Author Archives: Bria

Cosplay Monday: Brave

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In honor of Brave being released on DVD this week, we thought we’d bring you an appropriately themed edition of Cosplay Monday.  Check out this picture gluetree took at New York Comic Con of the royal Scottish family themselves.  They look great as King Fergus, Queen Elinor, and Merida!  Plus, it’s always wonderful to see groups like this especially when Merida’s been a popular costume this year.  It’s even more amazing when you can tell that they’re having tons of fun and that’s what costuming is really all about!

Look at your life, look at your choices: Bria’s Rereading the Expanded Universe (Woo Woo, All Aboard the Waru Express)

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Sometimes? A Person gets a very bad idea and then the Captain of the Blog she writes for encourages her to follow through on this very bad idea.  (It’s probably revenge for being a costume enabler.)  In this case?  Bria has decided to reread her way through the Expanded Universe and to bring you along on this crazy journey.  It’ll also probably include some gifs to properly express the craziness.

First let me clarify that I am in no way reading ALL of the EU.  My hat is off to Pablo Hidalgo for managing that feat and I do not wish to try and replicate it.  Plus, I wouldn’t be able to include beautifully done Expanded Universe artwork with my reviews.  I’m also not even going to read my way through all of the books on the official list that lives in front of all the EU books because I simply do not have all of those books available to me.

Here’s how this is going to work.  I’ll be starting chronologically and reading my way through my own personal Star Wars book collection.  I will also be rereading and reading some books for the first time that I am able to get from the library and/or also interest me.  I’m going to make every effort to try and get my hands on and either read or reread as many of the books that I don’t own as I can.  There are some very notable exceptions that I just will not reread (coughBlackFleetcough) however feel free to try and bribe me into reading them.  (Brian’s already agreed to reread Revenge of the Sith and get all of the emotional trauma that goes with it in exchange for me rereading The Crystal Star.)

I’ll be posting my thoughts on the books every now and then and keep you all updated on my progress!   I’ll be reviewing either series or multiple books at a time so I’m not flooding the blog with a post every day.  Check out the coded book list below to see what books I’ll (hopefully) soon be reading!   (A ~ indicates I have never read the book before and a * indicates that I have previously read it but do not own it.)  If you’d like to follow my real time reading progress, you can follow me on twitter @chaosbria or the hashtag #WaruExpress.

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Cosplay Monday: Scooby Doo!

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Scooby Doo, where are you?  In our Cosplay Monday post, of course!  This week’s costume comes from all the way across the pond.  Check out this awesome costume group from the October MCM Expo in London with Ryan as Fred, Mitch as Shaggy, Emmy as Daphne, Anna as Velma, and, of course, Scooby Doo!  I’ve never seen an entire group like this before and they pulled it off so well.  Plus, it looks like they had a ton of fun wearing the costumes throughout the convention.  Well done to every one involved!

You can see more pictures of the group on Emmy’s Facebook page: FairyPorchQueen Cosplay.   (There’s even one where they’re investigating a Jawa…)

Comic Review: Captain Marvel #1-6

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Sometimes, a comic book’s first arc can take you completely by surprise because of how just gosh darn good it is.  I’ll admit that I had high expectations for the first issue of Captain Marvel and was thrilled when it exceeded them and the rest of the arc kept me entertained.  Since July, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artists Dexter Soy and Emma Rios have delivered a solidly good book that looks like it will thankfully be around for awhile.

The first, and one of the most important things, that Captain Marvel did was give her a new costume and have her finally take on the mantel of ‘Captain Marvel’.  Both of these were excellent upgrades, no matter what naysayers might tell you.  As the editor points out in the letter page of the very first issue, her iconic black leotard with a yellow lightning bolt was not exactly a costume that most fathers want their daughters wearing for Halloween.  The new costume is not only reasonable but it really helps define and emphasize her new codename which Captain America himself makes an excellent argument for in the first issue.

This very first arc is a time travel one, surprisingly enough.  Shortly after taking the Captain Marvel mantel, Carol is left a plane by Helen Cobb, a friend and hero with many a flying record to her name.  Carol decides to take the plane up and try and replicate one of Helen’s feats but finds herself sent back in time to 1943, right in the middle of a World War II fight off the coast of Peru.

It is there that she encounters one of the best parts of this arc, a group of Women’s Air Service Pilots called Banshee Squadron.  Although they aren’t around for terribly long, they back up Carol in a crazy fight and each manage to hold their own.  They are fantastic characters and I certainly wouldn’t be averse to seeing them receive a miniseries in the future.  Carol fights back against the Japanese along side the Banshees until the plane reappears and she finds herself moved forward in time… just not all the way. Continue reading →

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm

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Bob Iger has just announced that The Walt Disney Company will be acquiring Lucasfilm (including its operating businesses such as Industrial Light and Magic and Skywalker Sound) for $4.05 billion.

What does this mean for the Star Wars universe?  We really don’t know yet.  According to the official press release, Kathleen Kennedy will be staying on and become the President of Lucasfilm and George Lucas will be a creative consultant.

There is, however, this:

Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The Disney blog says that after Episode 7, we can expect to see new Star Wars films every two to three years.

Obviously all of the details aren’t out there yet but we will bring them to you as soon as we learn something new.

Cosplay Monday: Genderswapped Nightwing

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Aaaaand we’re back with another edition of Cosplay Monday.  This week, we’re featuring yet another genderswapped costume from this year’s New York Comic Con.  (I swear that this pattern is completely by accident!)  Samantha Nicole on flickr spotted this amazing Genderswapped Nightwing on the floor of the con.  It looks great, it looks functional, those weapons look like they could do some serious damage and it’s just an all around great re-imagining of what Dick Grayson’s costume would look like if he was a woman.

Who Should Play Carol Danvers in the MCU?

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The Avengers 2 may not be coming out for another two and a half years but casting speculation has already begun and with good reason.  Given the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s tendencies to introduce characters in their lead up films, there’s a good chance that we’ll be seeing new team members in one of the four Phase Two films currently in production.  Ms/Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers, is currently one of the superheroes rumored to join the team and with that rumor comes plenty of casting speculation.  Earlier, the rumor mill was offering six actresses who are supposedly under consideration and that list has since been narrowed down to two: Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson.  Emily Blunt was originally the front runner for Black Widow but had to bow out due to other film commitments.  She could certainly be an interesting choice as Carol.

However, what’s the fun in there being casting speculation if we don’t get to join in?  With that, we present a few of our own picks for who could step into the role of Carol Danvers in the MCU. To the jump!

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Cosplay Monday: Han Solo

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Aaaaaand we’re back with Cosplay Monday!  This week, we’re featuring an awesome Han Solo costume originally spotted by Club Jade on tumblr.  And it’s not just any Han Solo costume… it’s a gender swapped Han Solo costume!

Made and worn by loveandasandwich at New York Comic Con, this is just an awesome costume!  I particularly love the Chewbacca backpack because not only is it a creative way to include Han’s partner in crime but it’s also ridiculously adorable!  According to her DeviantArt, she also had a Luke Skywalker with her at NYCC as well.

This is just a fantastic costume and was a genderswap very well done.

Cosplay Monday: The Costumes of Cadet

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It’s Monday again and you know what that means: it’s time for Cosplay Monday!  This week, we’re featuring the work of a costumer brought to my attention by Emily.  Cadet, aka James, has a pretty impressive body of costuming work.  His work with armor and props is enough to make almost anyone envious.  Check out his totally awesome Boba Fett!

And his costuming talents aren’t just confined to armor or props!  His Tenth Doctor looks fantastic and pretty spot on!

To see more of James’s work, including a great looking Clone Trooper and a Spartan Warrior, be sure to check out his site.

Cosplay Monday: Jaina Solo

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It’s time for another Cosplay Monday and this week we’re featuring an awesome Jaina Solo costume by Cavalyn!  Not only does her costume look great but she also makes a wonderful Jaina.  You can more pictures of Cavalyn’s costume on her tumblr including some awesome group shots with not only the other Solo children but also some really cool looking Legacy of the Force inspired shots.