a large set and a long build with a lot of small details.

3. My newest Lego set is a special set released in honor of The Ghost Busters. The Ecto-1 is a 1954 ambulance that was fitted with the necessary equipment needed for hunting and capturing ghosts. The detail in this set is awesome starting with the look of the vehicle and going all the way down to the mini figures. The figures are the four characters from the movies with there initials printed on little name tags. Each figure has the ghost busting backpack that must be constructed and a stand for them can be constructed as well. It's a very cool set and once again is very detailed to look like the vehicle from the movies. I ain't afraid of no ghost!

2. One of my favorite Lego kits to build is the Lego X-Wing. It's a very fun and complicated build with a lot of small detailed pieces that add to the entire look of the model. Its wings also move using a wheel in the rear of the plane to the plane can be put into the "attack position". The set I have is a more recent rereleases and came with Luke skywalker, R2-D2, Porkins and R4-D8. If your not familiar with the X-Wing it is a space fighter from Star Wars and the addition of Porkins makes me as a fan even happier since he is only ever mentioned in the original Star Wars A New Hope. While it is not a cheap Lego kit it can set you back at least $50. But it is well worth the cost.

1. My all time favorite kit that I own is the largest set with the largest piece count. The Millennium Falcon is one of the most well-known and iconic ships in the Star Wars universe. I was so excited to build this kit and take it apart that I forgot to take pictures of it before breaking it down. It is a huge build taking about three hours or more depending on how many times I needed to get up and move. The top opens up to reveal the detailed inside of this amazing ship including a sleeping area, a cargo storage area, a dinning area, and a recreation area with Space Chess and the ball Luke uses to learn the ways of the force. The set included mini figures of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Chewbacca. It is a wonderful kit that is complicated, detailed and fun to build and admire once completed.

I have many other kits as well but these are just a few. I actually acquired several new kits over the past couple of months including themes from Guardians of the Galaxy, The X-Men, and several more. I know I am not the only person out there in Internet land that still builds Legos. What are some of your favorite sets? What about sets or themes that do not exist but should? I have some ideas but I think I will save them for another day.

-JR

This Month's Loot!

Amy and I are both nerds, and proud of it. One of the best things about being a nerd is a love of stuff. Now we nerds acquire our stuff in many different ways. Between shops and conventions we find and purchase stuff of our items and passions to both fill a need and show our love for our passions. Did I lose you? It's all about stuff!

A newer service that has become available in the past couple of years is the delivery of nerd stuff on a monthly basis. There are several different companies that offer this service including Nerd Block and Booty Bin. My wife and I use and are very happy with Loot Crate. Every month (or prepay for better prices) we pay for a box of goodies that get delivered to our door. These things are cool items that come in a monthly theme that is different every month.

Now if I haven't done a good job explaining what loot crate is let me just describe what we got this month! And what a great month it was!  The theme for May was Adventure! and the logo for the month implied goodies from Minecraft and Legend of Zelda.

The first item in the box was an a awesome T-shirt themed from The Legend of Zelda. Not every loot crate comes with a shirt but we have received a few of them in our short time as subscribers. These shirts are also exclusives to members of Loot Crate. This shirt has Link the Hero of Time created out of descriptive words used to describe the series. I am super excited about this shirt! The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite video games series of all time! It's my new favorite shirt!

Our shirts do not normally look this wrinkled...It was rolled up in a box!

Next item contained in the box is a figure from the show Adventure Time. I have seen the show but am not super familiar with the program. The box that contains the figure is in the shape of The Ice King and the figure that is inside is a very cute penguin. I do not know the relevance of these characters to the show but the penguin is super cute looking and might be given to my mother who collects penguins. Not everybody received the same figure as there were several different options that could have been received.

Next was a keychain based on the video game MineCraft. This was another item that could have been a couple of different key chains but in our case we received the iron sword. I have played this game and did enjoy it. It is awesome that we received the sword since other options included the pick axe and several different creepers.

The next item was a bottle opener that is also themed in The Legend of Zelda series. It plays into the first game the moment that Link receives his first sword. The quote on it states the exact line from the original game "it's dangerous to go alone, take this!" It's a good quality bottle opener that will be put to some good use!

Stickers!!!! and tattoos!!!! This month included stickers and fake tattoos made by a couple of different companies. The theme of the stickers follows the idea of the monthly theme, Adventure!

Have you ever been in the Friend Zone? I doubt it. The Friend Zone is a blog on YouTube that features people coming together and enjoying nerd things like comics and video games. This months crate included the soundtrack to this podcast with several songs played in the 8-bit style of sound. This is not a show I was aware of until Loot Crate came but is probably one I will end up watching.

The final item in the crate is something that is included every month. To commemorate the monthly theme the May logo was printed on a little button just like previous months have been. Kind of like a loot crate collectors item. It is not a large pin but is a nice reminder of what the theme was and a way to utilize the cool logos that are created on a monthly basis.

So that is what Loot Crate is all about. The prices are affordable and the stuff you get is well worth more then what you pay. Amy and I will be members for a long time. Next month's theme has already been announced and is just as exciting: Transform! So does anyone else use Loot Crate? What about any of the other services? Leave comments on what you think of this month's adventure crate. Until next time, don't be afraid to be nerdy!

Too many games in the system...

As a gamer who tends to want to experience many different games, I put myself into a situation where I am playing multiple games at the same time. Well if you want some advice... DON'T DO THAT!  It gets confusing and with the "real world" giving mounting responsibilities, it can get hard to find time to play at all much less playing more then one at a time. The up side is that it gives me a reason to write about what I'm playing and why. So without further ado here are the ten games I am currently playing and my thoughts. These are in no particular order.

10. Super Mario Brothers 3 on the 3DS

This game was just rerelease for both the WiiU and the Nintendo 3DS. This is my all time favorite game and was the first game I ever completed as a kid on the NES. So of course I had to purchase it immediately and am currently playing through it (without using a warp whistle). The ability to "save" using the 3DS does make the game a lot easier but it's a still fun and nostalgic experience.

9. Pokemon Y on 3DS

Another nostalgic game I have followed since the original Pokemon Red and Blue. I have owned this game since it's release, as well, and have only played through it once. Combined with Pokemon Bank, I have been able to collect all but one pokemon. I need the legendary from the Y game to hopefully trade away for the missing link. Pokemon Bank has also allowed me to re-create my original team from long ago and use them in this new world.

8. Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry on XBOX 360

This is the expansion for Black Flag that has also been released as a stand alone game. I own it as the expansion and while I enjoyed the original game the expansion is not as exciting and (of course) not as polished in my opinion. I am almost finished with the story but haven't touched the game in a while due to others on this list. I do plan on finishing it soon so I can reduce this list and eventually we plan on upgrading the XBOX to a Playstation 4.

7. Assassin's Creed Liberation on XBOX 360

Liberation was originally released on the PSP as an exclusive to the handheld title. It was re-released for XBOX arcade and it tells the story of a female assassin living in New Orleans in the time of the revolution. For a long time, this was going to be the only Assassin's Creed game I could not play. I started playing some of this but didn't want to delve in to deep while playing through Black Flag at the time. This is another game I MUST finish before we upgrade.

6. Diablo 3 on XBOX 360

I love this game franchise! I have played every Diablo game released by Blizzard and played them for a long time. I did buy it for PC but our computers do not have the processing power necessary to run basically any PC game. This version does a nice job porting it to the XBOX. I only played it through on the normal mode and only using the monk character. There are so many more monsters from hell to destroy with several other characters!

5. Lego Marvel Super Heroes on XBOX 360 ( see a pattern?)

I am a completion-ist. The first step is to admit you have a problem. Lego games are a completion-ists worst nightmare and Lego Marvel is no different. This game is so fun and it's so awesome to play as my favorite comic book heroes in Lego form! The story is great but it's the search for character and vehicle tokens and saving Stan Lee that really make this game. Not to mention the large over world of NYC that players can walk, run, drive or fly through. One day I will collect it all!

4. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds on 3DS

Another series I have played since the very beginning. I was drawn to this game because it's a spin off of the SNES game that was just so awesome. Nintendo changed many of the mechanics for this game as well making it interesting and more of a free roaming game then other hand held games in the series. Another game I started to play but decided to stop and wait till others are completed.

3. WarCraft 3 and it's expansion for PC

It has been a while since I've played this game and decided to reinstall it and give it a play through. I've owned this game since it's release and in times where I cannot play the XBOX and my 3DS is not charged I can turn to this game and focus on building an army and destroying my opponents in cold blood! I also enjoy this game since it takes the hero element from previous Blizzard games and actually utilizes them in play instead of just having to protect them.

2. Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning on XBOX 360

I know little to nothing about this game. It was recommended to me because I do enjoy playing RPGs and this one seems to have a lot of possible customizations and a good story. While it is not a recent game I just acquired it and plan on diving into it soon. Hopefully it will tide me over until we upgrade to a new system.

And finally.....

1. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on XBOX 360

This massive game has taken up what feels like years of my life. I am finally getting to a point where I can feel confident enough to say I am almost done with it. We own all the expansions but those will not take me long to complete. It's immersive and epic feeling gameplay have held my attention for a long time. The down side is that there is a lot of walking around and even more loading screens.



So that's what I'm playing probably for a while. Once we upgrade to a next-gen console the list will change and most of these games will be sold off to afford the new hardware. But it will be worth it with upcoming games like Watch_Dogs and Elder Scrolls Online. Not sure if anyone is actually reading this but what are you all playing? Am I the only one who tends to try and play more than one game at a time? Let us know! Until then *insert cool catch phrase here!*

Jerry