ChocolateFrogs

I had the chance to put a display in my LEGO Store--one of the perks of being in a LUG near a store that has a Window To the Community. I built a scene around the summer 2012 Marvel comic event Avengers Vs X-Men. You can find this at the LEGO Store in the Tysons Corner Center Mall in Northern Virginia for April and the first couple days of May. While the comic series was mediocre overall, the inspiration was welcomed. I took that and created this: I've included the iconic Cyclops blasting Captain America scene: ...as well as the fight that had everyone wondering how Iron Man even stood a chance: Iron Man in his mech, blasting the Phoenix Force, was essential to creating the Phoenix Five: And I threw in a few other scenes to round it all out: And I couldn't resist throwing this underneath: I have to admit, Rogue is one of my favorite figs I've ever made from a pre-established work. More pix found here. So what do you think? Who's side are you on: The Avengers or the X-Men? -CF

My LUG gets to display at the LEGO Store(s) in the area, and April was my month for Tysons Corner's LEGO Store in Virginia. While Marvel's Avengers Vs X-Men comic event was mediocre in the summer of 2012, I can't deny the inspiration it gave me: Topic here. Brickshelf gallery here. Can you guess which part is my favorite? The Avengers are fighting the X-Men because they want to apprehend a mutant (Hope Summers) who they believe might cause destruction to humankind if the Phoenix Force, currently on its way to Earth, has the chance to posses her, due to then nature of her powers. The X-Men would rather the Avengers stay out of the way and let them deal with one of their own kind. Things get nasty for 12 issues, which was about 5 issues too long (not to mention all the tie-ins). Still, the chance to make some X-Men minifigs that LEGO hadn't and then pair them up with several Avengers was something I couldn't pass up for the display. The kids visiting the store wouldn't care some of this stuff didn't happen or didn't look perfect like the comics, and the adults that might have read the comic series would get a kick that I made it out of LEGO in the first place. The LEGO employees there that night knew what it was and loved it. The next goal is to show off my SHIP at Potomac Mills, because their display is visible from all 4 sides and will fit a 103-stud long spaceship. -CF

But WHY would it give itself a face? It doesn't need eyes to see, or a mouth to convey emotion. It just needs to reach out with its dust-tentacles and grab people/memories. -CF

I was wondering why it had a face at all. Was it a planet or a sun? Because everyone is in trouble within a couple of minutes if it's a sun. -CF

Holy kanohi, that last bit was emotional. -CF

This is arguably the best news report on BZPower since Day 1. What better news could B6 possibly bring us? "Brand M" was shutting down? I eagerly await to see what kind of developments come into fruition. -CF

So elsewhere on the internet someone noticed Clara's aversion to the number 3, or better yet the number 23 or the sequence of a 2 followed by a 3. She types in the wifi password as ''rycbar124" (skipping 23) and in the list of her age in her travel book it goes from 22 to 24. Her birthday on the tombstone at the end of The Snowmen is November 23, 1866, and the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary is on the 23rd of November. Commence freaking out. -CF (Want another freakout moment? The bells refer to the telephone ringing at the beginning, and St. John is the hospital name on the TARDIS.)

Not the new Relient K or Matt Maher CDs coming up/eventually? -CF

Some favorite lines: -CF

I freaked out when the Great Intelligence showed up again! I'm hoping that it's the main baddie for the series (on top of making sure the Silence think he's dead by him keeping his head down, figuring out who Clara really is, and answering the Oldest Question in the Universe). And with Clara's reappearance between life and death being a thing, I wonder if there's some connection between her and the Intelligence. Hmm... I loved the episode! So many good one-liners! I wonder though, who gave Clara the number? -CF

Sounds awesome! -CF (I thought you didn't like custom-built trophies. )

I second A Monster Calls. I haven't read anything else on here (false: I read The Hobbit 9 years ago) but look forward to The Book Thief, The Dresden Files, A Song of Ice and Fire, some Agatha Christie, and reading more by C S Lewis (I love The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce). -CF

Where to start for Neil Gaiman? Sandman volume 1 is a great starting point if you're interested in graphic novels/comics. American Gods is great an example of a pretty much perfect novel. If you want some light reading, he has some short stories online. Maybe google Cinnamon and A Calendar of Tales (that one is available to download as a PDF or ebook). As for other graphic novels, (The Walking Dead sounds like you found a good place to start), I recommend Sandman, Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb, V for Vendetta, Carnage USA (Spider-Man), Joss Whedon's run in Astonishing X-Men, Hawkeye volume 1 by Matt Fraction, and Y: The Last Man by Brain K Vaughn. -CF

Dude, I have about 60 unread books on my shelf. Most of which are mine, most of which I've paid for. It makes me a little sad, but then I perk up when I realize I'm going to read a lot of those this year. From the sounds of your reading plans for the year, I bet you'll finish these with no problem. I think the last Bionicle Legends/Adventures book (whichever series was in Bara Magna) I bought wasn't the last one published, and it took me a few months to finally say "ok just let me read it already" because as much as I enjoyed the story, I was well beyond caring at this point. -CF

Was the only thing the slight appearance of Matt dressed as the Doctor? Disappointing they didn't do a DW sketch again. -CF

Velox continually posts interesting blog entries about books and what he's reading/has read/will read. Which reminds me that I have such topics to blog about. But my blogging has been sparse, and I need to make such an entry interesting. But I hope that if you share my enthusiasm of reading that you will chime in. Without further ado, a glance at my to-read list from now until May: 1) American Gods by Neil Gaiman--I'm currently reading this and loving it! Gaiman crafts a story so well that simply reading his tale is a joy. (Also, I have the 10th Anniversary hardback version, which looks as magnificent as it reads.) 2) Uglies by Scott Westerfield--A teen dystopia book/series that I'm borrowing from a friend. I'm seeing her next week, so I figure I might as well read the first one now and decide if I want to hold onto them until we visit again or just return the rest of the series if the first book doesn't hold up to my tastes. 3) Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton--I've seen the movie, but with it being released in IMAX 3D in 2 weeks, I might as well read it before seeing it. (Because, as much as I hate 3D (and post-conversion), if there was one movie to see in 3D, it's this one.) 4) Best of All Possible Worlds (Don't feel like looking this up)--I'll be borrowing this new sci-fi with a touch of romance from work in a few weeks. It's been getting great reviews. (4.5--I wish I had time to also sneak in A Great North Road, another sci-fi geting decent reviews. But I think I'll have to borrow that from the library in a few months so I can keep on track reading things on my shelf that I own.) 5) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline--Gosh I just need to read this already! Have you seen the bombardment of positive "read now!" reviews on every geek site that gives it a paragraph of recognition? 6) Gone Girl by Gyllian Flynn--Another book I'll borrow that has been getting rave reviews, has been a bestseller since its release early last summer, and so is something I should read soon. 7) Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly--Borrowing from a friend due to her recommendation. I'm looking forward to it. Will probably read it on my lunch break while reading fiction at home. 8) In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson--I heard this wasn't as good as his book The Devil in the White City, which is on my list for this year too, but since my grandma liked it she lent me her copy, since it's still being well-received. 9) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson--I'm sure you've heard of this. My friend got me it for my birthday 1.2 years ago and I've been putting off reading it because other books catch my eye. But I'm tired of waiting. Plus I bought the other two in the trilogy for $4 total. 10) Iron Man, Extremis by Warren Ellis--The graphic novel gets a rerelease in April right before Iron Man 3 hits theaters. Ideas from this story arc have inspired events in all 4 of the films Iron Man is in, so I'm looking forward to this bit of comic history. Right now I'd better get back to American Gods. -CF

Ooooh! I'll be reading Night Circus and Robopocalypse sometime this year! (Hopefully by the summer.) It's cool that you're reading those for class, just so long as that obligation doesn't ruin the books for you. -CF

Finally I can make Zoe...if i ever get a head to make Book. -CF

I love Insectoids! My 2nd favorite 90s space theme behind the Exploriens. (3rd is Ice Planet 2002.) I definitely have noticed the similar looks of the two energy crystals (even wishing that perhaps they brought the Insectoid crystals back for the mold), though admittedly haven't looked at the Chima storyline. I even referenced Insectoids in my Galaxy Squad review with this picture at the end. Such fondness for a great theme. -CF

Exo-Force fizzle out after the first year? Hardly! -CF

It's fantastic to hear that TLG is doing so well, when what seems line only a few years ago the company's vitality in a video game-fused world seemed to be in questionable peril. -CF

I think I explained myself improperly, but the main point was that "smaller on the outside" doesn't work in the opposite meaning to the "bigger on the inside" idea. -CF

Alright, I've got a bone to pick. This has been bugging me since Christmas: The TARDIS isn't smaller on the outside. Think about Clara's statement for a moment. "It's smaller on the outside." It's smaller on the outside. That just doesn't compute. First, it was obviously placed in the episode to show Clara being clever and different. Especially since there has been so little "bigger on the inside" lines for the Eleventh Doctor, much to his disappointment. Second, as far as the logic of physics in the world of the show itself, it isn't smaller on the outside. Everything is outside the TARDIS, the whole vast, unimaginably huge universe. The TARDIS contains itself, all of its many rooms and whatever else, perplexedly surrounded by walls through some relative dimensions for its space to exist. Outside is simply outside. And everything outside is much, much larger than anything inside the TARDIS (presumably). I just want to get this off my chest now, before it possible becomes a recurring line for Clara. -CF

Admittedly, I love the pieces that were used as the original skis. I never owned that type of piece for quite a while, but finally got some a few years after Bionicle was released. -CF

Definitely jealous. I was tempted to make some constraction Marvel heroes (aside from the 3 already done). Still tempting... -CF