Comic Book Candy

Well....Probably not. But one gaming journalist's view on a female targeted Nintendo event gives insight into what this rare role reversal looks like from the male perspective. The result? A refreshingly humorous response to what would have made many others uncomfortable. In spite of himself, Grant Howitt seems to have enjoyed the far-from-subtle event. Nails, wine, Wii-enabled karaoke, celebrity impersonators, and a male model posing for a 3DS sketch contest. It's like the love-child of Carrie Bradshaw and Princess Peach, conceived in a Katy Perry fever dream. There aren't enough eye-rolling gifs on tumblr to express how an event like this would make me feel had I been an attendee. Yes, I enjoy having my nails done. Does that go well with a gaming event? Not if I actually want to deftly handle a controller. Singstar sure is fun, but I don't own it. WiiFit is probably the last game that I would break out amongst a group of friends. And I don't think I've e...

The fake Christmas tree is up, the John Coltrane is playing, the Nintendo DS is charged, these are a few of my favorite nerdy things. Santa went to Area 52 in Hobart and got me volumes 4 and 5 of Scott Pilgrim. Below are a few of my favorite moments from Scott Pilgrim, some of them feature video game references (there are many). They even quote Monkey Island in this book, a point and click adventure game released by Lucas Arts* in the early 90’s. Obscure? Yes. Satisfying to recognize? Indeed! In addition to gaming references, there are equal amounts of music and film references, from Scott’s various Smashing Pumpkin t-shirts to a blurred Gross Pointe Blank poster in the background. Bryan Lee O’Malley has even included a “recommended listening” playlist in the back of the last few volumes. But the pop culture references aren’t the only things that make this book so loveable. In between the arcade style ninja fights, there are some truly heartbreaking moments that these characters endu...