Geek Fuel Magazine, Issue #13

ALAN RICKMAN RETROSPECTIVE

DEADPOOL A LOOK AT WHY REYNOLDS

IS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB

CHATTING WITH

KATYSUKA MOONFOX

COLECO MAKES A COMEBACK

perfect

hat We’ve all been in that position where a gift-giving holiday delivers us handmade goods from a family member. Few of these gifts have made a lasting impression, but when ma Cobb sent Jayne over a new beanie, it sparked a revolution for lovers of Joss Whedon’s cult hit Firefly.

Though the hat that sparked a revolution made its appearance for a scant few minutes, in an episode FOX actually didn’t air, it remains the one thing every Browncoat can wear, day in and day out, to speak to their loyalties to the show. Sport yours this winter and give that knowing nod to every other firefly fan you meet.

CONTENTS FEATURES

ALAN RICKMAN RETROSPECTIVE 4.. . . .ALAN RICKMAN-

A look back at the life of a talented actor, harrowing villain, comedic genius, and incredible man.

K ATY S U K A M OON F OX 6.. . . .COSPLAYE R OF T HE M ONT H -

Meet this month’s featured cosplayer, Katysuka Moonfox, and learn where she finds the inspiration she needs to create new images over and over again!

ryan reynolds

8.. . . .RYAN RE YNO LD S FOR D E AD POOL Five films that prove Ryan Reynolds is more than ready for his role as the Merc with a Mouth. .

12.. ...ELLIOT QUES T -

8-Bit graphics in a 5 Star adventure game.

REVIEWS

14. . . ..COLE CO CHAM E LE ON Are you ready for the next big thing in retro gaming?

16.. . ..ULTIMATE GIFT G UID E Give the game everyone loves to hate - Monopoly.

GEEK NATION 10.. . ..VIDE O UNBOXE RS -

Meet some of the folks who help us shine out loud with awesome unboxings and great reviews.

18.. . ..INSTAGRAM FOLLOWE RS -

We send out cool stuff, you snap super sweet pictures, you wind up in the magazine. Thanks for the Insta-love!

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ALAN RICKMAN GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

RETROSPECTIVE January of 2016 saw the loss of some significant cultural icons, including the man whose unmistakable voice rings strong in every one of our heads: Alan Rickman.

Born in 1946 in London, Rickman grew up in a working class family and, after his father’s early death, was raised primarily by his mother. Initially, Rickman pursued a career in graphic design, opening and running a successful studio with friends by the name of Graphiti. Upon having a “now or never” moment, he abandoned his post as a graphic designer to pursue a career in acting, attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. This turned out to be one of his best and most fortuitous decisions, as it was the beginning of a long, storied, and flourishing career on the stage and screen.

Rickman’s breakthrough moment came with his role as Vicomte de Valmont in a British adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses which, when brought to Broadway, earned him nominations for both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. It is here that his intensity, charm, and wit began to shine through and be brought into a larger light.

METATRON-THE VOICE OF GOD While Rickman’s career was filled with a variety of roles, his expertise as a villain was cemented in 1988 when he portrayed Hans Gruber in Die Hard. This role earned him a spot on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains” list and, with a voice to match the dastardly deeds, garnered him another villainous role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. There does not, however, seem to be a single role for which he is as well known as that of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series.

As Professor Snape, Rickman gave us that chilled-to-the-bone creepy feeling. The jet-black hair, brooding eyes, and interest in the dark arts led us all to believe he was the true culprit of everything evil that took place at Hogwarts. Though Harry was always told by Dumbledore to trust in Severus Snape, his outward actions made it difficult for anyone to follow through with that line of thinking. It wasn’t until the very end of the series that we learned his true nature. It seems to follow in line with all we know about Rickman as person as well.

Along the way, we had the chance to see him bring so many other incredible roles to life, most notably in the comedy realm. He gave God a voice as the angel Metatron in Dogma. He teamed up with himself to play Sir Alexander Dane and Dr. Lazarus in the science fiction parody Galaxy Quest. He had us rolling on the floor as Marvin the Paranoid Android in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Though he found fame in his portrayal of villainous characters, it is well documented that Alan Rickman was a truly incredible, decent, respectful, and upstanding human being. Hollywood, and the world at large, lost a truly remarkable person on January 14th. May we always celebrate the life of a man who gave so much to our imaginations, and may we see you, good sir, on the other side of the 9 ¾ Platform.

Origins Collection

5

5

If you’ve been to any convention in the last few years, you’ve no doubt seen the cosplay culture expanding and growing to epic proportions. What was once seen as a chance to dress up as a favorite character has now morphed into not just a new subculture, but a way of life for some. To dedicate yourself to doing cosplay full time means to transform yourself into an actor, train yourself as a seamstress, and translate all that a character goes through into one outfit at a time. The cosplay scene is one filled to the brim with artistry and creativity, and we are delighted with the opportunity to introduce you to some of the best cosplayers in the world in the hopes that it sparks an interest to get creative and explore a whole new world as someone else.

COSPLAYER OF THE MONTH

K ATY S U KA M OON FO X Q&A WITH MOONFOX FAV O R I TE C H A R ACTE R YOU’VE COS P LAYE D ? “ T h a rja f ro m F ire E mbl em!

S h e ' s c re e p y and w i t c hy m u ch l ike mys el f . I'm l es s o f a ya n d ere th ough!”

H O W DI D YOU G E T IN T O COS P LAY? “F r i e nds r o p e d m e i n t o it wh en I wa s 13, n o id ea wh a t th e h ell I was do i n g b u t I l o o k e d a wf u l a n d I'm co n vin ced Ive been d o in g t hi s 8 y ear s t o re d eem mys el f f o r th a t terribl e time.”

F AV ORITE WORLD? “ H a rry P o tter”

M ARVE L OR DC?

“Mar ve l. R eall y de p e nd s o n th e s eries bu t I l ike th e va riety o f M ar ve l c haracters a n d wo rl d bu il d in g better.”

F AVORITE MOVIE ?

“ D r i ve . I reall y d ig neo n o ir f il ms a n d a rth o u s e!”

F AV ORITE G AME ?

“ F i nal F antas y 8, I h a ve a ta tto o o n my ba ck o f it!”

U N IQUE TALE N T ?

“U M . . . I ' m l i k e a sn ak e , m y ja w cl icks a n d ca n to u ch my neck, s erves no pur pos e bu t fi t t i n g m o re fo o d in my mo u th . It's pro ba bl y a ll th e h exing I do!”

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K AT Y S U K A M O O N F O X

STOCKING

VELVET

BOA HANCOCK

COSPLAYER OF THE MONTH B L A C K C AT

facebook.com/KatyuskaMoonFox @katyuskamoonfox

@katyuskamoonfox

katyuskamoonfox.deviantart.com

five roles

prepping ryan reynolds for

When it was initially announced that Ryan Reynolds would be reprising his role as Deadpool from the X Men: Origins film, there was a lot of talk about whether he was the right guy for the job or not. Further compounding this was his portrayal as Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern, a film that, by all accounts, was a massive failure. Could Reynolds really be the superhero we all need? Glossing over the numerous romantic comedies in which he’s played the love interest, thus bringing his swooning and crooning capabilities into the mix, we’ve found a few reasons we’re sure Ryan Reynolds will be making Deadpool all we want and more.

Van Wilder National Lampoon’s Van Wilder Like a guy who stays in school for seven years, Wade Wilson isn’t about to just give up before he’s accomplished what he set out to do. It takes cunning, practical joking, and an endearing, but charming, attitude to make it to the finish line, and Van Wilder proved he could do it all.

8

Monte waiting...

If you’ve worked in the service industry, you’re well aware of the dark humor, disgusting jokes, and general melee that go on in the hallowed walls of a restaurant’s kitchen. About the only thing more vile is Wade Wilson’s brain space...

George Lutz The Amityville Horror Deadpool’s violent streak had to come from somewhere, right? Where better to channel that anger from than a man who is living in a possessed house that eventually drives him to unspeakable acts?

Hannibal King Blade: Trinity When Hannibal King wakes up from an attack to discover he is now a vampire, he makes the decision to use that power for good in this adaptation from the Marvel comic books. Comics?

Being the good guy? Nailed it.

Richard Messner Smokin’ Aces An FBI agent assigned to watch over an informant who winds up being told “You either cover this up and pretend it never happened or you resign.” True to Deadpool form, he pulls the plug on the bad guys and lays down his badge.

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JANUARY

U N BO XING VI D EOS

YOUTUBE NAME:

Ctop

YOUTUBE NAME:

LFTDG33K

YOUTUBE NAME:

Surreal Isreal

YOUTUBE NAME:

Rafferty Vaughan

YOUTUBE NAME:

Gina B

YOUTUBE NAME:

Callie The Chemist

YOUTUBE NAME:

Rowdy Rhubarb Official

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A N E W WAY T O P L AY O L D S C H O O L

RETRO GAMING GETS A NEW BOOST T o d a y ’ s v i d e o g a m e l a n d s c a p e i s a w o r l d u n t o i t s e l f . W i t h h i g h r e s o l u ti o n , r e a l i s ti c g r a p h i c s and gameplay with storylines that took years to write, the games we play today are a far cry f r o m w h a t a n o l d e r g e n e r a ti o n c o n s i d e r s t h e “ G o l d e n A g e ” o f g a m i n g .

I n t h e l a t e ‘ 7 0 ’ s c o m p a n i e s l i k e C O L E C O a n d A t a r i w e r e p u tti n g o u t t h e fi r s t h o m e g a m i n g c o n s o l e s , c o n s i s ti n g o f t h e m o s t b a s i c P o n g - s t y l e g a m e s a n d l i tt l e e l s e . O n c e t h a t m a r k e t s a w p o t e n ti a l , C O L E C O h e d g e d i t s b e t s o n t h e g r o w i n g p o p u l a r i t y a n d , w h i l e t h e s t y l e o f p l a y i n g a s i n g l e g a m e f r o m a c o n s o l e d i d n ’ t l a s t l o n g , b r o ke e ve n o n t h e i r fi r s t ve n t u r e . Fa s t f o r w a r d t o 1 9 8 2 a n d t h e b r a n d l a u n c h e d o n e o f t h e m o s t w e l l - r e n o w n g a m i n g s y s t e m s o f a l l ti m e : t h e C o l e c o V i s i o n . W i t h c o l l e c ti b l e c a r t r i d g e s , b o o k l e t s t h a t s o l d t h e s t o r y , a n d a n i n n o v a ti v e n e w way to play, they had hit the nail on the head.

A ft e r a s h o r t b u t a m a z i n g r u n , h o m e c o m p u t e r s b e g a n t o c o m e o n t h e s c e n e a n d C o l e c o V i s i o n s a l e s w e n t o n t h e d e c l i n e . To d a y , i n 2 0 1 6 , t h e d e s i r e f o r s i m p l i c i t y , f u n , a n d a n i n - h o m e g a m i n g e x p e r i e n c e t h a t d o e s n ’ t n e e d h e a d s e t s , i n t e r n e t c o n n e c ti o n s , o r r a ti n g s i s h i tti n g h a r d .

N o s t a l g i a i s h i tti n g h a r d , a n d C O L E C O i s r e a d y t o c a p i t a l i z e a g a i n w i t h t h e i r b r a n d n e w r e l e a s e of the COLECO Chameleon.

S e t t o d e b u t a t t h e 2 0 1 6 T o y F a i r i n N e w Y o r k , t h i s r e t r o g a m i n g p l a tf o r m w i l l b r i n g b a c k t h a t Golden Age, and place it firmly in your hands. The console is designed to play 8, 16, and 3 2 - b i t g a m e s o ff o f d u r a b l e c a r t r i d g e s , p u tti n g t h a t n e w - g a m e - s m e l l r i g h t i n y o u r h a n d s . T h e system does not connect to the internet, does not need lengthy system updates, and doesn’t s k i m p o n q u a l i t y . E a c h g a m e c o m e s i n a h i g h q u a l i t y b o x w i t h a n o l d - s c h o o l i n s t r u c ti o n m a n u a l and other supplemental materials that make it look just as good on the shelf as it does popped into the console.

T h e C O L E C O C h a m e l e o n K i c k s t a r t e r h i t s t h e i n t e r w e b s s h o r t l y a r o u n d t h e s a m e ti m e a s i t s d e b u t a t t h e To y F a i r a n d i s s u r e t o s e e a h u g e a m o u n t o f i n t e r e s t . I f y o u ’ r e l o o k i n g f o r a n e w type of challenge and want to feed the retro hole in your life, you’re going to want to get in e a r l y . C h e c k o u t t h e w e b s i t e a t R e t r o V G S . c o m t o g e t m o r e i n f o r m a ti o n a n d s t a y u p - t o - d a t e o n the Kickstarter launch!

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ULTIMATE GEEK GIFT GUIDE FEB 2016

EDITION

Winter is the perfect time to get together with friends, hang out in a cozy living room, and play a few games. This month, we’re celebrating the game everyone loves to hate, Monopoly, with a guide to fueling your inner geek while picking up your favorite real estate.

01

World of Warcraft Monopoly

$30

Take over Azeroth when you gain control of highly coveted locations like Twilight Highlands, Grizzly Hills, and the Swamp of Sorrows. Guaranteed to get you just as worked up as the online version, without the controller throwing.

02

Street Fighter Monopoly Best-selling franchise meets best-selling franchise in this Street Fighter version.

Buy up Makoto in the Dojo, Ryu on the Japanese rooftops, and Major Bison in the Shadaloo Headquarters and watch your friends weep as you dominate them.

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$28

03

Sonic the Hedgehog Monopoly

04

$310

Not only will you own one of the more expensive games of Monopoly, you’ll be the envy of your crew when you run around the board at sonic speeds. Battle the evil Eggman with Tails and the rest of the crew and get in a Rooftop Run while you’re at it.

Power Rangers Monopoly Stack Zords on Zords on Megazords on Gosei’s Command Center, The Power Chamber, Rita Repulsa’s Palace and more in the 20th Anniversary Edition. You’ll travel through time and visit all the spots your Morphing heros hung out at, all while yelling out “Go, Go Power Rangers!”

05

$40

Game of Thrones Monopoly

$45

Intrigue and betrayal come standard with every game of Monopoly, but the Game of Thrones edition takes it to another level.

Get one of the four houses to yourself or buy Lannister, Stark, Baratheon, and Targaryen all for yourself and ruin your frienemies’ fun.

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Adventure Time Monopoly

Embark on a journey through the Land of Ooo with Jake and Finn and climb your way through the sweetness of the Candy Kingdom and hide your wallet in the Land of Thieves. Avoid the Ice King, the Lich, and every other evil guy lurking out there and you’ll win it all!

$40 17

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